Koizora (Sky Of Love) : A Movie Review

“If I had not met you that day, then I would not have experience that pain and sadness and memories filled with tears. But if I had not met you, I would also not have experienced that joy, excitement and memories filled with tears. But if I had not met you, I would also have not experienced that joy, excitement, preciousness, happiness and the feeling of absolute happiness.”

Title: Koizora: Sky of Love
Also known as:  恋空
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language : Japanese
Complete: 2008 

Mika (Yui Aragaki) and Hiro (Haruma Miura) first met during their freshmen years. It was an unlikely encounter as Hiro happened to be that mysterious guy who found Mika‘s phone after she lost it. Every day she gets a phone call from him. At first she was hesitant to talk to the total stranger on the other line until she became interested with him and agreed to meet up.  She was stunned to find out that her secret phone friend is the scary looking, silver haired guy named Hiro.

The two suddenly became a couple despite all their differences. Then Mika experienced her first love, her first kiss and her first heartbreak. One tragedy after another over a series of years and it will be true love that will bring them back together again.

 

"If the person likes you, they will definitely call you."

"My first love is like a river, it rolled way just like that."

"A rainbow, this is my birthday gift to you."

Mika : "Were you truly happy?" Hiro: "I am very happy."

Okay, I cried another bucket of tears. Guess it right… I’m just extremely melodramatic and when it comes to stories like this, it just hit me straight to the heart. I easily relate to it which makes the movie a lot interesting for me to watch. Although, I admitted I was kinda dumbfounded at the start of the movie since I was thinking, freshmen year and they’re already doing that thing? Oh my, this is going somewhere and indeed it did.

Sky of Love may come as your typical love story wherein we’ll have a couple who would go through the odds and fall in love and once their relationship is close to perfection, they break up, then someone has to die in the end. However, right before the movie ended it made me think, what would make this movie different from the other romantic movies that I have watched? What would make this stand out? Could it be the actors? Could it be the location? Could it be the story itself? And I know that what made this movie unique is its consistency. It’s consistency from the title, to the evolution of the story right down to the ending. The plot may be common and the ending predictable however, the storyline was well composed and each scene was interesting enough that you’ll definitely have your eyes glue on the television set. Overly fast paced however, this gives you a total package of emotions from that feeling of enjoying your first love, first heartbreak, the tears, the happiness, excitement, frustrations and hope.

I just love the director of this movie, Natsuki Imai, and his artistic means of using symbolism and metaphors. Comparison of human traits and love to that of the sky, the river and the sea was remarkable. The cinematography was pretty awesome in this movie as well. It was very articulate especially the use of the two white doves flying to the sky towards the end of the movie was deeply moving, heartbreaking however it gives that much needed hope and reason for living.

The lead casts did a pretty great job as well. I love the contrast in character between Hiro (Haruma Miura) and Mika (Yui Aragaki). Mika is this lovely, charismatic lady paired with Hiro the fierce, rebellious young man who surprisingly has a strong heart. Both had a strong connection with each other and their chemistry is what draws me to fall in love with this movie. They were very much convincing in their roles and were able to show this overwhelming love towards each other that it’s saddening and heart warming all at the same time.

I would rate this 9 of 10!

Wedding Dress : A Movie Review

Wedding Dress

Title: Wedding Dress
Also known as: 웨딩드레스 
Genre: Drama
Language: Korean
Complete: 2010

Go-eun (Song Yun-ah) is a wedding dress designer and single mom to her daughter Sora (Kim Hyang-Gi). Despite her busy schedule she makes sure that she finds time for daughter. Sora on the other hand, often times misinterprets her mom’s busy schedule and feels that she’s taken her for granted thus, she learned independence at an early age. However, this independence didn’t do her well since she also grew distance from the people that surrounds her including her friends in school.

Upon realizing that she has limited number of days to live, Go-Eun tried to change her routine and made sure that she spends more time with Sora. She even has to lie to Sora’s teacher so she can take the day off and they can spend time in the beach. Go-Eun just wants to do everything for Sora before parting from her including making a beautiful wedding dress that she can wear once she gets married. As her condition worsens, So-ra finds out about the cancer and in her own little way tries to fulfill her mother’s wishes.

Being a single mother is not easy and I should know coz’ I am one. I was deeply moved by this movie not just because I can relate to it being a single mom, but because the movie was really nice and heartbreaking.

I should say Kim Hyang-Gi who played Sora was well casted. She was just adorable, fierce and her acting skills at a very young age was commendable in this movie. I first saw her in Cruel Love playing the character of the cute and lovely Mi-So and she was pretty young then and this movie brought her to the next level. I even felt that she has stolen the limelight in most of her scenes with Go-eun (Song Yun-ah). She sure is the one who made me cry especially the part when she was leaving for school and slowly trying to walk out of her house leaving her mom vomiting in the bathroom. She was walking out trying to hold back her tears, trying to be strong for her mom but when she closed the door tears just fell from her eyes. You can just see and feel that pain… it was extremely heartbreaking for me and yes I cried with her.  

 

This movie was well casted and just like what I mentioned the two lead casts did a good job in bringing me into tears. The storyline was well composed and you can see the obvious shift of the mother’s priority from work then to her daughter upon realizing that she was sick, however you would feel that there is something missing along the way. What’s missing is that big blow, something that you can grab a hold of… that climax! That just wasn’t there. Or maybe I was just expecting a lot from this movie based on the synopsis that I’ve read. It seemed like it would want it’s viewers to guess how and why things happened. There was just no explanation that would have nailed the present situation. Another disappointing thing about this movie is there was not much emphasis on the title being the Wedding Dress. Aside from the fact that she is a wedding dress designer and she was trying to create a wedding for her daughter that she can wear in future and that was it. It’s like creating a very ear catching theme and brushing it off in the sideline. And there was the yellow umbrella that I think would rather leave a lasting mark to its viewers rather than the title.

Nonetheless, I still love this movie and this brought me to tears.

I would rate this 8.5 out of 10!

Fabulous 30! : A Movie Review

When it comes to LOVE, AGE is not a problem. - Fabulous 30 Title: Fabulous 30 Also known as: 30 กำลังแจ๋ว (30 Gum Lung Jaew) Genre: Romance, Comedy Language: Thai Complete: 2011 Meet Ja (Patcharapa Chaichue) is middle aged woman who enjoys a stable career and a partying lifestyle. She’s a combination of beauty, brains and a stable boyfriend. Until one day her boyfriend of seven (7) years decided to “take a break” and a year later he’s still nowhere to be found. Because of this Ja has accepted the fact that she may be fated to grow old alone. Until one day, at the dawn of her 31st birthday, she met Por (Phuphom Phongpanu), a 24 year old guy who at first sight was mesmerized by her beauty and fell in love with her. Po is a kind and romantic guy who had his heart captured by Ja. But he’s 24 and she’s 31. This seven (7) year age difference is never gonna work for Ja. She feels that he’s immature, unstable for her age. She is never the type that would go for younger men. How far would Por go to win her heart? Will their difference in age be a hindrance to their love or will they conquer it all to let love prevail in the end? “Statistics show that men die 7 years earlier than women. You’re 7 years older than me. So, if we get married and what they say is true then we’ll grow old together.” This movie was just oozing with cuteness and giggling moments. It is sure to put a smile on your face from start to finish. It may be another romantic comedy however the chemistry of the two lead casts, Ja and Por, would make this movie exceptional. The just look good together! They’re both sweet and refreshing. And, Oh my god! I don’t think I would be able to get enough of Por. He’s just adorable and I can’t help but drool every time he flashes that cute smile and perfect teeth! Just perfect! And I shouldn’t fail to mention the supporting casts, the four best friends of Ja who added the crazy flavor to the movie. This is one of the very few movies that I can relate. Yes! You hear it right… I CAN RELATE. You know, being 30…ish (hahahaha), with a stable career, a happy lifestyle and single. Yes I am single and I am proud of that. Not because there is no one out there it’s just that I chose to be one. Hahahaha Chos! This movie made me think, what if a guy with that age difference would come along, would I have the same doubts and hesitations as Ja? Hmmm… I guess I would. Yes, I would. They say it takes time for men to mature however, if that guy would show persistence, perseverance and a sense of responsibility, then I would probably give that guy a chance. Probably. Haha! Nonetheless… this is one of the super-feel-good Thai movie that I have watched and definitely a must watch for everyone out there. Por: Are you here to turn me down? Ja: You still haven't told me.. If I say "No", what would you say to me? Por: I would tell you that… I would start over again. Ja: And what if I tell you… it was a "Yes" Por: I'll leave my heart with you and I'll go off to work. I would rate this 9.5 out of 10! Watch it NOW!

Always : A Moie Review

“This was what love meant after all: sacrifice and selflessness. It did not mean hearts and flowers and a happy ending, but the knowledge that another's well-being is more important than one's own.”

Always… a story about true and unselfish love. Oftentimes I wonder, how much am I willing to risk for the one I love?

Cheol-Min (So Ji-sub) is an ex-boxer with a dark and mysterious past. One day he was hired as an attendant to a parking lot booth and met Jung-Hwa (Han Hyo-joo), a blind telemarketer who’s light spirited with a lot of optimism despite her blindness.

Jung-Hwa had mistaken Cheol-Min to be the old man who used to watch after the booth. Nonetheless, every night she would still drop by, sit beside Cheol-Min as she watches her favorite night time drama. She would bring him food and ask him what’s happening on the television screen. It won’t be long until Cheol-Min would realize that he’s falling for Jung-Hwa and Jung-Hwa would feel the same. After a dreadful incident that led to Jung-Hwa almost being sexually molested by her boss, Cheol-Min decided to move in with her.

The two lived a happy and blissful life together until Cheol-min discovered that their pasts were connected and he could be the reason of Jung-Hwa’s blindness. Finding out that there is still a chance of Jung-Hwa to see, he gambled his life and safety and decided to join the underground fight in Bangkok just to raise the money for her operation. The operation went well, Jung-Hwa can see again but unfortunately the unexpected happen. Now, is it too late for this couple to have their happy ending or will fate bring them together again?

 

I love the story, the casts… I love everything about this story. Always is a story about unselfish love, forgiveness and sacrifice. The plot may be simple with an ending that’s predictable (or at least something that every viewer would want) but the lead characters were able to portray their roles well. The two main casts (So Ji-sub and Han Hyo-joo) showed great connection and chemistry which made this movie one of the top grossing Korean dramas.  I love the transformation of each character as they both realized that they were in love. I love how So Ji-sub was able to evolve his character from being a stiff bad boy, extremely cold type to being more relax, warm to the point off being selfless. Han Hyo-joo's pretty face and vulnerability was an added factor to the movie as well.

This may be your common love story full of clichés’ with a predictable ending but just like any Korean drama, this movie is set to break your heart and bring you to tears.

I would rate this 9 of 10!