I caught 3 Korean ones which Dearie downloaded in his portable harddisk. YOU MUST WATCH ALL THAT ARE MENTIONED HERE!!!!

Coincidentally, the first 2 are Heist movies that are unbelievable long (lots of subplots happening at the same time and you need a team of reliable people to make sure it's a success!) but it keep you on your toes!

The Grand Heist starring Cha Tae Hyun & Oh Ji Sung

The Grand Heist is set in Joseon era where corruption is beyond appalling. It's like a Robin Hood kinda movie and it is about Ice. Yes! Simple thing like that! 

I like all the effects they have on the ice, moving water in the winter. It was set during an era where ice is more valuable than gold. When corrupt officials conspire to form a monopoly and fix its price, a gang of 11 professionals is formed to stop the scheme.

Ice is a commodity more valuable than gold. Blocks of it are harvested from frozen rivers in winter, put in royal storage and distributed or sold throughout the year for general consumption.



You might recognise Jeon Ji Hyun & Lee Jung Jae, both of which from their hit movie Il Mare (2000). There's Kim Soo Hyun, from his roles in Dream High & Moon Embracing Sun and he has unbelievable chemistry with Jeon Ji Hyun in this movie but with so many things happening at the same time, their parts were understandably short. The rest are also veteran actors/actress in the Korean entertainment biz. 

The Thieves is also a joint collaboration with HK and I was wondering WTH Simon Yam & Li Xinjie were doing. The movie has a jumble of language, English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Cantonese... Haha! Dynamism I guess. I didn't know they had to take so many language lessons.

What I like about Korean movies is the thought given to the little details that connects everything up and also the human factor. Cast away all the dramatic cinematography and stunts or effects that are needed to piece the show, I like the human touch of the storyline of how friendship/bonds are formed and how ppl are able to coordinate and work so well together in order to pull off a heist :P

Jeon Ji Hyun is JUST HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!!!!!

Of cos there were characters who died throughout the show and also complicated matters of the heart but... 2 hours really aren't enough to 交待清楚 everything.

Adding onto the list is also Architecture 101, a bitter sweet movie that left me tearing buckets.


The Wikipedia page stated in concise details how the story flowed as a matter of factly. But believe me, this movie is more than what is stated there.

Man is architect, woman approached man to re-built her house in Jeju. Woman asked him if he has been well. Man couldn't recall who this woman is until she revealed her name and where she live and which uni was she from. Man began a series of flashback...

In the early 90s, they both attended the same architecture class in uni. The architecture lectures are very interesting, in fact. The lecturer told everyone to indicate/trace their route from home to school. It was revealed that both of them live in the same neighbourhood! The lecturer told them to take note & explore the notable buildings in their neighbourhood.

So apparently, they often took the same bus to & fro home & school everyday. One day, the boy was visiting some parks in the neighbourhood and run into the girl who was also taking pics of the architecture buildings. They began their first chat. 

She is new to the neighbourhood after moving over from Jeju. He offered to bring her around the parks & historical buildings. To thank him for his time & tour guiding, she gave him a CD album she was listening.


The story moved back & forth in their present life & flashback. In the present, our leading lady Han Ga In lied that she was married (but actually coping with divorce). She appeared to be interested in him and even shopped for a tie for him and asked him out to dinner. He brought along his assistant, Go Jun Hee. She tried to fish info on whether he's married or single or looking by saying she has a few single friends she can into him. 

This was the first sad part for me... and I totally didn't see it coming :(

The assistant, Go Jun Hee said, "My boss likes pretty, tall & slender ladies." Han Ga In didn't suspect a thing and commented, "I'm sure whoever that girl is very lucky." And the assistant said, "I know. I would consider myself extremely lucky." Everybody was stunned, especially Han Ga In. The assistant continued saying, "I am that pretty, tall & slender lady who's extremely lucky to have my boss as my fiance." 

Double blow! They were engaged. Gosh!

Back in the old days, he seek his hyung's help to try to get her to be his girl. But it turned out that she likes one of his classmates and that broke his heart. But yet they continued to go out for 'architecture dates' and she fell asleep on his shoulder and he actually kissed her. 

However, the girl didn't show whether she continues to like his classmate or him so that confused him. They then discovered an empty house during one of the 'architecture date' and made a pact with each other to meet here again during the first snow.


She told him about how she wish her future dream house would be like and the poor kid actually spent time to build a model of her house for her. He waited the whole night in the cold winter for her only to see her returning home with his classmate that she was previously interested in. 

The next day, she waited for him to finish class, only to have him returning her the CD album she previously passed him citing that he didn't own a CD players so it was pointless to keep the CD album. He told her not to contact him anymore. She gave the most heartbroken look. She went home and saw the model he built for her that was thrown in the thrash.

Present day, her new house was built in perfection by him. She thanked him for his hard work and wished him well in his career & marriage. Before he left he offered to help her move her boxes of items and he saw the model which she built for her many many years ago. They stopped in their tracks and he finally asked her why she approached him, there are so many architects out there, why him? She finally revealed, she wanted to know how her First Love have been doing. She went through so much trouble to finally find his contact, she said when he kissed her, it was her first kiss.

I teared... so actually she likes him too!!!!!! But he back off first pushing her away thinking that she still likes his crush and told her not to contact him anymore....

The scene jumped and it was back in the past. It snowed that year and she kept her promise of going back to the empty house and waited hours for him. But he didn't show up and she left her CD player and that same CD album that she meant to give him on the floor of the house.

Back to the present, he proceeded the wedding with his assistant/fiance and we see a package being sent to our leading lady's house. It was the CD player & CD album she left for him. He DID keep his promise go back to the empty house after all. And the show ended....

I TEARED BUCKETS. My tears just spill out like running tap water....

It was so sad how things turned out. It was so heartbreaking to every extend of their past & present life. They DID LOVE each other SO MUCH but sigh.... It wasn't meant to be back then, it wasn't meant to be right now :( Such bittersweetness....  

It was just like 500 Days of Summer. It's not your live-happily-every-after-fairy-tale that everyone wishes for it to happen.

It leaves you empty, 感伤，感慨，难以忘怀....