Raunchy comedy School of Youth hits theaters next week
by awcoconuts
What will those zany Korean filmmakers come up with next? School of Youth is a 19+ rated Joseon-era comedy movie that’s been getting press for its blatant sex scenes and nudity. Its filled with teenage hijinks and thankfully, relatively little sageuk-speak, although perhaps that would have added an extra level of hilarity to the bizarre premise?
The film stars Lee Min-ho (the former child actor, of Prime Minster and I, Rooftop Prince and The Moon That Embraces The Sun), and Bae Seul-gi (Unemployed Romance) as students at a local village school. When Lee Min-ho and his friend are pounced on at night and, uh, subsequently de-flowered by an unknown female assailant, the two boys and a third friend (who laments his misfortune at getting left out) embark on a search for the aggressor’s identity.
Remembering that the attacker had a noticeable mole on her rear end (pffft), the trio stake out the local gisaeng house. The boys come up with some elaborate and some not-so-elaborate ways to peep at unsuspecting men and women in compromising positions, looking for exposed body parts and the telltale beauty mark. After they discover Bae Seul-gi has a mole on her bottom, she becomes the prime suspect.
Actress Sung-eun (full name Park Sung-eun; she was in Fantasy Tower) is gaining notoriety for a topless scene in the movie. Both she and Bae Seul-gi show some skin, a source enthusiastically promoted.
There’s some diarrhea humor involving a teacher thrown in (think Dumb and Dumber) and the overall vibe I’m getting is American Pie in the Joseon era, with a little mystery and suspense thrown in. When I ignore the obvious problems with the plot (I can’t imagine a slapstick comedy about the rape of two teenage girls and a male predator would go over as well, but maybe if you throw everything under a sageuk cloak, where the leads aren’t really underage and where the term sexism doesn’t exist, audiences won’t take issue?), this could be a case where a movie is sooo wrong, it somehow is ingeniously right.
Filming began last September and School of Youth hits theaters March 27th.
There’s also a more sexually explicit version of the trailer, which is NSFW.
Via No Cut News
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1 pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
March 21, 2014 at 3:16 PM
Sounds like the sageuk version of the movie 100 Girls.
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2 panshel
March 21, 2014 at 3:39 PM
Sex scenes are so commonplace now (The Vengeance Trilogy, anything directed by Kim Ki Duk), but rape is not a laughing matter. And that white gourd idea was stolen from American Pie.
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mudaepo
March 21, 2014 at 4:04 PM
Well, compared to a pie, it does looks more ergonomic!
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Alex
March 22, 2014 at 7:08 AM
Agreed. This is just playing into the stereotype that men can't be raped, because they always want sex. Very very much not a good thing.
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Alex
March 22, 2014 at 7:09 AM
Stereotype wasn't the word I wanted, I think. I meant the myth. Because it is not true at all.
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3 gogumalove
March 21, 2014 at 3:55 PM
first thought: What in the world did I just watch?
second thought: Ooh Lee Min Ho is looking FIIIIINE in his hanbok *drool*
third thought: Since when is rape okay to laugh at?
fourth thought: oooh i should go and rewatch My love from another star since I'm experiencing Do Min Joon withdrawal symptoms
Conclusion: This movie is probably not worth wasting my time especially when I could be using it productively like rewatching Cheon Song Yi's rap in her car "Nae ireum Cheon Song Yi"
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gogumalove
March 21, 2014 at 4:00 PM
*oops i misspelled that ....meant to write "nae ireumeun Cheon Song Yi" :D
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4 Waiting
March 21, 2014 at 3:57 PM
Not what I would have chosen for LMH (1993) but it is his choice. He did well in Flower and the Blade and Prime Minister and I. This movie seems a step in the wrong direction. Hope I am wrong for his sake.
I am not going to comment on the premise...you covered that well, aw coconuts. Thanks!
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mudaepo
March 21, 2014 at 4:11 PM
It doesn't seem like the best career choice for him but male actors can pick these kind of projects without consequences. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it will be the same for Bae Seul Gi and the other actresses.
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KDaddict
March 21, 2014 at 5:25 PM
I'm glad LMH (Jr) gets a leading role. He was great in MoonEtS, but was so very underused in PM&I. Any leading role is good at this pt in his career.
Don't recognize the actor in the orange gown in 2nd poster.
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lena
March 22, 2014 at 10:10 PM
it's ahn yong joon (Two weeks, Jeon Woo-Chi)
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derp
March 23, 2014 at 1:56 AM
that's ahn yong joon..
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soupsoua
March 21, 2014 at 8:25 PM
I was excited for the movie until I realized this is what it would be. lol... my LMH... why! Then again, if Jo In Sung is still popular after Frozen Flower, then i believe LMH will be as well. :D
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maldita
March 21, 2014 at 10:55 PM
So many Korean actors have shown some form of nudity in films. Korean films are way different from squeaky-clean dramas.
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Waiting
March 22, 2014 at 9:01 AM
It's not the nudity aspect that I find the issue...it is the premise of the movie itself.
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5 ewww
March 21, 2014 at 3:58 PM
so rape is funny now? no korea, just no.
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6 fishy
March 21, 2014 at 4:05 PM
That made me feel...very uncomfortable :/
Pass for me, i guess.
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7 Mrs.Jang Guem Suk
March 21, 2014 at 4:28 PM
I'm disturb on all kind of levels right now lol
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8 Mrs.Jang Guem Suk
March 21, 2014 at 4:30 PM
Lol I watched this again this isn't a rom com this is Porn lol
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maldita
March 21, 2014 at 10:54 PM
I don't know what you think constitutes as porn, but this is not it. LOL it's raunchy, but it's not porn.
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9 Mandy
March 21, 2014 at 4:32 PM
I kind of get why actors would choose to do these kind of movies but for the most part, they kinda turn me off. And I'm not talking just about the sex-scenes, but the actual premise itself.
LMH is such a promising talent and he's established himself as such with really good projects as a child actor. Why would he then decide to do something so out of range from his usual image? Not that it's a bad thing to do a variety of roles, but this one, I don't see any benefit. It's a really off-putting social message, with scenes that are supposed to induce laughter but instead makes me cringe... It's unfortunate, really.
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Waiting
March 21, 2014 at 6:55 PM
Mandy - we feel the same way about this. I wish he would have held out for a different lead opportunity. He has many counterparts that are making their way just fine without taking this path...I don't mean the 19+ path, I mean the premise of this movie is just well...enough said already about that.
I am skipping this one and will wait on hopefully something better for him in the future.
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10 derp
March 21, 2014 at 4:51 PM
so an actor would be less an actor if he did something like this people? are you serious? don't say that he took the wrong step and the likes..i hate people like that.. this show's just how mature he is..
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Megan
March 21, 2014 at 6:53 PM
I don't think deciding to do this sort of movie makes someone less of an actor, but I think Mandy is getting at the fact that this is the kind of movie an actor usually does at the beginning of their career, trying to break out, not the kind of movie actors who are already established and popular are generally doing to round out their resumes. But then again, if this is his first leading role, this could be a good step for him to show he can carry a movie, no matter how stupid it looks.
But mature? Even just from having watched those trailers, no. Untold Scandal was a movie with lots of sex and shenanigans, with a mature story to tell. This? ...is no Untold Scandal. This is like a Joseon American Pie. There was lots of sex and nudity in that movie, too, but I would never have mistaken it for being mature.
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Because of Reasons (tdot)
March 21, 2014 at 6:54 PM
Not sure how choosing a project this seemingly juvenile is an indicator of maturity, but okay...
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Mandy
March 21, 2014 at 10:11 PM
I have no idea if your comment was targeted towards mine, but either way... No one here said he was a lesser actor. None of us has seen the movie so his performance evaluation are invalid regardless.
But whether or not he took the right or wrong choice is a personal opinion everyone deserves to make and address. You don't have to agree with it, but neither can you tell anyone not to make it.
Lastly... Maturity doesn't come hand-in-hand with an adult film. If this had a premise worth being proud of, regardless of PG, it would have been a mature decision to take part in it. But a movie that stupidly tries to elicit laughter out of a very severe matter of rape... Uhm, I see zero maturity in that.
Also, I'm not even going to go into the social issues of belittling the cases of many men getting raped because that deserves a whole long essay.
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11 noone
March 21, 2014 at 4:56 PM
the way i see it. they didn't really make fun of rape here, as most of you are saying, -_-
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Bloops
March 21, 2014 at 7:29 PM
Um, two guys are raped and the third one regrets that he wasn't there with them to get raped too. Did we watch the same trailer?
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12 khim
March 21, 2014 at 5:10 PM
i've known alot of actress and actors who did more uhh, show skin (sex and nudity), but where are they now? at the top and their movies are blockbuster. Best example of this is uh, jo yeo jeong, who established herself as a versatile actress not just being another pretty face.
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topper
March 24, 2014 at 11:50 AM
Jeon Do Yeon, Bae Doo Na, Kim Ok Bin, etc.
It's not about nudity though, it's whether the nudity is just gratuitous or important to relay the story.
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13 klir
March 21, 2014 at 5:36 PM
If you only watched Korean dramas, you would think these people are all prudes and innocent ,without hearing a word sex in their entire lives.
Than you see their movies and you know whats really going on.
I still remember when i watched Frozen Flower on Youtube and basically half way in i realized the Queen is played by Song Ji Hyo. I never watched Running Man the same way again lol.
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Megan
March 21, 2014 at 7:05 PM
I KNEW that was her!!
When I was watching it I thought the queen looked an awful lot like the second lead from Goong, but I couldn't remember bothering to look it up.
Then I just started rewatching Goong a few days ago and I was like, Man, the second lead also looks a lot like Oh Jin-hee in Emergency Couple.
So she's all three characters. Huh, good to know. And yes, now I will be thinking a little differently when I watch EC or RM. But mostly just curious about whether actors and actresses get embarrassed with their co-stars, wondering if and when anyone could be looking at them and thinking about them in their movie sex scenes.
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Quiet Thought
March 22, 2014 at 1:55 PM
Some actors have a problem with nudity, some don't. Ultimately, you become an actor or a model because you want people to look at you, after all. You are good at it only if you are sufficiently detached from your actions to always be aware of them, while at the same time enjoying the "show" you are putting on.
I have less problem with actors playing sex scenes than with actors--and especially actresses--playing the victims in slasher flicks.
However, I do know from the actors I've known and the interviews I've read that it is all in a days work for most of them. You are part of the scenery in some shots, you are the center of attention in others, and you want people to believe in what you are showing them. Even if it is playing a corpse or selling frozen food. And I have an actress friend who's done both.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
March 22, 2014 at 5:29 AM
or The Naked Kitchen, where the adulterous wife (complete with almost 19+ sex scene) is played by Shin Mina.
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14 Petmink
March 21, 2014 at 5:56 PM
I found the first trailer to be pretty explicit for a trailer and then I scrolled down and found there was an actual explicit trailer. Woah.
Funny rape? Not ok.
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15 Isabella
March 21, 2014 at 6:15 PM
Well that sure made me uncomfortable. I have no issue with nudity or sex but rape is not funny. Two boys tied up and blind folded while pounced on by a random woman? Pretty sure if the genders were reversed this would never have been made.
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16 ethan
March 21, 2014 at 7:40 PM
he was underrated and we all know that. as he said in interviews he wanted to people him as the child actor jeongbae, (it's been 16 years yet they still call him that) so he wanted to be look at as a grown up man, he took drastic move and accepted the movie to challenge himself. (k bye i'm outta here. just gonna wait on how well this movie gonna perform in theaters and i will decide then if i'm gonna watch it or not.)
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ethan
March 21, 2014 at 7:42 PM
*he wanted people to look at him as he is now, a grown up man, not the child actor jeongbae anymore.
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17 ilikemangos
March 21, 2014 at 8:22 PM
Did they just use the Bahhhh goat sound from Answer me series?? lol
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Waiting
March 22, 2014 at 9:05 AM
Yes they did!
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18 ck1Oz
March 21, 2014 at 8:36 PM
That is not even titillating. That was disturbing. It's totally spoils my memories of him in Rooftop Prince.
Ergh wished I didn't click on it.
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19 baba
March 21, 2014 at 9:17 PM
well everyone is bashing but im looking forward to it. watever he choose is his choice. some may see it as porn but other may see it as entertainment.
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scion
March 21, 2014 at 10:01 PM
it's great to know that i'm not the only one whose looking forward to this.. i don't even see it as a porn, because (i think and what i know) my definition of porn is different from the people here..
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eny
March 22, 2014 at 4:41 AM
i think a lot of korean movie having that kind of scene, i'm not surprise anymore
I think this movie regard porn or not depend on their culture, in Indonesia it will be called porn but in Korea i guess it's not, i think for korean movie as long as the scene connected with the story it doesn't count as porn
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20 lol
March 21, 2014 at 9:52 PM
it's not like his the one who's baring and showing skin.. so just stop dissing him..
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21 mooo
March 21, 2014 at 10:31 PM
people who don't understand the word entertainment. be open minded, >_<
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Alex
March 22, 2014 at 7:12 AM
Open-mindedness is not an argument for making light of serious issues like rape. There are enough people around who perpetuate the (absolutely false) myth that men can't be raped - which is why men who do get raped are frequently ridiculed and/or disbelieved. This movie is an actual symptom of a very real *problem*.
This is just as wrong and unfunny as it would have been if the movie were a comedy about two young women being raped (and enjoying it a lot!) by a man.
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22 Valerie Gudorf
March 22, 2014 at 1:21 AM
The movie implies that the act was "rape" in name only, given that the "victims" apparently enjoyed it tremendously, so much so that upon hearing about it after the fact, their absent compatriot laments that he missed out on the action. The message here is that it's not possible for a man to actually be raped by a woman, because "real men" are always "up" (yes, pun intended) for sex with a woman, even if she is the aggressor; that sex under any circumstance is a welcome treat. Cultures the world over hold this sort of thinking to be true. After all, some men supposedly crave sex so voraciously that they are actually willing to pay for sex from random women. I read somewhere that fully half of Korean men loose their virginity to prostitutes (I can't, of course vouch for the veracity of that claim). It's not true that a man cannot be raped (meaning, forcibly taken against his will) by a woman (or a man), but human societies almost ubiquitously and strenuously deny that it's possible. This movie just perpetuates the notion.
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jun
March 22, 2014 at 1:53 AM
man, that's what i'm saying, but i don't how to start.. i feel relieved that someone finally understand the meaning of the movie, and that it's not intended to make fun of rape, as most of the people here claimed.
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Because of Reasons (tdot)
March 22, 2014 at 5:22 AM
I'm not sure that you understand the point Valley dale is making, because I think it's quite the opposite of what you understand as the meaning of the movie. The movie is perpetuating the false notion that men can't be raped, and in so doing it is upholding sexist notions of masculinity and contributing to making light of rape and of male victims of rape. The fact that so many people in the comments section defending this movie who certainly wouldn't be doing the same thing is it were a movie about two women in the same situation -- tied up, blindfolded and gagged while an unknown stranger has sex with them -- just goes to show the sexist double standard that this movie is perpetuating.
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tdot
March 22, 2014 at 5:23 AM
Sorry about the many typos/grammar errors in the above comments.
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jun
March 22, 2014 at 7:02 AM
well, i guess we really did have different understanding on Valley dale point of view.. -_-
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Alex
March 22, 2014 at 7:20 AM
Word. Thank you.
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23 silentreader
March 22, 2014 at 2:06 AM
this is not PORN people, it may have nudity and the likes but again at the end of the day it's not porn!
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24 hyewon
March 22, 2014 at 4:08 AM
I think it's not as serious as what you all think. This is just a comedy. Relax people.
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Alex
March 22, 2014 at 7:18 AM
How is perpetuating a false and actively harmful myth while at the same time making light of it (it's just a comedy) notr serious?
Movies have a real impact on people's views. That this is a comedy doesn't change that it is perpetuating the harmful and false idea that men can't be raped. It makes it even worse, because it shows how ridiculous and funny the thought of a man being forced to have sex (because of course men always want sex, so they love it, right, hahaha) is for the film-makers, and how ridiculous it is expected to be for the audience.
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I have my opinion too
March 22, 2014 at 8:15 AM
I'm fairly sure people can tell reality from fantasy - hence why this has a +19 rating, and isn't intended for children. Not to mention the fact that people aren't as stupid as you seem to believe they are. Most can agree that rape is wrong, and that men are just as likely to be victims as women... watching a harmless comedy that perverts the concept, isn't suddenly going to change anyone's views on the subject. This is entertainment, pure and simple - not a documentary on male molestation. Clearly people taking issues with the subject matter aren't the intended audience, and if you don't watch it, none of you need fear your delicate sensibilities being corrupted or offended.
But nothing you say is going to make those of us who want to see it, want to watch it any less. And claiming the high road, doesn't automatically make you a better person.
Only morons and sociopaths are impacted by what they watch on television. Most of us can enjoy an intense or funny heist-movie, and still agree that thievery is wrong. Just like most people can watch a movie like Kill Bill, without wanting to glorify death and murder. If you are that heavily influenced by what you watch, or think others are too, perhaps you should reevaluate your hobbies.
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Because of Reasons (tdot)
March 22, 2014 at 9:03 AM
People are certainly free to watch or not watch what they choose, in line with whatever their particular delicate or indelicate sensibilities may be. People are free to offer a critique/critical response to things depicted in the media, and people are also free to consume entertainment indiscriminately and uncritically as they desire.
However, to say that what is presented on television only impacts on "morons and sociopaths" seems a bit silly.
Just the fact that there are plenty of non-moronic, non-sociopathic commenters on DramaBeans who have developed an interest in Korea and Korean culture exactly because of things they have watched on television (or probably their computers, to be more precise) disproves that argument. The mass media, in its myriad forms, is a significant influence on how and what people know, view, understand, and think about the world and its norms; it can do this both positively and negatively, it can reinforce existing notions and it can challenge them.
I hope you enjoy the film when you see it.
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Alex
March 22, 2014 at 9:04 AM
I sincerely doubt anyone would think a comedy about two women being attacked, overpowered, tied up and raped by a man and enjoying it a lot was not a problem (because it was, after all, just fiction and all in good fun).
Be honest. How would you feel about a movie with such a premise? I very much doubt that as many people would be as happy to defend such a movie by saying "it's all just in good fun" as are willing to think the same about a movie in which men are the victims. Why? Because it is generally accepted that the rape of women by men is real, and not funny.
And unfortunately, regardless of the fact you seem unaware of it, the same is not true when it comes to men being raped by women. There are, in fact, very many people who don't believe this is possible. The mere fact that someone thought it would be funny to make a movie about men being tied up and forced to have sex would be funny, and that there are many people evidently willing to agree enough to watch it, shows this very clearly.
Fiction does not exist in a vacuum. Movies - like all kinds of fiction - are both the result of popular opinions in that they are based on them, and reinforce them for viewers. They can also bring people to think and reevaluate.
A homophobic movie will make people with homophobic views feel validated, and support a general air of homophiobia in society. It's the same for all issues.
That is not in good fun, that is both a symptom of a problem in society, and an actively harmful influence that perpetuates the problem.
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lol
March 22, 2014 at 9:42 AM
oh please! i vote you for president. -__-
lol
March 22, 2014 at 9:42 AM
oh please! i'll vote you for president. -__-
mudaepo
March 22, 2014 at 9:42 AM
Most comedies are based on something that isn't supposed to be funny in real life. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy a movie about hitmen, conmen or gangsters.
This is a movie rated 19+ which means that the public of this movie is old enough to understand that rape is wrong, And like someone said before, if some guy is stupid enough to think this is an apology of rape, he's a moron and it's not the film's responsability. It's like blaming Counter Strike or GTA for sociopathic behavior.
The public of this movie will be divided in two categories anyway: people who want to laugh and people who want to see boobs on screen. Nobody is going to use this movie to develop an opinion about men being raped by women.
25 yeonu
March 22, 2014 at 4:37 AM
Damn why are people being like this if they've never seen sex in a movie fff.. lee minho has picked this movie so stop saying it's a wrong choice and let him do what he wants!!
i'm really looking forward to this movie and i hope it'll be subbed.
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26 chubee
March 22, 2014 at 4:58 AM
So will LMH also show some skin here? It's always the women who shows boobies, ass, and even their front part in most movies like this. How about the men???
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derp
March 22, 2014 at 5:09 AM
if you're referring to him showing his ass like what jo in sung and other men did i think it's a no. you can see his bare front (chest) only but that's not actually a big deal on men.. that is why women always received the hate(?) with these kind of movies.. but yeah, they just call it for the sake of artistic merit.
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27 fab
March 22, 2014 at 6:51 AM
Wait, 4 boys in the lead but all I see is naked girls?? Hee
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28 Quiet Thought
March 22, 2014 at 2:06 PM
I am reminded that Charlton Heston, in later life a conservative icon in the United States, earned money out of college as a nude model in art classes. And Sean Connery, also know for his conservative views, started out posing in mini-briefs in male beauty pageants. You go into acting because you want to express something and have people look at you while you're doing it.
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29 confusedturtle
March 22, 2014 at 9:44 PM
Wow. I think that trailer needs a trigger warning. Even from the description I didn't expect an actual depiction of male rape....I'm probably going to watch this just to see how f---ed up it is.
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30 k-soup
March 23, 2014 at 5:07 AM
this is kinda disturbing feels like more porn than a story
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31 selena
March 26, 2014 at 6:24 PM
I thought this was going to be a comedy until i read and watched the trailer. This is not what i expected.
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32 Jeremiah Lee
March 29, 2014 at 2:48 PM
I wonder if there's more Korean porn out there. xD Only one I know of is http://www.korea1818.com but would love more recommendations... For research purposes, yeah :P
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