The Railroad / Gyeongui-seon (South-Korea, 2007)

The railroad is a film where i experienced mixed and different feelings after watching it. Two stories are being followed, one about a young university worker (a woman) and one about a metro driver. The part about the university employee couldn’t really convince me, the story was not really innovating (everybody knows probably several kind of stories about students falling in love with married men) and it felt like there could have been much more with it. The other part though, about the metro driver, was really interesting and convincing. This deals about a young man who experiences a horrible accident in front of his eyes. Part of the story focuses on his mental stability after this accident. A rather emotional 20 last minutes of this film lifts it above average. You really can feel the emotion of the guy who never will be able to erase those horrible seconds out of his head. The acting of both main characters is very good, they act pure and it never looks like they practised too hard to play the scenes.

The film is not spectacular, very silent and sober. This approach works pretty good to the story, together with the beautiful cinematography. This is such a movie with has its good and bad moment.

Lost Indulgence / Mi Guo (China, 2008)

Lost Indulgence is a remarkable story about loss and love near the Yangtze river. Due to a bizarre incident, a young woman with a broken leg goes to live with a mother and her son. The story is focussed on the contacts between these persons.

This is a film what could be describes as ‘poetic realism’. And I think this term is a right one because indeed the film sometimes feels like a long poem. The story and film is also rather realistic. No huge action scenes or mayor plot twists. Still, the director manages to pull us close to the live of the characters. I think the director did a great job in achieving this. There is not too much music in the movie, and when there is, it is a kind of minimalistic one (except the pop song ofcourse). The camera work is often great, especially when the boy runs with his diving glasses on and the scene is shot in this perspective.

Though not too many things happen in this movie, the film never gets boring. This is also part of the fact that the film breathes a kind of mystery. A very interesting production!

A time to love / Qing Ren Jie (China, 2005)

A boy (Hou Jia) and a girl (Qu Ran) who love each other, but the love isn’t meant to be because their parents won’t agree with it. This story doesn’t sound very innovating and reminds us of the number one of love stories: Romeo & Juliet. In this film, there is also often referred to this classic Shakespeare story which works well, because Romeo and Juliet always keeps interesting.

When Hou Jia and Qu Ran are going to the cinema to see a film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet I was very relieved the director chose the film of 1968 (by director Franco Zeffirelli, in my eyes the best adaptation of this story. It really brought back memories, for the first time I saw it in my first year in high school and though most students thought it was boring I fell in love with this Romeo and Juliet film at first time.

A time to love is maybe not too innovating but it is really good. This film is all about love and its difficulties. How long will you wait for the one you love? A question that refers to your own heart, to the one you love mostly, and than you will know the answer. It is not really a long wait, cause the moment you see eachother again you won't remember the period you were apart from each other.

Sometimes the scenes really take your breath away, so beautiful they are. When Qu Ran undresses herself slowly, a tear in her eyes show the love and pain she feels. These little things make this movie a really wonderful experience. The acting is great, especially by Zhao Wei. Her appearance is of course beautiful, but also very pure.

A simple, but well directed story of love.

Joint Security Area / Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA (South-Korea, 2000)

Joint Security Area (JSA) is a really impressive film about the aftermath of (how we would call it) the ‘forgotten war’ (Korean war).
This a film about friendship, that when you expect it the least there are possibilities to make new friends, even in the madness of the thing called war. Two countries who are just being divided by a drawn line, standing towards each other and hating each other while they are both Korean.

To me, this was a really interesting film about the tension between North- and South-Korea, a tension that still is far from gone. It is interesting that the director, Park Chan-wook, doesn’t talk about good or wrong. He just wants to focus on the story of soldiers of both sides and how they became friends. Maybe to some people the pace of this film is to slow but all the time the director seems to create something like suspense which keeps it all the time very interesting.
The acting in it is often great, especially Kang-ho Song is brilliant as the North-Korean soldier.

A dramatic, but magnificent anti-war film.

Let the right one in / Lat den Rätte Komma In (Sweden, 2008)

Sometimes you just don’t expect too much of a movie, and when you see it you are just being blown away by its beauty. It happened to me when I was watching the Swedish film ‘Let the right one in’.

What kind of film are we dealing with? Well, this is a rather difficult question cause in a way it almost looks like a typical Swedish child movie (In the Netherlands we would say it is a typical Sunday morning/afternoon film, because here there often Scandinavian child movies shown during this time). But no, it is not. Some scenes in it are just too much, some scenes maybe even are rated for 16 years and older. But it isn’t a casual horror movie as well. I think it comes close to a romantic drama film a horror twist. In the end, this film is the story of a boy (Oskar), who is being bullied at school, who makes a new friend, a very intriguing girl (Eli). Rather fast he feels more for her as friendship but Eli isn’t just a normal girl. ‘If I would not be a girl, would you still like me?’ Eli asks.

What makes this film so powerful is another aspect. It is the atmosphere in this film! The fantastic cinematography, the music the acting, it all adds up to a magical atmosphere that is being created. The brilliant shots of the Swedish snow give it a desolate and mysterious feeling. The acting of the two young actors is amazing, especially the acting of Lina Leandersson. She always has this mystery around her, she is always a bit scary but at the same time she is most intriguing and that is what probably attracts Oskar so much in her.

This is a vampire film, but not just an ordinary one. It is also a film about growing up, about being bullied and about experiencing your first love.

Ip Man (Hongkong, 2008)

Ip Man is a rather well constructed martial-arts film. Maybe the acting sometimes is a bit below good, but the fighting scenes are really well done. Though I often love the big choreographic, almost like ballet fighting scenes of Zhang Yimou films a bit more, the fighting in Ip-Man is more 'casual' marial-arts fighting and works perfectly for this film.

The story is about fighting for yourself and your country, which reminded me a bit of Jet Li’s fearless. Maybe it is not as good as Fearless, but it gets close. What I will remember is one brilliant scene, a battle scene where Ip Man’s kid suddenly enters the room on his little bike with a great announcement ('if you don't attack, he will break everything in the house') during a fight. A very nice touch of showing how to put some humour in this film.

In its genre it is one of the best.

Ride away / Dal-lyeo-la ja-jeon-geo (South Korea, 2008)

‘Ride away’ is a story of the development of emotions of some characters. It’s a really sober story which totally focuses on emotion.
Why was my past this way, why can’t that guy really fall for me for 100%. These questions can never be answered clearly cause people have to live with their past and everyone deals with her or his past in a different way.

Maybe this story is not really a totally original one and not too many things happen in this film, but to me it worked. I think it is a rather good balanced romance drama which give this movie its own charm.

Most of all it is a story about hope and belief, whenever you will keep believing…. One day your wish will surely come true.

Daddy long legs / Kidari ajeossi (South Korea, 2005)

Again a story about love! It is a typical Korean movie wit hits romance and drama. It has a nice story, with a plot twist which could be expected a bit.
The emotion of this film is a good one, it is about looking for your true love. And sometimes you suddenly realize all the time it was so clear. But for some reason, now you suddenly see. The one you love, the one you looking for…in fact all the time you knew and at the same time you didn’t have any clue about it.

Just look around you and maybe you will find that person you were looking for so long very near to you. As long as my memories of you will never fade, I will be happy. Even though I don’t know anything anymore, there is one thing I want to remember. That one thing, it is you.

Maybe you just realize you remembered again.

Heavenly Forest / Tada, kimi wo aishiteru (Japan, 2006)

While watching this movie, I continuously had the idea that there could have been made something more out of. It is a nice romantic story, which has its dramatic twist but it felt like something was missing.

The cinematography in this film is absolutely wonderful, the scenes in the forest are almost of an unknown beauty, a little glimpse into paradise it is. The true best past of the film is Aoi Miyazaki. I don’t have a clue how she does it but she always makes the film a success. She shines on film, gives the story just the spark that it needs (and don’t forget that she has such a great beauty, it is almost unimaginable) just by being there. She acts in such purity; even the childishness of her character wasn’t irritating because she just gave the right twist to it.
The end is decent, with a typical Asian (read: especially for Korean films) twist in the story.

A nice and moving film, but maybe it could have been a little better.

Midnight Sun / Taiyô no uta / A song to the sun (Japan, 2006)

This film was a true surprise to me. I never heard of it before and did not expect too much of it, but I was totally wrong. Midnight Sun is a very good movie in the romance/drama genre.
It is about a girl who has a rare illness (XD) and is allergic to sunlight. In the morning she always looks through the window and sees the same guy at the bus stop again and again. A romance evolves, a first love.

Even though sometimes very sad and moving, in fact this is a film that will make you feel good. It makes you smile to be able to watch these kind of films. The acting is really pure (especially by Yui, who looks just stunning and her voice is amazing), the music and songs really wonderful and emotional as well. This is a story that will probably find a way to your heart. Maybe it starts a bit slowly and some people might think it is boring because not too much happens, when you love romantic films you just can’t miss this one.

Recommended to all romantics in this world.

Wolfhound from he tribe of grey dogs / Volkodav iz roda Serykh Psov (Russia, 2007)

Wolfhound is a big Russian fantasy production. A man who was doomed to die is taking revenge on the ones responsible for the annihilation of his tribe.
This is a film full of magic and swordfights. The plot is maybe a bit shallow, but the scenery is very atmospheric. This atmosphere makes the film really enjoyable, where the fighting scenes and story is not really innovating and more or less of an average quality. Oksana Akinshina also has the mysterious beauty you wanna see in a princess, which makes the casting for her perfect. It is also very interesting that it is a Russian fantasy, because it is about their legends and gods. The story has some elements of Slavic archaeology and the main character looks like a Scythian as well. It is refreshing to see a fantasy film with a different kind of culture.
In some ways it is rather enjoyable and in some ways it is a bit silly. It feels a bit like the Russians are still trying to find their way in the production of these epic fantasy films.

Though it has its flaws, it is a great enjoyable adventure movie which does not bore for a moment. That is really amazing with a runtime of 140 minutes.

The Warlords / Tau Ming Chong (China, 2007)

The Warlords is an excellent action flick. The story, where three man become blood brothers, is about honour, revenge, betrayal and love. With an outstanding cast (Jet Li, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau) and a immense budget it is not unimaginable that it would be a very spectacular movie. Spectacular it is, with huge fighting scenes! But maybe these scenes aren’t the best of this movie, it’s beauty lies it its amazing cinematography, in the scenes between Pang and Lian (excellent played by Jinglei Xu). These scenes are really outstanding. The wonderful music adds up to it as well!

Sometimes this film became a bit too dramatic, and it seems that Jet Li doesn’t always feel comfortable in such scenes so that could have done in a different way. But in all, a huge spectacular war movie with also shows the horrors of war. It is also interesting to see how difficult it is to keep loyal to your given word. To make judgements which will leave 4000 soldiers to their death. How can one be right In such a situation? Human emotions of times in war can lead to the fall of everything.

Strong Chinese film about the effects of war on humanity.

Tazza: the high rollers (The war of the flower) / Tajja (South Korea, 2006)

This is a film, based on a comic by Yeong-min Ha, about the underground gambling industry in Korea. A pretty good crime thriller which focuses on a guy who has lost his sisters’ money in gambling. To win the money back he has to learn some deceiving tricks. He gets better and better in it, but that also means he is living in a dangerous world. Mighty and dangerous opponents are in his way. Maybe it starts a bit slowly but keeps getting interesting for not less than 140 minutes. It is also a story about love, but that isn’t the most interesting part of this film. At least it should be said, there is much violence in this movie, so you better be prepared for it (though it is no gore)!
This is pure entertainment, when you are going to watch this movie to see good entertainment and a thriller about gambling it won't disappoint you.

Th Scarlet Letter / Juhong geulshi (South Korea, 2004) and the tragic story of Eun-ju Lee

This time I will not talk too much about the movie itself but more about the story behind it. A tragic story that makes you watch this film in a complete different way.

To begin with, ‘The scarlet letter’ deals about romance, betrayel, a different kind of love and regret. 75% Of this movie is decent, just about average, but the last 15/20 minutes are weird (in the trunk of a car) and very intense. It will leave you with an uncomfortable feeling. But again, knowing the story behind this film makes it really uncomfortable.

The star of this movie, in my eyes, is Eun-ju Lee. She acts with all her ability and she impressed very much! It is all before I heard she killed herself.
Because of this movie contained semi-nude scenes (don’t forget that most Korean people still have problems with this) the story goes that she almost starved herself to look good in those scenes. Maybe because of this she started to have problems within her own family. Some days after the release of ‘the Scarlet Letter’ 25 year old Eun-ju Lee was found by her brother, she hanged herself in her own closet. Why, me and many other, asked ourselves. She was a very talented actress. But everyone struggles with its own problems. Maybe she couldn’t bear to cause problems in her family, maybe it is something completely else.
Marks on her body indicated that she tried to slit her wrists as well, writing a farewell note in her own blood ‘Mother, I’m sorry, I love you’. A different farewell note showed: "I wanted to do too much. Even though I live, I'm not really alive. I don't want anyone to be disappointed. It's nice having money... I wanted to make money."

When I heard all this, I knew I would never forget this film and also that I never want to see it again. People even considered she took her own life because of the intensity of this movie. She is a great actress so I think that would not be the matter but no film deserves it to end in such horror in real life. Her own family said she would have suffered insomnia and depression because of the semi-nude scenes in this film.

The film was decent with a intense ending, the story behind it made it an awful, horrifying and heartbreaking experience. Eun-ju Lee, forever you will be remembered by those who knew the quality of your acting. Whatever caused your suicide, who are we to blame you? Such a cruel fate must mean she was also very strong, that it was enough.

To never see her smile again must be most hard for her child who has to live without its mom. Eun-ju Lee: Smile down to us sometimes.

A Millionaire's first love / Baekmanjangja-ui cheot-sarang (South Korea, 2006)

A millionaire’s first love is one of those typical Korean romantic drama’s.
Despite of the not too intelligent title, in my eyes this is a pretty good film.
The story deals about a spoiled young man who will inherit the millions of his dad, but there is one problem. To get his inheritance he needs to graduate in a small village and to experience something that is more worth than any money in the world.

In this small village he meets a girl and slowly and they starts to like each other. It wouldn’t be a Korean drama if not anything sad would happen, and yes, this girl seems to be very ill. So far nothing new under the horizon but what it wants to accomplish, it accomplishes it! A really moving tale of finding love when you don’t expect it and of the cruel fate which is always so very very close to each one of us.

The part of this film where the two fall in love is shamefully less convincing. This part is way too short, maybe the director wanted to be aware of the runtime but really this part should have been longer. Than it wouldn't have lost anything of its fairytale-like charm. The acting of both Yeon-hee Lee and Bin Hyeon is really good, the act pure and their emotions can be felt sometimes. The clothing is fine as well, especially Yeoh-hee Lee looks pretty natural and good in the clothing!

When you are interested in these kind of Korean drama’s it is a must-see!!