A Fan Guide To An OST Singer: Gaho
Hey, it's Yin (KKdrama) and Yang (Joonie)!
During our last sleepover at Yang's house, we had a Korean movie night. We watched four movies and decided to review them together, rate them, and recommend those we loved and enjoyed.
PS: The movies will be ordered chronologically and not according to our rating.
Rest assured, NO spoilers ahead!!
 | Peninsula aka Train To Busan 2Peninsula takes place four years after the zombie outbreak in Train to Busan. The Korean peninsula is devastated and Jung Seok, a former soldier who has managed to escape overseas, is given a mission to go back and unexpectedly meets survivors. MDL Rating: 7.6/10Yin Rating: 10/10Yang Rating: 9/10 |
Yin: As a huge fan of Horror and Zombies I've seen so many of these movies so it became kinda hard to impress me. For me to give this movie a 10 means it's outstanding from my perspective at least.
Yang: I'm not an expert in Zombies or Apocalypse movies since I'm the type to get scared by such stuff but my love for Train to Busan encouraged me to watch the sequel and I do not regret it AT ALL.
Yin: I agree!! The movie had me screaming with excitement from the very beginning. The intro was powerful and had me at the edge of my seat eagerly waiting for what's coming next and as time goes on my anticipation only seems to increase!! And that's how I knew this movie is a masterpiece even though it was not what I expected.
Yang: With those perfectly done action scenes and those emotional characters, who wouldn't love the movie? All these racing cars and fights with bullets flying around and Zombies made me less disappointed with the fact that the 2 movies weren't related which did upset me honestly but it didn't stop me from enjoying the acting and the plot!!
Yin: I saw some comments and reviews that complained about that but unlike you I wasn't upset, even though the rumors that spread before the movie deceived us all, the new cast didn't fail to amaze me and the writing made me forget about the prequel even though I absolutely loved both movies! Plus I think I understand why the supposed to be a continuation of events of the first movie turned out to be a totally different story. First, remember the end of the prequel, we see the daughter and the pregnant lady were rescued by the army so they were probably sent to a safe place or better aboard and if that's the case why would they come back to a country that resembles hell. Second, the sequel takes place 4 years after so with 90 % of the population turning into Zombies, forget about finding the Zombie Gong Yoo you looked forward to!! Besides, his presence has nothing to do with the development of the plot so his character is useless.
Yang: Don't forget about the cure rumor that disappointed me the most. Seeing all these familiar places that are usually full of life and lights, dark, deserted, and devastated made me sadder than ever since finding the cure was the only solution to get things hopefully back to normal. My expectations of the ending were so high, I am happy with the real ending though but still...
Yin: That wasn't the only thing worth being sad about!! The movie is full of emotional scenes that had me crying and u witnessed it urself? U laughed at me for crying and said that I was too emotional even though I'm older! The audacity!! And that just proves that the cast's performance was spectacular and if the writers can make u sob for a character u met less than an hour ago, they did a great job or maybe I'm too emotional like u said!!
Yang:: As long as my two girls are safe and sound, I don't care about the others as much!! I loved the mother and former soldier but for me, the two daughters stole the spotlight, they were funny, fierce, smart, fast and without them, the main leads wouldn't be alive. Their team was the best. The older girl is just stunning, whenever she's driving, I can only admire her moves with my mouth gaping like a fish. The little girl is amazing too, it was so much fun watching the duo getting rid of the Zombies on their path like a boss.
Yin: Well, that crazy race btw the cars and the truck, is one of the best scenes I've ever seen. I didn't give this movie a 10 for nothing!! That scene made me speechless. <3
 | The Bad Guys: Reign of ChaosWhile transporting dangerous high-profile prisoners, a prisoner transport vehicle turns over. These prisoners escape and make a run for it. To catch these escaped prisoners, the police decide to regroup a special crime investigation team, which consists of prisoners like Park Woong Cheol, known to take out 30 people by himself; Kwak No Soon, who is a skilled con artist; Ko Yoo Sung, a former detective; and the legendary detective Oh Goo Tak. MDL Rating: 7.9/10Yin Ranting: 10/10Yang Rating: 10/10 |
Yang: This is my second time watching this movie but definitely not my last. If I have the occasion I will obviously re-watch it to recall the astonishing action scenes that had a special touch of the new characters in them!!
Yin: I admit that changing the cast of the first season which means I won't get to see my lovely psycho and eye candy hitman is such a disappointment, it turned me off so I kept delaying watching it until you encouraged me to do so. I REGRET IT!!! Thanks a lot again for insisting on watching it. <3
Yang: I do miss psycho and Tae Soo and I'm glad the latter made a one minute appearance explaining why he didn't join the bad guy's team again but I loved the new cast, too. They were amazing, especially Jessica. Seeing a female gangster added to the team is refreshing and cool. She's my favorite for many reasons: first, she is badass and you know how much I love this type of character. Second, she's mischievous and feisty which added so much more comedy and spice to the movie!! Lastly, her charisma made her attractive and captivating, stealing the show. She is stunning!!
Yin: No matter how much I loved the new addition to the bad guys, especially Jang Ki Young since I'm his fan, my favorite character will always remain the muscle pig!! It was really fun watching him interact with his new team members, more like newbies. I find everything about him iconic from his humor to his Hulk-like way of beating people to his bossy attitude to the new good and calm side I saw in him,...
Yang: Now that you mentioned humor, I think that in mixing comedy with action, this movie is a 10. Remember we were laughing so hard even in the middle of the "big" supposed to be a serious fight. Surprisingly I didn't find the jokes distracting or misplaced, they were actually so entertaining and fun that I kept waiting for them and I couldn't hide my excitement!! We had repeated every fight scene at least 3 times before moving on!!
Yin: I remember that u kept on rushing to the computer to replay the action scenes as if it's your first time watching the movie. I also remember how you kept screaming 10 minutes before every fight scene comes up ఠ_ఠ and I wanted to (╯°□°）╯︵ (\ .o.)\ LOL!! Most of the comedy parts of the movie were Woong Cheols, and even with his frowning serious face, he managed to nail his sarcastic lines and humoristic scenes. Good thing we both LOVE the actor, we should watch one of his movies on our next sleepover!!
Yang: For sure!! I also liked the criminals and the way they got some clues from each escaped prisoner they caught, all connected just like I love it since it gives the plot more depth and it makes all characters useful. Btw they were all hilarious, you're just giving him all the credit bc he's your favorite!!
Yin: ( -_- )
 | Alone aka #AliveJun Woo wakes up to find that a mysterious virus outbreak has occurred. The outbreak suddenly spread throughout Seoul and rapidly grows out of control, trapping survivors alone inside their apartments without access to cellular data, Wi-Fi, texting, or phone calls. Jun Woo and Yu Bin struggle to survive in an isolated apartment complex from those infected with the virus. MDL Rating: 7.8/10Yin Ranting: 7.5/10Yang Rating: 8/10 |
Yin: "Mysterious virus outbreak" "spread" "trapping" "out of control" "isolated"!! I think that with what's happening in the world right now, I saw myself in Jun Woo, and that was the scariest part of all!! But the good news is the movie taught me how to be a survivor so I decided to buy groceries every day!! (If you've seen the movie, this is an inside joke.)
Yang: Apart from the "surviving" lessons, I loved the strong bond the main leads had. It started as surviving buddies, then developed into a beautiful friendship. She was the light he needed in all that darkness surrounding him and the sadness of being alone with limited food and no family. They helped each other on several occasions and even saved the other's life.
Yin: Those are the movie's most treasured moments. <3 And their acting skills were incredible, it made me adore them (the actors) even more and left me wondering about the exaggerated criticism the actress received. I, also, loved the fact that the movie focused on the characters' attachment to their sanity within the chaos and the extinguishment of humanity, highlighting how valuable their human side is to both characters, they were more scared of becoming zombies than death itself.
Yang: Indeed. It was clear that they struggled to survive while making sure of the other's safety, being alone for a while took a troll on them for sure and the Zombies of the movie weren't easy to deal with, they were strong, fast, smart along with having great senses, plus the fact that they were literally EVERYWHERE!!
Yin: I don't remember them having any weaknesses they are just different, never seen anything like them. They are not the brainless easily fooled Zombies we're used to, they work together, and they can even learn stuff from humans which is terrifying. And being two normal scared people surrounded by such sinister creatures explains the lack of action and the movie focus on the character's emotions.
 | ParasiteKim Gi Woo is a young man who lives with his unemployed, poor family of four in a semi-basement. One day, his friend tells him that he is leaving to study abroad and that he should replace him as the tutor of a rich family. Ki Taek then meets the Parks, a rich family of four who are the owners of a global IT firm. Yun Gyo, the lady of the Park's house, accepts Gi Woo as a tutor for her daughter, and he uses Yun Gyo’s naiveness as a chance to employ his other family members. MDL Rating: 9/10Yin Ranting: 4/10Yang Rating: 10/10 |
Yang: OMG !! No words can describe how much I loved this movie, it's a masterpiece!! I really loved the plot, the characters, the story development,... everything. This movie is one of the best movies I've ever seen!! The actors did a fantastic job delivering their roles, even the guest roles had a strong impact on me!!
Yin: Apart from the actors' remarkable performance and the creative beginning, I'm sorry but I didn't like the rest of the movie. Giving this one a rating was so tough, bc no matter how much I disliked it, the unmatchable success of the movie intimidated me and even my anti-Asian friend was fascinated by it so somehow I felt like I had to like this movie!!
Yang: Personally, I was blown away with everything especially the plot twist and the ending. The plot was unpredictable and the portrayal of social classification was so on point. The writer managed to deliver the depressing painful truth about society through comedy isn't that genius? The symbolism, the dark humor, the rollercoaster of emotions I experienced are one of a kind. We were laughing then, excited then, sad then, shocked then, sad again then devastated... The lessons we ended up learning through the characters and the way the writer delivered them were brilliant.
Yin: I think you mean "We were super excited then amazed then confused than even more confused then face-palming then VERY disappointed!", at least this is how I felt!! The movie would've been so much better if it wasn't full of plot holes, HUGE questioning marks, and WTFs (talking about the "plot twist" since I believe it was misplaced and some illogical events)! The ending was a mess and not in a good way.
Yang: Personally, I loved the poor family. Their bond was strong and they stick together through thick and thin. I know many hated them for deceiving the rich family but I found their methods to be harmless and genius maybe hilarious too. They served the rich family and did their jobs properly. If they didn't invade the rich family's house, we wouldn't get to see the comedic comparison btw the rich and the poor lifestyle and how your social status determines how you visualize the world and how different each family's problems are!
Yin: That's the "dark humor" everyone was so crazy about! No character was the good guy here and no character was the bad guy too. Everyone had a bad side as well as a good one. The situation was the one to decide which side each character would bring out. I do admit though, the poor family was what made the beginning of the movie spectacular and led the beginning to be thrilling and fast-paced, unlike other movies whose beginnings were long and eventless! But the beginning was also what ruined the whole thing for me, my expectations were so high and my thoughts were heading in the wrong direction. I even thought it may be supernatural LOL!! It felt like the director and scriptwriter themselves were confused in which direction the movie was heading to!!
Yang: I felt that it was really thrilling that we had a whole vision about the movie then BOOM the plot twist and the events changed forever and suddenly the movie is all serious and a little creepy. But the movie's special trait is that whether you like it or dislike it, you will still think and talk about it for a while, analyzing details, overthinking the ending, reading reviews, checking comments. You for example you recommended this movie to others just to see what they think about it, you persuaded your sister to watch it (and you re-watched it with her) just to have someone you discuss the movie with. The director did achieve his goal at this rate.
Yin: I have to admit it's true! Whether you liked it or disliked it, the movie is memorable and left an impact on the watchers, even if many thought it was unrealistic!
Editors: BrightestStar (1st editor)
