Movies
A South Korean action flick sporting an excessive amount of flair. It's a lean and flashy genre film that flirts with a maximalist identity, but never quite dares to cross the line. It's the only thing that's keeping me from giving it a higher score, as it's one of the more entertaining action films I've seen in a while. Ok-ju is a skilled bodyguard, but even though she is great at protecting people, she can't save the life of her best friend Min-hee. Min-hee left her a message that betrays the identity of the one responsible for her death, so Ok-ju is hellbent on doing the next best thing: taking revenge for Min-hee's sake. Colorful visuals, snappy editing, and a commanding soundtrack make sure that you won't be worrying too much about the simple story or the predictable structure of the film. And if that doesn't work, there's some crazy flamethrower action that will take your mind off of it. A fun and capable action film.Read all
South-Korean remake of Parkhill's The Caller. I've seen that one before, but honestly couldn't remember a single thing about it. That makes it hard to compare both films, but at least score-wise this one has the edge. The Call is a fine mystery, with some thriller and horror elements to keep the tension alive. Seo-yeon returns to the house where she grew up in. When she's there, she starts receiving weird phone calls from a girl in peril. The calls come from Young-sook, a girl who lived in that same house 20 years ago and was held hostage by her mom. Young-sook really loves talking to Seo-yeon, and to show her appreciation she decides to try and save Seo-yeon's father, who died around that time. I'm not a big fan of time travel/loop narratives, but this film offers a pretty interesting variation. The performances are strong, the cinematography looks polished and the pacing is decent. The film loses a little steam in the final quarter, but it's more than solid filler if you're looking for a good mystery.Read all