Jeon Hye Jin

My Liberation Notes (2022)

by maandoe

Profile:
Drama: My Liberation Notes (나의 해방일지)
Network: JTBC
Episodes: 16
Release Date: April 9 – May 29, 2022
Runtime: Saturday & Sunday 22:30

Plot: This drama is about three siblings who are unhappy with their current lives. A mysterious loner starts working in their father’s company and their lives start to change.

Main Cast:
Lee El – Yeom Ki Jeong
Lee Minki – Yeom Chang Hee
Kim Ji Won – Yeom Mi Jeong
Son Suk Ku – Gu Ja Gyeong
Lee Ki Woo – Cho Tae Hoon
Jeon Hye Jin – Ji Hyun Ah

Review:
I saw rave reviews of this drama when it started but episode 1 was so depressing I almost didn’t continue. I’m glad I did because the story maybe sad, but it was addicting to watch and oh so relatable. How many of us have felt like we’re trapped in our current reality and don’t know what to do to get out or be happy? I definitely felt like Mijeong a few years ago so I could totally understand how she feels.

Changhee is definitely my favorite character. His insights about life are so spot on! He is also a good son, brother, friend, colleague. I also would feel better if he was beside me on my death bed. I don’t really think being a funeral director involves holding a person’s hand as the person dies but I know how it feels when the funeral manager helped my family so much when my mom passed away. He made all the funeral arrangements faster and easier.

Mijeong and Mr. Gu are also another reason for me loving this show. I love their simple interactions, sometimes they don’t speak but their eyes and actions say it all. In real life their relationship wouldn’t have worked and real life alcoholic Gu would have beaten Mijeong. But the actors had chemistry and made the viewers wish they get their happy endings (after Gu sobers up and get help). Super happy Mijeong is finally smiling in the end.

I liked Gijeong at the start but she got too immature and desperate for love. Gijeong and her bf didn’t look liberated compared to her siblings. Feels like they’re forcing themselves to be together and the bf isn’t standing up for her against his family.

I felt sad about their parents. Mom held the glue for everyone. The dad was the traditional dad who didn’t speak much. I love what the Dad said that all this time he thought he was taking care of the family, but he realized that his family has been taking care of him all along. Best boy Changhee stepped up and took care of his family. Well, he found a wife for his dad so the three siblings can go to Seoul and live their own lives. LOL.

I also looked forward to the Liberation Club meetings especially when it’s the older guy’s turn to speak. He also shared a lot of wisdom. I think I would have also joined their club if I were an employee there.

Rating: 9/10

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Hit and Run Squad (2019)

by maandoe

Profile
Movie: Hit-and-Run Squad (뺑반)
Release Date: January 30, 2019
Runtime: 133 min.
Genre: Crime / Action
Distributor: Showbox
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Main Cast
Gong Hyo Jin – Eun Siyeon
Ryu Jun Yeol – Seo Min Jae
Jo Jung Seok – Jung Jae Cheol
Jeon Hye Jin – Woo Sun Young
Yum Jung Ah – Yoo Ji Hyun
Lee Sung Min – Jung Jae
Son Suk Gu – Ki Tae Ho

Review:
This movie is about a police team in-charge of hit and run accidents. One of the cases involves an arrogant race car driver avoiding arrest and lying about the hit and run incident a few months ago which later turns out to be much more – bribery, death, betrayal. But our squad is staking their lives to catch him before he flees the country.

I think the real star of this movie is Ryu Jun Yeol’s character Minjae who at first looked like an eccentric cop with good instincts but once we find out more about his past, we realize he isn’t as clueless as he seems. I love his relationship with his dad and the ambulance scene was 😭😭😭.

I’m not used to seeing Jo Jung Suk as the bad guy but he kind of has that scary look on his face when he tries to threaten Siyeon or Minjae. There were two scenes which I think were inspired by fast and the furious when Jaecheol was running after Minjae and Siyeon.

I was expecting more of Gong Hyojin’s character Siyeon but she didnt do much. I liked her with Taeho, i’m happy he didn’t die. That twist with her boss was unexpected but was so sudden it didnt really had much impact.

The ending also felt incomplete. So what happened to the boss? Is there a sequel? Kim Go Eun’s character is only a cameo? The police commissioner’s accident is he dead?

Rating: 8/10

Ashfall (2019)

by maandoe

Profile
Movie: Ashfall (백두산)
Release Date: December 19, 2019
Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Plot
Mt Baekdu erupted, causing massive earthquake in Seoul. A team tries to retrieve the nuclear bomb with the help of a NK spy to prevent Mt Baekdu from further erupting.

Main Cast
Ha Jung Woo – Jo In Chang
Lee Byung Hun – Lee Jun Pyeong
Ma Dong Seok – Kang Bong Rae
Jeon Hye Jin – Jeon Yoo Kyung
Bae Suzy – Choi Ji Young

Review
My 4th Ha Jung Woo movie this month 😊

This movie felt like two movies combined into one. It starts with a disaster movie, where Mt Baekdu erupted and the resulting earthquake severely impacted Seoul and North Korea. And a team was dispatched to steal a detonator from NK and to place it in one of the mines in Mt Baekdu to diffuse the pressure and prevent an even massive eruption.

The SK team met the NK spy who made their mission difficult by double dealing with the Chinese to bring the detonator of the nuclear bomb and somehow the US army found out about it and the movie became a spy thriller.

Great effects although the earthquake was too severe to be realistic. I love the tandem of Lee Byung Hun and Ha Jung Woo. Their fights were intense as they tried to outsmart the other but they worked best as a team. I was also laughing out loud at some of their scenes. Would love to see them in a proper action comedy flick again. It’s my first time seeing Ha Jung Woo in this kind of role since he always plays roles where he is just so good and smart at everything, so it was nice seeing him fumble and be funny. Of course by end of the movie he was able to solve everything!

Suzy as his wife i think didn’t really have a lot of scenes and was just there to provide some emotional reason for the captain to come back alive. The professor who thought of the most harebrained idea of detonating Mt Baekdu also had a side story which I also liked.

Overall I would say this is more of a spy thriller under the guise of a disaster movie. The plot is unrealistic but still fun to watch.

Rating: 8/10