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Spellbound (2011 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Spellbound' (; lit. "Chilling Romance"), also known as 'My Girlfriend Can See Ghosts', is a 2011 South Korean horror romantic comedy film, starring Son Ye-jin and Lee Min-ki.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/12/02/2011120201033.html "'Chilling Romance' (2011)"]. 'The Chosun Ilbo'. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20. It is about a magician who falls in love with a woman who can see ghosts. It was written and directed by Hwang In-ho which also marks his directorial debut.[https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2012/01/141_99507.html "Romance lost between spooks and laughs"]. 'The Korea Times'. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[https://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20120507-344333.html "Their cold kiss warms screens"]. 'The New Paper'. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://www.beyondhollywood.com/spellbound-2011-movie-review/ "Spellbound (2011) Movie Review"] . 'Beyond Hollywood'. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/16/entertainment/la-et-capsules-spellbound20111216/ "Movie review: 'Spellbound'"]. 'Los Angeles Times'. 16 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/01/12/review-happy-to-be-alive-in-spellbound/ "Review: Happy to be alive in Spellbound"] . 'National Post'. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
Plot
Jo-goo, a street magician (Lee Min-ki), notices a miserable looking girl, Yeo-ri (Son Ye-jin), in the audience during one of his performances, and she winds up being the inspiration for his Horror magic show. The show becomes a runaway success almost overnight and Jo-goo in turn, is now a successful stage magician with a model girlfriend. Yeo-ri works for Jo-goo, playing the specter in his show. Forward to almost a year later, the darkness inside her, something her colleagues sense, keeps her from truly connecting with them. When Jo-goo's attempts to include Yeo-ri in a staff dinner finally succeeds, hilarious disaster ensues when she ends up blindingly drunk. Jo-goo calls Yeo-ri the next morning to sort things out, but when the phone disconnects with a weird sound, he decides to drop by her place for a visit instead. There, Jo-goo meets and engages in a game of hide-and-seek with a ghost child, which then scares the bejesus out of him later that night. As the two of them spend more time together, developing a fast friendship, Yeo-ri confesses the long story behind her gray, wan face.
Yeo-ri has acquired an 'unwanted' ability to see the dead ever since she survived a high school automobile accident. She not only sees dead people, but these 'dead people' also appear in her life on a regular basis. In particular, the vengeful ghost of her best friend Joo-hee, who died during that automobile incident, follows her everywhere scaring people around her relentlessly. Yeo-ri eventually ends up leading a solitary life, even her family has fled the country and left her behind. She sleeps in a tent in her living room, speaks to a friend sometimes and only through the phone, resigning herself to the idea that her solitary life is best in the grand scheme of things.
During the course of Jo-goo's failed attempts to find his lonely friend Yeo-ri a boyfriend, the pair start to develop feelings for each other. And though Jo-goo is sometimes scared witless himself, he loves Yeo-ri enough to overcome his fear. Joo-hee, consumed by jealousy, becomes a threat during the show, prompting Yeo-ri to head off to join her family in order to protect Jo-goo from herself and the ghost. Is getting away going to be that easy, or does Joo-hee have more tricks up her sleeves?[http://cj-entertainment.com/movies/121003-005/spellbound/ "'Spellbound' (2011)"] . 'CJ Entertainment'. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=1723 "Preview: A Lovable Horror Film Lead Girl and Her 'Chilling Romance'"]. 'enewsWorld'. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
Cast
* Son Ye-jin - Kang Yeo-ri[http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=1147 "Son Ye Jin Returns to the Big Screen With Rom Com"]. 'enewsWorld'. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=1697 "Son Ye Jin Pulls Off a 'Hamburger Kiss' for 'Chilling Romance'"]. 'enewsWorld'. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view.html?No=7996 "Sohn Ye Jin: 'I Do Not Like Similar Appearance'"]. 'KBS Global'. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/12/01/2011120100386.html "Son Ye-jin Eyeing Melodrama After 'Chilling Romance'"]. 'The Chosun Ilbo'. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2944947 "Son Ye-jin casts her spell over new romantic comedy"] . 'Korea JoongAng Daily'. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=30399&sec=8 "Sweet-faced at 30"]. 'The Straits Times'. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
* Lee Min-ki - Ma Jo-goo[http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=1699 "Lee Min Ki and Son Ye Jin Praise Each Other"]. 'enewsWorld'. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
* Park Chul-min - Pil-dong
* Kim Hyun-sook - Min-jung
* Lee Mi-do - Yoo-jin
* Yoon Ji-min - Sun-woo
* Lee Hyun-jin - Ki-woo
* Hwang Seung-eon - Lee Joo-hee
* Uhm Tae-goo - Magic show producer
Box office
The film sold 590,232 tickets during its opening weekend of December 9 to 11, and grossed in its first week of release.[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2011121210292698772 "'Spellbound' works magic on local box office for 1st win"]. '10Asia'. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20.[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/korea/?yr=2011&wk=48¤cy=local&p=.htm "South Korea Box Office: December 24, 2011"]. 'Box Office Mojo'. Retrieved 2012-04-20. It received 1.6 million admissions after two weeks,[http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/reports.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=219 "Box office, Nov. 30 Dec. 13"]. 'Korean Film Biz Zone'. Retrieved 2012-04-20. 1.91 million by December 18,[http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=2242 "'Chilling Romance' Likely to Break the Two Million Ticket M"]. 'enewsWorld'. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20. and more than 2.29 million by December 21.[http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=2308 "Can Lee Min Jung Lead a Box Office Hit?"]. 'enewsWorld'. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-20. In total, the film had 3,009,356 admissions nationwide, with a gross of after six weeks of screening,[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/korea/?yr=2012&wk=1¤cy=local&p=.htm "South Korea Box Office: January 68, 2012"]. 'Box Office Mojo'. Retrieved 2012-04-20. making it the 7th top-grossing Korean film of 2011, and by far the most successful Korean romantic comedy in recent years.
Awards and nominations
References
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