Romeo Noh Movies
- 2004
It's 1978 and Hyun-soo (Kwon Sang-woo of My Tutor Friend), a quiet boy who idolizes Bruce Lee has just transferred to a new high school. At the very moment of his arrival, Hyun-soo learns what the school's military discipline is all about when he's beaten with a bat for violating the dress code. In class, he meets Hamburger (Park Hyo-jun), a slovenly fat kid who makes extra money selling pornography to his fellow students. Hamburger warns him about Stabber (Kim Won-kwon), a bully, so named because of his tendency to stab fellow students in the head with his pen. When the athletic Hyun-soo shows his skill on the basketball court, he's taken under the wing of BMOC Woo-sik (Lee Jung-jin). Woo-sik is charming and persuasive, but he's always ready to solve things with his fists if necessary, while Hyun-soo admits that he's never punched anyone. The two young men are fast friends until they run into the lovely Eun-ju (Han Ga-in) on the bus home one day. Hyun-soo is immediately smitten, and when she's accosted by some rude soldiers, he defends her. The soldiers chase the kids off the bus and Woo-sik fights to protect them. Hyun-soo pines for Eun-ju, but Woo-sik is bolder and gets the girl. The friendship disintegrates, and Woo-sik's conflict with Jong-hoon (Lee Jong-hyuk), the officious student patrol captain, eventually comes to a violent head forcing Hyun-soo to take action. The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School was written and directed by Yoo Ha (Marriage Is a Crazy Thing) and was shown at the 2004 New York Korean Film Festival ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gweon Sang-woo, Han Ga-in, (more)
- 2003
Na-nan (Jang Jin-yeong of The Foul King) is nervously approaching 30, unhappy and uncertain about her future. Her boyfriend, realizing that they are just going through the motions, breaks up with her. Her patronizing boss takes credit for her excellent work and has her transferred to the corporation's restaurant division, where one of her responsibilities is to enthusiastically greet patrons at the local Chili's. Her friends, promiscuous playgirl Dong-mi (Eom Jeong-hwa of Marriage Is a Crazy Thing) and the shy, bookish Joon (Lee Beom-su) share an apartment, but there's no romance between them. Joon is seeing a younger woman who strings him along, and he resents Dong-mi's endless procession of lunkheaded boyfriends. Dong-mi has her own problems at work and is eventually driven to take drastic action against her lecherous boss. Na-nan, unhappy at her job, takes notice when Su-heon (Kim Ju-hyuk) begins frequenting the restaurant, always with a special request for her attention. But he doesn't make a move. One night, Na-nan's oafish boss stops by Chili's to "boost sales" and casually insults her, prompting Su-heon to defend her, making his feelings known. Their relationship develops slowly. Na-nan begins to fall for him, only to learn that he's being transferred to the United States and wants her to come with him. Meanwhile, Joon gets dumped and falls into the arms of Dong-mi. They spend a drunken night together that threatens to destroy their friendship. Singles, based on a novel, was directed by Kwon Chil-in, and was shown at the 2004 New York Korean Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jang Jin-yeong, Lee Beom-su, (more)
Memories of Murder is a policier based on the actual case of the first recorded serial killer in Korea's history. The rape murders began in 1986 in Hwaseong, a small village south of Seoul, and continued for several years during a time of political upheaval in South Korea. Detective Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), an overconfident local cop, is assigned to the case, taking along his partner, Detective Cho Yong-koo (Kim Rwe-ha), whose interrogation methods involve covering his boot with a cloth so it won't leave scratches on detainees' necks. After the first few murders, they quickly narrow their sights on a suspect (Park Noh-shik). Seo Tae-yoon (Kim Sang-kyung of Turning Gate), a young detective from Seoul, volunteers to work on the case. Park resents his presence, but Seo quickly realizes that the locals have the wrong man. Before he can share his ideas, the department is humiliated, and the police chief is replaced. Seo quietly begins to piece together a pattern to the murders. For one thing, they all took place in the rain, and the victims all wore red. But the murderer seems to be one step ahead of the cops. Working independently (they disdain each other's methods), Park and Seo stumble upon another suspect, and the two local cops work on beating a confession out of him. But it's soon clear that they've arrested the wrong man yet again. They become more desperate, and the case begins to take a devastating toll on the policemen's lives. Memories of Murder, directed by Bong Joon-ho from a script by Bong, Kim Kwang-rim, and Shim Sung-bo, was a huge box-office hit in South Korea. The film won several awards at the 2003 San Sebastián Film Festival and was also shown at the 2004 New York Korean Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, (more)
