The Clue (aka Detectives in 40 Minutes aka 4th Period Murder Mystery) (2009)

Some people are born to be detectives; others are pushed into it.  Han Jung Hoon is in the latter category.  Upon entering his classroom to find classmate Kim Tae Gyu brutally murdered, Jung Hoon realizes he is the prime suspect.  Another fellow classmate, Lee Da Jung, is convinced Jung Hoon did not kill Tae Gyu, but she knows others will not so easily believe their story.  To prove Jung Hoon's innocence and preserve the school's image, the pair must solve the murder and catch the culprit before fourth period ends - a mere forty minutes from when they discovered the body.  The clock is ticking on Jung Hoon's freedom, his reputation, and his life.



Let me just begin this review by saying this is one awesome movie.  I can't even describe it beyond that.  You'll understand more as I get further into it, but first things first: the cast.

• Yoo Seung Ho as Han Jung Hoon
• Kang So Ra as Lee Da Jung
• Kim Dong Bum as Do Il
• Jeon Jun Hong as MBC
• Park Chul Min as Michinge (Crazy/Mad Dog)

So without further ado, let's dive right in.  First up is our main man who gets a whole lot of screen time, Han Jung Hoon, played by Yoo Seung Ho.  Before I go any further, I'm just gonna put this out there: I am a Yoo Seung Ho fangirl.  I really like him - I mean REALLY like him.  He's a fantastic actor, he's really good-looking, and he's just all around awesome.  That being said, his performance in this movie is awesome as well.  I find no faults with anything he does in this movie, beyond the little quirks and tiny stuff that is easily ignored.

Next is a character I can really relate to, surprisingly.  Lee Da Jung, played by Kang So Ra, is a mystery buff who is a social outcast because of her "creepiness".  She is known in the movie as "curtain girl" because of the way she wears her hair (it's like a curtain that covers up her face).  I say I can relate to her more because I was not the most popular person in high school - though it wasn't because I was "creepy" - and I love a good mystery (though I can't go so far as to say I would want to actually solve a real murder in my school - that's just taking it a few steps too far).  As for the acting, Kang So Ra is a pretty good actress.  There were times when her acting felt a little underdone in my opinion, but for the most part, she didn't feel overly simplified or stereotypical, as would be the temptation with a character like this.  Overall, good performance.

Even with these great actors on screen, however, a story like this would not work very well without some sort of comic relief (to break the tension - I think it's more so that no one in the audience has a heart attack during the movie from build up of suspense...and adrenaline).  This next character brings just that to the table.  Do Il, played by Kim Dong Bum, is our comic relief.  He does play a part in the conflict resolution, eventually, but he's mostly there just for kicks and giggles.  That being said, however, Kim Dong Bum does a pretty decent job.  He's goofy, but he reacts appropriately to the...erhm...circumstances...and he never backs out on his friends.  All in all, a pretty decent performance for a pretty decent character.

Okay, now to go toward the antagonists of the film (of which there are several).  The first of these I will discuss is a teacher with the nickname MBC (no, he doesn't actually have a name in the movie - he just goes by that nickname; it stands for "margarine, butter, cheese" by the way - he's supposed to be a slimy character, and therefore "greasy").  This wonderful role is filled by Jeon Jun Hong and he is excellent.  This teacher is the first character in the movie that the audience is led to assume is a bad guy, and boy does he act the part.  I can't say much because [spoilers], but just know that this guy is a picture of a nervous wreck.  Jeon Jun Hong gave a really good performance on that front.

And now for the other antagonist I will be discussing, another teacher who goes by the nickname "Michinge" (which means "crazy" or "mad dog" - I like the second one better), and he is portrayed by Park Chul Min.  This guy freaks me out.  This is one teacher I would be legitimately terrified of if he were to come teach at my school.  All the students in the movie are scared of him too, obviously (come on, he goes by "mad dog" - I think the kids are truly scared of him).  As far as the actual acting from this guy goes, I'd say there were a couple of parts that were just a bit too over the top, as in he started to feel like a character you'd only see in the movies, but there were some parts where he was really scary and quite real.  So basically, it's a mixed bag for him.

Now, on to the writing.  I have a few comments to make on that front, both good and bad.  Let's start with the good.  It's always better that way.

First off, we've got the pacing.  This movie has a ton of background to lay down before you can actually get to the murder (the kid doesn't actually die until about thirty-five minutes in), but the upside is none of it feels wasted or unnecessary.  All of it was important information that just added to the atmosphere once the murder did actually occur.  One of the major problems I usually have with murder-mystery movies that aren't building on a franchise is that they never have enough time or good enough planning to get the audience used to the characters.  This movie totally did away with that problem.

My other comment regarding what's right with this movie is the atmosphere.  Oh, boy, the atmosphere.  I was on the edge of my seat for most of this movie.  There was so much tension and so much suspense, I got completely caught up in what was going on, regardless of anything else that I may comment on in a minute.  One of the things that I think added a lot to this movie's atmosphere as well was how it incorporated the passage of time.  If you recall in the synopsis, Jung Hoon and Da Jung only have forty minutes to solve the murder.  This means that the passage of time (both how quickly it passes and how much of it has passed at any given time) is a very important part of the plot.  But instead of just doing a countdown or just showing a clock ticking, the movie goes all crazy with it and goes inside the clock, zooming all around it, and when the clock ticks it echoes and reverberates - it's awesome.

Okay, sadly now we must transition to the negative side of my comments on this movie, the first and biggest of which is this: the "science".  I mean, I can suspend my disbelief as much as the next person, but there are just some things you shouldn't do in a movie like this.  Without going into spoilers, let me give you an example: there's a scene wherein Da Jung and Jung Hoon have to break into a locked room.  To do that, Da Jung takes off her necklace, runs the chain inside the door above the lock, grabs it on the other side of the lock, and pulls.  It has the same effect that a credit card would have on a lock of that type (a standard knob lock).  After I saw that, I literally had to pause the movie and think for a minute, and you know what?  I'm sorry, but in my mind that would not work, or at least not as easily as it did for her.  The chain would be too thick, it wouldn't slide through well (or at all), etc, etc.

Also along those lines, but not really to do with science, is the fact that a lot of the circumstances in this movie feel REALLY convenient (I wouldn't go so far as to say they feel contrived, because I don't think that's the right word for it - there are a fair amount of "coincidences" in this movie though).  I can't really go deeper into that because [spoilers], but just trust me, if you watch the movie you'll see what I mean.

Now we come to a problem I have that I think could be solved by watching the movie again (several times, but still, that might fix the problem): the ending.  Don't worry, I won't say anything too spoilerific, but I have to address this.  This ending...oh, boy.  Basically suffice it to say that when you come to the beginning of the ending (that's how it must be addressed...odd, I know) the movie kinda says, "Oh, this guy did it!  Oh, no, wait, THIS guy did it!  Oh, no, wait, THIS guy really did it!"  There are no less than three (count 'em, three!) red herrings for who the culprit is and at the end of the day, it was all I could do to keep up with who hated whom and who wanted revenge for what...  It's rather strenuous to watch this ending.

Now, I won't say the ending is terrible - it's not.  It's interesting, wraps things up well (if rather confusingly), and does its part to make sure you're satisfied with what happens.  So although it's not a great ending, it is definitely not a bad one.  All in all, it works decently well for what it's worth.

My final comment is more of an observation than a real negative component to this movie.  This movie, if you haven't noticed by now (really?  read the synopsis), takes place in high school.  Now, I've never been to an actual Asian high school, nor have I ever even seen an actual Asian high school, but I still think this comment has value.  The high school in this movie is rather odd - it manages to be believable and totally unbelievable at the same time.  Let me explain.  It is believable in that the kids do act like teenagers and the setting is very realistic.  I like that.  But it is also totally unbelievable.  An example: the kids don't even try to hide their cell phones most of the time when they are texting during class.  I don't know about you, but my teachers had cell phone radar.  They could tell when somebody was texting even if the kid wasn't even looking at the phone.  Another example: the teachers totally don't notice when kids very obviously fall asleep in class.  Here I'm not talking about you fall asleep with your head on your desk and it looks like you're just waiting for something or listening.  I'm talking about kids being sprawled out at the desk very obviously sound asleep and the teachers DON'T NOTICE.  Really?

But enough of my griping.  As for a warning section, here I do have a legitimate warning: this movie does contain some rather graphic violence (it's a murder mystery - what are you gonna do?).  If you don't like the sight of blood splattering all over everywhere and watching a kid get killed in cold blood, don't watch this movie (or if you do watch it, just cover your eyes - that always works for me).  Aside from that, not really anything else of note.

As far as a message goes, I don't know that there really is a message to be had in this movie.  It really focuses on the action and solving the mystery of who killed Tae Gyu.  I mean, I suppose there's a little bit about friendship in there somewhere, but that's more of a component of telling the story than an actual message to be gained from watching.

So, all in all, I really liked this movie.  It's got a lot of good suspense and heart-pumping action in it, as well as a lot of tension, which for a movie like this is a requirement.  I'd recommend this to just about anybody that likes murder mysteries and maybe some people who like stories set in a school setting, because there is a romantic subplot in this movie (it's rather well done too).  The confusing ending can tend to dampen the excitement of watching this movie and make it a little less enjoyable than it would've been, but the story leading up to the ending is one heck of a wild ride.  If you really do have problems understanding the ending (welcome to the club) I'd really recommend that you watch the movie again, as this can help with seeing where the different plot threads come together and all that.  Overall, this is a good movie and well worth a watch.  But don't take my word for it.  Find out for yourself.

Meitantei no Okite (Conditions of a Great Detective) (2009)

Tenkaichi Daigoro is a great detective - or so he thinks.  He spends most of his time going around solving cases with the help of police captain Ogawara Banzo and rookie female cop Fujii Mana.  In this series of episodic cases, we get to know the characters very well as we see how they interact with one another and the other players in this very strange, very interesting world.


Oh, boy, am I totally looking forward to this.  I love this show.  But before I start gushing as I will later on, let's see the cast.

• Matsuda Shota as Tenkaichi Daigoro
• Kashii Yu as Fujii Mana
• Kimura Yuichi as Ogawara Banzo
• Chisun as Moriyama Mizuki
• Irie Jingi as Uematsu Keita

So without further ado, let's dive right in.  The acting in this show was pretty good.  Not stellar in some roles, but really good nonetheless.  First up is Matsuda Shota as Tenkaichi Daigoro, the main "great detective".  I'd only heard of Shota in passing before I watched this show, so I didn't know anything about his acting and such.  After watching this, though, I have to say, as a whiny, clingy, comedic detective Shota was wonderful.  He does a really good job of being that right mixture of annoying, whiny, and just a little bit manly (just a little tiny bit, but it is there).  Despite everything else, he does play the character as a well-rounded doofy guy that just happens to be an "amateur" detective.

Kashii Yu is next playing Fujii Mana.  This is the character that we as an audience enter the show through.  She's the one that asks all the questions the audience is probably asking from beginning to end.  In this role, I will mention that the acting was mostly good, but there were a few places where she could've done better.  It's hardly noticeable until you hit the episodes where she is more of the focus of the action rather than Tenkaichi and the others.  Once she gets more of a main role, the acting, while it is good, it's not the best I've ever seen.  She's good as a supporting character, just not in the spotlight.

Now a character I absolutely loved in the show.  Ogawara Banzo, played by Kimura Yuichi.  This police captain is not like any you've ever seen.  He's just as doofy as Tenkaichi.  As far as the acting goes, Yuichi did a really good job at portraying emotion as well as being silly and lighthearted.  There are a couple of moments in which the story does get serious, and Yuichi can definitely take you there.  There's a fair amount of emotional back story to Ogawara as well, and that's definitely portrayed well.  Looking back on this series, I can say Ogawara Banzo is probably my favorite character (besides Tenkaichi).

Now our major supporting characters.  I only really mention these two characters because they have some of the best jokes in the show.  They don't do much and they're really only there to be plot devices most of the time, but that's okay as far as I'm concerned.  First is Moriyama Mizuki played Chisun.  This character is a female police officer that mostly serves as the mouthpiece for explaining the setup for the various mysteries.  She brings in suspects sometimes and does a few other things, but overall she doesn't do much.  The acting from this actress is good given what she was told to work with.  But the second character has a bit more of an emotional foundation.  Uematsu Keita played by Irie Jingi is a worker at a local cafe as well as a good friend of Tenkaichi's.  Keita actually does do some things in the show, like being the one that Tenkaichi talks things over with when he's stuck on a case and being the one that checks into things when Tenkaichi has a hunch about something.  But despite the obvious use of this character as a plot device, Keita does actually have a bit of an emotional foundation.  The acting from Jingi on this character definitely reflects that.  Though you don't see much of this character, you do sort of get attached to him, and that can only be a reflection of the quality of the acting.

Now comes my favorite part of this review.  The writing.  This show is so unique in many ways, but mostly it is unique in how the story is handled.  This series is a definite parody of typical whodunnit mystery shows with every stereotype and cliched twist thrown in.  Every type of mystery is addressed in this show.  But aside from that, this show does something in the story that I've never seen before.  In this series there is a room which the characters cannot enter unless they understand their role in the story.  In essence this allows them to step outside the story and see "what has to happen for the plot to move forward".  And of course this whole idea is totally played from the standpoint of hilarity.  It's really quite funny since there are remarks sprinkled throughout the show that stem along the lines of "I can't do that.  If I do that the plot can't move forward" and so on.  Most of these remarks come from the captain by the way (you can start to see why I like him so much).

Something else along those same lines is the treatment of the fourth wall in this show.  I know all of what I just explained kind of deals with this already, but I have to call this out.  Whoever wrote this or had the idea for this is an absolute genius.  Throughout the show with the addition of the room and everything, it's almost like the writer(s) of the show said, "The fourth wall?  Pshh, what's that?"

Of course, there's really nothing to warn anybody about.  The only thing I have to point out is that none of this show is meant to be taken seriously.  NONE OF IT.  Even in the dramatic moments (which are few and FAR between) just when the show seems to be getting serious, it pulls you right back out of that mood and throws in some more comedic goofiness.

As far as a message of any sort, there really isn't one.  It's basically a straight up parody of mystery shows.  Of course, if I HAD to parse a message out of this show, I'd have to say it would be a focus on friendship and what your friends mean to you.  I think this is a very subtle theme in this show and I think if you want to get something out of it, that's what you're going to take home.

So final thoughts.  While this isn't a drama I'd watch again anytime soon, I will say I did thoroughly enjoy it.  The humor is goofy, the characters are silly and lovable, and the cases are fascinating (most of the time).  Sometimes the mystery really isn't the point of the episode, but I still like to try and figure it out before Tenkaichi announces who did it at the end of the episode.  All in all, a really fun watch.  I'd recommend it to any hardcore fans of mystery shows and fans of silly nonsensical humor everywhere.

Hear Me (2009)

Deaf sisters Xiao Peng and Yang Yang work to support each other in every way possible.  Xiao Peng is working to become an all-star swimmer in the Deaflympics, and Yang Yang is always there to cheer her sister on.  One day at swim practice, a boy named Tian Kuo comes delivering lunchboxes to the swim team.  He immediately takes an interest in Yang Yang, and the two quickly develop a relationship.  However, as time goes on, Yang Yang begins to question whether a hearing person and a deaf person can have a working relationship and whether or not Tian Kuo is willing to stick it out for the long haul.




Oh, my gosh.  I love this movie.  I'm so excited to talk about it, but first, the cast:

• Eddie Peng as Tian Kuo
• Ivy Chen as Yang Yang
• Chen Yan Xi as Xiao Peng

As with Spellbound there are only a few actors with parts that are important enough in the movie to name.  First off, we have Eddie Peng as Tian Kuo, the lovable dork.  I feel a bit like a broken record for saying this, but once again I didn't know anything about Eddie Peng or his work until I saw this movie.  Oh, boy, is he good at being dorky.  Not just goofy either.  Dorky.  Granted, he can seem a bit immature at times, and this can be a little distracting, but all in all, Eddie brings on the dorky in just the right mix of silly and serious.  He reminds me a bit of a high school boy trying to get up the courage and wherewithal to go tell the girl how he feels.  All around a very lovable character.

For the other half of the main couple we have Ivy Chen playing Yang Yang.  Now, unlike most of the other people I talk about on here, I have heard of Ivy Chen.  I have also seen her act.  She's pretty good at it too.  Ivy brings the right amount of innocence and maturity to Yang Yang to offset Tian Kuo's dorkiness, which provides a nice balance throughout the movie.  The other thing that stands out about Yang Yang is how good Ivy is at speaking sign language.  I don't know really anything about Taiwanese Sign Language, but I do know a few things about American Sign Language and I gotta say, as someone with small hands that didn't grow up learning ASL, it's really hard.  It's hard enough to do all the signs in the right order with the right facial expressions, but it's even harder to do it quickly.  I give all the people in this movie extra props for making the sign language look as natural and smooth as they did, because I can assure you most of them, if not all of them, are hearing.

But if you're gonna talk about someone who did a good job with sign language, you have to look at Chen Yan Xi playing Xiao Peng.  All of Xiao Peng's dialogue is in sign.  In addition to this, Xiao Peng is a very emotion-driven character (okay, that might be a tad obvious).  Yan Xi does a fantastic job pouring the emotion into the character without "saying" a word.  She conveys all the nuances of how the character feels through facial expression and body language alone (pretty much).  She's just awesome.

Now we come to the writing portion of the review.  This movie is well written...mostly.  There are a few scenes that are somewhat corny and/or just a little bit weak, but all in all, it is a well-written piece.  The story is two-fold: it focuses on the romance between Tian Kuo and Yang Yang and the bond between Yang Yang and Xiao Peng.  On the former, I will say that it is cute, goofy, and all around heartwarming.  It is definitely the lesser of the two focuses of the movie, however.  The romance in this movie serves to be more of a stage for the issues addressed in this movie, rather than the actual issue at hand.  It is definitely funny and lighthearted though, especially as you see Tian Kuo trying to tell Yang Yang that he likes her when she isn't paying attention (literally or figuratively).

But on the other focus of this movie, the bond between the sisters, it's so well done I'm not even sure what to add.  It is clear throughout the movie that Yang Yang and Xiao Peng depend on each other and they mean everything to one another.  That comes through very well both in the writing and the acting (as I said before).  There is a time in the movie when the bond between sisters is tested and that makes for what I think is the most emotional and moving scene in the whole movie.  So all around, fantastic writing.

Warning time.  There's nothing really in this movie to warn you about.  There's no sex at all (the one scene that could be considered suggestive is played for laughs).  Nothing really of note.

On the flip side though, this movie does have a very strong message about family and what it means to be supportive of someone.  It also tackles some of the issues that the deaf often face in today's society in any part of the world.  Not very often do I find a movie that does that so well.

My final comments come down to this: I really, really, REALLY love this movie.  I've seen it probably fifteen or so times and I will probably watch it again in the next couple of weeks.  This is a great feel-good movie.  If you're looking for a story that has heart to it, cute characters, and a really interesting ending, this is the movie for you.  It's a heartwarming tale that will leave you smiling non-stop long after it ends.