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Yoo Seung-Ho Shines in Comedic Caper “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River”

July 14, 2016/in Entertainment, Movies /by Lisa Espinosa

Park Dae Min’s latest film “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River” premiered in Korea July 6th and makes its North American debut on July 15th. The comedy-driven period caper film delivers 121 minutes of face-paced hilarity, a few tide-changing emotional punches, and a hearty cast of characters to drive the straight-forward plot to its […]

Snuper & Vromance: Review of the Stupidly Named K-Pop Boy Groups

July 13, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

As every new girl group we see these days seems to be in someway infected by “Produce 101,” the boys are going about business as usual. ‘80s loving Snuper are making their second comeback of the year after their mediocre ode to getting out of the friendzone “Platonic Love.” The other group of boys are […]

Yoo Seung-Ho Shines in Comedic Caper “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River”

July 14, 2016/in Entertainment, Movies /by Lisa Espinosa

Snuper & Vromance: Review of the Stupidly Named K-Pop Boy Groups

July 13, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

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Yoo Seung-Ho Shines in Comedic Caper “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River”

July 14, 2016/in Entertainment, Movies /by Lisa Espinosa

Park Dae Min’s latest film “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River” premiered in Korea July 6^th and makes its North American debut on July 15^th. The comedy-driven period caper film delivers 121 minutes of face-paced hilarity, a few tide-changing emotional punches, and a hearty cast of characters to drive the straight-forward plot to its fitting end. Director/Writer Park (“Private Eye”) has written a piece that follows the basic layout of the caper film genre. What makes it stand out from the pack is the comedic element and the acting of scene-stealing star Yoo Seung-Ho, whose bold confidence and awareness of nuance creates a memorable character in the form of Kim Seondal/Kim In-Hong.

Spoilers to follow.

“Seondal” is the story of a con man, Kim In-Hong played by Yoo Seung-Ho, who has seen ugliness in his time and decides to live life by having fun. What is fun? Conning the rich, powerful, and not-so-bright of Joseon-era elite out of their inherited riches. Joining him on his adventures are Bo-won, played by the enormously funny Go Chang-Suk, puppy-like Gyun-yi played by EXO’s Xiumin , and chameleon actor Ra Mi-ran as Bodhissattva Yoon. The foursome’s cons are presented in a fluid stream of action. Costume changes flow into one another as In-Hong escapes from those who pursue him, his handsome face accompanied sharing satisfied smirks with the viewers. The con men run through stunning sets and landscapes as they take advantage of the idiocy of the noble class and the gullibility of the chief-of-police.

The major enemy of the film is the governor of Pyongyang province (currently the capital of North Korea) Sung Dae-ryun, played by actor Jo Jae-Hyun who can take any villain on paper and bring him to life in the most terrifying of ways. Jae-Hyun is the only clever opponent the con men have faced and he is to whom they decide to sell the Daedong River.

While most of the cons involve great fun, amusement, clever lines, and wonderful physical comedy, where the film weakens is in the quantities in which they are presented. The first hour is nearly all cons until the sudden catalyst midway through arrives and changes the game for In-Hong. Pacing changes after that, feeling sluggish until the end during the final showdown. What makes up for this sudden shift is the background music. “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River” makes use of mixing musical genres, including throwing in Bach’s “Air on the G-string,” modern caper film orchestra scoring, and classical/traditional Korean music fusions. Such a combination makes the mood of the film solid no matter how pacing waxes and wanes.

The romantic elements in “Seondal” were off-putting. It felt like it should have been left out. The state of the relationship is dubious in its sincerity and never clearly defined, which slowed the pacing. Luckily, Yoo Seung-Ho is a charming suitor and saved the romantic scenes from entirely flopping.

Although young, Yoo Seung-Ho is a veteran actor whose powerful presence on screen shows both his experience and carefully-shaped raw talent. His comedic skills were nonetheless pleasant surprises after his more serious roles in “Remember” and “Imaginary Cat.” EXO’s Xiumin chose a role that mirrored his bubbly personality to make Gyun-Yi a good character and a great place for the idol to take his first step into the film world. Go Chang-suk was also a pleasure to watch as he bolstered every scene with his energy and he balanced out Yoo well.

Are you planning to watch “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River”? It will be shown in six North American locations: Los Angeles, New Jersey Atlanta, Dallas, Honolulu, Toronto, and Vancouver. For the full theater list, please visit: http://www.cj-entertainment.com/. Check out the movie trailer for a peek at the zany fun and hilarity:

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Snuper & Vromance: Review of the Stupidly Named K-Pop Boy Groups

July 13, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

As every new girl group we see these days seems to be in someway infected by “Produce 101,” the boys are going about business as usual. ‘80s loving Snuper are making their second comeback of the year after their mediocre ode to getting out of the friendzone “Platonic Love.” The other group of boys are the anticipated brother group to MAMAMOO, Vromance. They are debuting with a similar style to MAMAMOO and Hwasa is on board to help out in the video. What I love most about both of these groups is there wonderfully silly names. Snuper is apparently a mix of “supermen” and “super,” and Vromance is “bromance” with a “v” to signify vocalists.

”You=Heaven” by Snuper

Speaking of stupid titles, Snuper’s latest single is called “You=Heaven.” Iconic. It also has nothing to do with the lyrics. I imagine the songwriter thought it was a cool enough title to ignore the actual content of the song.

True to their first two singles, Snuper deliver an ‘80s inspired synth pop track but with more of a twist than the previous times. Produced again by the legends we see far too little of these days, Sweetune, “You=Heaven” is part ballad part summer bop. Sweetune have only produced for Snuper so far this year, so they must have some sort of deal but it seems they are ready to give up entirely. “You=Heaven” has the structure of a potential K-pop classic. Mixing genres and sudden tonal changes are a great part of what K-pop does, yet here it feels tired. The individual parts of the song need to be equally dynamic but in different ways. Starting off with a ballad slows everything right down and this isn’t even an interesting ballad. It’s even more cheap sounding and dull than OST tracks.

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There are light synths that play under it, preparing us for the chorus which is a total switch up. “Stop” they shout as the song turns to motivational cheesy pop. The moment it changes is exciting; it feels like it could become something interesting with these genre changes. The synths are naturally crystal clear and could be used for a group better suited to something like this. Snuper’s raps and their apparently stronger vocalists are actually quite weak. Hearing them even on the track ruins any momentum they might have had.

From the chorus on, “You=Heaven” sticks with the synth pop, not letting up until the very end. It’s an interesting structure as it feels like the chorus never actually comes to an end. Without the opening and with a bit more work into giving it some sort of ebb and flow, it could have been great. Yet, by the end, I almost wished they would go back to the ballad. The cheesiness goes past any kind of infectious fun to plain annoying.

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”She” by Vromance

A lot more was expected of Vromance. RBW Entertainment’s latest group come hot off the sassy heels of MAMAMOO, one of the biggest breakout stars in K-pop at the moment. Recreating that spark would be difficult but they have started to attempt it by going for a similar sound.

Their debut single “She” is a soulful, R&B track for the summer. It recalls MAMAMOO through the strong vocals and copious use of horns. The comparisons end there, however. I don’t want to continually compare them to MAMAMOO, but it is the best way of explaining why “She” doesn’t work. While MAMAMOO’s charms come from not just their music, their unique aspects permeate everything. Their sense of humour and individuality can be heard in their voices and how they work with the structure of their music. Vromance unfortunately have nothing of this quality. Their voices are fairly indistinguishable and the song maintains its laid-back nature throughout. Almost the opposite of Snuper’s problems yet it still doesn’t work. Their vocals are strong but the instrumentation is flat and does nothing to support them. Even the endlessly wonderful Hwasa can do nothing for them.

Verdict

Having a silly name has turned out to be not as fruitful for boy groups as I had hoped. 2016 is turning out to be another weak year for K-pop boys. Without exciting new groups (Seventeen being the exception) to galvanize things, it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon either. Snuper and Vromance do nothing to help by sounding like tired veterans so early into their careers. Even with an exceptional producer like Sweetune, Snuper have shown their mediocrity. In the shadow of MAMAMOO, Vromance have done the same.

The obvious verdict is that they are equally bad and we all lose.

Who do you prefer Snuper or Vromance? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.