Day 136 - Casa Amor: Exclusive for Ladies (Korean)

Bo-hee (Jo Yeo-jeong) is a wife, mother, and a successful marketing executive. Sadly, her husband leaves her because they haven't had sex in more than a year and she rarely has time for her family. It gets worse when she is fired from her job. Eventually,  Bo-hee makes a deal with Oh Nan-hee(Clara), the local sex expert who runs an adult toy store. 

This is a very funny movie which a very interesting subject matter. Despite what the title says, this film can be watched by men and it should be. They focus more on the female side which is understandable but what is shown is quite revealing. Not in the nudity aspect but in the relationship aspect. Despite the comedy, it does have a serious subject matter that appears to be very realistic as I'm sure many couples have the kind of problems that are shown in the film. Plus we have the lovely Clara to teach us more about sex and that is very interesting in itself. Can't forget to mention Jo Yeo-jeong who is really good in this film. I think it was probably her best film role and I hope to be able to see her do more work.

3/5

Day 119 - Sex Tape (American)

"A married couple wake up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a frantic search for its whereabouts." - IMDb

I was expecting something better from this film especially with the cast it features. I felt like Jason Segel did well on his side but he didn't fit well with Cameron Diaz who herself was one of the soft spots of the film. There are a very few laughable moments and some enjoyable ones. But nothing was able to save this film from being a bomb. 

2/5

Day 118 - Ode to my Father (Korean)

"Amid the time of Korean War, a young boy's vow to take care of his family marked the beginning of a lifelong promise spanning 60 years." - IMDb

Probably one of the best Korean films I have ever seen. Hwang Jeong-min was an excellent choice for this film and I can't imagine any other actor in his spot. The whole movie can be summed up in two words: Journey and Promise. I think it was well written with historical events taken into mind. The emotion was there as was the acting. It was a very good piece of film that could have been improved but none the less the film was entertaining to watch.

3/5

Day 93 continued - White Haired Witch (Chinese)

"In the twilight of the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial court is plagued by corruption as tyrants rule over the land. With the Manchurians preying on a weakened empire, war is imminent."

Not as bad as I thought but it needed a lot more work. Fan Bing Bing was as beautiful as she normally is and she was a delight to watch. The costume designs were stellar and really fitted each character. The direction was poor as was some of the action scenes. I thought the ending was a bit rushed as was the "lie" present in the film. The lie almost felt worthless as it really didn't do much and proved the main character made a sacrifice that was in vain. Felt like the director tried to cram as much as he could in this film as if it was his last chance. 

2/5

Starring

Fan Bingbing

Films:

A Battle of Wits

Flashpoint

My Way

Lost in Thailand

Day 88 continued - The Defender (Hong Kong)

"A corrupt businessman commits a murder and the only witness is the girlfriend of another businessman with close connections to the Chinese government, so a bodyguard from Beijing is dispatched to help two Hong Kong cops protect the witness. Complications arise when the bodyguard and the witness must confront their deep feelings for one another."

So far it is my favorite Jet Li Hong Kong movie.  You had all of Jet Li's wonderful action scenes but the script was a bit poor. The film was quite predictable and almost had the feeling of being a comedy. Everything seemed so rushed and nothing really is as interesting as it could be.  Also I think they used the kid poorly, he was also a tab bit annoying. I will suggest this film to you if you are a Jet Li fan.

2.8/5

Day 85- Man in Love (Korean)

"Tae-Il lives a fast life as low level thug. He then learns that he has a terminal illness and not much time left to live. For the first time in his life falls in love. The woman's name is Ho-Jung." IDMb

Hwang Jung-min is awesome in this film, it was nice to see him as a gangster. It is always nice to see him perform, too bad I have to wait a while until the film gets English subtitles. I think the film could have been better directed, as there is a time skip present in the film. I think it was the wrong approach, I would have added all of the drama that goes along in a drama film. It was almost like watching a Korean drama to be honest, it seems like the typical standard of Korean storytelling. It is a touching love story that is a bit different than a typical dramatic Korean film.

3.4/5

Day 72 ccontinued - Love Me (American/British/Ukrainian)

"Love Me is a character-drive narrative that follows desperate men on their quest for love through the modern 'mail-order bride' industry in Ukraine. The film highlights the complete process of finding a partner in a foreign land, showing the Western male and Ukrainian female perspectives."

A very interesting documentary about a world that starting to get accepted in the mainstream society. The style of documentary could have been better but I enjoyed seeing the perspective of the girls and the men they chose. There are a lot of things that you have to think about when you decide to start an online relationship that will eventually become a real life romance. This documentary shows the upside and downside of doing this. Its quite interesting and I recommend it to people that enjoy this kind of documentary and are open minded.

Day 56- Her (American)

 

"A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need"

 

A bizarre but beautiful that will leave you questioning a lot of things like what is real love? This movie deserved the Academy Award for Best Screenplay because it was truly something different. Joaquin Phoenix gave the best performance of his career, I normally don't like his acting but he was great in this film. He represents many people that I know in real life, so he was a character that is easy to relate to. I love the world that they created within this movie, it was so believable. I can imagine that this is what our future might look like it. This film is quite realistic as there are a few people that have married fictional characters from video games. So the concept of this movie can actually happen.

 

4/5

 

little info

 

Most of the background shots were filmed in Shanghai

This is the only movie that Spike Jonze has written as well as directed

No one in the film was seen wearing a belt

Day 50 continued - Mr. and Mrs. Player (Hong Kong)

"Chinese Feng Shui master, Carson was a real ladies' man, he had never been in a stable relationship. Carson was a "Natural Born Player", taking names and breaking hearts. Fate had it that he would meet his match, the hot veterinarian, Chi-Ling. It was love at first sight, but neither could stand the other's fickle nature lest the affair might have ended as soon as it began. So Chi-Ling invite Carson to move in with her and make him promise to have no sexual contact with any girls for 100 days"

I liked this movie somewhat but felt like it was really one sided. Love wasn't really that big in the movie until the end. I guess that is what they wanted in order to tell a more modernized version of the movie. I kind of wish that this movie was more serious and had more love present.

1/5

Day 50 - Hostipality Department (Japanese)

 

"The hospitality division in Kochi Prefecture can't promote the beautiful nature in the area due to a strict rule by the prefecture government. Popular writer and Koichi area native Kyosuke Yoshikado (Kengo Kora) is appointed as a special envoy for tourism in the area. He then receives a recommendation to meet Seien, a former employee of Kochi Prefecture, who once hatched an unusual idea to promote tourism. Seien pushed forward a project to import pandas into the area, but lost his job because of that project. Meanwhile, hospitality division employees Fumitaka (Ryo Nishikido) and Taki (Maki Horikita) visits the tourist house which is run by Seien and his daughter (Megumi Seki). When they arrive, the daughter throws a bucket of water at them, still angry for the way her father was dismissed from his job. From there, a plan for the hospitality division is born. "

This was a good hearted movie about the beauty and wonder of the part of Japan they call Kochi. I enjoyed the movie a lot, there were some very good parts. I enjoyed the romance present in the film and the way it was executed. The comedy wasn't over the top it was actually realistic as was the approach to the romance. If you really like to see a beautiful place and see some wonderful characters then this is the movie for you.

3/5 

 

little info

 

Ryo Nishikido was a part of two J-Pop groups. This was also his 3rd movie

Kengo Kora also starred in The Egoists



Day 47 - 100 Days (Taiwanese)

 

"The main character is career-obsessed Bo Dan Wu (played by Johnny Lu), a rising star at a telecom company in Taipei. When he learns the news of his estranged mother’s death, he reluctantly returns to his hometown (set in Matsu’s picturesque Qinbi Village to pay his respects. When he arrives, he learns of a tradition which requires him to either marry within 100 days or wait for three years."

 

I wasn't expecting to fall in love with this movie but I did badly. Its a rough around a few edges but its still enjoyable. I loved the story and all of the characters present in the film. Though I wish there was a bit more drama with Bo Dan's feelings towards his mother and step-father. I did happen to enjoy the connection between Bo Dan and Xiao Wei. The two actors did a great job and I was rooting for them from the first moment I saw the connection the two had. There were some beautiful shots especially at the wedding that really impressed me. There are some holes in the plot since you never see the female boat driver again which is kind of important. Besides that this is a great romantic comedy that will bring a smile to your face.

 

3/5

 

little info

 

This is Henry Chan's first Chinese language movie as he directed American TV shows like A Different World, The King of Queens, Scrubs, Lizzy McGuire, etc.

 

Henry Chan also holds a primetime emmy award for editing due to his work on The Cosby Show

 

 

 

 

Day 45 - Neck (Japanese)

 

"

Tomokazu Shudo (Junpei Mizobata) has his first ever crush on Sugina Mayama (Saki Aibu), a senior graduate student. Tomokazu has troubles confessing his feelings to the popular student, but one day, Tomokazu is invited to the research lab where Sugina Mayama works. Tomkazu hopes to use this meeting to express his true feelings for her. To Tomokazu's surprise, when he arrives he first sees a big wooden box in the middle of the lab and the lab is dark. Sugina tells Tomokazu that he looks scared and then proceeds to push Tomokazu into the box!
While being placed into the box Tomokazu is told that he will watch a horror movie produced from his mind, with only his neck & head protruding from the box. Tomokazu will be the first test subject for Sugina's "The Neck Machine". The device hopes to turn people into monsters from the neck down while watching monsters. The first experiment fails, but Sugina then gets the help of childhood friend Takashi Gori (Yuta Hiraoka), who is now a horror writer named Mataro Echizen" -Asian Wiki

Seriously I thought it was going to be a good movie but I was wrong. The comedy was over the top and leaves you rolling your eyes rather than laughing. There is some romantic factor but they don't really play out. I thought Chiaki Kuriyama's performance was weak, her character was a bit lacking since she was in love with a character from Gori's book rather than Gori which it hints to a bit. Or the fact that Sugina seems to be romantically inclined to Takashi until the later half of the film. If you are looking for a good romantic comedy then this isn't the film for you.

1/5

 

little info

 

Chiaki Kuriyama was in Kill Bill Volume 1

Saki Aibu's first film role was The Taste of Tea

Day 42 continued - Please Teach Me English (Korean)

" a young woman begins English lessons after she is unable to help a foreigner at her government office."

 

A decent romantic comedy that is a little over the top which brings it down a little bit. I enjoyed the lead actresses performance, everyone else was a bit annoying. I enjoyed the fact that the characters were actually trying to learn English. Its a good movie to watch if you are bored and want to see a multicultural film.

 

2/5

 

 

Day 38 continued - My First Mister (German/American)

 

 

"A 17-year-old girl has a troubled relationship with a 49-year-old man."

 

A wonderful film that's not breathe the classical stereotypes of life. There's a nice conflict between these two characters that truly makes you enjoy the ride of this film. The struggles of the seventeen year old girl is shown not to be a phase she is really struggling as is the 49 year old man who doesn't really live until he meets her. This film has so much heart that you want to see the story continued. This is a wonderful film that I recommend to all ages that can truly understand the struggles of the people in this world.

 

 

4/5

 

 

little info

 

Albert Brooks, who plays the 49 year old man, fought hard for this role because some people didn't think he could handle the seriousness of this role. He is famous for acting and voice acting for instance he was the voice for Merlin the fish in Finding Nemo.

 

Leelee Sobieski, who plays the 17 year old girl, went on to star in Public Enemies (2009), Night Train (2009) and many other tv/movie roles. 

Day 37 continued - Art Idol (Thai)

"Art is a young boy looking for fame, but he is uncertain if he has the talents for that. Foon, a young girl is completely the opposite of Art. She knows what she wants and is reaching her goal, but she has feelings towards Art, but will Art know it? "

I wasn't a big fan of this movie when I first started to watch but it grew on me. I enjoyed Foon but wish we could have seen more of her world. I hated the character Art until the last half of the movie when he finally discovers his true passion. I like the idea behind the movie and the statement it makes.


2.5/5

Day 36 - Destiny (Korean)

 

When a man and woman who first meet their tempers get the best of them as it does the second time they meet and so on. They start to realize maybe its destiny that keeps bringing them together.

 

Not bad honestly but it wasn't that good either. It was a nice take on a love story and I enjoyed watching it. I felt like the direction could have been better but I understand that this was the director's first movie. I liked the interactions between the main characters which was give and take. It was funny to see at times but felt natural. I didn't really like the ending I felt like it was rushed and there was really no drama involved which makes a more good hearted romance film.

 

2.5/5

Day 20 continued - Love Hotel (Documentary)

 

"Pensioners, lawyers, married couples and teenagers are all customers at the Angel Love Hotel in Osaka Japan. With unprecedented access into one of the most private and anonymous spaces in Japanese society, this film follows the love hotel's struggling manager and staff as the try to keep their hotel running, as well as revealing the intimate and private lives of the customers who visit. "

 

A very in depth documentary into a world you really don't get to see unless you are in Japan. The people were so real and natural that is was so much a wonderful documentary to see. The directors did a great job proving that these people are normal but have to hide in fear of being discriminated. It can seem a little slow but its a good movie to watch. Please don't watch this if you are just looking for nudity, it doesn't have a whole lot. It does show intimate situations but not a lot of intercourse. I

will suggest this movie to everyone who is interested, its totally worth watching.

 

 

3.4/5 

Day 20 - Happy Ero Christmas (Korean)

"Byung-ki (Cha Tae-hyun) is a taciturn village patrolman who helps out with trivial tasks like distributing promotional papers, though he dreams of fighting evil. One day, he runs into Min-kyong (Kim Sun-a), an employee at the neighborhood bowling alley, and falls for her at first sight. However, his attempts to woo her go unnoticed. Meanwhile, Sang-doo, the boss of the local gang, also swoons over Min-kyong and vows to take her virginity on Christmas Eve."

A very plain romantic comedy that has a real lack of depth. The film is a failure as it doesn't get you to care for the characters. Everything was over the top, I did like Cha Tae-hyun's character but I wish they did more with it.

1/5

 

Little info

this was Cha Tae-hyun's 5th movie