Movie Review: No Other Choice (Eojjeolsuga eobsda)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A brilliant dark comedy from Korea. 

This movie tells the story of a man who was fired from his job and is struggling to support his family. When he applies for a job in his field of expertise, he tries to kill all the other applicants so that he will certainly get the job.

What makes this movie work so well are the early scenes. Not only do they set up that this character has an idyllic life, but they also make the character very likable. When he loses his job, we empathize with him. As he descends into a darker frame of mind, it is done in such a gradual way that we are going through the emotions with him. This shows perfectly how there are people that are normal people that we would be glad to have as friends but who when the tide turns against them can show a dark side, we never knew they had. It also shows how corporate greed and the difficulty to make it in a money hungry world can so easily push these people past their breaking point. This makes everything here seem all too real and relatable. Yet director/co-writer Park Chan-wook is a master at dark comedy. To keep this movie from getting too disturbing to enjoy, he places a lot of that dark comedy throughout the film. Thus, we are laughing at the absurdity of what we are seeing, while we are also horrified by how real it is. This is shown perfectly in the first murder scene. As dark as the subject matter is, it is played almost as a slapstick comedy with how ineptly it goes. The dark subject matter makes our need to laugh all the more urgent and we laugh louder because of it. 

Usually, these types of movies focus only on the main character while making that character's family bland and forgettable. Yet here the wife and kids are also very well fleshed out. This is especially true for the young daughter, whose storyline is surprisingly touching. 

This film also benefits from a great ending that is in equal parts, disturbing, funny and touching.

This is another great movie from Park Chan-wook.

Movie Review: Hi-Five

 

Michael's Movie Grade: F

A terrible superhero movie from Korea.

This film about five people receiving superpowers after receiving transplants from the same person is a textbook example of how not to make a superhero movie. Everything about this movie is terrible. The storyline is incredibly cliché. It also feels too basic to even fill its two-hour runtime, resulting in a movie that feels much longer than it is. There are also many moments that make no sense even by superhero logic. This movie also wants to be a sillier and more comedic superhero film. Sadly, none of the humor works and much of it is embarrassingly bad. The characters are bland and cliché. Because of this they never once feel real to us and therefore we don't care about anything that happens with them. The acting is often quite poor and does nothing to help these already blandly written characters. The action scenes lack any fun or excitement and simply go on for much too long. This is not helped by the extremely poor special effects. These effects are so bad that it is incredible to think this movie somehow came out in 2025.

Avoid at all costs.  

Video Link: The MOST BEAUTIFUL SHOTS of PARK CHAN WOOK Movies - Adyfilk

Movie Review: The Killer (Jugeodo Doeneun Ai)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent Korean action movie. 

This film takes a basic action movie premise and turns it into a very fun thrill ride. The action here moves at a very fast pace and never lets go and when the film is over you can't believe over an hour and a half has passed. Much of what makes this film work though is our protagonist himself (played wonderfully by Jang Hyuk). He is simply the coolest action movie hero this side of John Wick. After all how can you not love an action hero who kills plenty of bad guys all while calmly enjoying his coffee. At every turn he always seems to know just what to do next and is one step ahead of the bad guys every step of the way. Beyond just being incredibly cool though he is very likable and under his tough extior he really does have a good heart. The scenes with him and the teenage girl he is taking care of (Seo-young Lee) are quite well done and while I don't this film will make anybody tear up, they do bring an emotion resonance to this often over the top action movie. Of course in a movie like this all this would be for nothing if the action scenes weren't good. Luckily these action scenes are fantastic. They are perfectly shot, staged, choreographed and paced. Most of all though they are very exciting and keep your eyes glued to the screen. While they are very violent, they are done in such a stylish way that this ends up adding to instead of distracting from the fun. The movie also has a good sense of humor and never takes itself too seriously to lose its sense of fun or becomes too silly to take away from the characters or story. 

On the downside as wonderful as our two main characters are, the rest of the characters are simply not that interesting and the film lacks a strong central villain.

Overall this is simply a great action movie and if you are an action fan you should definitely see it.     

Movie Review: Call (콜)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

Note: This film can be seen on Netflix.

Fantastically tense Korean thriller that truly keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I don't want to give much about the plot away in this review, because this is one of those movies you should know as little as possible about before watching it. I will say however that this is a movie that will keep you guessing throughout and there are many unexcepted turns. One could argue that the movie doesn't quite make complete logical sense. The truth is it doesn't but as the movie went on that did not bother me at all as I became so invested in the emotion that I excepted this movie as having the logic of a nightmare. Logically it may not make sense but it makes perfect emotional sense. Chung-Hyun Lee's first feature length movie (this one) already shows a great director and writer at work. The pacing here is near perfection. It incredibly builds up the suspense for each song, taking its time while still perfectly keeping the viewers interest and then delivers each intense moment at the right time. The script itself is extremely clever and knows just when to give you what you except and when not to. The two main characters are great and the performances by the two actresses are even better. Park Shin-Hye and Jong-seo Jung deliver these parts perfectly and help make you not only believe in these somewhat over the top characters but they also pull you into the suspense of each scene. Jong-seo Jung definitely has a role that not many actresses could play effectively and she pulls it off like a pro (it is hard to believe this is only her second movie). What she does here is incredible and the film would be nowhere as terrifying without her. 

While not giving any spoilers I will say the scene during the credits simply doesn't work and comes off as silly rather than intense. However when a film doesn't really falter until the end credits, than it is still a darn good movie. 

For anyone who likes suspense movies, this is a must see. 

Some Must See Movies From the 2010's

With the 2010's coming to a close, I feel it is only appropriate to look back on some of the great movies of this decade. This post will not be a best of list. Rather this is simply me listing some movies from this decade that I really enjoyed.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013, Japan). In my mind this is one of Studio Ghibli's best films and deserves to be mentioned with Spirited Away (2001) and Grave of the Fireflies (1988). This movie is a deceptively simple fairy tale that works on multiple levels. It can be enjoyed simply as a very charming fairy tale or a highly intelligent commentary on how our world defines happiness. The animation is incredible and with films like this, it is easy to wish hand drawn animation could still be the norm. I love how the animation will change to fit the emotional mood of the moment, while never feeling abrupt or distracting. The ending makes me tear up every time.

Lean on Pete (2018, U.S.A.). This is easily one of the most emotionally powerful movies of recent years. Yet this movie never slides into forced sentimentality. That is because this movie is an open and honest depiction of how harsh the world can be, but also the beauty that can be found in other moments. With the lack of warmth in our main character's life it is impossible not to understand or relate to his deep connection with the horse he works with. This movie never follows a conventional path and you will never know what we happen next, but be sure whatever does will hit your emotions hard. Be prepared to cry when you see this movie.

Tokyo Fiancée (2014, Belgium) Possibly one of the most offbeat romantic comedies of the decade and certainly one of the most enjoyable. This movie was based off the real life romance of Amélie Nothomb. Our main character grew up in Belgium but spent her life obsessed with all things Japanese. When she moves to Japan (as a French language tutor), she falls in love with a young man obsessed with all things French. What really makes this movie stand out are Pauline Etienne's incredible performance and the breathtaking shots of Japan. Though its offbeat and often very funny sense of humor doesn't hurt either.

Marie's Story (2014, France). A very heartwarming film about a young woman who is both blind and deaf and a nun who helps change her life. The story may seem familiar but it is told so spectacularly here, you won't care. This is a quiet little movie that requires you to pay attention but rewards you extremely richly when you do.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse (2018, U.S.A.). This animated feature is everything one could wish for in superhero movie. It is extremely fun, it has a great story with some depth, a fantastically original visual style and great characters. More than any other superhero movie I have ever seen this film makes it feel like a comic book come to life. This is not only one of the best animated superhero movies but one of the best superhero movies period.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011, U.S.A.) and Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014, U.S.A.). You may love or hate the MCU. Personally I love it and these are in my mind the finest movies to come out of it. The first Captain America is a lovely done period piece that is as fun as any MCU movie has ever been. The second is a more dark and serious film set in the modern day. Both are the smartest and best written movies Marvel Studios ever put out.

Parasite (2019, Korea). I would like to say as little about this movie as possible, as it is best to go in knowing as little as possible. Only know that this is one of the finest suspense movies of recent years.

Moana (2016, U.S.A.). This movie shows Disney animation at its best. Everything is as good as it gets including the songs, the animation, the characters, the story, the action and the pure Disney magic.

Inside Out (2015, U.S.A.). This is easily my favorite Pixar movie. It has everything that is great about Pixar films with none of the faults. Like with all the best movies from this studio, I felt like I traveled to another world. The design work is so perfectly imaginative and detailed that you can easily believe the inside of our mind really looks like this. The characters are fantastic and I like that they even tried to see how far they could push Joy while still making her likable. The story is the finest and most heartfelt to ever come from Pixar and this is the only movie from the studio that has actually made me cry.

Lady Bird (2017, U.S.A.). With just her debut feature, I am willing to accept Greta Gerwig as one of the finest directors of this generation. It is hard to think of any movie in recent years more perfect than Lady Bird. While there have been many movies about young people in their late teens coming of age, I hesitate to think of one that does it as well as this film. This movie is extremely intelligent, perfectly acted and cast, very funny, extremely heartfelt and perfectly directed. If there was a movie this decade I would dare call perfect it is Lady Bird.

Ida (2014, Poland). Movies as beautiful as this come along extremely rarely. This movie is full of pure cinematic magic from beginning to end. Made in black and white, this is one of the best looking films of this decade. The cinematography is perfection, often making one wish black and white movies were still common. However this film is hardly all style and no substance. Director and Co-writer Pawel Pawlikowski revisits his childhood with this movie's story and does it in an incredibly moving and powerful way. No movie buff should go without seeing this brilliant work of art.

Feliz Año Tijuana (2018, Mexico). I came into this movie knowing nothing about it. Little did I except it would be such a moving and powerful film. This movie takes a small simple story a professor who by chance meets an old student in Tijuana at New Years, and turns it into something truly special. This is an independent movie all the way. In fact it was shot without a script, being mostly improvised over six days of shooting. This movie came and left theatres with hardly anybody noticing. However it is truly a great movie and I hope some of you will take the time to seek it out.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Parasite (Gisaengchung)

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

This Korean film is not only the best movie of the year, but one of the best of recent years.

This is a movie that is not afraid to change tones as it goes along. It can go from a silly comedy to social satire to a very dark and disturbing suspense film in a heartbeat. How incredibly well this movie does this is perfect. The social commentary on the often complicated relationship between rich and poor is a lot of what holds this together. This movie never stops to preach to us, as would be done by lesser filmmakers, nor does it simplify the complexities of its subject. Despite this the movie's lighter and dark moments fit together because they are both connected to this similar theme. The mixture of lighter and darker moments is also part of what keeps this movie so suspenseful. You never know if what is coming up not will be funny or disturbing. There were times when I felt I knew where this movie was going and was shocked to see it go in another direction, but each time what it did was better than what I saw coming. Adding to this is that the characters were all completely untrustworthy. There is no one who has a true moral compass and everyone is capable of great darkness. This movie could have so easily done what so many movies about the rich and poor do, making one side good and one side evil. However this is too simplistic and too cliché of an approach for this film. Life is not defined by simple terms like good and evil and neither is the world of this film. Between all the black and whites are many grays. This is all perfectly crafted in a way only a master filmmaker Bong Joon Ho can do. It is no exaggeration to call him one of the greatest filmmakers of our generation.

It may seem with some of what happens that one might want to call a comparison to another brilliant Korean film, The Housemaid (1960). However the two movies are extremely different and this movie never borrows from that earlier classic. Instead this is a one of a kind work of art that is a true rarity in any time period. If you are a movie lover, you have no reason not to see this movie. I don't care if you don't like to read subtitles you still need to see it. There is nothing else quite like this and I am sure it will go down in film history as one of the best movies of our generation.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade: A-

Review: So here it is the highest grossing movie at the Korean Boxoffice. Let me say I see perfectly why this movie has so much appeal over there. This a fantastic movie that manages to be smart, imaginative and action packed.  

This movie is clearly inspired in some ways by Hollywood blockbusters. There is even a scene in which a character asks another if he has ever seen Jurassic Park before they are chased by CGI dinosaurs. Still despite this there are many strong differences between this and your average Hollywood blockbuster. For one the pace is much slower, and even with the special effects heavy action scenes, this movie is mainly as a character study. In this it succeeds amazingly. The characters are far from how two dimensional they seem at first. As the film unfolds we learn more and more about these characters. As we learn more about them it changes the way we look not only at them but the film as a whole. Each plot twist comes directly from what we learn about the characters and it seems to flow naturally out of who they are. You didn't see them coming, but they still made perfect sense. This kept me glued to the screen wondering what was going to happen next. All this is perfectly enhanced by the fantastic performances from the actors. Each one obviously puts their whole soul into these characters and that can easily be felt. Also because we care so much about the characters when the action scenes do happen, they are much more exciting.

I know this is a brief review, but I want to keep it that way. I went into this movie knowing little about it and fell in love. I am hoping some of you reading this will have the same reaction I did.


-Michael J. Ruhland