A New Wave of Talent: Discovering the Rising Stars of South Korea
Are you dead tired from this week’s exams at school, or piles of paperwork at the office, or chores at home? How would you like to spend a few hours to just relax and watch some fantasy movies this weekend?
I would have picked comedies but I just can’t resist this genre. I feel that movies of this type capture the writers' and the directors' creative imaginations, and thus should give viewers an enticing and artistic watching experience. Here are the three that I’m recommending:
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Description: Sung-Hyun, who just moved into ' Il Mare ' receives a strange letter. The letter is from a young woman in the year 1999, two years from the present. Her predictions about the past are amazingly accurate. Her warning about a flurry of snow on a certain day in January of 1998 and the ensuing flu virus turns out to be true. Eun-Joo is convinced that her letter has traveled back in time to December of 1997 and starts writing regularly to her new found pen pal. A professional voice actor, Eun-Joo asks Sung-Hyun to find her long lost cassette recorder at a train station. Sung-Hyun goes to the train station and gets a glimpse of Eun-Joo, who of course, has no idea who he is.
Why you should give this a chance:
I had a hard time looking for an English subbed Il Mare trailer (this was, after all, a movie from 12 years ago), much less a trailer that would have at least described a part of its story line. But here I’ll try to ask you: what would you do if you constantly received letters from a person claiming to be two years in the future? Would you be willing to know this person? How far would you go?
Il Mare shows the correspondence of Sung-Hyun and Eun-Joo through letters time-traveling into the past and the future, and how Sung-Hyun, through this correspondence, finally develops feelings for Eun-Joo. How will he pursue her?
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Description: Twelve-year-old Mei meets Jie, a new student at her school. Both of them are lonely, reclusive, and feel like outsiders in their own lives. Through befriending one another, they form a bond and run away into the mountains. They are leaving in search of that piece of a puzzle missing from their lives - only to find that, perhaps, they have been the missing pieces to each other's puzzle all along. (Based on the book by Jimmy Liao)
Starry Starry Night is a growing up/coming of age movie, as seen through the eyes of 13-year-old Mei who tries to cope with her family’s situation. Mei’s recluse is the starry nights at her grandfather’s cottage and the art that comes to life through her vivid imagination. She befriends Jay, a transfer student who has his own story to tell and by this, Mei learns to appreciate what she has and continue to grow…
Do you like art? This movie has art beautifully intertwined with its story line. Give it a shot. :)
Description: Twelve-year-old Mei meets Jie, a new student at her school. Both of them are lonely, reclusive, and feel like outsiders in their own lives. Through befriending one another, they form a bond and run away into the mountains. They are leaving in search of that piece of a puzzle missing from their lives - only to find that, perhaps, they have been the missing pieces to each other's puzzle all along. (Based on the book by Jimmy Liao)
Why you should give this a chance:
Starry Starry Night is a growing up/coming of age movie, as seen through the eyes of 13-year-old Mei who tries to cope with her family’s situation. Mei’s recluse is the starry nights at her grandfather’s cottage and the art that comes to life through her vivid imagination. She befriends Jay, a transfer student who has his own story to tell and by this, Mei learns to appreciate what she has and continue to grow…
Do you like art? This movie has art beautifully intertwined with its story line. Give it a shot. :)
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Genre: Action, Romance, Fantasy
Description: A young peasant girl, desperate for food, makes a promise with a mysterious woman. The woman promises the small girl all the riches she desires, but in return, she will never be with the man she loves. Many years pass, and the woman is rescued by a slave in Warlord's armour, after plunging from atop her palace. She falls for the mysterious man, but a case of mistaken identity, and her obligation to the promise she made many years before leads herself and her heroes into trouble.
The premise for this movie is clear and can be found at the very beginning. Qingcheng made a promise to the Goddess Manshen in exchange for what the goddess had to offer but listen carefully; there is a catch in that offer! Qingcheng’s life is that of suffering and will only start to change as soon as she falls for the right man.
If you’re the type who likes fighting and breathtaking scenes in the background of a developing romance, The Promise captures that for you.
Wu Ji (The Promise)
Genre: Action, Romance, Fantasy
Description: A young peasant girl, desperate for food, makes a promise with a mysterious woman. The woman promises the small girl all the riches she desires, but in return, she will never be with the man she loves. Many years pass, and the woman is rescued by a slave in Warlord's armour, after plunging from atop her palace. She falls for the mysterious man, but a case of mistaken identity, and her obligation to the promise she made many years before leads herself and her heroes into trouble.
Why you should give this a chance:
The premise for this movie is clear and can be found at the very beginning. Qingcheng made a promise to the Goddess Manshen in exchange for what the goddess had to offer but listen carefully; there is a catch in that offer! Qingcheng’s life is that of suffering and will only start to change as soon as she falls for the right man.
If you’re the type who likes fighting and breathtaking scenes in the background of a developing romance, The Promise captures that for you.
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There you have it! Tell me what you think of these movies or if you have seen similar ones. Recommend them as I’d love to watch them too!
Do you like fantasy movies too? Or would you like to recommend movies of a different genre? MDL’s weekend movie picks section would love to hear from you. Please, PM Skye for details!
There you have it! Tell me what you think of these movies or if you have seen similar ones. Recommend them as I’d love to watch them too!
Do you like fantasy movies too? Or would you like to recommend movies of a different genre? MDL’s weekend movie picks section would love to hear from you. Please, PM Skye for details!
