Korean movies that are a must see.

Hellz yeah.

Now I haven't really been big on Korean music but I do have to admit, when it comes to their feature length films - they know their stuff.

All of these films had me laughing (and crying at the right points) from start to finish. I've found with many Japanese films that I can only watch them one at a time and in a spaced out pattern. However with these films I find the same appeal I found with movies like Juno and Kill Bill (and yes, I'll admit, even The Lion King still) - that I can watch over and over and over and still enjoy them.

200 Pounds of Beauty



















starring: Ju Jin-Mo, Kim Ah-Jung Hanna is the famous Korean pop singer. She suffers from having extremely poor self-esteem, as she has been ignored because of her appearance. At last, she makes the decision of a lifetime to have full-body plastic surgery.
(taken from MySoju.com)

A film about how plastic surgery can make your dreams come true (or not) maybe not be a great example for young girls on how to deal with body image issue, but let's be honest - you'd have to be completely thick to think that you can have a 'full body surgery' and come out looking like that. This film is nevertheless great for a laugh and the acting is pretty good. I found the main character had the ability to say things like "I'm so pretty," "I even cry pretty!" and "I sweat pretty!" without being completely distasteful. The actress has an innocent air about her. I likes it. =)


Antique Bakery


















starring: Jun Ji Hyun, Kim Jae Wook, Yoo Ah In
(MySoju)

So...if you were straight and popular in high school and brutally reject a gay nerd who confesses to you and then get stuck working with them in a tiny cafe making cakes - what would really happen? Fuck all. But not in this movie. Based quite closely on the Japanese manga, this Korean movie remake was a complete blast to watch. It's the funniest and probably most accurate portrayal of a relationship between two grown men - one gay and one straight - and doesn't shun certain gay stereotypes from the main homosexual character the same way Japanese movies tend to. E.g: the clothes, the visits to gay clubs. It combines a quirky, comical, fantastical and somewhat camp sense of humor with an interesting cutting and narrative style for the more edgy and darker elements of the story, which mainly consist of chasing after kidnappers and murders. I give this movie a thumbs up - a straight "cake pervert," a gay expert cake maker, a ex-boxing campion and a somewhat dim 'body guard' = funfunfun.


The King and The Clown



















starring: Gam Woo Seong, Jeong Jin-Yeong, Kang Seong-Yeon, Lee Jun Ki
Two clowns living in the Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution, but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.
(MySoju)

So...you have in the upper left corner your cruel tyranical king, then next to him the talented, witty and reckless clown and below him the king's bitch-hussie-slut consort and then right next to her the she-he boy clown she envies so much for...the entire length of the move. No, I do not kid you, the one in the bottom left box is not a girl. It's a boy. And the nut-job psycho king becomes infatuated with him. The clown performances and lackie-clowns are a huge source of comic relief in this period film which sometimes can be very dark - wrist sliting, daddy issues and assassination attempt...oh YES...let's not forget the part where someone gets their eyes burnt out. Happy times. It makes you laugh at the right moments and tear up at the right moments. Good film. Click link. Watch.


And on a finishing note - yes I know that both of the last two film are very slashly...very le BL. But I think films with some mxm content in them can be very effective as storys of any kind IF done correctly. You can also do it VERY wrong which usually results in my ranting about how crap they are. Sadly I must give an example of Boys Love (japanese film) in which we see the classic Boy A is loved by Boy C but ignores him because he loves Boy B, Boy C gets jealous and attempts to stab Boy B, Boy A sacrifices himself and DIES. Then Boy B just kills himself anyway. It's like a retarded version of Romeo and Juliet. Boy A is stabbed by the TINIEST KNIFE IN EXISTENCE in THE SIDE but still manages to die as a result. Did no one think to take Boy A to the ER? Where they all feeling too angsty and lazy? *sigh*