One winner will get:
♥ Bath & Body Works Country Apple Lotion
♥ EOS Lip Balm in Honeysuckle Honeydew
♥ Hello Kitty mini notebook
♥ Hello Kitty Necklace
♥ Lancome Fatale 3d Comb-Mascara in Black
♥ Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Sting
Hi peeps :) The first thing I wanted to mention today is Siwing's 1st Giveaway ~ She's giving away a lot of nice things and she has quite a few ways to enter so :) check it out. It ends Nov 5.
Fyi, B&BW Country Apple has always been my favorite scent; it was my first BB&W purchase actually way~ back in 1999? Gosh, I feel old.... but the scent always evokes a lot of memories for me. It's a wonderful aroma of sweet autumn.
* * * * *
Also there's going to be a Smashbox Cosmetics sale tomorrow on HauteLook. You can make an account on the main website or if you're feeling generous here's a referral link. You never know what will show up ^_~ so if you be curious, check it out :D It starts at 8AM PT.
* * * * *
A Mini Movie Review/Rant
Also I just got back from watching Ajusshi (아저씨) or as it's titled for American theaters, A Man From Nowhere. It stars the perpetually hot Wonbin (I swear this man never ages) as Taesik and child actress Kim Sae Ron as Somi. It's very Leon the Professional/Man on Fire-esque, you know, the whole retired ex-CIA agent who breaks out his badass fighting skills to save a child.
While the story itself is pretty typical, I have to say the cinematography just blew me out of the water. There's this one shot when Wonbin is falling backwards and lands on the nets they string over golf courses to keep golf balls within the putting course....the slo-mo capture of him falling with the rain just took my breath away. The music was above par and that combined with Wonbin's top notch acting skills (and looks) and gorgeous shots resulted in a very enjoyable experience. It's a very good film but it's weakness is the unoriginality of the plot. But let's be honest, we don't see action films to think too much xD The movie has some very nice, gritty fight scenes (I think they were paying homage to Old Boy with Wonbin's interlude with the ax...or is that just me?) and they make a big effort to show how dark and dirty the criminal underworld can be.
Like I said, the cinematography is truly exquisite - it's the kind of movie I could watch on mute ;) Also, despite the weak storyline, I would proudly recommend this movie to anyone looking to dip their toes into K-movies. It's not the best thing to come out of Korea but it definitely ain't too shabby either. It's being shown in a lot of movie theaters in CA and even in the Northern Virginia area (to my surprise) so it's definitely worth a watch. Watch the American-release trailer below with subs :)
Warning: Rant ahead.
That said I have a bloody bone to pick with the dude who approved the showing of A Man From Nowhere in an American movie theater without subtitles! I watched this movie at Fairfax Corner 14: Cinema de Lux, located in the Washington Metro area. While there are a lot of Koreans in the area it's still predominately non-Korean; also the theater is not one to show a lot of arthouse/indie/foreign films. In fact their audience is more teens/families because it's located in Fairfax Corner, a place with restaurants/shops/etc - basically an upscale weekend hangout place. Recently, however, Fairfax Corner has been picking up a remarkable number of foreign films (for reasons I'll state below) and being that FC is a very reputable, up-scale theater it's a great opportunity for these foreign films to be seen by a typical American audiences.
With this in mind, I just can't believe they would show a foreign film without a subtitle and NOT EVEN ADVERTISE THAT FACT. I am all for the showing of great foreign films but to show a Korean film in a heavily non-Korean area without subtitles is just befuddles me in its sheer stupidity. They are literally just chasing all potential Korean cinema fans away! Would someone who paid $12 to see a film ever go back to see a foreign film at this theater again after sitting through two hours without a single subtitle in sight?
Not to mention this film has been out in Korea for months and showing in American theaters since September - there is no excuse for not having subtitles by now. Even more embittering is that CJ Entertainment (made the film) is a huge multi-million dollar film company in Korea, it just beggers the imagination why they wouldn't pay someone to write up some subtitles - for Chrissake there are hundreds of fan-written subtitles online already! This is an action film that had the money to pull top paid actors and directors to make it and yet they couldn't part with a single dollar for subs? Which brings me to my next complaint - why the freak did they not state anywhere in the theater that this film does not have subtitles?! It should have said somewhere that this film does not have subs, especially with an innocuous American title, any curious non-Korean speaker could've just wandered in for fun and then have to sit through two hours totally confused if they didn't want to 'waste' a ticket.
I like this film, I like the actors in it, I think it's well-made and that American audiences could enjoy it a lot actually. And that just pisses me off even more that Korea fumbled a chance to show American audiences what they're made of due to simple laziness. To add salt to the wound, it's a Korean American that selects the films to be shown at Fairfax Corner. You'd think as a KAm that has lived in Northern VA for years and has made a name for himself as having impeccable taste in films would be a little more in touch with theater goers in America and make sure it's being subbed.
In his defense, he has slowly been bringing in a lot of quality foreign films into Fairfax Corner and he brings them in really fast in impeccable quality. Up till now K-films (actually almost all foreign films except the few huge Chinese flicks like Hero etc) were only shown at downtrodden, old theaters several months (sometimes years) after their release in Korea. Since he's bi-lingual Korean films have particularly benefited since he can directly negotiate with Korean film companies to bring in popular movies. Needless to say, the fact that a well-made K-flick is being shown at a very nice theater in a very nice area (if you see the place, you'd know what I mean) is a golden opportunity to access mainstream fans....and in my eyes, this kind of carelessness is inexcusable.
I'm sure there are people that are really interested in foreign films won't let a one time negative movie experience stop them for coming for more - in fact they may enjoy the movie even without subs. Some may even argue that it's better to show a foreign film without subs than not show it at all. But professionalism demands that foreign films that want to gain respect and viewers in America must deliver not just a good movie but well-written subtitles so that the audience can grasp as many nuances as possible. The Korean movie industry is dying to get their foot in the door in America...yet they don't even seem to be giving it their 100%. Given I am sure in other theaters in other parts of America, there are subtitles being shown with A Man From Nowhere. I am sure there are many people who have become interested in Korean films after watching it. But right here, in this little slice of Virginia, Korean films just went a step backwards.
Or maybe not. Not many people can resist this :)
* * * * *
Anyway, enough ranting :P To end this post on a happy (though not many things can make me happier than a shirtless Wonbin xD) note, I give you....| Dunno why my feet look so...duck-ish here. |
Yes, it has little ears :)! Buuuuttt that's not the best part ;) Check out the bottom of the socks....
On the left, "100% Honest the Panda" - the Engrish makes it even better :D On the right, it it says ggorangnae or "stinky." If I want to be classy, I'd say I love the attention to detail but honestly, I straight up just like the cheek of putting the word "stinky" on a pair of socks :)
Have a great Monday everyone!