Movie Review: My Girlfriend is an Agent (2009)

Yesterday we finally got to watch My Girlfriend is An Agent. It was great. In fact, I don't remember seeing a more hilarious movie for the longest time. It's probably also one of the more entertaining Asian films I have seen in years. Hong Kong movies have generally been crap and I don't know enough Japanese films to say. So this latest Korean offering gets (at least) a 7.5 out of 10 points from me.

Kim Ha Neul stars as a Ahn Su Ji, a top-notch agent working for the Korean secret service. She used to date Lee Jae Jun (played by the very funny Kang Ji Hwan), but because of the countless lies she told for her work's sake, their relationship could not take the strain. Eventually, Jae Jun broke up with her and left Korea without giving her a chance to explain herself. Broken-hearted, Su Ji tried to forget Jae Jun and subsequently began dating someone new. But as fate would have it (as is usually the case in movies), their paths crossed again 3 years later. The way they met again is really laugh-out-loud funny. A bit slapstick, but nonetheless hilarious. I won't reveal more; no spoilers in this review.

It turns out that Jae Jun is now a rookie agent, and is trying to make the cut for the elite Harimau team (did you know? Harimau is the Malay word for tiger and also the name of the company that produced the movie). IMO, Kang Ji Hwan is perfectly cast as the bumbling agent. Whenever he makes a blunder, his facial expression has just that right mix of serious goofiness, which is totally classic. And of course, making everything even harder, now he has to keep his identity a secret from Su Ji (right when their relationship seems to be picking up again). A series of misadventures soon follow. The nightclub and amusement park scenes with the two of them on field missions had me laughing till my sides ached.

This is a highly enjoyable movie. It's silly but in a good way. Besides the leading man and lady (who have wonderful onscreen chemistry, by the way) the supporting cast is also superb. And although it's supposed to be a sort of goofball comedy, the love story between Su Ji and Jae Jun is very emotionally charged, and has more to offer than your average Hollywood romance comedy. Mostly it came down to the star power and acting chops of Kim Ha Neul and Kang Ji Hwan, who manage to pull everything off convincingly. Even the more ridiculous moments (for me it's the fencing sequences) will just make us audience go, awww. We are ready to forgive these two anything, as long as they end up together.

In the end, we all know true love will prevail. So I don't think that counts as spoiler. :) Don't expect something too deep or too clever. But you can count on having a rollicking fun ride in this movie. This is entertainment at its best. Guaranteed to make you laugh. HelloHallyu recommends it!

[Posted by mydaemon]

My Girlfriend is an Agent @ Level 7 Bureaucrat

En garde! Kim and Kang sparring in a scene from the movie.

A gala premiere of the My Girlfriend is an Agent, also know as Level 7 Bureaucrat, was held at the Cathay cinema last night. Both the leads, Kim Ha Neul (of On Air fame) and Kang Ji Hwan were both in Singapore for this event.

There's going to be another publicity event for the movie at the Heeren this evening at 6.30pm. Pity that I am most likely still stuck in the office. for fans of Korean dramas and movies, Heeren is the place to be this evening. Get your cameras ready as both Kim and Kang will be at the event.

We at HelloHallyu can't wait to catch it on the big-screens when the movie starts its run from 5 Nov!

Kim Ha Neul the All-Action Heroine

Agent Kim on her majesty's service. Shaken, not stirred.
(Source: Cyworld)

Who'd have thought that Kim Ha Neul, who recently appeared in SBS's On Air as the super-cool superstar Oh Seung Ah, would traded in her designer wear for the rough and tumble life of an agent in her new movie Level 7 Bureaucrat.

In this action movie, yup, you are reading it correctly, Kim stars as a secret agent, a la 007 James Bond, who rides horses, fence, take on baddies with karate chops and a gun that's strapped to her thigh which comes in handy during tight situations. Check out the photo above if you have any doubt about the gun being strapped to her thigh portion.

I hope the film will be released in Singapore since it also stars Kang Ji Hwan, whose character Hong Gil Dong gave me loads of laughs when I caught it on the telly recently.

Congratulations to the winners of the 44th Annual Baeksang Arts Awards

It's kinda late, but here are the list of winners for the 44th Annual Baeksang Arts Awards which took place last week on 24 Apr (click here to see the full nomination list in my previous post).


FILM SECTION

Best Film
Forever The Moment

Best Director
Lee Chang Dong (Secret Sunshine)

Best New Director
Na Hong Jin (The Chaser)

Best Leading Actor
Im Chang Jung (Scout)

Best Leading Actress
Kim Min Hee (Hell Cats)

Best New Actor
Jang Geun Seok (The Happy Life)

Best New Actress
Han Ye Seul (Miss Gold Digger)

Best Screenplay
Kim Hyun Seok (Scout)

POPULARITY
Kwon Sang Woo & Kim Jeong Eun,

TV SECTION

DaeSang
Kang Ho Dong

Best TV Drama
SBS (War of Money)

Best Producer
Lee Byeong Hun (Yi San)

Best New Producer
Lee Yoon Jung (Coffee Prince)

Best Leading Actor
Park Shin Yang - SBS (War Of Money)

Best Leading Actress
Yoon Eun Hye - MBC (Coffee Prince)

Best New Actor
Song Chang Ui - SBS (Golden Bride)

Best New Actress
Lee Ji Ah - MBC (Legend)

Best Screenplay
MBC - Thank you

POPULARITY
Kang Ji Hwan & Sung Yu Ri

Here are some selected photos of the star studded guests at the awards ceremony.

Hong Gil Dong and Yi Nok in contemporary costumes


The ever stunning Son Ye Jin

Yoon Eun Hye, all alone as Coffee Prince - Gong Yoo - is in the military camp

LEE JI AH! Need I say more

Money War's Park Shin Young and Park Jin Hee

Han Ye Seul

Yi Nok - The name of Kang Ji Hwan's new pet

Loosely translated the Korean words say "This is a super kawaii gift from Heo Yi Nok to Hong Gil Dong - Yi Nok the pet doggie. Though small now, I am sure I will grow up quickly under the care of Gil Dong!"

It seems like the on-screen chemistry between the leads in Hong Gil Dong - The Hero - Kang Ji Hwan and Sung Yu Ri, has spilled over into real life. They are apparently so chummy that Sung actually bought a cute little Shih Tzu pup, which Sung named "Yi Nok", as a birthday present for Kang who celebrated his birthday on 20th March. Hong Gil Dong fans would immediately recognise that Yi Nok is the name of Sung's character in the drama.

Anyway, it's good to see that friendships are forged, and can be forged, on the sets of Korean dramas. Only problem is, this act of friendship has set tongues wagging about a potential romance between Kang and Sung. This must be causing a whole load of anxiety to Yoo Ha Joon who's reportedly Sung's beau. Read all about him in my previous post titled "Beauty & The Beast".

Hong Gil Dong, The Hero

(Image Source: KBS)

Korean drama meant one thing for me and Mydaemon in the last 18 weeks. . . Jumong

This monster of a drama, at 81 episodes, finally ended its run last Friday. While I enjoyed the rich elaborate sets, costumes and a well developed story, Jumong became kind of a chore to watch as the scriptwriters lost their way for the last 20 odd episodes. In my opinion, it was a poor end to a wonderful drama. Only good news is that the end of Jumong meant 'free' time to watch other Korean dramas. :)

The timing can't be more perfect as Hong Gil Dong, The Hero started its run on KBS World (on Singapore's Starhub's CableVision Channel 100) last Thurs morning at 3am. As a self-confessed Sung Yu Ri fan, I what all fans did. I set up the recorder to tape the first episode of Hong Gil Dong. C'mon, you don't seriously expect me to stay awake till 3am to catch a Korean drama.

Well, did you?

Anyway, having viewed both episode 1 and 2 (KBS World screens the drama on Wed and Thurs nights) over the last weekend, I now understand what the critics meant when they described the jokes in Hong Gil Dong as those of the "bathroom humour" sort and how Sung Yu Ri broke out of her stereotyped roles seen in The Snow Queen and One Fine Day.

Take cover! Hong Gil Dong is coming!
(Image Soucrce: KBS)

With his trademark mischevious twinkle in the eye and that cheeky smile, it is no wonder that Kang Ji Hwan was chosen to take on the role of a town bull and public enemy No. 1 - Hong Gil Dong. His face alone, with those rose tinted glasses, is already worth a laugh.

The charming Sung trying to charm a snake.
(Image Soucrce: KBS)

For Sung Yu Ri, her portrayal of Heo Yi Nok, the money minded, clumsy, yet kind side-kick to Hong Gil Dong has indeed helped her breakout of the soppy, sad, but beautiful girl roles which she did in her previous drama series. In Hong Gil Dong, Sung trades her now famous stereotypical 'cool' persona for one which does some outrageous mad-cap actions which included a scene where she does her 'big' business in a field while singing to ease the passage of her ehem, waste.

The drama was so funny that there was rarely a moment when me and Mydaemon were not laughing away. I am really looking forward to the rest of the series.

Best Kisses in 2007 K-Dramas

No Korean drama is complete without one classic smooching scene. Who can forget the time when Han Kyul (Gong Yoo) disregarded his sexual orientation to plant that kiss on a stunned Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye) in The First Shop of Coffee Prince.

Here's what Korean TV viewers thought were the best kissing scenes in K-dramas for the year 2007. The results were based on a survey carried out by Naver.com (the English version of the news can be found at HanCinema)

Unexpected kiss scene ("Prince Hours")

To kiss or not to kiss ("Thank you")

Love is wafted on the rain ("Que Sera, Sera")

Wretched tearful kiss scene ("Merry Mary")

Refreshing Cucumber flavoured kiss ("War of Money")

A low-rated but heart-fluttering kiss ("Capital Scandal")

Gong Yoo's coming out ("Coffee Prince")

I strongly suggest that you read the English translation of the survey results at HanCinema since the way Naver.com described the kisses, or how it got translated, is kind of interesting to say the least. Trust me, you will understand why the kisses were described in such a way after reading the article.

Personally, I found Gong Yoo's coming out kiss in the Coffee Prince as one of the most sweet and, for want of a better word, powerful kissing scenes I have seen in any Korean drama this year.

It's not an everyday occurence to see a guy who's doubting his own sexuality planting a kiss on another guy who happens to be his mate (as in best buddies). Credit to the director in making the scene both believable and touching.


Here's a photo collage that was taken off the source article from Naver.com.

Sung Yu Ri's new drama - Hong Gil Dong (KBS)

Girls dressing up as boys seems to be the 'in' thing following Go Yun Chan's character in The First Shop of Coffee Prince. Now the ever beautiful Sung Yu Ri will do a "Go Eun Chan" in KBS' new series Hong Gil Dong.

(Source: sohu.com)

In this 2008 drama series Sung Yu Ri takes on the role of Heo Yi Nok and stars opposite Kang Ji Hwan, of Capital Scandal fame, starring as the male lead - Hong Gil Dong.

"You may be pretty, but you sure are heavy too!"
(Image Source: KBS)

In the story, Heo Yi Nok is born into a respectable family but does not know of her past as after her family fell into disrepute. And since gallivanting alone along the ancient Korean streets is a definitely no-no for girls during the period the drama is set in, Heo Yi Nok dresses up as a boy so that she can explore the streets and have her fun.

Sung Yu Ri shows a grittier side to her repertoire of acting skills this time round as it was reported that she did most of the action sequences herself without a stunt double. You did not read wrongly, she did the stunts herself. Hmmmm... a Korean version of Hong Kong's Michelle Yeoh.

Nah...

I can't wait for Hong Gil Dong to air on KBS World. Think it should hit the small screen sometime in Jan or Feb 2008. What a way to start the year!

Aja!