The Host Movie Review

Title: The Host

AKA: Monster

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

Origin: Korea

Release Date: July 27, 2006

Cast: Song Kang Ho, Byun Hee Bong, Park Hae Il, Bae Doo Na and Go Ah Sung.

Park Gang Doo (Song Kang Ho), a mentally slow man and father of Park Hyun Soo (Go Ah Sung), runs a street vendor with his father Park Hee Bong (Byun Hee Bong), right next to Han River. On the day of his sisters Park Nam Joo’s (Bae Doo Na) archery competition, tourists sight a weird creature near the river. The creature, swimming closer to land, gathers the attention of most people, and soon enough also Gang Doo. While everyone is intrigued, the creature jumps out of the water, and starts grabbing and killing people. In the confusion Hyun Soo runs out, and becomes pulled underwater by the monster.

The victims and survivors of the incident are evacuated, and the Park family, Gang Doo, Hee Bong, Nam Joo and the big brother Park Nam Il (Park Hae Il), gather to mourn Hyun Soo.

While the situation becomes noticed by media, and the government start covering it up, Gang Doo gets a call from Hyun Soo, giving him hope of her having survived, and the family decides to go and find Hyun Soo. The family manages to escape the military holding, but due to the cover-up, the entire family becomes wanted, and now must hide while trying to rescue Hyun Soo…

The summary might seem detailed, but I managed to only cover bit of the beginning.

If you are a variety or drama watcher, you will at some point get to hear about this movie, as it is referenced and mentioned a lot. So, I kind of needed to see what the hype was about.

When I began it, I expected it to be a horror movie, but was pleasantly surprised of the fact that it is a monster movie (like Godzilla or like that). It’s been ages since I’ve watched one, and I really didn’t feel like another ‘The Wailing’. Of course, it has horror elements, where you get freaked out, but it’s more of a rescue mission or/and “clear image of the enemy”-kind of movie. I like the cast, and I like that the movie didn’t succumb the “American/Hollywood”-hype, though I disliked the beginning - where an American is to blame for the creation of the monster (don’t worry the first 10min of the movie shows this, so not really a spoiler).

I don’t want to comment that much, as this is a movie classic, where my opinion can change your judgement. So, I’m leaving it with this: a good movie with deserved reputation, though a few dislikable situations and I have to admit, weird backstory - I felt like the director sometimes took a bit of the intelligence of the audience for granted.

But all in all, enjoyable.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ ½ / 3½ out 5 hearts

Madame Antoine Review

Title: Madame Antoine
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Period: Jan-2016 to Mar-2016
Cast: Han Ye Seul, Sung Joon, Jung Jin Woon, Lee Joo Hyung, Hwang Seung Eun, Jang Mi Hee, Byun Hee Bong, Moon Ji In

Go Hye Rim (Han Ye Seul) is a fortuneteller known as “Madame Antoine” due to her supposed spiritually connection to Marie Antoinette. She uses her intelligence and keen sense to read her clientele. When Choi Soo Hyun (Sung Joon), an expert psychologist, opens his clinic upstairs, they clash instantly. Partially out of petty revenge, he chooses to enlist her in his psychological experiment to prove that love does not exist. As part of the experiment, he and two other men will woo Hye Rim. However, what will happen as he begins to fall in love for real? And will she ever be able to believe in him again when the truth of this experiment is revealed?

I can’t believe I finished this one. This drama is SO weird. It started off as a really strange and peculiar drama, fortunately it picked up later. Can’t hide I was SO close to just drop it. Firstly, it’s because of the bizarre ‘experiment’ we get introduced to. Fool a woman into falling in love just to test how much she would sacrifice for that person. All that to prove that love doesn’t exist, and that it’s just some drug infused by the brain. What the heck? That made the whole thing so predictable! HOWEVER, it doesn’t go as you expect, maybe that’s why I finished it. It was hard to continue in the beginning when I kept feeling the need to punch Sung Joon in his handsome, smirking face. After all, he doesn't deserve that pain for being an excellent actor. And trust me, any guy who gets me from 0 to "gosh, you are a JERK" within the first five minutes of a drama is an excellent actor, bizarre storyline and complete spectacular of psychological ethics aside.  In the description, they had put ‘psychology’, so I did expect a lot more of that in the drama. I loved the small cases they had in between, but I just wasn’t satisfied with it. Overall, a weird drama with a smooth save in the middle.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Flower Grandpa Investigative Team Review

Title: Flower Granpa Investigative Team
AKA: Flower Granpa Lab, Flower Granpa Investigative Unit
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Crime
Episodes: 12
Broadcast Period: 2014-May to 2014-Jul
Cast: Lee Soon Jae, Shin Dong Woo, Byun Hee Bong, Choi Jin Hyuk, Park Min Woo, Jang Kwang, Kim Hee Chul

The lives of four detectives in their twenties are changed forever when an experiment gone awry, three of them rapidly age overnight and find themselves in the bodies of old men in their 80's. Only one of them stayed young, Park Jung Woo (Kim Hee Chul). As his suddenly much older colleagues struggle to deal with their new and unusual mess, Jung-woo shares in their hardships, joining them in their mission to find a way to reclaim their lost youth. Meanwhile, the team also continues to solve crimes, while the "grandpas" work at a delivery service as their cover.

This is a very quirky drama, it was perfect for the summer,(yup, it took me the whole summer to watch), it was a fun drama that doesn’t put really much stress on it, but it still has enough drama to keep you interested. My first impression of the plot was… unexpected. When dramaland introduced Granpas I assumed that Choi Jin-Hyuk and the gang, would gradually mature into Lee Soon Jae and his halbae pals (Granpa). Not a dive in the tank, and BAM, 80-year olds detectives. Although premature aging as a concept is kinda freakishly scary, the show’s choice of halbaes who replace their younger counterparts is hilarious. To end this on a nice note, it was an okay drama, I don’t regret watching it.

☆☆☆/ 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict
Okay, I liked it a bit more than I was expecting I would, especially the ending. As I was watching I laughed a lot, had some interesting stories to watch (CSI fan here), and I found the four actors (the grandpas and Heechul) to have a great team chemistry, which made it more enjoyable. Though I was a bit sad that they ‘youthful’ became old like 30min in the first episode, I kind of liked the old versions, and I kinds of felt that they did a great job acting as the young minded versions of their characters.
Another thing that annoyed me was that the main lead’s story was just too much of a focus, and yes I get that it is a focus, but it was really boring especially when we have this love story hanging about.. And it is a threesome. Like the female is in love with the lead, and the supporting is in love with her… And yeah the lead falls eventually for her, but it kind of is a silly way. I don’t know. I don’t mind old people, particularly when they are so great at their jobs, but the drama had much less of a seriousness, which it should have had.
Anyways, a funny drama with great actors, but somehow I wasn’t that satisfied…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Lifting King King Movie Review

Title: Lifting King Kong

AKA: Lift King Kong

Genre: Sports, Drama

Origin: Korea

Release date: July 2, 2009

Cast: Lee Beom Soo, Jo An, Byun Hee Bong a.m.o.

Lee Ji Bong (Lee Beom Soo) a former 1988 Summer Olympics heavy lifting bronze medalist was forced into a an early retirement when he was injured and broke his arm. The injury would have healed, but while being examined it was found out that he had a chronic heart condition which would incapable him to continue his career. While working odd jobs he is visited by former coach who insists on him becoming a coach at a high school weight-lifting team for girls. He reluctantly agrees and is surprised to see that the team hasn’t even been made yet, and to make matters worse the group that forms is a group of outcasts. Here he also meets Park Young Ja (Jo An) a poor girl with lots of ambition but no one to turn to. At first he doesn’t seem to care, but as time passes he starts to open up to the girls, and makes up his mind to make the girls winners..

While watching this I was somewhat happy about the storyline, and it made me kind of giddy because of the humor. But it somehow became a bit too typical and the cinematic made me know what was going to happen in the next few minutes. I know that is why they are there, but I was a bit bored by it dragging itself in the usual Korean drama stories. And every scene seemed to end abruptly; it kind of freaked me out. BUT I have to admit I was crying like a baby at the end. For some reason the acting just made me believe it completely and I was SOLD. The cast was chosen wisely and the actors where really good at their acting, so it does make it worth a while.

I would recommend it to people in general, just because it is a heartwarming story.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of  5 hearts