ChaNee's Weekend Movie Recommendations
Grab a bucket of popcorn, your favorite drink, take a comfy seat and..
My Palpitating Life
My Brilliant Life
Country: South Korea Year: 2014 Genre: Drama, Family
17-year-old Dae Soo (Kang Dong Won) and Mi Ra (Song Hye Kyo) find out that they are having a baby and have to come to terms with parenthood quickly after having to suffer the consequences of telling their parents the news. Their son, Han Ah Reum (Jo Seong Mok), suffers from Progeria. A rare genetic disorder where the person ages prematurely and rapidly. Seventeen years later, Ah Reum, a young man who loves reading and writing, has symptoms of an 80-year-old man and the disorder is progressing quickly. Ah Reum feels that he doesn't have much time to live so he decides to write a story about how his parents fell in love, gave birth to him and their lives together. He plans to give the story as a gift to his parents for his 18th birthday.
This is a simple bittersweet story of a family loving and hoping when the light isn't as bright at the end of the tunnel. The storyline isn't new but the actors give it a fresh breath and make you fall for them. I love Song Hye Kyo and Kang Dong Won but the breakthrough for me was the young actor, Jo Seong Mok who portrayed Ah Reum. Absolutely beautiful performance. The most beautiful part of this movie is the relationship between father and son. You experience the impact of a strong and loving father through the eyes of the son. I must warn you, it's a tearjerker but it gives you just as many laughs as it does tears.
Boomerang Family
Aging Family
Country: South Korea Year: 2013 Genre: Drama, Family
In-Mo (Park Hae Il), a 40-year-old film producer who has been unemployed for over 10 years suffers from depression, poverty and a cheating wife, decides to commit suicide but is deterred by a phone call from his mother (Yoon Yeo Jeong) inviting him over for dinner. After receiving the call, he decides to move into his mother's home. His 44-year-old brother, Han Mo (Yoon Je Moon), already lives at mother's after being released from prison. No sooner than In-Mo moves in, his 35-year-old sister, Mi Yeon (Gong Hyo Jin), decides to leave her husband and move into their mother's house bringing along her bratty and smart-mouthed 15-year-old daughter, Min-Kyung (Jin Ji Hee). What could go wrong with having 3 adult children living in their mother's house? A lot of fights, tears and cussing ensues but this family rebuilds stronger after some devastating secrets are revealed.
The storyline started off pretty slow for me but I kept watching because I love Gong Hyo Jin. I am glad I continued watching. It was very enjoyable, especially watching Park Hae Il's gloomy face throughout the movie. It's a pleasant movie for a day when you don't have anything in particular to watch.
Elegant Lies
Thread Of Lies
Country: South Korea Year: 2014 Genre: Family, Life, Tragedy
Single mother Hyun Sook (Kim Hee Ae) lives with her teenage daughters. Man Ji (Go Ah Sung), the older, and 14-year-old Cheon Ji (Kim Hyang Gi). They are a close-knit and happy family or so it seems until Cheon Ji commits suicide. Not understanding why, Man Ji decides to investigate and question Cheon Ji's “friends”. Through her investigation, she finds herself struggling internally to understand her own relationship with her sister and with her mother. Just when it gets too hard, she finds a message left by Cheon Ji in a ball of red knitting yarn and sets out to find more hidden messages.
I loved everything about this movie. It was so well-written and its cast of actors and actresses was a perfect fit. It is so rare to find a storyline that focuses on all aspects surrounding a suicide such as the family, the friends and those who may have had an indirect influence on being the reason why someone takes this final step. I love the focus on the mother and the sister. We get to see them try to have a sense of normalcy in their lives after dealing with a tragic death.
That's not the only reason why I love this movie. It's a chance to see my guilty pleasure couple again. Kim Hee Ae and Yoo Ah In. All the “Secret Love Affair” fans understand how I feel. :)
If you have any suggestions for movies that I should add to my "watch list", please feel free to message me on my page @ChaNee
Wanting to share your movie recommendations, please contact @Kikimorka
