The Korean movie I chose to review, was entitled Lee Jang-ho’s Baseball team. The movie itself was based on the book “Alien Baseball Team” written by Lee-Hyun-se. I chose this movie, because I really wanted to see if Korean sports-based movies had similarities to those in the United States.
I feel, I could show only selected clips of this movie in my class, to show how different cultures especially school aged youth go through the same types of problems ranging from: coming from a humble background, puppy love, heartbreak, competition amongst peers, and adversity of everyday life. I could not show the movie in its entirety or match it to any curriculum standards, but from a cultural standpoint, it would be very relatable to any high schooler. I was hoping to see more sports or more action in the movie, with less dialogue, but it shared a lot of the same characteristics of most sports dramas. You have the person you can root for and get behind in Hye-Sung, the love interest in Eom-ji, and the antagonist in Ma Dong-tak who is the rival to the main character. If I had to compare this film to any American counterpart, it would without a doubt be “Love and Basketball” written by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie for the story it told, and for the gritty raw presentation of the cinematography. I would recommend to any baseball fan or to any fan of dialogue and drama. I do think the movie could have been cut shorter in certain parts of the middle scenes. I will say the ending did have me asking many questions, which is always a good thing, because it left me wanting to know and see more.
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