Baby and I (Movie)

As Zazi so aptly pointed out, I really don't have anything better to do that watch dramas and write about them. Mostly because I've been putting off packing for college. So here's another one

I originally decided to watch this movie just because it had Jang Geun-suk in it. I excpected it to be a lot like the manga, Aishteruze Baby. Cute and entertaining, but not something I'd devote too much time to.

I started watching it this afternoon while eating my lunch of a small sandwich, blueberries, and a granola bar (holy god, I hate dieting. When I say small, I mean small. Like, it was on a freaking dinner roll). The first scene involved Geun-suk's character, Han Joon-su, running around looking for someone to breast feed this baby, Woo-ram (played by Mason Moon). And the baby replied to Geun-suk's exclaimation of why couldn't he just drink formula (or so I thought at the time). I'm sure you can imagine my face. Talking baby? Breast obsession? What the hell was this movie about?

Turns out it was about a troublemaker high school kid that get's a mysterious (and effing adorable, I must say) baby dumped on him by an unknown person, after his parents "run away" to teach him a lesson. There were also the necessary side plots of a girl with a crush on him, his friend's sick mom, and the super gay momma's boy getting bested by the girl that had a crush on him.

For most of the movie, Joon-su is meerly trying to survive with this baby. Surviving includes getting kicked out of school, "accidently" leaving said baby on the train, and getting arrested for trying to steal a guy's wallet because he ran out of money. After all this, his parents finally come home from their vacation, find out about the baby, and agree to help take care of it and get him back into school. But, surprise of all surprises, the baby gets sick. While the baby is sick, Joon-su finds out that it isn't really his baby. It's his friend's (the one with the sick mom). He dumped the baby on Joon-su so it could have a better life. Predictably, Joon-su gets mad, gives the baby back, and pretends not to miss him. Eventually, the friend decides to give the baby up for adoption. Of course this leads to a touching airport scene where Joon-su begs for his baby back, screaming and crying. I was all ready to be sad and tear up, but lo and behold, he gets the baby back.

The movie is actually a lot more interesting than it seems. It was really cute and funny. And in case you were wondering, the baby doesn't really talk. What you get to hear are his thoughts. Which are by far the funniest part of the movie.

As for the characters, they're pretty typical, but interesting. Kim Byoel, the girl with a crush on Joon-su, is some super genius with eight brothers and sisters. Joon-su is a typical rebel rich kid. Woo-ram (the baby) is the most adorable baby ever. He is why I want asian babies. Not because I like asian men (though I do, I sure sure do), but because they're just cuter than white babies, or any other race of baby for that matter. Look, I have proof!

That's baby Mason! CUTEST THING EVER! He's even the MC of the Korean show "Good Daddy". Ok, granted, he's only half asian. But that means if I marry an asian, my kids will be this adorable. And I totally just became a fan of him on Facebook, just so you know.

 

The Case of Itaewon Homicide (Movie) and my latest obsession

So this morning I watched The Case of Itaewon Homicide, starring one of my now favorite actors.

It opens with a really graphic scene of murder in the bathroom of a burger place in Itaewon (a district of Seoul) and develops into basically a Korean Law and Order. There are two suspects, Pearson (played by Jang Geun-suk), an American born mexican/korean with really horrible corn rows and AJ (played by Shin Seung-hwan), a Korean-American brought to Korea by his father for getting in trouble.

At first, everyone thinks it's Pearson, because of his gangsta-like appearance and near sociopathy. Then it looks like it's AJ. Of course, they finger each other for the crime. The prosecution (played by Jeong Jin-Yeong) goes after AJ and after a lengthy trial he ends up with life in prison. Pearson does a year for possession and witholding of evidence.

But it doesn't end there. AJ's father (played by Ko Chang-Seok), still ever convinced of his son's innocence, brings the case to the Supreme Court, where AJ's conviction is over-turned. Pearson get's pardoned two months before the end of his sentence and high-tails it back to America after gettig rid of those corn rows (thank god). The case itself goes unsolved, much to the victim's family's dispair. I, personally, think AJ did it. He was whiny and obnoxious and, as Shakespeare famously wrote, "the lady (or man I guess) doth protest too much, me thinks".

After watching and reading the comments on DramaCrazy, I did some digging into the background of this movie. Turns out it was based on a true story. On April 3, 1997, a college student was stabbed 9 times in the bathroom of a Burger King in Itaewon. This case also went unsovled and in 2012 it'll be closed officially. That makes me sad. I am a firm beleiver in the justice system, and the fact that it failed for that poor family really ticks me off. I hope something comes up before then.

Anyway, on to my review. For a cut and dry mystery flick, it was pretty good. There was a nice amount of suspense and the do-gooder in any viewer's heart will rear it's ugly head when AJ gets aquitted. The characters are very unsypathetic, as they are meant to be. You really end up hating AJ and his daddy's boy attitude and Pearson, while creep-tastic, is a tad more likeable. I give it four stars. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty damn good. I reccomend it highly if you like crime dramas.



On a side note, I'm really starting to like Jang Geun-suk. At first, when I saw him in You're Beautiful, I didn't like him all that much. He was aattractive, but not much more than average and his character was a bit of a douche. Then, all of a sudden in the episode where Mi Nyu and Tae Kyung get lost, he smiled. And I heard angels sing. I don't know what it is, but that smile. It's the most adorable thing ever. Here, see for yourself.

I don't know what it is about it, but it's the most adorable smile ever. And later on, in the episode with the pig, he does this scrunchy angry face thing, which is just as cute.

And thus, my obsession was born. We'll add him in with Kim Jae Wook, Gackt, and Changmin (Max)  from DBSK.

You're Beautiful (Series, 16 ep)

Ok. I will not put off posting on this blog. I promise. In honor of that promise, my very first post will be today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today.

Also, while this is a long series, it will only be in one post. I refuse to go back ep by ep, since I already finished it. I'll try to make it short.

 So, I recently finished watching the korean drama "You're Beautiful". It was recommended to me by a friend (Thanks, Larxy!) and supported by the ADORABLE piggy-rabbit plush her friend made for our table at PCC.

Anyway, the basic plot is just like every other drama, with the additions of a nun and an idol group.

The nun, Go Mi Nyu (played by Park Shin Hye), or Gemma, as her fellow nuns call her is shanghai-ed by her twin brother, Go Mi Nam's, manager to crossdress and pretend to be him while he has corrective plastic surgery in the states. Of course, she falls for the main guy, the "Leader" of the idol group, Hwang Tae Kyung (layed by Jang Geun Suk). And of course, the other guys, Jeremy and Kang Shin Woo, fall for her. Unlike other dramas, the only one that doesn't know she's a girl is poor Jeremy, who didn't have a chance to begin with.

To make a long story short, Mi Nyu falls for Tae Kyung, while Shin Woo falls for Mi Nyu, and of course doesn't say anything until he realizes she likes Tae Kyung and Tae Kyung likes her back, even if he doesn't know it.

Normally, I would find that kind of plot over-used and obnoxious. But whoever wrote and directed this actually did it right. There was suspense, and a lot of drama. Tae Kyung, Shin Woo, and Jeremy were not your typical perfect pretty boys. Shin Woo actually stuck up for himself in the end, and didn't just step back and let his love walk all over him. He actually did something about it. And Tae Kyung wasn't all nice and perfect. He had a bad attitude to the very end that made you want to punch him in the ballsack. All of the drama he caused made the end just so much more satisfying. They (meaning Mi Nyu and Tae Kyung) didn't completly get together until, literally, the last five minutes of the last episode.

I will admit, all the drama and bullshit actually made me cry. Like, flat out cry. Multiple times. I never do that. I haven't since I was like...five or something. I think it was mostly out of frustration about what a stupid ass Tae Kyung was, and how sorry I felt for Shin Woo. But nonetheless, I cried. Which to you should mean that this was a good drama. The characters were loveable, and Jang Geun Suk was even more of a (loveable and cute, I mean seriously, have you seen him smile?) creep than he was in Itaewon Homicide. I give this drama five stars. Go watch it. Now.

On a side note, I'm still waiting for a drama where the poor, loveable, side character guy with good intentions actually gets the girl.