HanCinema Korean Movie and Drama Reviews

Despite the prominence of Irene in promotional material for "Double Patty" this really is Shin Seung-ho's movie. Which is fortunate, since Shin Seung-ho absolutely shines as the frankly dopey twenty-one year old traditional Korean wrestler Woo-ram. While Woo-ram has a fantastic physique, he has generally poor judgment- both of which are on full display in early setpieces where the musclehead finds himself working at a gay bar...More

In "Plus Nine Romance" four twenty-nine year old friends take stock of their love lives as they prepare to step into their fourth decade. The interlocked stories that follow detail these women as they try to figure out whether their relationships are worth keeping, discussing their frustrations candidly with each other but often not as effectively with their male partners. Whether the male partners deserve that much consideration, well...your mileage may vary...More

During the 19th year of King Gwangmu's reign, Empress Myeongseong a.k.a Queen Min, conspired with her kinsman Min Gyeom-ho and dethroned Prince Regent Daewongun, the ruling agent. In the nine years that followed, she killed all his subjects and took the throne, additionally abolishing all the policies and reforms set up by Daewongun, that aimed at the people's benefit. Instead, the palace and royal court indulged in a factional feud, extravagance and orgies, while people's lives became more miserable as the government became more corrupt. There emerged a group of youths, children of the royal subjects executed by Min Gyeom-ho who were determined to set the country right. They secretly formed a rebellion group under a scholar named Lee Hwal-min, who was an ally of Daewongun. Hwalminsuk academy was the hub of their activities...More

As an interconnected narrative switching between four different couples, "New Year Blues" is counting on you liking at least one of the romantic storylines, even if you don't like the other ones. Well the good news is I liked most of them actually! The main exception being the storyline between paralympic athlete Rae-hwan (played by Teo Yoo) and florist Oh-wol (played by Choi Soo-young). But I didn't hate them I just thought their story was kind of pointless with Ye Soo-jung stealing most of the energy in their scenes as Oh-wol's sweet, caring mother...More

The implied, obvious reading of "The Battle of Jangsari" is that the South Korean teenagers who were brutally killed fighting North Koreans during the Korean War were heroes. At least, that's what you'd think if you'd ever seen any other war movie. And it's certainly what I was expecting, given that "Operation Chromite" was unapologetically propagandistic. But "The Battle of Jangsari" proved far more intriguing than those clichés once I realized this reading isn't actually supported by the text...More