movies of week 9 & 10 & 11.
I've been a lazy, lazy, lazy film watcher.
Infernal Affairs
Hmm. What to say. It was excellent. I really liked it. I had a feeling I would, which made it possible for me to spend a certain gift certificate I got for Christmas on this DVD. To the two people who don't know what this film's about, it's a great Hong Kong film about an undercover cop in the mob and an undercover mobster in the police and their cat-and-mouse chase to find out who the other one is. It's very suspenseful and awesome and Tony Leung is hot recommendable. It's also visually nice.
Now where are my Andy Lau nude playing cards? [/something only sonormalithurts will get]
Eklavya: The Royal Guard
Screencap slightly misleading - this movie does not focus on the teary workings of the slightly problem-ridden Vidya-Saif romance but it's my favourite scene in the movie so it'll do. This is a puzzle of a movie. I liked it - but the main, huge problem is that I don't like it as much as I was hoping to. It seemed like a wonderfully well-written movie with layers but the running time was short and thus every plot point seemed rushed. I wanted more scenes to sink my teeth into the characters - and this is not a fangirly notion regarding Saif's character - and get more attached to them, care more about what's happening and feel something when something bad happens to them.
Instead I seemed to just be sitting there, admiring the visuals and enjoying some of the performances a lot (when is Boman Irani NOT awesome? And Raima Sen can act - at least in these small roles - and Saif's so good but who doesn't know must've slept through Omkara). The ending reconfirmed my lack of interest. I'm getting the DVD, for a rewatch to see if I can enjoy the story better when my expectations aren't so high, and for the excellent, excellent visuals, naturally (now that was a fangirly notion).
Windstruck
Very simple logic here. Director of My Sassy Girl, lead actress also from MSG, lead actor from Please Teach Me English (another kmovie favourite!) and a bonus guest appearance by Chae Tae-hoon (lead actor in My Sassy Girl). I knew I couldn't expect something AS good as MSG but I was hoping for something better than the average kmovie. It starts off with some VERY MSG-esque comedy, but I'm easy to please so it worked. More cutesy romance/comedy - again, very reminiscent to the director's previous film - and then halfway through, somewhere before or after the - again, very MSG-esque - imaginery proportion comes a twist. Or rather, something that makes the viewer guess the twist immediately. Then you just sit there and wait for the twist. And grow bored. And annoyed.
It became more enjoyable for me when I began to think of it in relatance to My Sassy Girl's story and the ending reconfirms my thoughts on this. To say what the relationship between the two movies is a SPOILER to both but if you absolutely must know, highlight the following: Windstruck could, with some changes, well work as a prequel to My Sassy Girl - even down to Chae Tae-hoon's guest appearance. AND we find out The Girl's name. Well, sort of. :D
Chae Tae-hoon's cameo was LOVE, by the way. I want to like him in something that isn't MSG but everything else he's done seems to be crap. I watched the first episode of Prince's First Love and omg, can I just say? Worst kdrama I've seen. It was just so much stupid and his character was gross and GAH.
Oh look, Korean cinema tag created. Fucking finally.
Infernal Affairs
Hmm. What to say. It was excellent. I really liked it. I had a feeling I would, which made it possible for me to spend a certain gift certificate I got for Christmas on this DVD. To the two people who don't know what this film's about, it's a great Hong Kong film about an undercover cop in the mob and an undercover mobster in the police and their cat-and-mouse chase to find out who the other one is. It's very suspenseful and awesome and Tony Leung is hot recommendable. It's also visually nice.
Now where are my Andy Lau nude playing cards? [/something only sonormalithurts will get]
Eklavya: The Royal Guard
Screencap slightly misleading - this movie does not focus on the teary workings of the slightly problem-ridden Vidya-Saif romance but it's my favourite scene in the movie so it'll do. This is a puzzle of a movie. I liked it - but the main, huge problem is that I don't like it as much as I was hoping to. It seemed like a wonderfully well-written movie with layers but the running time was short and thus every plot point seemed rushed. I wanted more scenes to sink my teeth into the characters - and this is not a fangirly notion regarding Saif's character - and get more attached to them, care more about what's happening and feel something when something bad happens to them.
Instead I seemed to just be sitting there, admiring the visuals and enjoying some of the performances a lot (when is Boman Irani NOT awesome? And Raima Sen can act - at least in these small roles - and Saif's so good but who doesn't know must've slept through Omkara). The ending reconfirmed my lack of interest. I'm getting the DVD, for a rewatch to see if I can enjoy the story better when my expectations aren't so high, and for the excellent, excellent visuals, naturally (now that was a fangirly notion).
Windstruck
Very simple logic here. Director of My Sassy Girl, lead actress also from MSG, lead actor from Please Teach Me English (another kmovie favourite!) and a bonus guest appearance by Chae Tae-hoon (lead actor in My Sassy Girl). I knew I couldn't expect something AS good as MSG but I was hoping for something better than the average kmovie. It starts off with some VERY MSG-esque comedy, but I'm easy to please so it worked. More cutesy romance/comedy - again, very reminiscent to the director's previous film - and then halfway through, somewhere before or after the - again, very MSG-esque - imaginery proportion comes a twist. Or rather, something that makes the viewer guess the twist immediately. Then you just sit there and wait for the twist. And grow bored. And annoyed.
It became more enjoyable for me when I began to think of it in relatance to My Sassy Girl's story and the ending reconfirms my thoughts on this. To say what the relationship between the two movies is a SPOILER to both but if you absolutely must know, highlight the following: Windstruck could, with some changes, well work as a prequel to My Sassy Girl - even down to Chae Tae-hoon's guest appearance. AND we find out The Girl's name. Well, sort of. :D
Chae Tae-hoon's cameo was LOVE, by the way. I want to like him in something that isn't MSG but everything else he's done seems to be crap. I watched the first episode of Prince's First Love and omg, can I just say? Worst kdrama I've seen. It was just so much stupid and his character was gross and GAH.
Oh look, Korean cinema tag created. Fucking finally.