Busan International Film Festival

For the past 16 years, Busan has hosted the Busan International Film Festival or BIFF for short. For two weeks, the city showcases the latest films from first time directors as well as new films, mostly focusing on the Asian community. We attended last year and we made sure to attend this year too. It's always exciting to see new films and feel like a part of something so big.

This year, we went with our two lovely Korean friends, Junnie and Min-su. It was a great time and we always have fun with them. They don't speak English very well, but it's always fun trying to figure out what they're saying and vice versa.

We watched Comes a Bright Day, a British film. While we were waiting for the film to start they announced that the director was there and that he would be answering questions after the film It was quite an exciting surprise, especially for a $6 movie.

Comes a Bright Day was wonderful and I really enjoyed the film. I actually wanted to see this movie even before I knew it was coming to BIFF. It's a love story, coming of age story and heist story all in one. The acting was fantastic, the cinematography was beautiful and the story was well written. Afterwards, the Koreans asked some really strange and odd questions. Markus had a really good question but they ended the Q&A. Guess it wasn't meant to be.

On the way home, we gave Joonie his birthday present. As you can tell from the photos, Markus was really excited.

It was great time and it made me thankful for the friends that we've made in Korea. When we spend time with them, it feels like we're really living in this city, that we're a part of it and I love that feeling. 

Creepy Cinema 2012 | Week 4

I really enjoyed this week of Creepy Cinema, almost every movie was a winner. There were a few duds, but the other movies were so good, I almost forgot about the bad ones. We watched some old favorites and saw two of the scariest movies I've seen thus far.

1. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
To be honest, I didn't remember much about this movie. I think as a kid, Audrey II freaked the crap out of me and I must have blocked a lot out. Who wants to remember a giant man eating plant with huge lips? I only remembered a few songs and a little bit of the plot. The main thing I remembered from this movie was when Audrey II repeatedly said, "Feed me Seymour". When we watched it this week, it was like watching it for the first time. There was so much that I missed as a kid and it was fantastic watching it as an adult. 

Rick Moranis is adorable as Seymour, and played him with such innocence. I forgot that he could sing and it was a pleasant surprise when he sang his songs.  Although, Steve Martin was not that great of a singer, it was nice seeing him play a character that was different from what he normally plays. I do remember that dentist song for some reason. Another great part of this film was the cameos, there were so many wonderful actors that popped in, Christopher Guest, John Candy, James Belushi and my favorite cameo, Bill Murray. His appearance in Little Shop of Horrors only added to my already existing love for this film.

2. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
This will always be one of my favorite movies. As I've said before, I was such a weird kid and I liked all sorts of odd things. I attribute a lot of this to my eldest brother who introduced me to comic books, fantasy books and magical stories when I was child. When I was younger, I used to watch this movie over and over again. There isn't much about it that I dislike. I love everything about it. Whenever I hear the score to Edward Scissorhands, it brings back that feeling of childhood wonder.

When I was about 7 yrs old, I was riding in the car with my brother, and we were going  to visit his friends. They lived about 45 minutes away from us so I fell asleep in the car. After a while, my brother shook me and told me to wake up. When I looked out the window, I couldn't believe my eyes.  There were all these tall bushes in different shapes in front of these pastel colored houses. I thought I had woken up in Wonderland. My face was pressed up to the car window and I was in awe of everything I saw. That's right my friends, my brother took me to the set of Edward Scissorhands. I think it was always meant to be, me and Edward. I guess it's our destiny. 

3. Tremors (1990) 
After we watched this movie, all I could think was, " that was really strange." Tremors is a typical 90s movie. It has an attractive male lead with something to prove. I was really surprised that Kevin Bacon was in this movie, although I shouldn't be, since he was the Nicholas Cage of the 80s and 90s. The story is pretty decent but nothing too spectacular. There are some really cheesy lines and lots of bad acting. I was surprised to see Reba McEntire in this film. I didn't know she was even acting in the 90s. A lot of things don't make sense, but that's how things usually go with these monster flicks. 

This is a typical "bottle movie." There are a group of people trapped and contained in a small area, trying to escape a horrible monster. Tremors wasn't a horror movie, but more of an action adventure. The creature designs were quite good, but I wished that it was a teensy bit more scary. I know it's strange for me to say this considering that I don't like scary things. I just thought it would be a bit more, and it didn't really deliver. The movie isn't From Beyond awful, but it isn't a movie that I would want to watch again. 

4. The Woman in Black (2012) 
Finally, a scary movie that I adore. This movie was really great and I can see why it was a sleeper hit this year. My favorite thing about this movie was the cinematography. I could screen cap every scene, every shot was stunning. They really capture the eeriness of England in the 18th century. This was the most beautiful and captivating movie we've seen so far. It made me want to go back to England, despite the fact that this movie was quite scary. 

Everything about this movie is subtle, there is never anything glaring or flashing, definitley no cheap shots. It's a slow build up to a grand climax, and that's more terrifying than things popping out at you. Watching and waiting for something horrible to happen is much worse because the anticipation eats away at me. The acting was quite good, which was  unexpected. It's really strange seeing Daniel Radcliffe play a father to a four year old, but he was quite good. I can see that he's really matured as an actor and it was good to see him in something other than Harry Potter. It was the epitome of the perfect scary movie, and one that I would watch over and over. 

5. Predator (1987)
Hands down the most testosterone filled movie we've watched so far. Predator is definitley a guy movie and not something that I would ever choose. Markus told me that when he was a kid he watched this movie dozens of times. So, I was intrigued.

Predator is not my kind of movie. It's the complete opposite of what I enjoy. I've never seen so many beefy guys in one movie, since The Expendables, which I found surprisingly similar to this film. Both films have a group of tough and rugged men on a mission where they weren't told all the facts. There is some kind of cover up or secret to their mission. Even though I'm not usually into this type of film, there were still some enjoyable aspects. I was quite impressed with the creature design of the Predator. He was hideous and creepy, always stalking the main characters and plotting their deaths. However towards the end, I started to feel the length of the movie and wished they would just get to the point. I'm not sure why I needed to see a shirtless montage of Schwarzenegger building crap. Predator was just okay for me, and one that I would rather not watch again.

6. The Thing (1982)
This movie was utterly terrifying. It was horrible and I freaked out for most of it.  As soon as the opening credits were finished, I remembered a vlog Markus did about The Thing. By the way, check out his vlog. It's a great video about his experience watching this movie as a child.  I quickly realized that Markus duped me into watching something really scary. I totally got Loki'd.

Watching The Thing was like watching your nightmares become reality. Everything that I dislike about scary movies was in this film: a dismal story, a horrifying creature and the terrible humanity of mortal men. I hate situations where you are helpless and no end or resolution in sight. Everything is completely hopeless in this movie and I can't handle it. I always like to know that there is some possibility of things ending nicely. When movies take this route, I know it's only a matter of time til the crap hits the fan and everyone is dead. I can't handle that kind of anticipation. The creature in this film has to be the freakiest and scariest thing I've ever seen. I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life. I can never look at a Husky the same way ever again. This film has definitely scarred me for life.

7. Ghostbusters (1984)
There are so many brilliant things about this movie. This was when movies were still original and not remakes. It made me long for the days when things were still entertaining and refreshing. I don't think there is a person out there that has seen Ghostbusters and said, "Yea, that movie sucked." It's an impossibility. This movie is absolutely and irrevocably brilliant! Watching it almost 20 years later, it's still holds up as a cinematic masterpiece. 

The cast is talented, the story is interesting, the soundtrack is awesome and it's quite entertaining. It's amazing how this movie has genuinely scary parts, but also snappy dialogue that make you laugh til you're crying. Not many movies can do this. The only other film that I can compare it to is Shaun of the Dead, which I also adore. It's great seeing Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd at the height of their careers. I think Murray has made some really great films in the past 10 years, but nothing can compare to Murray when he's being both funny and a jerk. I'm so used to seeing him play the sort of stoic father figures, and it was great seeing him act like a bit of a perv. I was so glad that we watched this after The Thing, because I needed some respite from films that scar you for life. 

Introduction, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 5, Hotties of Creepy Cinema

Bizarre Eats at the Jinju Lantern Festival

The dish you see before you, dear friends, is whale meat. I've had many a discussion and debate about eating whale. I am not the type of person that thinks we should eat it often or that it should be a food source. It's one of those animals that every American kid has a sentimental attachment to.  Who can forget that tearjerker Free Willy? Although, I also try to be adventurous and try things that are strange and bizarre. I guess it's that wanderer in me. I always said that if I was out with other people and they wanted to try whale, I would too. I wouldn't order it as my main meal, but I would at least taste it.

At the Jinju Lantern Festival, there were rows and rows of food stalls. The most interesting thing was that they were all selling the same foods. Every time you walked past one, the old ladies would try and pull you in. We saw one stall that was full of people. Emilio said, "if it's full, you know the food is better there." We walked closer to one of the stalls to investigate what they were selling. We saw huge vats of spicy beef soup, weird little black chickens, roasted pork and of course, whale.

The four of us decided that there was no time like the present and to just go for it. First we had to make sure it was whale. I spoke with a female server and after a lot of hand gesturing and broken Korean, we learned it was indeed "really big fish". We ordered one serving, which was $30, a bit pricey, but I've heard it's always expensive. We also ordered beer, soju, and a bowl of spicy beef soup, just in case the whale wasn't tasty. While we waited for our meal, we drank a shot of soju for courage. 

When the plate finally arrived, it was nothing like I was expecting. To be honest, I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what they brought. The whale itself looked unlike any kind of meat I've eaten before. The skin was black and there was a thick layer of fat. The meat was cold and must've been cooked sometime earlier. As you can tell by the look on my face, I am not very excited. 


The four of us sprinkled on some salt and each took a piece. We dipped it in the soy sauce and took a bite. It was not a pleasant experience. Both Emilio and Gina looked completely disgusted. I felt the same. I don't even know how to describe the taste. It was gelatinous because of the fat, and it didn't taste like meat. It tasted really fishy. The fact that it was cold, not even lukewarm, made it taste even more like the ocean. I was not a fan. Markus actually liked it and ate more than the three of us combined. We needed to get the nasty whale flavor out of our mouths, so we ordered a plate of roasted pork. I guess that was our punishment for eating such a beloved animal.

Someone told me that these were little black chickens. I think after eating the whale, I wanted to stay far away from any other bizarre meats for the rest of the evening. 

After our whale adventure, we spent the rest of the evening wandering about looking for tasty treats. We ended the night with an order of takoyaki, which is one of my favorite street foods, and delicious $2 waffles. You can't go wrong with waffles and they were a perfect end for an adventurous evening of eating.

Trick Art Museum

This past March, we joined a few friends and went to the Trick Art Museum exhibit at BEXCO. Previously, I saw many people on Facebook posting pictures from this place, so I was really excited to go. As soon as paid I $12 for a ticket and walked in the doors, I knew it was not what I was expecting. It was basically an event hall filled with walls of shiny colored printouts of different pieces of art. Some things were interesting, but after seeing a few and dealing with the crowds of people, I was over it.  

Let's be real, the only trick to the Trick Art Museum is the one they used to get you in the door. Although the experience wasn't that great, at least we were able to take a few hilarious photos to remember. 

Wandering Wednesday | New York City, New York 2008

This was the first year, that Markus and I didn't leave the country. After two years of traveling outside of the country we realized a very important fact, international travel is expensive. We desperately wanted to travel out of country at least once a year, but it was hard with our salaries. We decided that we would visit the big cities of America. If we did this, we would be able to save more money and then be able to leave the country the following year. It took a lot of discussing and planning, but we finally decided on New York City as our first US city.

Before this trip, Markus never visited New York, which I couldn't believe. I was lucky enough to have parents that took me to New York many times throughout my childhood. We decided to spend Thanksgiving week of 2008 in NYC. Thankfully, we have some wonderful friends in NYC, Corey and Sabrina. Corey helped us get a room at an amazing hotel and we spent Thanksgiving with them.

The last time I was in New York, I was in high school and it was nice seeing the Big Apple as an adult. Also, it was interesting seeing it through the eyes of someone who's never been. This trip was my first Thanksgiving away from home. Even though I missed my family, I think it prepared me for my future as an expat. 

My parents also decided to spent Thanksgiving in New York that year. They came for half of our trip and the minute they arrived, my mom wanted a New York hot dog. It was nice seeing my parents and we spent a lot of quality time together in Chinatown, one of my favorite areas of NYC.

Despite having traveled to NYC many times, I never actually made it to the Brooklyn Bridge. We didn't actually walk the whole way, but it was still awesome seeing such an iconic landmark. Cloverfield came out that year, so Markus was even more excited to see the bridge since the monster trashed it in the film.

We spent the rest of our time in NYC, going to museums, visiting iconic places, eating delicious food and spending time with wonderful people. When we went to the Natural History Museum, it was a dream come true for Markus. He was able to see all the things he loves, dinosaurs and all things to with nature. They even had a Christmas tree covered with dinosaur origami. It was amazing. Overall, it was a great trip to New York City and we can't wait to go again.