Name: Fantastic Ja-sal-so-dong
Genre: Drama
Released: 2007-11-08
Duration: 1 h 32 min
Rating: 6.2
Cast: Kim Ga-yeon, Park Hwi-soon, Kang In-hyung

Morbid? No. Fun? Yes! Better than expected...

I really thought this was going to be a morbid sort of movie and I've watched anthologies before, they always turn out weird. I'm not saying this movie wasn't weird, it had that in bucketfuls. It amuses me that they put the the three most good-looking men of each storyline on the poster. Maybe the targeted audience is women in that age group. Well, it worked because I'm an Epik High fan. *grin* The first segment, Hanging Tough, is about a girl who wants to jump off a building because of an unfair teacher. Things happen which involve an awkward boy running around with a plastic gun and homemade bomb, a school nurse who is making moves on her and a teacher who is convinced a student is out to get him. I nearly freaked out at the events that come after, a couple of gruesome bits and the whole story seems to be delivered in the point of view of a very feisty adolescent.

Fly Away Chicken is the most puzzling storyline to me. It amused me, yes, but I fail to understand the meaning behind the story. A law enforcer goes away to kill himself but events transpire to rob him from his intentions. And that chicken-talk scene might have gone on a little too long. Lots of dead-pan humor in this one.

Happy Birthday is a really good too. I didn't expect it to be quite as charming as it did because my admittedly superficial self groaned at the thought of watching a story about an old man. With a slight twist reminiscent of one of Enid Blyton's stories, you will follow the aggravation of this old man who wants to jump off something because everyone has neglected to remember his birthday. He meets a young man on the run from the funniest-looking gangsters I've seen in awhile, carrying the oddest bag of loot and who's more scared of living than dying.

Do give it a try! If you're tired of drowning in pools of tears or long haired ghosts when watching other offerings from Korean cinema, then this is a refreshing change.

Korean cinema is known for its mastery of genre, fluidly blending thriller, drama, and dark comedy with social critique. The post-1990s renaissance brought bold storytelling and masterful craft to the world stage, addressing class, identity, and modern anxieties with cinematic flair.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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