Cast: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Robin Tunney, Amaury Nolasco, Marshall Allman, Peter Stormare, Wade Williams, Sarah Wayne Callies

Rehash

You two have the most dysfunctional idea of love I've ever seen.
— Veronica (Robin Tunney), "Pilot"

Minutes after his arrival at Fox River State Penitentiary, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) meets a corrections officer just as cartoonishly menacing as those you've seen in the movies. "The Ten Commandments don't mean a box of piss in here," Captain Bellick (Wade Williams) tells the new inmate. "We got two commandments and two only: The first commandment is you got nothing coming." And the second? "See commandment number one."

"Gotcha," Michael says, his blue eyes pulsing with amusement. "Just trying to fly low, avoid the radar, boss. Do my time and get out." So far, so okay. But then Bellick speaks again ("There isn't any flying below my radar"), and it's clear just where Prison Break falls on the rehash-to-send-up continuum: it's all about the cliché.

In the first two episodes, writer/creator Paul Scheuring serves up an array of chestnuts, including, "You're already dead to me" (angry teen to his death row inmate dad) and, from the prison's resident mob boss, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Prison is overpopulated with familiar characters as well, like the warden (Stacy Keach) who wants something from the new prisoner, and the aging inmate (Muse Watson) over-invested in his pet. And as the title reveals, the escape plot is in motion from Episode One. This is a weekly Shawshank, tweaked to pull in the younger, less schmaltzy set.

To that end, Scheuring tries hard to make Fox's latest suspense drama hip and humorous. Michael is almost cheeky as he robs a bank at gunpoint (his way of breaking in to prison, so as to get his brother out), and the teller's deadpan explanation that she can't open the vault because the branch manager is at White Castle ("They serve those little square burgers") is straight out of Dark TV Comedy 101. Once inside, the burden of humor shifts to Michael's friendly cellmate, Fernando (Amaury Nolasco. A model prisoner allowed conjugal visits with his girlfriend, Fernando seeks another word for "love" while penning a proposal. "What's the context?" Michael asks. "The 'I love you so much I ain't never knocking over a liquor store again' context. Except, you know, classy." Michael's answer is aptly vague: "Try passion."

This is something Michael has in abundance, all channeled into his outlandish plot to free Lincoln (Dominic Purcell, as the death row dad) from Fox River. A structural engineer who knows something about the prison's floor and security plans, he has just 30 days to get the job done before his brother will be executed. Linc the Sink (as he's known inside) was convicted of killing the Vice President's brother, and initially both Michael and Lincoln's old girlfriend Veronica (Robin Tunney) believed he was guilty. Lincoln swears otherwise ("Whoever it was that set me up wants me in the ground as quickly as possible"), and since the series cuts frequently to illustrative flashbacks and the current shady machinations of two Secret Servicemen anxious to see the execution go on as scheduled, odds are good big brother's telling the truth.

As Veronica is now digging into the case, she's in jeopardy, too. In a Gatsby-ian bit of blocking, she meets with a nervous potential witness in the shadow of the new Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park. While they whisper, one of the Fountain's videotaped faces looms behind them, seeing all. Subtle and unsettling, the scene is undercut by a tired reveal of those sinister agents, who are watching from afar.

Indeed, as locations go, Scheurling got lucky. Prison action is shot at 147-year-old Joliet Correctional Institute, which once housed serial killer John Wayne Gacy and closed up shop three years ago. Even as it's representing this comic book world, the Joliet complex manages to intimidate. Alas, the same can't be said of Prison Break. For every step forward (intricate plotting, Wentworth's engaging lead performance), the show also manages to stumble back (rote subplots, incessant lame dialogue as exposition). If we exchange "blueprints" for "plot," Lincoln sums up the series' problem best: "You may have the blueprints of this place, but there's one thing those plans can't show you. People." The good and bad guys swirling around Michael might cry, fight, screw, and bleed, but they still look like cardboard to me.

Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen and Sean Bean
RunTime: 1 hr 39 mins
Released By: BVI
Rating: PG

Synopsis :

Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer ("A Beautiful Mind," "Apollo 13") teams up with two-time Academy Awardâ-winning actress Jodie Foster ("Silence of the Lambs," "The Accused") in the taut psychological thriller, FLIGHTPLAN, directed by Robert Schwentke and written by Peter Dowling and Billy Ray. Flying at 40,000 feet in a cavernous, state-of-the-art 474 aircraft, Kyle Pratt (FOSTER) faces every mother's worst nightmare when her six year-old daughter, Julia, vanishes without a trace mid-flight from Berlin to New York. Already emotionally devastated by the unexpected death of her husband, Kyle desperately struggles to prove her sanity to the disbelieving flight crew and passengers while facing the very real possibility
that she may be losing her mind. While neither Captain Rich (SEAN BEAN), nor Air Marshal Gene Carson (PETER SARSGAARD) want to doubt the bereaved widow, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never on board resulting in paranoia and doubt among the passengers and crew of the plane. Finding herself desperately alone, Kyle can only rely on her own wits to solve the mystery and save her daughter.

Movie Review:

It is inevitable that one thinks of this movie as highly unoriginal. First, one may compare this suspense drama to Wes Craven’s Red Eye, which was released in cinemas here a month ago. Both are in-flight psychological thrillers, and both boast of strong-headed female protagonists. Second, with its plot and Jodie Foster as its lead, one may conveniently deem it as a rehash of David Fincher’s Panic Room (2002), except that the setting has been changed to a plane. But if you put these factors aside, you will still find yourself enjoying this decent thriller at the edge of your seat.

The movie reminds us how difficult it is to be a sane woman these days. An aircraft engineer, whose husband died recently, is escorting his body back home. Her only company on flight is her daughter. All hell breaks loose when the young girl goes missing. She finds herself at odds with an unremitting flight crew, where she must challenge her own sanity and come face to face with her fears.

Running at 99 minutes, the movie wastes no time jumping into the action and suspense. With its brisk and no-frills pacing, there is never a dull moment in the movie. By the time the passengers in the movie have taken their seats comfortably, you would also have settled down in your own cinema seat. From that moment on, the movie takes flight.

Foster gets to run a lot, exhibiting her character’s frustration, fear and desperation. The intensity in her role is definitely one thing to look out for. Amidst all the excitement, there are also tender and quiet moments where she gets to exercise her acting chops as a heartfelt mother. No wonder this talented actress is a two-time Oscar winner.

The rest of the supporting cast delivers strong acting as well. Peter Sarsgaard is definitely one underrated actor in our time. The weariness and soulfulness in his eyes are enough to tell so much without having him to say anything. After his powerful performances in Shattered Glass (2003) and Kinsey (2004), Sarsgaard’s role as an air marshal in this movie makes him one actor to look out for. Rounding up the cast is Sean Bean (Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) as the plane captain and Erika Christensen (the obsessive girl in Swim fan) as a fight attendant.

Another commendable aspect of the movie is its production design. The sets are so well built that you can feel the claustrophobic anxiety of the plane pressing down on you. There are also a few innovative shots which creatively use mirrors, reflections and transitions to very good effect.

The cinematography is also impressive as it effectively brings out the coldness on the plane with its use of cool colours. Throughout the movie, you can also hear suspicious murmurs and unkind whispers from the passengers, which will have you thinking that you are actually on board the plane experiencing this awkwardly uncomfortable episode.

Relatively new to Hollywood, German-born director Robert Schwentke shows what he has got by attempting to create the post 9/11 atmosphere on a plane, with undercover air marshals to white-collared Americans casting caution on Middle Eastern passengers. Although these notions are never fully developed, they are commendable efforts made by the director.

With such a dependable fine cast and high production values, some load is taken off the credibility and believability of the movie’s plot. Since there is an excellent buildup in the first two-thirds of the movie, most audience will be expecting a reasonable payoff to justify that escalation of tension. But when the plot twist kicks in, the stake has been raised so high that the outcome may not be enough satisfy many viewers.

But hey, it is Hollywood we are talking about here after all, isn’t the most crucial objective to entertain? This movie has done just that.

Apparently being a part-time college professor in South Korea is not nearly as prestigious as you would think. The main character in Ha Yu's "Crazy Marriage" (aka "Marriage is a Crazy Thing") is Joon-young (Woo-seong Kam), a young, mid-20s part-time English Literature Professor still trying to get his feet under him. Apparently his lack of tenure, as well as funds, also makes him very poor marriage material. Go figure.

"Crazy Marriage" opens with the marriage of Joon-young's younger brother, whose day of matrimonial bliss puts an unwanted spotlight on our hero. Despite the fact that Joon-young is still much too young to be considered anything close to the male version of an old maid, having his younger brother get married before him is something of a scandal. Of course this means his mother's friends don't waste anytime rubbing her nose in it. Things seem to look up when Joon-young gets set up on a blind date with Yeon-hee (Jeong-hwa Eom), a free-spirited and sexually adventurous woman who is atypical of the woman Joon-young has been shying away from.

But with great sex and good conversation comes a dilemma: Yeon-hee, while obviously enamored with Joon-young and vice versa, is nevertheless unable to marry a part-time college professor because of financial reasons. Although she prefers Joon-young, it's looking as if a doctor might have a role in Yeon-hee's marriage plans. Being that Yeon-hee is not the kind of woman to take such a problem lying down, she hatches a plan to marry the doctor for financial security, but continue to see Joon-young for everything else.

To its credit, Ha Yu's movie never tries to justify Yeon-hee's actions as anything other than the selfish acts of a woman trying to have her cake and eat it too. Even when the situation worsens, and the phone calls interrupting Yeon-hee and Joon-young's "weekend marriage" increases, we know that this relationship can't possibly work. If the film's first half takes the vibe of a modern love affair, brimming with charm and good ol fashion romance, the second half offers up a gritty counterpart that brings reality crashing down on our two leads.

At the heart of the film is Woo-seong Kam, whose character is as atypical of a Korean man as Yeon-hee is to the female species. Though pressured to get married, Joon-young decides instead to follow his own instincts. Of course seeing the impending marriage of his best friend fall apart even before it starts helps to cement young Joon-young's rebellious perspective. What is there, really, to be gain from a marriage that can't be gain from just shacking up? According to Joon-young, the inherent risks seem to be the same, except without marriage, you don't lose your house along with your heart.

It was no doubt a risky choice by Jeong-hwa Eom ("Mr. Handy") to play the unrepentantly selfish Yeon-hee. There is never a doubt that Yeon-hee is a woman moved to action by her own wants and needs and little else. When Yeon-hee and Joon-young goes on a faux honeymoon, it's not open to question who wants it, and the same can be said of Joon-young moving into his own place. But to Eom's credit, even when her character is manipulating events to suit her needs and meet her duplicitous schedule, there's something so vulnerable about her that keeps us from completely hating her. She's a needy woman, but not an evil one by any stretch.

At first glance "Crazy Marriage" seems to be following in the footsteps of sexually explicit films like "Summertime" and "The Sweet Sex and Love", two movies that seem to pride themselves on putting as much sex on the screen as possible in as short a time span as possible. Not so in "Crazy", which manages to hide most of the nudity, with the coupling mostly implied rather than actually revealed. Oh don't get me wrong, it's all very sexy and erotic, but it's amazing what you can accomplish without actually showing it.

As a social critique of modern Korean society, "Crazy Marriage" has a lot to say. But one suspects that its themes are universal, and it takes a woman of Yeon-hee's cunning and intelligence to not just maneuver through the minefield of modern courtship, but do it so effectively that no one is the wiser unless she decides to let them in on her secret. A scene early on, when Yeon-hee sets up two men from which to pick from, is a good example. As the kids like to say -- hate the game, not the player.

Going in to this movie I expected to have the normal 2 hour thoughtless escape from everyday life that these type movies normally deliver. Instead I laughed. I even cried. I left pleasantly surprised. Leaving the theatre I couldn't help reflect upon the need to really appreciate life's little moments and close friends and family more. Walken was outstanding. Sandler was effective and really funny in his toned down approach to this more intelligent comedy than the usual Sandler fare. Kate Beckinsale is very lovable as the wife and mother of his children and Hasslehoff couldn't have been more perfectly cast as the cluelessly self-absorbed exec/ boss. I liked it a lot and I'm not normally one to feel either way about these type of movies. I'd go see it next time with family and friends that I really should spend more time with anyway!

"In Her Shoes" is a surprisingly refreshing, emotionally focused story of two sisters who share nothing in common - other than the same shoe size - but who ultimately learn the value of family and come to understand the special bonds of sisterhood.

Whatever you do, don’t let anyone tell you this is a chick flick. That’s a label that makes men cringe and I can assure you this film is just as much for men as it is for women. It’s a movie for anyone wanting something a little meatier, something with a little more emotional depth than your average mainstream studio film.

Cameron Diaz stars as Maggie, the bad seed. She’s the daughter who cheated and stole and generally made you embarrassed to claim her as part of the family. Her beautiful body, combined with her ability to turn on the charm as needed, gets her through life. Sleeping with anything attractive to get a free meal or drinks, Maggie’s aimless and wanders through life knowing she can always fall back on her hard-working, dependable sister.

Toni Collette plays Rose, the sister who holds down a well paying job, can be counted on to do the right thing, and has a penchant for buying beautiful shoes she knows she’ll never wear. The only mark against her is that she’s carrying on a torrid affair with her boss.

When Maggie’s kicked out of their father’s house (their stepmother’s a real harpy who doesn’t care for either daughter), Rose allows her to stay at her place until she can get on her feet. But getting on her feet isn’t easy for Maggie. Her dyslexia makes her lose out on a gig at MTV. She tries to be good by getting a job helping to take care of animals but soon fails at even that simple task. She borrows Rose’s car and gets it towed away. Nothing seems to work for Maggie other than using her looks to procure favors from men. When she impulsively decides to sleep with Rose’s boyfriend, that act proves to be too much for even Rose to forgive.

After being booted out of Rose’s place, Maggie heads to her dad’s in search of money and maybe a place to stay temporarily. Rifling through his drawers, Maggie discovers letters from her deceased mother’s mother. The girls’ mom suffered from a mental illness and was killed in an auto accident when they were just kids. Since that time, they haven’t had any contact with their mother’s family. Both sisters believe their grandmother is dead so it’s a real shock to Maggie to learn she’s alive and well and living in a retirement community in Florida. With nowhere else to go, Maggie goes off to confront the grandmother she just discovered is still around.

Pushed and shoved by her grandmother into standing on her own two feet, Maggie begins to blossom into a self-assured woman who doesn’t need anyone around to lean on. Meanwhile, Rose also reassesses her life and falls in love with a good, decent man (Mark Feuerstein). Yet hanging over both women is the horrible tear in their relationship that needs mending.

On the surface “In Her Shoes” may seem like a surprising choice for “LA Confidential” and “8 Mile” director Curtis Hanson, but it’s ultimately not that far off from the relationships portrayed in each of his other films. Hanson deftly handles this mostly female cast and allows his actors to really latch on to these characters.

Cameron Diaz is a revelation. Playing opposite Toni Collette brings out the best in Diaz, who shows remarkably more depth than in any prior performance. Collette, as always, is terrific. This under-rated actress never takes a single misstep in “In Her Shoes.” MacLaine and supporting players Mark Feuerstein and Ken Howard are all equally at ease in their performances.

“In Her Shoes” feels so real, the characters are so authentic that you can actually forget you’re watching a movie. So emotionally invested do you become in the lives of these characters, you don’t even realize just how involved you’re getting in the story until it’s just about wrapping up. A great cast, compelling story, and just the right blend of drama and comedy help to make “In Her Shoes” a good place to be.

United States, 2004
U.S. Release Date: 12/17/04 (wide)
Running Length: 1:50

Cast: Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Jude Law, Emily Browning, Liam Aiken, Kara & Shelby Hoffman, Billy Connolly, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara
Director: Brad Silberling
Producers: Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes
Screenplay: Robert Gordon, based on The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window by "Lemony Snicket" (Daniel Handler)
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Music: Thomas Newman
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures

There's a little Roald Dahl in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and that leads one to wonder what a twisted director like Danny DeVito (Dahl's Matilda) or Tim Burton (Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) could have made out of this film. It's not that Brad Silberling's approach is bad, but it lacks a certain zing - the quality that would have elevated Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events from the level of passable Hollywood entertainment to inspired. This film will probably grip children more than adults, and, while there is enough material in the movie to keep the over-18 crowd interested, this is not the best family motion picture currently playing in multiplexes.

As almost anyone in the age 8-14 age bracket will tell you, the Lemony Snicket books are second in popularity only to Harry Potter (and some would argue that they are more popular). For this first movie, the filmmakers have elected to cobble together elements from the first three Lemony Snicket tales (The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window), resulting in a fast-paced but episodic motion picture. In case a sequel is warranted, there's still plenty of untapped material remaining. To date, there are eleven Lemony Snicket books, and writer Daniel Handler isn't done yet.

The title character is played by the ubiquitous Jude Law, whose only real contribution to the movie is to provide a voiceover narrative. (He's also occasionally seen in silhouette.) The real star is Jim Carrey, who, as the nefarious Count Olaf, plays his most sinister character since the Grinch. Although Olaf is not a member of the undead, parallels with Dracula aren't hard to identify. The name could be an homage to "Count Orlock," which was the name of the Dracula character in Nosferatu, and Olaf's first scene borrows heavily from the meet-and-greet with the Lugosi vampire. Throughout the film, it's hard to shake the feeling that Olaf isn't quite human. How much of this kids will get is anyone's guess...

Carrey plays three characters… sort of. In addition to Olaf, he's also a scientist and a seafarer, both of whom are actually Olaf in disguise. The multiple roles give Carrey the opportunity to spread his wings a little. Now that he is pursuing serious projects using his own features, the only times when he goes off the deep end a little (showing signs of the flamboyant, "old" Carrey) is when he is buried under layers of makeup.

The story relates Olaf's various, often elaborate attempts to get his hands on the fortune of the Baudelaire orphans: 14-year old Violet (Emily Browning), pre-teen Klaus (Liam Aiken), and infant Sunny (Kara & Shelby Hoffman). These three are left on their own when a house fire claims the lives of their parents. Just when things seem their darkest, in steps Olaf, claiming to be either "a fourth cousin three times removed or a third cousin four times removed." Olaf thinks of the children's arrival as a godsend - free labor and access to a huge sum of money - until he learns that he can't legally touch the money unless the children die. But, before he can ensure their demise, he is stripped of guardianship. The orphans are given first to Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly) then to Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep). All the while, however, Olaf is plotting to once again get his hands on the Baudelaires and their money.

The film features three winning child performances. Emily Browning, who plays Violet, bears a passing resemblance to Kirsten Dunst, and has no trouble convincing us that she's a teenage MacGyver. Likewise, Liam Aiken is effective as bookworm Klaus, who would probably be a good opponent for Ken Jennings on "Jeopardy!" The tiny Hoffman twins are delightful, although I wonder how much of their character's appeal is the result of the snarky subtitled translations of Sunny's baby-speak. Those comments offer some of A Series of Unfortunate Events' biggest laughs.

To start this review, I mentioned Roald Dahl, and it's an appropriate connection. Dahl wrote dark, warped stories that were ostensibly for children, and the Lemony Snicket books are in the same vein. As the movie warns in Mr. Snicket's clever opening monologue, this isn't a happy movie. Bad things happen. People die (and don't come back from the dead) and children are mistreated. (Perhaps the most shocking moment in the movie occurs when Olaf slaps Klaus across the face - there's no comedy in that blow.) The film is first and foremost a fantasy, but there are dark currents running just beneath the surface. I give Silberling (Moonlight Mile) credit for not allowing them to swallow the film. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events manages to remain witty throughout. Coupled with its fast pace and occasional cliffhangers, that makes it a candidate for an easy recommendation, regardless of whether you have previous experience with the books or not.

Director: Stephen Sommers
Writer: Stephen Sommers
Producers: Stephen Sommers, Bob Ducsay
Actors: Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing
Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious
Richard Roxburgh as Count Dracula
Genre: Thriller
Year of Release: 2004

PLOT:
A monster hunter named Van Helsing is appointed by the Vatican to hunt down the legendary figure of Dracula before he sets up greater shop around Transylvania. Helsing hooks up with an ass-kicking Transylvaniate with a great rump but soon realizes that he's actually up against a variety of monsters including Dracul's three lovely ass-kicking wives (the man's apparently a Mormon), Dr. Frankenstein's pieced-together monster and a Wolfman. A monster-kicking adventure of epic proportions ensues...

CRITIQUE:
VAN HELSING gets 3 F's for Fun Fuckin' Film! If you're looking for a brainless, mile-a-minute summer monster movie jam-packed with action scenes, hot chicks, wild beasts, midgets who look like Ewoks, over-actors, a pulse-pounding score, laughs and adventures up the wazoo, line up for this film today and enjoy the gratuitous love of unadulterated campy fun created by THE MUMMY's Stephen Sommers (loved the creepy final end credits too...nice touch). If you're going into this picture expecting an intricate characterization of the "real" Van Helsing, flawless special effects, deeper insight into the monsters, a credible romance and believable action sequences, please stay home and don't bother seeing it solely for the purposes of complaining about those very things afterwards. It's not that kind of movie! Yes, the film has its issues including editing choppiness, dialogue that sounds goofy at times, a very cheesy last scene (not "cheesy-fun"..."cheesy-cheesy") and a definite overuse of CGI (although not as bad as I had expected from the horrid examples they used in the film's trailer), but it knows what it wants to be and it delivers complete balls-onto-your-walls in terms of non-stop monster clashes, action and visceral entertainment. If that's what you look for in your summer blockbuster, I don't think you'll be too disappointed in this film, which also features a gang of characters who each bring something interesting to the table, particularly the monsters.

I won't mention the "surprise cameo monster" that starts off the film, but its battle with Helsing was one of the cooler ones in the flick, as was that creature's special effects. Very believable and HULK-like. I'd heard horrible word of mouth on Richard Roxburgh's work as Dracula here, but despite turning me off a little at first, I got into this guy's over-the-topness and actually loved him by the end. The man was having a blast in the role and I grooved on that. The Wolfman was also fun in his own "destroy-all-things-moving" kinda way (great transformations too...you rip that skin off, boyee!), and Frankenstein managed to provide the monsters with a bit of heart and "gray area". Again, from the film's trailer, I was fully expecting to hate Dracula's 3 brides, but they kicked my ass as well. For one, they're gorgeous as shit (especially the cutey-pie redhead with the luscious cans...call me!) and for two, they're friggin' vicious and I dig that in vampire chicks (someone help me, please). The film does suffer from an overabundance of CGI though (it really could have done without those idiotic "baby bat" concoctions). I wish Sommers would rely less on computers for a lot of his stuff, but alas, I suppose that's part of the game nowadays. As for the non-monster actors, Jackman was decent, but to be honest, not mind-blowing. He almost seemed to be "holding back" on his character, and despite a couple of decent one-liners, floated through the part. Kate Beckinsale was acting with her poofy hair, her flawless make-up, her high heel boots (for better to kick you with!) and her candy-apple-bottom, but she managed to make her grinding accent work by the end as well, so props to her on that.

Helsing's sidekick also wasn't as annoying as I would have thought (although most of his stuff was hit-and-miss), but I would have liked to have seen more of Sommers' trademark quipper, Kevin J. O'Connor, who played the underutilized Igor here and delivered one of the film's funnier lines ("Yes, I can.") In fact, I was surprised to find myself laughing at several of the movie's "wink-wink" one-liners, particularly the brilliant retort that Beckinsale's character gives to one of the brides as she begins to provide her with an explanation of why she's about to kill her. Classic. But in the end, this film is basically just a bunch of action set pieces strung together by two-minute "exposition scenes" that flimsily tie together some of the film's question marks (if that really matters to you in a film featuring a man with a machine-gunned bow & arrow chasing down legendary monsters) and most of them are memorable and exciting enough to recommend. Nobody is going to write a thesis on this film's creative narrative choices or the force of its characterizations (although I gotta admit, I dug what they did to Jackman's character in the end...made it that much more fun), but as I mentioned in the first part of my review, you shouldn't be going into a movie like this if that's what you're looking for in the first place. This is the kind of movie in which people are swinging from castle to castle at a million clips an hour, while someone else throws them something as they pass and they catch it...lickity split! If you're gonna go home and complain about the "realism" of that, again I say...stay home and rent THE REMAINS OF THE DAY and leave the rest of us to have a blast with VAN HELSING! This movie is not scary or tight in narrative, but it is fun, and despite its problems, extremely aware of the main factor that one should count on in any summer blockbuster: the ride.

Story: Gyeon-woo is a single Korean college student, still not very sure of what he wants to become in the future. One night, on his way back home, he meets an extremely beautiful girl, but who is also completely drunk. Because the girl talked to Gyeon-woo before falling unconscious, the people surrounding them begin to think that the girl is Gyeon-woo`s girlfriend. Having no other choice than helping the girl, he decides to leave her in a motel, since he doesn't know were she lives. The next morning Gyeon-woo gets a call from this mysterious girl who is very angry about him and wants to know everything that happened the past night. She tells him to meet her right now at the exit of the metro. Gyeon-woo thinking about this, decides to go see the girl. From that night, Gyeon-woo and the girl will become good friends, in a strange sense. As the relation progresses, Gyeon-woo begins to discover how crazy the girls really is, with all her wacky behaviors, angry attitude and always wanting him to please her the way she wants, even if it mean that Gyeon-woo will pass for a complete idiot in public places or gets beaten by the girl. But even if Gyeon-woo suffer, physically and mentally, he really thinks that this beautiful girl will have some sorrow in her and he really wants to help her to get better. But at what price?


Review: Why do I hate teen movies so much? Because of their uninteresting crappy love story and their unbelievable typical characters (you know that the supposed ugly girl is a perfect super babe when she takes off her glasses). Also because I can't support all the clichés and stereotypes that these kinds of movies like to exploit so much. It's just not funny to me anymore. Of course, because in most cases, cinematography wise, these movies mean absolutely nothing, for me they have almost no artistic values, I just found them a complete waste of time.

But why do I love "My Sassy girl" so much? Because of that unpredictable and enjoyable love story and that the two characters in the movie were awesome and touching, especially that memorable and beautiful Korean girl. Also, that the humor was always right on time, not trying stupid sex jokes or stupid humor, unlike other movie of its genre right now and that visually the movie was surprisingly very well done.

Okay, I know what you are thinking right now, "He said love story, this is a freaking chick flick then!" No not at all…well okay, this movie has a lot of material to please more to a female audience but trust me, just once. I really don't like these kind of movies and drama makes me sleepy, but I was really touched by this sweet romantic story. The story looks simple and yes it is, but there are a lot of things going on during the movie that you will probably miss some of the subtle details the first time you watch it. These details are not essential to the comprehension of the story but it makes a second viewing even more fun. The first part of the story concentrates more on the development of the characters, it really gave us the time to know them and begin to feel attach to the two main characters. Feeling sorry for Gyeon-woo when he gets beaten or humiliated by the girl, but also that a guy can't stay indifferent by that sweet little face that girl can make when she wants to be taken care of. The story is really only about the two main characters and I can't tell you anymore about it because it will spoil the development of their relationship.

Strangely, the cast is almost composed by only two people, most of the rest of the characters consist of the parents of the two main characters and that is about it. And to be entertained during more than 2 hours by only 2 actors, that is a real challenge and they succeeded at it. The characters are far from those cliché teen movies, Gyeon-woo looked at first like the average guy, but this will change as soon as he will become the slave of the girl. Cha Tae-Hyeon played the role of the poor victim boyfriend very good, making every humiliating moment a great laugh for us and also making us feel pity for him when things were not going as he would like to.

As for the girl itself, well I never saw a female character as crazy as this, I mean on a realistic level of course. The girl was played by Jeon Ji-Hyeon and be ready to be amaze by this Korean queen beauty. Her acting was great but how she personalized that girl was even more amazing. How a sweet little girl like this can be so violent, disturbed and extreme will probably amaze you but what is sure is that it will make you laugh. Love her for her beauty or hate her for her behavior, this character was the shine of the movie. Unforgivable that's for sure, specially if you're a guy who likes Korean girls.

Since it is a love story, there are a lot of melodramatic moments in the movie, but these moments appear in the movie only near the end, at the moment when we are really attach to the characters and that is why the drama really works in the movie. Unlike other films who try to make us feel sad right at the beginning, "My Sassy Girl" takes its time to let us appreciate the two characters and to wish the best for them. The first half of the movie contains most of the jokes, since it tries to introduce us these two wacky characters. Apparently, the film was based loosely on a true story, it's not hard to believe since most of the jokes were very realistic, in a way that by pure chance or bad luck, these situations could have really happened. Also the humor was easy to understand and was not much about Korean culture, so even if you are not familiar with Asian comedies, you won't have any problems in liking the type of humor in the film. Unless you are looking for stupid sex jokes or over the top humor, you might be really disappointed. Be ready for a lot comical situations, great laugh and some unexpected surprise along the way.

Visually the movie was also interesting and great to follow. Using colorful and cartoonish backgrounds to make the transition to different events or just how the camera was handling on some scenes was just perfect. It really gives the right touch to make all these laughing scenes ever funnier. I can't point out any exact scenes that I have in mind because it will give you some spoilers about the development of the story. Also the music fits the humoristic and dramatic tone of the movie very well.

I have no real idea why I wanted to see "My Sassy Girl" in the first place. Maybe because I wanted to watch every Korean movie available or it got my attention because it was the second best selling movie, behind "Friends," in South Korea during 2001 and god knows how bad blockbuster movies usually are. I didn't expect too much from that movie, maybe which is the reason why I was so surprised about its quality. Or maybe, I was just simply in the right mood to watch this kind of movie. But what I am sure is that "My Sassy Girl" is one of the best Korean comedies I have seen and my favorite Korean movie for 2001 so far. If you like sweet comedies, don't miss this movie at all cost. If you are more into coarse humor or action oriented movies, maybe you might find the ride a little long but you never know, maybe you will also get a great surprise.

review from: http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/comedy/sassy/sassy.html

Meteor Garden is an adaption from a popular Japanese manga called Hana Yori Dango by Kamio Youko. The producer of Meteor Garden, Chai Zhi Ping, turned this manga into a TV series version with the Chinese title Liu Xing Hua Yuan.

Meteor Garden is the story of a young, poor, but strong-headed girl named Shan Cai, a student from the Ying De University, which is a school for the upper class founded and funded by the F4's family. The four most popular and affluent boys who call themselves F4 (The Flower Four) were able to develop a unique relationship with Shan Cai. No one in university could be safe if mess up with F4 which consists of: the spoilt, obnoxious, short-tempered Dao Ming Si who is actually sweet on the inside; the serious, calm, but sharp-witted Hua Zhe Lei who expresses his emotions through the beautiful music he plays on his violin; Xi Men, the playboy with a romantic heart; and Mei Zuo, the sly and party freak who values friendship. The highlights of the show include the heart-tugging tale of Dao Ming Si's effort to woo Shan Cai, whose eyes is set on Hua Zhe Lei, and the conflicts between their completely different world of social classes and characteristics.

In the second installment of Meteor Garden, Shan Cai and F4 finally graduated from college. As they step into the real world, they are faced with the more serious and complicated life challenges. In Barcelona, Spain, Dao Ming Si was involved in a car accident that made him lost his memory. He comes back to Taiwan with a new love interest, Ye Sha, and tries to live a new life while taking on a journey of self-discovery. Hua Zhe Lei, Xi Men, and Mei Zhuo sorted out their own lives as they stood by Shan Cai until Dao Ming Si finally regained his memory.

The Meteor Garden series was premiered on April 21, 2001 at the CTS channel in Taiwan. The first season's success was followed by Meteor Garden II, which was debuted on November 11, 2002. Main casts include Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou Yu Min, Ken Zhou, Vaness Wu, and Michelle Alicia Saram (Meteor Garden II).

Song Hye-kyo unfolds her charms again!
The captivating romance between a lovely everyday girl and a pampered movie star whose lives intertwine through fate promises to keep you glued to your seat until the end of this wonderful Korean TV treat.

Through a tricky scheme by her so-called friends Ji-eun loses the ownership rights to her beloved Full House, a luxurious mansion that used to belong to her parents when they were still alive. The new owner of the estate, Yeung Jae (Rain), is Asia's most hailed film star, and always behaves as if he was the ruler of the entire world, while while treating others in his habitual straightforward manner. Desperate to get back what rightly belongs to her, Ji-eun uses all her womanly appeal to bring about an advantageous marriage with the over-confident entertainment artist...

Based on the Korean comic strip of the same name, Full House earned an average viewing rate of 31.9%, and its final episode even attracted 40.2% of all viewers! Song Hye-kyo won the hearts of TV lovers through her skilled performances in popular TV series hits including All In, Hotelier, and Autumn in My Heart , while Rain (a.k.a. Bi) is also famous as a pop singer. The all-round star (whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon) possesses a dynamic, mellow voice and is known for his down-to-earth and modest behaviour. Director Pyo Min-su was not able to land a potential TV series hit with his earlier, more artistically-inclined works that include Lie, Foolish, and Solitude, but he created a real winner with this touching romantic tale. Written by Min Hyo-jeong, who was also responsible for the script of Rooftop Room Cat .

From SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) comes Save Your Last Dance For Me, a hit new drama starring Eugene, formerly of popular band S.E.S.! Eugene co-stars with Ji Sung of the hit gambling drama All In, and the two play a couple whose touching love is arranged, and then disrupted by sudden chance and the vagaries of fate.

Soo Jin (Eugene) is a pure but unsophisticated woman who runs a small resort inn with her father. Soo Jin is just an ordinary girl, but her life changes when she meets a man (Ji Sung) who's completely lost his memory. She takes him in and cares for him, and even gives him a name: "Jan Ho". Love blossoms, and soon wedding bells can be heard. But on the night of their wedding ceremony, Soo Jin's father passes away. And soon after, Jan Ho disappears too! In the blink of an eye, the two people Soo Jin loves most in the world have left her. But Jan Ho has his reasons for disappearing: his real name is Hyun Woo, and he's heir to a large conglomerate. Even more, someone is plotting to kill him...

Mars is originally a japanese manga that was made into a tv drama series from Taiwan. The casting includes Vic Zhou aka Zai Zai and Barbie Xu aka Da S from the hit Taiwan tv drama series "Meteor Garden." In this new series, Zai Zai and Barbie play the leads who are intertwined in a love story.

Mars is making its leadway into thousands of audiences world wide. This is a must see drama for all the "Lei and Shan Cai" lovers who didn't get to see them together in Meteor Garden!