CHV Lives On

I was shopping around for some DVDs and stumbled across these two apparently-successful Korean films. Both seem interesting enough and I can get them imported at a good price (as I'll be importing other discs as well). Shiri is region-free and JSA seems to play on region 1 & 3 players, and both discs seem to be decent (anamorphic video, DD & DTS audio, English subs, etc.).
Do you have any comments to make on the movies themselves, or at least a yes/no recommendation on ordering them?

yes.
1. swiri(pronounced shiri heh) is considered the first blockbuster of korea. I guess this has a value to itself. also, the scenario is a bit ... half movie, half animation-like. for example, the ending is a bit like the ending of the 3rd (and last) episode of R.O.D (read or die) - i'm not gonna tell you ... haha i'm a firm believer of anti-spoils. But one thing, swiri came out first .. heh heh.
2. JSA gives people with no background info or a bias against N.korea a fresh point of view. It centers on the "human" side of life... meaning ideology don't mean shit if you're friends... heh..
both movies have a common theme.. (n.k., friendship..love)
well, i cautiously recommend the two titles.. but with confidence..(an oxymoron?? ) because i think you'll appreciate the movies.
so to make my long post short, yes.
leo

oh, just to let you know..
korea's been flooded with soooo many movies lately.. it may be good to check some more out later on..

I picked up both special edition discs (damn sweet job on both, with DTS tracks and JSA being a Superbit disc), but I've only seen Shiri at this point.
Without going into it, I can say that I liked it, quite a bit actually. I hadn't seen too many recent films from Asia that had both style AND substance (Time and Tide is a good example of something that lacks the latter), and was pleasantly surprised. I only had minor problems with it (such as the incredibly bad miniature effects during the explosion), but nothing too major. And I was definately impressed with the DVD quality, having seen what Hong Kong-based companies like Tai Seng and Mega Star have offered in the past.
That movie alone has me a bit more interested in seeing what films Korea has to offer, and I'll definately be watching JSA sometime soon. I guess a follow-up question would be: do all Korean films, or at least the majority of them, focus on the tension or problems between the North and the South? I can understand why many of them would choose to include such a topic, even as a background piece, but I'd hope for a little more variety in topics.
On a side note, I was kinda shocked to see Shiri (the non-SE DVD) IN STOCK at my local Hollywood Video, right in the new release section (along with the current crop of Hollywood blockbusters). Now if only the other movie-related businesses in the area (*cough* Hoyts theaters *cough*) started doing the same, I'd be impressed.

Oooh...just finished JSA...and I'm definately pleased, even more than before.