Slow and Steady

The movie “Soju War” stars actors Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Je-hoon. It was completed in 2023 but remained buried for a while before finally being released, making it a film with a somewhat unique history. At first glance, the title might suggest a lighthearted commercial comedy centered around soju, but as the film unfolds, audiences are confronted with a completely different genre. The appearance of the term “IMF” reveals that this is not just a marketing competition but a real battle for survival between companies. The film unfolds as a drama that goes beyond the brand war between soju companies to shed light on the complex world of corporate management and capital struggles.   Set against the backdrop of the IMF foreign exchange crisis, the film is based on the decline and acquisition of Jinro, one of South Korea's leading soju brands. Jinro is a well-known national soju brand with a frog logo. While there are various regional soju brands nationwide, securing market share in Seoul an...

A remake of the Korean movie “Your Wedding,” “Summer Day Us” captures the freshness and romance of a summer day. I was drawn to this movie by the fact that it stars Taiwanese actor Heo Kwang-han, but I was mistaken. He is a Taiwanese actor, but the lead character, Zhang Yan-nam, is a Chinese actor. The movie was made in China, and the story is set in China. I thought that “Your Wedding” had a very Taiwanese feel to it, with a very sentimental feel to it, and I naturally assumed that it was a Taiwanese movie. However, as I watched the movie, I kept seeing the Chinese setting. I was puzzled because I've seen a lot of Taiwanese movies, so I was familiar with the feel of the movie. After all, the movie was made in China, and only He was the male lead. **“Your Wedding” was a huge success in South Korea, so it was interesting to see how the remake, “Summer Days,” would compare. The movie was a huge hit in China, topping the box office and grossing a whopping 140 billion won. In South Kor...

Every now and then, an unexpected gem comes to the home theater, and that's exactly what happened with MBC's ambitious new drama, “Director Meng's Malcontent.” It was the winner of the MBC Playwriting Competition, and it showcases the fresh perspective and ambition of a new writer. MBC has often presented experimental but high-quality dramas in the form of one-act plays or special projects to discover new writers and provide viewers with a variety of entertainment, and “Director Meng's Bad Plot” is considered a successful example of this intention. “Director Meng's Badmouthers” is based on the hilarity and warm humanity of MBC dramas, but it also tackles a darker aspect of modern society called “badmouthing” head-on. The story centers on Meng Gong (Park Sung Woong), a legendary basketball coach who was once known as the “One Team Man” and led his team to the championship. When he is suddenly transferred to a rival team, he is labeled a “traitor” and a “money-grubbin...

The tvN Saturday-Sunday drama <Unknown Seoul> is already generating significant buzz even before its premiere, as it will feature actress Park Bo-young taking on her first-ever dual role, playing twin sisters and leading the narrative. More than anything, the mere news of Park Bo-young's casting—an actress renowned for her reliable performances—is undoubtedly enough to capture viewers' immediate attention. Park Bo-young is well-regarded as an actress who consistently and diligently pursues her acting career, more so than many of her contemporaries. Considering that top-tier actors like Park Bo-young often find it difficult to appear in even one project a year due to careful Hselection, her prolific work rate is even more remarkable. This is likely a testament to her passion for continuously showing new sides of herself through good projects and valuing communication with the public. While every actor has different criteria for selecting projects, top-tier actors, in p...

일본 영화에서 로맨스 장르는 빼놓을 수 없는 중요한 위치를 차지합니다. 특유의 섬세하고 서정적인 감수성을 바탕으로, 현실에서는 쉽게 일어나기 어려운, 때로는 애틋하고 때로는 환상적인 세계를 스크린 위에 펼쳐내곤 하죠. 이러한 영화들은 관객들에게 깊은 감동과 여운을 남기며 오랫동안 사랑받곤 하는데, 그중 상당수가 탄탄한 스토리를 자랑하는 일본 소설을 원작으로 하고 있다는 공통점을 지닙니다. 독자들에게 이미 검증받은 이야기를 아름다운 영상미와 배우들의 열연으로 재탄생시키는 것이죠. 하지만 영화 <나를 모르는 너와 헤어지는 법> (원제: 私が知らないあなたと別れるまで)은 기존의 일본 로맨스 영화들과는 조금 다른 출발점을 가집니다. 이 작품은 소설이 아닌, 2019년 프랑스-벨기에 합작 영화 <러브 앳 세컨드 사이트 (Love at Second Sight, Mon Inconnue)>를 원작으로 하고 있습니다. 국내에는 <러브 세컨드 사이트 시작은 첫사랑의 끝에서>라는 제목으로도 알려져 있는 이 영화가 원작이라는 사실은 다소 생소하게 다가올 수 있습니다. 원작을 접하지 못한 상태에서 이 영화를 감상한다면, 마치 처음부터 일본 영화로 기획된 작품처럼 느껴질 만큼 특유의 감성이 물씬 풍겨 나오기 때문입니다. 이는 아마도 <나는 내일, 어제의 너와 만난다>, <양지의 그녀> 등 수많은 로맨스 명작을 탄생시킨 미키 타카히로 감독의 연출력 덕분일 것입니다. 그의 작품들에서 일관되게 보여주는 영상미와 감정선을 섬세하게 다루는 연출 방식이 이번 작품에도 고스란히 녹아들어, 국적을 초월한 공감대를 형성하면서도 일본 로맨스 영화 특유의 분위기를 자아내는 데 성공한 것으로 보입니다. 남자 주인공 '리쿠' 역은 일본의 인기 아이돌 그룹 Sexy Zone의 멤버이자 배우로 활발히 활동 중인 나카지마 켄토가 맡았습니다. 그는 이미 다수의 드라마와 영화를 통해 연기력을 인정받았으며, 국내 팬들에게도 낯익은 얼굴입니다. 여자 주인...