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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Korean movies ~ Part I ~

Portrait of a Beauty (미인도) - GREAT MOVIE
Genre: Romance

  This is a love story interwoven in a complex context of traditions, family and society. It is beautifully written and presented. Joy, sorrow, happiness and love, sadness,shame and sacrifice all take place here. Casting is great and cinematography is of high quality. It is always a joy to watch such films where sacrifice and innocence play such an important role. Apparently, aspects of the film are based on history. True story or not, this film is real enough in creating a first-class movie experience.

P.S. This movie is NOT for kids, only adults to enjoy!
 



The Duelist (형사) - GOOD MOVIE
Genre: Action | Mystery 


  Outrageously colorful and stylized, it's a tale of a girl trained as a sword-fighter who works as a cop, and a mysterious masked swordsman who may or may not be in league with a gang who is flooding the country with counterfeit money. The plot is confusing enough, but it really doesn't matter: it's just an excuse for some amazing set-pieces involving crowds of sword-fighters, fighters chasing through markets and dye factories, barroom brawls and swordplay as foreplay.
  The movie is basically an arty martial art/love story with a small injection of slapstick and a generous sprinkling of comedy and satire, but above all else it is an extravagant and grandiose feast for the eyes. The movie doesn't take itself to seriously and neither should the viewer. Enjoy this film for what it is. Expect nothing, drop all preconceived notions, and I guarantee you'll have a great time.




Dance of the Dragon - GOOD MOVIE
Genre: Drama | Music | Romance 
Country: Singapore | South Korea

  Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy receives challenge, boy loses challenge, boy still gets girl.
  The film, a furious interplay of martial arts and ballroom dancing routines decorating the relatively simple storyline of a love triangle. The cinematography is stunning, the performances flawless and the music is moving with a full orchestra. This film is not so much entertaining as enlightening. It’s art-house, pulled off with stunning aplomb.




The Promise (Wu Ji) - GOOD MOVIE
Genre: Action | Drama | Fantasy
Country: China | USA | South Korea

  It's a love story, if you can't tell by the poster. A dazzling romantic fairy tale and a tale of fate as well. It's a matter of taking into one's own perspective of what this movie was. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I thought that it was simplistic in it's story, but by no means did I think the story was horrendous - this film is a fantasy story, plain and simple!




War of the Arrows (최종병기 활) - GREAT MOVIE
Genre: Action | History 

  If you like action movies with a historical flair, then this one is definitely for you. But War of the Arrows is not your typical set battle piece - it is a superbly realised take on the classical idea of one man, a true hero in skill and virtue, being chased by a band of elite archers. Once it starts, it just keeps on going and keeps you on edge for the ride.
  Overall a well-made, tense and gripping action movie, a movie which deserves it's success.



1 comment:

  1. Seen them all, except The Promise. No doubt I think Duelist is great, I love the way you speaked about it..." Outrageously colorful and stylized" and "an extravagant and grandiose feast for the eyes". For me it was like a symphony. More, it has an ost worthy of a 100 episodes drama :)) Portrait of a Beauty it's a very good movie, I definitely enjoyed it (and not because of the adult rated scenes), but because of the surprising story.
    I loved Jang Hyuk in Dance of the Dragon and his path of becoming a great skilled dancer, under the guidance of a beautiful wounded dancer.
    War of Arrows is the movie of year 2011, it was a succes. I loved it!

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