I Saw the Devil - Korea

          Director:  Jee-woon Kim
          Year:  2010
          Plot:  "When his fiancee becomes the latest victim of a killer, a secret agent blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge."


          I actually watched this a bit ago so I can't be completely in depth.  I ranked this on Criticker on July 4th, so yeah, a bit ago.  I am not sure why it took me so long to write the review.  I originally wanted to watch this movie for Byung-hun, and if you have watched a few of his movies I am sure you can see why I would watch it for him.  Anyway, I did watch it again around Thanksgiving, but I still didn't get around to this post.  The people I watched it with also felt it was a great movie.  That is of course coming from people who don't like subtitle movies and are addicted to online poker.  This movie had them paying attention and struggling with keeping up with their games.
          I think the greatest point of this movie is the idea of revenge.  There are many movies and things that focus on revenge and how it can lead to bad results, but I think this is the best version of the same idea I have seen.  The biggest question this movie poses, is what does revenge get you.  The main character acts against the killer in a way that is quite fun to watch as an avid horror fan.  He toys with him and gives him a little piece of what he did to others.
          The thing is, he walks a fine line between exacting justice and turning into something without feeling.  This is the part that really stuck with me, even after it being awhile since I watched it.  I am not sure that I have seen a movie that has been able to really show the main character where we are unsure where to place him.  Has he crossed the line, or is he in the right?  Of course this also has to do with the killer.  If he hadn't been the way he was, it would have been far easier to judge the main character.  The actions of both the killer and the main character really make this movie something that isn't easy to forget.


          It isn't hard to understand, I really do highly suggest this movie.  It is a little graphic and such, so it is not the best movie for very squeamish.  It definitely wouldn't be the best for my sister, who has even found issues just watching the TV show Supernatural (btw love love love it).  Still, if you aren't completely put off by a little gore and such, this movie is absolutely awesome.  I still will likely try to talk my sister into watching it.  I just won't tell her about the fun stuff.  n.n

Silenced - Korea

          Director:  Dong-hyuk Hwang
          Year:  2011
          Plot:  "Gang In-ho, who is working to earn money for his daughter's surgery, is appointed to a school for hearing-impaired children in Gwangju.  But what he discovers there is an ugly truth: the children are being physically and sexually abused by their teachers.  When he decides to fight for the children's rights and expose the crimes being committed at the school, In-ho teams up with human rights activist Seo Yu-jin.  But he and Yu-jin soon realize the school's principal and teachers, and even the police, prosecutors and churches in the community are actually trying to cover up the truth."


          I know I have been slacking as far as Asian movie reviews go.  I have watched a bunch, but haven't had the time to actually get a review done.  As far as Silenced goes, I had to find the time to review.  I know it is a subject that many might try to avoid watching, I know my sister is.  I ended up watching the movie alone in my room because she refused to watch a movie involving child abuse and molestation.  As I see it though, this movie isn't about the bad, but about the good that came out of this case.
          This movie was stunning to watch and i could see it from the beginning.  I was sold about this movie even after the first 20 minutes.  The fact that the abuse and molestation wasn't shied away from like many other movies might have made the movie all that more impactful.  One person suggested that people fast forward through the scenes on Netflix and I think that is horrible.  I am a person who laughs at blood and gore, but I had to look away quite a few times while watching the abuse scenes, still I never skipped over these scenes.  It just seems wrong to me to actually skip over these scenes when the point was for them to be disturbing.  If you simply skip over them, I don't know that the impact would be the same.
          I also found another response posted about this movie that said how horrible the people were for being a part of making this movie.  The person was upset because of how the movie ended, and that the teacher was a coward for not helping the children.  The problem is that this movie wasn't meant as a feel good movie.  This was meant as a statement about the atrocities that went on at a school for the deaf and limitations that were faced when trying to punish those at fault.  The fact is that you should be upset after watching this movie.  To think that the government had so many faults that the ending happened as it did is outrageous.
          I have to say the person was completely wrong about the teacher though.  He wasn't a coward, he was just conflicted for the most part.  It was really hard for him to go against what he needed to do for his own family to help out the children.  I can only imagine what kind of stress he must have felt knowing that he was doing the right thing, but in doing so was going against his duties to his family.

          This is definitely a movie to watch.  It is sad and disturbing, but it definitely strikes a nerve in a positive way.  The acting in this movie was great, some felt that Yoo Gong (played In-ho) was rather emotionless, but I have to disagree.  I simply felt that he was conflicted and wasn't sure what the best course was.

A Moment to Remember - Korea

          Director:  John H. Lee

          Year:  2004

          Plot:  "A romance blossoms between a clothing designer and a cautious young man, but because the two have both been hurt in the past, it develops slowly. One is recovering from an affair with a married man. The other has lived his life alienated and alone."

          When I came across this movie, I put it aside like many others.  It sounded good, but I wasn't up for a movie just yet.  I was only looking.  Today, I was browsing again, not really meaning to watch when I accidentally clicked on the movie on Netflix (online, you know so it plays automatically).  I wasn't really interested in watching a movie with subtitles as I am working on a baby blanket that demands full attention.  The thing is, I let the movie play because I figured it meant that I must have really wanted to watch it, I just didn't know it yet.
          I really do think there was something to that accidental click after watching the movie.  This isn't one to pass up, and I can't believe I did for some time.  I don't even think there is anything bad I can really say about this movie.  It was a nice build and cute in the beginning.  Su-jin meets Cheol-su due to one of her forgetful moments.  The moment is strange in any normal sense, but it will turn out to be the most important moment for Su-jin.  A real moment to remember.
          The thing is, there relationship starts out strange than moves to sweet.  Of course, as the movie progresses, you begin to notice Su-jin isn't exactly normal.  She is very forgetful and though it is cute and leads to her meeting Cheol-su, it turns her relationship from sweet to bittersweet.  She even goes to the doctor when she starts having trouble finding her way home.  Of course I won't tell what her diagnosis is, but it is something that hurts her and those around her.
          Many of the scenes in this movie are great involving the between the couple, but the best moment is by far the best.  It is a special moment brought on by dialogue of another character in the movie.  Some people complained about the scene being ambiguous, but I didn't feel this way.  The moment for me was something that made sense and was easy to understand.  As I seen it, a husband was making a special moment to let his wife know how he felt about her.  That understanding alone does not do that moment justice.

          As I have already said, this is not a movie to pass up, even for a few days.  Even if you aren't into romance movies, this one is worth a shot because it will pull at parts in your heart and not let go until the movie is over.  There is something about the situation in this movie that is hard for anyone not to feel for.

No Mercy - Korea

          Director:  Hyeong-Joon Kim

          Year:  2010

          Plot:  "When a beautiful young woman is found butchered into six parts by a river, with an arm missing, Kang a forensic pathologist is beckoned for one last job. "

          I have seen a few movies like this one.  The base of this story and others is that someone is kidnapped and instead of going to the less than useful police, they handle it themselves.  This one happened to be more than what I was expecting.  I am very glad I didn't let the seemingly normal Korean thriller plot to stop me from watching.  Based on this, I know I shouldn't be put off by the 'overdone' plot, like some people are.  The last three movies I have seen with this same basic plot (the kidnapping and all) have turned out to be great movies.
          On IMDb, this is listed as a thriller/horror, but I don't see even a little bit of horror in this.  Thus, I chose to put this movie's review on this blog rather than my horror one.  Now, back to the movie.  Like I said, it starts off like a few of the other Korean thrillers I have watched, but it has some differences.  One of the things that really stands out, is that though most of the police force are worthless, there is one detective that seems to know how to actually do her job.
          The other big difference in this movie is the ending.  I was expecting an ending much like some of the others I have seen, but this was completely different.  I absolutely did not see some of that ending coming; okay, I didn't see most of that ending coming.  On another site, someone said they found it to be too much like Oldboy.  I do see a small similarity, but nothing that would really seem like they are copying an idea in anyway.

          I would definitely suggest watching this movie.  I am pretty sure you won't see the ending coming and will enjoy it, even if it does seem to slow down a bit.  I did question a bit whether I should rate this 4 or 5 stars, because some scenes were a little drawn out.  It is the ending though that made me rate it the way I did.

Seven Days - Korea

          Director:  Shin-yeon Won
          Year:  2007
          Plot:  "A successful lawyer who, in order to save her daughter, is pressured into defending the innocence of a man slated to receive the death penalty."

          This movie has been on my "To Watch" list since March.  That isn't as long as some of the movies I want to give a shot, but I decided to watch this before the others.  The thing is, I am not sure how I feel about this movie exactly.  There were parts I loved, and others that I didn't, and others I am just not sure what happened.
          First off, I really loved the ending.  I didn't see it coming, for many reasons, but what happened in the end was pretty great.  It wasn't as great as the ending of Midnight FM, but this movie did have a very effective ending.  This ending though might have been even better if other parts of the movie didn't have some issues.
          While I was watching this movie, I was knitting, but I have absolutely no problem knitting and reading subtitles.  I mention this because I am not one to be distracted by the things I do when watching a movie, so it isn't the reason for the issues I found with this movie.  I have to say this movie had me completely confused, and not in a good way.  There was simply too many suspects that were claimed to be the killers, or covered up the truth.
          I love to be unable to pin down the real murderer, or bad guy, as it makes for a great movie.  This one though made it really confusing.  I get who the killer was, and the kidnapper now that the movie is over, because it was clearly stated at the end.  The issue I have is that some of other suspects kind of blended together.  I am actually not sure what their stories were now that the movie is over and the focus has shifted to the murderer and kidnapper.

          I don't think I would necessarily suggest this movie.  It was decent enough for a watch, and the ending with the kidnapper was great.  For a night where a great movie is called for, this is not one I would watch.  Boring nights are the time for something like this, because it will use your time well enough with some decent scenes.  I just suggest not expecting much, otherwise you are likely to be disappointed.

Kaiji 2: Jinsei dakkai gemu - Japan

          Director:  Toya Sato
          Year:  2011
          Plot:  "Soon after having his debt cleared, Kaiji Ito is soon in debt again, and as is sent back underground. He earns the chance to return above ground for 2 weeks, he takes up the challenge of earning the 200,000,000 yen he needs to help his friends who are relying on him.  To make the money he finds a new game to play, one that is once again set against him."

          It's been over a year since I seen the first one, so I had to go back and look at my post for it.  While watching this movie I really did remember a lot of the first one, but nothing about what I wrote in my review. Time has sure flown by it seems, but I guess movies have a habit of leaving major impressions on me.
          In the second installment of Kaiji, the game has changed.  Instead of playing different strategy games and facing death defying challenges, Kaiji is up against a pachinko machine.  This may not seem like that big of a deal and on the simplest level, it probably wouldn't be much of a big deal.  Factor in that the machines payout would be a little over 1 billion and the fact that the game is likely rigged, and the story line starts to get a boost.
          I am not sure what it is about Kaiji, but these are the only movies involving gambling that I am genuinely nervous for the characters.  I don't know how many times my hands were clenched while watching this.  I think it might have a little something to do with the characters.  Kaiji himself is really sweet and tries to always help everyone, even when he himself is in trouble.  The pressure on him in this movie is even more intense because he not only has his own debt on his shoulders, but that of 20 or so men in the underground that are counting on him.  This isn't enough for Kaiji though and he soon takes on even more charity cases.
           I really don't think either Kaiji movie would have been so good to me if the character wasn't the way he is.  Sure, many consider Tatsuya to be an over-actor, but it has seemed to work really well with the character of Kaiji.  I just couldn't imagine him in any other way.  He is dramatic, but I like the character that way.  n.n

          As with the first movie, I highly recommend this.  Of course, the first one is probably necessary to get a feel for the characters as a few come from that one.  If you don't care for the characters and what is happening to them, neither movie will probably be all that enjoyable.  The thing is, that is the same with every movie, so you have to watch them for yourself to see if you will love the character and the movie.

          Check out my review of Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler!

The Sorcerer and the White Snake - China

          Director:  Siu-Tung Ching

          Year:  2011

          Plot:  "Action director Ching Siu-Tung helms this fantasy film based on an old Chinese legend about an herbalist who falls in love with a thousand-year-old White Snake disguised as a woman. Jet Li stars as a sorcerer who discovers her true identity and battles to save the man's soul."

          I actually watching this movie about a week or so ago, but homework has gotten in the way of writing a review.  As such, this review might not be as specific as those that I write right after viewing the movie.  I bought this from a little stand in the Mall of America, because my store was closed down (F.Y.E).  Because of the place I got it, the subtitles were a little interesting.  They weren't hard to understand, but they were so light sometimes, the white would disappear into scenery and clothes.

          Anyway, that has nothing to do with the movie itself.  n.n  Though I have seen quite a bit of complaints about this movie, I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't the best because I do admit some of the flaws it faces.  This movie has a lot of CGI, and it wasn't exactly on par with some of the movies that come out in the US.  This fact really doesn't bother me though as Asian movies don't usually us CGI as much, so it makes sense that they haven't exactly perfected everything.  Many parts of the movie were still very well done despite the usual CGI problems.  The only reason I had even a little problem with it is that it did take away from some of the fight scenes.

          I really like the story of the movie though.  It does come from a legend so it really has a fairytale feel to it, just with more fighting than most of us are used to.  n.n  I found that some people also had a problem with Jet Li's character in the movie because he is kind of mean towards the demons.  I actually enjoyed his character.  Sure, he is kind of mean to the snake lady, but he is a monk who fights demons.  In general cases, it is usually not a good thing to trust any demon, even if they play nice.  I also have to say that the end really made the movie and especially Jet Li's character.

          I would definitely suggest this movie to those who enjoy a variety of Asian movies.  I do not think this is one for those knew to Asian movies or culture.  I had to explain a few things to my mother, but she did understand the basic story because it falls pretty inline with some of our own tales.  Also, I really only wanted to see this movie because I love Jet Li.  I think Neng Ren is my favorite character though.  n.n