Asian Movie Fanatic: January 2009

Hometown Legends( 2008) - 8 Episodes

Hometown Legends is 8 one-act dramas which first started airing on KBS in 1977. This marks the return of the series after nine years.

Episode 1
구미호의 귀환 / Return of the Gumiho / Return of the Nine-Tailed Fox / The Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox

The Lee family harbored a secret and it was believed that was how they could survive for generation and prospered no matter what the circumstances. The family was the decendant of the nine tailed fox. Once a female family member reached puberty, she would undergo a ritual to determine if she carried the genes of the nine tailed fox. If she were, she would be 'married off' and never see her family again. Lee Myung Ok was the youngest daughter of the family and her curiosity led her to dicover that the marriage was a farce whereas in actual fact, the 'bride' was being sacraficed and killed so the family patriarch could prolong his life feasting on the liver of the nine tailed fox. When her only sister was killed in such manner, Myung Ok unleashed her fury and turned into a nine tailed fox herself to seek revenge. Is this the end of the family?

Episode 2
아가야 청산가자 / Baby, Let's Go to Cheong Mountain / Let's Go to The Blue Mountains, My Love / Child, Let's Go to Cheong Mountain

Dang Gol Ne, a sorceress, told a noblewoman, Yoon, that in order to save her sick child, Young Hwa, she must feed a baby's liver to Young Hwa. Her accomplice, Chun Soo, tricked a poor woman to sell her baby for adoption. The baby's mother changed her mind and went searching for her baby, only to find that her child had been killed. Devastated, she committed suicide but her ghost kept looking for her baby. After Young Hwa recovered, strange things started happening.

Episode 3
사진검 (四辰劍) 의 저주 / Curse of the Sajin Sword / The Cursed Sword

This story invloved the making of the holy 'Sajin Sword' which was supposed to protact the royal family and the country. When the blacksmiths who was engaged in the making of the sword died under mysterious circumstances one by one; Yoon In, a government official, was sent to the village to investigate. He did not believe in spirits but could not find any logical explanation to the blackened burnt corpses.

Episode 4
귀서 (鬼書) / Ghost Letter / Your Letter

Emperor In Jong, died suddenly after being on the throne for only nine months. After his death, mysterious incidents occured in the court and several people were found dead. Certain people believe that this incident is similar to a popular ghost story called "The Legend of Seol Gong Chan." The Chief Prosecutor, Sa Hyun, was determined to get to the bottom of it and discovered that there was a conspiracy in the court that involved forces beyond his capability.

Episode 5
오구도령 / Oh Goo the Exorcism / Oh Gu Bachelor Ghost / Young Lord Oh Goo

Min Yoo Rim was hanged for being in love with a nobleman, Yoon Ki Joo. After her death,her spirit attached herself to Ki Joo's sword to protect him. Ki Joo became a wanderer and by chnace he arrived at a village haunted by spirits and people were dying off under mysterious circumstances.

Episode 6
기방괴담 / Gisaeng House Ghost Story / Ghost Story

Kim Won Ik and Hyo Rang were aristocrats who caused the death of a Gisaeng. In turn she came back from the dead to seek revenge on them. The story is about human greed and violence that emerges from the bottom of one person's fears.

Episode 7
사신이야기 / Demon's Story

The story about harbingers from hell who lost the 'death list'. They were sent back to earth to look for the list and engaged the help of a thief to steal it from the governor but things weren't as easy as first thought..

Episode 8
환향녀 / Returning Lady / Loose Woman

Soo Yeon married Jung In but on their wedding day she was kidnapped to become a slave in China. She managed to escape with her sister-in-law but when they returned to their hometown, they were treated like outcasts. Her mother-in-law fabricated a lie that Soo Yeon was carrying another man's child and threw her out before Jung In returned home from the capital. Soo Yeon returned home only to be poisoned by her half-brother and mistress. Her sister-in-law suffered the same fate and the two became ghosts. Jung In was assigned to find out the cause of men disappearing in the mountains and the husband and wife finally came upon each other.

To watch this show: Click Here

Glass Slippers (2002) - 40 Episodes

This drama is about the lives of Tae-hee and Yun-hee, two sisters whose mother died while giving birth to Yun-hee. Their father, who loves them dearly, married their mother without their paternal grandfather's consent, and deprived of any familial support, the sisters and their father struggle to make ends meet even as their father faces a life-threatening illness. This drama follows Tae-hee and Yun-hee into adulthood as, separated by a cruel twist of fate, the girls come to lead very different lives, oblivious of one another.

To watch this show: Click Here

Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain (2006) - 40 Episodes

Raised by his father's loyal servant, the talented swordsman Hu Fei grew up knowing that he must avenge his parents' death. However, the closer he got to his father's enemy, the more he discovered that his parents' death wasn't as simple as it seemed.

To watch this show: Click Here - Aznv.tv

Attic Cat (2003) - 16 Episodes

Kyung Min plays an irresponsible player in the drama who is full of mischief, flirtatious with the girls and can be a total jerk at times. However, the drama progresses with Kyung Min slowly stepping out of his immaturity as he discovers his new found affection towards Jung Eun. The drama explores realistic scenes of two people living together, their hardship, friendship and eventual love that developed.

To watch this show: Click Here

Angel Lover (2003) - 40 Episodes

At a time when Angelina was at her emotionally lowest, a wonderful man showed up and cured her of her broken heart. And as timely as he appeared, he left shortly after she became ready to love again just to find out he was an angel. To remember the kindness he had shown her, she opened up an agency named "Angel Lover" to help others like herself who was hurt in love.

To watch this show: Click Here

The Spiritual World (2008) - 1 Episode

Starring Nuttamonkan Srinikornchot as Ming, a young woman who has the ability to communicate with ghosts, but there's one ghost in particular that is threatening Ming. However, try as she might to stay away from the spirit world, she is compelled to once again cross that threshhold when a young doctor (Anuchit Sapanpong) seeks Ming's help in finding the truth behind his father's death.

To watch this show: Click here

The Magical Needle (2005) - 40 Episodes

A young man is drawn into a dangerous web of greed and vengeance when he has to fulfill his master's plot for revenge.

The story is about an old feud between two people - Liu Langyue and the feudal lord of the Yue clan.

Apparently horrible things were done to Langyue as a child which left her horribly scarred and now, she has to use a fake face.

Since then, she has hidden herself in a valley with two disciples, Jin Cheng and Jin Bao, and their buddies, a pack of wolves with Lassie-like tendencies.

As fate would have it, Lord Yue's eldest son decides to go hunting for wolves, and he ends up getting skewered with his own banner by Jin Cheng.

But Jin Cheng is also severely injured, having taken half-a-dozen arrows in the process.

Who else would save him but Tong Fu'er, daughter of the master physician Tong Yuan, the person who semi-healed Langyue in the first place?

She uses the poison from a bee to purge the venom of the arrowheads. This technique of using bee stings as acupuncture is called 'magical needle'.

He shows his gratitude by licking the girl's hand in front of her father, and they fall in love.

To watch this show:Click Here

Fire Boys (2004) - 11 Episodes

Daigo has survived six months of hard training to become a firefighter. Right after his graduation ceremony, he rushes to Medaka-ga-oka High School, because he can't wait to tell Shizuka, his former homeroom teacher, that he has finally become a firefighter.

It was Shizuka who recommended that Daigo become a firefighter. When Daigo was still small, he was miraculously rescued from a disastrous fire. Since then, it had always been Daigo's dream to become a firefighter. However, in high school, he had forgotten all about his dream and had no idea of what he wanted to be when he grew up. That was when Shizuka reminded Daigo of his dream.

Daigo gets assigned to Medaka-ga-oka Fire Department, which is located in his hometown. He heads to work with great expectations, but what Daigo sees is far from what he had in mind. The Fire Chief Hajime Gomi, and the rest of the crew seem to be far too undisciplined for firefighters.
As a rookie firefighter, Daigo gets dispatched to put out fires at schools, houses, and save cats stuck on roofs. Working with Hajime and others, Daigo acquires the knowledge and skills necessary for the job. He also learns about teamwork and how difficult it is to save a person's life. Daigo's colleagues are the rookie Shiro, fire truck driver Mahiru, Mitsuru, Hikosuke, Hiroshi, and paramedic Jun. At first, Daigo acts alone without thinking, and is seen as a trouble-maker.

However, his instincts as a firefighter are exceptionally sharp, and he soon gains the recognition of his fellow firefighters. Fire is not the only thing challenging Daigo in this story. While he still has feelings for his first love Shizuka, Mahiru and Jun are also on his mind. Daigo's rival Shiro seems to be after these women too...

To watch this show: Click Here

Matching Escort (1983) - 1 Movie

A young orphaned girl is taken under wing by a ninjetsu expert who teaches her the magnificent ninja skills. When her true love's life and kingdom are threatened, she employs all her skills in a fierce battle with a powerful warlord and his henchmen to save the one she loves.

To watch this show: Click here *No Sub

The Funny Couple (Tian sheng yi dui) (1979)

Xiao Feng is a singer at their local tv station. Jia Ju is her boyfriend and also works at the station with her. Hes so klutzy.

Xiao Feng & Jia Jus families live next door to each other. They have been dating for a long while. Xiao Feng is a singer at their local tv station, where Jia Ju also works. Their fathers are best pals and their moms get along really well.

Xiao Feng & Jia Ju want to get married, but both their relatives insists on a large lavish wedding. Unfortunately Xiao Feng & Jia Jus parents are poor and cant afford a huge wedding. What to do?

Xiao Feng & Jia Jus aunt thinks of a great plan for them they should elope so they dont need to plan a big wedding! But to not lose face, the mothers are thrown into a fake fight for the relatives sake so that everyone thinks they had big wedding plans and now had to cancel.

Things go well until Jia Jus mother loses her script for the fake fight. She starts improvising and Xiao Fengs mother misunderstands and a real fight begins. Both moms hate each other. LOL their fight was funny.

The moms send Xiao Fengs uncle and Jia Jus mom out into the world to bring the couple back

Meanwhile, Xiao Feng & Jia Ju have arrived at their hotel and due to misunderstanding about an article in the newspaper their moms placed on them—the hotel owner thinks theyve come to commit suicide at his hotel!! He cant imagine the bad luck that would bring so with his wifes help, they plot to break Xiao Feng & Jia Ju up. They hope to make Xiao Feng & Jia Ju so frustrated that suicide is the last thing on their minds.

When the truth comes out the apologetic hotel manager and his wife join forces with Xiao Feng & Jia Ju to bring their moms back together and give them their happy ever after.

To watch this show: Click Here

Wolf Devil Woman (1981)

Taiwanese low-budget production directed by and starring Pearl Cheung as our titular character. Having been raised by wolves after the army of the devil killed her parents, she now battles back with a noble swordsman and his annoying sidekick by her side...

Cheung never sets out to provide a classy piece of work, which is fine but these kind of efforts therefore rely on their b-movie charms. Problem simply is that Wolf Devil Woman has none of that and dies a shameful death pretty quickly. Fairly attractive scenery, moderate gore, poor SFX and silly names given to characters through the English dub are merits but very minute ones.

To watch this show: Click Here

Wells Up in My Heart (1981)

In the mid 70's, the famous Taiwanese romance writer Qiong Yao started her own production company with her husband. Up till the early 80's they produced more than 10 movies adapted from Qiong Yao's best selling novels. "Wells Up In My Heart" (Mandarin title Chue Shang Xin Tou) is one of her films in this period.

The best about this movie is its leading actor Liu Wen Zheng and leading actress Luu Xiu Ling, both are very lovely to watch and have great screen chemistry. Interestingly, both are very talented artists outside the cinema. Liu Wen Zheng was a very popular singer in 70's Taiwan. He sang all the theme songs in this movie. His albums are still sold as classics nowadays. Luu Xing Ling is a top Er-Hu (a Chinese musical instrument) player and has recorded her own albums.

The story is about a common girl marrying a rich guy, but Qiong Yao manages to make the story fun to watch. It begins with Xia Ying Lan, a fresh graduate out of school looking for her first job in Taipei, interviewing for a position as secretary to chairman Xiao Bin. She beats her 7 competitors for the job with quick wit, light humor, and unusual beauty. When she walks out the corporate building with the job offer in her hand, she meets a young and handsome guy nicknamed Ah Qi, an office boy who tries to make a friend with her. Ah Qi tells her about the Xiao family's history of marrying their own secretaries, and bets that she will marry another Xiao member in three years following the trend. Ying Lan swears she's not up for the money and won't marry anyone from the rich Xiao family.

Ah Qi and Ying Lan quickly become friends and frequently go to lunch together. Ah Qi doesn't want to reveal his full name or background, and requests Ying Lan not to ask. Ying Lan misunderstands that it's because he is self-conscious due to his low rank in the company, and that her "class" as an executive secretary scares him. So she agrees not to ask anything more about him and the two start dating.

One day, a drunk intruder named Li Zhi Wei storms into Ying Lan's office and tries to kidnap her. Ah Qi comes in and fights with Zhi Wei until Li gets off Ying Lan. Ying Lan later learns that Li Zhi Wei was an ex-boyfriend of Xiao Bin's daughter-in-law, Zhu Cai Wei. When Cai Wei and Zhi Wei were together, Xiao Bin's elder son Xiao Ren Yang competes with Zhi Wei and successfully wins the heart of Cai Wei. After his loss in the battle of love, Zhi Wei becomes a frequent drunk and once in a while seeks trouble with the Xiao's family. Zhi Wei was once a friend of Ah Qi, so he quickly learns about Ah Qi's relationship with Ying Lan.

In no time Zhi Wei reveals a shocking truth to Ying Lan - Ah Qi's real name is Xiao Ren Qi, the younger son of Xiao Bin. Zhi Wei convinces Ying Lan that Ah Qi lied to her the whole time in order to test if she loved his money or him as a person.

That's only half the story. Ah Qi wholeheartedly apologizes to Ying Lan and explains to her that because of his brother's then-triangular relationship with Cai Wei and Zhi Wei, he wants to be sure that anyone whom he loves judges him only on his personality and not on his enormous wealth. During their courtship, he wanted to reveal the truth about himself to Ying Lan but is very scared that she would think he doesn't trust her character.

Ying Lan is enraged upon learning the truth, and sadly breaks up with Ah Qi/Xiao Ren Qi with a push from Li Zhi Wei, who tries to revenge the Xiao's for taking his love.
Zhi Wei quickly befriends with Ying Lan and her roommate Shao Qing. The three parties together often in the girls' apartment.

Ying Lan still loves Ah Qi, but anger weighs too heavily on her mind over love right now. Ah Qi fails to reconcile with Ying Lan, and when he sees Zhi Wei in Ying Lan's apartment, he thinks they are a couple, and escapes the heartbreak to the United States. But he leaves his oversea phone number in the hands of Ying Lan. Upon Ai Qi's leave, Ying Lan decides to stay as Xiao Bin's secretary.

After several months, Ah Qi gets the word out to Ying Lan about his upcoming marriage to a girl in the States. Ying Lan finally realizes her love of Ai Qi and begs him back. So the two are finally happy together. As a side story, Shao Qing asks Zhi Wei to forget about Cai Wei, and the two become a happy couple.

To watch this show: Click Here

One Year Fantasy (1974) - 1 Movie

Alan played a blind man, who lose his sight after a road accident. Thereafter , he became temperamental, depressed and distressed. Chen Chen played a nurse who was engaged to look after him. Their first encounter was an unpleasant one as Alan was crude and hostile towards Chen until one night when he overheard her sorrows.......

Chen Chen is outstanding as a damsel-in-distress. Alan Tang is forever charming even in his "blind man" role. This movie, adapted from a renowned novel, gives a satisfactory feel.

To watch this show: Click here - Hmong Dubbed

Preview:

My Cape of Many Dreams (1981)

An old granny missed her beloved grand-daughter who was away in America for many years. Little did she know that her grand-daughter had met a mishap and died long ago. In view not to hurt the old granny, her grandson found a girl who was his sister look-a-like to feign her...

To watch this show: Click Here

Burn Phoenix Burn (1982)

A young lady scarified her first love when she discovered her boy friend had a crush on her younger sister whom she was guilt-ridden of her loss of eyesight since childhood days. Years later, when she found her new love, her relationship with her new boy friend was again put to test when he saw her blind but beautiful sister...

To watch this show: Click Here

The Butterfly Lovers aka Leung Juk (1994) - 1 Episodes

In 3A.D., during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, parents dress a very pretty, very privileged girl like a boy so she may be educated in a local boarding school. There, she falls in love with a poor, but handsome and industrious young man, but their short love affair ends in disaster.

To watch this show: Click Here

Butterfly Lovers (2007) - 41 Episodes

A young woman named Zhu Ying Tai disguised herself as a man to attend a school in Hangzhou. On her way there, she met a fellow traveller and schoolmate named Liang Shan Bo. They became good friends and swore honorary brothers. For three years, they studied and lived together. Yet, Liang never realized that Zhu was a woman. Before their graduation, Zhu asked Liang to visit her in her hometown and promised to marry her "fictitious" younger sister to him. When Liang arrived, he was ecstatic to discover her true identity. However, their hope of marriage was soon dashed when Zhu's parents betrothed Zhu to their schoolmate Ma Wen Cai. Liang died of a broken heart. On Zhu's wedding day to Ma, she tore off her wedding gown and threw herself against Liang's tomb, which opened up and enveloped Zhu. Then, from the tomb, a pair of butterflies emerged.

To watch this show: Click Here

Butterfly Lovers (2008) - 1 Episode

Adorable Zhu Yan Gi (Charlene Choi) is female, but her father (Ti Lung) wants her to learn martial arts from the all-male Soul Ease Clan. To ensure her entry into the school, Yan Gi disguises herself as a male scholar, but her slight frame and sometimes ditzy nature make it hard for her to pass the rigorous tests. Luckily, she has an ally in the school's top student, handsome Liang Chun Shan (Wu Chun), who tutors Yan Gi and even nurses her back to health when she takes ill. The two innocently fall in love, but even knowledge of Yan Gi's true identity may not insure their happiness. Yan Gi's childhood friend Ma (Hu Ge) has long carried a torch for her, and is not above using violence and blackmail to insure that she becomes his wife. When Ma's treachery is revealed, Chun Shan has no choice but to use all that he's learned from the Soul Ease Clan to exact justice. But will it be too late to save Yan Gi from a tragic fate?

Some stories are timeless, and Butterfly Lovers is one of them. Director Jingle Ma (Fly Me to Polaris) tackles one of the classics with his retelling of this tragic love story, which also served as the basis for the 1963 Shaw Brother's classic The Love Eterne and Tsui Hark's 1994 drama The Lovers. This new version is a clever alternate take on the story of ill-fated lovers Leung Shan Pak and Cheuk Ying Toi, and is given a martial arts spin thanks to the masterful fight choreography of Ching Siu Tung (Hero). Wu Chun of Taiwan boy band Fahrenheit and Charlene Choi of Hong Kong's Twins play the two young lovers, with a host of talent from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan joining them. Actor-singer Hu Ge plays Wu Chun's main romantic rival, with supporting roles filled out by martial artists Hung Yan Yan and Fan Siu Wong, Shaw Brothers legend Ti Lung and Taiwan singer-songwriter Harlem Yu.

To watch this show: Click Here - Aznv.tv

Yes I Can See Dead People (2008) - 1 Episode

Steven Cheung is Nam, a slacker who has the power to see dead people - and he seems to be pretty okay with it. From departed friends to ghostly children, the undead populate the corridors of Nam's housing estate, and he's used to their presence, disturbing though it should be. Things change when his brother Tung (Kris Gu) begins acting distant and wetting himself, and Nam thinks that there may be more going on than just his brother's lack of self control. Estate security guard Fok (Lau Kong) clues Nam in: there are dangerous ghosts too, and one of them is starting to mount his own terror campaign by possessing Nam's neighbors and family. Fok also teaches Nam that those who possess ghost-seeing powers must bear the responsibility to use them properly. But can Nam learn the tricks of the ghost-busting trade before the evil spirits take his brother or the stewardess (Kathy Yuen) that he has the hots for? Sun Boy'z member Steven Cheung sheds his bandmates to take on a starring role in Yes, I Can See Dead People, a teen horror film about that age-old movie problem: seeing ghosts. As the title might suggest, Yes, I See Dead People has moments of comedy to lighten its otherwise creepy premise, but it still features tense atmosphere and plenty of shock scares that should have teenagers cowering in delighted fear. Though the concept of "seeing ghosts" has long been overused, Yes, I See Dead People manages to separate itself from similar genre entries, managing a fine balance between creepy horror and knowing comedy. Steven Cheung departs from his usual sidekick roles to play the hero, and is joined by Kris Gu (The Eye 10), screen veteran Lau Kong, and fellow EEG singer Mandy Chiang.

To watch this show: Click Here - Aznv.tv

The Suicide Song (2007) - 1 Episode

A high-school girl named Kana suddenly commits suicide in a classroom one afternoon. Her friend Anzu, who at the time hears Kana humming a strange song, is on hand to witness the tragic scene. And while the disturbing event leads to media speculation about bullying at the school, Anzu cannot shake the feeling that something more might be going on. With the mysterious melody still fresh in her mind, she decides to investigate the mystery with her friends.

To watch this: Click here

Boys Before Flowers (2009) - 25 Episodes

Jan Di is an average girl whose family owns a dry-cleaning shop that is located near the luxurious and well-known Shin Hwa College.

After saving a student while making a delivery one day, she is admitted into the school. Jan Di later meets the four most richest and spoiled boys. The boys are known as the F4 and they would cause trouble to anyone who speak out against them.

To watch this show:Click Here

Jai Rao aka ใจร้าว (Fractured Heart) (2008) - 15 Episodes

After 8 years, Chorlada(Aff) returns to Thailand from America. She comes to an award ceremony where Korawit(Ken) just won Best Actor of the Year to congratulate him. However, because she left him 8 years ago, he cannot forgive her. Instead of loving her and treating her nicely, he makes every moment she has with him the worst by bringing up the past that they had and the future they would've had.

To watch this show:Click Here

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