Joheun-nom, Nabbeun-nom, Isanghan-nom: The Good, the Bad, the Weird

In 1930s Manchuria, three gunslingers are after a map.  Chang-yi Park (Lee) a ruthless bandit / hitman, with a gang of followers, is hired to steal the map from a prominent Japanese man.  Before he can get to the map it is inadvertently stolen by thief Tae-goo Yoon (Song), who manages to escape the train derailment caused by Chang-yi's gang.  Both men are pursued by Do-won Park (Jung), a sharp eyed bounty hunter.

Tae-goo believes he has found a treasure map, and with the help of Do-won, plans to follow it and find the treasure.  Chang-yi and his gang plan to obtain the map by any means necessary and set off in pursuit of Tae-goo and Do-won, leaving a trail of bodies.  The map also draws the attention of a group of Manchurian bandits, led by Byeong-choon (Yoon), the second in command.  In addition, the Japanese army want the map to save their empire.  As the bounties and bodies grow higher, who will win the map and treasures?

I first discovered this film when it was reviewed on a blog I read.  It sounded interesting, and I enjoy Korean films, so I added it to my list of "Must Sees".  Once it was added to Netflix's instant streaming, I added it to my queue.


The story grabs your attention from the beginning.  It is funny and features impressive / bloody battles and stunts.  The three leads are charismatic and draw your attention.  Kang-ho Song, who also starred in The Foul King,  is hilarious as Tae-goo Yoon, the Weird.  He is the most fleshed out character and most interesting.  He also won Best Supporting Actor in the Asian Film Awards for this role.  Byung-hun Lee, who has appeared in the G.I. Joe films and in Red 2, is fascinating as Chang-yi park, the Bad.  He is involved in the most fights and is a compelling villain.  Woo-sung Jun is the bland but impressive Do-won Park, the Good.  His character is the least developed, but has some sweet moves with his rifle (specifically during the big chase scene towards the end of the film).

The film uses minimal CGI and focuses on intricately staged fight and chase sequences.  The body count is high and there is a significant amount of bloody violence.  Apparently, director Ji-Woon Kim (also spelled Jee-woon Kim), who also directed The Foul King, has a cult following in Asian cinema for his ability to tackle different genres.  I enjoyed this film and The Foul King and look forward to checking out his other films.

A great action flick, that pays homage to the western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird [Joheun-nom, Nabbeun-nom, Isanghan-nom] (2008) 130 minutes
Rating: R for non-stop violence and some drug use
Director: Ji-Woon Kim
Starring: Kang-ho Song as Tae-goo Yoon, the Weird
Byung-hun Lee as Chang-yi Park, the Bad
Woo-sung Jung as Do-won Park, the Good
Je-moon Yoon as Byeong-choon
Seung-soo Ryu as Man-gil

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

"How do we tell the good guys from the bad guys?"
"If they're shooting at you, they're bad!"

Two years after helping save the world in the Battle of New York, Steven Rogers (Evans) is working with S.H.I.E.L.D. and trying to adjust to life after spending decades frozen. He does not agree with all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s practices and is trying to find his place in this time.  Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is attacked and seriously injured by a mysterious assassin called The Winter Soldier (Stan).  His tells Rogers that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised and to trust no one, and is killed by The Winter Soldier.

Rogers is brought to Alexander Pierce (Redford), a senior leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., to answer questions about Fury's murder.  Rogers follows Fury's advice to trust no one and lies, which makes him a traitor to S.H.I.E.L.D.  On the run, he teams up with Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) and new friend Sam Wilson (Mackie) to get answers about the corruption within S.H.I.E.L.D.


This is the third film in Marvel's Phase 2, following Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, and like those films, the stakes are higher for the Captain.  The first Captain America film introduced the character and his world, and ended with him waking in modern times after being frozen for several decades and presumed dead.  This film focused on the Captain trying to find his place within modern times, especially after saving the world again.

New directors Anthony & Joe Russo wanted to create a "70s political thriller that was masquerading as a big superhero movie."  And their vision paid off, the story is interesting and keeps you guessing.  Stick around for the 2 post credit scenes.  The characters are rich and interesting.  Robert Redford is mesmerizing as Alexander Pierce, and Anthony Mackie is a welcome addition to the film as Sam Wilson / Falcon (and hopefully he will pop up in future Avenger or Captain America films).  Sebastian Stan is intense in duel roles.  Scarlett Johansson gets a bigger role in the film and really nails it.  And Chris Evans continues to impress.

The action sequences and effects work well, especially when you consider that the Russo brothers wanted to use minimal CGI.

Apparently Marvel is planning a third Captain America film, again directed by the Russo brothers, for 2016.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) 136 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout
Director: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow
Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter / Agent 13
Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

TV: Psych

"Are you crazy?"
"I wouldn't say crazy. Maybe an eccentric who looks good in jeans"

Shawn Spencer (Roday) possesses strong observation and deduction skills, thanks to training from his cop father, Henry Spencer (Bernsen).  He uses those skills to call the Santa Barbara Police Department with tips on their open investigations.  The cops, specifically head Detective Carlton Lassiter (Omundson), are convinced that Shawn is involved in all the crimes and arrest him.  To convince them that he is innocent he uses his gift to pose as a psychic.  The interim police chief, Karen Vick (Nelson), warns that if they learn that he is faking, he will be prosecuted.

He convinces his best friend Burton "Gus" Guster (Hill), a pharmaceutical salesman, to open a detective agency called "Psych" and to become consultants for the Santa Barbara Police Department.  They are often paired with Lassiter and his new partner Detective Julie O'Hara (Lawson).  With high stakes cases and police officers around, can Shawn keep up the charade?


I discovered this show when it first aired in 2006 and fell in love.  I loved the silliness of the show along with the police procedural feel to the show.  Over time the show took on popular genres (musical, western) and paid homage to different films (mostly from the 80s) and featured brilliant cameos by a long list of celebrities.  I loved watching Shawn and Gus and their co-dependent friendship and unique take on police shows.

During it's 8 seasons, the show boasted impressive cameos, which usually turned into recurring characters.  There are too many good cameos to mention!  And the minor characters were equally entertaining.  You looked forward to seeing them pop up each week.  The main standouts were coroner Woody, portrayed by Kurt Fuller with glee, and naive Buzz McNab, portrayed by Sage Brocklebank.

I loved all 8 seasons (and enjoy rewatching on Netflix) and was sad to see the show end.  But the series finale was epic: a nice mix of sentimental, procedural, and humor.  It felt very genuine to the tone of the show overall and was a fitting ending to a show I loved.  I look forward to seeing the cast in other shows / movies in the future and hope that they decide to do a reunion show in a few years.

Best Episodes: An Evening with Mr. Yang (3:16), Mr. Yin Presents (4:16), Last Night Gus (6:02), This Episodes Sucks (6:03)

Psych (2006-2014)
Creator: Steve Franks
Starring: James Roday as Shawn Spencer
Dule Hill as Burton "Gus" Guster
Timothy Omundson as Detective Carlton Lassiter
Maggie Lawson as Detective Juliet O'Hara
Corbin Bernsen as Henry Spencer
Kirsten Nelson as Karen Vick
Sage Brocklebank as Buzz McNabb
Kurt Fuller as Dr. Woodrow "Woody" Strode

Divergent

"You're different. You don't fit into a category. They can't control you. They call it Divergent."

In the future, the city of Chicago is all but destroyed by a war.  The remnant have been divided into factions based on their defining characteristic: Abnegation are selfless, Amnity are peaceful, Candor are truthful, Erudite are intelligent, and Dauntless are brave.  Tris Prior (Woodley) grew up in Abnegation, and is preparing to choose her faction.  Every teen is given a test to help them determine which faction to choose.  Tris' test is inconclusive, which means she is Divergent.  Her test instructor, Tori (Maggie Q), encourages Tris to keep the results to herself and hide that she is Divergent.

Tris chooses to leave behind her family and opts to join Dauntless.  She and other initiates soon learn that they have to compete to stay in the faction.  The lowest scores will become Factionless.  They are trained by Four (James), with interference from brutal Dauntless leader Eric (Courtney).  As tensions mount between the factions, can Tris protect her family and her secret?


A friend from work first introduced me to the world of Divergent.  I devoured the first book and couldn't wait to read more about the characters (and looked forward to reading the other 2 books in the series Insurgent and Allegiant).  I was excited to hear the series was going to adapted to film and eagerly anticipated the film.

The screenplay, by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor, aims to be as faithful to the source material as possible, while still introducing new fans to the series.  The script and casting were lauded by author Veronica Roth.  That said, fans of the books will still notice things that are missing (even though the film runs over 2  hours).

Shailene Woodley shines as Tris.  She is the perfect choice for the character and really grounds the film.  Theo James, best known for smaller roles, is great as Four.  Expect to see him in many more films in the future.  I loved seeing Kate Winslet as the villain and look forward to seeing more of her in the sequel Insurgent, Allegiant Part 1, and Allegiant Part 2).  The rest of the cast hits all the right notes.

Read the book and then head to theaters to see this on the big screen!

Divergent (2014) 139 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense violence and action, thematic elements and some sensuality
Director: Neil Burger
Starring: Shailene Woodley as Tris Prior
Theo James as Four
Jai Courtney as Eric
Zoe Kravitz as Christina
Miles Teller as Peter
Ansel Elgort as Caleb Prior
Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Will
Christian Madsen as Al
Kate Winslet as Jeanine
Ashley Judd as Natalie Prior
Tony Goldwyn as Andrew Prior