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Damo: The Undercover Lady Detective (MBC TV Series) (US Version - Limited Edition)
Ha Ji Won
| Lee Seo Jin
| Kim Min Joon
| Lee Moon Shik
Fusion period dramas are ratings gold in South Korea, but for the most part, it's a genre I've avoided. The combination of long, serious, and complicated really doesn't appeal to me after a long day's work. Though I am periodically tempted to see what the fuss is all about, the thought of investing myself in an 80-episode monster is just too tiring. Damo, however, comes in a nice digestible size - 14 episodes. If only all period dramas could be this length and this good. Damo packs a very meaty, wrenching, and constantly evolving story into its short length. Ha Ji Won stars as the titular Damo, Jang Chae Ok, an able, no-nonsense female detective who can swing her sword with the best of men.... [read more]
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Brilliant Legacy Vol. 1 of 2 (DVD) (5-Disc) (English Subtitled) (SBS TV Drama) (Korea Version)
Lee Seung Gi (Actor)
| Han Hyo Ju (Actor)
| Bae Soo Bin (Actor)
| Moon Chae Won (Actor)
On paper, Brilliant Legacy is a summation of K-Drama cliches: a pure-hearted riches-to-rag heroine gets bullied by her evil stepmother after her father's death, and then falls into love and rivalry with an arrogant heir. There's also a fake death, missing brother, backstabbing stepsister, and romantic triangle in the mix for more soap opera value. Storywise Brilliant Legacy is indeed been there done that, but how that familiar story plays out on screen feels fresh and engaging, with many cute romantic moments to make fans happy. Much of Brilliant Legacy's brilliance lies in the cast and chemistry. Starring in his first TV drama in three years, singer Lee Seung Gi plays the conceited and... [read more]
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The Way Home ....(Hong Kong Version)
Kim Eul Boon (Actor)
| Yoo Seung Ho (Actor)
Brings back some fond childhood memoriesNo doubt we all had our naughty moments when we were young, especially when things didn't go our way. Everyone has their own little story to tell about childhood, like female director Lee Jung Hyang's The Way Home. In The Way Home Yoo Seung Ho portrays Sang Woo, a small boy addicted to playing video games and eating junk food. His nightmare arrives in the form of a stay at his grandmother's (Kim Eul Boon) place far away from the heart of Seoul, where he was immersed in all the things he likes best. Told to behave while his single mother tries to find a job, Sang Woo isn't quite willing to oblige. Staying with his deaf and mute grandmother doesn't make things easier. Of course, he is just his... [read more]
November 3, 2009 Picked By A-Xiang Joe See all this editor's picks
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Castaway On The Moon (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Jung Jae Young (Actor)
| Jeong Ryeo Won (Actor)
| Lee Hae Joon (Director)
Seoul's Han River should be familiar to anyone who's watched The Host as the breeding waters for monster entertainment. But did you know there's also a nature preserve island smack in the middle of the river? That's where Mr. Kim (Jung Jae Young) ends up when he attempts to drown himself, and instead wakes up a castaway on the deserted island. The cityscape shines brightly from the opposite bank, but Kim - who can't swim - is preposterously stranded. Desperation and suicidal thoughts, however, give way to glee when he realizes that he's found his escape from all the debt, heartbreak, and worldly problems that drove him to seek death. Enjoying a newfound life of "perfect boredom", he lives by... [read more]
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Breathless (DVD) (2-Disc) (Korea Version)
Kim Kkot Bi (Actor)
| Yang Ik Joon (Director, Actor)
Breathless might not leave you breathless, but it's bound to leave an impression. Yang Ik June's remarkable debut film about broken men and broken families provides a brutally honest look into the conditions and consequences of household violence. Many punches are thrown in Breathless, many of them by the story's uncontrollable (anti)hero, but it's no more violence than can be found in other films. There is, however, no thrill or excitement in Breathless's fierce beatings and casual cuffs, but rather an overwhelming sense of discomfort about how realistic and prevalent the film's flawed people and harrowing circumstances are. This unsettling realism at times makes the film hard to look at,... [read more]
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Handphone (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Park Yong Woo (Actor)
| Uhm Tae Woong (Actor)
| Kim Han Min (Director)
| Park Sol Mi (Actor)
When daily routine turns into horrorIn our fast-lane modern society, owning a mobile phone and switching it on and off to receive and make calls is part of our daily habits. For the principal character of Handphone, the loss of this communication device turns into a horror trip of unthinkable proportions. Oh Seung Min (Uhm Tae Woong) is a star manager who likes to live a carefree life with lots of enjoyable parties. One day his life takes a 360 degree turn when he loses his mobile phone (that contains an explicit video of a new rising star under his wing) and is blackmailed to do some very dubious errands by the guy who picked it up. Handphone succeeds in keeping the viewers tied to their seats through its interesting... [read more]
August 27, 2009 Picked By A-Xiang Joe See all this editor's picks
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Scandal Makers (DVD) (2-Disc) (Korea Version)
Cha Tae Hyun (Actor)
| Park Bo Young (Actor)
| Kang Hyung Chul (Director)
| Hwang Suk Hyun (Actor)
Every once in a while, Korean comedies unveil a firework of creativity and Scandal Makers hits the jackpot with a finesse all its own. Things couldn't be going better for Nam Hyun Soo (Cha Tae Hyun), a celebrated radio DJ who enjoys continuing success. Living the liberal life of a bachelor in a luxury apartment, he is constantly adored by the women of his choice. In spite of all this, he has one minor flaw in his profile, which is a daughter from an affair back in ninth grade. Now in his 30s, Hyun Soo is barely aware of this troublesome fact. His patience is severely tested after his grown-up daughter finds him and brings along another unsuspected surprise. Scandal Makers is loaded with... [read more]
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Please Teach Me English (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Jang Hyuk (Actor)
| Lee Na Young (Actor)
| Kim Sung Su (Director)
Korean humor and English vocabulary in motionIf you thought entering a classroom for Koreans trying to brush up their English couldn't be fun, I am afraid you will have to remodel your statement after watching Please Teach Me English whose charming humor is sure to make you smile. Young Joo (Lee Na Young), who works as a junior civil servant in a government office, lives a carefree life with her colleagues until an English-speaking person walks in the office looking for help. When she is unable to make head or tail of what he is saying, her boss sentences her to obligatory English lessons. Initially unwilling to accept her fate, she changes her mind when she runs into her hunk of a classmate Moon Soo (Jang Hyuk). The outstanding parts... [read more]
July 16, 2009 Picked By A-Xiang Joe See all this editor's picks
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Romantic Island (DVD) (Korea Version)
Yoo Jin (Eugene)
| Lee Seon Gyun
| Lee Min Ki
| Lee Soo Kyung
You probably have experienced it before: the point at which nothing seems to work in your life, and you feel as if you are on the verge of going insane. The protagonists featured in this feel-good comedy find just the right cure for their problems through a trip to Romantic Island. Romantic Island is perhaps the perfect promotion film for Boracay island in the Philippines where all the leading characters of the film are headed for various reasons. Fittingly, the film also starts with exuberant Soo Jin (Lee Soo Kyung), standing in front of a holiday advertisement for the tropical island resort. Later it becomes obvious that in spite of Soo Jin's joyous nature, she feels the need to escape... [read more]
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Spy Girl (Hong Kong Version)
Jadu
| Nam Sang Mi
| Kim Jung Hwa
| Gong Yoo
What images appear in your head when you think of South Korea's neighbor North Korea? Likely candidates that come to mind are stoic behavior, dictatorship, and sad faces. Maybe you'll change your mind a little bit after you meet a unique North Korean super spy who shows us a somewhat different side of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Spy Girl. Clinging to the recipe made popular through My Sassy Girl, Spy Girl introduces its male protagonist Ko Bung (Gong Yoo) with his narration of events that have occurred earlier. We get to know him as a shy somewhat silly high school student who is still looking for the girl that will change his life. He is invited to a party under the... [read more]
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Old Partner (DVD) (Korea Version)
Lee Chung Ryul (Director)
| Choi Won Kyun
| Lee Sam Soon
Don't let the lack of subtitles deter you from watching the award-winning Korean documentary Old Partner. This indie darling about two elderly farmers and a dying ox is as far from the blockbuster formula as one can possibly get, and yet it completely and confoundingly defied the odds to become a massive mainstream hit in Korea. Lee Chung Ryul's charming documentary quite simply follows one normal yet fateful year in the lives of 79-year-old farmer Choi, his 74-year-old wife, and their old and trusty bovine, which we are told at the film's start has only about a year left to live. Life goes on as usual, the days marked by the sowing of the seeds and the tending of fields. Time seems to move... [read more]
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Tokyo! (DVD) (English Subtitled) (2-Disc) (Special Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Bong Joon Ho (Director)
| Aoi Yu
| Takenaka Naoto
| Tsumabuki Satoshi
Three big names in World Cinema collaborate on Tokyo!, an entertaining, affecting, and sometimes unfathomable omnibus set in the crowded Japanese city. Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) kicks things off with "Interior Design", a metaphorical look at a young woman who's starting to feel a little down in Tokyo. Fujitani Ayako plays the girlfriend to an aspiring director (Kase Ryo) of decidedly bad cinema, but as his career and life slightly edges forward, she finds herself marginalized, if not by the city and her circumstances, then by her own self-defeating ego. Gondry's surreal vision of Tokyo is unusually poignant, and what happens to our heroine is bizarre, sad and... [read more]
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She's On Duty (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Kim Sun Ah
| Nam Sang Mi (Actor)
| Gong Yoo (Actor)
| Park Sang Myun (Actor)
Leaning on the tough girl formula a la My Sassy Girl, Park Kwang Choon's She's On Duty gives the often told story a fresh twist, inviting viewers to a different kind police action comedy. The film revolves around female police officer Chun Jae In (Kim Sun Ah) who never misses a chance to see that justice is being served. After she fails to accomplish her latest assignment, her commanding head has the brilliant idea of using her as an undercover agent to observe and protect the daughter of a criminal on the loose who is related to the criminal syndicate that she wants to bust. The bad news for Jae In is that she has to return to school in order to complete her assignment. Jae In's initial... [read more]
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The Art Of Seduction (Hong Kong Version)
Son Ye Jin (Actor)
| Song Il Kook (Actor)
| Oh Ki Hwan (Director)
The Art of Seduction invites you to a lovely journey about the pleasures and hardships of enticing the person of your dreams. Han Ji Won (Son Ye Jin) is a girl who enjoys putting a spell on outsiders with her gorgeous looks just for the thrill of it, and proving to herself that no man can resist her charms. Seo Min Joon (Song Il Kook) is her perfect male counterpart, a super macho who drives women from all walks of life crazy whenever he loosens his tie. Bound to create all sorts of fireworks, their encounter signals the beginning of a clash between a first-class femme fatale and a high-caliber super Romeo The Art of Seduction surprised me as a delightful comedy entry. There are quite a few... [read more]
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Slave Love (AKA: 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Ha Ji Won (Actor)
| Kim Jae Won (Actor)
| Kim Tae Hyeon (Actor)
| Shin Dong Yeob (Director)
This shrieking film packs a good punch, delivering some well-made ingredients distinctive to Korean comedies. I first saw 100 Days With Mr. Arrogant a few years earlier by chance and had an amusingly good time. Recently, I was lucky enough to enjoy a second viewing with a dear friend of mine who was equally impressed by all the hilarious fun. The film stars actress Ha Ji Won in the role of Kang Ha Young, a happy-go-lucky high school student whose high spirits are not meant to last as her boyfriend dumps her on what was supposed to be their hundredth-day anniversary as a couple. In walks, or rather drives, macho lawyer student Ahn Hyung Joon (Kim Jae Won) who ends up the target of a soft... [read more]
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The Good, The Bad, The Weird (DVD) (Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Lee Byung Hun (Actor)
| Song Kang Ho (Actor)
| Jung Woo Sung (Actor)
| Kim Ji Woon (Director)
Director Kim Jee-Woon's The Good, The Bad, The Weird is one fun movie. This Manchuria-set "Kimchi" Western has action, humor, strong character types and a killer concept. What it doesn't have is a firm grip on reality, plus it's a bit too enamored of its own "wow, we're making an Asian Western" intentions. Those quibbles, however, are incredibly small and pretty much qualify as nitpicking. For fans of Korean cinema, this movie is a must-see, and Asian Cinema genre junkies shouldn't pass it up either. This is a guy's film; there's nothing approximating romance in it - that is, unless you find tough men pursuing other tough men to be your homoerotic cup of tea. The biggest problem with The... [read more]
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Rough Cut (AKA: A Movie is a Movie) (DVD) (2-Disc Special Edition) (Korea Version)
So Ji Sub (Actor)
| Kang Ji Hwan (Actor)
| Kim Ki Duk (Producer)
| Jang Hoon (Director)
Kim Ki Duk protege Jang Hoon makes a well-deserved splash with his directorial debut Rough Cut, the most commercially friendly film ever to bear the prickly auteur's name (as producer and screenwriter). Playing on the movie-within-a-movie premise, Rough Cut pits a gangster-like actor against an aspiring-actor gangster for one sprawling brawl of a blockbuster. Essentially a character drama sandwiched between two layers of gangster action, the film combines visceral fighting with a strong screenplay, upturning the grit and glamor of both moviemaking and the gangster's life. Cocky, angry, and out of control, movie star Soo Ta (Kang Ji Hwan) is famous for playing gangster roles onscreen and... [read more]
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Public Enemy Returns (DVD) (Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Sol Kyung Gu (Actor)
| Jung Jae Young (Actor)
| Kang Woo Suk (Director)
| Moon Sung Keun (Actor)
Detective Kang Chul Jung is back, and he's a lot more likable this time. After drifting to an alternate story with Another Public Enemy - which was essentially an average crime thriller with an above-average lead - director Kang Woo Suk wisely returns to the more compelling premise and protagonist of the original Public Enemy for third installment Public Enemy Returns. Wiser yet, he brought on Jang Jing as screenwriter and Jang Jin regular Jung Jae Young as the baddie, turning Public Enemy Returns into the hands-down strongest entry of the franchise. Franchise man Sol Kyung Gu reprises as aggressive, law-breaking, washed-up cop Kang Chul Jung, who's softened up considerably since the first... [read more]
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Don't Believe In Her (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Kang Dong Won (Actor)
| Kim Ha Neul (Actor)
| Bae Hyung Joon
Kim Ha Neul is too funny to missKim Ha Neul turns into a comic femme fatale in Too Beautiful To Lie (a.k.a. Don't Believe In Her). In Bae Hyeong Joon's 2004 comedy she strikes sparks with Kang Dong Won, the pair showing a delightful comic chemistry. Kim plays Joo Yeong Joo, a young delinquent who tries to take advantage of others using whatever means she can, particularly their sympathy. A moving but contrived story plus some fake tears help Yeong Joo land her latest coup, as she moves the prison jury to tears and earns herself an early parole. As luck would have it, Yeong Joo runs into Choi Hee Cheol (Kang Don Won), the son of a village mayor who is about to get married and from then on the film becomes a classic... [read more]
November 13, 2008 Picked By A-Xiang Joe See all this editor's picks
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The Happy Life (DVD) (DTS) (First Press Limited Edition) (Special Edition) (Korea Version)
Jung Jin Young
| Jang Geun Suk
| Lee Joon Ik
| Kim Yoon Seok
Road trips, adultery, and rock bands are the most common cinematic remedies for male mid-life crisis, and director Lee Jun Ik and writer Choi Suk Hwan go for the latter in the eminently enjoyable The Happy Life. Much like Lee and Choi's 2006 hit Radio Star, their latest film is an intimate, entertaining, music-laced, and wonderfully acted tale of male camaraderie and aging dreams. Don't miss the chance to see pre-Chaser Kim Yoon Seok with eyeliner, spiked hair, and a Batman tattoo rocking out on bass. Jung Jin Young, who portrayed the king in Lee's King and The Clown, leads the cast as Gi Young, an amiable unemployed layabout living off his wife's salary. The death of his college bandmate... [read more]
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