Reviews

Bromance between Police Academy Students: a fiery midnight run !

This movie is centred on a duo of police academy students that find themselves investigating a crime in the middle of the night, literally running all over the place trying to help.

I found the pacing of the film really well done: it is never boring and manage to deliver a clear message. The protagonists are efficiently defined and well-conceived: the viewer understand very quickly their motivations, characteristics and their relationship. The plot is not that nuanced: it is not very critical on the current system and can be seen as a bit simplistic. But overall, what matters is that the story is earnest in its intentions and is gratifying.

The 2 main actors were awesome: they had great chemistry together, they wore their hearts on their sleeves and were really complementary. I'm not surprised by their amazing performances given their respective body of work.

The soundtrack was not overly present but I found the ending song upbeat enough to conclude in a satisfying way the movie. The filmmaking was really good in terms of fight scenes as well as training and practices scenes of our 2 "rookies"/ungraduated cops.

I would recommend this to people that love one of the main male leads and that are looking for a great and entertaining cop movie!

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You'll be dissapointed ...

I'm maybe late here but I still want to inform potential viewers about this movie

let's cut to the chase, if you had fell in love with the series i would suggest you to not put your hopes up on this movie.

you wouldn't get as much excitement as you would felt watching the series, for instance.
there are some aspects that are "chotto" unsatisfying, if you had watch the series I'm sure that you're familiar with the theme song.. sadly the theme song only played once in this movie and the timing isn't even right, it is played in the middle of the movie when kurosaki was talking about his plans, they didn't play it in crucial moments like when kurosaki revealed his final move to his victim (like usual and i find that really interesting and exciting as a viewer) and I found that really unsatisfying.. i just couldn't see the final blow being the final blow when "daite daite daite senorita tsuyoku tsuyoku tsuyoku hanasanaide" isn't playing

the other thing.. let's treat this "movie" as a long bonus episode.
Nothing happened in the movie that was able to make viewers goes "WOW" the story is obviously great, but this isn't worth being a movie i just felt as if it's another episode and the storyline here is just not what many people were expecting

overall, I'm disappointed in this movie and I'm sure I'm not the only one

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Still funny and entertaining as the first movie. But honestly, this can already stop here.

It was as if Sang-sook (Ra Mi-ran) has already changed for the better, but old habits just die hard. Until karma hit her again, and this time, much harder than before.

I was initially apprehensive for this sequel, since the first movie was already adequate with its story and ended with a closure. This time, I am glad that it was still able to retain the foundations of its predecessor that made it funny in the first place, for the most part.

Sang-sook was as kooky as ever, and Hee-cheol (Kim Mu-yeol), as loyal as he is to her, was just as entertaining as well to watch. Their dynamic was explored more here, and it, being this story's core, was one of the better points of this movie, if not its highlight. Individually, they were already funny, and together, it was truly comical.

One thing to note is that the comedy this time was more superficial and toned down compared to the first one. Maybe it was because it was set on a provincial setting which is not as robust as the capital Seoul, but it was still enjoyable. I just laughed with their foolishness at the beginning, then towards the "return of the curse" at the middle, until the "plot twist" at the end. Also maybe, because I was just in the mood to watch a mindless comedy film in that this movie just clicked with me.

The pacing and story direction were satisfactory as well. New characters and settings were introduced here, and it was quite good how it was drawn out. Pony (Park Jin-joo) could've been more fleshed out, since the actress really shines in comedic dramas. Her character could've been given a bigger role on the story.

In terms of pacing, there weren't filler scenes all througout the movie, but since the story events were already predictable, the screenwriter and director had to bank on proper comedic timing to really make this sequel as interesting as the first one, and they were mostly successful on that aspect.

In terms of production, I was amazed on the CGI effects on one scene about the long term goals of a certain entity (I have to make this spoiler-free hehe). There weren't really standout production and screenplay value here, but nonetheless, it was coherently done.

The ending was more or less the same, bringing up again the possibly of another sequel. I, for one, though found this one to be still funny and entertaining as the first movie. But honestly, this can already stop here.

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Flying across the world was worth it

Ok so first I don’t speak Japanese and the movie didn’t have subtitles. I haven’t read the novels or listened to the audio cd’s.

I came across Utsukare last year and was beyond impressed by the acting and story. So getting news of a second season and movie with a theatrical release felt very special and I decided to go to Japan for the experience.


When I made that decision, I intentionally didn’t want to read the novel or synopsis until after seeing s2 and the movie because I came into the world of Utsukare based on the show/visual medium and I wanted to continue my journey unspoiled without overly knowing the written material.


So opening night, I get some merch, get a ginger ale, and sit and let the movie show me a story.

Absolutely true a lot of the nuance and context of what was happening was beyond me.
Here is my tumblr recap - https://www.tumblr.com/anotherblblog/713949084636119040/ok-so-i-came-to-japan-to-watch-utsukushii-kare

Some are taking criticism at my recap because I don’t speak Japanese.

I went to Japan to watch this on the big screen because I wanted to see Utsukare big and bright and I got that experience.

With 2 seasons of HiraKiyo, I felt the movie picked up and continued their relationship well. Hira is more direct and involved and even with his insecurities still is there for Kiyoi and not yearning in place beneath him.
The mentors are really solid in their lives. The music is mostly new but with some familiar elements.


What I wanted for this experience was for it to feel like a movie. Big cinematic set pieces but I didn’t wanna lose the feeling of Utsukare.

I think the movie delivered on both.

The movie took set pieces and vignettes from the television series - HiraKiyo sleeping together and elevated it for the big screen. More tulle. Longer runtime. More heat. There are 2 high heat scenes and a handful of domestic fondness. They’re a couple. They feel like a couple. When they look at each other. When they touch. And it’s continuing a lot of the emotional tension in season 2 with Kiyoi wanting more. And Hira gives it to him. And Hira even gives it to him in a bathtub.

Where in season 1 Hira ran alone through the school a lot, in the movie he runs leading Kiyoi through a slo-mo cinematic fantasy run through the school but also through their past that they didn’t quite have in season 1. But seeing them again in their full school uniform and their casual wear felt real for me because it felt real for them.

The 10 episodes of seasons 1 and 2 led to this experience and I was very happy to have seen it, now three times.

I will love going back with subtitles and seeing how it’s translated for the international audience. But I’m content and impressed by what I’ve seen.

10/10.

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TOO SHORT

Everything is amazing about the movie the only problem is I think is that the writer or the director were in a hurry to do the shooting cuz if the film had been an 1 hour longer it would have been a blockbuster at least outside South Korea(i don't know about the taste of people there). The scenes were really sped up jumping from one plot scene to another. The fighting scenes looked very real. Still all I could think was if the makers increased their budget and instead of making a movie they made a short series this show would have been the first recommendation if people searched Lee Min Ki on internet.And i think Lee Min Ki would have done good in Hollywood too if he knew fluent English

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"Is it expensive because it's special, or special because it's expensive?"

Hunger followed Aoy from street food chef to the world of decadent fine dining. Thailand's class divide was explored through the world of cooking with a rather dismal view of the wealthy and the chefs who catered to them. The competition for food and domination led the main characters to define what it was they were really hungry for and what they were willing to sacrifice to sate that craving.

Aoy works in her family's small, crowded restaurant. Her friends are all searching for jobs, envious that she had a job waiting on her after graduation. Tone, a sous chef for Hunger, an exclusive catering company for the extremely wealthy, gives her a card to audition for a job opening. As run down and hot as the family eatery is, Hunger is large, militantly clean and organized, and run with an iron fist by Chef Paul.

During Aoy's tenure with the volatile chef, she learns much about herself and her hunger. Initially, she hungered to be special. As she is introduced to the lavish styles of the rich and famous she yearns for some of that for herself, especially when she sees Chef Paul treated like a rock star. Chef Paul hungers to remain relevant and on top, willing to do anything necessary to stay there. When he crosses the line legally, Aoy realizes she can no longer work for the popular chef. But she goes from one frying pan into the fiery wok. A promoter named Tos hires her to be the head chef for his new restaurant. She becomes scarcely more than a marketable commodity which all comes to a head at a bacchanalia party pitting her against Chef Paul in a cook-off.

Chef Paul's disdain for the upper class that kept him in his expensive home and lifestyle was shown through the meals he prepared for them. Bloody food, red sauces dripping from lips, raw meat lowered from the ceiling in a theatrical show brought out the primal, even sacrificial instincts in the diners. They didn't have the ability to understand quality, only the showmanship and popularity of the chef. In contrast, Aoy hungered to cook with love and with the flavors that had meaning for her. She hoped to touch the place inside where familial memories remained.

Hunger asked some interesting questions. "Is it expensive because it's special or special because it's expensive?" Which begged the question in regards to Chef Paul, was his food any good or did the diners perceive it to be good because of the display and rarity of ingredients? When Chef Paul insisted a diner drag the lobster tail through a gray sauce reminiscent of clay, did it actually taste delicious or was it supposed to because of the presentation? Also, "What you eat represents your social status." Which, again, doesn't always imply quality, just more rarity of delicacies.

Hunger went beyond the desires of food and class and even briefly delved into the physical. While massaging a slice of meat, Aoy and Tone shared a primal intimate moment as they caressed each other with their meat covered hands. Tone did not share the same level of hunger for fame and success as Aoy and Chef Paul leading to problems between the two young people.

The two ambitious chefs ended up seeking different routes to satisfy their ravenous cravings to be the best. Chef Paul was willing to sacrifice anyone and anything, including his morals to remain the supreme chef to the wealthy. Aoy had to determine what she was truly hungry for. Could only the hedonistic rich crown her with success and self-esteem or could her hunger be satisfied elsewhere?

If hunger had a flaw, it would be that the hammering of the debauchery of the wealthy was done too repeatedly and without any nuance. The film did seem overly long as well. I can't say that the bloody looking plates of food seemed appealing but they did showcase Chef Paul's inner contempt for his clients.

The central thrust of the film came down to Aoy's choices. Aoy had to decide what she truly hungered for and what would satisfy that inner craving to be special. What would she be willing to part with and what did she want to embrace? Hunger may not have completely satisfied me or introduced me to anything new, but I found it comforting and not too overbaked.

4/8/23

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Cherish Those Wonderful Moments!

I will be honest. This coming-of-age romantic comedy/drama surprised me. I thought it was going to be another one of those typical young romance stories, but the writer threw a few curveballs that I didn’t see coming.

Na Bo Ra is a young high school girl whose best friend, Kim Yeon Do, is headed to the US for heart surgery. Given how advanced Korean medicine is, I was a little surprised that she had to go so far, but I quickly let it go. Kim Yeon Do also briefly meets Baek Hyun Jin who helps her, and she, of course, immediately falls head over heels for him. Since she is going to be away for a while, Yeon Do asks Bo Ra to find out everything she can about her new, prospective love.

We’ve seen this situation dozens of times in stories like this one as Bo Ra follows Baek Hyun Jin around the school—sometimes with hilarious moments—in order to gather information for her friend. It is 1999 and emailing is slowly becoming the way of communication, and Bo Ra sends her friend emails with updates and information about Baek Hyun Jin. Bo Ra also finds herself speaking with Hyun Jin’s best friend, Poong Woon Ho, who is a confident, but somewhat withdrawn boy who enjoys photography.

I figured was going to begin as another typical storyline, gave me my first curveball. The writer brilliantly decided to use the “mistaken identity” ploy, and it works really well here! Bo Ra finds herself infatuated with Woon Ho, which she figures is all well and good. After all, her friend is in love with Hyun Jin, who doesn’t interest Bo Ra at all. But Hyun Jin becomes interested in her. But that isn’t where the twist begins. When Yeon Do returns, we find out that she’s in love with Woon Ho because he was wearing Hyun Jin’s jacket at the time they met, which had Hyun Jin’s name tag on it. Hence, we now have two girls in love with the same guy. Of course, this crushes Bo Ra, who is now trying her best to prove to her friend that she is NOT in love with Woon Ho, and thus, she steps aside.

The moments between Bo Ra and Woon Ho are sweet and endearing, as it’s clear that these two have real chemistry. Bo Ra isn’t necessarily a wallflower and even takes the initiative to ask Woon Ho out on a date. This occurs right before Yeon Do reveals the truth about the object of her affections. We have tender moments of Bo Ra and Woon Ho eating ice cream, Woon Ho helping a drunk Bo Ra on a field trip, and an especially precious moment under a plum tree.

I was a bit put off by Yeon Do’s reaction when she finds out the truth of Bo Ra’s feelings for Woon Ho. After all, it wasn’t entirely Bo Ra’s fault regarding the mistaken identity. But Yeon Do quickly redeems herself when she realizes that Woon Ho is also in love with Bo Ra, and she encourages her friend to not let anyone stand in her way.

Woon Ho’s mother and brother live in New Zealand, and his father sends him back to the country. We aren’t given an explanation as to why, but it’s here that we get a tearful goodbye between Woon Ho and Bo Ra at the train platform as he sets off. I love how Koreans emote. It always feels so genuine and heartfelt, and we feel the pain of separation as Woon Ho sobs as the train pulls away, and Bo Ra is also left sobbing on the platform.

In the final act of the film, we get another major twist. Woon Ho and Bo Ra are able to maintain contact (only via email) until some time after the new year. Bo Ra is entering college, and we can only assume that Woon Ho is doing the same. Woon Ho vows to return to Korea to be with Bo Ra, but suddenly, all communication stops. Bo Ra’s emails go unanswered, and even when she attempts to call his pager, there is no response. Believing that Woon Ho has lost interest, she angrily and tearfully leaves a message and vents her frustrations, vowing to never want to see or speak with him again.

Now, I’ve seen enough movies and shows over 45+ years to recognize when something is up, and I had a strong suspicion that something happened to Woon Ho. Given his love and devotion for Bo Ra, there was no way he would lose interest. Of course, as a somewhat insecure young woman just out of high school, Bo Ra’s reaction wasn’t a surprise either. The last thing she would suspect is that something tragic has taken place.

Sure enough, as we jump some fifteen or twenty years later, Woon Ho’s brother contacts Bo Ra and invites her to a photography exhibit. Bo Ra is shocked to see that nearly every photograph on display has something to do with her. And it is here that Woon Ho’s brother tells her that Woon Ho died back in 2001.

I found two things frustrating about the ending, despite not really having a major issue with it. First, I don’t care who you are, when you find out that someone has died—especially someone close to you—you want to know how it happened. And Bo Ra never asks the obvious question, and Woon Ho’s brother never tells her. I’ve had close friends pass away in the last few years, and my first thought is, “What happened? How did they die?” And when someone dies young, it’s frankly, a very obvious question.

And second, I wish they’d extended the ending a bit more. More talk and conversation between Bo Ra and Woon Ho’s brother would have been nice. I’m sure Bo Ra would have had a million questions about him. But the exchange is much too brief given the situation. I’d be curious what ended up on the cutting floor during this sequence.

I saw Kim Yoo Jung in “Backstreet Rookie” which was a disappointment. My only minor criticism is when she cries. Her wailing and sobbing almost felt forced at times. Older Bo Ra—played by Han Hyo Joo—felt much more tender and real. Perhaps because Hyo Joo is older and a much more seasoned actress. As she sits and watches the videos that Woon Ho made from years ago, it was much easier to empathize with her.

The movie reminded me a little bit of the classic film “The Man In the Moon,” a story of two sisters who fall in love with the same boy, which ends tragically. Part of me wished this film had more depth like that movie, especially in the end. However, the fantastic acting of Han Hyo Joo and Byun Woo Suk (Woon Ho) really made the ending powerful and heartfelt.

This was a film that was much better than I thought it would be. There is something that has always captivated me regarding good coming-of-age stories and romances. Perhaps because many of these stories involve first-time experiences that come from a place of innocence and childlike wonder. And they are always heartbreaking when tragedy occurs. But then, that’s life, isn’t it? Not every romance will have a “happily ever after” ending.

Perhaps the message here is to cherish the time you have with loved ones. Don’t take them for granted because you never know when time is suddenly up. Relationships are about moments, however brief or long they may be.

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Could've easily become Jeon Wick, but ultimately ended up being Just Weak

When a well-known, brutal, 100% target- rate female assassin does not eliminate her target due to personal circumstances, she becomes the target herself.

Kill Boksoon (길복순) is a movie that is very much the love child between the action, dark comedy, and a little bit of art-house genres of cinema. The opening confrontation was just pure art, as with the other action scenes. The cinematography was not just top-notch, but its spontaneity and fluid flow was really able to capture the essence of what the action scenes were all about. Added with spanish background music element, the production team was really able to infuse moments that I would never forget for the rest of my "watching movies as a hobby" time.

Furthermore, Jeon Do-yeon was, as expected, exquisite in her role as the titular Gil Bok-soon. The wordplay of her last name to be incorporated with the english word "kill" was very witty context-wise. Fresh from watching her play as a single mom on CCiR, and another in this movie, I am glad that she picked this project despite playing very similarly at her last role. For this movie, she was able to show another, yet secretive side of motherhood that will do anything for her child. But her also being secretive here resulted to another problem, a quite common one in the parent-child relationship dynamic - often miscommunication.

As mentioned earlier, this movie has some art house film elements. There were 2 specifically. One was underexplored (LGBT subplot), while one was unneccesary (incest subplot). The former might be understandable given the nature of youth and it is progressive actually in Korean standards, but the latter did not gave substance to the story. It was questionable at best, cringe at worst.

Outside the captivating action scenes and great cinematography, the movie was dull. It's quite interesting to see a fast-paced action scene, followed by a slow-paced dialogue that takes too much screentime. This movie's quality could've been improved had it focused more on the action rather than the "mind games".

Morality was also tackled here, albeit grey. The concept of an "agency" handling "shows" for these trained assassins was unique. But the case that was the catalyst for the main lead to rethink about her chosen profession was rather forgettable. It would've been more impactful for her had the case itself be closer to her child's situation, rather just because the target was just close to her daughter age-wise.

It is already expected that Korean movies also explore the human side of a story, or the point of view of a character/s. In this case, it is about Bok-soon's duality as an apathetic killer and an overempathetic mother. But I was just disappointed that it wasn't executed properly here. One might think that was subtle and had to be given a deeper meaning, but given this movie's long screentime, it just ended up as incoherent, if not messy.

The ending was quite sufficient, but it was lacking of a climax. How was I to know whether this part of the movie is to be its most exciting part, when there was little indication to it. And the littlest of clue was already predictable story-wise. Good thing, it was filled-up with nice action scenes. The action itself could've been more appreciated if there was better lighting. A shocking plot twist could've added more flavor in this story. There was an attempt though, and the answer to said twist was even vague.

Nevertheless, the trailer with that spontaneous and seemingly effortless (but actually was done with utmost effort, production-wise) action scene made me excited about this, but the outcome turned out to be the opposite. Still, there were some positive aspects that deserves to be praised.

It has the similarities as John Wick, and this movie could've easily become Jeon Wick, but ultimately ended up being Just Weak.

P.S. It still funny to think that the flashback and current Nam Haeng-seons were together in this movie. Their action scene was just art, and the camerawork there was chef's kiss.

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Wannabe John Wick, but failed disastrously

Kill Boksoon is an action packed movie, with good action but the storyline is weak, illogical and didn't have a depth to the overall plot of the story.

A group of killers trivializing murders, yet taking the moral ground of accepting it as a justice. A messed up combination of action with comedy and some gangster organization plot, Kill Boksoon looks like a wannabe John Wick in a parallel world, but fails miserably both in direction and storywise.

Coming to the casting and the characters, all of them were misplaced. Jeon Do Yeon is necessarily not a miscast I would say, but there were a lot better options to pick as a assasin. The rest of the characters were all over the place and nobody left an impressive impact whatsoever.

My Rating : 3.5/10

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Focuses more on the gore than the plot. Still liked it

The plot is very simple, a revenge drama. It is very predictable too. The main actor is kinda meh in showing expressions. But the other actors compensate for it. Especially the kid who plays the villain's child version in the flashback is terrific. His performance stands out the most. Other side actors are good too. But since the other important factors for this movie are average, whole movie looks average. You might still want to go back and re-watch certain scenes because the gore is done well (not realistic tho, it's 2009 what do you expect). But whole movie is ... okayish I guess?

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the story is disappointing

to be honest the movie is great for doing edits and for draw / reference it was amazing only in the casting and the shooting they put time in effort and that's it .... Okay, the relationship between the boss and the sister is wired enough specifically to the Sean when she feels sexual towards him and kisses him directly like excuse me .... and the relationship between the main character and the guy who's have a sike father it starts cute but then get killed that fast okay it may be a good plot but not necessarily many points it wasn't to be add and they could develop the story even better but after all this is my review

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Hyped by the Novel, Disappointed by the Film

I just watched this in Japanese Theaters (Opening Night!!!), we have to wait a little longer until it comes out on DVD.

I'm not gonna lie, it felt like the producers were riding on the hype of the drama, that they forgot how to make a compelling story. The Drama was great, the Novel was amazing, but this movie. . . had too much kiss scenes and way too many plot lines and plot holes that it felt rushed and empty. The feelings of happiness, jealousy, and envy that we had of Hira and Kiyoi's love were replaced with just feelings of "What did I just watch?"

Having read the novel and listened to the drama CD, it felt like the producers were trying to backtrack on the changes they made in the drama, so they can just continue with the plot of the novel. However, after backtracking, there was no time to fill the audience in on the important character and their thoughts, so the producers just hoped that the audience had read the novel and threw in the scenes that we wanted to see and prayed we didn't notice the characters were just empty shells of the characters they were in the novel. Finally they hoped that all the beautiful cinematography and kiss scenes would make the audience forget that the plot wasn't very good.

If I were to sum it up into one sentence it would be: Too Many Ideas, Too Many Unnecessary Kiss Scenes, Wasted Potential!

Just listen to the Drama CD. It takes the novel and actually gives us what we want to see from Hira and Kiyoi. It's so much better than the movie.

I'm not saying the movie was bad, as someone who's read and listened to a better version of this plot, I'm not very satisfied with this film.


•❅✧❅✦ Story •❅✧❅✦

Taking place after Season 2, Hira is notified by his cousin, Naho-chan, that she is divorcing her husband and that Hira needs to move out of the house because she is moving back in. Devastated, Hira informs Kiyoi they need to move. The couple begins house hunting together. Meanwhile both Kiyoi and Hira are progressing in their careers. Hira is about to graduate college and is slowly getting better at his photography job. Kiyoi is getting more popular thanks to his work with his co-star Anna.

At work, Hira sees his photographer boss take beautiful pictures of Anna. He gets jealous that we won't be able to take beautiful pictures of Kiyoi and turns down an opportunity to help his boss take Kiyoi's pictures. Kiyoi is devastated to find out that Hira turned down an opportunity to help shoot his pictures, but is also devastated to find out that Hira said he doesn't have anything he wants to shoot.

One day Anna is caught by the paparazzi with her idol boyfriend. It becomes a huge scandal and they are forced to break up and Anna's work is halted resulting in all of Kiyoi's jobs being halted as well. When Kiyoi visits Anna to try and cheer her up, he is caught leaving her place by the paparazzi and is also thrown into the scandal. Anna's fans begin to attack Kiyoi on twitter and even his fans start gossiping about him. One of Anna's deranged fans, Shitara, takes things too far and kidnaps Kiyoi.

So just reading the synopsis there is a lot to unpack. All of that plus more was in the novel and portrayed well in the drama CDs. However, the film failed spectacularly. There was only 2 hours to fit all of that into the movie and not a lot of time was spent building up the characters. Major characters like Anna and Shitara did not have any character development that no one cared if Anna got into a scandal. Shitara's character was also highly neglected, so when he plays the victim card and goes on a rant about how Hira should understand how he feels as a fan after kidnapping Kiyoi, it just gets lost and feels really out of place. The whole kidnapping arch with Shitara feels very rushed and left field that it needs its own movie or another hour.


Personally, I felt that the director spent too much time on the kiss scenes and couple scenes that he neglects the whole plot. There were way too many kiss scenes. A lot of the kiss scenes that should have been in Season 1 (Novel 1) were brought into this movie. Kiyoi looking in the mirror as they make out is a reference to events in Novel 1, but was unneeded in this film as he's already pretty comfortable with himself being with Hira and calling Hira his boyfriend. Also that whole mesh veil that Kiyoi and Hira keep kissing under is visually appealing, maybe symbolic, but has no place in this film. It just looks like a random cloth that I would take off when making out with my man. That mesh looked good in Season 1 and felt natural because it fell onto them after Kiyoi kicked the boxes. In his film, nothing falls on them, so that mesh looks so out of place. Lastly, the whole montage where Kiyoi and Hira are running through their high school as adults and we see flashes of them back in high school was very beautiful, but unnecessary. I would have liked a lot of the time spent on the kiss scenes to be spent on building up the characters.


•❅✧❅✦ What Should Have Happened (Novel vs Film) •❅✧❅✦

The film itself isn't bad, but because they followed the plot of the novel without giving lots of characters any backstories, the film felt a little empty.

The film still follows the plot of the novel, but mostly from Hira's point of view. If felt like Kiyoi wasn't important in this film. A lot of the film focused on Hira and Anna's issues that they forgot to deal with Kiyoi's issues.

Kiyoi's issues are supposed to be that he's not getting his own acting jobs. All of his jobs are gained with Anna's help and he feels like he's riding on her coattails and he doesn't like it. He wants to make a name for himself without Anna. Anna actually tells him that Kiyoi's not a great actor because he puts on a strong front and his not vulnerable enough to be a victim, so he can't get sensitive roles. During the kidnapping arch with Shitara, Kiyoi is supposed to feel like Hira doesn't love him. Kiyoi heard from Kira's photography boss that Hira no longer has anything he wants to shoot. Heartbroken, Kiyoi feels like he's in love with Hira on his own and that Hira has moved on. He doesn't know what to do since Hira is his everything. After being kidnapped, Anna and Hira are supposed to come and save him. Kira is supposed to go insane with worry and cry inconsolably leading to Anna changing her mind about Kiyoi as a person and as an actor. The film however, did not include any of that. They axed all of that to look at it from Hira's point of view. Because of this, the scene where Kiyoi cries inconsolably is cut very short and feels a little strange. A really big missed opportunity.

Similarly Shitara's connection with Hira isn't included, so he is a big "Who are you?" in the film. Hira is supposed to feel a connection with Shitara and how he loves Anna. However, Shitara is supposed to be an extreme version of Hira's stalker tendences. Hira is made out to be the "better fan" because he loves Kiyoi as a person, regardless of who Kiyoi is dating, even if it's not him. It's a weird thing to explain, but it makes sense in Hira's weird worldly view.

Also, Anna and her boyfriend also play a bigger role in the novel, but are relegated to just being around to push the story forward. They aren't too important, but because Anna and Hira become friends Anna's storyline is more interesting. She isn't just some random character that randomly had issues that we don't care about unlike this film.

•❅✧❅✦ Overall •❅✧❅✦

Having read the novel and listened to the drama CD, maybe I had too high expectations for what I saw in theaters. I know the actors of Hira and Kiyoi can play out the drama perfectly but because of the lackluster script, I just can't help but feel disappointed. Scenes that I was looking forward to seeing weren't there. Everything felt rushed and like no one put any heart and soul into the story. The actor's were great as always, but I'm sad I couldn't see them shine at their fullest. I really wanted to see Yagi Yusei crying and being Kiyoi from the novel, that when it was glossed over I wanted to cry. If Yagi Yusei were given the opportunity to be Kiyoi from the novel, he probably would get more acting jobs after this film.

Either way, it was a nice film, but maybe I had too high expectations.

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Motherhood and Assassin Clash in This Great Romp!

I find it interesting that so many viewers are complaining about the ending, and why it feels incomplete. I guess you have to have been around for 45+ years, watching movies and shows to understand that an ending that feels incomplete is because there’s another part on the way. Another episode or another movie. It really isn’t that hard to figure out.

Kill Bok Soon is a very good film about a Gil Bok Soon, one of the best assassins of the MK guild. They call them companies, but I think a guild is more accurate. She’s deadly and she brings light humor to her personality. She smirks and lightly banters with her victims in a way that tells them, “This is business. It’s not personal.” What makes this story compelling is that she also has a teenage daughter. And it becomes obvious, very quickly, that her daughter has no idea what she does for a living, and she aims to keep it that way. And there is, of course, some compelling reasons why Bok Soon shields her daughter from her life.

Bok Soon is nearing the end of her contract, and the guild wants her to renew with them. She’s seriously considering retiring. However, can a rogue assassin who is as good as Bok Soon be allowed to simply retire?

Cha Min Kyu is the top assassin of the MK guild. And make no mistake, his skills outrival even Bok Soon’s as we see him take down 30+ Russians in a massacre. His sister, Cha Min Hee is the director of the MK guild, and she views Bok Soon as more of a liability than an asset since her announcement. It’s also obvious that she doesn’t care much for Bok Soon, which makes you also wonder if she knows the secret between Bok Soon and Cha Min Kyu.

Bodies pile up rapidly as it becomes apparent that it’s a fatal mistake to underestimate or even to target Bok Soon. She’s also not stupid. She knows what’s going to happen before it does, even running through probable scenarios in her mind—which play out on the screen in expert fashion. She will also use any item as a weapon. There’s no such thing as fighting fair in a fight, and Bok Soon is a master of this realization. It’s kill or be killed. There’s no room for apologies.

Jason Bourne is still one of my all-time favorite assassins because he’s just as smart as he is deadly. He’s like a grandmaster chess player who is always several moves ahead of his opponents, as well as being able to adapt to his situation with mere seconds of contemplation. Bok Soon is similar in this regard.

That cast is all top-notch, especially Jeon Do Yeon, who is very believable as the assassin Bok Soon. She’s also masterful at giving us a mom who is trying very hard to understand her teenage daughter, and why being a parent is even harder than being an assassin.

As I stated from the beginning, they certainly left the door open for another film, and I would be very surprised if another one isn’t made. Especially given how Bok Soon’s daughter reacts after finding out the truth about her mother. We were left to wonder how she would react to her mother upon finding out who she really is and what she really does. And what is intriguing is that we some elements of a young Bok Soon in her own daughter.

This was a fun film to watch. It’s well-written and well-performed. The fight scenes were all exceedingly well choreographed. Thank God these actors and actresses do their own stunt work, as it makes the scenes all the more believable and intriguing. Looking forward to the next one!

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i watched this on a total whim. i saw the fl and jaewook's scenes going all around my insta so i gave in and watched it. it wasnt bad but it wasnt awesome too
bok soon is an assassin. she is known and feared in the industry for being the best of the best. she has a daughter too and it looks like she isnt on as good terms with her daughter as she is with her work. the movie showcases how bok soon's contract with her current company would be expired so she is thinking on whether or not to renew it while on the other hand trying to handle her rebellious teen daughter.
the acting was amazing and the plot was decent too. but was ot awesome? not much. it just shows bok soon and her daughter starting to bond and their vision of the future becoming clear for each other.
i enjoyed the action scenes sm i have almost all of them recorded lmao. however some deaths were really uncalled for like i get it u killed them for the plot to thicken but was it really necessary but then again this IS an assassin movie so who am i to speak.
all in all good for a quick watch but dont have high expectations other than the action scenes

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Nice little RomCom That Kept Me Wondering

I came for Bae In Hyuk, and got to see just a little bit to little of Bae In Hyuk yet still got to see a really nice short film. It was just so cute, interesting and well left me wanting more, a lot more while still managing to show me a decent story with all the parts one would need, just squished in to short period of time.

I do however have a lot of questions in my mind that could definitely make way for a whole drama. However I guess I will just have to try to answer those in my mind. There is also a lot that seemingly makes 0 sense in the beginning but is oddly enough explained well towards the end which is really kind of refreshing.

All in al this is defiantly a shot film I would like to recommend to all romcom lovers out there who do not mind having to fill in the blanks on their own and could use just a little bit of more fluff in their lives.

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