Reviews

I wasn't going to admit to watching this at first. Not that I'm a prude, but this movie isn't the typical Korean movie. First of all, this is NOT a family movie. Pretty much the whole first half is about sex. The story is original to me, but I’m not that experienced with Korean movies. I thought it was interesting and the ending was great.

Forget the story…
I was totally floored that Song Ji Hyo of Goong and Running Man was in this and doesn’t leave much to the imagination. CRAZY!!! I will never be able to watch Running Man again the same way.
Next there is Jo In Sung who doesn’t leave much to the imagination either and let me just say that even if it is slightly embarrassing it is well worth the look. I had just watched What Happened in Bali and I was not prepared for his role in this movie. I actually kind of felt sorry for his character, because he ended up totally confused and hurt.
Joo Jin Mo is the King in this and I thought he did a really good job. He’s not hard on the eyes either.

Anyway, this isn’t a horrible movie. It isn’t something I typically watch and to be totally honest I would not have watched it if I had known that there was going to be…um…explicit scenes. It just isn’t my thing. I’m not entirely sure if I am comfortable recommending that others watch it either. How about this…watch at your own risk. :-)

Leia Mais

I watched this movie because of recommendation. It has a good story somehow and the acting of the actors was really good. If you have any plan to watch this film then you can't stand for long a hardcore love scene of man to man. Just stop watching it because it talks about a love story between a rich man and prostitute man.

Su-min is an orphan who, having turned 18, is required to leave his orphanage. Unable to pay for university, he heads for Seoul where he works various jobs to pay for computer classes. One of those jobs is driving drunks home from bars. After losing his factory job, Su-min ends up taking a job at a host bar. Initially the boss of this host bar is reluctant to take him on, as he knows from experience that openly gay hosts will often leave when they become romantically involved with one of their clients. Having given up on love, Su-min believes that this won't happen to him, until one day a man from his past enters the host bar. That man, Jae-min, is a former driving client, who has fallen in love with Su-min. Su-min refuses his advances, and accepts him as a client only once, and threatens to kill him if he hires him again. Jae-min is undeterred, and after several weeks go by, Su-min gives in. They are very happy in their relationship until Jae-min's mother discovers them together. She orders Jae-min to marry the woman he's been dating halfheartedly. Su-min is angry. With another man from the host bar, they kidnap Jae-min one night and take him to a shallow grave in the forest. Su-min watches passively as his colleague throws dirt on Jae-min, but eventually moves to stop the plan. His colleague already depressed over a two-timing girlfriend, whacks Su-min with the shovel and leaves the two there in the grave. Jae-min later awakens and takes Su-min to the car and they crash a tree while going back. As dawn breaks in, the two of them start to awake at the same time cops show up at the scene but inside, without paying attention to the cops, Su-min and Jae-min silently reconcile.

I just copy the summary in Wikipedia
;) and I read some write ups about this film was Internationally Compete in Berlin and other countries. Thumbs up for two great actors in this movie, Lee Yeong-hoon and Kim Nam-gil :))

Leia Mais

The main reason why I started watching this was because everyone on MDL is always recommending it, as well as it being one of the top movies ranked on MDL. I was going on a trip so I stockpiled a few of the top movies and throughout my trip I watched them. I watched The Man From Nowhere or Ahjussi on the plane yesterday and this is what I thought of it...


Story 9/10 : The general story is actually not that original. I've seen many American movies like it (for example Denzel Washingtons' Man On Fire). However, that doesn't lower the entertainment value of this film. This films story has you on the edge of your seat for the ENTIRE film. The scriptwriter(s) deserve much praise.

Acting 10/10 : They were all perfect. Everyone was perfect. I would not have changed any ANYBODY.

Music 7/10: The music was good, but it wasn't anything that I will remember. It served its purpose perfectly, and enhanced the effects of the movie. It's not an OST I will look up and listen to again later.

Rewatch Value 6/10 : This is probably the highest rewatch value i've given to any movie. I'm not someone who rewatches movies or dramas. This movie is action packed, so it should allow for a good rewatch. However, the amount of entertainment you get from this movie does hinge on its twist and turns so that might detract from its rewatch value.

Overall 10/10 : This is a great movie that I'd recommend to people OVER 18. It does have graphic violence and slight nudity. Overall, this is one of the best Asian movies that i've ever seen.

Leia Mais

Plot: A twist of fate, sometimes things wont go as planned and inevitable. But we never know what looms ahead.
Great movie, but a bit slow though. Its normal for a melodrama to be slow, nonetheless, this movie really touched my heart.

Acting: Of course as usual, we focus more on the main role.

Cha Seung Won never cease to amaze me. I've watched 3 of his drama (the Greatest love, Athena; the goddess of war and City Hall) and 5 of his movies (kick the moon, blood rain, Blade of blood, South of the border, and Eye for an Eye) and so far this is the most melodramic movie he ever acted in and he's really is an amazing actor.

Yeon Hwa (dunno her real name). I wish she can bring out more of her acting, nonetheless, her acting was above average. The chemistry between her and cha seung won in the movie was good too.

Music: I like the music. Happy songs and sad songs were well projected in every scene. It can change the mood of the audience from happy to sad to happy again.

Rewatch Value: I'm not really into melodrama movie, but because i knew cha seung won was such a great actor that i watched this movie. As for rewatching it, i dont think i will want to cry over something twice.

Leia Mais

1) The reason I watched this:

I have no idea, I just found this film in one of my collections while I had nothing better to do so I just watched it.

2) Storyline/Plot:

This was a multiple stories film, oe of the genres that I like to watch.

Positive points:

*A romatic comedy that had more interesting events than other films from the same genre.
*The three love stories were combined together in a way that would allow the final twist to happen.

Negative points:

*The film's story isn't unique or special. Actually, it was full of cliche and cheesy moments.
*The stories took a boring level at some point.

Story: 6/10

3) Acting/Cast:

*Lee Sun Gyun and Lee Min Ki were probably the main reason I continued watching this film until the end not only because of shallow feelings but their characters seemed more appealing than other characters in this film.
*The acting was a strength point that counts for this drama but I can't say the same about charachter because most of them felt annoying most of the time.

Cast: 6.5/10
Acting: 8/10

4)The ending:

An intresting twist accured near the end which made this film a little special than other romantic comedy films.

The ending: 8.5/10

5) My impression (How did affect me):

*There were a lot of boring moments but I didn't fell asleep so that's a good point.
*I only enjoyed the twist near the end but I will probably forget this film very soon.

My impression: 4.5/10

6) Overall:

*If you like romantic comedies then you may like this if you don't expect much from it.

Overall: 6/10.

Leia Mais

The marketing team on this movie must have had one hell of a headache trying to figure out how to make it accessible to a wider audience. They obviously didn't succeed seeing as there was almost no noise about this movie at the time of its release. And that's a shame, considering how well-crafted and intelligent it was.

It actually operates on a conceit that's fairly common these days; the non-linear yet interconnected vignettes that coalesce into an overarching plot. Oftentimes, in these types of films, the actual story is less interesting than the way it's assembled. Take for instance, Christopher Nolan's Memento (2000), which was fascinating for its accurate and chilling portrayal of the nature of retrograde amnesia but would have been merely a middling crime thriller if assembled in chronological order. However, other films use this plot technique in order to symbolically resonate with the themes presented in the story, such as Marc Webb's charming (if a bit precious) (500) Days of Summer (2009). Fish Story definitely falls into the latter category and (at least for me personally) does even a little bit more.

I love the Butterfly Effect. Not the crap film starring Ashton Kutcher but the actual phenomenon. It's something that, when portrayed right, can be smart and gripping. Fish Story uses the medium of urban legend to give some physical form to the theory and to trace the evolution of a myth and its implications for the fate of humanity. It sounds a bit ludicrous and melodramatic, but the film is so self-assured that you really can't doubt its intentions, ones that become more and more believable as the film progresses. And, if all of that sounds lacking in proper gravitas (which it sort of does, on paper), the film also has a recurring theme of resilient underdogs who emerge triumphant or at least at peace at the end of the day. As such, even if the main story doesn't float your boat, there will be definitely something to appreciate in the smaller arcs.

Lest that all might seem a bit stuffy, the film actually has a good sense of humor. One that's a little self-deprecating and rife with situational irony. It might not be a laugh out loud comedy, but it will definitely elicit a wry chuckle or too here and there at the expense of some of the more hapless characters. Which, come to think of it, is essential in a film like this. It's not hard to become pretentious when using this particular film-making conceit, but Fish Story so easily circumvents this pitfall because it knows how to laugh at itself.

Is it the best film ever? No. It's probably not even the best film in its niche genre, but it's definitely safe to say that it stands in the top ranking for being the most fun and the most exhilarating. And also for having a great song. If you're into punk or j-rock, Fish Story (the song) is a satisfying reason enough to give this film a spin.

Tl;dr? Watch it for some intelligent fun, an interesting storytelling format, and a kickass song.

Leia Mais

I resent the high 10's given by some people, because I immediately thought this would be a good movie. It was sweet and unassuming in a way, and I did manage to reach the end of it. But it was sooo...uninventive. The Japanese must really like their scary girls (Nobuta etc) transformed into social butterflies. It explains why there are so many dramas/movies just orientated at this one demographic. But despite me liking the actors, I genuinely found myself not caring much. Watch, if you have nothing else to do. You will like it to some degree, but by how much, would vary on the individual.

Leia Mais

If you watched Tada, Kimi Wo Aishiteru, this is the older version of that movie...You can easily notice, both movie share the same name of lead actors and the general plot..

But both have different way of expressing the plot..You will know if you watch both movies...kekeke!!!

This one is a little darker while Tada Kimi was more of romance...So watching both is not like your repeating watching something that you already watched.I can say that Tada Kimi focused on before they got separated, while Love Collage is the after.

Overall the story is good, it's just that there are some silly scene that can be taken out and be replaced of we can say much more needed scene..It also lacks in the sense of musicality. But nevertheless I liked the movie. I also like the way how they show the love of Shizura to Makoto. And lastly I loved the photographs:-)

Leia Mais

I was actually afraid to watch this movie at first. My friend only told me about how violent the movie was, but nothing really else. But it turned out to be really good despite the violence.

To be truthful I don't really like serious movies. But even though this movie was serious, it was very moving also. The story plot really breaks your heart and feel for the main character. The movie is violent and is graphic in some parts. The movie overall is not for children! So if your looking for a good family movie, this may not be it.

This movie remind me a lot of Taken (staring Liam Neeson) but I will say this movie is much better! Though the plots maybe similar, Man From Nowhere is much more intense and filmed a lot better.

I do recommend this movie to all action lovers! Also if your a big fan of suspense or Won Bin, then this movie is also right for you. This has to be one of Won Bin's best!

This is not a scary movie! I didn't want to watch it at first thinking it was going to be scary, but it's not. It's a lot of fun, but the fun where you really want to keep watching! I will say, I cried at the end.

This is a must watch to all Won Bin action lovers :)

Leia Mais

This is one of my favorite movies. I didn't read the manga or watch the Japanese drama version however, so I can't compare the movie to that. But I really enjoyed the movie.

At first I thought the story was a little odd, but as I watched the movie, the story was actually really sweet. I love the two main characters and their beginning relationship, and the development they have together. It's not a very serious movie, but was very sweet.

My only complaint would be the ending, but I feel it was made up during the credits where they show the after situation. So if you do watch this movie, promise you will watch the credits.

I recommend watching this movie if your in the mood for a fun romantic comedy. Also, if your a Jang Geun Seok fan, I think you'll like this movie too ;)

Leia Mais