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Alexander Nevsky (1938)

Genre : Epic, Historical, War, Drama.
Language : Russian
Country : Soviet Union (USSR)
Cast : Nikolai Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov.
Directed by : Sergei Eisenstein
Run Time : 112 min
Release Date : 1st December, 1938

Synopsis :
“Alexander Nevsky” (Russian: Александр Невский) is a 1938 historical epic drama film directed by Russian master Sergei Eisenstein, made at a time when tensions between the Soviet Union and Germany were high, the film has heavy political overtones and propagandas. ‘Alexander Nevsky’ was the most popular of Eisenstein's three sound films. In 1941 Eisenstein, Pavlenko, Cherkasov and Abrikosov were awarded the Stalin Prize for the film.

This film depicts the attempted invasion of Novgorod in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire and their defeat by the Russian people, led by Prince Alexander, known popularly as ‘Alexander Nevsky’.

Plot :
The film opens in a rural setting, with Prince Alexander toiling away in an implausible fashion among the fishermen. "Hack their ships we did nigh to smithereens", they sing, referring to the teenage Alexander's earlier triumph over a Swedish invasion at the River Neva (which lent him the commemorative surname ‘Nevsky’). A Mongol emissary from the Golden Horde appears and offers Alexander a job as commander in his army, but he refuses.

Back in Novgorod, news arrives of the crusading Teutonic knights' capture of nearby city of Pskov with the help of the traitor Tverdilo and brutal massacre of the population (including a scene in which the knights casually drop children into a fire), which adds fuel to Nevsky’s cause.

Prince Alexander is sent for to lead the troops because he’s well known for his bravery and intelligence and for his ability to rally the people. He devises a plan to lure the knights into a fight on the ice, reasoning that their heavy armour will eventually lead them to catastrophe.

In the face of resistance by the boyars and merchants of Novgorod (urged on by the monk Ananias), Nevsky rallies the common people of Novgorod in a decisive Battle of the Ice, on the surface of the frozen Lake Chudskoe on 5th April, 1242.

Running parallel to Nevsky’s story is a subplot involving two soldiers, Vasili Buslai and Gavrilo Oleksich, two famous warriors from Novgorod and friends, who have used the war as the pretence for a wager. Whichever shows the most courage and skill during the Battle on the Ice will win the right to marry Olga Danilovna, a Novgorod maiden whom both of them are courting. After both of them have been seriously wounded, Buslai publicly states that neither he nor Gavrilo was the bravest in battle: that honor goes to Vasilisa, the daughter of a boyar of Pskov killed by the Germans who had joined the Novgorod forces as a front-line soldier; and that after her came Gavrilo. Thus Gavrilo and Olga are united, while Buslai chooses Vasilisa as his bride-to-be (with her unspoken consent)!

“Eisenstein doesn’t get terrifically experimental with this film – it’s pretty straight forward narratively, though there is a lot of visual symbolism. It can be a difficult story to engage with at times because the characters are so thin, but I can see how it would have worked as a rallying piece at the time it was made and especially at the time of its re-release in 1941. The Battle on the Ice is the film’s big set piece and is one of the best and most memorable large scale hand-to-hand combat sequences I’ve ever seen. The story can be a bit plodding as it wades through layers of political commentary, but this battle sequence makes the film worth watching!“

Cast :
■ Prince Aleksandr Nevsky (Nikolai Cherkasov)
■ Vasili Buslaev (Nikolai Okhlopkov)
■ Gavrilo Oleksich (Andrei Abrikosov)
■ Ignat, the Master Armourer (Dmitri Orlov)
■ Pavsha, a Voivode of Pskov (Vasili Novikov)
■ Domash Tverdislavich, a Novgorod Boyar (Nikolai Arsky)
■ Amelfa Timoferevna, Buslay's Mother (Varvara Massalitinova)
■ Olga Danilovna, a Maid of Novgorod (Vera Ivashova)
■ Vasilisa, a Maid of Pskov (Aleksandra Danilova)
■ Hermann Von Balk, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (Vladimir Yershov)
■ Tverdilo, the Traitor of Pskov (Sergei Blinnikov)
■ Anani, a Monk (Ivan Lagutin)
■ The Archbishop (Lev Fenin)
■ The Black-Hooded Monk (Naum Rogozhin)

Awards :
1. In 1941, Eisenstein, Pavlenko, Cherkasov and Abrikosov were awarded the Stalin Prize for this film.
2. In 1939, it was nominated for the Best Foreign Film in the National Board of Review.

Ratings : IMDB.com = 7.8/10; AllMovie.com = 4.5/5
[Source : Wikipedia, IMDB, AllMovie, Criterion, RussiaBlog]

Gallery :

He Was Cool (2004)

Genre : Comedy, Romance, Drama.
Language : Korean
Country : South Korea
Cast : Song Seung-Heun, Jung Da-Bin.
Directed by : Lee Hwan-Gyeong
Run Time : 113 min
Release Date : 22nd July, 2004

Synopsis :

“He Was Cool” (Korean : Geunomeun Meoshiteotda), also known as “The Guy Was Cool” or “The Cool Guy” is a 2004 South Korean comedy film starring Song Seung-Heun and Jung Da-Bin.

The film is based on a novel written by ‘Guiyeoni’. It’s a funny and romantic story about a clumsy high school girl who falls into an unlikely relationship with the wealthy and arrogant bully of her school.

Plot :

‘Han Ye-Won’ (Jung Da-Bin) is a sweet, clumsy and cheerful high school girl. On the other side, there is ‘Ji Eun-Seong’ (Song Seung-Heon), a quick with the fist and insufferably rude student from vocational school and well-known as a bully. But beneath his tough exterior, he is struggling to overcome the shadows of his past!

One day, clumsily, Ye-Won leaves a message on the school website in reply to Eun-Seong's impolite message. She is shocked by the threatening calls from a boy named ‘Ji Eun-Seong’ on her mobile. Later, her best friend, Lee Kyeong-Won, tells her who ‘Eun-Seong’ is. He sends Ye-Won a message on her mobile – ‘He will wait for her in front of the main gate!’ While trying to escape, scared Ye-Won and Kyeong-Won decided to jump over the school wall. Unfortunately, the moment Ye-Won jumps, Eun-Seong is standing exactly at the other side of wall. She falls on him and they kissed accidentally. Raising his voice, Eun-Seong asks her to take responsibility; she is astonished. His friend explains that Eun-Seong has never before even held hands with a girl. Since she is the first girl who kissed him, as a consequence, she must marry him! 




 
At the beginning, Ye-won does not have any feelings for Eun-Seong. She even rejects his invitation to come to his birthday party. Unknowingly, Eun-Seong has fallen in love with her; but he is not the kind of guy who knows how to express his inner feelings. He is jealous when Ye-Won is approached by other guys but he does not know how to be with someone he loves!

Although he is rude and bad-tempered, Eun-Seong always forgives Ye-Won's mistakes and clumsiness. One thing he couldn't bear was when he found out that Ye-Won went out with Kim Han-Seong, his senior and the one he hates a lot. The broken-hearted Eun-Seong decides to leave Korea following his mother to the US.

A year later Ye-Won is seen with Kim Han-Seong, discussing her if she is scared for her SATs. It seems to be that they are in a relationship at this point. During her SAT, the hearing portion of the exam brings up a quote from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ bring Ye-Won back to the memory of her and Eun-Seong in the park in front of the telephone booth where, no matter what, they would re-unite at the first snowfall. At this point Ye-Won stops what she is doing and runs to the park. She waits there as the scene rolls back to the fantasy she had a year ago and she starts to cry as Eun-Seong is not there. As she turns around, a rabbit is hopping towards her, the same rabbit she gave to Eun-Seong. She looks up and Eun-Seong is there. She yells at him saying "Why did you leave without saying goodbye ?" And Eun-Seong replied "True love requires no words!"

The film ends with Eun-Seong‘s childhood memory of some opening event of an elementary school where the only kid that would kiss Eun-Seong was ‘Ye-Won’. An interesting aspect to this is that earlier on in the film, Ye-won uses Eun-Seong's mobile camera to make a video of her bedroom. There she captures footage of an old photo from when she was little, showing her and a friend. It turns out that this friend is actually the little ‘Eun-Seong’, hinting at the connection between the two. When Eun-Seong watches the video on his cell towards the end of the film, he is surprised to see himself and remembers that Ye-Won was actually that little girl who kissed him!

Cast :

■ Ji Eun-Seong (Song Seung-Heon)

■ Han Ye-Won (Jung Da-Bin)

■ Kim Han-Seong (Lee Ki Woo)

■ Lee Kyeong-Won (Ahn Hae-Su)

■ Kim Hyeon-Seong (Kim Yeong-Hun)

■ Kim Seung-Pyo (Lee Min-Hyeok)

■ Kim Hyo-Bin (Kim Ji-Hye)

Ratings : IMDB.com = 6.3/10;  HanCinema.net = 9.1/10; HKFlix.com = 4.5/5; SPCNet.tv = 3.5/5

[Source : Wikipedia, IMDB, HanCinema, HKFlix, SPCNet]

Gallery :

Windstruck (2004)

Genre : Romance, Comedy, Crime, Action, Drama.
Language : Korean
Country : South Korea
Cast : Jeon Ji-Hyun, Jang Hyuk, Lee Ki Woo, Kim Chang-Wan, Cha Tae-Hyun.
Directed by : Kwak Jae-Yong
Run Time : 123 min
Release Date : 3rd July, 2004

Synopsis :

“Windstruck” (Korean : Nae Yeoja Chingureul Sogae Habnida a.k.a. Yeochinso; Literally means, ‘Let me introduce (you to) my girlfriend’) is a 2004 South Korean romantic-fantasy comedy film starring one of the most famous Korean actress Jeon Ji-Hyun and up-and-coming actor Jang Hyuk. The film was a major success, ranking as the 8th-highest grossing Korean film of 2004.

In fact, some critics have retorted that ‘Windstruck’ is just another sappy version of ‘My Sassy Girl’. This is true, to a certain extent. However, you could say that Kwak's style of directing has been recombined to give a new bittersweet formula. It seems that Kwak has drawn from his experience in directing comedies such as ‘My Sassy Girl’ and melodramas such as ‘The Classic’, and decided to try both formulas in the same project. The result you get is – ‘Windstruck’!

Plot :

In an interesting opening, the movie has ‘Jeon Ji-Hyun’, standing at the top of a building, attempting to commit suicide, with ‘Jang Hyuk’ as the background narrator. It then moves on to a flashback and switches to a narrative mode to tell the story of the preceding events which eventually lead to the opening scene. Throughout the narration, we witness the encounters of our two protagonists and how they eventually end up together. There were a couple of hilarious moments and scenes which tickle the audience's funny bone!

The story of this movie revolves around Officer Yeo Kyung-Jin (Jeon Ji-Hyun), an ambitious young female police officer serving in the Seoul police department. One day while chasing a purse snatcher, she accidentally captures Ko Myung-Woo (Jang Hyuk), a physics teacher at an all-girls school, who was actually trying to catch the thief. Later, Myung-Woo discovers the stolen purse, but just as he picks it up, Kyung-Jin spots him and tries to arrest him again. Later, Myung-Woo was released as the real thief was caught by the police with the help of the sketch drawn by him!

Kyung-Jin is then given the job of escorting Myung-Woo who was volunteering for patrolling through a dangerous district, only to be distracted when she tries to break up a meeting between Russian Mafia and Korean gangsters. With Myung-Woo handcuffed to her, Kyung-Jin almost single-handedly brings down the two rival gangs (although she is helped when she accidentally causes the groups to start shooting at each other)!

The first half of the film, told from Myung-Woo's point of view, details the couple's growing attraction and love for each other, which climaxes with a trip to the countryside where Myung-Woo tells Kyung-Jin that if he were ever to die, he wanted to come back to earth as the wind. Kyung-Jin narrates a local folklore about the romance between a Princess and her Prince charming (pinky effect!) to Myung-Woo. Soon after, he is almost killed in a freak car accident, but Kyung-Jin saves his life.

The film takes a turn into the fantasy genre in its second half after Myung-Woo is accidentally shot dead by another police officer, Yeong-Ho Kim (although the situation is such that Kyung-Jin thinks that it was her shot that killed him) as Kyung-Jin chases after a notorious criminal, Chang-Soo Shin. Kyung-Jin falls into a suicidal depression over his death and attempts to kill herself several times, almost succeeding when she throws herself off a building, only to be saved when a giant hand-shaped balloon floats under her. Soon after, she experiences visitations from Myung-Woo, who appears as the wind, sending her messages and, at one point, he even appears in her dreams in order to give her the will to live after she is nearly shot to death by the same criminal.

Ultimately the film follows a similar path set out by the American film ‘Ghost’ with Myung-Woo and Kyung-Jin communicating and sharing one final gesture of love before he moves on to the afterlife. Myung-Woo said that he will whisper, when she hears him whisper in the wind, and she will meet someone with a soul like him. Myung-Woo told Kyung-Jin that he will always be beside her inside a book with a photo left by Myung-Woo in the restaurant before he rushed to meet Kyung-Jin who was chasing the insane criminal.

In the first half of the film, Myung-Woo told that his only memory of high school was his high school trip. The book and the photo is found and returned to Kyung-Jin in the police station. The photo showed that on Myung-Woo's trip, Kyung-Jin was also nearby with her friends. This proved Myung-Woo's "I'm always beside you!" was true to Kyung-Jin. Kyung-Jin rushed out to locate the finder of the book, ultimately ending up in the train station, where she is saved by Cha Tae-Hyun's character (credited as ‘The Guy’) from being hit by the arriving train. Myung-Woo whispered that ‘The Guy’ is the one with the soul like him. Kyung-Jin whispers that "he is always beside her!”

Connections to ‘My Sassy Girl’ :

‘Windstruck’ shares the same leading actress and director as an earlier popular South Korean film, ‘My Sassy Girl’. As a result, ‘Windstruck’ contains several subtle references to the previous film. For example, a photo of Jeon Ji-Hyun from ‘My Sassy Girl’ is visible on Kyung-Jin's piano (while playing the piano). Plus the final scene of ‘Windstruck’, in which Kyung-Jin meets her new soul mate (played by Cha Tae-Hyun, the male lead from ‘My Sassy Girl’) on a train platform, is similar to the beginning scene of ‘My Sassy Girl’ and her character from ‘My Sassy Girl’ is distraught over the death of her true love!

Also, when Kyung-Jin is chasing Chang-Soo Shin in ‘Windstruck’, she tells a random citizen to act as a steppingstone to climb over the wall just like in ‘My Sassy Girl’, when she accidentally steps on a runaway soldier (played by the same actor) when she and Cha Tae-Hyun visited the amusement park during her birthday.

Jeon Ji-Hyun also plays the piano in both movies. However, "Windstruck" is not a full 'prequel' to "My Sassy Girl" in the literal sense of the term, but you can feel the connection between them!

Cast :

■ Yeo Kyung-Jin / Princess (Jeon Ji-Hyun a.k.a. Gianna Jun)

■ Ko Myung-Woo (Jang Hyuk)

■ Yeong-Ho Kim, Assistant Inspector (Kim Jeong-Tae)

■ Police Chief / Sheriff (Kim Chang-Wan)

■ Prince (Lee Ki Woo)

■ ‘The Guy’ at Platform / New Soul Mate (Cha Tae-Hyun)

■ Chang-Soo Shin, Criminal (Jeong-Ho Bin)

Ratings : IMDB.com = 7.1/10;  RottenTomatoes.com = 4.1/5; HanCinema.net = 9.1/10; MovieFilmReview.com = 5/5

[Source : Wikipedia, IMDB, RottenTomatoes, HanCinema, KoreanFilm, MovieFilmReview]

Gallery :

Sivaji - The Boss (2007)

Genre : Political Thriller, Romance, Comedy, Action, Musical.
Language : Tamil
Country : India
Cast : Rajinikanth, Shriya Saran, Suman, Vivek.
Directed by : S. Shankar
Music : A. R. Rahman
Run Time : 184 min
Release Date : 15th June, 2007

Synopsis :

“Sivaji: The Boss” (Tamil: சிவாஜி) is a Tamil political thriller film focused on the menace of corruption in Indian politics and bureaucratic system. The movie revolves around a well-established NRI software engineer, Sivaji, who returns home to India after working many years in the United States. On his return, he dreams of giving back to the society with free medical treatment and quality education to the poor people. On his way to implement his charitable plans, he has to face many obstructions and difficulties!

This movie has a plenty of Styles and Mannerisms by the Superstar ‘Rajinikanth’, who is also known as the ‘King of Style’ in India! The music and cinematography of this movie helped it to become a phenomenal success across the globe!

Plot :

The film begins with a masked convict being brought to the Central Prison in Chennai on the charges of scam. The masked convict is revealed to be Sivaji (Rajinikanth). Now, the story goes to flashback mode. Sivaji, a NRI software engineer returns home to India from the United States after many years. He brings with him earnings of up to 250 crore rupees, with an aim to start a charity organization called the Sivaji Foundation in order to provide free education and medical facilities to the poor people. However, his noble ambitions have to face many obstacles of the corrupt bureaucracy and a political kingpin, Adiseshan (Suman) who sabotages his works!

Meanwhile, Sivaji wishes to marry a traditional and cultured Tamil girl. He and his Mama (Vivek) go on their search for an eligible girl in temples, and finally, they found a cute and traditional girl, Tamizhselvi (Shriya Saran). Initially, Tamizhselvi and her parents are against the marriage with a stranger, but after some funny incidents (interactions) they agree to the same. However, just when things were going good, Tamizhselvi refuses to marry Sivaji because of the astrologer’s prediction about Sivaji’s death after this marriage! After some convincing and a funny bollywood-style song, she agrees and marries Sivaji.

Using his political strings, Adiseshan repeals the permits and clearances issued to the Sivaji Foundation by the government, and the construction work of the foundation is stopped by the court’s stay order. Adiseshan mocks Sivaji and gives him a one-rupee coin, challenging him to try and survive with it! Sivaji collects information and robs the black money from the corrupt people and sends the money to USA through hawala route to get it distributed into small denominations by his NRI friends. The same amount is routed back to India in the form of white money as donations to the charity foundation run by Sivaji. Thereby he virtually runs an alternate government by using the black money, helps the poor and develops infrastructure in the state. The jealous and corrupt politicians play some tricks, and finally Sivaji was killed!



The second half of the movie is about the revenge of Sivaji! Now, it is revealed that he has faked his death to the conspirators. After a few days when everyone wonders about the future of Sivaji Foundation, the revived Sivaji returns to take control over the foundation in a disguise of a friend, M.G. Ravichandran (Rajinikanth). Though Adhiseshan realizes that it is Sivaji himself, he is unable to prove this to the police due to the tangible evidence of Sivaji's death. Ravichandran promises to avenge Sivaji's death and eventually manages to corner Adhiseshan and challenge him. After their fight, Adiseshan is killed in a stampede. As a conclusion, the audience are informed of the foundation's success and fulfilment of Sivaji's dreams!

Cast :

■ Sivaji Arumugam / M G Ravichandran (Rajinikanth)

■ Tamizhselvi Ramalingham (Shriya Saran)

■ Adisheshan, The Villain (Suman)

■ Arivu Mama, Sivaji’s Maternal Uncle (Vivek)

■ Dr. Chezhian (Raghuvaran)

■ Sivaji’s Mother (Vadivukarasi)

■ Sivaji’s Father (Manivannan)

■ Tamizhselvi’s Mother (Uma Padmanabhan)

■ Tamizhselvi’s Father (Pattimandram Raja)

■ Tamizhselvi’s Neighbour (Solomon Pappayya)

■ Main Dance Girl in ‘Balleilakka’ Song (Nayantara)

Awards :

1. It won the Silver Lotus Award at the 2008 Indian National Film Awards for Best Art Direction - Thotta Tharani.
2. It won the 2008 Filmfare Awards South for Best Music Director, Best Cinematography, Best Comedian, and Best Villain.
3. It won the 2007 Vijay Awards for Favourite Hero and Best Music Director.
4. It was nominated for the 2008 Filmfare Awards South for Best Actor and Best Film.
5. It was nominated for the 2007 Vijay Awards for Favourite Heroine – Shriya Saran.

Ratings : IMDB.com = 6.5/10; RottenTomatoes.com = 4.1/5; NowRunning.com = 3.5/5; IdleBrain.com = 3/5; MCTalkies.com = 3.25/5; MouthShut.com = 3/5.

[Source : Wikipedia, RottenTomatoes, NowRunning, IdleBrain, MCTalkies, MouthShut]

Gallery :

Mongol (2007)

Genre : Historical Epic, Biography, War Drama, Romance.
Language : Mongolian, Mandarin.
Country : Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Germany.
Cast : Tadanobu Asano, Sun Hong-Lei, Khulan Chuluun, Odnyam Odsuren.
Directed by : Sergei Bodrov
Run Time : 126 min
Release Date : 20th September, 2007

Synopsis :
“Mongol” is a semi-historical epic film based on the early life of Temüjin, the young Genghis Khan and the events which led him to become a legendary conqueror. Contradicting the Western (and Russian) image of Genghis Khan as the monstrous and cruel conqueror, Bodrov's work is influenced by Lev Gumilev's "The Legend of the Black Arrow" and is based on "The Secret History of the Mongols", the 13th century Mongolian account, unknown until its re-emergence in China 700 years later. Shooting took place, for the most part, in the People's Republic of China, mainly Inner Mongolia, and in Kazakhstan.

‘Mongol’ illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan. It shows the dramatic and harrowing early years of the ruler who was born as Temüjin in 1162. As it follows Temüjin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny, the film paints a multi-dimensional portrait of the future conqueror, revealing him not as the evil brute of hoary stereotype, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. ‘Mongol’ shows us the making of an extraordinary man, and the foundation on which so much of his greatness rested - his unique relationship with his wife, Borte, his lifelong love and most trusted advisor!

Plot :
The movie quotes an old Mongolian proverb - "Do not scorn a weak cub; He may become a brutal tiger!” The film opens with Temüjin (Tadanobu Asano) as a prisoner in the Tangut Kingdom, and narrates his earlier life through flashbacks. Nine-year-old young Temüjin (Odnyam Odsuren) is travelling with his father, Esugei (Ba Sen), a tribal chieftain (Khan), to select a girl as his bride. On the way, he meets young Börte (Bayertsetseg Erdenebat), the daughter of his father’s friend, who says she would like to be chosen and asserts she would make an excellent wife. While his father wishes him to choose a wife from the ‘Merkit’ tribe, Temüjin convinces his father to allow him to choose Börte. He promises to return after five years to marry her.

On their way home, Temüjin's father is poisoned by an enemy tribe. As he lies dying, he tells Temüjin he is now the new khan. However one of his father's warriors, Targutai, orders the other tribesmen to loot the dead khan's camp, taking the horses and livestock. Targutai spares Temüjin's life, declaring “a Mongol does not kill children!”

After falling through the ice on a frozen lake, Temüjin is found lying down in the snow by a young boy, Jamukha (Amarbold Tuvshinbayar). The two quickly become friends and perform a traditional ceremony declaring themselves ‘blood brothers’. Targutai, however, catches up with Temüjin and he is captured and locked in a cangue. Temüjin escapes late one night and continues to roam in the countryside.

We do not see Temüjin again until 1186 where he is a young man. He once again is caught by Targutai, who wishes to kill him now as he is grown up. Temüjin escapes again, this time taking one of the tribe's horses. He goes to find Börte (Khulan Chuluun) and brings her back to his family. Later that night they are attacked by the ‘Merkit’ tribe led by Chiledu to take revenge, because Temüjin's father had years before stolen his wife from one of their tribesmen. While being chased on horseback, Temüjin is shot with an arrow. Börte whips Temüjin’s horse, telling it to go home. Börte is captured and told by the Merkit leader that she is now his. Temüjin returns to his family weakened but determined to get his wife back.

Temüjin goes to his childhood friend, Jamukha (Sun Hong-Lei) who is now a khan himself. Jamukha agrees to help him attack the Merkit tribe and get his wife back, though only after a year passes. The attack on the Merkit tribe is a success, and Temüjin finds Börte alive and Chiledu dead with his throat slit. However, just as he feared, Bortë has been raped and left pregnant with Chiledu's son, whom Temüjin accepts as his own. Against Jamukha’s wish to stay, Temüjin and his men leave early the next morning, and two of Jamukha's soldiers also joined Temüjin because he takes better care of his warriors than Jamukha. Jamukha chases down Temüjin, but Temüjin refuses to send back Jamukha's warriors because a Mongol warrior is free to choose his lord, and Jamukha's warriors chose Temüjin. Jamukha warns him that his actions will lead to war.

Taichar, Jamukha's brother, is later killed while attempting to steal Temüjin's horses and this brings Jamukha and Temüjin go to war. When their armies face off, Temüjin sends some of his men to protect the families, while those remaining continue to fight. Being outnumbered, the army is quickly over-run. Jamukha decides to make Temüjin a slave rather than kill him.

Temüjin is sold to a rich garrison chief (Zhang Jiong) of the Tangut kingdom despite the dire warning given by a Buddhist monk (Ben Hon Sun) acting as his advisor. While imprisoned, the monk pleads Temüjin to forgive his monastery when he is free, and Temujin agrees in exchange for delivering a wish bone to Borte indicating he is still alive. The determined old monk finally manages to deliver his message to Börte. To get to Tangut, the faithful Börte becomes a merchant's concubine, bearing a daughter along the way. Once Börte arrives in Tangut, she abandons the merchant and pays the guard for the key to Temüjin's cage.

After his escape from Tangut, Temüjin gathers an army to unite all Mongol tribes and made some basic rules to live by. By using special war tactics, Temüjin defeats Jamukha to unite all the tribes. He then lets Jamukha leave alive. With the united army of Mongols, Temüjin wiped out the Tangut kingdom from the face of the Earth but the monastery survived. After his victory, Temüjin is named the ‘Khan of all Mongols - Genghis Khan’!

Reviews :
■ Peter Rainer of Christian Science Monitor states that “Mongol is a throwback to a more respectable tradition. The largeness of its scope arises naturally from the material, not the budget. The movie earns its stature.”
■ A O Scott of The New York Times describes Mongol as "a big, ponderous epic, its beautifully composed landscape shots punctuated by thundering hooves and bloody, slow-motion battle sequences."
■ Joe Neumaier of New York Daily News praised the performance of Chinese actor Sun Hong-Lie as - "Sun Hong-Lei, who, as Jamukha, gives so many neck-cracks, guttural howls and conspiratorial smiles he's like a Chinese Marlon Brando."
■ The Globe and Mail states - "As an epic action movie, Mongol is satisfying enough. Think Brave Heart. Think 300. Just don't think too much."

Cast :
■ Temüjin / Genghis Khan (Tadanobu Asano)
■ Jamukha (Sun Hong-Lei)
■ Börte - Temüjin's Wife (Khulan Chuluun)
■ Monk (Ben Hon Sun)
■ Esugei - Temüjin's Father (Ba Sen)
■ Oelun - Temüjin's Mother (Aliya)
■ Chiledu - Oelun’s First Husband (Sai Xing Ga)
■ Targutai (Amadu Mamadakov)
■ Taichar - Jamukha's Brother (Ba Ren)
■ Young Temüjin (Odnyam Odsuren)
■ Young Borte (Bayertsetseg Erdenebat)
■ Young Jamukha (Amarbold Tuvshinbayar)
■ Tangut Garrison Chief (Zhang Jiong)

Awards :
1. It won the 2007 Golden Eagle Awards for Best Costume and Best Sound Design.
2. It won the 2007 Nika Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Production Designer, Best Costume Designer, and Best Sound.
3. It won the 2007 Asian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor - Sun Hong-Lei.
4. It won the 2008 Houston Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
5. It won the 2008 Las Vegas Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
6. It was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (from Kazakhstan).
7. It was nominated for the 2007 Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Achievement in Cinematography.
8. It was nominated for the 2008 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Ratings : IMDB.com = 7.4/10; AllMovie.com = 4/5; MetaCritic.com = 7.4/10; RottenTomatoes.com = 7.1/10
[Source : Wikipedia, IMDB, AllMovie, RottenTomatoes, MetaCritic]

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Daisy (2006)

Genre : Romance, Action, Drama.
Language : Korean
Country : South Korea, Hong Kong.
Cast : Jun Ji-hyun, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-jae, David Chiang.
Directed by : Andrew Lau
Run Time : 110 min
Release Date : 9th March, 2006

Synopsis :
“Daisy” (Korean: Dei-Ji) is an urban romantic melodrama between a young painter, an Interpol detective and a professional assassin. With a twist that is bound to make its audience think about their own perception about love, the film was shot entirely in The Netherlands, for the most part in the city of Amsterdam, Haarlem and Epen.

The plot follows Hye-Young (Jeon Ji-Hyun), a young and innocent painter who works at her grandfather's antique shop in Amsterdam, and makes some money on the side sketching portraits for tourists. Park Yi (Jung Woo-Sung) is a contract killer holed up in a house at the city centre, where the local artists used to gather on the weekends. He notices a beautiful painter (Hye-Young) walking by regularly, and found a soft corner for her!

A turning point comes when Hye-Young falls off a makeshift wooden bridge, losing her painting bag. Park Yi secretly builds up a new bridge for her. It's love at first sight in the meadows of daisies, where her clumsiness caught his attention! Although she doesn’t know who has offered such favour, she leaves one of her paintings (of daisies) as a sign of gratitude.

However, being shy and aware of the dangers of his professional career, he can only admire her from afar, do little (or perhaps big) things for her in an anonymous fashion. He never shows up in front of Hye-Young. Instead, he delivers daisies at 4:15 pm (a symbolic figure since Hye-Young's solo exhibition later will be held on April-15) everyday without fail!

Hye-Young is also in love with this mysterious stranger. She is constantly waiting for him to appear, and greatly touched by his acts. One day, Jeong Woo (Lee Seong-Jae), an Interpol officer monitoring an Asian gang at the city square met Hye-Young, and asks her to draw his portrait with daisies in hand. She mistakenly believes him to be the unknown stranger who sends her daisies on a weekly basis. Hye-Young rapidly shows her affection toward Jeong Woo, even though the real man is watching the new development from a nearby house, still hiding. Jeong Woo knows he's not the guy, but he decides not to tell the truth - since he also falls in love with the girl!

Jeong Woo also must eventually face off against the real daisy guy – Park Yi, a soulful hit-man who has pined for Hye-Young ever since he spied her painting daisies in the countryside. Through myriad manufactured circumstances, the two men meet and become rivals over love and the law. Meanwhile, Hye-Young cries in the background, clueless as to who her promised daisy guy really is!

Cast :
■ Hye Young (Jeon Ji Hyun a.k.a. Gianna Jun)
■ Park Yi (Jung Woo-Sung)
■ Jeong Woo (Lee Seong-Jae)
■ Cho (David Chiang)
■ Detective Jang (Ho-Jin Jeon)

Ratings : IMDB.com = 7.3/10; RottenTomatoes.com = 4/5.
[Source : Wikipedia, IMDB, RottenTomatoes, Flixster]

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