My education of Korean cinema is limited to Chan Wook Park’s Vengeance trilogy [ Read my review of the Vengeance trilogy]. Of course, besides that K-movies are known worldwide for their indulgence with romance and rom-coms. However, director Shin-yeon Won’s crime thriller ‘Seven Days’ starring Kim Yunjin [ of Lost fame ] is a gloomy and dark tale revealed in a who-dunnit fashion. But the after effect of the movie is more thought provoking. And that is where Seven Days scores. It is a movie beyond the 125 minutes that it plays. Yes it is a relatively long movie, but the tension never loses grip and when the climax hits you, you leave still trying to fit together the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.
The movie begins with criminal lawyer Yu Ji-yeon’s daughter getting kidnapped. The ransom demanded by the kidnapper is to defend and prove a rapist-murderer as innocent within the next seven days. The only ally that she gets is a cop friend while the murder victim’s mother and a corrupt would-be politician want the murderer to be executed. What follows next is a mind-boggling list of puzzles being revealed clue after clue as the body count keeps increasing. And wait till the end when you get the mother of all twists (pun intended, to understand it, watch the flick)
So what did I like about the movie?
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by Sujoy on July 11, 2009
in TV
Lemme begin with ..Oh Torchwood! What an experience it has been for me! Five episodes on five days..back to back. It has been such a roller-coaster ride mixed with extreme emotions and juxtaposed with intensely gripping drama and also posing some absolutely disturbing themes. Torchwood’s latest series – Children of Earth could not have been better. But yes, for all the people who keep expecting for yet some more [ people like me], there is so much more left to be craving for. Coming back to Torchwood, what made me glued to the screen was the intense human emotions associated with a horrible horrible situation. God forbid, if we *ARE* faced with such a situation, I really wonder how the current global leaders would handle it. It is a huge comment on the global political scenario and also most importantly, how the US feels left out and suffers from an inferiority complex when an Alien invasion scenario occurs in central London, rather than NY or San Fransisco.
Series synopsis:
Day 1: Lets have a quick rewind of what happened previously [15 months sabbatical to be precise ]. Death of 2 regular characters in the finale. The Torchwood team this series remains limited to Ianto, Gwen and Capt.Jack .
Flashback to 1965 Scotland – A close encounter with Aliens and 12 children walking towards an enormous beam of light. Flash forward to present-day where all children momentarily freeze, simultaneously. … [Continue Reading…]
Korean movies are just top notch in terms of cinematical technicalities. The cinematography is unparalleled, the colors seem to be splashed straight from a palette chosen by Monet or Rembrandt, and the soundtrack breathes life into even the most dead of plots. All of it combined with a compelling romantic-drama plot like Daisy, can be best termed as an amplification of cinematic excellence to the fullest extent. When the director of the Infernal Affairs,Andy Lau teams up with three of Korea’s finest actors, the result has to exceed all expectations, and Daisy does it, and how so.
Tension, Tragedy, Twist!
SYNOPSIS: Daisy[ Korean name: Dei-Ji(2006)] stars my favorite Korean actress Jun Ji Hyun [now known as Gianna Jun] as a young artist Hye Young, living in Amsterdam. She assists her grandfather in running his antique shop, and works in the public square,drawing portraits. She starts receiving pots of Daisy from a secret admirer who she believes is the man who built a bridge for her [Its exactly how it sounds]. And then, one day she meets Interpol agent Jeong Woo [Sung-Jae Lee] who is actually tracking Asian drug dealers. Hye confuses her for the mystery man who sends her the daisies. While all this is happening, Hye Young’s real secret admirer,Park Yi [Woo Sung Jung] has a keen eye on her.
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20 years of waiting, and the Doc will see you now. Oh Doc Jones! You have more wrinkles now. Doc Jones, you have a new sidekick now who is a son as well. Can we call him Doc Jr? Why is the Ukranian lady trying to BE Ukranian and why is your son dipping his comb in Cola? Just too many questions, and I am not given any answers. Awright!!! I know Indiana Jones is one of those immortal characters that have been built on the basis of that boyhood daydream replete with fantasy worlds, deep secrets of lost lands and treasure hunts with adventurous journeys . The one we loved and perhaps can never be old enough for. But having said that, Indie has delivered them all in the previous installments and this one as well. But somewhere, somehow,the feeling creeps in that in these 20 years, the laziness of the filmmakers have taken over, which makes Crystal Skull just another big budget Hollywood no-brains matinee mayhem, even when we have the Gurus-Spielberg and Lucas steering the wheel.
As for the plot, here it goes. It’s 1957, and as the Cold War is warming up, the bunch from Soviet capture Doc Jones to find the secret package in the warehouse of Area 51. Flaw 1: Only 4 guards at the door of a high-secret facility. How convenient! (I think by the time I end this review, I am just gonna lose count) Anyway, the package contains the remains of a secret worthy of being kept in Area 51. Doc Jones then tries to escape the captivity of the Soviet bunch in an action scene which can be best described as lame, and then even manages to escape a nuclear explosion. We do come to know about the treasure hidden in the lost land of El Dorado which Doc deciphers from the note sent to Mutt by his mom-Marion Ravenwood, an ex of Doc. Mutt says that an old ally of his,Prof Oxley has been abducted while searching for a hidden Incan temple. And that is approximately where the story wraps up. What follows next is just a big hoch poch of ideas flowing in a turbulent wave from the brains of Lucas. You name it and they have got it here, to the point that you start feeling that the sole intention of the movie was to revive the franchise for the sake of it (and of course raking in big bucks). Speaking in the shortest way possible, I’d say the plot includes some of the most forgettable action scenes, grand sets with gold shimmering from every inch and yes, ALIENS. The plot gets so dodgy at times that you just want to get over with it. But yeh, you hold yourself back coz it’s supposed to be the Summer Blockbuster of the Year. [Continue Reading…]
