Korean Movies :: Reviews & Information ::

katt

Nampaknya 8TV akan menyajikan 2 filem box-office dari Korea di perayaan Tahun Baru Cina tahun ini.


Il Mare - Jeon Ji Hyun & Lee Jung Jae  - 22 January, 6pm

My Sassy Girl - Jeon Ji Hyun & Cha Tae Hyun - 23 January, 6pm


Personally, belum tengok these 2 films tapi dah banyak kali baca review & comments about them. Looks really promising tapi kena tengok sendiri, baru tahu. Ada yang dah tengok filem-filem ni? Komen anda?

[ Last edited by katt on 23-4-2004 at 12:01 AM ]

katt

"Il Mare" (Italian for 'the sea') is the unlikely title for a captivating South Korean romance recently released on Hong Kong import VCD. An audience favorite at the 2000 Pusan International Film Festival, "Il Mare"combines the correspondence of "You've Got Mail" with the time-travel complexities of "Frequency" to create a refreshing and heartfelt story about two lonely people who become connected via a 'magic mailbox'.

The story begins at the tail end of 1999, as voiceover actress Eun-joo (Jun Ji-hyun) moves out of a seaside home named 'Il Mare'. Before leaving, Eun-joo leaves a Christmas card in the mailbox, with a message asking the eventual new owner to forward any mail of hers to her new address in the city. Meanwhile, exactly two years prior in 1997, Il Mare's first owner, architect Sung-hyun (Lee Jung-jae, who recently co-starred opposite Shim Eun-ha in "The Interview"), receives Eun-joo's card. Thinking it to be a joke, he writes back to Eun-joo and asks her not to tamper with his mailbox anymore, while pointing out that the 'current year' is 1997.

However, after a bit of back-and-forth banter, all doubt about the magical properties of the mailbox are soon erased, and Eun-joo and Sung-hyun begin sending regular correspondence to each other. In addition to finding out that they are both kindred spirits, they come up with new uses for their unique connection: Sung-hyun is able to return a tape recorder that Eun-joo lost two years ago, while Eun-joo is able to send back a still-unpublished book by Sung-hyun's estranged father. Eventually, they agree to meet in person-- an uneasy task given their separate time periods. Though the agreed-upon day is only a week away from Eun-joo's perspective, it is still a full two years from where Sung-hyun stands. Will these two lovelorn pen pals meet?

The most obvious standout aspect of "Il Mare" are the time-constrained interactions between Eun-joo and Sung-hyun's, which result in a number of gee-whiz moments and thought-provoking scenes, such as the film's ending, which is heart-wrenching, uplifting, and mind-blowing at the same time. However, what makes "Il Mare" so memorable is the well-told love story at its core. Without resorting to overt melodrama, director Lee Hyun-seung chronicles the blossoming romance between his two protagonists and how their regrets of the past threaten to tear them apart, brought to life by the natural performances of the two leads. In addition, Lee conveys a mood of both warmth and melancholy through some stunning cinematography that makes good use of the seaside setting. There is also some good tension generated as Eun-joo and Sung-hyun edge closer towards meeting each other in person, though at times, it seems a little needlessly drawn out. Thankfully, this oversight ends up being redressed with a third-act revelation that only heightens the emotional resonance of their connection.

Despite what could have been a 'gimmicky' premise, "Il Mare" is far from insincere in how it details the emotional bond that develops between two people separated by time. Like two other recent Korean romances of note, "Christmas in August (Palwol ui Christmas)" and "Art Museum by the Zoo (Misuhlgwa yup dongmulgwon)", "Il Mare" goes about its business with a quiet eloquence. True, the script may strain some credibility in terms of delaying the eventual union of its two lovers, but overall, "Il Mare" remains a smart and stirring entry in the romance genre, a bittersweet confection that is not easily forgotten.

credits: Review from www.mediacircus.net

katt

Comedies have dominated the summer and early fall of 2001, with a trio of smash hits that have easily outgrossed every Hollywood film to get a release. Among these, my personal favorite is My Sassy Girl, a movie based on a series of real-life incidents published on the internet in serial form.

As the film opens we are introduced to Kyun-woo, a kind-hearted but at times naive college student who seems to keep getting into trouble. On his way home one night he encounters a beautiful but completely smashed young woman who causes a scene in the subway, calls him "honey", and then passes out. With the eyes of the other subway passengers upon him, he has little choice but to take responsibility for her. Thus begins his relationship with the at-times charming, at-times violent damsel who steals his heart.

Much of the film is structured around the bizarre antics of Kyun-woo's newfound girlfriend. After she passes out yet again, Kyun-woo looks at her blissful face and promises to himself that he will save her, and right whatever it is that troubles her. This proves to be much more of a challenge than he expects.

My Sassy Girl marks the return to the screen of director Kwak Jae-yong, after close to a seven-year absence. He couldn't have picked a better film for his comeback, and he is unlikely to be away for so long again: in October he signed a contract to make three more films in the next six years.

Cha Tae-hyun, who plays Kyun-woo, has been a well-known personality on TV shows, advertisements, and also as a successful pop singer, but this is his first major role in the movies. He proves perfect for the part, his blend of mischievous innocence capturing the audience's sympathies. The undisputed star of this film, however, is Jeon Ji-hyun, an icon for her generation who trades in the nice girl image of her previous films for something with a little more fire. The enthusiasm she brings to the role carries the film; it could not have succeeded anywhere near as well without her.

The wacky charms of this film have earned it the title of Korea's best-selling comedy ever (at least for the moment). In the coming months, as the film spreads to other countries in Asia and possibly to DVD, foreign audiences will get a chance to share in the fun.     

Credits to Darcy Paquet of KoreanFilm.org

GAIA

Hadoiii...sayangnya...time2 nak balik kg lah baru kuar filem best kat 8tv....BTW dah lama dengar tentang kedua filem nie....VCD dia pun dah nampak sejak awal tahhun lepas.......

Mare=sea, Oceano=ocean

Originally posted by katt at 19-1-2004 01:07 AM:
Nampaknya 8TV akan menyajikan 2 filem box-office dari Korea di perayaan Tahun Baru Cina tahun ini.


Il Mare - Jeon Ji Hyun & Lee Jung Jae[/ ...

DAH TENGOK CITE MY SASSY GIRL. BEST!!! BUKAN MACAM TYPICAL CITE CINTAN CINTUN.

KELAKAR SANGAT TENGOK SI HEROIN.

RECOMMENDED!!

katt

Jeon Ji-hyun

Jeon Ji-hyun (b. October 30, 1981) first became well-known as a commercial model and as a TV actress. Although she made her film debut in the little-watched White Valentine in 1999, it was not until later in the year when she was featured in an advertisement for an audio system that she became a popular sensation. The dancing and attitude expressed in the ad made her into an icon for Koreans in their late teens and early twenties.

After continuing her TV and modelling career, Jeon made her first well-publicized film appearance in late 2000 with Il Mare. A handsomely-shot melodrama set on Kanghwa Island, the film did respectably well at the box office and solidified her status as a star.

Jeon's breakout film was comedy My Sassy Girl which became a huge hit both in Korea and throughout Asia with its tale of a gullible college student and his wacky girlfriend. Currently Jeon remains almost unrivalled in terms of popularity. In 2003 an "occult thriller" titled The Uninvited re-teamed her with actor Park Shin-yang from White Valentine. She is currently working on a new project by My Sassy Girl director Kwak Jae-yong.

Complete filmography:

I've Got You, Babe (2004) dir. Kwak Jae-yong ** currently in production **
The Uninvited (2003) dir. Lee Su-yeon
My Sassy Girl (2001) dir. Kwak Jae-yong
Il Mare (2000) dir. Lee Hyun-seung
White Valentine (1999) dir. Yang Yoon-ho





Lee Jung-jae

Lee Jung-jae (b. March 15, 1973), apart from being a top star in film and TV, also works as a highly successful fashion model. One year after his debut on television in 1993, Lee was cast in his first film, a feature by Bae Chang-ho. His breakthrough would come in late 1998 in the award-winning film An Affair by E-J Yong. This was followed up by another success, Our Sunny Days, for which he received a Best Actor award at the domestic Chungryong Awards ceremony.

After starring in the Korean-Japanese coproduction Asako in Ruby Shoes, released in December 2000, Lee found considerable popular success in a melodrama titled Last Present, where he was cast opposite Lee Young-ae, and in the action/mystery/drama The Last Witness directed by Bae Chang-ho. In 2002 he starred in the melodrama Over the Rainbow with Chang Jin-young, and was also rumored to appear in an international coproduction to be shot in Korea and directed by Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige (this project may have been delayed, however).

In his latest film he stars opposite Lee Beom-soo of Wet Dreams fame, about two brothers, one of whom has an unusual disease.

Selected Filmography:

Oh! Brothers (2003) dir. Kim Yong-hwa
Over the Rainbow (2002) dir. An Jin-woo
The Last Witness (2001) dir. Bae Chang-ho
Last Present (2001) dir. Oh Ki-hwan
Asako in Ruby Shoes (2000) dir. E J-yong
Il Mare (2000) dir. Lee Hyun-seung
Interview (2000) dir. Byun Hyuk
The Uprising (1999) dir. Park Kwang-soo
Our Sunny Days (1999) dir. Kim Sung-soo
An Affair (1998) dir. E-J Yong
Park vs. Park (1997) dir. Yang Young-chul
I Am a Man (1994) dir. Bae Chang-ho

*Info credits to www.koreanfilm.org

katt

Harap-harap filem ni ditayangkan dalam versi original dan 8TV tak lupa nak letak subtitle.....:re:


          << Eun-joo
                             
                               Sung-hyun >>  

katt

Hmm.....menarik Il Mare ni. Walaupun agak slow tapi menarik dan boleh difahami, mungkin sebab dah baca review (+spoiler) dulu. Kalau disediakan sarikata, tentunya akan lebih-lebih menarik lagi sebab jalan cerita filem ni banyak bergantung kepada 'narration' (dalam bentuk kiriman surat antara Eun-joo & Sung-hyun).

Good point - 8TV siarkan versi asal; bad point - sarikata pula tiada. Even English subtitles (yang biasanya ada untuk filem) pun tak kelihatan. Alangkah malangnya, kalau My Sassy Girl pun macam ni juga. Nampak macam 8TV agak sedikit "keberatan".....:re:.

sara

Originally posted by katt at 23-1-2004 12:21 AM:
Hmm.....menarik Il Mare ni. Walaupun agak slow tapi menarik dan boleh difahami, mungkin sebab dah baca review (+spoiler) dulu. Kalau disediakan sarikata, tentunya akan lebih-lebih menarik la ...

betul tu....harap-harap My Sassy Girl esok tak jadi macam Ill Mare hari ni...

katt lawa avatar...LBH cuuuutttttteeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

nmi

tu yang paling bengang.mula2 ingat nak tengok il mare tapi takder subtitle.macam mana nak faham?ingat nak contact 8tv,tapi tak tahu camner.kalau my sassy girl takder subtitle,mengamuklah camnie.

katt

Info from 8TV website:

Feel the need to connect with us? Our addresses and numbers are all here.

Metropolitan TV Sdn. Bhd.
3rd Floor, South Wing Sri Pentas,
3, Persiaran Bandar Utama,
Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya.

Tel : 603 7728 8282
Fax : 603 7726 8282

* kalau nak cepat, call them up or e-mail to janice@tv3.com.my (she's the Brand Manager for Chinese segments). Tak tahulah sempat ke tidak since MSG petang ni but we can certainly try.....

katt

Not bad MSG, not bad at all. Lain daripada yang selalu. Kelakar dan sedih, yes agak sedih.....patutlah daripada reviews yang dibaca, ada orang yang terharu terutama dengan endingnya. Nasib baiklah sarikata (yang tak menentu oleh 8TV) ada juga masa endingnya tadi. Barulah faham apa sebenarnya yang berlaku. Tak sangka bagi Kyun-woo (Cha Tae Hyun), gadis yang nak diperkenalkan oleh makciknya tulah gadis yang disukainya selama ini. Dia yang sentiasa mengelak untuk pergi berjumpa ibu saudaranya tu, akhirnya dapat bertemu semula dengan "MSG" selepas 3 tahun. Suka dengan cara ending filem ini dibuat, so sweet.....




Cha Tae-hyun

Cha Tae-hyun (b. March 25, 1976) started his career as a silver medalist in a 1995 KBS Talent Contest. Over the next several years he would star in a large number of TV dramas such as Sunflower and Happy Together, while also working as a model and appearing in a huge number of TV commercials.

His film debut came with a bang, in the hugely successful 2001 comedy My Sassy Girl. This established him as a recognized star throughout Asia as well as Korea, and many of his subsequent films would do very well in other Asian countries. He starred opposite actress Son Ye-jin in the box-office hits Lovers Concerto and Crazy First Love, and will appear together with actress Kim Seon-ah in Happy Ero Christmas. His next feature Two Guys sees him team up with Nowhere to Hide star Park Joong-hoon.

Complete filmography:
Two Guys (2004) dir. Park Heon-su ** currently in pre-production **
Happy Ero Christmas (2003) dir. Lee Geon-dong ** currently in pre-production **
Crazy First Love (2003) dir. Oh Jong-rok
Lovers Concerto (2002) dir. Lee Han
My Sassy Girl (2001) dir. Kwak Jae-yong

w|nTer^GurL

best!! akhirnya sebelum ending citer my sassy girl..kuar gak subtittle dia... cuma sedih gak sebab subtittle tak sepenuhnya disiarkan... cume dissapointed filem il mare tuh..tak paham langsung..

c-mei

hahhhhhh.....bestnyer citer My Sassy Girl nie tapi yg tensionnyer subtitle kejap ader kejap takder...tapi aku cakaplah citer nie antara citer teen movie yg best and boleh masuk dlm list aku coz aku dari mula tengok sampai habis asyik nak gelak jer even kdg2 subtitle tue spoil skit.....lepas nie aku nak cari vcd dier and nak buat collection...coz smalam takder subtitle...citer kelakar and fast story tak lembik....mmg kelakar lah Chae Ta Hyun tue ngan Jun Ji Hyun tue ....and no wonder lah kenaper citer nie merupakan citer komedi remaja paling berjaya kat korea....and pelakon lelaki and pompuan tue menang anugerah for this film....citer nie best...best...:sp::sp:

katt

Getting punched in the mouth by a beautiful girl. Leading your boyfriend around by the ear like the dog he is. Ah, young love. Based on an anonymous diary posted on the internet, MY SASSY GIRL is the touching true story of a dolt in love. The object of his affection is a hard-drinking chick who can only express herself through physically assaulting strangers, slinging insults and passing out. A celebration of the way public vomiting can bring two people together, MY SASSY GIRL was number one at the box office for six straight weeks in Korea and sold over 20,000 tickets per day in Hong Kong. A hare-brained sassafras of a romance, it was the second highest grosser of 2001 (accumulating more box office loot than SHREK, HARRY POTTER or LORD OF THE RINGS), mostly based on the appeal of the two actors at its sweet n' breezy core. Cha Tae-Hyun won "Best New Actor" at this year's Korean Oscars (the Chongryoung Awards) and Jeon Ji-Hyun, who has appeared in only three films, has no less than 75 internet sites devoted to worshipping her full time.

SASSY refuses to take anything seriously, from young love to the rules of romantic comedy. Lovingly frosted with parodies of everything from classical Korean literature; to Wong Kar-wai's arthouse epic, ASHES OF TIME; MY SASSY GIRL lets loose a steady stream of spitballs at anyone square enough to take the proceedings seriously. It's a movie aimed at the audience like a large caliber fun gun, with no romantic comedy convention passing by without receiving a swift kick in the ribs. A touching birthday celebration turns into a military stand-off; a declaration of love becomes a study in protracted humiliation; even the first "meet cute" moment winds up with the main character getting maced in the face.

Fans say that Hong Kong owns the action movie, Japan rules the horror genre, and Korea produces the best comedies. MY SASSY GIRL more than supports that claim with its off-the-cuff charm, crisis situation humor, and a hardboiled sweetness at its heart. If empty calories are clogging your movie-going arteries, MY SASSY GIRL will zap you with the defibrillator, scrape the plaque out of your aorta, and send you on your way with a big, fat, grin plastered across your ever-loving mug. It's the kind of movie where "Wanna die?" means, "I love you."

Note: Think fast! Dreamworks just bought the rights to MY SASSY GIRL and they're planning a remake. This may be the only chance New Yorkers have to see Korea's number one comedy of 2001 for themselves.

For direct link >>> MSG review from subwaycinema.com <<<

                    

* suka scene ni, masing-masing pakai baju seragam sekolah menengah lepas tu masuk kelab malam sambil tunjuk kad pengenalan, selamba je.....saja nak buat guard di kelab tu tension.

katt

Originally posted by c-mei at 2004-1-24 12:02 PM:
lepas nie aku nak cari vcd dier and nak buat collection...coz smalam takder subtitle...citer kelakar and fast story tak lembik....mmg kelakar lah Chae Ta Hyun tue ngan Jun Ji Hyun tue ....and no wonder lah kenaper citer nie merupakan citer komedi remaja paling berjaya kat korea....and pelakon lelaki and pompuan tue menang anugerah for this film....citer nie best...best...

Yelah c-mei ;)

Memang berbaloi beli vcd MSG ni. Dulu tak sure nak beli ke tidak, bila dah tengok di tv memang menarik & kelakar. Suka tengok Cha Tae Hyun yang asyik kena 'buli' dengan Jeon Ji Hyun yang "brutal selamba" tu. Semuanya pasal CTH dah suka sangat dengan JJH......

whitedove

and then comes the touching part...quite sad masa JJH tak datang time CTH nak baca surat tu, and then JJH cuma betul2 boleh lupakan sepupu CTH yg dah mati tu lepas dia baca surat CTH lewat setahun...quite sad jugak masa JJH suggest kat CTH pegi ke bukit sebelah to see if he can heard her call his name, which of course, he couldn't....

aLiN_82

giler best citer ni.. aku tak tahan gelak seih... tp sayang subtitile hilang 45 minit.. hishhhh.. aku nak tau apa yg askar tu cakap.. hampeh ahhh.... nasib baik ending ada subtitle.. aku rasa cam nak suh jer 8tv ulang balik citer tu.. tak puas hati sgh...

katt

Originally posted by aLiN_82 at 2004-1-26 05:37 PM:
giler best citer ni.. aku tak tahan gelak seih... tp sayang subtitile hilang 45 minit.. hishhhh.. aku nak tau apa yg askar tu cakap.. hampeh ahhh.... nasib baik ending ada subtitle.. aku rasa cam nak suh jer 8tv ulang balik citer tu.. tak puas hati sgh...

Yelah, mintak-mintak 8TV ulang balik MSG yang lengkap dengan sarikata. Maybe bila dah banyak tempat yang terima siaran channel ni. Kalau tak pun, biar TV3 yang tayangkan dalam slot Pearl Screen ke, misalnya. :re:

kitty_cat

my sassy girl ni over all klaka and sedih gak...jeon ji-hyun ni nampak matured sikit daripada jang nara although both of them are at the same age...selamba giler la dia ni..yang part dia suruh lelaki tu terjun dalam tasik nak tau kedalaman tasik tu best...selamba je dia tolak... anyway, nasib baiklah dia jumpa balik lelaki tu at last...