reel: PETTY ROMANCE 쩨쩨한 로맨스

title: PETTY ROMANCE

hangul: 쩨쩨한 로맨스

romanized: Jjejjehan romaenseu 

director: Kim Jung-hoon

release date: December 2, 2010

Box Office gross: US$14,244,325

language: Korean

genre: Sexy Romantic Comedy

trailer ~ 

CAST: 
LEE SUN-KYUN as Jeong Bae - a struggling cartoonist

CHOI KANG-HEE as Han Da-Rim - an inexperienced sex columnist

SYNOPSIS:
*warning - this movie is rated R-18 due to some sexy scenes*

JEONG BAE (Lee Sun-Kyun) is a cartoonist however his work has not been published in a while. He plans to buy-back his late painter father's most prized artwork. So he decided to join a competition for an adult manga for a grand prize of 130 million won ($100,000); however, he needs an expert on the matter (of sex). 

HAN DA-RIM (Choi Kang Hee) is a sex columnist in a popular adult magazine but she was relieved of her position. In need of money, so she can move out of her twin brother's apartment, she found Jeong Bae's ad. 

They start working on this project together and Darim develops a crush on Bae. Bae is a little bit of a playboy and noticed Darim's feelings right away, so he decided to make a move on her only to find out that she is actually a v-card. 

REVIEW:
This is a funny sexy romantic movie. The chemistry between Lee Sun-Kyun and Choi Kang Hee are undeniable, and their love-hate relationship is very relatable. 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! MUST-SEE! 

re-watch value: 5 OUT OF 5 HEARTS 

watch the full movie (English subbed) here ^_^

GALLERY:

MOVIES LIKE "PETTY ROMANCE": 

MY P.S. PARTNER / WHATCHA' WEARIN? 

LOVE GUIDE FOR DUMPEES (2015) 

CREDITS ~ Google Images, Wikipedia, YouTube

anime: THE GARDEN OF WORDS 言の葉の庭

title: THE GARDEN OF WORDS 

言の葉の庭

romanized: Koto no ha no Niwa

director: Makoto Shinkai

studio: CoMix Wave Films

Japan release date: May 13, 2013

genre: Drama, Romance

total gross: unknown

trailer  ~

CHARACTERS: 

TAKAO AKIZUKI 秋月 孝雄 - a hardworking, aspiring cobbler (shoemaker) who also takes care of his mother and brother, works as a dishwasher part-time so he can finance his dream

YUKARI YUKINO 雪野 百香里 - a secretive woman who loves to drink beer and chocolates for breakfast and loves to playfully swing her pumps

SYNOPSIS: 
A hard working 15-year-old male student Takao Akizuki plays hooky from his first-period class whenever it rains. He then walks to Shinjuku Goen garden, sits in a gazebo and relaxes. 

Yukari Yukino is a 27-year-old Japanese literature teacher who is going through a rough time, so she dawdles in a beautiful gazebo overlooking a pond drinking her beer and eating Meiji chocolates. 

A chance encounter leads both characters in the same gazebo on one rainy day. They will create a bond of unique relationship. 

REVIEW: 
First of all, I love anime director Makoto Shinkai from his previous works such as "5 Centimeters Per Second" and "Voices of a Distant Star" (if you haven't seen this go watch it now! ^_^); so I was very excited to watch this movie. His animation style is very nostalgic and relatable that it will touch your heart, I promise! 

As expected, every shot of The Garden is beautiful and very aesthetically pleasing. Besides that, it will give you goosebumps and make your heart soft. And as the movie progresses, you will fall in love with the lead characters and when the ending comes you are yearning for more. This is Shinkai's hook-line-and-sinker in all of his movies (that I've seen). You will be left wanting more but at the back of your mind he tells you and gives you satisfaction. 

It is a short movie (46 minutes running time) so if you end up not liking it, you didn't waste so much time. I highly recommend watching this film!! ^_^

re-watch value ~ 5 out of 5 hearts!!! 

watch the full movie English dubbed here ~ your welcome! 

FAVE QUOTES:

"A faint clap of thunder clouded skies,
perhaps rain comes
Will you stay here with me?" ~ Yukino to Takao

"A faint clap of thunder, 
even if rain comes or not, 
I will stay here,
Together with you." ~ Takao's response to Takao

*this is a Japanese tanka (short poem) from Man'yoshu, Book 11, verse 2,514*

“In the evenings, before I went to sleep, and in the mornings, in the moment I woke up, I realized I was praying for rain.” ~ Takao

GALLERY

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK:

"RAIN" by Motohiro Hata 秦基博

Download the soundtrack here

If you want to sing along, here are the lyrics. 

OTHER FILMS OF MAKOTO SHINKAI:

YOU'RE NAME (Kimi Na No Wa) 

5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND (Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru)

VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR (Hoshi No Koe)

A PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS (Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho)

credits ~ YouTube, Google Images, Wikipedia, GoodReads, Kojima48.blogspot.com

[Korean] MY ANNOYING BROTHER 형

title: MY ANNOYING BROTHER

hangul: 형 

romanized: Hyeong (literally ~ Older Brother)

release date: November 23, 2016

director: Kwon Soo-kyung

distributed by: CJ Entertainment

language: Korean

country: South Korea

box office: $20.6 million

CAST:

JO JUNG SHUK as Go Doo Shik

DO KYUNG SOO as Go Doo Young 

PARK SHIN HYE as Lee Soo-Hyun

PLOT:

Go Doo Shik (JO JUNG SHUK) is a con-man serving his time in prison when his younger brother Go Doo Young (DO KYUNG SOO or D.O. of EXO), an Olympic hopeful athlete in Judo loses his eyesight. Doo Shik requests for parole using his younger brother's unfortunate circumstance as his sole purpose. He gets his parole and comes home to a depressed Doo Young and they will re-kindle their lost brotherhood.

MY TAKE: 

I love the plot. It's very different from my usual Rom-com, and the story revolves around Doo Shik and Doo Young's bromance; which I really love. These are all actors that I love so I may have some bias reason why I watched the movie, but as it progressed I feel in-love with the characters and story. It is melodramatic which I always feel can be fixed by the writer. The comedic duo ~ Jo Jung Shuk and Do Kyung Soo will make you fall out of your seats, and fall in love with them at the same time. Park Shin Hye took on a back burner role even with her status. Her humility made me love her even more.

Overall, I highly recommend this movie!! It's funny, it's dramatic, it will touch your heart and in the end it will leave you satisfied.  

4 hearts

PHOTOS

reel: MY RAINY DAYS (TENSHI NO KOI)

Movie: My Rainy Days

Romaji: Tenshi no Koi

Literal meaning: Angel's Love

Japanese: 天使の恋

Director: Yuri Kantake

Writer: Yuri Kantake, sin

Producer: An Umemura

Release Date: November 7, 2009

Runtime: 119 min.

Distributor: Gaga Corporation

Language: Japanese

Country: Japan

Box office: US $1,090,202

CAST

NOZOMI SASAKI as Rio Ozawa

SHOSUKE TANIHARA as Kouki Ozawa

SYNOPSIS

Rio Ozawa (NOZOMI SASAKI) is a 17-year-old high school student who works as an escort as a way to rebel against her family. Kouki Ozawa (SHOSUKE TANIHARA) is a 35-year-old history professor whose been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Fate brought them together when their photos got swapped and Rio fell in love at first sight at Kouki's photos. The beginning of their heartwarming love story.

REVIEW

I love this movie! I thought it would be heavy drama because of the underlying “brain tumor” story but I was wrong. It's heartwarming, heartfelt and genuine. Chemistry between Rio and Kouki is great and you will (really) root for them. 4.5 out of 5 stars! Must watch!

OST

(ending theme) Watltz by Love Psychedelico

Beautiful Days by Love Psychedelico

Here I Am by Love Psychedelico

Let It Go by Yuna Ito

MORE PICS

reel: FINDING MR. DESTINY

Movie: Finding Mr. Destiny

Revised romanization: Kim Jong-Ok Chatgi

Hangul: 김종욱 찾기

Director: Chang You-Jeong

Writer: Lee Kyung-Ui

Release Date: December 9, 2010

Runtime: 112 min.

Genre: Romantic-Comedy

Production Company: Soo Film

Distributor: CJ Entertainment

Language: Korean

Country: South Korea

CAST

LIM SOO JUNG as Seo Ji-Woo

GONG YOO as Han Gi-Joon

SYNOPSIS

Seo Ji-Woo (LIM SOO JUNG) went on a trip to Blue City, India a decade ago and she met her first love Kim Jong-Ok. She was smitten by him that she can't move on and broke off her engagement. Han Gi-Joon (GONG YOO) is a conscientous travel agent whose in between jobs when he decided to open his own business to find “one's true love”. Ji-Woo wanted to leave things by fate so she didn't exchange contact information with Kim Jong-Ok, she believes that if they are meant to be they will meet again.

REVIEW

Great romantic comedy! I'm not a fan of India (where most of the backdrop scenes are) but I love Gong Yoo and the idea of destiny. This movie somewhat reminds me of an old movie by Robert Downey, Jr “Only You” where Marisa Tomei went all the way to Europe to get a glimpse of her so-called soulmate. Overall, great entertainment value, great actors and the ending is really satisfying. 4.5 out of 5 stars!  

GALLERY

reel: ROURUNI KENSHIN るろうに剣心

Movie: Rurouni Kenshin

Romaji: Rurouni Kenshin

Japanese: るろうに剣心

Director: Keishi Ohtomo

Writer: Watsuki Nobuhiro (manga), Kiyomi Fujii,Keishi Ohtomo

Producer: Takero Hisamatsu, Tatsuro Hatanaka, Masahiko Ibaraki, Hiroaki Kitano, Osamu Kubota, Hiroyoshi Koiwai

Cinematographer: Takuro Ishizaka

Release Date: August 25, 2012

Runtime: 134 min.

Genre: Action / Based on a Comic / Period-19th Century / Samurai

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Language: Japanese

Country: Japan

Budget: US $20 million

Box Office: US $61.7 million (worldwide)

CAST

TAKERU SATOH as Kenshin Himura / Himura Battosai

EMI TAKEI as Kamiya Kaoru

MUNETAKA AOKI as Sanosuke Sagara

YU AOI as Megumi Takani

KOJI KIKKAWA as Udo Jime antagonist

SYNOPSIS

Kenshin Himura (TAKERU SATOH) is a former assasin - “Battosai” but has now sworn never to kill again hence becoming a “rouruni” ~ a wandering swordsman. He is passing by Tokyo when he ran into Kamiya Kaoru (EMI TAKEI) whose goal is to capture the “battosai” and put an end to his evil ways. Turn of events and Kenshin saved Kaoru from the blood-hungry battosai-wannabe Udo Jime. She invites Kenshin to her once-popular dojo. They build a friendship, maybe even more.

REVIEW

Satoh Takeru is officially a bad-ass!! I loved him since Bloody Monday with Miura Haruma and I knew that his got talent but he brought Rouroni Kenshin to life and much more. His action scenes are breathtaking. His chemistry with Emi Takei (Kaoru) is so genuine that I believe they love each other for real. (lol) If you love the manga, the anime, you will love the live-action better! 5 out of 5 stars!

NOTES ~

related titles

Rouroni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (part 2)

Rouroni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (part 3 and final movie)

theme song ~ “The Beginning” by ONE OK ROCK

reel:THE BEAUTY INSIDE 뷰티 인사이드

Movie: The Beauty Inside

Revised romanization: Byooti Insaideu

Hangul: 뷰티 인사이드

Director: Baek Jong-Yeol

Writer: Kim Sun-Jung, Park Jung-Ye

Producer: Park Tae-Joon

Cinematographer: Kim Tae-Kyung

Release Date: August 20, 2015

Runtime: 127 min.

Genre: Romance / Fantasy

Distributor: Next Entertainment World

Language: Korean

Country: South Korea

Box office: US $4.2 million

CAST

HAN YO-SOO as E-Soo

PARK SEO JOON as Kim Woo-Jin

LEE JIN WOOK as Kim Woo-Jin

SEO KANG JOON as Kim Woo-Jin

PARK SHIN HYE as Kim Woo-Jin

UENO JURI as Kim Woo-Jin

LEE DONG-HWI as Sang Baek (Woo Jin's best friend)

SYNOPSIS

Woo-Jin transforms into a different person every time he wakes up. He could be a man, woman, child, or an elderly person. This started on his 18^th birthday which lead him to drop out of high school but his childhood friend Sang Baek (LEE DONG-HWI) is the only friend who knows his secret. They started a customized furniture company ALX together. One day Woo-Jin is so intricately looking for the perfect knob on his latest design, when he saw E-soo (HAN YO-SOO) selling furniture so passionately. He fell in love.

REVIEW

I love this movie! The story is unique, the cinematography is wonderful, the director did an amazing job and every actor did an awesome job. Han Yo Soo is so lucky to be the love interest of such great (and handsome) actors such as Park Seo Joon, Lee Jin Wook, Seo Kang Joon. Even her on-screen dialogue with Ueno Juri is so heartfelt. 5 out of 5 stars!! MUST-SEE!

HIGHLIGHT
trailer

ost ~ "TRUE ROMANCE" by Citizens

AWARDS

2015 52^nd Grand Bell Awards ~ Best New Director “Baek Yong-Jeol"

2015 36^th Blue Dragon Film Awards ~ Best Editing “Yang Jin-mo”

GALLERY

*PARK SEO JOON as Woo Jin with E-Soo*

*UENO JURI as Woo Jin with E-Soo*

*E-Soo her dilemma with too many hot guys XD*

*LEE JIN WOOK as Woo Jin (most gorgeous version) with E-Soo*