Pethushka

Only You is a film I came across by chance, and therefore without any expectations or knowledge of its content. The subject matter it deals with is very topical and the desperation it brings with it seemed almost tangible to me in this film. I realize that I probably haven't even seen another film that deals with this subject so deeply. It's very thin ice. Here they've managed to portray a strong but still budding relationship quite nicely. The main heroine is quite interesting, likewise the main hero. Still, something didn't sit right with me about the film. Maybe it was the music, maybe I just couldn't take the "stuffiness". Anyway, points up for how it ended... 3.5 stars.

While I thought for a while that I was a more demanding viewer than this, I still enjoyed watching it. A naive film with a not very good actress in the lead role, rather catchy music, and a stale story a hundred times over, but every Asian country wants to make it their own... perhaps even repeatedly. It always finds an audience.

This is a story of true heroes for me. The Gwangju Uprising got deep under my skin after I read "Human Acts" by the ever popular writer Han Kang. Since then, this unfortunate event has become a very sensitive subject for me, and I want to learn more about it. Even though I know it will hurt. I've always been fascinated by how far human courage can go in the quest for freedom. And that's what A Taxi Driver is about. Plus, it confirmed for me that having Kang-ho Song in a movie means that quality is a given. No one would have been better suited to the role of a taxi driver.

For me, Discovery of Love ranks among the handful of series that fully engrossed me from beginning to end. And I dare say that this piece would have kept me entertained for a good long while. Actually, it wouldn't even have to move the action, it’s enough to watch Eric suffer through love. :)) But back to reality... I not only enjoyed Eric's position in the love triangle, but also that of the other characters (almost all of them). I relaxed, I laughed, I cried a little, I teared up a lot while watching, and I also saw myself in the story at times. I enjoyed watching all the reflections on the inner workings of relationships and love itself. For Korea, this topic is quite unusual and the filmmakers approached it sensibly, with insight, but still with humor. And I really enjoyed the result. 5 stars.

The Koreans pulled this off in all aspects. The humor that accompanies the film is edgy and the viewer easily gets caught up in the internal strife. Should we hate them or love them? Should we wish them well or condemn them? Either way, I haven't seen a script this masterful in a long time. The acting was superb, the cast was every bit as good, and the soundtrack bumped the experience up a notch. 5 stars.

I really liked the atmosphere, the sets, the costumes, and also the short but impressive food shots. I thought the way the two got married was absurd, but unfortunately I guess it wasn't unusual at the time. I have to say that I was slightly annoyed by the main character's behavior at first, even though he had obvious reasons for it. Despite the seriousness of the story I laughed quite a lot, often just at the childish behavior of Sam-kwan. The ending, on the other hand, moved me. So for me, satisfaction dominates and I would watch it again. 4 stars.

Ahem, so I've finally started my list of unwatched films with my favorites and for the second time this week I'm giving one star. I don't know what went wrong, but as with the previous film, I'm disappointed. The idea is ok, but the execution of it absolutely did not work for me. The plot is scattered, all over the place, and I didn't connect with any of the characters, so there was no one to root for. And I didn't enjoy Woo-seong either.

I'm all for all sorts of craziness, and there would be a lot of very zany choices on my list of all-time favorites, but in my eyes this is just way off. Probably due to the involvement of China, whose comedy work I'm not used to. Yet it has such a good cast and an interesting subject. I like Ji-won Ha a lot, so I consider this a waste of her talent. Plus, I'd rather see her speak Korean a hundred times over than English. Not to mention the fact that she was squeaking the whole time instead of speaking normally. Obviously she saw some potential in that role, but unfortunately I don't. 1.5 stars

Even though Intimate Strangers is an almost exact copy of the Italian source material, and thus I had an idea how the plot would unfold and who would end up how, I managed to enjoy the movie as if I hadn't seen the original. I liked the Italian version a lot, but the Koreans took it up a notch in my opinion. At times I had the urge to wish they wouldn't answer the phone that they wouldn't read the message, that they'd get the damn game over with, but I knew this was just the beginning. I don't know what it says about me, but I just love the subject matter. And the ending gave me goosebumps.

After the third season, it’s clear to me that this is awesome. Whether we're talking about the cast, the direction, the cinematography, the script, the costumes, the humor, or the soundtrack, it's basically perfect. I admire that the filmmakers aren't afraid to be a little evil at times and that you never know what's coming. I can't wait for the next season.