Seven Days - 세븐데이즈

I saw this film last night, and wanted to write a review for it. I've been buying a lot of films lately but haven't been watching them. So i'm trying to catch up. Anyway, i saw this yesterday. Kim Yoon-Jin (김윤진)plays a lawyer who has her daughter kidnapped. As ransom she has to prove a man innocent of a rape and murder, and she has less than seven days to do it. A friend of hers who's a cop {played by Park Hee-soon (박희순)} notices her strange behavior and knows there's a problem. So she tells him and he helps her as much as she can. As she looks for evidence she starts to think maybe the man wasn't the murderer after all. But the mother of the victim {played by Kim Mi-Sook (김미숙) knows he's the man responsible and hates Yun-Jin's character for being his lawyer. There were some parts of the film that i thought were a bit too much, especially when her daughter is kidnapped and she starts to look for her. At some points they use dissolves to transition from shot to shot while the camera is handheld. I thought it gave a too much of a dizzying affect that they wanted the audience to feel as Yoon-Jin might have during that time, but i think they could have had the same effect without the dissolves. But that's just my opinion. As word starts to spread that Yoon-Jins's character is now representing the defendant one of her rivals is appointed as the prosecution. As in Korean movies there are always plot twists and this is where the first one happens. Evidence proves that there were more people involved than originally thought.
As this happens she gets phone calls periodically through out the film from the Kidnappers telling her the condition of her daughter. Who gets sick while she's kidnapped and need of medical attention and threaten to let her die. Once she finds the evidence, the twist is revealed but this film has more than one. The second is at the very end of the film, when she proved the man innocent and has found her daughter. If you read some of my other reviews you know i don't like to give away too much information. I rather let the viewer find out for themselves. Where as i'm the opposite, I like to know the ending to films or TV shows before i watch them.

태양은 없다!!!

I finally did it!! i've been looking everywhere for this film and i found it on Friday after my tutoring with Vicky Whoo Hoo!!!
Anyway i was only able to find a VHS copy of the film and it had no Subtitles. As i watched the film I could totally see why Kimmy loves him (she's my first Korean tutor who now lives in Korea), anyway as i watched it. It reminded me of some of his earlier films like Born to Kill and Beat. How they show young men struggling in life, it actually has me wondering about how my life will be when i move to Korea next June. I hope it's not as hard for me as it was for them. I do understand the lonely feeling they had from my short experience in Korea.

씨네21

Yesterday i was meeting a friend of mine for some Korean tutoring. When I showed her a magazine i had bought in Korea. I showed her some pics of Jeong Doo Hong (i've already posted them on this site) that were in the magazine and ones i took when i met him. He was wearing the same thing, i told her that i was there for the interview he had in the magazine. She started to laugh. then i told her to look through the magazine to see if they mention me.

She did and told me that they did, she read me the article and told me what it meant. then i had to read it back to her for my Korean lesson.

다찌마와 리 -- Dachimawa Lee

It's about 11:30pm here in Korea on Aug 17. Anway i just saw 다찌마와 리 and wanted to talk aobut it before i went to sleep. This is Ryoo Seung-Wan's newest film. My Korean speaking abality is rahter low, so most of the jokes went over my head. This film is silly, and kinda confused me at the end, but that's my fault for not knowing Korean. Anyway the film takes place during the 40's, and is suppose to be an omage, to old 60's/70's spy films. The film is dubbed with the actual actor voice to give it that werid slight off sync look. As it goes: Dachimawa Lee is a spy, and his partner gets killed on a solo mission. He then given the assingment to finish the job. While he retrieve his orders he is given a new partner who falls in love with him. When he starts to feel the same way about his new partner he falls head first into his assingment, he actually does. When he get the stolen treasure his partner his partner is killed and he loses all his memories. A woman finds him and takes him in, where he runs into a trobule (someone he met earlier). He then becomes a "one arm swordsmen", only because his arm is in a sling. He regains his memories and finishes his job only to find out that there is a tratior in the organization. That's where things get complicated for me, i don't want to give the film away. I want you to see it for your self. It seems his partner knew about the traitor and had to fake their death.
But it's very funny with Im Won-Hee looking perfect for the part. To me his face looks perfect for a film from the 60's/70's and leading ladies Kong Hyo-Jin and Park Si-Yoen

Olympic Games

In honor of the Olympic Games i thought i should talk about the Olympic Games and what better way for that then for me to go to the Korean Olympic Stadium.
Korean love sports as it is apparent in their clothing. Almost everyone (young people) have on MLB baseball caps, which i have a suspision are fake unless they're only licenced here in Korea.

Their favorite athelete is Park Tae Whan (박태환). I think it's funny how they have other Atheletes winning gold medals like the Archery teams both men and women. Even when Choi Min Ho won Korea's first gold medal in this Olympic games they didn't make as big a deal about it as Park's. The other funny thing is they kept talking about how hard he's training to beat Michael Phelps. The funny thing also is when they swam against eachother in the prelims Park came in first but didn't break Phelps' record. Also when he won the 200 meter freestyle he didn't break Phelpls' record either. When i made a comment to a friend how i think Michael Phelps is faster becasue he still holds the world record she said she didn't care because Park won. Anyway i think they're making way too much of a big deal for him.

Choi Min Ho (최민호), congratulations dude.

Jeong Doo Hong is the MAN

I mentioned a few days ago that I met Jeong Doo Hong. Well he made a phone call and arranged a meeting with me and Hong Kyong Pyo. I looked him up online before i met him and didn't find much, now that i already met him to told me to look under his "english" name and i did. Now I know why Jeong Doo Hong called Hong Kong Pyo. I mentioned to him that I liked one of his lines in the Korean film the Champion (챔피언) where he's drinking and they talk about why the lead character was called "dog" when he was younger, it's halirous. He mentioned a few times to me how lucky i am because he doesn't meet with people for interviews. He told me he usually goes by word of mouth form his crew.But since Jeong Doo Hong called him he would hire me. When we started talking about all the Korean films i know he asked me if I was Korean American, i told him no that i was Mexican American and he asked if i was sure. I had lunch with his crew where i found out i was over dressed. Because I met another cinematographer in American named Man Sung Sun i was expecting a older bussiness man type. So i wore a button up shirt and Kakis, but saw everyone in cargo shorts and baseball caps. He asked if I had a resume or a demo reel. I had to tell him no, this was my first time in Korea and I was mainly doing sightseeing. I never actually expected to have meetings with people in the Korean film industry, except for the meeting Man Sung said he was going to arrange which hasn't happend yet. After we had lunch he took me back to his office, his crew were doing film test with the new Kodak vision III film. Which i thought was kinda funny because we had a small demo and disscussion in my photo theory class.
When we returned to his office, he had his crew assemble a camera to finish doing film tests. We talked a little more and he said he would hire me. That we would start shooting in September. But i told him i had plan to go back to chicago and finish school, she said to me that he never finished film school. I told him that it was important to my parents that i finish college. so he gave me his bussiness card along with his personal info to contact him when I done with school. He told me that there are so few directos/film makers in Korea. that they were all like one big family and that if i worked with him that I would meet everyone. When I return I hope to be albe to speak more Korean.
Now that i looked under his english name i see what films he's done and know a few of them. Here are a few pics from my collection that he filmed.
M - 엠
Taegukgi - 태극기 휘날리며
The Champion - 챔피언

Ellegarden

Even though i'm in Korea i heard some sad info. One of my favorite Bands is breaking up! Although they're staying together to finish all the concerts that they have planned till September. As i look at my itunes i see that I have "Mouse Molding" as my most played Ellegarden. I'm really going to miss them, no pun intended (they have a song called missing). Here are a few video from them

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Jeong Doo-hong (정두홍)

It wasn't easy but today i met my hero!!! it took me about five hours to find him. I was pretty bored, so i was going to try to go to Suwon today. When i said "Heck NO" I want to See Seoul Action School. Soo i looked at the address my friend Jini had given me. that took me all the way to Monk-Dong 목동 which is pretty far from where i'm staying. when I got there i just knew that i was in the wrong place or was i? when i looked at the subway map i saw a broadcasting studio and school on the map. But somehow deep inside i knew I was in the wrong place. I looked around and I was, but luckily on the map there was a location for a Language school. I went there hoping to find someone who could speak english and help me.
There were and they did, i had to get back on the subway and switch over to the green line, line #5 and get off a Hap Jung and then get on the 200 bus. It was another two hours away, then the bus driver told me the wrong gate to get off at. So I walked around the place, I later found Out that Director Park Chan Wook lived there. I met his parents while i was talking to Jeong Doo Hong. It would have been awesome if he was out walking with them at the time.

Park Chan Wook's House? I don't know!

Anway I kept walking around and couldn't find the place, so I asked these two guys I saw. but only after I found a pair of sunglasses on the road and asked if they were theirs since they were closet to it. they weren't so I kept them and then asked them for help. They showed me how to read the map, because (i only know how to read but not understand) it wasn't listed as Seould Action School. it was under martial arts center.

Anyway I found the school, i met him and we talked. He even had some of his stuntmen take me home, they did after we had dinner at Mr.Pizza


these next two clips are for george so he know who i'm talking about,
George you're soooo lame for not knowing who this guy is

KBO

One thing that i've been doing which really makes me a touris is buying anything that I can that says Korea. I've already been to Dongdaemun, Myundeong, Apeondong. Which are really famous shopping locations in Seoul but i haven't been able to find anything from KBO: Korean Baseball Organization. Which totally surprises me, almost everywhere you go you see peolple wearing MLB team hats espically San Francisco Giants which i recently got before i left from chicago. They have a department called MLB where they sell these hats (which i think are fake) but no KBO. When i ask for KBO they look at me like i'm crazy and say with a thick Korean accent "M-L-B". "ANI" i have to say back, then L G Twins, Busan Giants and they understand. While most of the sales men try to help me locate a place to find KBO products, they ask their managers. Which always seem so unimportant to them. They don't even look at the sales guy and just shake their heads no.

With the help of another friend (Hidy) i found out yesterday that baseball season was over and that today would be the all star game. She even told me which station i had to get off, any i decided to go to the stadium to look around. She had told me that the game started at 6:30pm. I got there at 3:30 and there were a lot of people already there. From my apartment i could see the stadium but never knew what it was. I thought it was a circus becasue it looks like a circus tent. Anyway i went and i was able to find the hat i was looking for. thinking it would be similar to a sox's or a cubs game i walked around because i wanted to see if i found someone selling jerseys. I didn't find any. so I got my hat instead which costed 49,000 won ($49 U.S.) because it was a limited edt. for the all star game.


I was glad to see people supporting their own country's sports teams. with it being sunday i couln't change any money because the banks were closed which really sucked because 100 feet away was a bank. with most of my money spent on the hat I only had 20,000 won left, I didn't feel like buying a ticket because i really wanted a jersey instead but I could only get one if i walked into the stadium but couldn't because I didn't have a ticket. I left with only my Incheon Wyverns hat and a free towel from new era.

I first heard of KBO because I saw pics of Bae Doo Na throwing the first pitch at a game.
http://trick1983.egloos.com/1447054

Korean Films

Since i'm here i think i might as well tell you (whoever's reading) my ten favorite Korean films so far. Other than number 1, umm maybe the first five. the rest are in no paticular order.

A Bittersweet Life - 달콤한 인생
A Dirty Carnival - 비열한 거리
Bungee Jumping of Their Own - 번지점프를 하다
Beat - 비트
Sympathy For Lady Vengeance -친절한 금자씨

The Host - 괴물Shiri - 쉬리
My Wife's A Gangster - 조폭마누라
Romantic Assassin - 낭만자객
Vampire Cop Ricky - 흡혈형사 나도열

More suspicions

As i mentioned the other day i had suspicions about the area that i'm staying in, especially at night. The other day while while to the store I saw a man who was pretty big (muscles) walking down the street with a very sexy woman. The man had on a short sleve shirt and i could see that he had japanese style tattoos on both his arms that went down to his wrist. The pic is not of him, i didn't think it would be a good move to ask the guy if i could take a pic of him especially if he was with a women. The following day i saw the same guy in fornt of my building and this time he had a friend with him. Not a women but another big looking guy also with a tatto on his arm. He didn't look too happy to see me either, he kinda had an expression on his face that read "What the Hell" so i didn't ask him either for a pic.

Every morning you can find these cards on the floor, the top right hand corner reads (massage). Now that i think about it I do remember a movie where a guy ordered a massage, but he was a gangster and he was trying to embaress the family that owed money. It was one of the opening scenes too. it was A Dirty Carnival - 비열한 거리

Also today as i was going down stairs to take a picture (more on that later), there was a guy waiting by the elevator. He looked like one of those gangsters from the films i watch all the time.


Except he had no tie and he had a stratch over his right eye that looked as if it was about three days old. Still kinda red but had already scabbed over. We both got on the elevator going down. He started to talk to one of the guys who was already on the elevator. When they got off i noticed that the other man also had a japanese style tattoo. I had now seen three different men with tattoos three days in a row. Today was the first day i felt as if i watch my back if you know what i mean. Also i'm starting to notice that people are starting to notice me a lot more. I guess i do stick out, if only there was a way for me to look more "Korean"

Shopping

So much money so many stores but so few banks, there aren't many banks that change money so you have to look around for the ones that have the sing above. I tried to change money yesterday but missed the bank by 5 mins. Banks close at 5pm, I could see peole inside still sitting at their windows but they would change my money. I had to return the next day, this time i was there by 10:30am i had to do some shopping. Which wasn't so bad for me because the store and the bank opend up at the same time at 10am. I actually got there sooner but was turned away. It turns out Korea passed a new law, you need to show your passport in order to change money. I thought it seemed kinda weird, i was in Mexico last month and they didn't ask to see my passport to change money. But these women were making phone calls confirming my stay in Korea. They asked when i arrived and when i was leaving. I asked if there was a problem and the lady in white (kim Seon Ah) replied there wasn't by saying "changie" meaning they were going to change my money. With that I was able to go on my marry way.

For the last week i've been living off of Forsted Flakes (not shown) and Aloe Water. that stuff is awesome. I first had some because of my uncle, he works alot in China town in Chicago. Sometimes they give him stuff. Anyway, i've been living on Tony the Tiger and Aloe Water. I really need to go shopping.

I went to the "Mart" that Kimmy had told me about, i've been there a few times now to buy water and Aloe water.Actualy as much as I love Aloe Water I love drinking anything that has flavor, i get so tired of drinking water and orange juice. so I bought some Lemonade and Strawberry Yogurt (drinkable) i also bought a bag of chips for a snack. I thought it was kinda funny juice, yogurt, water, and chips. They did have some SPAM that was looking mighty tasty. maybe i'll go back tomorrow and pick some up.


Kimmy didn't mention that it was also a department store, i thought it was kinda weird that it was in the basement of a building. they had an escalator that lead up, wondering where it went i found that it was also a department store. She did tell me that the building is closing by the end of August. They are remodeling the building, becasue of that it means that everything must go so everything is on sale. they have some Nike stuff that i'm debateing on getting or not. I can prpbably find that stuff in Chicago. so my main focus was to get whatever I could that said Korea. Also it was a chance to get some cool stuff for gifts instead of cheap souvenirs.


with most of my shopping done i went to another store SHINSEGAE. which is like a Nordstroms, there area is a little "different" across the street there are lots of resturants, bars, video rooms (not what you might think, you rent a room to watch major films like shiri, Dirty Carnival etc.). On the other side of that is another department store called Lotte world angain like Nordstorms. Anway in Shinsegae i was able to find what i really needed Peanut Butter. since i'm not eating a lot of meat and kimmy won't let me cook in the aprartmen I need protien.

There i also able to find some other things that I was looking for DVDs and CDs here's a few of what i picked up so far



with all the running around i did i was getting hungery but with none of my friends around to show me good Korean food I decided to get something I knew i would like

I went to Burger King and got a Double Whooper with cheese hhhmmmmm....
mmmmmeeeeeaaaattttt
the only thing that was disappointing was the small fries and drink that came with it. Come on man I'm American I need large especially if i'm paying eight bucks for the meal.