fanimecon 2005 movie reviews
I apologize in advance for bad spelling, poor grammar, and awful content. I just want to write it down now and get it over with.
10:15AM Saturday, May 28, 2005: The Classic (클래식)
A university student discovers a secret box filled with letters that detail her
mother's first love affair, which closely resembles her own relationship troubles. Will her mother's past help her find a love of her own?
I missed the first...15 minutes b/c of parking. But it was a good romantic drama, I don't exactly see the love triangle the girl was involved with relates to that of her mom (I guess they're supposed to be similar except in her mom's situation, two guys were chasing after her, while in the present day, the girl is competing for the affections of one guy against this other girl who's...completely unlikeable). There's a nice touch to the end of this film that makes everything tie together. =) It's a sad film, with a bittersweet ending.
2:00PM Saturday, May 28, 2005: Windstruck: Director's Cut (내 여자친구를 소개합니다)
After a young policewoman mistakes a good citizen for a purse thief, the two form a strange bond that leads to love. However, when the relationship takes a tragic turn, she finds herself searching for a reason to live.
it's actually the prequel to My Sassy Girl, I had no idea! so it was pleasant surprise to watch. It's a little bit cheesier and mushy, but still enjoyable.
4:30PM Saturday, May 28, 2005: Running Out of Time (暗戰)
When a diamond thief finds out that he has terminal cancer and only 72 hours to live, he begins an incredible cat and mouse game with the police's top negotiator. The negotiator, however, soon learns that he's in for a lot more than he bargained for.
There was a catch to this film, but it's hard to remember, I got bored I guess, it wasn't that memorable to me.
7:45PM Saturday, May 28, 2005: A World Without Thieves (天下無賊)
A couple of career grifters cross paths with a naïve young village boy on his way to Beijing. However, when it's discovered that the boy has a large sum of money with him, another group of thieves is set on taking the money first.
Excellent movie. The two thieves are complex characters...kind of like anti-heroes. and the "villains" are good villains, the ones you like to hate. So the movie talks a little bit about changing fate, and standing up in a world rampant with cynicism to do the right thing.
12:00AM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Bichunmoo (飛天舞)
Take Romeo and Juliet. Mix in a little Crouching Tiger. Add a resurrected mercenary and a couple high-flying swordsman, and along the lines somewhere you've got Bichunmoo. Mix well, and enjoy.
Actually, it wasn't as good as it might sound. Just alot of swordplay without likeable characters, and a meandering plot. It was bad enough that I can't remember any details right now without sitting down to think very, very hard. =P Let's just say this kind of yanked the steam out of early Saturday evening. Fell asleep at one point. Waited a long time for everybody to hurry up and just die.
3:30PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Too Beautiful to Lie (그녀를 믿지 마세요)
After her parole, an ex-con finds herself with an engagement with belonging to a man she runs into on a train. Her attempts to return the ring to his family go awry, however, when mistunderstandings lead the family to believe she is the fianceé.
Another romantic comedy. Lightly funny, if unoriginal and predictable. Afternoon post-lunch fare.
5:30PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Silmido (실미도)
In retaliation to an attempt to kill the president of South Korea, 31 death row conficts are taken and trained to become a top-secret mercenary unit set on the assassination of the leader of the North. Based on a true story.
This wasn't nearly as interesting as i thought it would be. You see a bunch of Korean guys training to be a highly trained special forces unit and undergo some brutal training. You see a bunch of Korean guys yelling at each other. Some of them get killed during training b/c it's so intense. So they get all gung-ho about going into to kill Kim Il-Sung, and there's alot of rhetoric and speeches with Korean patriotism.
Then it all goes downhill from there (I mean the film too) when the plan to assassinate the North Korean president is abruptly cancelled.
The only characters you get to possibly know are the former Korean gangster and his buddy, and the lead sergeant who heads up the camp, but that's about it. It's not bad, but it's not great either b/c the pace of the movie drops off dramatically once it's announced that the unit will not infiltrate the North.
7:15PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Beyond Our Ken (公主復仇記)
After Ching discovers that her ex-boyfriend has published some nude photos of her over the internet, she seeks to form an alliance with his current girlfriend and warn her of his evil ways. Can she get the photos back?
I watched the last half of this. I enjoy the way the film looks. One of the most cynical looks at relationships I've seen in a Hong Kong film recently, makes it interesting. The Gillian Chung and Hong Tao are hot even if their characters are both detestable (including the boyfriend) hahaha. I guess the girls might like Daniel Wu....good-looking hapa (he looks it at least from afar), and according to the IMDB, the man's on fire...been in 32 movies since 1998.
10:15PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Oldboy (올드보이)
Based on a Japanese manga, a man is kidnapped and held prisoner for 15 years with no explanation of why he was taken or who would have done it. Once set free, he only has a few days to figure out the clues behind his capture.
My choice for best movie of the entire weekend. Dark yet funny at times. Crazy. Completely twisted. Unpredictable. And entirely enjoyable. =D
8:00 AM Sunday, May 28, 2005: One Nite in Mongkok (旺角黑夜)
Nothing is certain on the streets of Mongkok. The police have 36 hours to find a contract killer. With nothing going right, the killer finds solace in a young prostitute trying to escape her pimp. Will the cops be able to find him?
This's one of those movies where the theme that everything in the world isn't just black and white is prevalent, and sometimes the good guys have to do bad things to uphold justice, while the bad guys are simply people who are just like the good guys, trying to survive, and are capable of acts of kindness that nobody ever sees.
2:00 PM Monday, May 30, 2005: Once Upon a Time in High
School: Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (말죽거리 잔혹사)
When a student transfers to a new school, he discovers that there is much less teaching tham there is violence. Will he be able to get through school, or will the corrupt school system prove to be too much of a challenge?
Coming of age story. Slow but funny, especially just the interaction between the main character and all his wild unruly classmates. It tends to ramble a bit, but that's kind of the nature of the film. There's a romance in this film too but I never feel that there's much chemistry between the lead of the film and his romantic interest, possibly b/c that's part of showing the awkward dynamics of love and all the pain involved with it. Gradually...we see our hero turning into a punk b/c of the tough school environment, so what is the solution that saves him? Jeet Kune Do, baby! hahahaha....well, ok, maybe not, but at least in spirit, right? So the story finally reaches a climax and resolution in about a 20 min span. So really, what it comes down to is a young man who's quiet and meek who finally stands up for himself.
10:15AM Saturday, May 28, 2005: The Classic (클래식)
A university student discovers a secret box filled with letters that detail her
mother's first love affair, which closely resembles her own relationship troubles. Will her mother's past help her find a love of her own?
I missed the first...15 minutes b/c of parking. But it was a good romantic drama, I don't exactly see the love triangle the girl was involved with relates to that of her mom (I guess they're supposed to be similar except in her mom's situation, two guys were chasing after her, while in the present day, the girl is competing for the affections of one guy against this other girl who's...completely unlikeable). There's a nice touch to the end of this film that makes everything tie together. =) It's a sad film, with a bittersweet ending.
2:00PM Saturday, May 28, 2005: Windstruck: Director's Cut (내 여자친구를 소개합니다)
After a young policewoman mistakes a good citizen for a purse thief, the two form a strange bond that leads to love. However, when the relationship takes a tragic turn, she finds herself searching for a reason to live.
it's actually the prequel to My Sassy Girl, I had no idea! so it was pleasant surprise to watch. It's a little bit cheesier and mushy, but still enjoyable.
4:30PM Saturday, May 28, 2005: Running Out of Time (暗戰)
When a diamond thief finds out that he has terminal cancer and only 72 hours to live, he begins an incredible cat and mouse game with the police's top negotiator. The negotiator, however, soon learns that he's in for a lot more than he bargained for.
There was a catch to this film, but it's hard to remember, I got bored I guess, it wasn't that memorable to me.
7:45PM Saturday, May 28, 2005: A World Without Thieves (天下無賊)
A couple of career grifters cross paths with a naïve young village boy on his way to Beijing. However, when it's discovered that the boy has a large sum of money with him, another group of thieves is set on taking the money first.
Excellent movie. The two thieves are complex characters...kind of like anti-heroes. and the "villains" are good villains, the ones you like to hate. So the movie talks a little bit about changing fate, and standing up in a world rampant with cynicism to do the right thing.
12:00AM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Bichunmoo (飛天舞)
Take Romeo and Juliet. Mix in a little Crouching Tiger. Add a resurrected mercenary and a couple high-flying swordsman, and along the lines somewhere you've got Bichunmoo. Mix well, and enjoy.
Actually, it wasn't as good as it might sound. Just alot of swordplay without likeable characters, and a meandering plot. It was bad enough that I can't remember any details right now without sitting down to think very, very hard. =P Let's just say this kind of yanked the steam out of early Saturday evening. Fell asleep at one point. Waited a long time for everybody to hurry up and just die.
3:30PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Too Beautiful to Lie (그녀를 믿지 마세요)
After her parole, an ex-con finds herself with an engagement with belonging to a man she runs into on a train. Her attempts to return the ring to his family go awry, however, when mistunderstandings lead the family to believe she is the fianceé.
Another romantic comedy. Lightly funny, if unoriginal and predictable. Afternoon post-lunch fare.
5:30PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Silmido (실미도)
In retaliation to an attempt to kill the president of South Korea, 31 death row conficts are taken and trained to become a top-secret mercenary unit set on the assassination of the leader of the North. Based on a true story.
This wasn't nearly as interesting as i thought it would be. You see a bunch of Korean guys training to be a highly trained special forces unit and undergo some brutal training. You see a bunch of Korean guys yelling at each other. Some of them get killed during training b/c it's so intense. So they get all gung-ho about going into to kill Kim Il-Sung, and there's alot of rhetoric and speeches with Korean patriotism.
Then it all goes downhill from there (I mean the film too) when the plan to assassinate the North Korean president is abruptly cancelled.
The only characters you get to possibly know are the former Korean gangster and his buddy, and the lead sergeant who heads up the camp, but that's about it. It's not bad, but it's not great either b/c the pace of the movie drops off dramatically once it's announced that the unit will not infiltrate the North.
7:15PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Beyond Our Ken (公主復仇記)
After Ching discovers that her ex-boyfriend has published some nude photos of her over the internet, she seeks to form an alliance with his current girlfriend and warn her of his evil ways. Can she get the photos back?
I watched the last half of this. I enjoy the way the film looks. One of the most cynical looks at relationships I've seen in a Hong Kong film recently, makes it interesting. The Gillian Chung and Hong Tao are hot even if their characters are both detestable (including the boyfriend) hahaha. I guess the girls might like Daniel Wu....good-looking hapa (he looks it at least from afar), and according to the IMDB, the man's on fire...been in 32 movies since 1998.
10:15PM Sunday, May 29, 2005: Oldboy (올드보이)
Based on a Japanese manga, a man is kidnapped and held prisoner for 15 years with no explanation of why he was taken or who would have done it. Once set free, he only has a few days to figure out the clues behind his capture.
My choice for best movie of the entire weekend. Dark yet funny at times. Crazy. Completely twisted. Unpredictable. And entirely enjoyable. =D
8:00 AM Sunday, May 28, 2005: One Nite in Mongkok (旺角黑夜)
Nothing is certain on the streets of Mongkok. The police have 36 hours to find a contract killer. With nothing going right, the killer finds solace in a young prostitute trying to escape her pimp. Will the cops be able to find him?
This's one of those movies where the theme that everything in the world isn't just black and white is prevalent, and sometimes the good guys have to do bad things to uphold justice, while the bad guys are simply people who are just like the good guys, trying to survive, and are capable of acts of kindness that nobody ever sees.
2:00 PM Monday, May 30, 2005: Once Upon a Time in High
School: Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (말죽거리 잔혹사)
When a student transfers to a new school, he discovers that there is much less teaching tham there is violence. Will he be able to get through school, or will the corrupt school system prove to be too much of a challenge?
Coming of age story. Slow but funny, especially just the interaction between the main character and all his wild unruly classmates. It tends to ramble a bit, but that's kind of the nature of the film. There's a romance in this film too but I never feel that there's much chemistry between the lead of the film and his romantic interest, possibly b/c that's part of showing the awkward dynamics of love and all the pain involved with it. Gradually...we see our hero turning into a punk b/c of the tough school environment, so what is the solution that saves him? Jeet Kune Do, baby! hahahaha....well, ok, maybe not, but at least in spirit, right? So the story finally reaches a climax and resolution in about a 20 min span. So really, what it comes down to is a young man who's quiet and meek who finally stands up for himself.