Monday Movie Review

Hwang Jin Yi

Synopsis:

When Lady Jin Yi learns the secret to her birth, she willingly takes off her royal garb and chooses the path of a commoner.

My thoughts:

Great movie, beautifully filmed with an interesting story. Hwang Jin Yi, to me looks and feels like a tragic tale of lost love, similar to 'Titanic' and 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. My only complaint is that the length of the movie was too long and the story line seemed to drag on at one point afters succumbing to her fate as a commoner/gisaeng.

I found this fact to be quite interesting though I can't be certain, if you've seen the TV series you'd know that part of Hwang Jin Yi's story and timeline are quite different from the movie. And since this seems to be based on a true story, its hard to pin-point actual facts for those of us who're not familiar with Hwang Jin Yi's legend.

However, how her story is told through the eyes of the storyteller, its still an interesting and fascinating tale that's worth watching.

The Tower

Synopsis:

A luxury high-rise building in Seoul is hosting a fabulous Christmas party for its wealthy tenants and guests. But the soiree turns into a nightmare when two helicopters collide over the tower, starting a deadly fire.

My thoughts:

The slow-motion sequences are awe inspiring as explosions and shattered glass combined in a way only described as both spectacular and terrifying. The elevator sequences in the movie have become somewhat predictable, but the one in the "The Tower" is not only claustrophobic but extremely intense as well. 

"The Tower" manages to portray this unthinkable disaster full of destruction and mayhem that gives the viewer a sense of horror taking place without being overly graphic, even though there were plenty of people writhing in agony and fighting off against certain death while others who were engulfed in flames and hurdling out of windows before plummeting to the unforgiving asphalt below. Yet it never seemed gruesome, it has just the right amount of action and suspense to keep the viewer interested. The acting...eh. Oddly enough there was little bit of comedy that I wasn't expecting to see here. The plot itself was interesting but not bad either. Even with all its shortcomings, "The Tower" leaves you an abruptive impression. 



Masquerade


Synopsis:
In this stylish and operatic costume drama, Lee Byung Hun stars as a temperamental and aristocratic king and as an actor conscripted into replacing the ruler when he is seized by nightmares of assassination attempts and coups detat.



My thoughts:
This is an unbelievable tale of how an impostor turns out to be the true king of Korea. This movie is very moving and has a lot of heart in it as well as heart-racing action and nail-biting plot twists, beautiful sets and costumes that enhance the sensitive performances. 




Overall, this movie will have you laughing and crying and wanting to watch it all over again.



Killer Girl K

Synopsis:

A young woman inadvertently gets involved in an illegal arms trade that leads to the tragic murder of her mother. Blinded by rage, she joins S-1, a crime organization, and gets trained to become a professional killer.

My thoughts:
This TV/movie series was short and sweet. The action during the fight scenes was incredible and very well done. The story is simple and not too complicated. "Killer Girl K", is very entertaining, and quite funny for most part of it and the acting was superb. However, the ending could have been better. 

According to the TV/MA rating on this and the fact there is nudity and sex scenes, it really should be an R-rated. Other than that, "Killer Girl K", is a gritty, action/drama with interesting characters and story plot.