New DVD Order arrived--what to watch next?

[divemaster13]

Ok, so my semi-annual DVD order from YesAsia arrived yesterday. I ordered 6 Korean DVDs, which means you get to pick 2 cheapies thrown in for free. So a total of 8 movies. One movie was the Korean Remastered release of Comrades, Almost a Love Story which we've already discussed. Another was the 2-disc SE of All About My Wife, which I watched last night and enjoyed (my thoughts are posted in the April "recently seen" thread).

I never know exactly what to order. Most are blind buys. I base my decisions on internet word-of-mouth; IMDb ratings and reviews; YesAsia reviews; and I always check Darcy's koreanfilm.org review pages. So put that all into the hopper, and here is the rest of my order:

Alice in Earnestland (2015)
Sunny (2011)
Watcha Wearin'? (2012)
Coin Locker Girl (2015)
Hello Schoolgirl (2008)
Hide and Seek (2013)

And I just checked my spreadsheet and below are the Korean DVDs I have on the shelf already that I have not watched:

Arang (2006)
Asako In Ruby Shoes (2000)
For Eternal Hearts (2007)
Jungle Juice (2002)
My Friend & His Wife (2007)
Over the Rainbow (2002)
Paju (2009)
Righteous Ties (2006)
The Star (aka Byul) (2003)

So any thoughts on these?

 

[clayton-12]

I've only seen four, but of those Hello Schoolgirl is by far the pick of the bunch, and I think it should be right up your alley too.

Sunny is one of those films that everybody seems to like a lot better than me - I thought it was a decent but pretty middle-of-the-road drama.

Paju was something I watched many years ago and the memory is a bit hazy. I recall thinking it was quite ambitious with its shifting timeframes and the way if unfolded its mystery, but that I didn't think it quite worked as a whole. Maybe I would feel differently if I watched it again - I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Hide and Seek was a cringe-inducing mess. Something about a serial killer who manages to go about their business unnoticed by dressing up like a frickin' Power Ranger.

 

[sitenoise]

I concur with Clayton completely on three of those. I'm one of those that liked Sunny. A lot. Hello Schoolgirl is the first one to watch. Start with that classic. I think Over the Rainbow is also classic krom komming around with beautiful Koreans. I'll blurb more later on some of the others

 

[plsletitrain]

I haven't seen any of those but if those DVDs were in my shelf, I'll pick Coin Locker Girl and Hide and Seek first.

 

[sitenoise]

Alice in Earnestland (2015) - I don't think you'll like this. The performance is good, and the story could pass, but the director thinks it's a positive to repulse you, and that it's everybody's fantasy to see how much abuse you can hurl at a young actress and call it art.

Sunny (2011) - Goodness and fun, maybe middle of the toad, but it'll entertain you. Pretty sure. Watch this one with the wife.

Watcha Wearin'? (2012) AKA My PS Partner. PS is for Phone sex. 3/5. This is middle of the road, but Korean so ....it won't hurt you.

Coin Locker Girl (2015) - This may be more soiled than you like, but it's got many flashes of excellence. It's dirty and colorful, over the top. Thing is: Go-eun Kim is the new Sakura Ando. So you should watch it to stay in the loop. Maybe not. It has a lot of ill-conceived scenes. Waffle waffle. I'm glad I saw it but you might back-burner it.

Hello Schoolgirl (2008) - Excellent krom kom.
Hide and Seek (2013) Blah

Arang (2006) - 3/5. Horror you've seen before.
Asako In Ruby Shoes (2000) - I think this is a quality cross cultural thing. Must be in the mood for slow, though. My Review

For Eternal Hearts (2007) - The soundtrack is a little too bold at times, but the cinematography and set locations are wonderful. It's supernatural, not horror. It's a 3.2 but I liked it to a 4/5 because Cha Soo-Yeon! and Kim Gyu-Ri. Good vibe and ambience.

Jungle Juice (2002) - ?
My Friend & His Wife (2007) - Too serious for itself. 2/5
Over the Rainbow (2002) - Recommend. It's a bit of a challenge to stay with the back and forth through time and hair styles, as well as the to and fro among different characters revealing the same narrative points simultaneously, but the plot is simple enough to just let it go. It's a nice romantic series of snapshots with very likeable characters and a happy ending.

Paju (2009) Watch it only if you need the street cred.

 

[divemaster13]

Thanks for all the comments! I really appreciate y'all taking the time. It looks like I picked a couple I'm pretty sure I'll like, and can get my wife to watch also.

Hide and Seek was a cringe-inducing mess. Something about a serial killer who manages to go about their business unnoticed by dressing up like a frickin' Power Ranger.

Ha Ha. Sometimes (more often than I'd care to admit), I'll buy or rent a DVD and pretty much hate the movie; or, give it a barely "meh" rating. You wins some; you lose some. But hey, I might like it. Goodness knows, my tastes run counter to the prevailing consensus on many many occasions.

Asako In Ruby Shoes (2000) - I think this is a quality cross cultural thing. Must be in the mood for slow, though. My Review

I read your review--and I swear I've watched this. Must be one of those few times I forgot to update my spreadsheet. I remember really liking it as well. Due for a re-watch!

Alice in Earnestland (2015) - I don't think you'll like this. The performance is good, and the story could pass, but the director thinks it's a positive to repulse you, and that it's everybody's fantasy to see how much abuse you can hurl at a young actress and call it art.

Yeah, that sounds like the style of movie that I really don't like at all. I don't mind edgy or pushing the envelope or some extreme scenes, as long as I feel like the director has earned the right to subject me (as the audience) to it. But too often it seems like the director just wants to shock or violate just to show that he can. We'll see how this one shakes out.

Coin Locker Girl (2015) - This may be more soiled than you like, but it's got many flashes of excellence. It's dirty and colorful, over the top.

I actually have high hopes for this.

Anyway, I've got some ideas on where to start. Might take me a while. Baseball season really cuts down on my movie time.

 

[divemaster13]

Update from my recent order:

Alice in Earnestland (2015)
All About My Wife (2012)
Sunny (2011)
Watcha Wearin'? (2012)
Coin Locker Girl (2015)
Hello Schoolgirl (2008)
Hide and Seek (2013)

I watched all but two of these in the past week or so (the exceptions being Alice in Earnestland and Hide and Seek) and am very pleased with my batting average. I've really enjoyed or loved all five movies. (Specific comments are in the April "recently seen" thread). All are 3.5 stars or above. Sunny is a viable contender for my "top 10 Korean films" list. So even if the remaining two don't cut it, it's still a great order.

 

[sitenoise]

Yeah, that was a good order