Hellcats (AKA: Some Like It Hot) (DVD) (DTS) Korea Version) DVD Region 3
Lee Mi Sook (Actor)
| Kim Min Hee (Actor)
| Ahn So Hee (Actor)
| Kim Sung Soo (Actor)
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Customer Review of "Hellcats (AKA: Some Like It Hot) (DVD) (DTS) Korea Version)"
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numinair
See all my reviews
April 28, 2008
See all my reviews
April 28, 2008
3 people found the following helpful
(a.k.a. Real Cool Cats)
(a.k.a. Real Cool Cats)
|
Some like it Hot? I will vouch that you won't find any billowing skirts blowing up here like MM's iconic image. But maybe the Korean original title could be related to the 'heat' generated by these three frustrated cats and their relationships, and said heat used to blow up such a skirt or two. However, looking at the DVD's promo photo cover here, you might expect a wild 'hen night out' speed dating sort of flick, with these three women frequently visiting hot nightclubs in the attempt to bag themselves some fellas - and that's not too far off the mark (Young Mi gets a bit despe..frisky at one point). But for that scenario to happen, it would have to be in a possible "Hellcats 2". In this film, the hellcats have too many domestic and personal relationship problems filling up their time to paint the town red, and trying to evolve their upside down/unfulfilled relationship worlds. Or in a nut shell, three generations of family women who go all head fuzz in the process of emotional crises with life, sex and love (a.k.a. men and boyfriend trouble...and a bit of girl trouble considering Kang Ae). So Ami, Young Mi and Kang Ae get down to some serious Penultimate Changes by re-organizing, improving and re-invigorating their love lives - and getting some unusual results. And considering "Hellcats" theme song R.P.G. - Rocket Punch Generation, (which Ami gives her musician boyfriend Won Suk a 'rocket punch' when she discovers he's had a one night stand with another girl), and possibly also David Bowie's "Changes", the crucial stutter lyric line cha-cha-cha change from both songs, becomes the Big Difficult transition key word, when these 3 insecure gals find themselves dealing with it. Ami (Chaos Cat) is a movie screen play writer, who has constant worries that her life is going nowhere and stumbles in trying to complete the end of her screen play project (that she's been writing for a year!). She lives with her sister Young Hi, who is an interior designer and her niece, school girl teen Kang Ae (who hates Ami's untidy way of flinging her things around, explosive bomb style), and gets into regular feuds with them both about her living standards. Ami even rents a flat to try to finish her script in. On top of her disorganized life style, Ami also breaks up with her rock musician boyfriend Won Suk, a struggling musician who constantly tries to land a record deal, after she discovers Won Suk has slept with another girl. She beats him up of course, but all this adds to her disarrayed outlook and Life Despair. So Ami becomes the proverbial off the rails eccentric, getting drunk on regular occasions in bars over her split up, and embarrassing her female drinking friends who generally tip toe out of the bars to escape, if ever Ami visits the ladies room. But the inevitable change comes Ami's way, when she meets the male accountant Seung Won on a blind date, who eventually helps Ami re-charge her batteries and re-order her life. He tells her daft little jokes, but is a solid and very supportive career man - and an opposite type of man to Won Suk. Seung Won soon becomes Ami's new flame after she dumps Won Suk, and thereafter Ami tries to upscale her life to the ideal level of her elder sister Young Mi. The more she gets to know Seung Won, the more a doorway to change is opened, but the fear of that change is what hinders her full committed choices. Ami gets confused and annoyed with herself (and life) and pits herself into drunken stoopers and nerve controlling cigarette smoking sessions. She gets torn about dumping Won Suk and wanting the more upmarket life style Seung Won could provide, and feels guilt at leaving Won Suk on his own. Won Suk also doesn't want to lose Ami and even writes a sad love song for her, that Ami hears when she finds him drunk in a bar. Does she want a Big Relationship Change? Even so, to the sassy mood of this film, Ami remains as volatile, confused and eccentrically unpredictable as ever, as she tries to grapple with all her troubles and new romance, becoming torn between her rock musician ex and her safe and solid accountant boyfriend - and Ami having a Big Decision to make along the line. Ami's sister Young Mi (Steely Cat) is a single mother to Kang Ae, and works as an interior designer on a dance theater project. She becomes so concerned that a relationship could leave her vulnerable and out of control, even though she's a bit of a man eater (probably due to her considering Ami's excellent examples of upside down relationships), that she becomes a steely and proactive woman in her career. But where a new man is concerned Young Mi is guarded and cautious, and avoids 'clingy' men at her heel. All until a younger male actor member of the dance theater group, takes a fancy to her. This causes Young Mi's guard to slip, and even more so when she discovers that she has reached her menopausal situation. So to curb the dryness of her spirit, decides to live life more to the full - and becomes overtly passionate with her young admirer; so to figuratively smack her menopausal problem on the bottom. Pausing on Men becomes history for her! Young Mi, however, finds herself having emotional and conflicting problems with her admirer. She is so tightened up inside, that the man who enters her life tries genuinely to free Young Mi's natural reservedness to remain in control. So they experience fun fair rides together to help Young Mi un-wind and chill out more (amongst other things). But Yong Mi still feels her independence could be threatened by this relationship. Little one Kang Ae (Wonder Kitten), has more female trouble than she can cope with. Not only by her out of sorts aunt and man eating and reserved mother, but by her close female school friend Mi Ran, who constantly keeps trying to get Kang Ae to obtain her first passionate kiss with her computer game loving boyfriend. Mi Ran considers she ought to have a kiss by now, as Kang Ae as been seeing her boyfriend for over 3 years. But to get his attention, Mi Ran needs Kang Ae to be more sexier than his video console. So Mi Ran, the kiss champ of the year, shows Kang Ae various techniques on how to look seductive and kiss properly by pouting her lips (what Kang Ae should have done, of course, was bury her boyfriend's game pad in the garden). The 'girl' problem, though, arises when Kang Ae and Mi Ran kiss each other too much in a practice session, which then produces Kang Ae having unusual feelings for her school chum Mi Ran. This causes a bit of problem with Kang Ae's boyfriend, too, when he eventually does drop his favorite video games, to discover Kang Ae is now playing a different game herself altogether. Kang Ae's tender heart worries, though, (when she's being a bit less hell catish of course!), as she falls in love with the very girl that is trying to help her get her first boy kiss. These are the "Hellcats"! Three women of varied ages all having relationship problems, that could give a magazine agony aunt a lot to think about. At first, though, this film doesn't have one of those immediate beginnings where you think you'll straight away like it, as its more 'yell cats' on the onset, and a tad on the grating side. But the irritability soon turns to charm, as you get to like and love the characters here. Also, if you've seen director Chil In Kwon's 2003 film "Singles", you'll have a good idea of what interesting reflections about modern relationships will be showcased here, and the similarity turns out with a mixture of despairing charm, spunky characters and an endearing, if somewhat kooky plot. In a similar sense it does relate to Sylvia Chang's "20, 30, 40", about women looking for romance and fulfilled happiness, but here this would have to be "Teen, 20, 40" (although the comic book "Hellcats" is based on is "10, 20, 30"). Ami is certainly the catalyst and pivotal of the three characters in "Hellcats", with Young Hi and Kang Ae a little more in the background with their own personal dilemmas. But all three are certainly concerned about finding the right love and emotional balance within their respective romances. Essentially, this film is about accepting ourselves as we truly are (whether you're a woman or a fella) and not trying to push the boat out too far, in attempting to change into something that we probably can't and shouldn't be, and which wouldn't be profitable in the long term. Maybe for Ami, it could have been profitable to have made her change with Seung Woo (I won't say more!). But not for her to completely lose face and feelings for the true life she knows. And when their last 10 minutes of Nirvana arrives (with them all holding hands ready for "Hellcats 2"), these 3 family Cool Cats, temporally move out of their confusing storm clouds. I have to say that Min Hee Kim's performance of Ami is great, and is one kooky, spunky and very focused act. She will do very well with this, I think, and become more popular. (not that that really matters, really. Enjoy the ride, don't become a lonely soul on a pedestal!). Both Mi Sook Lee (a legend who made the film "An Affair") and So Hee An, also give two great performances, and overall these three characters come across as a well blended trio of lovable family feuders. Little wonder girl So Hee is one feisty and focused actress, too, and surely another good up and coming young player for Korean movie and TV dramas. So Hee's cute screen test that is featured as an easter egg on the bonus DVD, shows a direct and natural quality at acting, and I'm sure "Hellcats" will be good grounding for her. I guess that Wonder Girls fans will prefer to see So Hee in the music group for now, but her acting could win you over in the end. Music wise, the song "Rocket Punch Generation" is great and the overall "Hellcats" OST is a good one to get. I've found some interesting and influential sounds, and the OST has a good balance of songs and incidental music from the film, to make it a great CD in its own right. The bonus DVD comes with a good selection, including a large chapter containing deleted scene segments (in full quality edit, too), interviews and even the screen test of So Hee An for WG fans. "Hellcats" is certainly a recommended film to see of its type. Its a likable rom-com with a good performance from Min Hee as a sort of scatter headed sassy girl, who will win you over in the end. Its probably more orientated to a female audience, but I'm sure this is able to be enjoyed by pretty well anyone who loves a rom-com. So, "Hellcats", I can safely vouch is, arr-riight! ** I'm only surmising there will be a "Hellcats 2" of course ** |
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