Pisces (2000)

Director: Kim Hyung-Tae

Cast: Lee Mi-Yeon, Choi Woo-Jae, Yoon Ji-Hye

Running Time: 98 min.

Plot: Ae-Ryun, the owner of a video store called "Sad Movie", is a warm and sensitive woman. Her best friends are the movies that surround her--and a lonely tropical fish. One day she meets an unusual customer, Dong-Suk, who comes into her store to rent some videos. With his beautiful smile and amiableness, she cannot help her affection towards him.

Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S REVIEW: Ae-Ryun is an attractive young woman who runs a neat little video store called "Sad Movie". She puts every bit of pride and joy into her business and treats every customer as if they were her first. Ae-Ryun seems to be 99% satisfied with the way things are going for her, all she's missing is that 1%, and that's a big one: a boyfriend. On one special day, a young man named Dong-Suk walks into her store to browse some video titles. Ae-Ryun is instantly attracted to him. She becomes even more engulfed when she finds out he's trying to be a professional singer.

Is this Ae-Ryun's dream man? Are they good for each other? Find out, in the next and only episode of "Pisces".

Warning: Depending on your definition of "spoilers", the following may contain some. I personally don't think they're actual "spoilers", but reading this may definitely affect the way you think about the film.

I'll be honest with you - before I had watched it, I thought Kim Hyung-Tae's "Pisces" was going to be nothing but a straight-forward, melodramatic love story. I admit, I've been a sucker for these kinds of movies and lately, I seem to enjoy them as much as the next martial-arts or action movie. What makes "Pisces" so special and different isn't it's great cinematography (because it isn't great) nor it's excellent performances (because they're not exactly excellent) - it's the film's ability to catch you off-guard as it transforms itself into a completely different genre. The funny thing is, it's not until after the movie ends, that you realize that all the hints were right before our eyes the whole time.

I'm not sure how this film was marketed when it was released in Korea and I'm still sketchy if the director's intentions were to trick the audience; whatever it is, it sure caught my attention and about half way through the movie I was saying to myself: "What the fuck?". It's one of those films that starts out good, gets stupid, then suddenly does a complete 360º on our asses and grabs us.

I personally liked the visuals that rest in "Pisces". You gotta love where the film mainly takes place - a video rental store. It's nice, colorful and you can explore the layout of the store, as well as many recognizable films on the shelves. The little tidbits on how her store operates are also interesting to watch, like that whole "pick-up and delivery" procedure. Speaking from my "film geek" point-of-view, a video rental store will always be appealing to me, and 'til this day, I still see them as if I were a kid in a candy store.

"Pisces" is definitely worth watching, at least once.

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S RATING: 7.5/10