Now THIS looks cool. The trailer and posters are out for the historical spy movie Coffee, which are totally different from what I was expecting, but in the best way — it’s historical action with a twist. And the character posters have a comic book feel that is totally different from what I thought this movie would be, but I’m digging the stylized look.

The preview is below, and what starts out as simple coffee-break happytime for Emperor Gojong soon takes an intrigue-filled turn when spies start running wild and people start dying. The background is late Joseon Dynasty, but the ambiance is total modernized thriller, with a stylish fusion bent.

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Read the rest of Coffee’s action-packed trailer and comic-inspired posters (219 words)

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Post tags: Joo Jin-mo, Kim So-yeon, Park Hee-soon, Yoo Sun

Though the new year’s holiday box office was dominated by feel-good comedy Dancing Queen, the based-on-a-true-story courtroom thriller Broken Arrow (also called Unbowed) isn’t far behind. The film is gaining a lot of traction based on critical buzz, for the gripping portrayal of a real case that was steeped in controversy. Veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki stars as the defendant in director Jung Ji-young‘s new take on the 2007 Crossbow Terror Incident.

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Read the rest of Ahn Sung-ki’s courtroom thriller Broken Arrow (313 words)

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Post tags: Ahn Sung-ki, Na Young-hee

Next up is a movie from a few years ago that always gives me the warm fuzzies: Sweet Lie, a romantic comedy that released in the winter of 2008, which also goes by the title Lost and Found (Sweet Lie being the literal translation of the Korean title, 달콤한 거짓말).

The film wasn’t a box office success, and I can understand why — it’s a little too familiar and comfy an entry into the crowded rom-com field to be a standout performer. But it has an easy-going charm that makes it a fun selection to come back to every once in a while, and it never fails to put a smile on my face. Its appeal is in large part due to the utterly winning Park Jin-hee, who is the best thing about the film, though I did also enjoy the down-to-earth slacker turn by leading man Jo Han-seon.

Director Jung Jung-hwa went on to direct last year’s cable sensation Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, which can account for the reappearance of second lead (in both projects) Lee Ki-woo. Director Jung also co-wrote the screenplay and you can see his mark in Ramyun Shop (produced with PD Pyo Min-soo), which similarly explores the romantic-ideal-versus-reality dichotomy and utilizes the same style of undercutting earnest moments with comedy, although Sweet Lie is nowhere near as manhwa-esque as Ramyun Shop. I consider that a good thing, for both projects.

SONG OF THE DAY

Brown Eyed Girls – “좋은날” (Good Day) from the Sweet Lie OST. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Movie Review: Sweet Lie (Lost and Found) (2,728 words)

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Post tags: featured, Jo Han-seon, Lee Ki-woo, Park Jin-hee

Ask, and ye shall receive. Actually, movie reviews are a feature girlfriday and I have wanted to contribute to for ages, but haven’t been able to get around to with the craziness of drama-recapping. I’m always excited to write about movies before they release, but strangely, once they do it’s like they drop off my radar. It’s not because I don’t like movies, but because access and exposure to Korean movies is so much more limited than with dramas. You wouldn’t think that would be the case given the proliferation of Hallyu and dramamania throughout the world, but it’s just a different beast.

In any case, I’m happy to be diving into my first outright movie review, which is for Penny-Pinching Romance, a romantic comedy that released last fall. (Called 티끌모아 로맨스 in Korean, I’ve also seen the title Love N Cash.) It’s a movie I was immediately interested in when it was announced, which I finally got around to seeing recently.

SONG OF THE DAY

Penny-Pinching Romance OST – “웃어요” (Laugh) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Movie Review: Penny-Pinching Romance (3,351 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 95 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Han Ye-seul, Song Joong-ki

Here’s a look at the first big movie hit of the new year, the feel-good comedy Dancing Queen, starring Hwang Jung-min as a Seoul mayoral candidate and Uhm Jung-hwa as his wife who still hasn’t given up her dream to become a singer, well into her ajumma years. How cute. I love that they turned pop diva Uhm Jung-hwa into a homely-looking ajumma who dreams of being… well, Uhm Jung-hwa, the real-life version.

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Read the rest of Uhm Jung-hwa hits it big with Dancing Queen (285 words)

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Post tags: Hwang Jung-min, Uhm Jung-hwa

Death by coffee. That seems to be the main idea behind spy-intrigue-historical-thriller film Coffee (phonetically Kabi, per the old word for the drink). Well, I’m sure there are worse ways to go. Said the coffee nut who named herself after the addiction.

Above is the film’s newly released poster, which I find intriguing. It sets up the central premise of the story, which is an assassination attempt made on Emperor Gojong via his personal barista. Park Hee-soon reclines in his seat, playing the emperor, while served by the woman at the center of the conspiracy, Kim So-yeon. Watching is a mysterious man, Joo Ji-mo.

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Read the rest of Kim So-yeon turns into barista-spy for historical thriller Coffee (192 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 47 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Joo Jin-mo, Kim So-yeon, Park Hee-soon

Joo Ji-hoon‘s first project out of army duty was supposed to be the musical Dr. Zhivago, but he backed out due to health reasons. (Rehearsal strained his vocal cords; he was replaced by Jo Seung-woo.) After a bit of rest, he’s announced that he’s on a sageuk film instead, called I Am the King.

(Seriously, movie-title-deciders? We have Lee Byung-heon’s I Am the Joseon King, Ha Ji-won’s The King, and now this?)

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Read the rest of Joo Ji-hoon makes his comeback in sageuk film (312 words)

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Post tags: Joo Ji-hoon

Here’s a look at the quirky new gallows-humor romantic comedy Neverending Story, starring Uhm Tae-woong and Jung Ryeo-won as two people who meet on the day they each get diagnosed with a terminal illness. How’s that for a meet-cute? With six months left to live, they decide, eh why not, and start to date… as they prepare to die. Their dates consist of shopping for coffins and burial clothes, and other hilariously dark non-datey activities, but their romance is every bit the traditional bickering cuteness.

Uhm Tae-woong plays a happy-go-lucky unemployed loser who can’t live without the lotto, and Jung Ryeo-won an uptight, exacting bank employee who can’t live without her diary. What cracks me up is that in the trailer, Uhm Tae-woong seems the closest to his real persona that I’ve ever seen (not counting 1 Night 2 Days, of course). And in fact, it seems so out of his normal wheelhouse that it seems like a part borne out of his 1N2D persona. His character is kind of a doofus, and really inexperienced at love, to the point that Jung Ryeo-won has to coach him on how to seduce her. Him: “Do you… not have to go h-home?” Her: “You have to MAKE me not want to go home! Cry and beg, or jump into the ocean or something!” Ha.

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Read the rest of Uhm Tae-woong and Jung Ryeo-won’s Neverending Story (184 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 88 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Jung Ryeo-won, Uhm Tae-woong

javabeans: Ooh, I hope this ends up being true: Kim Kang-woo and Kim Bum are reportedly in talks to star in a “fantasy thriller” movie called Miracle.

girlfriday: Is Kim Bum gonna make a career out of being other guys’ angel fairy godmothers?

javabeans: I think it’s Lee Min-ho’s turn now, actually, what with his best buddies playing angels and Reapers. But he needs to be earthbound, so as to not upset the bromancerly balance.

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Read the rest of Kim Kang-woo and Kim Bum up for fantasy thriller (335 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 39 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: conversation post, Kim Bum, Kim Kang-woo

Get your hankies out, folks: Go Soo and Han Hyo-joo are about to wring some tears and break your hearts in a new romantic melo film, titled Bandage.

Go Soo plays a firefighter who’s lost his wife and closed his heart to love… until he meets Han Hyo-joo, a doctor, and the two help each other heal their respective pains.

It’s a simple story, but these are two actors who are pretty much made for heart-tugging, romantic melodramas. He’s got the expressive eyes (think Will It Snow For Christmas), she’s got the gentle wounded spirit (Only You). Basically, you’re gonna cry and you’re gonna like it.

The movie comes from director Jung Ki-hoon, who drew praise with his last film, the heartwarming Aeja. Bandage plans to begin filming this year after Han wraps the other movie she recently joined, I Am the Joseon King.

Via Chosun

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 84 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Go Soo, Han Hyo-joo