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Review by Dean Crawford KOREAN DVD CORNER THE SMALL SCREEN 79 born to Sing (전국노래자랑) Directed by Lee Jong-pil You may not know this about me, but I have the voice of angel. The lucky few who’ve heard my inner Mariah usually witness it around 4 a.m. when most bars have closed and the no- raebang begins to beckon. Despite my mad skills, I have never considered entering one of the many talent shows that populate today’s TV schedules, a quandary at the heart of Lee Jong-pil’s “Born to Sing” (2012). When the famous TV show “Born to Sing” comes to town, all of Gimhae goes singing crazy and everyone wants a piece of the ac- tion. The film focuses on a bevy of locals with varying levels of talent: First, there’s Bong- nam (Kim In-kwon), a once-talented rock star whose dreams have passed him by. Equally passionate is love-struck Hyun-ja (Lee Cho- hee), who wants any reason to spend time with co-worker Dong-soo (Yoo Yeon-seok), or the grandfather (Oh Hyun-kyung) who wants to connect with his feisty granddaughter Bo-ri (Kim Hwan-hee). Even the town’s mayor, Joo Ha-na (Kim Soo-mi), wants in on the action in an attempt to boost her popularity for an up- coming election. But while it might be a dream for some, it’s a nightmare for others. Bong-nam is so desper- ate to become a singer that his wife throws him out of the house for lying about entering the show. Hyun-ja is crippled by shyness, which is nearly as bad as Mayor Ha-na, who can’t sing at all. Using a tried-and-true formula in both the fiction and documentary genres, the film keeps things charming while we develop a fondness for each hapless character. Overall, the movie’s premise banks on the fact that most people are at least somewhat familiar with “American Idol”–style TV franchis- es, but it’s stories like this and “One Chance” (2013) that remind us that the contestant pool includes more than simply fame-hungry wan- nabes. Much like “Dancing Queen” (2012), you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and no doubt you’ll en- joy seeing some of these interesting charac- ters as they try and make their dreams come true. I know I did, and it inspired me to finally share my gift with the world. That’s right, time to practice: “Yogi-yo! Soju han byeong juseyo!” PG Comedy / Drama 112 minutes My paparotti (파파로티) Directed by Yoon Jong-chan While watching reality TV, we often forget that if we look past the attention-craving car- wrecks who often appear on TV talent shows, there are some genuinely talented individuals out there. One such story is that of Kim Ho- joong, a teenager who quit the thug lifestyle after his grandmother told him to pursue his real passion — singing. His unusually touch- ing circumstances are the inspiration for Yoon Jong-chan’s 2012 release “My Paparotti.” In this interpretation, Sang-jin (Han Seok- kyu) is an uptight music teacher with a short temper and Jang-ho (Lee Jae-hoon) is a teen- age thug who has been transferred to Sang- jin’s school. Despite Jang-ho’s gangster life- style, he has a gift and, behind the bravado, dreams of becoming an opera singer like his hero, Pavoratti. At first, Sang-jin is reluctant, but once he realizes Jang-ho’s passion is sin- cere, he agrees to take him on as his protégé and train him for a prestigious singing compe- tition happening later that year. But with Jang- ho’s lifestyle constantly interfering with his dreams, he must make a choice between his brothers who raised him and the music teacher who believes in him more than anyone else. I thoroughly enjoyed “My Paparotti,” and the thing that impressed me most was the chem- istry between the two lead actors; I was cap- tivated every time they were on screen. I’ve admired Han Seok-kyu for a long time, and if Lee Jae-hoon’s compatibility with his talented colleague is any indication, I’d bet he has a promising career ahead of him. There’s no getting around how cheesy the film is at times, and it definitely tries hard at manipulating the heartstrings. But because of the way the story builds and the relation- ships between its characters develop (from the teachers and students who are the comic relief to the gangsters who create tension for the film’s conclusion), you genuinely care for the welfare of Jang-ho and want him to achieve his dreams. I should confess that I may have gotten teary-eyed during a few sequences, particularly the finale with its rousing rendition of “Nessun Dorma.” I usually have a heart of stone, so that just goes to show how much I liked “My Paparotti.” PG 13 Drama 127 minutes
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