Reviews

Penny Pinching Romance isn't a perfect movie but it was a very enjoyable one. The synopsis here really doesn't tell you much or very clearly. Hong Sil is a woman whose past clearly navigates her present life. Unlike the synopsis suggests, she doesn't have any goal in life other than to collect money. She is calculated and methodical in collecting it and frugal in the extreme once procured. What she intends to do with it once she has it, even she doesn't know. Enter Ji Woong (Song Joong Ki) in whom Hong Sil sees purely an opportunity to make money faster. Of course, when you hook yourself up with a bit a scoundrel things don't always go according to plan.

This movie has a nice solid plot and story trajectory all the way through. It's real charm for me lay in all the atypical things about it. It is not standard rom/com fare. There is a serious and slightly gray quality to it that I actually found refreshing. This gray cast was in the set direction and writing but it was more to shape their circumstances. Let me assure you this is not a darkly written movie in a dramatic or depressing sense.

There were lots of moments I laughed out loud. Especially at some of the antics of Ji Woong. The scenes between Hong Sil and Ji Woong aren't overly cutesy but they are interesting and they make a great team as, unbeknownst to both of them, their feelings start to grow. Both actors sold their characters for me. Their chemistry together was good. The payoff at the end for both characters was worth 2 hours of my time.

Song Joong Ki is a 'characters' actor. Even if he has the looks to play a leading man, I hope he chooses wisely in the future because he's better playing a part with quirks and charisma. He has excellent comedic timing and a face made for acting through expression.

Han Ye Seul sells serious characters to me more than comedy so this part was perfect for her. I felt her emotion and I connected with the reasons why she was cut off emotionally and relied so completely on monetary security rather than the human kind.

I liked this movie. I would re-watch it again and I recommend watching if you are hesitating.

Leia Mais

Seemingly simple premise, with an interesting tour of some towns and cities in rural Japan. The initial motivations for Suzuko come from some overly-villainous characters, which takes away from what is some otherwise rich and realistic(ish) soul searching. If anything, watch and rewatch for Yu Aoi--she's absolutely magnetic, as always, and makes something small, like making an a cup of shave ice, striking. Be warned that the end is not typical, though some people like that kind of thing.
Very watchable and pretty, but then, if Yu Aoi wasn’t in it, I might say something else entirely.

Leia Mais

I love music themed dramas/movies so Mr. Idol was definitely a must watch for me...

I really liked the story. I really liked the subtle humor. I found the band's journey inspiring as they faced all these hardships to make it the spotlight. Some things i didn't like was that they could have written more for the other 3 guys in the band. They all had stories but they were only briefly touched upon. I'm not really clear if there was a romance between the PD lady and the singer of the band cause there were only a few certain scenes that kind of pointed in that direction but then they would cut to something else and the ending was confusing too.

The acting was alright. The actress that plays the PD didn't have all that much to do to portray her robotic character seeing how this is how she acts in her other roles ive seen her in. The main singer guy made his character believable cause hes actually a really good singer but his acting isn't anything special. The other 3 guys in the band had very few lines so its hard to judge them.

The OST was really good. I might add the songs to my ipod. That "summer dream" song is really catchy cause they play it every 5 minutes it seems.

I'd rewatch this one but not right away.

Overall Mr. Idol is a fun watch but better casting could have made it even more enjoyable.

Leia Mais

I don't usually go for these types of movies but I heard it was really good and of course Jang Hyuk is in it so that peeked my interest...

The story was good but the part where they get the evidence together(which was like half the movie) wasn't that interesting to me. I feel like it would have been better if they focused more on the trial. I thought the last 30 minutes was brilliant. The ending was clever.

The acting by everyone was good. However Jang Hyuk was really amazing. You don't really see this till the last part of the movie though. During most of the movie, his character is downplayed. Then towards the end you get to see this whole other side. It was fun to see.

I liked the movie but it in the end isn't something i'd enjoy watching again but it is rewatchable.

Leia Mais

This movie was a lot of fun to watch...

When I first read the summary for it I went in thinking Blue Salt was going to be this big gritty action extravaganza. Yeah well this movie was the total opposite! Yes there's guns and gangsters fighting but the story was more based on human emotion. I didnt really like the romance in this cause to me it felt more like an attachment/friendship. The ending was predictable and unpredictable at the same time.

The acting by SSK was really really good! I hardly recognized her from her High Kick series. The main gangster guy was a good actor but i didnt really feel the chemistry with SSK's character. It was nice seeing quite a few actors who are known more for their drama roles.

Overall this movie was good but it was missing something to make it stand out for me.

Leia Mais