I'll start the ball rolling with the movie I saw yesterday
NOW &
FOREVER(2006)
Cast: Choi
Ji-woo, Jo Han-sun
Review(movieXclusive.com):
From afar, a tree stood alone at a small hill, overlooking a vast
canvas of clear blue skies and sea beyond. Leaves are rustling and
the trees swaying in the wind. In the next split second, the
audience was introduced to Min-su (Jo Han-sin), the lead character,
a playboy. And from there, the pace is set.
A guy from being an initial non-believer in love and a
heart-wrecker, finally meeting his destiny match by falling in real
love with a girl for the ever first time, yet fate cruelly plays
out, not just either of but both; such a story may dauntingly seem
like one of the many sad love movie out there. But there is always
fresh way of thinking in story development and portrayal, and in
certain situations, they're downright innovative. All thanks to the
creative juices of the scriptwriter and the director Now and
Forever.
Be it Korean drama series or big-screen movies, excellent
cinematography has always able to capture and deliver the
extraordinary element out from ordinary, subtle backdrops. This
movie was no exceptional too.
The first half of the Now and Forever was enjoyably hilarious and
fun-filled with Hye-wons occasional tricks of sneaking out of the
hospital in disguises to avoid the security guard, subsequent
bickering between the two love-birds etc. Besides the lead roles,
Choi Ji Woo and Jo Han-sun being a compatible dynamic duo, the
supporting cast e.g. the doctor and the matron are a good funny
lot. Ji Woo and Han-sin had demonstrated great chemistry.
Just when the audience is having such a great time having gales of
laughter, for a moment forgetting that it is not a comedy, this is
when one is unabashedly brought back to the harsh reality. Sadness
silently seeps in so quickly in the second half of the movie that
you felt the heart helplessly falling into the endless pit.
Choi Ji Woo, last seen on our local TV in Stairways to Heaven,
returns to Singapore with her latest work, this time on the big
screen. Undeniably such genre is her unbeatable forte it is not
an understatement for her crown as its reigning Queen.
Nevertheless, we would also like to see her venturing into
different and perhaps more refreshing roles.
Tears flow as audience watched both the lead characters begin to
lose the battle with the illness over the time and they are
maximizing their remaining precious time together. More surprises
and development begin to unfold.
Once again, the wind begins to blow and the director brings us back
to the first scene. Walking towards the same old tree on the small
hill, at a closer range, it was not just a tree but two trees that
have grown so closely that they just seem like one whole big tree.
Like an analogy of an endearing couple.
And the ending is astonishing!
