Fresh from controversially revealing her agency, Sidus, had tapped her phone, Jun Ji-Hyun is set to star in the live action adaptation of Blood: The Last Vampire.

The Plot according to IMDB.com:

A vampire named Saya (Jeon Ji-Hyun), who is part of a covert government agency that hunts and destroys demons in a post-WWII Japan, is inserted in a military school to dicover which classmate is a demon in disguise.

   Now going under the western pseudonym Gianna Jun, this will be Ji-Hyun’s eighth film but will mark her debut in the English language. Her’s hoping that regardless of this films success. Ji-Hyun will continue to appear in the quality Korean fare that made her name. The most recent, A Man Who Was Superman continues her impressive unabated run of  fascinating films that date back to the start of her career.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sV-ubAbwe

Blood: The Last Vampire is due for UK release on June 12.

Written and Directed by Kevin Smith

Starring:   Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith

   View Askew is somewhat of a misnomer for the banner under which Kevin Smith produces his films. Stripped away of all the dick and fart gags, Smith’s films main ingredients tend to be saccharine and schmaltz; there is nothing in his ouevre that is as controversial or as wild or as he may think. Generally a View Askew production consists of sweet hearted earnesty Trojan-horsed onto the big screen via the way of inventive swearing and smut.

  Chasing Amy is one of these films. Perhaps preparing for his future titular role in Gigli, Ben Affleck falls for a lesbian, Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), who, not suprisingly shows some initial resistence to his advances: Partially because he has a cock and partially because the penis in question is attatched to Ben Affleck. However, this being Smith-penned, Alyssa soon realises the error of her lesbian ways  and succumbs to the charms of Affleck’s character Holden. Not being Ben Affleck I have no indexicology to relate to the narrative; the closest I have come is converting a lady I was seeing from heterosexual to homosexual. True story.

   Post-lesbian Alyssa and Holden live together happy for ever and ever. Except, of course, they don’t. Holden’s best friend, Banky (Lee), has dug up some dirt from Alyssa’s past. Perhaps, he suggests, she isn’t  telling the truth about her sexual history. Being a Kevin Smith film this results in a lot of soul searching; can Holden accept Alyssa for who she really is and forget her past indiscretions?

   Chasing Amy falls roughly on the better side of Kevin Smith’s very un-even career. Making a name for himself with Clerks, which he has yet to top, Smith has created a number of films that rate from decent (Clerks 2) to reasonable(Zack and Miri Make A Porno), and from apalling (Mallrats) to nigh on unwatchable (Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back). For fans of Smith’s humour there is plenty to enjoy in the film’s first half; Jason Lee as Banky is particularly amusing as a cantankerous foul-mouthed homophobe ready to snap on anyone or anything. Yet jocularity decelerates as the film progresses into its more dramatic second half; Smith’s inert camera focusing on his characters emotional retorts as opposed to foul-mouthed musings and witticisms. No longer is Banky vehemently defending the heterosexuality of cartoon characters; instead Holden and Alyssa  are trying to burden over the cracks of their relationship as it falls apart.

   As Holden’s emotional odyssey climaxes, Chasing Amy all but dispenses with belly laughs instead throwing out one-liners every once in a while almost apologetically for allowing itself to become a sentimental drama. Thankfully the dramatic scenes are handled with much restraint and never seem too over the top; as Alyssa screams at Holden, his face crumpled in forlorn self defeat, the performances tinge the film with genuine melancholy.

   Chasing Amy teeters just about on the right side of impressive and watched twelve years later its huge impact on American cinema is quite apparent; Judd Apatow is a man who pretty much owes his career to Smith’s formula of crafting films around immature jokes before descending into would be pathos. Bobcat Goldthwaite’s Sleeping Dogs is a similar, although much superior, offering too.

   Though never fully satisfying as either a comedy or a drama there are enough plus points to make the film worthwhile. And there is no sign of Jennifer Lopez appearing to inform us its ”turkey time”. Gobble gobble.

   The embryo for this column came whilst watching back Angus (a film I reviewed for this blog). One memorable quote in particular struck me as astounding, a quote I included in my previous article:

“Superman isn’t brave… You don’t understand. He’s smart, handsome, even decent. But he’s not brave. No, listen to me. Superman is indestructible, and you can’t be brave if you’re indestructible. It’s people like you and your mother. People who are different, and can be crushed and know it. Yet they keep on going out there every time. “

   An inebriated conversation on MSN with an infinitely more informed colleague than I resulted in me quoting this at him. His response was telling – “Yeah. That’s my problem with DC Comics.”

   Of all the graphic novel adaptations I have watched big screen adaptations of, the two I have enjoyed the most are Ghost World and American Splendor. Not being a huge fan of superhero movies I had to thusly research which film adaptations belonged to which comic roster. Imediately upon doing so I began to understand the differences between the two companies and why the characters of Marvel seem much more engaging than those at DC.

   Aside from Batman, who in film adaptations is usually the least interesting character in his own tales, DC Comics appears to be staffed with characters of whom apathy is the most positive emotion I can conceive. As the Grandpa in Angus recalls: “Superman isn’t brave”. I find it hard to invest emotions in characters who don’t have to surmount obstacles to achieve virtue – if a character is borderline indestructable then I am unable to conjure any empathy. I sure as hell ain’t indestructable. Superman can’t be crushed and he knows this. I can.

    The most engaging character out of a stable including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash appears to be their most succesful and, as far as I’m aware, the one that has translated to the big screen the most succesfully. A character with a harrowing back-story and no supernatural powers, Batman seems to be the most believable on an emotional level; the one easiest to connect with. A vigilante of sorts, Batman is a deeply troubled indivdual who, as just a mortal man, is very much at risk of being killed every time he fights evil.

   A glance at Marvel’s assorted players reveals what, to me, looks a far superior array of characters: The Hulk, Spiderman, Iron Man and the X-Men, all of whom have created largely succesful films.

   Sam Raimi’s Spiderman was the huge success that ushered in the on-going age of commercially viable comic book films and is considered one of the most loved page to screen adaptations. One of the reasons for this is the infinite relatabilty that Peter Parker, the teenager who becomes Spiderman, offers. Whilst radioactivity has given him an array of physical skills, Parker is still in essence like any other character on the verge of adulthood – he holds a torch for Mary-Jane Watson and, at such a confusing, vulnerable age, he can be crushed not just by criminals and evil do-ers but by the burdensome weight of unrequieted or unfulfilled love. The strength the mutations have given him are matched in equal proportions with the weaknesses implicit of being a teen.

   Similarly the X-Men are a bunch of outsiders; they are literally freaks. Like Angus is a freak for being obese in a school of jocks, the X-Men are equally maligned by society for being mutants, not “normal”. I find it much easier to root for the underdog, the characters battling self doubt in a society determined to put them down, than an invincible, supernatural  force. 

   A brief segway here: My favourite musician is Bruce Springsteen. He tells stories of working class men who, through bravery, manage to transcend themselves and become, for want of a better word, heroes. There is a reason his tales do not concern those born invulnerable and invincible. Nobody could relate to these stories. On the other hand, whether it is Bruce Springsteen trying to find ways to be with Rosalita against her parents wishes, or Angus struggling to accept himself at school, or Peter Parker juggling his adult responsibilities with his longing for Mary-Jane and his new powers he uses to fight crime – these all make for engaging narratives. We cheer for characters who get knocked down and rise again and again and again and again; we salute their endurance and stoicism. Superman never gets knocked down.

Angus (1995)

Directed by Patrick Read Johnson

Written by Chris Crutcher

Starring:   Charlie Talbert, James Van Der Beek, Kathy Bates, George C. Scott, Chris Owen, Ariana Richards

   In a number of ways falling in love with a film is the same as falling in love with a lady. You can’t always chose who you hold a candle for. In fact, a lot of time, the heart dictates the object of its affection in spite of logic or pragmatism. Often the recipient of the heart’s desire isn’t the most obvious choice; they aren’t neccesarily the best looking or the smartest. Yet they always have something else going on, a je ne se quais, a something else you may or may not be able to put your finger on. It may be just a small idiosyncacy like the way she screws up her nose when annoyed or the kooky inflections that pepper her sentences.

   Angus, a very wonderful little production, is a fantastic example of this. Lost in a crowd of more popular and critically acclaimed teen films, Angus is not the blond haired siren at the prom all the boys lose their senses for. She’s not even the blond’s slightly less appealing best friend. Angus would be the mousy, timid girl in spectacles who happily hangs around the outskirts of proceedings noticed only by the sole man who realises just how incredible she really is.  Angus hangs in the shadows of similar high school films, the likes of She’s All That and Bring It On; the blond girls who get all the attention but beneath the superficial sheen of their surface is an empty, shallow core.

   Steadily directed, but never flashy, Angus is a modest high school film that adds up to more than the sum of its parts and ends up being one of those films that, despite not being the best looking or the smartest, it is impossible not to fall head over heels for.

   The films plot is a simple one. The titular character is the polar opposite of his arch-nemesis, football captain and jock supremo Rick Sanford (played by a smarmily impressive James Van Der Beek). An overweight kid who sweats rain, Angus Bethune (Charlie Talbert) is an outsider, a prime target for bullies. His self-confidence is low. He’d swap all his intellect for “a little physical beauty”.  Outside of his strange companion Troy Wedberg (Chris Owen), Angus has no friends. Each and every day he slogs to school where he is “good at science, fair at football” and a continued victim of bullying. When not intimidated in corridors, his under wear is hung up with the American flag for all to observe. One of the few things that keeps him going through the days is seeing Melissa LeFevre (Ariana Richards), a long-running object of his affections despite, in years of knowing who she is, having never plucked up the courage to make even the briefest of conversations with her. He pines for her: “that girl that just made you ache because you know she was put on the Earth out of your reach only to make you feel bad.” Another problem is that, as the popular blond girl, she is dating the football team’s captain; the repugnant Sanford. To embarrass Angus, Sanford rigs voting on the upcoming Winter Ball’s King and Queen. Melissa is selected as queen and somewhat unexpectedly Angus is named king.

   Knowing the whole thing is a cruel joke doesn’t stop Angus’ mind from entering turmoil and self-torment. Does he brave the ball, and a potential humiliation, to risk a talk with Melissa? Or, is the systematic abuse he suffers daily enough to deter a chance to dance with his dream girl? His Grandpa (George C Scott) suggests “Screw ‘em!” An eccentric livewire, the patriarch of the Bethune household doesn’t care what other people think. He knows people are talking behind his back as they see odd his engagement to marry a woman some decades his juniour. Yet he simply doesn’t care. Angus’ protective mother Meg (Kathy Bates) feels the opposite. She doesn’t want her only son to suffer any more. She was a child tortured by her high school peers due to her weight. She can relate and doesn’t want her son to put up with any more trouble than he already does.

   The film at its heart is essentially a celebration of bravery. Not the bravery seen in a super hero films but rather the more humble, painstaking type. The stoic strength an outsider summons in struggling through every day life. The bravery it takes at getting up time and again when all around are concerned with belittling and terrorising those they see as weak. One tender scene in particular outlines this theme. Grandpa is trying to coax Angus into going to the prom:

“Superman isn’t brave… You don’t understand. He’s smart, handsome, even decent. But he’s not brave. No, listen to me. Superman is indestructible, and you can’t be brave if you’re indestructible. It’s people like you and your mother. People who are different, and can be crushed and know it. Yet they keep on going out there every time. “

   With other high school films the central question would be “does the protaganist get the girl?”. With Angus this is an after thought and because of this a far superior film to its peers. The main question at heart here is “can Angus ever become brave enough to accept himself for who he is?” Have the bullies systematically beat into him the notion he is not normal and is thus inferior?

   This is not a film about a fat kid who finally gets the Queen of the Ball by losing a bunch of weight and brandishing a cool new haircut, although he does amusingly try and fail at both. Rather it is an earnest tale about a fat kid struggling to be a fat kid.  The film undestands vindication doesn’t come in the way of getting the beautiful girl; there is more to proving one’s self worth than claiming trophies. His physical girth also gives him an advanage in that, unlike most cinematic dweebs, Angus can also physically stick up for himself – in the past he has broken Sanford’s nose on numerous occasions. Again, though, what good does this do? Punching a bully is not a redemptive act either.

   A high school film with a rather refreshing theme, an overweight nerd’s search for dignity and self-respect, coupled with a delightful soundtrack (Weezer, The Muffs, Mazzy Star, Peter Gabriel and Smoking Popes amongst the best) and some terrific performances (Scott and Bates as enchanting as always and the film boasts a wonderfully balanced showing from the debuting Talbert), that somehow still manages to add up to more than the sum of its parts, Angus doesn’t follow the path trod by its grandstanding peers. It’ll never be cool like 10 Things I Hate About You or popular like Cruel Intentions. It will never be the showy  queen of the prom but instead the mousy girl in the corner of the room it’s impossible not to fall for. Angus is never going to be a normal teen film. Thank God.

There are some films that catch you completely unaware. With no expectations certain movie can curiously appear right in your lap and, without even the suggestion of remorse, blow you away whilst filling your heart with a sense of glee and wonderment. What a serendipitous experience! I had this with Rushmore and, more recently, Bridge To Terabithia, the latter of which I watched solely for Zooey Deschanel; an actress who astounds in even the most anaemic of films.

Zooey Deschanel is set to co-star with Jospeh Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days Of Summer which has been described as  “one of those films you instantly fall in love with” at slashfilm.com. Unlike the prior titles mentioned, 500 Days has been hyped and rated to hell across the blog-o-sphere in the same fashion of Juno and Slumdog Millionaire before it.

Normally this would lead to a degree of apprehension; whilst there is no greater feeling than stumbling across a wonderful picture, the feelings gained from watching a hyped up disapointment is the polar opposite. From blockbusters like The Simpsons (a film which I presumed would be the second coming based on reviews but was merely “okay”) to Indie darlings like Little Miss Sunshine (a contrived, superficial piece of trying-too-hard tripe)  the realisation of being duped by hyperbole and/or marketing is a crushing one.

However the trailer for 500 Days Of Summer spritefully aleviated any concern I may have had. If the finished product is anything to go by then 500 Days will be a sweet, smart, heart-warming way to spend an evening.

With two engaging leads, a cerebral premise and what appears to be a killer soundtrack (http://www.500days.com/500-days-of-summer-soundtrack-listing.html#more-292) this is definitley my most anticipated film of 2009 above even Pixar’s newest Up.

The trailer can be found here: http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/03/03/500-days-of-summer-movie-trailer/#more-21538

Fox have a link available allowing visitors to help pick which one of four posters should be used for the film. I picked bottom right. It’s cute as a button: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/500daysofsummer/survey/

   Personal highlights including reacting to the news Jay Kay’s car had been vandalised with “Jamiroqaui would he do that?” And upon learning that the vandal in question was a pastry chef who had been arrested for this vehicular assault, I found myself saying “I guess crime doesn’t pastry.”

After my last appearance on BCB, drunken and attempting to give out my phone number to any female Bruce Springsteen fans who may be listening,  I was relieved to get through the broadcast dignity in tact without dropping any swear words.

The closest I came was when my request of “Stay” by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs was played. As Dirty Dancing is one of my least favourite films I had to forcibally stop myself going on a diatribate about the film before I wound myelf up into an uncontrolable ball of rage and umbrage.

The focus of my ire, in this instance, is the use of soundtrack on Dirty Dancing. It makes no sense.

Set in 1963, the film utilizes artists from the appropriate decade such as the Ronnetes and the five Satins to evoke a temporal feel. Fair enough. But when Time Of Your Life pipes up, replete with synthesizers that weren’t even invented at the period of the films setting, the fourth wall is broken with an imbecilic, unintentional Brecht-ian device.

As for “Hungry Eyes” – Saxophone is generall my favorite instrument but here it is produced so it sounds like a goose being recorded through a Mega Drive.

I’ll stop short once more before I lose my religion. The expository dialogue (“Arthur Murray taught me to dance”) and what Roger Ebert deemed the “Idiot Plot” of Dirty Dancing  are matters I could spend a long time raging upon if not for the fact I’d rather spend my time more constructively. By “more constructively” I mean partaking in another afternoon nap where I hope to meet flame-haired girls who have replied to me giving out my phone number live on radio.

Total Film ran a poll to gather which is the most under-rated movie presumably of all time although the findings seem to primarily focus on American films of the last twenty years.

http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-20-most-underrated-movies

The results found these to be the top twenty:

20. Cast Away (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)

19. Blades Of Glory (Josh Gordon/Will Speck, 2007)

18. Reign Of Fire (Rob Bowman, 2002)

17. Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, 1998)

16. Jingle All The Way (Brian Levant, 1996)

15. Southland Tales (Richard Kelly, 2007) 

14. Silent Hill (Christopher Gans, 2006)

13. One Night At McCool’s (Harald Zwart, 2001)

12. Master And Commander: Far Side Of The World (Peter Weir, 2003)

11. Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004)

10. The Mist (Frank Darabont, 2008)

9. 1941 (Stephen Spielberg, 1979)

8. Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)

7. Ten Things I Hate About You (Gil Junger, 1999)

6. Superman 3 (Richard Lester, 1983)

5. Vanilla Sky (Cameron Crowe, 2001)

4.  Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (David Lynch, 1992)

3.  Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, 1998)

2. Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantion, 1997)

1. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)

The title which stood out like a sore thumb was Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me; a film that I not only consider David Lynch’s most under-rated but also his best. A mercurial film that needs re-examining in a new light away from the bitterness of the collapse of the Twin Peaks television series and the ill-founded optimism the film would provide a re-boot or catalyst for a re-commisioned show as opposed to a sealed-in exhaustive finale to the saga of Laura Palmer.

Much kudos also to the choices of Eyes Wide Shut and Southland Tales. Both films are ultimately flawed but never less than fascinating and have been harshly scolded with detriment which should be saved purely for the canon of Rob Schneider.

Some suprising choices and, even throught the somewhat limited scope of the findings, some glaring ommisions:

The inclusion of Silent Hill over Dark City is somewhat baffling and a case sould surely be made for I Am Legend; similar to Vanilla Sky in that until the brakes fall off and the weight of the narrative strangles itself, both are quite splendid pieces of film-making and surely warrant a place above the imbecilic Van Helsing.

An area of cinema that is often unfairly over-looked is “family” or “kids” films which have in recent years included a string of often ignored belters. From Brad Bird’s Iron Giant, unfortunately produced under Warner Brothers who had no clue how to market the feel-good romp, to the fantastical Brother Bear, a film that flopped to catastrophic proportions for Disney, to my ultimate choice of most under-rated film Bridge To Terabithia. A heart-breaking coming of age tale with all the melancholy and grieving of films such as Stand By Me, Bridge To Terabithia deserves to be critically re-assesed or even just seen by a wider audience as it is cinema at its most emotionally gutteral.

Similarly there are those films which, whilst not receiving mild to poor critical responses, appeared under the public’s radar such as the transcendental Assasination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford and the muted serenity of Love Liza.

Just got round to hearing Slave Bilic’s band.

As well as being fluent in four languages, possesing a law degree, devastating good looks and a succesful career in football as both a player and manager he is also a guitarist in a succesful Croatian band. Rawbau, for whom he plays rhythm guitar, recorded their nation’s official song, a punky Bouncing Souls inspired rocker, for Euro 2008.

If only Steve MacClaren had gotten England into the championships it would have been interesting to see the triple hair-lined Yorkshire weird-o attempt at moonlighting as a pop-star.

Bilic has instantly done the unthinkable and replaced Andy Cole’s single “Outstanding” as my favorite footballer/musician crossover:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ixT63nBqao

Honourable mentions go to Chris Kamara who recorded a cover of “Brown Eyed Girl” and Matt Jansen for his haunting rendition of “Song For Guy” both of which featured on A League Of Their Own; an album recorded entirely by football personalities including a self-penned croon by Ron Atkinson.

Chris Kamara amiably replacing melody with boisterity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqRoBCMgAuQ&feature=related

Kudos also to Terry Venables who manages to give a respectable swing style performance in this jingoistic anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WiYO46qpe8

It should be noted that I am yet to track down anything relating to Christian Dailly’s long rumoured “Queens Of The Stone Age-esque” rock band Southern Playground.

 Directed by Kwak Jae-Yong

Written by: Kim Ho-sik

and  Kwak Jae-yong

Starring:

Jun Ji-Hyun

Cha Tae-Hyun

2001, South Korea

   “Romantic Comedy” is a term that strikes sorrow and pity into the heart of many a film fan. Hugh Grant bumbling his way through “funny” swear words. A shirtless Matthew McCaughnahey appearance shoe-horned into a contrived and trite scene on a beach. Sandra Bullock. In general “Rom-Com” is short-hand for the vapid, expressionless, painful to  watch dregs that linger at the bottom of the cinematic barrel. 

   Romantic Comedies have a propensity to be the filmic equivalent of a root canal procedure without painkillers; the sugary, nonsensical worlds created by Nora Ephron are less palatable and appealing than the twisted sadistic violence in Salo. Whether through unfettered misogyny, superficial love stories relying on clichéd manipulation to try and tug an emotional reaction from its audience, or just downright unfunny hokum, Romantic Comedies usually are less satisfying than a McDonald’s burger; neither filling, sumptuous nor good for you. Yet when done correctly there are few genres more satisfying or pleasing. Buried somewhere underneath the hundreds of waste of space titles like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Fool’s Gold, Two Weeks Notice, City of Angels and their ilk will occasionally shine a true gem of a film. A film so utterly charming and lovely that for its duration, at the very least, it is easy to forget about the outside world in which The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past isn’t an ominous foreboding reality. They are films which make those who watch them feel like better people.

   Although outnumbered significantly by balderdash, it is reassuring and life-affirming to realise that, whilst misanthropic bile like Pretty Woman exist in  prominence, so do films as glowing and remarkable as Groundhog Day, Say Anything and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Films as charming as The Princess Bride and Annie Hall. As heart-wrenching as The Apartment and High Fidelity. When a film can mine both its romantic and comedic overtones to the full, which is rarer than a finding a four leaf clover in a super market, a Romantic Comedy film can be amongst the very best cinema has to offer. And one of the very best Romantic Comedies is the askew masterpiece My Sassy Girl. Despite being recently remade starring Elisha Cuthbert for American audiences and butchered, the heart torn out and thrown to one side with uncooked meat served up, the original Korean film remains a superlative example of what could, and should, be aimed for in a Romantic Comedy. 

   The story begins, as do most romantic comedies, with a meet-cute. Yet from the very start it is easy to tell that this will be no straightforward rom-com. As far as meet-cutes go Gyeon-woo (Cha Ta-Hyun) experiences one of the most awkward and unconventional committed to screen. Teetering on the edge of a train platform is a clearly intoxicated but beautiful young lady (Jun Ji-Hyun), swaying to the rhythm of one too many shots of alcohol. Precariously balanced as a train approaches, the girl is whisked to safety by a concerned Gyeon-Woo although her drunken state leaves her oblivious. The girl, who is never named, boards the same train as her rescuer and, much to his horror, she precedes to bully, slap and vomit her way around the carriage. The girl’s final act before consciousness deserts her is to somewhat perplexingly call out “Honey” at Gyeon-Woo. The other passengers presume the two to be together and he is given responsibility to look after the girl. Their relationship begins with her comatose and by the end of the night with him in jail.

   The course of romance never manages to run any smoother for the young couple; she is a drunk, a vindictive bully who seems to take pleasure from torturing her partner. She makes him wear her shoes, nearly causes him to drown and savagely slaps and beats him solely for her personal enjoyment. He on the other hand, observing her serene face as she is once more passed out on the effects of too much drink, realises her bizarre and violent behaviour stem from a deep pain of which he resolves to cure. This, of course, is not as easy as he imagines and as their story unfolds Gyeon-Woo finds himself back in jail, kidnapped by a run-away soldier, beaten and humiliated some more by his wildly eccentric girlfriend.

   Ultimately the film balances on Jun Ji-Hyun’s shoulders and it is through her sheer range she manages to craft one of the most engaging female leads in cinematic history. One minute a violent raging force of nature, the next a delectable saucer-eyed sprite full of gleeful exuberance and manic energy, Ji-Hyun delivers a portrayal of the title character as an intense and bizarre, strong yet vulnerable, eccentric; it is hard to imagine any other actress succeeding in this role. It would be easy to turn this character into an unlikeable psycopath yet Ji-Hyun somehow creates an adorable lead. Her sadistic behaviour is peppered with moments in which, through a quick smile or a muted glance, it is possible to see a buried sweetness under the sassy persona she projects. As My Sassy Girl progresses and slapstick humour steadily makes way for a melodramatic climax the girl begins to let her guard down more and more; her progression is organic and tender and left me shouting at the screen enthusiastically willing the couple together when the plot suggests that ultimately the lovers are destined to be apart. 

   My Sassy Girl succeeds where most rom-com’s fail; the two leads are fully fleshed characters who it is easy to care for and root for. During the course of the film nothing seems more important in the world than these two defying all the odds that their culture, their parents and even themselves have set to ultimately be together. Undeniably emotional, as is to be expected from a Korean film, the visceral feeling of joy and hope the film gives out upon conclusion is so much better as it comes from a real, authentic script that at no point feels like a cold, calculated effort to manipulate emotions like many American rom-com’s.  A whimsical, magical film My Sassy Girl deserves to be looked back upon as one of the truly great films of the first decade of the 21^st century.

   Not too bad an achievement for a romantic comedy.