Nothing Serious

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Vampires do take everything seriously.

Vampire Bat: This is about humans not taking relationships seriously.

Vampire Owl: Well, for us, even the dirt in the graves are serious matter.

Vampire Bat: You are forgetting the dirt in the coffin.

Vampire Owl: Well, humans should at least take the planet seriously.

Vampire Bat: I have heard that they are all prepared to migrate to the next.

Vampire Owl: What? I hope they don’t choose our realm.

Vampire Bat: Well, they were specifically saying that they choose planets.

Vampire Owl: Let us just close the portals to the vampire realm. They will end up destroying our natural world with rivers of blood and graveyards filled with skeletons.

Vampire Bat: You need not worry about it. Uncle Dracula has taken all necessary precautions.

[Gets a mango cake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Woo-ri (Son Seok-koo) is thirty three years old and single, feeling alone all the time after the woman who was so close to being his girlfriend finds herself a boyfriend. He working at a magazine where he is forced to take over the sex column instead of culture, politics and sports with which he used to be comfortable. Ja-young (Jeon Jong-seo) is a twenty nine year old woman almost turning thirty, and she has had many problems with previous relationships. Woo-ri has his account created on a dating app which Ja-young had created after her breakup with the boyfriend. Ja-young is warned by some of her friends about using the app, but she decides to go on with it, as she finds out that her former boyfriend is getting married, and she would be left single – one of their friends had also found a good partner with the app. She had tried having a relationship in the gym, but that doesn’t work, and neither does her idea of finding someone at the bookshop. Even the random good-looking guy she meets during mountaineering turns out to be the wrong choice, while her debts remain high.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is basically the big number of alerts that makes her get back into the dating app, and most of the people there seems to be creepy for her. Woo-ri feels that he will also get something to write in the sex column, and his friend tells him that it will be like having multiple advantages with one single choice with the app. The two meet on the New Year Day and after having a long period of talk over some food, they realize that they do get along quickly enough, only to get their friends curious. She tries to make herself believe that it was a temporary relationship which is not going to last for long, while he is genuinely interested in her. His sex column becomes an instant hit among the readers, as he uses his creative imagination with his experiences, making it like an entertaining story. There is also a lot of appreciation from the higher officials. Despite not getting into a relationship, they do meet each other again and again, and move close to that. Even though they go on with the idea of friends with benefits with nothing serious, there could be more.

The defence of Nothing Serious a.k.a. Romance Without Love :: The movie tries to be the cute romantic love story that does not leave one with much to think about, as the usual romance gets some extra additions here. The visuals of the city are good, and they have chosen some nice places, from restaurants, hotels and cafes to random outdoor places to bring some beauty on the screen. The leading performers of the movie are always there throughout the movie, and for most of the time, both of them are also on the screen, and there is that kind of a dependence on the two characters, which actually works in favour of the film. The fact that these two breathe life and enthusiasm into the main characters is to be appreciated – these are two characters that bring the movie together. Even though there is the usual in here, we also have the divergence also in store – the movie is a combination of the expected and the unexpected, both coming together to create something which is not that far away from life of this century in the big cities. The movie is free-spirited, straight-forward and smart with how it deals with the leading cast, and such collection of qualities are rarely seen in dumb Bollywood romance and others.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does deviate from the cuteness factor at times, as if there is a certain amount of confusion related to which audience the movies is serving. This film should have stayed close to the sweeter side, and could have left some moments for the imagination. All its opportunities are not really sued by the movie, as the first few minutes would make us feel that this movie is up for more. The logic should have been served, but as we know, love story would require less of it, for we know how even the real world tales of love are going and often leading to murders and suicides of the partners before or after the marriage. The movie might not appeal to all kinds of audience, and it seems to be more focused on the newer generation, even though good enough for those generations which are just behind. Even though lasting only one and half hours, there is a certain amount of drag in between, especially with a lot of dialogues coming up. The predictability also has its say, and some melodrama was certainly not needed. The ending also seems forced, even though pretty good to be a finisher to the movie.

The performers of the soul :: Jeon Jong-seo leads the way in this romantic movie, and this is the first time that I am seeing her in a movie. There is a certain amount of cuteness related to her performance here, and there is also some humorous side along with the romantic one. She seems to handle the different emotions of her role quite well. Son Seok-koo contributes in a similar manner, and the chemistry between the two works really well, and seems to raise the movie further. The cuteness factor also relates to their relationship till it gets rather too serious in the last few minutes, only to get back to the same stage by the end. He was part of the supporting cast of the movie, Hit-and-Run Squad among others. Kim Seul-gi and Gong Min-jeung also appear in memorable supporting roles. Kim Young-ok as the grandmother and Kim Jae-hwa as the editor in chief of the magazine also have their moments to be remembered. Along with the same, Kim Kwang-gyu plays the father figure which would also be noted. The supporting cast seems to be quite big, and most of them are going to leave some impact here.

How it finishes :: Nothing Serious a.k.a. Romance Without Love is one of those romantic movies which manages to hold its ground despite not clear with its path, and without bringing anything special. The cuteness factor related to the chemistry between the leading performers seems to drive the movie forward more than anything else. South Korean movies have managed to bring at least some quality in almost every genre that they seem to be part of, and with horror and thriller being the perfect categories, romance and drama also got the power to support. This movie also maintains that quality, and even when there doesn’t seem to be that much of a story, it won’t come down that much in content, and the leading pair elevates it. Jeon Jong-seo who has become part of this genre so well, is often the single reason for the same. It is a much shorter, but interesting idea to spend one and half hours, as there is no shortage of some fun-filled moments. No one can deny the need for some love in the air after the corona virus pandemic.

Release date: 24th November 2021
Running time: 95 minutes
Directed by: Jeong Ga-young
Starring: Jeon Jong-seo, Son Seok-gu, Gong Min-jung, Kim Seul-gi, Kim Young-ok, Kim Jae-hwa, Bae Yoo-ram, Im Sung-jae, Kim Kwang-gyu

<<< Click here to go to the previous film review.

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Escape from Mogadishu

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Humans and their wars. Then they have the grand escape.

Vampire Bat: You know humans. They create wars all the time.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that most of them should be loving these wars.

Vampire Bat: All rulers wish for wars to keep control.

Vampire Owl: And humans are really easy to manipulate.

Vampire Bat: Humans killing humans is quite strange. Vampires do not kill vampires.

Vampire Owl: Yes, their brotherhood is only as good as witches on a blood moon.

Vampire Bat: At least none of the witches turn dead on that dead.

Vampire Owl: Well, they do have the potion of resurrection.

Vampire Bat: They also have the anti-resurrection vial though.

[Gets a vegetable cutlet and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Han Sin-seong (Kim Yoon-seok) is South Korea’s ambassador to Somalia at a time when the African country is going through an internal crisis, with civil war showing its face in most parts of the nation. The life at the Somalian capital of Mogadishu doesn’t seem to be getting any better soon, just like the relations between North Korea and South Korea which is at its worst. It is also the time when both the North Koreans and South Koreans are hoping for their nations to be admitted in the United Nations, and trying to gain the support of Somalia. As the African continent has the most votes in the United Nations, having Somalia on their side was going to be very significant in becoming part of the organization. Kang Dae-jin (Jo In-sung), South Korea’s ANSP intelligence officer is tasked with gaining the upper hand in the process. The gifts don’t seem to be among the best, but they decide to go on with it anyway, as there is hope for a lot of appreciation and even a possible promotion at the same time.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As they are on their way to meet the president, they are ambushed by rogue forces, who also take away the gifts which were supposed to be given to the leader. As they are also late, Rim Yong-su (Heo Joon-ho), the North Korean Ambassador to Somalia gets the next appointment instead. South Koreans are very muchdisappointed about the same, but cannot argue as they are late by fifteen minutes due to having to walk all the way from the place of attack. They do feel that the North Koreans are the ones responsible for this attack too. Tae Joon-ki (Koo Kyo-hwan), North Korea’s MSS intelligence officer was the one who arranged the attack so that the South Koreans wouldn’t get to meet the Somalian president in time. Now, the South Koreans have to come up with some other plan to nullify what the North Koreans have been doing in Mogadishu. It is up to the only one South Korean intelligence officer left out there to do something soon enough.

And what more is to follow here as the civil war has more power than before? :: As South Korean diplomat tries to contact other ministers in the Somalian government, it seems that everything that they want is just a lot of money in dollars, as well as a lot of favours for their relatives who are studying in different parts of the world. They try to spread information that North Koreans are selling weapons to the rebels, but it seems that the only thing that the government officials and ministers care about is the possibility of bribe. They also find the North Koreans talking to the government officials again, and two begins a word fight, which is stopped very soon by the rebels who are attacking Mogadishu. Even though the ruling government assures everyone that things are under control, soon it becomes clear that everything is going to be completely out of control. United Somali Congress addresses the nation proclaiming that they would bring down the corrupt government for the national interests of Somalia. People are on the rioting streets and with offices as well as banks closed, all the government officials are on the run – the Koreans will have to work together to make sure that they get out of there.

The defence of Escape from Mogadishu :: There are different levels of focus in this movie, as we are not having just an action film or thriller, as there are also elements of drama in here, as movie progresses nicely with a dangerous background always being present. The conflicts come in different varieties, as the action progresses strongly, making fine use of the available background. Being there at the time of a civil war has managed to add more elements of quality, and it easier to introduce one to the terrors of war when it is happening within a nation which is already troubled by poverty and other problems. There is also a certain amount of interest in the human level of action, as there could have been tendency to go on in the unrealistic manner. The scenery is pretty much interesting, and we are only happy to go through the beautiful visuals which become part of the movie very well. There is some interesting humour being added here too. Some messages are also present here and there, and we can sense the meaning going deep at times.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does have a certain amount of dragging at times, and gets a little bit too long with its contents. The initial moments are rather slow, and it does take some time to get into action, with a little bit of silliness having more of a say in the beginning stages. There are repetitive moments which could have been cut with ease. Maybe, instead we could have more of the life around there. There could have also been more focus on the people in the country too. The ending could have also had stronger and sharper moments to finish the whole thing. There are also a number of predictable moments around here, and often we feel that this was were things were heading much early. It is also one of those rare times when we get somewhat new South Korean movies on Amazon Prime, and the film does have comparatively less violence, making it more family friendly than one would expect from a war movie. Yet, the horrors of war could have been depicted further, as we are never short of such terrible wars, which keep on going in different parts of the world as we speak about this movie too.

How it finishes :: Even though we are not that aware of the actual events which happened related to this, the movie works well to keep us interested in the proceedings – the news channels around here rarely narrates the events of war in African countries. We are never short of the requirements to watch the films which portray the horrors and pains of war, as well as a few other things which lies underneath. War is indeed a thing of hopelessness, a crime to not just humans, but all life forms and the environment around. As the wars of new age are bigger crimes to everything on the planet, one might just end up hoping for human extinction to end all such acts of terror. In the absence of humans, the rest of the world would indeed thrive – there has been so many movies talking about saving humanity by taking people to another planet, but one keep wondering if that is indeed the right thing to do. As we ponder over the same, this film happens to be an engaging action thriller drama that keeps us add another name to that long Korean films of interest list.

Release date: 28th July 2021
Running time: 121 minutes
Directed by: Ryoo Seung-wan
Starring: Kim Yoon-seok, Jo In-sung, Heo Joon-ho, Kim So-jin, Koo Kyo-hwan, Jung Man-sik, Kim Jae-hwa, Park Kyung-hye, Yoon Kyung-ho