My Lovely Sam-Soon

My Lovely Sam-Soon (Nae I-reum-eun Kim Sam-soon/내 이름은 김삼순), or My Name is Kim Sam Soon, is a 2005 Korean romance/comedy drama. It stars Kim Sun Ah, Hyun Bin, Jung Ryu Won, and Daniel Henney. The synopsis is as follows [episode-by-episode synopsis here]:

Kim Sam Soon is a baker who has a talent in making pastries and cakes. On Christmas Eve, she caught her boyfriend, Min Hyun Woo, cheating on her and breaks up on the same night. On that same night, she accidentally went into the men's restroom and met Hyun Jin Hun, a somewhat callous fellow but sometimes considerate guy. By sheer coincidence, Jin Hun needs a baker for his restaurant Bon Appetit and Sam Soon is unemployed. Sam Soon is hired as the restaurant's chief baker and the two fights like cat and dog. Nevertheless, they started to have feeling for each other and Sam Soon agreed to post as Jin Hun's girlfriend so his mother would leave him alone. Things got complicated when Jin Hun's ex-girlfriend Yoo Hee Jin came back from the States intending to win him back.

This drama has been on my list of dramas-to-watch for quite a while and I finally got to it. :) Since today's the last day of my summer break (school starts again tomorrow!), I decided to just relax because once school starts, school is life. It's a pretty cute movie but with some stereotypical characteristics (i.e. a guy and girl who get together because they'll "never" be together, an illness, love triangles and squares) but on the other side, it's tweaked a bit.

For instance, the main female lead isn't one of those obviously pretty and slim females who turn heads wherever she goes. She's slightly plump and 30 years-old and she has an attitude to go alone with it. Of course, she's also pretty as well and it's not like she has rolls or anything, just a little squish. Then there's the 27 year-old male lead who's just great to look at and owns a high-class restaurant, where all of the female staff have a crush on him. Honestly, Jin Hun's ex looks more like the stereotypical "other half" but anyway, I like this inconsistency. :) The romance grows gradually and it's really cute and funny and there are several funny constants throughout the drama like the men's restroom, a certain blind date that is always interupted by Jin Hun... Ah yes, and English is also spoken in the drama, and it's not the Korean-accented English either and it's not only one small conversation but entire scenes were filled with it.

Anyway, even though it's a drama with all the usual things in it, it hooked me in it and I ended up finishing it in two days. I highly enjoyed it and I thought the acting and the chemistry was there.

You can watch it here.
Picture taken from here.

L-O-V-E

L-O-V-E (Ai Dao Di/愛到底), or here, is a 2009 Taiwanese romance film. It stars a large cast including Van Fan, Megan Lai, Blue Lan Zheng Long, Annie Liu Xin You, Ethan Ruan, Alice Tzeng, Tracy Zhou Cai Shi, Alec Su, Ken Zhu, Wang Zi, and Modi. The summary is as follows:

L-O-V-E contains four short films centered around love.

Determined to look after his girlfriend if he dies on the operating table, the terminally ill Van Fan searches for a man who has exactly the same voice as he has to take his place.

Blue Lan, a reticent music video director, re-encounters old flame Annie Liu and realizes a car accident has erased her memories of their love.

Movie stuntman Ethan Ruan dashes out the door after a lover’s spat with his flight attendant girlfriend, Alice Tzeng.

Plain homebody Tracy Chou turns to a fortune-teller for love advice, who tells her she’ll meet six guys sporting bangs with the last being Mr Right.

Like the summary says, the film consists of four stories that have to do with love. I pretty much refer to it as the Taiwanese version of the British film, Love Actually - except all the stories are completely independent and not interconnected in any way to the other stories. Each story starts out with it's title, starting with 三聲有幸 (3 voices, good fortune), 連命都不要的人 (People Who Don't Care About Their Lives), 幸運 (Lucky), and ending 第六號劉海男生 (The Sixth Guy With Bangs). A more elaborate synopsis of all stories can be found at Asian Fanatics. I actually thought the first one was sweet, the second one rather painful and bittersweet, the third one confusing and somewhat pointless, and the fourth one pushing the line into "over the top" but amusing and sort of frustrating, nonetheless. :) I would have liked it better if the stories were all interconnected since this way, it seemed like just a compilation of stories about love written by four completely different writers - you know, sort of like those books that compile short stories by different writers on certain genres like horror, etc.

I say it was all right - showing all the different facets of love and what it may mean to be in love.

You can watch it here.

Zeni Geba

Zeni Geba (銭ゲバ) is a 2009 Japanese drama a bit on the tragic side of the spectrum starring Matsuyama Kenichi, Saito Ryusei, Mimura, Kinami Haruka, and Miyagawa Daisuke. The synopsis is as follows:

Gamagori Futaro has been poor since the day he was born. As a child his recklessly wasteful and abusive father sunk the family into debt and disappeared, leaving Futaro and his sick mother to fend for themselves. With no money to pay for medical treatment for his ailing mother, she eventually died. After her death Futaro became obsessed with money and willing to do anything for it. Several years pass and Futaro finds himself working at "Mikuni Shipbuilding" where he meets the company president's daughters Midori, who was his former classmate, and her younger sister Akane, who is disabled, and like Futaro, has a scarred face. In a plot to acquire their fathers company, Futaro begins to get close the sisters...

The plot is rather dark, focusing on money and how much it controls people - after all, nothing's free in this world (one of my mother's favorite things to say to me). Matsuyama, who is one of my favorite actors, plays someone who grew up in poverty with a father who didn't deserve to be called as such and a loving mother who died because they did not have enough money to pay for her medication or any other medical services. Because of the circumstances he was under, he soon realized that money was "everything" and instead of most other characters who still sees good in most everything, this particular character went the opposite direction, doing anything for money, thinking that while doing so, he had gotten one up over money, when in reality, it had taken control of him and beat him at his own game.

One main thing: Matsuyama plays a character that could be considered evil and twisted. I heard of that and with his acting skills, I decided I must watch it. Even though some people are killed throughout the drama, it's not graphic at all though it's implied. I wasn't disappointed. I watched and finished all 9 episodes in one day (today, in fact) and it was great. It was slightly disturbing seeing Matsuyama who was once L, someone who lived for justice, play someone whose morals were twisted and stripped to nothing. What was also interesting was the way some shots were shown upside-down and sideways, perhaps alluding to his own warped ideals and some of the shots had him in light and in shadow, perhaps displaying his two sides: his potential and the reality.

It all came together in the last episode when the "what if" scenario is shown, portraying all the people he encountered in 'reality' where he grew up poor in different circumstances when they're all middle-class. Watching the drama was like having the message that "money isn't everything" pounded into me; good thing I prefer simplicity and I truly dislike shopping. The music soundtrack was sort of over-dramatic at times so it sort of bothered me, but oh well. Either way, I highly enjoyed it - and the acting (not only from Matsuyama).

You can watch it at DramaCrazy and MySoju. :)
Picture taken from here.

Give Love

Give Love (愛得起) is a 2009 Hong Kong romance film, with a smidge of comedy and a good bit of drama thrown into the mix. It stars Gigi Leung, Wilson Chen, and Shao Bing. The summary is as follows [taken from MySoju]:

Gigi Leung stars as Leslie Chan, a marketing manager who has your usual movie romantic problems. In the opening scene, she meets airline employee Yutong (Wilson Chen), who is immediately smitten, but he’s so bookish and shy that he can only privately vow to woo her if he ever sees into her again. His chance arrives one year later when she fortuitously comes to stay with him in his Hong Kong apartment. The problem: she’s newly-married to his brother Hilton (Mainland star Shao Bing), meaning she’s technically unavailable. However, a cutaway to China shows Hilton getting it on with his over-emotional secretary, meaning that Yutong should now have a chance with his houseguest, who’s becoming a distraction already because she likes to wander around the apartment in short shorts and high heels. She also acts in a girlish sitcom manner that would charm any fan of Meg Ryan movies. How can Yutong resist?

I decided I had been ignoring the Chinese entertainment industry for too long - not to mention I'm starting to forget all the Chinese I learned. Not good. Anyway, this movie sounded like an interesting romance that might entertain me for an hour or two. It turned out to be a chick flick of a sort - not saying it's bad. Chick flicks aren't quite my things but having a dose once in a (very long) while is nice. The main female acted way too much like a socialite who liked getting what she wanted and annoyed the heck out of me (hence why it's a chick flick). She also has her moments, though. On the other end of the spectrum is the guy who is rather mature and serious, believing in responsibility - a gentleman in all aspects, but perhaps more timid. He was sweet but I thought he should have been more aggressive, just a smidge. I believe that her feelings for him could have been more developed - it sort of appeared, then stayed.

All in all, I did enjoy it while I watched it, but thinking about it, it lacked some depth. It got the required reactions out of me (i.e. amusement, laughter) and had the ups and downs but I wasn't really moved within it. I do find, however, that I like how HK movies usually utilize both Cantonese as well as Mandarin - or at least that's how it seems in the movies I've watched. I also find the random sprinkling of English humorous and I wonder if that's really how people in Hong Kong talk. Anyway... I'd say if you had a couple of hours to waste, watch it. It's not bad, but not incredible either. In fact, I'd say it's just like another chick flick. No offense. :)

You can watch it here.

Sukoshi Wa, Ongaeshi ga Dekitakana

Sukoshi wa, Ongaeshi ga Dekitakana (少しは、恩返しができたかな) is a 2006 tanpatsu based on a true story. It stars Ninomiya Kazunari, Otake Shinobu, Murata Takehiro, Ikewaki Chizuru, Katsuji Ryo, and Takahashi Issei. The summary is as follows:

Kitahara Kazunori was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in the fall of his second year in high school, and thereafter spent a year and ten months battling the disease. Although he studied hard for the university examinations and was successfully admitted to his first choice, [the prestigious] Tokyo University, he only managed to visit it for a day before passing away. After that, last January [i.e. 2005], Kazunori's mother compiled the thoughts he had left behind and published it as a book, and it was adapted into this drama. Even as Kazunori had to fight his serious illness, he received support from his friends, school teachers, and family members, and had warm relations with many people. This drama illustrated the 1 year and 10 months young Kazunori persevered together with the people around him.

I actually came across this drama-movie when I was browsing through Asian Fanatics and came across this "article" on Actors That Brings Tears to Audiences and the person who posted it made a comment on how this particular drama did it quite well and how Ninomiya definitely deserved a place on the list. I happen to like watching dreadfully depressing things, and so I had to watch it. I'm actually amazed at how young Nino appeared in the drama when he was in his early 20s when it was filmed, but there you go. It was touching, moving, sweet and sort of reminded me of 1 Litre of Tears except the terminally ill person is male. There is no romance involved though. However, what I liked was how half of it showed what the family members (and friends) were going through - usually, these types of things focus on the patient whereas the other players in his/her life is sort of a side story. Well, it's not like the family dominated, but it showed a little more than usual.

Not to mention it seems like Nino actually sacrificed all his hair for a majority of this movie.

The bad thing is that this is not available streaming online. It once was but the fansubbers threatened to stop giving their services if random people just shared it out like that... so I had to go download the torrent. I hate doing that ever since I downloaded so many dramas that my harddrive... was no longer the same. Anyway, you can download it here.

Watching these dramas makes me wonder if all terminally ill patients are really this generous and kind or is it done this way for the drama's sake. Perhaps, though. After all, staring at death may change some people.

Sweet and Sour "Chicken"

I have been craving Sweet and Sour anything. Actually, no. Not ANYTHING. Being a semi-vegetarian (with my only exception being sushi), it's hard to find sweet and sour anythings besides tofu. I love tofu and all, but sometimes, I'd like something harder for my teeth actually be of use... and soy protein. And so... I saw a recipe online using Boca's chik'n nuggets and I found a pretty good recipe for a sweet and sour sauce and I merged them together...

Sweet and Sour [Faux] Chicken
About 3 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package (~10 oz.) of veggie chicken nuggets (or any other veggie meat)
• About 2 cups of assorted vegetables (broccoli, red bell pepper, carrots, water chestnuts...)
• 8 oz. of [fresh or canned] diced pineapple

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1/3 cup of white or rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 4 teaspoons water
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bake the nuggets as directed on the package. Stir-fry your vegetables for a couple of minutes, then add the pineapple (drained, if you bought canned ones), and continue to cook until done. Add the fully baked nuggets to the vegetables. If you plan on eating it with rice, you can start cooking it now, as well.
   
2. In a small sauce pan, mix together the vinegar, sugar, ketchup and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Stir in the corn starch mixture in order to thicken the sauce and cook for another minute.
   
3. Pour the sauce onto the cooked vegetable (and pineapple) and nugget mixture and stir around to coat.
   

PERSONAL NOTES/COMMENTS:

• Since I'm a college student, I brought a 16 oz. bag of frozen, assorted vegetables as well as a can of pineapples. It took me approximately 20 minutes to cook. I stir fried my vegetables with about a tablespoon of canola oil and baked my nuggets instead of sticking them into the microwave. Ah yes - I used the Morningstar brand of nuggets (10 1/2 oz.) instead because they were on sale AND I had a coupon for them.
  
• I used a little more than 1/3 cup of vinegar, probably close to 1/2 cup of vinegar, in the sauce and I adjusted the rest of the ingredients by tasting it periodically. It ended up being the perfect amount for my veggies.
  
• On the original recipe for the sauce, it's noted that using rice vinegar makes the sauce taste better. I can say that I loved the end product. Perfect tang and sweetness. ^_^
  

My first attempt with it still in the wok. And yes, there is a reason why I'm not a professional photographer of any sort. Plus, the quality of my camera isn't all that good... But it does the job. ^_^

Chocolate [Thai]

Chocolate (ช็อคโกแลต), a review, review2 from someone who watched it at the premiere in Bangkok, is a 2008 Thai martial arts movie; it's also the first Thai movie I've ever watched. It stars Nicharee Yanin "Jeeja" Vismistananda, Ammara Siripong, Hiroshi Abe, and Pongpat Wachirabunjong. The synopsis is as follows (taken from here, which also has the movie trailer):

‘Chocolate’ stars newcomer Nicharee “Jeeja” Vismistananda as an autistic girl who learns how to fight both by absorbing her martial arts skills from what she sees on TV and from the Muay thai boxing school next to her home. When she finds a list of debtors in her sick mother’s diary, she decides to go collecting. Her quest leads her to confrontations with criminal gangs and also her father, a member of the Japanese mafia.

First off, I like organised crime organisations - not that I want to join one or anything. I just like watching the interactions, not to mention they usually involve butt-kicking. This movie had that. Another factor that lured me in was I had never watched a Thai movie before. I have a couple of Thai friends and my hair cutter person is ethnic Chinese who was born in Thailand, but I guess I never got around to it. Another interesting thing is that Hiroshi Abe was in it and I wanted to see how his Thai was (never mind the fact that I don't know how it's supposed to be). Ah yes, I'm also really big on medical conditions and the main character is diagnosed with autism. A really big thing that led me to this movie, however, was a friend who was at Hollywood Video and saw the DVD cover of Chocolate and decided we looked alike with his other friend who was with him, then proceeded to send the picture to me with the caption "I didn't know you acted in movies." O_o The cover had those usual quotes from that basically told me it was a martial arts flick and I saw the really strange title: Chocolate. I looked it up online and it got pretty good reviews and so the hunt began.

First off, the "English" subtitles were really bad, even though it was supposedly ripped off a DVD. Thing is, the English was all grammatically wrong and I swear that half the time, instead of English, there would be Mandarin Chinese pinyin. Good thing I know pinyin. After I got over the horrendous subs, it was great. :) The plot's pretty sweet (Possible spoilers: The girl's mom has a relationship with the dad who's a member of the yakuza, then because of her mom's jealous mobster boyfriend, tells the dad to return to Japan. They still exchange letters. The jealous ex tries to get back at her while the mom is diagnosed with cancer so the girl and her adoptive brother goes out to collect money from people who owed a debt to their mom in order to get enough money for treatment. Then there's the showdown "battle" at the end where her dad shows up just in time for and they meet for the first time.) and the fighting that goes on is neat. I mean those noises and the scene at the meat butchery?? ^_^ Either way, I definitely enjoyed this movie. It had action AND a plot. Not to mention the butt-kicker is FEMALE and according to all the butt-kicking I saw, she knows her stuff.

While the captions roll, there are behind the scene clips that show you how the action scenes led to a good amount of injuries all around. They earn my respect and attention. I wonder if it's a common thing for Thai action movies...

This is actually not available streaming online (I know, 'cause I checked and I was THIS CLOSE to buying it online but I ended up not - I hate the shipping and handling) so I ended up downloading the torrent here. I also had a problem with the subs playing until I downloaded VobSub, then it worked perfectly - well, at least there were subs though they could have been better...

Picture taken from here.

Dream

Dream (Bi Mong/비몽), review, is a 2008 Korean film of the supernatural kind. It stars Joe Odagiri, Lee Na Young, Park Ji Ah, and Kim Tae Hyun. The summary is as follows:

Jin wakes up from a nightmare of a traffic accident. It drives him to the very spot where a real accident took place. He follows the police to the suspect’s home and watches as Ran denies the hit-and-run accusation since she was asleep the entire night. Jin explains his dream to them and asks to be charged instead. The police dismiss him and arrest Ran. Jin is convinced that there’s an unexplainable connection between the two. They discover that when he dreams, she acts out his dream in her sleep.

I decided to watch this mainly because it sounded interesting - I mean, a sleepwalker acts out someone elses' dream? It started out tame enough, when we're first introduced to it, but once the two interacts more with one another and they even make a futile attempt to stay awake at all times, in an attempt to stop the dreams, it gets more intense. There seems to be an underlying message that's hidden pretty deep down, with a statement (白黑同色; 'black and white are the same colors'), blending together what's reality and what's fantasy. Towards the middle, there was some graphic self-torture, akin to the Saw movies though not quite to that extent (in short, it may be disturbing to some viewers) that may bring this movie towards more mature audiences, among other issues that are portrayed.

However, if you're looking for something with a clear-cut conclusion, this is not a movie for you. It sort of raises more questions and makes you think at the end. It is a bit of a roller coaster though, with twists and turns, as well as additional puzzle pieces. In the end, there's a sort of tragic romance feel to it that sort of reminded me of Butterfly Lovers, a movie about the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet - but don't get me wrong. This movie's dark and provocative and has a high possibility to be confusing; I mean, Odagiri speaks Japanese throughout the entire movie - he's the ONLY one to speak Japanese in the entire movie - and no one seems to notice. On the other side, the acting was pretty good. :)

You can watch it here.