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There is nothing really crazy, fanciful or dreamy about “Crazy Romance”, as compared to similar genre theme movies like “My Sassy Girl”.

The only crazy element here is what the leads would do when they get drunk.

It is very much about the ordinary love lives of people in their mid or late 30s, that you may see a little of yourself or your peers in the characters.

Gone is the warm, fuzzy feeling with butterflies flying in your stomach when you reach that age. No more fantasies, but it doesn’t mean less drama in our lives. We ought to be able to deal with breakups better due to our life experiences.

Is that the case when it comes to matters of the heart?

As we would typically term “age is just a number”, but it doesn’t equate to increasing maturity as we age, when it comes to dealing with things that our hearts cannot cope with.

The storyline is a little bland, because it is a portrayal of the lives of ordinary people. There is literally no climax, but there are scenes or incidents which we can relate to.

Kim Rae Won and Gong Hyo Jin are not your typical good-looking Korean celebs, but we can’t deny how they have captivated our hearts with their acting all these years. They make it work again with their on-screen camaraderie and acting abilities.

The protagonists are in their mid 30s, who have had their fair shares of bad breakups and are the complete opposite of each other.

Sun Young believes that once a relationship is over and done with, it is over, while Jae Hoon believes that there may still be a tinge of hope for rekindling the relationship for it is never easy to start or end one.

There are a couple of things that this movie is trying to address, about cyber bullying, shaming others, the toxicity at work environment when the gossipmongers enjoy spreading rumours and also how the current generation relies on instant messaging apps like Whatsapp or KakaoTalk to communicate more than talking to one another.

You would rather type message to one another even if you are just a few metres away in actual physical proximity.

It also addresses the following topics with regards to the use of social media:
– Toxic spreading of rumours/gossips via social media, including an ex posting fake news and your particulars on internet
– Replying to the wrong group chats
– Texting an ex nonstop to rant about his/her misgivings

We have heard and seen a fair share of Korean celebrities ending up in suicides due to the relentless bashing of netizens. It is an unforgiving universe in the cyber world, where everyone just hides behind their keyboards and type all they want irresponsibly. It is an avenue for them to release their stress but also to unleash their evil side, to talk bad about others openly.

While freedom of speech is important, we need to be more mindful of not just our opinions, but how it would affect the receiving party.

We often hear about others’ doings, be it right or wrong, from the mouths of other people. But how often do we seek to verify the truth or think twice before we disseminate this information to a third party?

Gong Hyo Jin is conferred the “Queen of Rom-Coms”, while many ladies would envy her for all the charming male leads she has as partners. There’s a very likable vibe about her and you would feel happy and comfortable to watch her act. Kim Rae Won has not taken on a “comedic” genre drama or movie for the longest time. It has been 22 years but he gets more charismatic as he ages. I literally can’t say No to any of his works.

While it is an open ending, for there is no guarantee that two heartbroken souls would find solace in each other and live happily ever after.

Isn’t that the same in real life?

We fumble and stumble along the way, we fall and break, but we try to pick ourselves up and be a better me.

We forge on, even if venturing into the unknown future.

what the director wishes to convey through this movie is for people who have been hurt before, to learn to be brave and continue to believe in love.

Love is not just about the lovey-dovey moments and sweet nothings, but it is also about seeing through the hard times together as we learn more about our partner and ourselves through this process.

So here’s one for those who have been hurt and hope that they could believe in love again, and also for those who are in love, to continue to love in their most 真切 ways.

The most ordinary love may not sound as “exciting” than short-lived 轰轰烈烈 romances, but they are worth a lifetime to upkeep that marathon.
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Riding on the waves of zombie apocalypse movies, “Rampant” attempts to set itself apart by zooming into an era way before our time, set in the Joseon Dynasty 500 to 600 years ago.

Apart from the massive scale of zombies running rampage in colourful Joseon costumes across palaces, the majestic action scenes and swords play, a major draw to watch “Rampant” is definitely to see how this “fatally charismatic” duo, Jang Dong Gun & Hyun Bin, who are best friends in real life, take on confrontational roles in the movie. Their chemistry is impeccable.

Like many audiences, I have mixed reviews of this movie. If you have been a fan of zombie flicks, it would satisfy you to a certain extent with some of the most thrilling and exciting action scenes. However, if you are looking for character development and emotional engagement like “Train in Busan”, it may leave you dismayed.

If all else fails, we can always count upon JDG & Hyun Bin to save the day.

The brilliant cinematography and choreography of the action scenes, CGI effects topped with brilliant music pieces by the London Music Symphony, is what we call a “Sensory Feast”. It’s a refreshing fusion when you see western zombies mixed with Korean zombies set in the Joseon era.

From the landscape view of thousands of zombies aka “night demons” attacking their victims in the palace to the close ups was a sight to behold. We could see close ups of how the victims turned into zombies, with veins forming on their faces and limbs with white, gluey eyes as they began twisting and warping during the transformation.

The tracks by London Music Symphony are so 浩瀚澎湃 that it elevated the “Sensory gratification” it was supposed to deliver on a colossal scale at the gorgeously built Joseon sets.

Excitement kicked in full force towards the later part of the movie. Audiences can expect to be glued to their seats while hoping the leads could make it safely out of danger.

My most favourite scene was during the hoards of zombies breaking into the dungeons trying to have a bite on the “only humans” left. It was such a 惊险 and thrilling scene that it would have your hearts thumping at your throats. You would also enjoy the scenes when Lee Chung fought the so many zombies single-handed in the main hall and the swordplay sparring between the 2 opposing leads. You’d be pleased with how both actors weird their swords like a pro.

What we were curious to find out was really to see how well the chemistry between the 2 real life best friends would turn out. Both shone in their respective ways, yet not stealing the limelight from each other since they complement well with each other and all other cast members.

This movie is about duty and responsibilities, political tensions, human greed and ambitions which would lead to an impending downfall.

It is the King who serves the people, not the King who owns the empire. Without the citizens, there will not be a king.

究竟是效忠还是愚忠? 我觉得张东健在戏里无非也提出了值得思考的一点。

想要做统领并非易事。On top of being a good leader, you need someone who has the abilities and willingness to assume these heavy responsibilities.

Whether you choose to be “good” or “bad”, it all boils down to options and choices in life. There’s always a consequence and price that we have to pay for making such choices.

Minister Kim’s下场 is a good portrayal of how when you have too great ambitions, it turns into personal greed, which will eventually lead to your downfall, or ultimately self-destruction.

The 1st hour was dreadfully slow and there wasn’t much character development or emotional engagement. Most characters are pretty one-dimensional and the plot is pretty predictable.

The reason why “Train to Busan” was a huge success was because it was in a league of its own, paying much details and attention to their character and emotional development that most zombie flicks lack.

There was more screen time for Hyun Bin to have gradual character development as the story progressed, from a 吊儿郎当 Joseon prince who had no interest to ascend the throne, to the hero who saved the day. In a way, you can feel how 迫切 Minister Kim yearns to rule the empire no matter what it takes, including self-sacrifice, but you can’t feel that willingness of Prince Lee Chung to even want to fight the zombies, not to mention protecting his people.

It was a little abrupt, for the switch towards the final showdowns.

Hyun Bin could do better, but with a script that weak on character development, that’s likely the best that he could make of.

He fared well in the intricate moments during emotional scenes whereby you could feel the pain and angst Lee Chung experienced when he lost his loved ones

Hyun Bin had more notable action scenes fighting against zombies, showcasing amazing swordplay skills. It must been very strenuous and physically exhausting for him under harsh weather conditions during winter.

Jang Dong Gun is the scene stealer. Minister Kim’s vast ambition & greed was portrayed subtly initially but it intensified when JDG unleashed his power towards the ending scenes.

He brings playing a villain to another level. It isn’t just a flat one-dimensional character. He stayed true to his words about putting efforts into adding depth and layers to his villain role. He was able to showcase not just his scheming antics, immense ambitions to rule the Joseon Empire, but also the devastation when it came to his downfall. Be it playing the good or bad guy, he’s always ready to assimilate the role and we can say his acting is of “Master” level in “Rampant”.

不管是穿着龙袍登基的那一幕，犀利的眼神。。还有惊警觉自己被咬到后嚎啕哀，嚎崩溃的模样。。决一死战的最后几幕，都令人为之动容。

演奸角的厉害之处，不是单方面地让观众对你咬牙切齿，恨之入骨，而是能让观众也感受到你内心深处的出发点。他的歇斯底里，已传达到观众的心里。那已经绝望到底，也要捍战到底的毅力，的确会让你为他感到稍微的心疼。这就是我们所谓的 “内心戏”。

The only thing he could have done better was the reciting of the Chinese poem. Some lines were pronounced very accurately and beautifully recited though.

Some of the notable supporting roles were Jeong Man Sik’s portrayal of Hak Soo, Lee Chung’s servant, who added much humour to the horror genre movie. Kim Eui Sung who acted in “Train to Busan” acts as King Lee Jon in “Rampant”. There was also Seo Ji Hye’s cameo as Concubine Jo whose transformation was an excruciatingly painful but impactful one. It was key to the development of the story line. Jo Woo Jin’s role as the head of rebel, Park Eul Ryoung, was one that may evoke a little of your emotions towards the ending.

It’s a pity that Lee Sun Bin’s role as Deok Hee, was nothing more than a potential love interest for Prince Lee Chung and a skilled archer, but failed to create much impact as a heroine in this male-dominated movie.

The above reasons would give you good enough gauge as to whether you would want to watch this movie at the cinema.

If you want to watch a zombie flick with a refreshing time setting back in the Joseon Dynasty, or have been either a JDG or Hyun Bin fan, or fan of both, it is definitely one blockbuster not to be missed.Read More →

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Known as the King & Queen of Melodramas, So Ji Sub & Son Ye Jin make their on-screen reunion after 17 years as loving couple with a very cute and sensible son in “Be With You”. This movie is a Korean remake of the famous Japanese movie, based on a popular novel by Takuji Ichikawa.

The story started with an animation about a mother penguin which passed away and reunited with her family one day after traveling back on the “rain train”, but had to leave again when the rainy season ended.

It ‘s a prelude to how the story would end but it is how the story unfolds with looking back into the past, revelations of how things happened before and after, that would tug at your heart strings.

电影的拍摄手法像雨季一样，悠悠的, 轻轻的打在你身上。

看到初中那青涩的岁月，仿佛把你带到了”那些年”和”我的少女时代”的场景。曾经曾经，我们都有过那青涩腼腆，遇见心议对象小鹿乱撞，不知所措的年代。

从初中认识，到了大学时期才约会几次，过后分手，又再次相遇，结婚生子，到生离死别，到最后失了记忆回来后.. 又重新的开始找回那相爱的甜蜜感觉和记忆。

两人其实从很早的时候就对彼此有感觉，但都缺乏自信和勇气，不敢告白。就在等待的时刻，磋跎了好几年。

Ji Sub oppa 这回的角色虽然会有 melo 成分，但有一些较活泼的表现。因为他得从10几岁演到40几岁。那傻呼呼的懵懂少年，从暗恋，到如何笨拙的第一次约会和牵手, 会让你我会心一笑。那是多遥远，但多美好的时光?

即使是结了婚后,两人感情依旧甜蜜。由始至终，两人都是属于细水长流型。这种才是令人向往的爱情和婚后生活。

戏里的儿子 Ji Ho 真的很可爱。也把那个年纪的小孩该有的天真与活泼，还渴望和妈妈一直一直在一起而做的”傻事”发挥的很惹人心疼。

其实看到最后40分钟才开始有点想哭的感觉。就是儿子 Ji Ho 在表演时说得那番话。他心里知道妈妈迟早会离开，于是就在”演讲”时, 说了会如何照顾自己，和守护爸爸，要妈妈放心。还有就是 Woo Jin 和 Soo Ah 在下着雨的夜里，凝望着对方哀伤的眼神。虽然什么话都没说, 他们俩都知道离别在即。

父子俩都知道秀雅会在雨季结束后离开，但都各自想尽办法”挽留”她, 试图不让她离开。他们傻的可爱，也傻得让人心疼。

我想, 故事想带过的时, 即使失去了记忆，该相爱的人, 还是会重新找回记忆。。 重新找回爱的感觉。。 因为”爱”靠的不是脑袋里的记忆，而是感觉。

该相爱的人始终还是会再次 fall in love.

人来到这世界上, 是为了遇见那命定的人, 相知到相爱，但总会有分开的那一天。倘若明知道结果还是会分开，那是不是会更珍惜与彼此在一起的时光?

我想，该如何好好的告别，让离开的人放心，让留下来的人好好的生活下去，才是最大难题。

电影故事处理的方式就很好的包括这两点，所以不会让你像在看了那些千篇一律，令人无法释怀的结局一样纠结。

看完之后, 就像喝了一壶带点苦涩，有点酸,但又有点甜的柠檬茶。。只是看你如何拿捏那浓度，酸度和甜度。

清淡，但不给人太承重的负担。

因为我没有看过原著日版，所以无法说哪个版本比较好看。但以第一次看这部电影来说，我觉得虽然不是什么轰轰烈烈会让你内心澎湃的激动，但是种可以用淡淡，浅浅的方式，来温暖你的心的那种感觉。

看了会想谈恋爱，也会想更珍惜在身边的人。Read More →

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Midnight Runners, is all you need after a hard week at work, to keep you entertained on a Friday night. It’s like chilling with Lemon or Lime Mojito, with a refreshing twist to kick-start your weekend and it would leave you with a sweet after taste.

There’s not just lotsa laughter, but also an eye feast (literally), with young, hot bods (6 packs, biceps, triceps) of 2 rising stars (Park Seo Joon & Kang Ha Neul) in Korea. 所谓的 “青春热血”，会让你血脉膨涨。

You get a bit of everything from action to comedy, visual aesthetics (no romance though), yet not excessively violent or bloody like many action-packed Korean movies may get. It’s pretty well-balanced and well-paced. It isn’t draggy and there’s no time for boredom.

As the title says it, there’s a lot, a lot of running during midnight. The action scenes are bound to keep you breathless while watching the guys sprint their way from long winding roads to narrow alleys. You can literally label them as “Running Men”.

You’d be laughing half the time with the hilarious things they do, yet it did not fall into the category of slapstick comedy.

There’re some societal topics being brought out in the movie,

1) Putting self before others, or vice versa?

2) How materialistic people are these days. Before you decide to be friends with someone, you would assess their societal status.

3) Would you challenge red tape and protocol, if someone’s life is at stake?

4) Are you doing what you enjoy? Do you understand the rationale of why you are doing what you are doing now?

We all need to explore, to understand ourselves further.

年轻就是本钱。

It’s never too late to revive that fire in your heart, no matter what your passion or dream was/is.

You only live once, and you should not regret what you did not do.

There are dark moments but the light-heartedness of the friendship between the 2 leads, make it a very enjoyable journey to watch these recruits grow and mature in the movie.

This movie is definitely worth a ticket to the cinema over the weekend.

I’m sure it’s not just for swooning female fans, the guys would like it too.Read More →

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“The Battleship Island” has started screening in cinemas on 17 August 2017. Have you watched or are you intending to watch this historical blockbuster? Be it watching for your favourite actors or wanting to know more about a dark page in history, your ticket money would be worth it. I am contemplating to brace myself to watch it a 2nd time. Prepare your tissues if you have more delicate tear glands.

With an A-List casting of Hwang Jung Min, So Ji Sub, Song Joong Ki, Lee Jung Hyun, Kim Su An and Award Winning Director Ryoo Seung Wan and a budget of US$21 million, we can almost be assured that the ticket box office sales will soar real high. The stars also made a trip to Singapore and Malaysia to promote this historical blockbuster. It shows how much emphasis the cast and crew place on this movie.

As expected, this movie would invite much controversy but what I would like to say is, it is a movie and not a documentary after all, thus entertainment value needs to be considered. More importantly, what the director and production crew hopes to do is to unravel a dark side of history that the world (including many Koreans) never knew. It is to relook into the past and learn from a new perspective, which can direct everyone to a better future.

The actors felt that we can all somehow relate to the happenings and would be touched by the story and also be aware that this actually happened in history. I feel this would also serve as a good lesson for the people in this generation that war would only bring harm to everyone else. There is no win-win situation when so many people have to suffer.

The trauma, atrocities, hardships, tortures, separations, deaths, sadness, betrayal, selflessness, selfishness and all forms of humanity could be seen from the movie.

I would say, the actors did a very great job.

The director also put in some joyful and heart-warming moments, creating some light heartedness within the inhuman living conditions of those on the island.

The one highlight of the movie would be the big escape plan and how the 400 Joseon workers helped one another. With war and escape plans would definitely bring about much bloodshed. However, “Unity is strength” indeed.

I am sure those who walked out of the cinema, would feel that their ticket money is worthwhile. You not only get to swoon at your favourite K-Actors but you also learn another lesson in history and it makes you appreciate more of what you have in the present and also to treasure your loved ones.

I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Remember to catch The Battleship Island while it is still screening!Read More →