Showing posts with label as one. Show all posts
Showing posts with label as one. Show all posts

Friday, August 17, 2012

Friday, August 3, 2012

Weekly Review Round-up (07/28-08/03, 2012)

It's been a few weeks since the Weekly Review Roundups have been up but I've gone back and added them all now. Lots of PiFan reviews of course and plenty more!

I also wanted to take a moment to say that I will be a little more selective about what appears on WRR from now on. Up until now I've been happy to feature anything on Korean film as long as it was legible but over time I've come across some major outlets that don't always present honest opinions. I'm not here to name and shame but I have removed a few sources from my list that I believe do not respect their audience by giving false opinions for ulterior purposes. Anyway, shouldn't change much going forward!

Thanks for reading and WRR should be back to its weekly status for the foreseeable future.


CURRENT FILMS


Deranged

(Seongyong's Private Place, July 28, 2012)

Friday, June 15, 2012

Weekly Review Round-up (06/09-06/15, 2012)

Lots of reviews for new releases this week, including As One and Arirang which are currently screening in various English-language territories.  Sector 7 was also just released in the US on Blu-ray.


CURRENT FILMS


All About My Wife

As One

(The Korea Blog, June 8, 2012)

(Seongyong's Private Place, June 14, 2012)

(Reuters, June 13, 2012)

Friday, June 8, 2012

Weekly Review Round-up (06/02-06/08, 2012)

First Weekly Review Round-up live from Seoul!  A few write-ups on As One and Kim Ki-duk's Arirang this week as they are release in Australia and the UK respectively.


CURRENT FILMS


As One

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Korean Box Office Update (06/01-06/03, 2012)

Men in Black Stays Up Top While Domestic Releases Nibble at Its Heels



Title Release Date Market Share Weekend Total Screens
1 Men in Black 3 (us) 5/24/12 26.20% 533,557 2,455,318 540
2 All About My Wife 5/17/12 22.30% 474,494 2,784,894 474
3 Runway Cop 5/30/12 15.30% 334,254 453,570 431
4 Don't Click 5/30/12 12.40% 295,733 353,034 360
5 Snow White and the Huntsmen (us) 5/30/12 11.80% 261,558 452,589 443
6 The Avengers (us) 4/26/12 4.60% 96,753 6,996,984 281
7 The Taste of Money 5/17/12 2.40% 50,357 1,131,158 248
8 Madagascar 3 (us) 6/6/12 2.60% 39,738 40,912 186
9 As One 5/3/12 0.80% 19,625 1,856,843 139
10 Inazuma Eleven Go (jp) 5/24/12 0.40% 10,872 81,756 96


Monday, May 28, 2012

Korean Box Office Update (05/25-05/27)

The Men in Black Score Big After Long Absence



Title Release Date Market Share Weekend Total Screens
1 Men in Black 3 (us) 5/24/12 47.50% 1,064,549 1,210,197 767
2 All About My Wife 5/17/12 24.50% 610,994 1,819,491 537
3 The Avengers (us) 4/26/12 10.30% 260,686 6,741,216 367
4 The Taste of Money 5/17/12 7.80% 193,197 951,420 412
5 As One 5/3/12 3.20% 86,339 1,775,535 277
6 Snow White and the Huntsmen (us) 5/30/12 2.90% 71,840 71,840 284
7 Inazuma Eleven Go (jp) 5/24/12 1.50% 40,393 41,668 242
8 Machine Gun Preacher (us) 5/24/12 0.40% 10,771 17,847 140
9 Mirror Mirror (us) 5/3/12 0.40% 10,443 574,969 57
10 A Muse 4/25/12 0.20% 5,498 1,337,811 52

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Korean Box Office Update (05/18-05/20, 2012)

All About My Wife Takes First Place in Close Finish



Title Release Date Market Share Weekend Total Screens
1 All About My Wife 5/17/12 28.70% 593,341 778,430 561
2 The Avengers (us) 4/26/12 28.70% 564,923 6,341,504 573
3 The Taste of Money 5/17/12 21.80% 444,859 568,327 641
4 As One 5/3/12 9.00% 200,091 1,619,089 387
5 Dark Shadows (us) 5/10/12 3.10% 66,722 549,733 270
6 Cold Light of Day (us) 5/17/12 2.20% 49,217 61,552 238
7 Mirror Mirror (us) 5/3/12 1.80% 40,355 557,229 164
8 Architecture 101 3/22/12 1.10% 23,916 4,078,012 124
9 The Lorax (us) 5/3/12 1.00% 23,262 290,162 134
10 A Muse 4/25/12 1.10% 22,065 1,319,085 160

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Korean Box Office Update (05/11-05/13, 2012)

The Avengers Easily Threepeats



Title Release Date Market Share Weekend Total Screens
1 The Avengers (us) 4/26/12 47.80% 994,319 5,446,891 734
2 As One 5/3/12 16.90% 393,323 1,227,411 512
3 Dark Shadows (us) 5/10/12 13.80% 314,355 372,745 386
4 Snow White (us) 5/3/12 5.00% 123,381 477,859 305
5 Eungyo 4/25/12 4.50% 99,840 1,226,704 310
6 All About My Wife 5/17/12 4.20% 91,426 96,751 277
7 Architecture 101 3/22/12 2.90% 67,365 4,007,674 244
8 The Lorax (us) 5/3/12 1.80% 46,562 261,893 240
9 Crayon Shin-chan (jp) 4/26/12 1.00% 26,667 259,718 130
10 The Scent 4/11/12 0.40% 10,214 1,234,209 70

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Korean Cinema News (05/03-05/09, 2012)

UPDATE 1:50pm (GMT+1) - The KOFA Classic Korean Film youtube channel goes live!  More details below.

More developments on upcoming features Mister K and Remember O Goddess this week as well as a strong selection of interviews and a free one-day Korean film seminar in London.


KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

KOFA's Classic Korean Film Youtube channel goes live!
The Korean Film Archive has launched its much anticipated "Korean Classic Film Theater" Youtube channel which features 70 different hard to find titles, all free and with English subtitles.  The films range from 1949's A Hometown in My Heart to Hong Sang-soo's 1996 debut The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well. Numerous classic Im Kwon-taek, Kim Ki-young and Shin Sang-ok films are featured as well as many of the most important Korean films of the past decades, including Yu Hyun-mok's Aimless Bullet (aka Obaltan, 1961), Park Kwang-su's Chilsu and Mansu (1988), or the original hostess film, Yeongja's Heyday (1976).

I'm dying to get stuck into the many I haven't seen but I highly recommend Im Kwon-taek's Sopyonje (1993), Kim Ki-young' Ieoh Island (aka Iodo, 1977) and the aforementioned Aimless Bullet.  Truly a phenomenal resource from KOFA and cause for celebration for all Korean film fans!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Korean Box Office Update (05/04-05/06, 2012)

The Avengers Grows, Korean Releases Lag



Title Release Date Market Share Weekend Total Screens
1 The Avengers (us) 4/26/12 53.50% 1,430,595 4,001,858 918
2 As One 5/3/12 16.80% 509,444 596,793 535
3 Snow White (us) 5/3/12 7.80% 248,377 285,620 385
4 The Lorax (us) 5/3/12 6.50% 194,935 202,348 462
5 A Muse 4/25/12 6.30% 182,261 1,021,437 402
6 Crayon Shin-chan (jp) 4/26/12 3.60% 121,192 230,929 293
7 Architecture 101 3/22/12 3.30% 102,765 3,879,029 248
8 The Scent 4/11/12 0.90% 27,044 1,206,640 120
9 Battleship (us) 4/11/12 0.30% 10,779 2,230,317 62
10 Untouchable (fr) 3/22/12 0.20% 5,102 1,709,560 19

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

May 2012 Korean Releases

This monthly features previews the coming month's attractions in Korean cinema.  All of these monthly posts are available in an archive on the Upcoming Releases page.


May 3

As One (aka Korea)
Just Friends

May 10

Du-re Sori Story
I Am
The Strangers

May 17

All About My Wife
Granny Is in 1st Grade
The Taste of Money

May 24

Children of Heaven
Hello!
U.F.O.

May 31

Don't Click
In Another Country
Runway Cop
Still Strange

May TBC

Rosa
Tummy


As One (aka Korea)


Director:  Moon Hyun-sung
Cast:  Ha Ji-won, Bae Doo-na
Synopsis:  As One chronicles the victory of the first inter-Korean team at the 1991 Chiba Worldwide Table Tennis Championships.
Release date:  May 3

There's a lot of buzz surrounding this project, especially with its two big female stars and theme of rapprochement of the divided Korean nations.  It the film clicks with audiences it may be one of the highest-grossing films of the year. 




Just Friends


Director:  Ahn Cheol-ho
Cast:  Oh Yeon-so, Lee Young-hoon
Synopsis:  Just Friends is a romance about an unemployed art school graduate who has recently been dumped but meets an aspiring musician at a concert
Release date:  May 3




I Am.


Director:  Choi Jin-sung
Synopsis:  A documentary of SM Entertainment's recent Madison Square Garden concert.
Release date:  May 10



Du-re Sori Story


Director:  Cho Jung-rae
Screenplay:  Baek Jong-min
Cast:  Kim Seul-gi, Jo Ah-reum, Ham Hyeong-sang, Choi Eun-yeong
Synopsis:  Two friends at the National High School of the Traditional Arts take a special class taught by a teacher with conflicting western influences. The class will compete as a chorus in contest.
Release date: May 10



The Strangers


Director:  Choi Yong-seok
Cast:  Yeo Hyeon-soo, Han Soo-yeon, Kim Joong-ki
Synopsis:  Yeon-hee returns to her hometown following the death of her mother in a fire and there she meets Seok who has lost in father in the same accident.  They bond and attempt to overcome their grief while Yeon-hee revisits the reason she left in the first place.
Release date:  May 10




All About My Wife


Director:  Min Gyoo-dong
Screenplay:  Min Gyoo-dong
Cast:  Im Soo-jeong, Lee Seon-gyoon, Ryoo Seung-yong
Synopsis:  A romantic comedy about a man who, in a bid to cleanly divorce his wife, hires a playboy to seduce his spouse.
Release date:  May 17




The Taste of Money


Director:  Im Sang-soo
Screenwriter:  Im Sang-soo
Cast:  Kim Kang-woo, Kim Hyo-jin, Baek Yoon-shik, Yoon Yeo-joong
Synopsis:  A woman divorces a salaryman and becomes wealthy.  A tale of greed and sex in the upper strata of Korean society
Release date:  May 17

Im Sang-soo's new film wrapped in January and looks to be another fascinating exposé of our darkest desires.  The film will have its world premier at Cannes where it is in the main competition vying for the Palm d'Or.  The Taste of Money will also feature a small role for the founder of koreanfilm.org and MKC contributor Darcy Paquet.




Granny Is in 1st Grade


Director:  Jin Kwang-gyo
Cast:  Kim Jin-goo, Shin Chae-yeon
Synopsis:  A 70-year-old woman loses her son but she can't read the final letter he sent her so her 7-year-old granddaughter teaches her how to read.
Release date:  May 17




Children of Heaven


Director:  Park Heung-shik
Cast:  You Da-in, Park Ji-bin, Kim Bo-ra
Synopsis:  A new teacher begins a three month stint at a school for troubled children.  She hopes to involve some of new students in a talent contest by staging a musical.
Release date:  May 24


U.F.O.


Director:  Kong Quee-hyun
Screenwriter:  Kong Quee-hyun
Cast:  Lee Joo-seung, Kim Chang-hwan, Kim Tae-yoon
Synopsis:  A group of students catch sight of an alien spacecraft and decide to travel to UFO mountain but on the way there they are warned to turn back.
Release date:  May 24

This sci-fi comedy opened last July at the Puchon International Film Festival and has since played at the Digital Seoul Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival.




Hello!


Director:  Lim Tae-hyeong
Cast:  Lee Sang-bong
Synopsis:  Documentary chronicling the lives of 14 blind schoolchildren
Release date:  May 24


In Another Country


Director:  Hong Sang-soo
Screenwriter:  Hong Sang-soo
Cast:  Isabelle Huppert, Yoo Joon-sang, Jeong Yu-mi, Yoon Yeo-jeong, Moon Seong-gun, Kwon Hae-hyo
Release date:  May 31

The new Hong Sang-soo film stars a major French actress and will be premiering in Cannes ahead of its Korean release, not to be missed.




Don't Click


Director:  Kim Tae-kyeong
Screenwriter:  Kim Tae-kyeong
Cast:  Park Bo-young, Joo Won, Kang Byul
Synopsis:  Bizarre events occur after a pair watch a mysterious video.
Release date:  May 31

This sounds like a blatant ripoff of The Ring (1998), given the poor quality of last summer's horrors, I'm not expecting much from this one.  Also, as you'll notice on the poster, Don't Click was scheduled for release last August but got pushed back, never a good sign.



Runway Cop


Director:  Sin Tae-ra
Cast:  Kang Ji-hwan, Sung Yu-ri, Kim Young-kwang, Lee Soo-hyuk
Synopsis:  In order to break a case, a determined detective goes undercover in the fashion world.
Release date:  May 31




Still Strange


Director:  Lee Hong-jae
Screenwriter:  Kim Tae-kyeong
Cast:  Jang Si-won, Kim Soo-woong, Lee So-hee
Synopsis:  An old couple and their grown up children gather during the first New Year's Day following their only son's death.
Release date:  May 31


Rosa


Director:  Maeng Gwan-pyo
Cast:  Ruzmetova Dayana, Jo Ha-seok
Synopsis:  16-year-old Uzbeki ballet dancer Diana loses her chance at a scholarship as the iron curtain rolls back.  She then goes to Korea with a stranger in the hope of following her dreams.
Release date:  May


Tummy


Director:  Park Bo-sang
Cast:  Cheon Ho-jin, Lee Mi-sook, Seo Yoon, Ye Hak-yeong
Synopsis:  A sex comedy about a family's romantic entanglements.
Release date:  May

This film was made in 2008 and is finally seeing the light of day.


Resources:

Asian Wiki
Daum
Han Cinema
KMDb
KOBIS


Reviews and features on Korean film appear regularly on Modern Korean Cinema.  For film news, external reviews, and box office analysis, take a look at the Korean Box Office UpdateKorean Cinema News and the Weekly Review Round-up, which appear weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings (GMT+1).

To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Korean Box Office Update (04/27-04/29, 2012)

The Avengers Knocks Out the Competition



Title Release Date Market Share Weekend Total Screens
1 The Avengers (us) 4/26/12 64.30% 1,342,576 1,636,182 963
2 A Muse 4/25/12 15.80% 389,797 553,807 519
3 Architecture 101 3/22/12 6.20% 157,166 3,622,800 316
4 The Scent 4/11/12 4.70% 115,110 1,090,057 296
5 Battleship (us) 4/11/12 3.50% 90,458 2,171,337 299
6 Crayon Shin-chan (jp) 4/26/12 3.20% 90,099 92,885 277
7 Untouchable (fr) 3/22/12 0.70% 17,742 1,688,300 108
8 Spring Snow 4/26/12 0.20% 6,330 11,238 117
9 The Hunger Games (us) 4/5/12 0.20% 4,615 604,809 67
10 Over My Dead Body 3/29/12 0.10% 3,626 982,185 42


Well summer has truly arrived as we have our first major blockbuster performance.  There was never really any doubt what would happen this weekend but the size of The Avengers' opening was very impressive nonetheless as it captured almost two thirds of the weekend box office.

Total admissions stood at an enormous 2.1 million which is among the biggest in the history of the market, it was also well over last year's 1.5 million when Thor (one of the many predecessors to The Avengers) opened.  The Korean box office share took a big hit as it shrunk to 27%, which was a bit lower than 2011's 36%, but it will likely bounce back next weekend.

The Avengers 1,342,576 opening is huge but not a patch on last year's Transformers 3's opening bow, which stood at over two million.  This early in the summer though it is a notable achievement and one must remember that The Avengers is not as popular or well known as in the United States.  Given the film's positive reaction (Twitter netizens have been raving abut it) it should continue to play well but it will face some competition for the top spot next weekend in the form of a much anticipated Korean film.  Though I wonder how much pent up demand was spent this past weekend.  The good news is that this is definitely one of the biggest Hollywood films of the year so local fare may have to face much worse during the rest of the season.

A Muse was the major opening Korean film this weekend and I've been wondering why they scheduled at the same time as such a gigantic Hollywood blockbuster.  It had a fairly good opening with 389,797 but I imagine it would have done better without the extra competition.  Awareness for this pic is high and though I have not yet read any reviews I imagine that it could play well throughout the rest of May.

Architecture 101 stayed at number three but did drop around 40%.  Its 157,166 frame is still very impressive given it is now in its sixth week.  It will need a little more to push past the four million mark but I have a feeling that it won't quite make it that far.

Despite its increase last weekend, The Scent retreated this tie around as it lost over 60% of its business.  It made 115,110 over the frame and has crossed the one million mark but will probably disappear from theatres very soon.

Battleship, after two big weekends, sank suddenly as it shed over 80% of its audience for 90,458 over the three days.  Clearly The Avengers was too much competition for it.  This also does not bode well for its stateside release.

The new Crayon Shin-chan anime film had an okay start with 90,099 while French hit Untouchable finally took a tumble as it lost most of its business, leaving it with 17,742.

Spring Snow, the other Korean film opening wide this weekend had a disastrous start this weekend as it attracted only 6,330 viewers.  I'm not surprised really as even for fans of family melodrama I can't see much appeal in this one.

The Hunger Games and Over My Dead Body were almost wiped out as they both lost over 90% for 4,615 and 3,626 respectively, the latter has likely missed its chance at getting past the one million mark.

Next week we'll see if The Avengers keeps its crown or hands it over to As One, the most anticipated Korean film of the year to date.  It has a chance but I think the band of superheroes will be taking a second victory lap.  I'm also curious to see if A Muse can improve on this week's performance.

Source: kobis.or.kr


The Korean Box Office Update is a weekly feature which provides detailed analysis of film box office sales over the Friday to Sunday period in Korea. It appears every Sunday evening or Monday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Review Round-upReviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.