MOVIES ARE RATED AS FOLLOWS
(Rating system inspired by shirley)
Movies are rated on the whole and what I watched are based on who is in it and storyline. How well it does at the box office is the least of my concerns.
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense.
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie.
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie.
Bad Kimchi: Not enjoyable movie.
Smelly Kimchi: Really bad movie.
=====================
KOREAN MOVIES WATCHED
=====================
2016
Will You Be There? (Kim Yun Seok, Byun Yo Han, Chae Seo Jin)
Pandora (Kim Nam Gil, Kim Joo Hyun, Jung Jin Young, Kim Young Hee, Moon Jeong Hee)
Master (Gang Dong Won, Lee Byung Hun, Kim Woo Bin)
—
2015
Assassination (Jun Ji Hyun, Lee Jung Jae, Ha Jung Woo, Cho Jin Woong, Oh Dal Su)
Okay Kimchi: Nice action scenes, but story was rather generic. 3.5/5 stars.
—
2014
Roaring Currents (Choi Min Sik)
Okay Kimchi: The naval fights were cinematic, but story was a letdown. 3/5 stars.
The Pirates (Kim Nam Gil, Son Ye Jin, Yu Jae Jin, Lee Kyoung Young, Kim Tae Woo, Park Chul Min, Kim Won Hae, Shin Jung Keun, Lee Yi Kyung, Sulli)
Okay Kimchi: Formulaic fare but it was entertaining as a popcorn flick. 3.5/5 stars.
Kundo : Age of the Rampant (Ha Jung Woo, Kang Dong Won, Lee Kyoung Young, Lee Sung Min, Ma Dong Seok, Cho Jin Woong, Yoon Ji Hye)
Okay Kimchi: Predictable fare but still decent. 3/5 stars.
2013
The Suspect (Gong Yoo, Park Hee Soon, Yoo Da In, Cho Seong Ha)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
The Face Reader (Kim Hye Soo, Song Kang Ho, Cho Jung Seok, Baek Yoon Shik, Lee Jung Jae, Lee Jong Suk)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Hide and Seek (Son Hyun Joo, Jun Mi Sun, Moon Jung Hee)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars
Cold Eyes (Jung Woo Sung, Han Hyo Joo, Seol Kyung Gu)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
New World (Choi Min Sik, Hwang Jung Min, Lee Jung Jae)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4.5/5 stars.
The Berlin File (Ha Jung Woo, Ryu Seung Bum, Jun Ji Hyun, Han Suk Kyu)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Miracle in Cell No.7 (Ryu Seung Ryong, Park Shin Hye, Kal So Won, Oh Dal Su, Park Won Sang, Jeong Man Sik, Kim Jung Tae, Kim Ki Cheon, Jung Jin Young)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 3/5 stars.
2012
The Tower (Sol Kyung Gu, Son Ye Jin, Kim Sang-Kyung, Kim In Kwon, Do Ji Han)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
A Werewolf Boy (Park Bo Young, Song Joong Ki)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense. 4.5/5 stars.
Masquerade (Lee Byung Hun, Han Hyo Joo, Ryu Seung Ryong, Kim In Kwon, Shim Eun Kyung, Jang Gwang, Kim Myung Gon)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense. 4.8/5 stars.
Jackal is Coming (Kim Jae Joong, Song Ji Hyo)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 2/5 stars
Ghost Sweepers (Kim Su Ro, Kang Ye Won, Lee Je Hoon, Kim Yoon Hye, Kwak Do Won, Yang Kyung Mo)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars
The Thieves (Kim Yun Suk, Kim Hye Soo, Lee Jung Jae, Jun Ji Hyun, Kim Hae Suk, Kim Soo Hyun, Simon Yam, Oh Dal Su, Angelica Lee, Kwok Cheung Tsang)
Good Kimchi: 4/5 stars.
The Grand Heist (Cha Tae Hyun, Oh Ji Ho, Min Hyo Rin, Sung Dong Il, Shin Jeong Keun, Ko Chang Seok, Song Jong Ho, Kim Gil Dong, Kim Hyang Gi, Cheon Bo Keun, Lee Chae Young)
Good Kimchi: Much like Ocean’s Eleven set in the Joseon Dynasty with a Korean cast. Everything meshed well though and was an interesting film to watch overall. 4/5 stars.
Architecture 101 (Uhm Tae Woong, Han Ga In, Suzy, Lee Je Hoon)
Okay Kimchi: Bitter yet sweet story about a first love that goes wrong on a misunderstanding through an architecture perspective. Suzy and Lee Je Hoon really stood out here in their teen roles while Han Ga In did a credible job as well. Not much material for Uhm Tae Woong to flex in his rather underwhelming role. Somewhat lacked that emotional tanglement that such movies usually have. 3/5 stars.
Dancing Queen (Uhm Jung Hwa, Hwang Jung Min)
Okay Kimchi: Nothing groundbreaking, but was a fun and enjoyable movie especially with Hwang Jung Min and Uhm Jung Hwa as the lead roles. Gives you a heart warming feeling after watching. 3.5/5 stars.
2011
Wonderful Radio (Lee Min Jung, Lee Jung Jin)
Okay Kimchi: Somewhat familiar stuff put together, it was an enjoyable but average movie. 3/5 stars.
Special Investigation Unit (Uhm Tae Woong, Joo Won)
Okay Kimchi: Been there done before story about corruption in the police force. Just watched because there was nothing else to watch at this present moment. Average movie. 3/5 stars.
The Crucible (Gong Yoo, Jung Yoo Mi)
Okay Kimchi: A disturbing tale based on a true story of mass sexual abuse of deaf students at Gwangju Inhwa School, Gwangju in the early 2000’s. You really feel for the deaf students who was defenseless for years and yet those bastards are able to get away virtually scot-free because of money and the inept legal system. 3.5/5 stars.
Champ (Cha Tae Hyun, Kim Soo Jung, Yu Oh Seong, Park Ha Sun)
Okay Kimchi: A heartwarming tale about a past-it jockey who gives a final shot at glory and fulfiling a promise, with a racehorse in a similar situation. A tad too draggy with the movie length. 3/5 stars.
Blind (Kim Ha Neul, Yoo Seung Ho, Jo Hee Bong)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
War of the Arrows (Park Hae Il, Ryu Seung Ryong, Moon Chae Won)
Good Kimchi: An interesting revenge movie set in the Joseon Dynasty with great emphasis placed on the might of arrows and keeps you on edge for most parts. Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
Sunny (Yoo Ho Jeong, Shim Eun Kyung, Jin Hee Kyung, Kang Sora, Go Soo Hee, Kim Min Yeong, Hong Jin Hee, Min Hyo Rin)
Good Kimchi: A heartwarming and hilarious throwback to the 80s about a group of 7 girls who calls themselves Sunny and their best moments of their lives in high school. Overall good production movie. 4.5/5 stars.
Blue Salt (Song Kang Ho, Shin Se Kyung)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Quick (Lee Min Ki, Kang Ye Won)
Good Kimchi: Lots of insane stunts and explosion after explosion. Thrilling ride from start to end. 4/5 stars.
The Cat (Park Min Young)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
White: Curse of the Melody (Eunjung, Hwang Woo Seul Hye)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
2010
The Man From Nowhere (Won Bin, Kim Sae Ron)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense and certainly worth all the accolades it garnered in 2010. Won Bin excels in his role as a moody super badass kicking emo man while Kim Sae Ron tugs at the heartstrings with a captivating performance. Great violent brutal action scenes and no boredom at all. Simple but effective storyline. 5/5 stars.
Cyrano Agency (Uhm Tae Woong, Lee Min Jung, Choi Daniel, Park Shin Hye)
Good Kimchi: Pretty good story about real and scripted love and it has an ending that keeps you at the edge of your seat. 4/5 stars.
Death Bell 2 (Kim Su Ro, Hwang Jung Eum, Jiyeon, Yoon Si Yoon)
Okay Kimchi: Disappointing storyline, scary scenes were ok. 3/5 stars.
71: Into The Fire (Kwon Sang Woo, T.O.P, Cha Seung Won, Kim Seung Woo)
Okay Kimchi: Not much of a story but good bloody action scenes. T.O.P was really good in his role. 3.5/5 stars.
2009
Descendants of Hong Gil Dong (Lee Bum Soo, Kim Su Ro, Song Dong Il)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
Cheongdam Fortune Teller (Park Ye Jin, Lim Chang Jung)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
4th Period Murder Mystery (Yoo Seung Ho, Kang Sora)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
A Million (Park Hae Il, Park Hee Soon, Shin Min Ah, Lee Min Ki)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
Haeundae (Ha Ji Won, Seol Kyeong Gu, Uhm Jung Hwa, Lee Min Ki)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
7th Grade Civil Servant (Kim Ha Neul, Kang Ji Hwan)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
2008
The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Jung Woo Sung, Song Kang Ho, Lee Byung Hun)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
My Wife Got Married (Kim Joo Hyuk, Son Ye Jin, Joo Sang Wook)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
A Frozen Flower (Jo In Sung, Joo Jin Mo, Song Ji Hyo)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Portrait of a Beauty (Kim Min Sun, Kim Young Ho, Chu Ja Hyun, Kim Nam Gil)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Gosa (Lee Bum Soo, Nam Gyuri, Kim Bum, Yoon Jung Hee)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Speed Scandal (Cha Tae Hyun, Park Bo Young, Wang Suk Hyun)
Good Kimchi: Predictable but highly enjoyable family comedy. 4.5/5 stars.
Pure Manhwa (Yoo Ji Tae, Lee Yeon Hee, Chae Jung Ahn, Kangin)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Crossing (Cha In Pyo, Sin Myeong Cheol)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4.5/5 stars.
Babo (Cha Tae Hyun, Ha Ji Won)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
The Chaser (Kim Yoon Suk, Ha Jung Woo, Seo Yeong Hee)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense. 5/5 stars.
Forever the Moment (Kim Jung Eun, Moon So Ri, Uhm Tae Woong, Kim Ji Young)
Okay Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 3.5/5 stars.
2007
Two Faces of My Girlfriend (Bong Tae Gyu, Jeong Ryeo Won)
Okay Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 3.5/5 stars.
Unstoppable Marriage (Eugene Kim, Ha Suk Jin, Kim Soo Mi, Im Chae Moo)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
2006
My Wife is a Gangster 3 (Shu Qi, Lee Bum Soo, Hyun Young, Oh Ji Ho)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
Once In A Summer (Lee Byung Hoon, Soo Ae)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
200 Pounds Beauty (Kim Ah Joong, Joo Jin Mo)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense. 5/5 stars.
The Host (Song Kang Ho, Byeon Hee Bong, Park Hae Il, Bae Doo Na)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense. 5/5 stars.
Daisy (Jeon Ji Hyun, Jung Woo Sung, Lee Sung Jae)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
2005
My Boyfriend Is Type B (Lee Dong Gun, Han Ji Hye)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
Voices (Seo Ji Hye, Kim Ok Bin, Cha Ye Ryon, Kim Seo Hyung)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
2004
A Moment To Remember (Son Ye Jin, Jung Woo Sung)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated movie, amazing in every sense. 5/5 stars.
Windstruck (Jeon Ji Hyun, Jang Hyuk)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3.5/5 stars.
The Scarlet Letter (Han Suk Kyu, Lee Eun Ju, Sung Hyun Ah, Uhm Ji Won)
Bad Kimchi: Not enjoyable movie. 2.5/5 stars.
2003
Oldboy (Choi Min Sik, Yu Ji Tae, Kang Hye Jeong)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
My Tutor Friend (Kwon Sang Woo, Kim Ha-Neul)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
Sweet Sex and Love (Kim Sung Soo, Kim Suh Hyung)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
Untold Scandal (Bae Yong Joon, Jeon Do Yeon, Lee Mi Sook)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
2002
Marrying the Mafia (Kim Jung Eun, Jeong Joon Ho, Yoo Dong Geun)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
2001
Volcano High (Kwon Sang Woo, Shin Min Ah, Jang Hyuk)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4.5/5 stars.
My Wife is a Gangster (Shin Eun Kyeong, Park Sang Myeon, Ahn Jae Mo)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production movie. 4/5 stars.
2000
Bichunmoo (Shin Hyun Joon, Kim Hee Sun)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay movie. 3/5 stars.
Coolsmurf Domain 
hi smurf :0
i can’t believe that you’ve watched all these movies and didn’t watch the classic and my sassy girl. but generally good ratings i agree with you somewhat
I think you’re being overly generous with your ratings for most of these movies. Bichunmoo was terrible.
@Peter, don’t know why I didn’t watch the classic and my sassy girl, I keep putting it off.
@gyopolife, I watched it quite a long time ago and to me, it was decent back then. If I watched it today, it will probably get a crap rating from me.
there’s no My Sassy Girl..=(
i can’t believe windstruck only got an “okay kimchi”…i think it deserves the heavenly kimchi….it was the first korean movie i saw and after that, i started to like korean movies…i like sassy girl also, wat’s the rating for it anyway?
ok i really don’t understand, how many korean movies have you seen to have rated so few and so poorly, i am not being an asshole, or am I, I am just surprised at the ratings and the titles listed. But i am must say i am still very impressed with your blog, i mean you have quite a nice traffic here and a good amount of frequent viewers, job well done sir, any chance you want to share or give tips on the magic behind this, i am trying myself to establish a asian movie site, vitamovie.com, with minimal success
good job on a great site, just watch more movies to broaden your opinion, i suggests watching european classics or japanese to compare tastes and mature your movie skills
i don’t agree with Windstruck‘s rating though.. i think it should be 5/5.
Hey Coolsmurf.
i cant believe you have seen all these movies. its amazing what you do hehe ^^ keep up the good work. i love coming to your site because i know i will find all the news i need here. as i live in America i cant always find korean news when i like to see it. Thanks for all your hard work with this and subbing (especially We Got Married =D ) Thanks again coolsmurf. You Rock! =D
No mention of Oldboy? That movie is easily in my top 5 movies of all-time in any language.
Highly recommend.
yeahhhhh! 200 pounds of beauty!
hrmm.. dont agree with a moment to remember though
maybe its because it was a bit too rushed? eh.. it is a movie after all.. but the story line was good.
i agree with the rating on windstruck. to me it wasnt that great like WHOAAA! i think my sassy girl was better than windstruck. thats only on my oppinion.
Have you seen the movie Sunflower (해바라기)???
In my opinion, its fantastic.
i was kinda iffy about watching chaser, but since you gave it a 5/5 i’ll give it a try.
but yea, i agree with the person above, you should definitely check out “Sunflower.” it’s such a great movie.
if you have time you should also check out:
“A Bittersweet Life”
http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=255
“Dirty Carnival”
http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=905
you could catch all three on crunchyroll if you can’t get a hold of the dvds or don’t feel like DLing them.
hey, have you tried watching the vengeance trilogy (that is, Sypmathy for mr vengeance, oldboy, and sympathy for lady vengeance)?
these are insane movies (in a good way)
and iron 3 is great too!
http://www.mysoju.com/delightful-girl-choonhyang/
Some of the best k/movies ‘A Bittersweet Life’, ‘Taegukgi’, ‘The Big Scene’, ‘Secret SunShine’, ‘Musa The Warrior’, ‘Memories Of Murder’, ‘Save The Green Planet’, ‘Sympathy For Mr Vengeance’ and most Kim KiDuk’s movies..not listed up there..
i watched some of these movies but i havent seen babo and the chaser where can i watch them if anyone knows please email me at lilsam92forever@yahoo.com and by the way you should have a millonaires first love , my sassy girl , the classic they were nice movies i think windstruck , daisy , and a moment to remember were great movies but anyways great website
the chaser is some kinda taking a deep breath very brutal.. right heavenly kimchi..
You HAVE to watch Memories of Murder.
I’ve watched 9 out of all these movies… not bad 🙂 Kept me entertained…
is the “antique” a movie or drama? joo ji hoon from goong and kim jae wook from coffee prince stars in this movie/drama..
My Boyfriend Is Type B really was good back then, I enjoyed this – actually a few days ago I cut my hair like a friend of her, short and chaotic XD” haha.
at least I look cute.
oh and: your reviews are extremly good – i take a look at your blog now from time to time.
greets.
FOr everyone who’s wondering where they could watch these drama’s try crunchyroll.com or mysoju, 🙂
aiyo, good movies 😀
you might also try these; some of my favorites. really excellent films.
My Mother is a Mermaid (인어공주) with 정도연
Peppermint Candy (박하사탕) with 설경구
A Tale of Two Sisters (장화, 홍련) with 임수정 and 문근영
daisy deserves the heavenly kimchi!
I like the selection of movies you’ve rated…I’m gonna check out a few that I’ve not seen yet, starting off with the ones that got good marks from you :o)
One you didn’t have on that list that I loved was A Millionnaire’s First Love…I normally steer clear of the Korean sad movies because they can be a bit depressing I think but for some reason I thought that one was brilliant. The characters were really real and well acted, and there was a good development of their story within the movie. It’s one I’d definitely recommend.
I noticed you had Host on the list, rated high :o) I rented that not long and I thought it was brilliant. Totally wacky and strange but in the best way haha. I loved it!!
I hope that you’ll add more to your list, I find it hard sometimes to know what movies to look out for as I live in Europe and it’s not easy to find them except on the web usually but it can take a long time sifting through the bad ones to get to the good ones!!
THanks again :o)
Fantastic Stories Online!!!!
http://evergreensrk.wordpress.com/
Read and enjoy…
Cheers,
SRK
A Millionaire’s First Love, Innocent Steps, The Classic should be included on the list! 🙂
oldboy only good kimchi??? it’s heavenly kimchi!^^
yeah i concur with diana oldboy is heavenly kimchi hands down, spielberg and will smith even want to make a remake of it. It won grand prix at Cannes. its kinda gross though lol but still even if im put off by a movie id respect its awesomeness. My tutor friend and my boyfriend is type B dont deserve the same rating lol oh well~ its ur opinion~ ok end of rant haha
hii,, i lOve aLL the shows,,
only mOvie i wAtched is “the Host” and iM glad dAt it was a top Rated movie ,, im sOo hapi…
tnx..
I respect your opinion.
i agree with most of them… ^^ for the others, haven’t seen them… Windstruck is a bit eh for me… i dunno… the plot just made me go “WTF?!?!?!” i’ll try watching The Chaser and the Host since you said it’s top-rated… ^^
why do everyone I know say that “the chaser” is a top rated movie! o.O am I the only one in this whole universe who thought otherwise?!!! the acting is top notch I know, but the plot was so…. normal!
other than that, I agree with most of your ratings especially for “200 hundred bounds beauty” which tell that top rated movies don’t have to be so heavy and gloomy! they can be light and comedic and good at the same time.
Hey Coolsmurf, could you fix the link to 200 Pound Beauty? When I pressed it for info, it went to the “The Host” thread instead.
I love Korean movies.
And the ratings are based on his opinion, maybe what he likes, is not what you like, stop complaining about his ratings, watch the movies yourself, and make your own decision.
Duh.
i agree!
I cound’nt agree more with the rating of 200 pound beauty,, it is nice so is Windstruck so for me it is a heavenly kimchi…
That was the first korean movie I’ve watched since then Im hooked up with korean movies and dramas.
Most of your ratings are good.. nice job…
some of your reviews sucks.. but anyway, i respect your own views and opinion.. you should see more korean movies.. there is still a lot of great films you haven’t seen..
thank you for your blogs 🙂
Not sure how but I stumbled on this page looking for a review on ‘Architecture 101’ and I have to say these reviews are way off. Usually I’ll give some leeway if some sort of comprehensive evaluation is provided that will explain your perspective (as that is the basis of one’s opinion) but there’s literally nothing here of any value.
Frozen Flower was just OK?….you must not have seen the same Frozen Flower that I watched 20 times….that was the best movie ever in the history of the planet….errrrr
I’ve watched so many Korean Movies and it all started when i first watched Windstruck. I’ve cried a lot , fall in love etc. Really Amazing. Now, I can”t remember how many korean movies and TV series I already watched. I just can’t stop. I love you guys!