#Lee Sang Yong

[may8chan]

The Roundup : No Way Out - Lee Sang Yong 2023

[stuff-diary]

Parasyte: The Grey

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2024

Parasyte: The Grey (2024, South Korea)

Director: Yeon Sang Ho

Writers: Yeon Sang Ho & Ryu Yong Jae (based on the manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki)

Mini-review:

I enjoyed this way more than I expected. I was a pretty big fan of the anime that aired a decade ago, so I was worried about this adaptation. But that wasn't necessary: instead of making a simple live-action remake, they tried to approach the story from a different point of view, making sure it could coexist in the original manga's universe (as shown by the very last scene). That being said, this one doesn't delve too much into its themes, opting instead to focus on the horror and action elements. And damn, it does deliver. The action scenes make great use of the parasytes' "tentacles", and they're shot with some stunning camerawork. Yeon Sang Ho's directing fires on all cylinders, more than making up for the pretty mediocre CGI. It also helps that the cast does fantastic job. So yeah, Parasyte: The Grey might not be as deep as it could, but if you're in the mood for a thrilling horror-action spectacle, then you should give it a try.

[save-the-data]

The Uncanny Counter | S01E01

Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

Episodes | Viki | YouTube | iQIYI | WeTV | Tencent | Netflix | Catalogue

[kaipanzero]

The Roundup: No Way Out

범죄도시3 (2023)

[speakingparts]

DECISION TO LEAVE

헤어질 결심

Park Chan-Wook, 2022

stills by filmgrab

[jang-geums-dream]

Official character introductions for season 2

[adamwatchesmovies]

Peninsula (2020)

Peninsula isn’t as fresh, frightening, or memorable as Train to Busan. It also doesn’t quite follow through with its premise but makes up for it with something I bet you’d never see out of a zombie movie set in Korea: Mad Max-style action!

Four years after a zombie outbreak in South Korea, former Marine Corps Captain Jung-Seok (Gang Dong-won) and his widowed brother-in-law Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) are offered a life-altering job. Inside the undead-riddled Peninsula is an abandoned truck filled with US$20 million. They've been hired to retrieve it as part of a team of four who will enter South Korea at night - when the darkness will hide them from the innumerable ghouls. Once inside, they're shocked to discover survivors in the ruins.

If you’re looking for a heist movie with zombies in it, you want Army of the Dead. Peninsula starts with the team going in to grab the money but within minutes, half of them are dead. Chul-min is taken captive by crazed militants who’ve established a society in the ruins of the city, while Jung-Seok is rescued by Min-Jung (Lee Jung-hyun), her father Kim (Kwon Hae-hyo), and her two daughters, Joon (Lee Re), and Yu-Jin (Lee Ye-won). Now, the ghouls are the least of everyone’s worries. Unit 631 roams the streets, looking for any strays to put in their arena. There, the people have to run away from hungry flesh-eaters while the soldiers bet on who will die. Chul-min needs a way out ASAP. Unfortunately, the satellite phone he would’ve used to call his Chinese mobster bosses has been confiscated. Now Jung-Seok needs to save his brother, get the phone, get the money and leave with the help of the family who rescued him… but things are on the verge of getting dicey. See, Jung-Seok’s met Min-Jung before. She asked him for help four years ago when the zombie plague began. He refused and left her behind. Oops.

As a zombie movie, Peninsula disappoints. They don’t really play a big part in the film except at the beginning and then at the end. Mostly, this is an apocalyptic film. People scrambling for food, cobbling together equipment, setting up dodgy institutions where might makes right, that kind of thing. And of course, there’s the driving. If you’re going to check out Peninsula, it should be for the movie’s best scene, a spectacular race in the city featuring dozens of vehicles with our heroes in the lead and everyone trying to turn them into roadkill. Whereas the rest of the film barely uses zombies, this part of Peninsula brings the two genres together. The dead are obstacles to be dodged, they’re also weapons to use against those pursuing you. It’s fast-paced, expertly coordinated and loads of fun.

Plenty is going on in the film, which makes the nearly two-hour running time go by plenty fast… except at the end. During the conclusion, Peninsula tries to do too much. It pours on the drama as people have to make heroic sacrifices, there are double-crosses that make escape impossible, hope is renewed, then dashed, then renewed again, and so on. Some of this should’ve been cut, not only so we could end on the high we got from the driving scenes but also so the cheese could be kept at a minimum. Still, it works more than it doesn’t.

Peninsula is not a memorable zombie film and when we examine Seoul Station (the prequel to Train to Busan) we see that the terrific 2016 picture that spawned this franchise was more of an anomaly than a revival of the genre. You can still enjoy this follow-up if you love zombies and you want a bit of something new but anything more than the price of a rental is too much. (Original Korean with English Subtitles, May 21, 2021)

[moviesandmania]

THE ROUNDUP: NO WAY OUT (2023) Reviews of Ma Dong-seok action crime sequel

The Roundup: No Way Out is a 2023 South Korean action crime film in which Ma Seok-do joins a new squad to investigate a murder case. It is the third instalment of the Crime City series and is also the sequel to The Outlaws (2017) and The Roundup (2022). Directed by Lee Sang-yong from a screenplay written by Kim Min-sung. Produced by Ma Dong-seok and Jang Won-seok. The BA Entertainment-Big Punch…

[twilightronin]

The Roundup: No Way Out 2023

[dloveg]

photo dump of actors whom i think look good in pictures together

and the best - shin min ah so ji sub

shin min ah so ji sub

[may8chan]

범죄도시3

[stuff-diary]

D.P. (Season 2)

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2023

D.P. (Season 2, 2023, South Korea)

Director: Han Jun Hee

Writers: Kim Bo Tong & Han Jun Hee

Mini-review:

The moment has finally come: Netflix's best Korean Original has made its return with a second season. And these two years of waiting have been more than worth it. It seemed impossible but, somehow, this new season is even better than the first one. It preserves all of its many strengths, and then it takes them to the next level. Both the directing and the writing are amazingly intense. I spent six whole hours on the edge of my seat, biting my nails to the quick, and the last two episodes left me breathless. I also loved the show's attempts at experimenting, like the musicality in episode 3 or the horror undertones in episode 4. As for the acting, is there anything left to say? This is a cast full of incredible actors, and all of them give career-best performances. This time round, Jung Hae In and Son Suk Ku are probably the MVPs, but everyone does a flawless job. To sum up, this second season blew away my sky-high expectations, and I really hope we get a third one, cause TV shows don't get better than this.

P.S. There's a lot of triggering content here, so please be careful with that. Those of you who watched the first season already know this, but I'm saying it just in case.

[save-the-data]

The Uncanny Counter | S01E02

Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

Episodes | Viki | YouTube | iQIYI | WeTV | Tencent | Netflix | Catalogue

[olivierdemangeon]

THE ROUNDUP (2022) ★★★★☆

THE ROUNDUP (2022) ★★★★☆

[taekwondolifemagazine]

Two (2) From Well Go USA

June 22, 2024 (NYC)– Two (2) from Well Go USA.   A Look at Two new international films, originating in South Korea,  distributed by Well Go USA, and hitting digital on June 25th.   Here is a synopsis and review of these Well Go USA Entertainment releases. HOPELESS Synopsis:       After spending his entire childhood in a town riddled with crime and violence, a teenage boy saves up his money in…

[speakingparts]

DECISION TO LEAVE

헤어질 결심

Park Chan-Wook, 2022