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  • Last Online: Sep 9, 2022
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Springfield, MO
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JohnnyRobinson

Springfield, MO

JohnnyRobinson

Springfield, MO
Completed
April Snow
7 people found this review helpful
Feb 1, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

A Sleeper That Should Become A 'Masterpiece'!

First of all, one reviewer said that there was nudity; the worst thing shown in this movie was the back of a female's body and her side in bed view; definitely not enough to complain about nudity as a reason for not watching this masterpiece!

Actually, in my opinion, the first two times they make love are two of the most erotic moments in Korean cinema!

And, as another reviewer stated it, "The mild sexual content was tasteful and beautifully filmed, as well as was there for a purpose not just for thirsty eyes." I agree completely!

The two act as if they are scared of each other and are still cheating on their hospitalized spouses; they seem to be in high school and afraid to get caught 'doing it' for the first time, but their "need" for sex forces them to continue the taboo act...sex, and psychological release, from their forced-upon-them ordeal.

Each of them would have never thought of cheating on their spouse had they met in the same situation and their spouses' actions had not been discovered.

Also, the version most people had access to cut out important pieces of the rest of the story; what happened to In Soo (Bae Yong Joon) was cut from the readily-available version on YouTube. I was told that in the director's cut In Soo did divorce his wife, Su Jin (Lim Sang-Hyo, the female who survived the crash) and marry Seo Young (Son Ye Jin).

Since I only had the edited version to watch I thought the two were just cheating on their spouses again - the director's version makes the two going out on a road trip during a snow in spring (April) more acceptable.

I personally would have also divorced Su Jin after her action following her realization about her lover, Kwang-il {Kim Kwang-Il).

For this movie, you have to think like the wronged spouses here:

Both surviving spouses found out about their partner's being in a hospital through someone else calling them; they had no idea that his/her spouse was cheating on them!

Can you imagine the thoughts, doubts, and questions that were going through each other's minds
as they read the text messages of their partner's cell phones (as the hospital turned the cell phones
over to each of them?

Can you imagine the self-doubts of each of the leading cast members as they probably questioned
their self-worth as a partner, knowing that they (both) were being cheated on, and then to have to
meet the spouse of that person who was doing the cheating with their partner as well?

Can you imagine both partners wanting to (as I would have been prone to do) take a pillow and simply
smothering their spouse, solving a cornucopia of future problems that would have come about with
the cheating spouse recovering? In Soo even suggested this to his wife that she just die!

Can you imagine living in a guest house or nearby hotel/motel to a hospital as your spouse is (hopefully)
recovering, with nothing to do except ask yourself questions over and over again; and the only other
person who understands what you are going through is the spouse of the person your loved one was
cheating with in the first place?

These type questions are being asked by the two main leads minute by minute, and the answers to these questions form the basis of this wonderful movie!

As this movie slowly develops, we are shown that these very, and other, questions are plaguing both main leads, and ultimately, they only have each other to turn to in trying to find and maintain some form of sanity while waiting for their individual spouses to survive...or die!

Both leads are not sleeping; and both leads need someone desperately to talk to about their situation, someone who understands what they themselves are going through.

Both leads want to understand what was going on in the minds of their spouse, and how long it had been going on; this 'need' to find out more drives them to overcome their initial wariness of talking to each other and asking each other to see whatever records they may have to help them understand what their cheating spouse was thinking.

I saw much respect in the approach of the two toward each other as they knew the other may have information about the affair which the other didn't: In Soo was very polite and courteous to Seo Young as he initiated the request to share the cell phone text of her injured husband; Seo Young was equally respectful of In Soo in sharing this info...and her giving him property which she knew didn't belong to her husband.

This is not a movie that kills a person every 5 minutes, but it is about the psychological process of each of the wronged spouses is what makes this movie special!

Woven intricately by the director is a metamorphosis of the main characters' understanding of the situation they are dealt and how that affects them, the cheated-on spouse: you can see their bodies and actions "change" and become more stressed as these revelations take their toll on them, they become more pessimistic, cannot sleep and desperately need someone else to share their feelings; in In Soo's case one of the support cast sees these changes and how it affects him early on.

You also are dealing with two spouses who are in the prime of their life, especially Seo Young; had their spouses not wrecked a vehicle on their cheating vacation, the cheating spouses probably would have gone home and had sex with their waiting spouses, leaving the at-home spouse ignorant of their activities on their 'business trip.'

Sex is also a great way to relieve stress as you watch these individuals become more disillusioned, they NEED to relieve that built-up stress somehow; you can almost see it in their eyes as they find out that their partners' affair may have been since their college years.

Seo Young holds off her tears until after the funeral of the young man whose death was caused by the vehicle used by her husband and In Soo's cheating wife...you can almost feel the tension being released as she gets the build-up stress out of her system finally. Her exceptional ability to show emotion also came out in her portrayal of both the mother and her daughter in The Classic (2003)

It is shown over a time-lapse shot of the interval needed of her tension being released.

Each time I watch this, I see more of the carefully-placed emotional gestures of the two grieving, and wronged, spouses.

Only after Seo Young finally starts to accept what had happened, can she start being human again; her character is very quiet until this moment!

What follows is the remainder of the movie as these two draws closer to each other, out of necessity and desperation!

This is a movie that needs to be watched several times to pick up the nuances embedded by the director/screenwriter Hur Jin Ho, and I recommend the long list of several other hits he has been a part of in the past...and hopefully in the future!

The main cast makes their characters come alive and makes you forget that you are watching a movie; the sign that every great movie has in common with each other.

The support cast act professionally and in the background as they should, giving the two main leads the limelight and thus doing their part in supporting the movie's story.

The music, cinematography and props all make you feel you are in the presence of everyday people living their lives as tragedy strikes!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Don't get me wrong, you can watch this once only if you desire, but I believe that it would be a mistake only to watch it once! It definitely gets my vote for a re-watch!

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Completed
Beauty in Rope Hell
5 people found this review helpful
Jul 30, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

Idiot Who Wrote Synopsis Never Saw This Movie!

First of all, this is a classic, that will outlive all of the performers in the movie for generations!

ONE OF THE FEW MOVIE SITES TO GET THE SYNOPSIS RIGHT ON THIS MOVIE!
"Watch Beauty in Rope Hell (1983) Synopsis : During World War II, Kazu, a lifeless postman who lives alone, becomes obsessed with the beautiful Mitsuko, newly married to Ekichi. When Eikichi was summoned by the army, he saw his chance and abducted her. He bound her and tortured her in his attic where she became his sex toy."
18+ Beauty In Rope Hell (1983) - ดูหนัง2022 หนังHD ดูหนังออนไลน์ หนังเต็มเรื่อง หนังเต็มเรื่อง หนังใหม่

Mitsuko Hiyama (Takakura Miki) is betrothed to her lover and future husband, Eikichi (Nuibe Kenji); but hwo also receives his military draft notice on the day of his official engagement to Mitsuko. Needless to say, a short honeymoon!

While Mitsuko is missing her new husband, a postman Kazu (Yamaji Kazuhiro) who is physically challenged, prepares an upper room , NOT HIS BASEMENT, in order ot kidnap, torture and rape the new bride.

What is funny is the three twists in the end, which finally frees Mitsuko and punishes Kazu the way he should have been!

My Drama List will not allow me to upload screenshots which shows the room Kazu uses to illegally hold Mitsuko is an upoper room and not a basment! Watch the movie between time checks

The main cast were superb together, and the support cast did their job especially well, including Kaya [House madam] (played by Ito Maya) and Kazu's original girfriend!

I give it top scores in script written for a movie, editing, acting by both mani ans support cast, ,akeu[p, casting, direction, and backfround music!

Why so techinical you ask? This is also the favorite film of a local movie critic I am friends with; he has written and posted many articles on this movie and other movies by Dan Oniroku, one of his favorite writers as well!

A mailman becomes obsessed with a pretty, young wife. He captures the woman, tortures her and keeps her in his basement dungeon where she becomes his private sex toy.

Also Known As: Dan Oniroku: My Journey to the Future , Dan Oniroku: Bijo Nawa Jigoku
Screenwriter: Saeki Toshimichi
Director: Nakamura Genji
Genres: Romance, Drama, Mature
Tags: Prostitute, Pink Film, Stockholm Syndrome, Torture, Sexual Content, Erotic, Rape, Nudity, Kidnapping, BDSM


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Completed
The Gangster's Daughter
3 people found this review helpful
Dec 1, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Needed more time to develop plot, characters...

This was a great little film, full of family love and the relationship between a father who gets custody of his lost daughter after her mother dies His wife took her daughter to live with the her family in the daughter's early years. The mother left Taipei and took her to the island of Kinmen...

A beautiful relationship develops between Chen Shinwoo (Shaowu)/Ally Chiu and her estranged father, Keigo (Jack Kao) but leave it to a corrupt police officer to acuse problems with Keigo's former gang members...

The cinematography and music are not bad in this movie and all the cast, main and support, make you feel as if you are dealing with a real gangster setting; however, the movie turns very voilent near the end and I woujd not recomment it to anyone under 18 years of age.

You have to watch the last 16 minutes a few times to catch everything that happened!

My main complaint is that the movie should have been longer to better develop the characters and not rush through the plot the way they did.

While the actors and story were really good, the music and rushing of the plot made is 'so-so'; hence a lower rating from me!

I would have really liked for it to have been more developed and also not have the cop indiscriminately kill everyone left after the shootout in the bar!

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Completed
Queen Dugu
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 19, 2021
50 of 50 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

History thrown out for showing couple's perfection...

I am about to start the Legend of Dugu to compare with this series.

All in all, the whole series could have been reduced to 40 episodes and still tell the same story.

Also, I have a pet peeve as to dramas changing history:

First , oldest son did not go mad; his mother didn't like the fact that he had so many concubines, and had second son appointed Crown Prince (who, by the way, destroyed their dynasty!).

The maid that slept with the emperor did not kill herself as portrayed by this series; historically, Queen Dugu had it done for her!

There are several other places where it replaced history with drama, but I am not going to list them all here.

I don't care how "good" the couple were, they could not have been as PERFECT as this series suggests...

I agree with the comments by other reviewers on the overall series: couple too perfect; historical facts were replaced with drama; and it was too long!

It started out good until the death of the corrupt Prime Minister; afterward, it relied on a boring story coupled with inaccurate history in an attempt to save itself!

The main cast all worked well together, with the male and female lead \making you think that they were a couple; the 'competition' between them was hilarious and there were enough scenes for you to be reminded that they still cared about each otehr until the end, and most of the kisd also made you fdeel that they were an intact family (If you watch it, you know which one is the 'exception' to this rule!).

The support cast did an excellent job in their roles and supporting Dugu and her husband; below are some kudos to teh individual support cast:



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Completed
By Stealth Like You
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 10, 2022
15 of 15 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

"The Most Beautiful Thigs Is Not The Rainy Day; But The Shelter We Took From The Rain."


First, it was not until I started typing up this review that I realized that everyone used their own real names in this movie! Even Guo Hao Yu changed is name back to his own name.

This series is mainly for a pre-teen and teenage viewing audience, but it is still a good break between action, horror, and period dramas. Also, there is absolutely no adult "action" whatsoever in this movies, so don't expect it! The main female lead os so cute and well worth the time just watching her suffer from her own self-talk! (Just kidding!).

If you liked Ditto (2000), Drama Special Season 5: The Three Female Runaways (2014), Jenny & Juno (2005), Who Slept with Her (2006), or Su-ki-da (Japan, 2005) then you would probably like this one as well!

This drama reminds me of Su-ki-da (2005), a Japanese movie where the two main cast members only declare their love for one another at the last scene of the movie in the hospital, I also wondered if the main male lead would actually "live" until it happened! https://mydramalist.com/2536-su-ki-da

Guo Hao Yu, now Guo Jia Nan (Guo Jia Nan), a high school basketball player who is also as good in the classroom as he is on the basketball court is the secret crush of one Zhang Mu Xi (played by Zhang Mu Xi), a shy slightly introverted female who talks to herself (more on this later) and who also keeps telling herself that she isn't 'pretty' enough for her high school, then college, crush/heart-throb Guo Jia Nan.

On top of that, Mu Xi keeps tripping over herself, literally, every time she gets within a mile of him!

Also, since every movie with a "girl likes boy but doesn't think she is good enough for him" plot, there has to be a second female lead for Mu XI to beat herself up over occasionally: enter, who else, but Mu Xi roommate, Liu Yuan Yuan (played by some actress by the name of 'Liu Yuan Yuan'): Yuan Yuan is taller, better-looking as far as Mu Xi is concerned, and is one of the most popular girls on campus, and more horrible, had Guo Jia Nan's phone number before he did!

Last but not least, our possible femme fatale is being pursued by another young man, Yu Xuan Chen (played by some guy by the name of Yu Xuan Chen!).

Following for most of the rest of the movie are feelings of euphoria by Mu Xi while she is within breathing distance of Guo Jia Nan, followed by feelings of depression if for some reason or the other Guo Jia Nan tells her he is busy, he doesn't answer his phone, etc. He finally asks her ot to eat, but again, she blows it there as well!

I kept yelling at Jia Nan, "For Christ's sake, TELL HER you like her and you enjoy being with her!' But for some reason or the other, Jia Nan either didn't hear me, or ignored me.

This movie reminds me of "If I Can Love You So (2019)" a great drama where world-renowned pianist Geng Mochi, and popular radio host, Bai Kao’er, keep messing up being together or getting married because little misunderstandings keep cropping up between them: same with Mu XI and Guo Jia Nan, but the movies would have ended after the first 10-minute episode had they not!

After going back and forth between euphoria and depression, Mu xi becomes a basket case who does nothing but go to class, eat some and cry her heart out!

Thanks to Mu Xi's roommate and rival to her, Yuan Yuan finally tells Jia Nan to either drop her altogether or ask her to be his steady girlfriend. However, Jia Nana also messes this up as well, due to Mu xi's misunderstanding!

While this couple's lives are going nowhere, Yuan Yuan has her own problems with her ever-present worshipper, Xuan Chen.
However, things take a surprising turn there when Yaun Yuan finds out that she is not the one on Jia Nan's mind all the time!

I really love the endings for both couples, but one of the girls is not the only one daydreaming about the perfect partner, even since high school!

Episodes of this series are only 10 minutes long and a combined episode's movie is available on YouTube. Eng sub et al, are available as well there.

Everything was great about this movie, but it was a little 'corny', if you know what I mean. It would be great for boys or girl s who is scared of telling that 'special one' how they really feel.

Music, cinematography, was great. Main cast actually made the audience feel as if they had a romantic connection, and they both played the role of hormone-ravaged kids trying to figure out exactly how to get with the one they wanted to date without falling on your face every step! Guo Jia Nan acted as if Mu XI was growing on him, and he smiled more during the last part of the movie more.

The supporting cast also played their parts well, and gave the main cast what they needed to keep focused on the main plot of the movie.

I liked it when Jia Nan and Xuan Chen were alone and talking about telling a girl how they felt; neither up until then were able to do it!

I loved the way that they showed Mu XI (literally) talking to herself when it was needed in the movie; as most love-lorn girls, she was her worst enemy when it came to giving herself pep talks! Guo Jia Nan also was great at playing a young man who wasn't exactly sure how to deal with the girl he wanted to be his main squeeze; and he played his part very well.

I liked the way Yuan Yuan played the second girl, and finally came around to realizing what was important in her own relationship with another.

I also liked how Xuan Chen got Mu Xi to try to get Yuan Yuan jealous, and how the reaction of Yuan Yuan and Jia Nan after their attempts!.The interplay between the 'non-couples was exceeding well done!

I especially like how the two couples "summarized' the lessons they learned over the time period of the movie at its end.

I also liked how Jia Nan "gave of himself" and occasionally changed his plans to make Mu XI feel good about herself and be with her; this is what true love is - part of YOU dying for the one you want to be with!

This is a less-than half a box of Kleenex movie but it is still great to watch occasionally.

If you want more of this type entertainment, please try 'All I Want for Love is You'. One reviewer said that this short drama was nothing more than a 'shortened' version of 'All I Want for Love is You'.

RE-WATCH VALUE: Occasionally, yes.

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Completed
Su-ki-da
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

A thinking-person's movie!

I started watching this movie and noticed how SLOW it was...it was like having a toothache and the dentist looks in your mouth and just looks...and looks...and looks...

After observing the two, I wanted to tell her, "Tell him you like him!" but she didn't; then along came the tragedy! Same thoughts on the male lead as well.

I am thinking as the movie continues, what isn't going? Then it hit me!

Both kids are shy and have trouble communicating their feelings; as if their inability to tell each other their feelings is part of the movie itself. I then remembered young Hirahara Yu (played by Miyazaki Aoi) and her conversation with herself after kissing the boy. The boy's reaction is also quite indicative of young Yosuke (played by Nagayama Eita) that he as well is not well-versed in communicating with young girls in society.

Both actors were good at saying a lot with little dialogue, and I thought about all the missed opportunity for the two to come closer to each other. Both actor/actress portrayed the insecurity of young teenagers unable to express themselves in a personal, social situation.

Cut to a later time period in a bigger city...

Again, the two meet (quite accidentally, or was it by fate?) and start reminiscing about the past, and the older Hirahara Yu (now played by Nagasaku Hiromi) embarrasses the older Yosuke (now played by Nishijima Hidetoshi) about a typical 'boy' ritual that he performed late at night in his youth, when he thought no one else was around to see him! They also realize that they both wound up in the same industry as well.

The older Yosuke had not forgotten the promise he made the younger girl at the time of the tragedy back in their small town, and yet before he could fulfill his promise, another tragedy struck! I was so upset: he comes this close to fulfilling his promise made years ago, and he is going to die before he does! So I thought...

The ending though was both anti-climatic, yet climatic at the same time; I never thought that it would end this way, since it took so long. When the act happened, I felt of rush of emotion, forgetting that I was watching a movie.

Both actor/actress portraying the older main characters also kept the feeling of their inability to express themselves in a personal, social situation going in the second half of the movie. Good job both sets of main cast members!

The supporting cast assisted in the main cast's portrayal of the story quite well; special kudos to the criminal (Ryō Kase) for his brief but important two scenes in the movie.

Until recently, I never paid that much attention to music in a movie, but the little music in this film helped set the mood at the appropriate times..

The cinematography was also excellent in this film: the use of light and dark ( and black and white) helped set the appropriate mood for the scenarios, along with the music. I especially like the shots of the small town and then city to differentiate between the two worlds the two main characters are operating in for both parts of the film.

I never read reviews before I watch any movie; yet after watching other Japanese movies. they sometimes use this what I call "delayed action" technique for saying more than if the cast members talked; however, I still feel frustrated until i get the 'gist' of the movie down so I can truly enjoy it. It can make the movie very thrilling if timed just right, which the director of this movie does.

The overall message, to me, is NOT to put off saying what you wish to the people around you; it may be your only chance!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Occasionally...

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Completed
Crazy Flight
2 people found this review helpful
Dec 15, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Amusing movie with a hilarious ending!

If you have some time to kill, try this movie!

The movie is about a group of airline stewards and stewardess who work together, a particular flight to Germany, their "down" time on layover and the "eventful" trip back home!

Beautiful scenery in Germany, by the way!

After reaching the climax near the end, I had an absolutely "Laugh Out Loud" experience...

and I am not going to tell you what it was, either!

I would have rated it higher just for the ending, but some may not have the patience to make it all the way to what happened in the end.

The supposed onboard shots looked realistic, the cast worked together well enough to make you think that they were an actual airline crew that worked together for some time, with a look at innovative ways of handling 'problem" flyers, enough to give you occasional giggles and keep you watching until the end.

I never say anything about the music or cinematography unless I feel that something didn't fit well.

As a matter of fact, what happened to the married male member of the crew after he got home may have been more fun than the midair mishap...

Asiancrush presently offers it for free online.

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Completed
Possessed
2 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

It was the mother, really!

With a background in Religious Studies, mythology and knowledge of shamanism, atheism (and many other ism's) I found this movie fascinating and intriguing.

Religiosity can be a strength for many people, but religious fanaticism usually is detrimental to all socio-economic classes, especially the poor!

Over-religiosity can lead to fanatics like David Koresh, Jim Jones and even a mother like Hee Jin's, briliantly played by Kim Bo Yun.

Religious fanaticism can lead to conditions such as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and even worse, such as the disassociation of those close to the practitioners, such as Hee JIn's younger sister, Kang So Jin (Shim Eun Kyung), whose every scene except for the very last one (with mother dead) showed her mother's overbearing impact on her life. It can even lead to residual problems to others, such as Hee Jin's cough at college, which stopped after her mother's death.

Hee Jin's mother, in my opinion, had already crossed the fine line between 'believer' and 'Satan's henchman'.

I admit it was slow at times, but part of that was necessary to set up the interaction of opposing forces in the movie.

The movie started working on the question, "What is faith" to the participants, although it gave up before it go to any conclusion (and it wasn't long enough to come to any definite conclusion as well!). It should have been, possibly, a series instead looking at such topics more thoroughly.

The other reviewer complained about the film being slow at times; I agree, but this movie wasn't so much about action horror, as it was about a continuous philosophical horror which will let down some viewers.

A complaint about the "murders without reason" is answered later on in the film; the tenants of the apartment build from admiring, then fearing, and ultimately condemning Kang So Jin, as she is manipulated by her zealous mother. Enter the shamanass and the tenants find out how powerful, and dangerous, Kang So Jin' mother is!

I admire the use of black and white to make the apartments and complex itself fit the eerie atmosphere of the film during most paranormal scenes. The main and support staff also work well together to create a film that should become a classic in the future.

The director used every inch of film to build on the film's atmosphere (the furnace room lit only by a cell phone light) and did an excellent job. Without so much of a "Gotcha" moment of fright, this movie seems to keep you rather in constant suspense, which I thought the director did a good job.

I could write another 7-8 pages on this movie, but you probably wouldn't stay here that long!

Suffice to say, come here every Halloween or more often and be prepared to be glued to the edge of your seat, rather than being occasionally scared out of it!

I down-voted it due to unanswered questions at the end but really felt it deserved a better score

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Completed
Ditto
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2021
Completed 2
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Cute little melodrama that doesn't end right...

The setting, music, photography were all good for this time period and I enjoyed the feeling of actually being on a campus during the movie.

However, the movie expects you to believe that this intelligent young lady, Yoon So Eun (Kim Ha Neul) is not going to fight for her love , Ji Dong Hee (Park Yong Woo), who she had written countless letters to during his mandatory military service.

It also wants you to believe that the young college student is going to go the rest of her life without a boyfriend, husband and/or lover! Had the ending not been so terrible, I would have given it a higher rating than what I did.

The characters of Yoon So Eun and Ji Dong Hee were believable, but didn't quite measure up to two individuals who knew they liked each other; that is the second reason it didn't really warrant a higher rating from me. The support character Seo Hyeon Ji (Ha Ji Won) was sidelined with a broken foot for the entire first two weeks of the movie; then steals her best friend's boyfriend...don't buy it!

The only bad performance was Heo Seon Mi ( Lee Seung Min) but since she only had two acting performances during the year 2000 (her first two acting stints then), I am not going to criticize her, except she was kind of an anti-girlfriend to the main male lead in the 2000 segment.

Also, another reviewer mentioned that he or she could not stand the way Kim Ha Neul played the young female lead during this movie: she acted as any young-girl-in-love does, going goo-goo-eyed every time her crush came into view, then acted like she was about to faint, hesitated before talking, blushing, grinning ear to ear and occasionally saying something stupid (like she was in the ham radio club when she was spotted by her crush there; she wasn't).

Also her total about-face would never have been done by someone that in love with a guy, without a fight, best friend or not as her rival!

Nor would someone that intelligent live for so many years by herself, without finding another love; she was too intelligent to do that!

WATCH VALUE: definitely: RE-WATCH VALUE: NONE, unless you want to study how not to end a movie!

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Lover's Concerto
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 10, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

A timeless movie that will outlive us all!

This is one of the first movies I saw after seeing the bit part actress (in this movie, that is), Moon Geun-young, in "My Little Bride (2004).

This, in my opinion, ranks in the Top Ten of Korean love stories, along with Wedding Dress, (2010), More Than Blue (2019) Always (2011),

The combination of casts, director, screenwriter, support cast and crew plus cinematography created a timeless piece of drama with just the right amount of comedy, sadness, et al, to create a tearjerker that will be remembered and watched for ages after the present Korean population and I are dead!

The only sad part is the suicide of one of the two main actresses for this movie, Lee Eun-Ju, some years later...It makes the re-watching of this timeless piece so much more heart-breaking!

P.S. Please bring your girlfriend and you will get brownie points...and ABSOLUTELY DO NOT start watching this movie without at least a full and partial box of Kleenex handy!

NOTE: There are three places that have the FULL MOVIE; the movie was edited by the YouTube uploader, he cut off 10 minutes of the original movie to make it look like the second female lead did not die! Do not watch his version of the movie, please.

RE-WATCH: definitely!

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Completed
No Mercy
2 people found this review helpful
Dec 20, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

Just Turn On The Evening News for the same CRAP!

I cannot justify giving this film any higher of a rating...

Sure, the main actresses, both sisters, played theIr parts well, the support cast did an excellent job playing the vilians, and the other bit parts all added to the overall "feeL" of this film...both supporting the main actresses and making the plot believable.

The colors were vivid, especially the over-use of the color 'red', not just the blood, either.

But WHY would anyone in the their right mind would want to sit through a movie that 'insinuates' a 'special needs' teenage girl being raped several times, even though it was most suggestive rather than blatantly excessive; no nudity, thank God! Also, why would anyone want to see a lovely lady, dressed in red (probably to hide her bleeding if she got hurt; I am joking here), but the color 'red' is a major symbol in this movie, but I am not going to go there in this review).

You can watch Clint Eastwood in his DIRTY HARRY series, you can watch Bruce Willis in his John McClan character in the DIE HARD franchise, or a dozen other similar films. Does the 'hero' being a 'heroine' beating everyone up make this film any more worth watching?

The older sister Park In Ae (Lee Si Young) was justified trying to rescue her younger sister (Park Eun Hye, played by Park Se Wan) but other avenue could have been taken: get the media involved and the girl would become so hot that they would gladly give up gettng their money back and protecting their 'business' overall.

I agree with a lot of what was said by other reviewers before me, but my main reason for writing this review is

1) When was the line between justice and overstepping boundaries crossed in this movie?

2) The worst part of this movie is that it shows how GREED and LUST drives the sexual slave market; everyone, including an old man, who wanted to get a piece of the teenage girl and even try to make a buck off of further sexual 'use' of her; it's all I could do to fast forward through the blood and guts and the passing on of the girl to someone else!

I guess my work in emergency services: ambulance attendant, Emergency Room technician, Warm and Hot lines, and Rape Advocacy over the years, took control of me in the opening sequences; I enjoy a good shoot-em-up and 'Dirty Harry'-type movie occasionally, but not involving teenage (especially) special-needs girls being molested time and time again.

I feel that the director 'sold' out to make this movie more appealing to an American audience, my main problem with the way a lot of newer Asian movies are slanted!

RE-WATCH: Never again!

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Completed
18 Year Old Model Rika's Fancy Walk
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 23, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

63 Minutes Of Erotic Fun!

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Completed
Wet Dreams 2
1 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

"If he farts for Se-mi, he'll shit for me!"

The sequel to Wet Dreams (2002); which from what I have learned was a Korean response to America's American Pie (1999).

However, instead of just being a sex comedy, both Wet Dreams and this one have a great message to pre-teens about growing up!

Instead of male students trying to score sexual hits on a female teacher (original West Dreams), this one has four female students students who have the HOTS for a male teacher, who for some reason that only the movie director knows, has a mental psychosomatic reaction from getting aroused by a female!

The older sister of Oh Sung-eun {Song Eun Chae) gets married and her and her two friends, Soo-yeon (Jeon Hye-bin) and Mi-sook (Park Seul-ki) sit around wonderig what Oh Sung-eun 's sister and her new husband are doing the night after their wedding (LOL!)..

The next day, a new good-lookikng male student-teacher, Kang Bong Gu (Lee Ji Hoon) who is also the new PE teacher starts at the all-girls school. But Bong Gu has a 'problem' not shared with other men his age: he 'farts' when he becomes sexually aroused!

The comedy that occurs because of this 'problem' is the most hilarious thing I have ever seen!

One reviewer on anohter movie site said that his reaction was very negative of the whole premise he has an 'abnormal' reaction to being aroused by women!

I thought the male lead pulled it off very well, especially the scene in the doctor's office!

Oh Sung-eun, being at the age of having her first menstrual period and being made curious by her sister's weddikg makes up her mind that she is going to make Bong Gu her first 'boyfriend' and lover!

Also, to complicate matters, Oh Sung-eun has a rival for Bong Gu's affection: Baek Se Mi (Shin Joo Ah), who not only has 'matiured' faster than Oh Sung-eun (in the secondary female body characteristics) but also takes a liking for Bong Gu as well.

What follows is a wild, free-for-all between Sung-eun and Se Mi for Bong Gu. It is so hilarious watching Sung-eun trying to act 'gown-up' as she tries different ways to seduce Bong Gu at both school and elsewhere!

Early in the movie, after listening to Bong Gu and another student-teacher talk about Se Mi 's effect on Bong Gu, Sung-eun says the headline phrases that makes you almost fall in the floor from laughing!

What is funny is Oh Sung-eun and her friends know absolutely NOTHING ABOUT SEX or catching a boyfriend! She timidly tries to 'show some skin' in her school uniform in an awkward way, which makes you laugh your head off!

Oh Sung-eun, also tried to lose her virginity to Bong Gu but what her girlfriends give her to boost her confidence made her pass out, and Bong Gu wisely lets her sleep it off insteadof takig advantage of her.

The thing that makes this and the first movie so great is the support of the teacher and parents for the adolescent students trying to work out their feelings at their sexual awakeing; especially so in this movie by

Sung Eun's father (Jung Dong Hwan) and mother (Kim Hae Sook); even though they are wary of Sung Eun's yearing for her teacher, they let her know that they are always there for her, no matter what bad mistakes she may make during her 'growikng up' years between childhood and adulthood.

I especially liked the way Sung Eun's father was shown to away dancing with her: it made me so respectful of a fatehr who (in geh movie at least) takes the time t dance ad tlak to his daughter! The parents deserves keods for their performances as such in this movie!

Bong Gu also deserv es mention of not taking advantage of Sung Eun, and through his talks and guidance, along with her parents' support, Sung Eun matures by the end of the movie and chooses a more 'appropriate-aged' beau for her learnig about love life and sex!

Great direction by Jang Hyun Soo!

GReat performance by all: main and support cast here!

You will need a few Kleenex by the end of the movie, but not that many!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Yes!




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Completed
My Sassy Girl
1 people found this review helpful
May 27, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

" I'm Sorry; I Tried But I Cannot Do Any Better. I Thought That I Was Stronger Than This."

Literal translation of title: 'That Bizarre Girl'

Part of the "My Sassy Girl Trilogy" by Kwak Jae Yong

This is the first movie of the "My Sassy Girl Trilogy" by director/screenwriter Kwak Jae Young.

The second is the film "Windstruck (2004)".

The third is the Japanese film "Cyborg She (2008)".

They are unrelated except for having a 'sassy girl' theme

Kwak Jae Yong served as screenwriter & director for all three above films.


Windstruck (2004) also stars Jun Ji Hyun, with a guest appearance by Cha Tae Hyun (this film's Gyun Woo).


I usually don't read other people's reviews, but I saw several 'low' scores here, so I thought I would address them; also, I was trying to get away from giving you an overview of the movie, but I have to do it this time in order to explain the young "Girl's" actions!

This movie is not about the "Sassy Girl"! It is about a young man, Gyon Woo, finally finding 'someone' to him to care enough about that he gets his crap together - and matures into a man!

Gyun Woo (Cha Tae Hyun) says that he was 'raised' by his mother as a girl"; this, I feel, has an effect on his dating girls in high school and now in college, where he is when this movie starts. He is having his picture taken in the second scene, but he really is stalling so that he won't have to go visit his aunt, who has a beautiful girl to introduce him to!

(He will meet her finally, but only at the end of the movie!)

He meets a young girl, (who I realized about the third time I watched this movie that the director gave no name to her, just 'The Girl', played by Jun Ji Hyun) on a subway in a large Korean city. First, he saves her from being hit by the subway and then took care of her as he was mistaken to be her boyfriend after she passes out drunk on the subway.

What most people FORGET, although it is mentioned later in the movie, she is celebrating the 1-year 'Death Day' of her late boyfriend, he dies the same day one year earlier before she meets Gyon Woo on the subway! Her ex-boyfriend who is still inside her and his memory keeps her from trying to date other men.

They also met on the subway as well, the way The Girl and Gyon Woo did.

Most of what happens revolves around this unseen boyfriend of The Girl that you never see, except his hand: The Girl is desperately trying to see her late boyfriend in Gyon Woo; however, she is slowly but surely falling in love with him!

That is why:

* She gets drunk because her late boyfriend is still in her mind and she cannot forget him
* She won't let Gyon Woo order soda when together, because that is what her late boyfriend used to order
* She pushes Gyon Woo into the lake, then jumps in to save him [a scene with the mother of her dead boyfriend (Yang Geum
Suk) and her are shown on the banks of a body of water; many feel her son/The Girl's late boyfriend drowned] The Girl is
actually 'saving' her boyfriend in her mind, warped by his death!
* Gyon Woo gives her his handkerchief to wipe her nose; her dead boyfriend had a handkerchief of the same design
* She wants to be with him, but she cannot shake her dead boyfriend's memory
* She keeps putting off seeing her old boyfriend's mother, who wants to introduce her to a new guy she thinks The Girl might
like
* She keeps telling him, "Wanna Die", when she wants him to do something with her and he gives a wrong answer.
* She beats him up when he does wrong: her late boyfriend would not approve!
* She can only 'let go' of her late boyfriend, after she thinks that Gyon Woo replanted the Wish Tree where they buried the
time capsule near the end: she finally realizes how much they care for each other!
* After 'letting go' The Girl finally throws the necklace the late boyfriend gave to her into a body of water, representing that
she finally released him (again, many think he drowned) and his memory!
* She goes to Europe for a year and a half since she couldn't find Gyon Woo again.
* Gyon Woo's mother actually thinks that she went to Europe to forget her late son, not Gyon Woo!

In case you haven't figured it out yet, The Girl's late boyfriend's mother (played by Yang Geum Suk) is Gyon Woo's aunt, and she tried for SEVERAL YEARS to introduce the two of them to no avail! The aunt has no idea that The Girl has been seeing her nephew, Gyon Woo, over the years since her son died.

On her first 'blind' date after her father told Gyon Woo not to see his daughter again, The Girl calls Gyon Woo; Gyon Woo
then gives this advice to the blind date (played by actor Im Ho) and then leaves...

Don't ask her to be feminine...
Don't let her drink over 3 glasses of soju...she'll beat someone.
At a café, instead of coke or juice, order a coffee...
If she hits you, act like it hurts...if it hurts, act like it doesn't.
Surprise her with a rose on the 100th day anniversary...in class.
Make sure you learn Kendo and Squash,..
Be prepared to go to jail sometimes...
Is she says she'll kill you, don't take it likely...
If her feet hurt, exchange shoes (with her)...
She likes to write (screenplays), encourage her.

Eggs: This movie is loaded with EGGS, fortunately not the kind that turn bad!

The man who The Girl throws up on in the subway in the beginning of the film is the man underneath the tree when The Girl goes to find Gyon Woo.

I love this movie! It was one of the first movies that I saw and became a huge Asian movie fan!

I love the main cast members who I had seen in other movies before this one. I came across Jun Ji Hyun in White Valentine (1999) in an English version and then saw her in Il Mare (2000), both excellent movies!

I saw Cha Tae Hyun in Sad Movie (2005) and the classic, Lover's Concerto (2002) before seeing him here. He also does an excellent job in the sad movie BABO (2008)!

They both gave excellent performances here and their chemistry was amazing!

The support cast also did an excellent job here; with a special kudos to The Girl's father (Han Jin Hee) and the hilarious performance in his scenes, and Gyun Woo's mother (Song Ok Sook), and her hilarious performance as well!

Just between us, there is going to be a remake, and we will find out that Gyun Woo and The Girl were switched at birth; the Girl has the genes of Gyun Woo's mother in her! (Just kidding!)

The music and cinematography were excellent and deserving of this movie being rated as high as it is!

After this movie came out, EVERY Korean girl wanted to be "The Girl', according to my friends in Korea. It has been copied in several countries but this one is still the best!

Many who gave this movie a bad rating did not take the time to see WHY The Girl acted the way she did!

The New Sassy Girl (2016) was attempted, but it only starred Cha Tae Hyun but not Jun Ji Hyun: need to say, it flopped!

Be the way, the UFO is from timepoint 1:15:57 to 1:16:02; blink and you will miss it!

RE-WATCH VALUE: All the time!

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Lust, Caution
1 people found this review helpful
Mar 19, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5

Double meaning in Chinese; (色, sè) can be "Colour", while "caution" (戒, jiè) can be "Ring"

In my opinion, this is a better movie than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Ang Lee's blockbuster which he directed seven years before this one.

From Wikipedia;
The title of the work, Lust, Caution, has a double meaning in Chinese. The character for "lust" (色, sè) can be read as "colour", while "caution" (戒, jiè) can be read as "ring", therefore the title can also read as "coloured ring", an object that plays a pivotal role in the story. The two alternate readings of the title are interwoven into a cautionary tale of lust and love through the symbolic use of the ring.

This would be a better description for any preview:
"During World War II, a secret agent Wong Chia Chi, must seduce then assassinate an official, Mr. Yee, who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill."

This is one of those movies where you would pee in your pants rather than take your eyes off the movie and go to the bathroom!

Year 1938: Hong Kong - college student Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei aka Rebecca Tang) joins with a young man, Kuang Yu Min (Leehom Wang) and his college thespian group to put on patriotic plays to unite the local people against the invading Japanese military. However, Yu Min then rallies the students to attempt to assassinate a local Chinese man, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung) who works for the Japanese under the local puppet government. Chia Chi assumes the identity of Mrs. Mak, with another student assuming the role of Mr Mak, an import-export businessman and her husband.

Their plans fail as Mr. and Mrs. Yee leave for another city abruptly; however, they were able to kill another Chinese subordinate of Mr. Yee who did not accompany him abroad.

The acting troupe scatters to different places after the assassination.

Year 1942 - Shanghai - Chia Chi moves in to a house left by her father, but is forced to sell it and live on a government subsidy with her aunt; she is allowed to study with some of money from her house being sold. She runs into Yu Min, who has trained as a Chinese spy. he wants her to assume the identity of Mrs. Mak again and again try to set up Mr. Wu up to be killed again, who now sniffs out and kills Chinese operatives for the Japanese in Singapore,

The movie is so complete in everything seeming to be in the right place. The detail that they went to in order to film this movie is almost unbelievable! Everything from costumes, vehicles and such were painstakingly reproduced in order to make this film!

The cinematography is excellent, the music is the only thing that was not perfect to me; the single-stringed instruments which were common then drive me up the wall to a certain extent..Sorry!

The main cast perfectly portray falling in love over time, and seem to develop intimacy with each other, much to the detriment of the female lead, and her college friends! Rebecca Tang, even though it was her first movie, is breath-taking in the period costume, mesmerizing in the sex scenes and absolutely convincing in her transition from a student bent on revenge and assassination to a woman deeply and completely in love with the man who would order her and her colleague's death.

In my first viewing of this movie, I realized what was happening and I was wondering is the Kuomintang (KMT) was going to pull her off the assignment or not before something 'bad' happened to her.

Tony Leung, who I had never seen in a movie before, was great as a cold, calculating head of a Japanese secret service department set up to find and kill Chinese espionage unit members. Little did I know that this was probably his first time playing this type character, as I found out later.

I also cannot hardly wait, when I watch this movie, for the first-time 'love' scene between the two main characters, which he initiates!

He played the character well; however, he did show some emotion in the last scene in which he had already sealed the fate of the group.

Personally, had I been him, I would have sent "Mrs. Mak" and her fellow female colleague to the war front as "comfort women" instead of wasting them as they were!

The support cast as well played their roles well, playing their individual well, and adding to the ability of the main cast in telling the main story throughout the movie. I usually give a kudo or two to an outstanding support cast member here and to how they especially contributed to the film, but everything was so 'concentrated' on the two main male/female characters that no one really stood out.

Interestingly, Yu Min and Chia Chi gaze at each other, in what seems to be a loving glance, just before their end. I personally think that Yu Min could have contributed more to the Chinese war effort by volunteering as a soldier, rather than attempting to trick and kill a more experienced adversary such as Mr. Wu; he was outclassed at every turn by the senior spy master!

Had Yu Min been man enough to join the Chinese army rather than to convince his college friends take on someone who is superior to them in the game they played, he would not have caused so many deaths!

As with The Classic (2003), The Bow (2005) and Seven Samurai (1954), I notice something new in this movie every time I see it, which means it is a movie which you shouldn't see just once!

This is a half to three-quarters box of Kleenex movie, but only in the last third of the movie.

RE-WATCH VALUE: YES!

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