My Little Bride (2004)

Young love is one of my favorite subjects when it comes to a good story. I just think that the innocence of it is what makes it beautiful and special.

 

DVD Cover

When I first watched My Little Bride, I remember seeing it with my mom and we both enjoyed the movie. It was funny, entertaining, cute and innocent. There is something in Moon Geun Young's eyes that exude innocence which greatly helped her in portraying her role in the movie.

SUMMARY

Photo credits to: adropoflove.blogspot.com

My Little Bride (Hangeul: 어린 신부 / Eorin Shinbu) is a 2004 South Korean film about two individuals named Bo Eun and Sang Min who were forced to marry each other in order to fulfill the pact made by both of their grandfathers.

Photo credits to: dvdtalk.com

Photo credits to: soulbeats.com

The only problem in this romantic comedy film is that Bo Eun is just a 15 year old school girl who does not want to marry just yet and is crushing on the star baseball player in their school. Also, Sang Min, even if much older than Bo Eun, is not too keen on the idea of losing his bachelorhood so soon only to live with a high school girl under the same roof.

Photo credits to: adropoflove.blogspot.com

Will their marriage actually work?

QUICK FACTS

My Little Bride was a remake of My Wife is 18, a hit Hong Kong film in 2002.

Moon Geun Young and Kim Rae Won portrayed the roles of Bo Eun and Sang Min respectively.

MY TAKE

If you have read my previous posts, you'll see that entertainment and feeling good are two of the things that matter to me whenever I go watch a movie. There may be times when I am up for a good scare or for something that will make my mind make sense of the twists and turns of the story but in general, I watch movies to relax.

Having said that, this romcom movie did not disappoint me when it comes to getting entertained and feeling relaxed. The general mood of the film was feel good even during the scenes when the newlywed couple was struggling with their new setup.

This is a movie that you can enjoy if you are looking for something that is funny and entertaining. But if you are looking for a film with more depth, I'm afraid you will have to consider something else.

Happy weekend guys!

Til next time!

3 Idiots (2009)

Aal Izz Well... Aal Izz Well... Aal Izz Well...

If you have seen this movie, you very well know those powerful three word mantra I wrote above.

I remember my husband (my then boyfriend at that time) telling me that I should watch this film but I never found the time to do it so until one day, one of my girlfriends asked me if I've seen 3 Idiots. The moment she asked me about the movie and told me that it was a good one, I knew that I really have to make time and watch it because these two (my husband and my friend) know my taste when it comes to movies.

SUMMARY

3 Idiots (Hindi -३ इडियट) is a 2009 Indian drama comedy film that took the viewers by storm not only in it's originating country, India, but also the entire planet.

The story was about two friends named Farhan and Raju who are searching for Rancho, their long lost college buddy who helped them get thru their university years and greatly influenced the way they look at life.

photo credits to: melikesart.com

photo credits to: dvdizzy.com

The journey to finding out whatever happened to Rancho started ten years after their graduation. Their search brought them to different places all over India as clues lead them from one place to another. As their journey continues, flashbacks of how they met Rancho and how he slowly become a very important person in their lives are shown every now and then.

photo credits to: theguardian.com

Will Farhan and Raju find Rancho? Is Rancho still alive? And what actually happened to him after graduation?

QUICK FACTS

Aamir Khan is already in his 40s when he portrayed the role of Rancho, an Engineering student that changed the lives of his friends Farhan and Raju.

3 Idiots was based on a book called Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat.

Upon the release of the movie, it broke all the box office records in India at that time.

The movie made use of real inventions created by people across India.

MY TAKE

This has to be one of my most favorite movies of all time because of its beauty in all aspects. First, the story was able to capture the beauty of friendship and how one person can affect the lives of many in a positive way. Second, watching this film is also like traveling to some of the most beautiful places in India. I especially like the scene when the guys are driving down the hill side and the song Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh was playing in the background. Lovely! And then third, of course, a Bollywood movie is incomplete without the usual Bollywood music video like scenes and in 3 Idiots, I find each music number entertaining and at times, heart pumping especially during the part after that "big" (because I don't wanna spoil the movie for you) scene with Raju in Virus' office (you'll know what I mean by heart pumping once you've seen the movie). Fourth, Aamir Khan is in it! I mean, Aamir is known to be one of the few Bollywood actors who carefully chooses the movie he makes and stars in. But kidding aside, Aamir played his part in this movie perfectly. He was the right actor for the role and I just could not imagine anyone else playing Rancho. Last but not the least, the movie did not only entertain me for three hours. It also taught me lessons and even made me re-think my values and the way I look and handle situations.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, I urge you to do it asap and you'll never regret it!

Til next time guys!

A Little Thing Called Love (2010)

"We never forget those who make us blush." Jean-Francois De La Harpe

This movie I'm going to share with you guys today became viral online a couple of years ago up to this day and that was how I came to know about it.

photo credits to asianwiki.com

When I watched the movie, I was transported back to my high school years where giggling and gushing about the cutest and most handsome men in campus is part of my every day school life.

SUMMARY

A Little Thing Called Love aka Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Thai: สิ่งเล็กเล็ก ที่เรียกว่า รัก Sing Lek Lek Thi Riak Wa Rak) was a Thai romantic comedy movie in 2010 that took the romcom world by storm even up to this day. The female lead role was played by Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul and the male lead role was portrayed by Mario Maurer. Both actors ' popularity skyrocketed the moment the movie rose to fame.

photo credits to: squidoo.com

photo credits to: fhayloezhia.blogspot.com

The film revolves around Nam (Luevisadpaibul), an average teen student wearing thick eyeglasses and with dark complexion, who has a crush on a senior student who is also the school heartthrob named Shone (Maurer). Thinking of ways to get Shone's attention, Nam and her friends consulted a book entitled Nine Recipes of Love.

photo credits to: weheartit.com

photo credits to5thmaiden.wordpress.com

photo credits to: flutterbyazwa.blogspot.com

Will Nine Recipes of Love really help Nam to get noticed by Shone?

QUICK FACTS

Due to Luevisadpaibul and Maurer's global popularity, they both became endorsers of Penshoppe, a clothing brand in the Philippines.

MY TAKE

Just like what I said above, watching this movie brought back good memories during my high school years. The beauty and innocence of young love is something that I will always admire and this film captured that concept perfectly. Whenever the movie would show Nam stealing glances at Shone and doing silly stuff just so she can get close to him, I could not help but smile because that is exactly how I used to do it whenever my high school crush is around.

Many people think that romantic comedy movies are shallow and unrealistic but movies like this one definitely disproves that idea. I'm sure that most, if not all, viewers who have seen this movie found themselves relating with one of the characters in the film in a scene or two.

If you haven't seen this movie yet and is looking for something that is light, entertaining, funny and even nostalgic at some point, you can try this one and hopefully enjoy it as much as I did.

Til next time!

Shaolin Soccer (2001)

"Everybody wants kung fu fighting!"

Does it sound familiar to you? Well, your guess is most probably correct. That is a line from a famous song Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas. Now, how is it related to my post today? Let's just say it kind of played  a big role in the film.

Movie Poster in UK (photo credits todianying.com)

I first watched Shaolin Soccer in one of our cable channels back home when I was in college. It was dubbed in Filipino and I thought it was an awesome movie.

SUMMARY

Shaolin Soccer (2001) was a Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Stephen Chow who happens to be the actor as well who portrayed the male lead character in the movie.

photo credits to caamedia.org

The movie was about Sing (Chow), a shaolin kung fu master, who is struggling to make ends meet everyday ever since he left the temple. Working as a junk collector, he thinks that kung fu can be applicable to the everyday lives of ordinary people and that he just has to find a way to convince them first.

photo credits to incine.fr

One day, an ex-soccer super star offered Sing an opportunity to play soccer and earn well. Convinced that he can also promote his kung fu advocacy, Sing contacted his other kung fu brothers who are all suffering the same fate as him at that time and asked them to join their soccer team and win the championship.

photo credits to rocksclan.com

So how is soccer related with kung fu?

If you haven't seen this movie yet, then watch it and find out the answer yourself. And if you have, I'm sure you know how soccer was related in kung fu in the film.

QUICK FACTS

Stephen Chow dubbed his own voice in the North America release of this movie.

The movie was raining of Puma branded stuff and advertisements.

MY TAKE

This was the first Stephen Chow movie I have ever seen and I was glad I did. It was an enjoyable movie to watch not only because of its funny scenes and lines but also because of the way they showed how awesome martial arts is. It may not be the usual Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee type of kung fu movie (which is a totally different kind of martial arts awesomeness by the way) but still very entertaining and cool. Also, the fact that the movie really has a good story, with a moral lesson in the end mind you, I think that this movie is worth watching not only by adults like me but even the younger generation.

Until next time!

Way Back Home (2011)

A Filipino light drama back in 2011, Way Back Home was a movie I clearly remember watching in our New Delhi home during the Christmas season. And boy did it make me feel homesick so bad.

Movie Poster

SUMMARY

The film was about two sisters, Jessica Santiago and Anna Bartolome, who were separated from each other when they were still young due to an accident while their family was vacationing at a resort.

12 years after the incident, both girls met again at a swimming competition and later found out that they were sisters.

Will Anna join her real family again? Will Jessica and Anna find a way to reconnect with each other? Find out the answers by watching this film that tackles about family, forgiveness, acceptance and love.

Photo credits to abscbnpr.com

QUICK FACTS

Julia Montes and Kathryn Bernardo who played Jessica and Anna respectively rose to fame for their portrayals in the remake of Mara Clara.

AJ Perez was the original love team partner of Montes in the movie but due to his untimely death, he was later replaced by Sam Concepcion.

MY TAKE

The issues tackled in the movie were the things that made me like the film. From sibling rivalry to losing a child and even experiencing young love, they are real issues that people can definitely relate to.

Since this was the first time I saw Kathryn and Julia act side by side, I was pleased to see them do justice on their respective roles that I shed a tear or two at some of their scenes.

If you are looking for some family themed film to watch this weekend, you may want to consider watching this. Just make sure you ready some tissues with you since there are some scenes that will definitely tug your heart strings.

So Close (2002)

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"Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near. Just like me, they long to be close to you."

If you have seen this movie, you probably heard those famous lines from The Carpenter's song entitled "Close To You" in the film.

So Close (Chinese: Chik Yeung Tin Si  / 夕阳天使) is a Hong Kong action (with a little bit of drama) movie back in 2002 about two assassin sisters named Lynn and Sue.

Movie Poster

SPOILER ALERT!

The film began with Lynn infiltrating a building to kill a powerful businessman named Chow Lui. With the help of her younger sister Sue and their late father's secret high tech satellite, Lynn successfully killed their target. It turns out that the sisters were actually hired assassins and that it was Chow Lui's younger brother, Chow Nun, who paid them to put his brother down so he could reign and take control of their family business.

Photo Credits to SonyMovieChannel.com

After successfully fulfilling their mission, an investigation was started and Hong Yat Hung, a police inspector was assigned to complete the task. And to make matters more complicated, Chow Nun has decided to put the assassins down to make sure that no one will point him as the traitor who had his brother killed.

In the mean time, Sue thinks that Lynn sees her as a weakling that is why she is secretly wishing that Lynn would let her do the dirty work in the future instead of getting stuck at home doing all the computer job to prove to her that she is also capable of what her older sister can do.

Until one day, while Sue was out buying a cake, she was cornered by Kong Yat Hung and called Lynn, who was at home that time, to help her get out of the situation. While Lynn was helping Sue, Chow Nung's people broke into their house, killed Lynn and framed Hong Yat Hung for the death of her sister.

Vowing to avenge her sister's death, Sue struck a deal with Hong Yat Hung wherein they will help each other kill Chow Nun and clear the police inspector's name.

Photo Credits to SonyMovieChannel.com

QUICK FACTS 

• The English title of the movie was derived from the song "Close To You" by The Carpenters which played a pretty big role in the film.

• The sisters Lynn and Sue were played by Qi Shu and Vicki Zhao respectively while Karen Mok bagged the role of police inspector Hong Yat Hong.

MY TAKE

I remember seeing this movie sometime back in 2002 or 2003. At that time, I did not expect anything from the movie since I was completely unaware of what the story was all about. All I knew that time is that I wanna watch it because I've been hearing about it from others and that it's an Asian movie and Asian movies are awesome. So at the end of the movie, I could say that I really enjoyed it and thought that the story was quite unique because it's not every day that we have badass chicks as main characters that kick butts and are not damsels in distress. Talk about girl power! Also, I guess another reason why I liked the movie is because even if I am not really a big fan of action movies the fight scenes in this film were so well choreographed that I enjoyed watching every bit of them. That sword fight in the end was epic! Oh! And I even secretly wished that I am as badass as any of the main chick characters but minus their complicated lives. Hihihi! Lastly, the little drama scene where Sue was burying the camcorder with a still of Lynn in the screen and then decided to dig it up again as she discovered that Lynn recorded an apology video for Sue was convincing that it pulled some of my heart strings that I shed a tear or two.

So have you seen this movie? If yes, what's your take on it? And if not, try watching it and let me know wachuthink about it!

Til next time!

My Sassy Girl (2001)

I still remember very well the time when I first got swept away by the Korean wave back in 2002. Movies and tv series are not that accessible yet via online so people like me rely on hardworking fans that find a way to spread the word about the best films, tv dramas and albums at the moment.

It was a friend who strongly suggested that I watch this Korean movie My Sassy Girl. After some time, I gave in and the rest as they say, is history.

Since that's the first ever K-movie that I have seen, I think it is also fitting to make it as the first film that I am going to talk about and share with you.

SPOILER ALERT!

My Sassy Girl (Korean: 엽기적인 그녀) is a hugely popular Korean Romantic Comedy (RomCom) film shown in 2001. Its fame became so great that word of mouth crossed the shores and made it to different parts of the planet.

Movie Poster

The story revolved around two characters, "Sassy Girl" (SG) and "Gyeon Woo" (GW). GW is an engineering student who is unlucky when it comes to his love life. One day, while eating out with friends, his mother phoned him and asked him to visit his aunt for a potential date. Dismissing the idea, GW finished the call and went on eating with his friends. On his way home, GW met the drunk SG for the first time at a train station. She mistaken GW as her boyfriend and that's how their story began. The silly and kindhearted MG tried to stay away from SG but it seemed like he couldn't leave her even after the train station incident so he finds himself meeting SG in places where she wants him to show up and do things that SG asks him to do.

SG and GW playing while on the train.

As the story went on, it turns out that SG lost her boyfriend one year ago when she and GW met at the train station for the first time hence her drunkardness. Finally knowing SG's pain and loneliness, GW decided to never leaver her side. However, it was SG who decided that it's time for them to part ways since she is unsure of what her feelings might be and if she is ready to fall in love again.

GW and SG going to the club.

Before parting ways, the two wrote down letters for each other and bury them in a time capsule agreeing to meet again after two years in the same spot (under a tree in the mountains) so they could read the letters together.

Two years have passed, GW and SG showed up at the meeting place but did not meet each other because they came at a different date. During SG's visit, an old man was sitting under the tree and told her that the tree has a secret. He later revealed that the tree she is seeing at the time is not the same tree that she saw when they buried the time capsule a couple of years ago. A lighting struck and killed the tree a year before that time and a young man planted a similar looking tree on the same spot to make sure that his special someone will still find the right spot and won't feel sad.

After 2 years, GW waited for SG at their meeting spot but she never came.

Upon hearing what GW has done, SG knew that it was time to get in touch with GW but she couldn't find a way to connect with him again.

A year has passed since the supposed to be meeting under the tree, GW has finally agreed to meet his aunt for lunch and meet the lady his aunt wants him to see. When his aunt finally introduced the lady, it turned out to be SG and the pair smiled at each other like there's no tomorrow.

QUICK FACTS

• This movie is based on real life blog posts written by Kim Ho Sik.
• The main casts consist of Jun Ji-Hyun as Sassy Girl and Cha Tae-Hyun as Gyun Woo.
• The name of the girl in the story was never revealed.
• Its huge popularity resulted to several remakes done by countries such as Japan, China, India and USA.

MY TAKE

First of all, let me just tell you that I am a sucker for RomComs. Now, having said that, I bet you will know what I will say next. Yes, I did enjoy this movie very much not only because of the funny and cheesy scenes but more importantly because of the uniqueness of the story. I mean, yes, there are many movies that tackled the role of destiny or fate or the universe conspiring or whatever you wanna call it when it comes to two people who are meant to be together but the way the story unfolded in this movie was just too good.

If you want to just relax, be greatly entertained and feel all mushy and corny, this movie is something that you may want to consider watching. It's even better if you watch it with your special someone so you could also reminisce the crazy and fun times you've had so far while you watch SG and GW fall in love with each other.

Til next time!