Korean Movie Night: JSA Joint Security Area 공동경비구역 JSA (2000) Korean

Lee Young Ae, Lee Byung Hun, Song Kang Ho, Kim Tae Woo, Shin Ha Kyun

Movie rating: 9/10     Neck score: A

I knew going into this one, that it was going to be filled with tension and sadness.  How could a movie about the boarder between two countries, divided, and constantly on the brink of war not be?  It certainly had all of that.  It was also full of all the emotions, like every Korean movie I end up watching.  I really liked the build of this one, as it starts with the event that is being investigated, with gun shots and dead bodies, and then we slowly get flashes into the different sides of the story, until we get the full story, what really happened.  By this point we are fully invested, so it is all the more tragic and heartbreaking, and we're crying, or at least ready to at any moment.  It had a good way of catching the beauty of the little moments, so that the gravity of the big moments were all the more harsh.  This is something that's hard to find in most typical movies.  I love it when the little moments are important.

I loved how cleanly it portrayed both sides.  It didn't demonize or glorify one side over the other.  It didn't paint one bad the other good, but that the whole thing was a mess.  The higher ups on both sides were just as bad, demonstrating the stereotypes and prejudices, while the common soldier, the individual, each had a story and their own opinions.

132. Mr. Baek 미스터 백 (2014) Korean

Shin Ha Kyun, Jang Na Ra, Lee Joon, Park Ye Jin, Jung Suk Won

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A

It was ok, but I just wasn't really into it that much.  I think the only thing that made this show work at all, with a ridiculous premise of an old man suddenly growing younger, is that Shin Ha Kyun could pull it off.  The old man in a younger man's body was good.  I liked those little details, such as him not knowing technology and things like that.  But I felt way more sympathetic to the son the whole time.  He just got the short end of the stick, being sad and then losing chances, etc.  I just wanted them to develop their relationship and not spend so much time on the romantic relationship, which was cute and I didn't hate it.  But I wanted more father son bonding time, and not the weird bonding time they came up with, like that awkward snow fight.  Also I didn't know about that Manager Hong chick for the longest time.  I thought that she was in love with the dad and still making plays at the son, which is gross.  But I warmed up to her.  The hardest part was that the bad guy is so hot.  He's the hottest guy in the show, but he's so bad, but not really.  But him in those glasses, seriously.  Rawr, Jung Suk Won, rawr.