Weekly Review Round-Up (09/10-09/16, 2011)

I've probably missed a few things as I am traveling in Dublin but a very wide range of films represented this week including a trio from @refresh_daemon of Init_Scenes who has been very active of late!

RECENT RELEASES

Cheonggyecheon Medley: A Dream of Iron

(hancinema.net, September 10, 2011)

Oki's Movie

(init-scenes.blogspot.com, September 13, 2011)

Poetry

(The Daily Page, September 7, 2011)

Sunny

(KoreanIndo, September 10, 2011)

The Apprehenders

(Modern Korean Cinema, September 10, 2011)

The Man From Nowhere

(Twitch, September 10, 2011)

The Unjust (French)

(Des Bons, des Brutes et des Cinglés, September 10, 2011)

Villain and Widow

(VCinema, September 14, 2011)

PAST FILMS

Breath, 2007

(justpressplay.net, September 9, 2011)

JSA: Joint Security Area, 2000

(At the Cinema, September 11, 2011)

Secret Sunshine, 2007

(justpressplay.net, September 9, 2011)

Singles, 2003

(init-scenes.blogspot.com, September 9, 2011)

The Guests of the Last Train, 1967

(init-scenes.blogspot.com, September 16, 2011)

The World of Silence, 2006

(Hangul Celluloid, September 13, 2011)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. Reviews 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.

Weekly Review Round-Up (08/20-08/26, 2011)

A lot of new reviews this week, many because of the US DVD release of both Lee Chang-dong's Poetry and Secret Sunshine (2007), the latter on Criterion! Also multiple reviews for The Last Godfather, recently released on DVD, A Bittersweet Life (2005), just out on Blu-ray in the states and The Unjust, which opened the KOFFIA festival on Wednesday.

NEW KOREAN RELEASES

Hindsight

(The Korea Times, August 25, 2011)

Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon

(Joong Ang Daily, August 19, 2011)

Blind

(The Hollywood Reporter, August 22, 2011)

Quick

(init-scenes.blogspot.com, August 24, 2011)

RECENT RELEASES

Grand Prix

(Modern Korean Cinema, August 25, 2011)

Hanaan

(The Hollywood Reporter, August 22, 2011)

I Saw the Devil

(reviewsfromtheabyss, August 20, 2011)

No Mercy

(Modern Korean Cinema, August 24, 2011)

Poetry

(A Random Walk Through Film, August 22, 2011)

(blogcritics.org, August 23, 2011)

(DVD Talk, August 23, 2011)

(Fandor.com, August 23, 2011)

(From the Front Row, August 17, 2011)

(indieWIRE, August 23, 2011)

(meniscus, August 23, 2011)

Suicide Forecast

(hancinema.net, August 20, 2011)

The Day He Arrives

(The One One Four, August 24, 2011)

The Last Godfather

(Big Shiny Robot, August 16, 2011)

(Rockstar Weekly, August 21, 2011)

(SearchIndia.com, August 24, 2011)

(The National, August 24, 2011)

The Unjust

(Modern Korean Cinema, August 23, 2011)

(New Korean Cinema, August 21, 2011)

The Yellow Sea

(Shadowlocked, August 24, 2011)

PAST FILMS

A Bittersweet Life, 2005

(Jack L. film reviews, August 20, 2011)

(Real Movie News, August 22, 2011)

Phone, 2002

(slashingthrough.com, August 21, 2011)

Secret Sunshine, 2007

(blogcritics.org, August 23, 2011)

(Cinema Sentries, August 23, 2011)

(Criterion Confessions, August 17, 2011)

(CriterionForum.org, August 22, 2011)

(DVD Beaver, August 15, 2011)

(DVDTown.com, August 23, 2011)

(DVD Verdict, August 23, 2011)

(Filmmakers Magazine, August 25, 2011)

(From the Front Row, August 17, 2011)

(High Def Digest, August 19, 2011)

(Houston Press, August 23, 2011)

(kdvr.com, August 22, 2011)

(PopMatters, August 25, 2011)

(Slant Magazine, August 23, 2011)

(Spirituality & Practice, August, 2011)

(The Bourne Cinema Conspiracy, August 24, 2011)

(The Video Station, August 25, 2011)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. Reviews 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.

The Unjust (Bu-dang-geo-rae) 2010

(Opening film for KOFFIA 2011)

Ryoo Seung-wan is already a popular and respected filmmaker who has pleased fanboys (The City of Violence, 2006) and critics alike (Crying Fist, 2005), but with his new film The Unjust, he has elevated himself to a new level, from which he can now comfortably tower over the majority of his peers. Principally known for his exceptional action sequences and choreography, Ryoo is a technical wizard who has the ability to inject vitality into just about any subject. What he has done here is namely to use his strengths in action filmmaking and apply those techniques laterally into different elements of the film. While The Unjust may be a film about cops and murder, there is much less action than you would imagine from Ryoo, although it is to his credit that it never feels that way.

Hwang Jeong-min and Yu Hae-jin

With a blistering pace, a cool head, and intense focus Ryoo has fashioned a film that has successfully built on its most accomplished predecessors. It feels like a Korean and slightly more stylized version of a New Hollywood film from the 1970s. In particular I’m reminded of Serpico (1973) and The French Connection (1971) but also many others. The paranoia from that era’s conspiracy thrillers and the composed, organized, and yet organic framing and juxtaposition of those tempered filmmakers like Sydney Lumet and Billy Friedkin’s mise-en-scene, are all on evident display in this simultaneously old school and progressive masterclass of filmmaking.

The Unjust is probably the most richly conceived film to come out of Korea in 2010, although The Yellow Sea comes in as a close second. The busy, cluttered, and yet highly precise production design is more than amply matched by the constantly angled cinematography which is so richly composed and sequenced to highlight the  proliferate characters in all their physical and psychological states. In essence mirroring the deliberately convoluted and tense narrative, the mise-en-scene is dense and mesmerizing. The sound is exceptionally well-crafted and carefully orchestrated with the tight editing, and some key sequences employ parallel editing while also taking advantage of the intense and powerful music, especially the recurring, sinister horns.

Ryoo Seung-beom

The story involves a great number of characters but at the heart of the plot there is a stoic and gruff police captain Cheol-gi (Hwang Jeong-min) who has been passed over for promotion one too many times, Joo-yang a young prosecutor (Ryoo Seung-beom), ruthlessly ambitious in his profession but conflicted by his frequently compromised ethics, and Jang, a cagey gangster (Yu Hae-jin) who wears a suit and pretends to inhabit the business world despite being more comfortable stabbing someone in the back with his knife. The narrative begins with the manhunt for the killer of a young girl which has a lot at stake for the police department. Its conflict arises from the higher-ups enlisting of Cheol-gi to cover up a death and make a conviction stick to a patsy while Jang harbors ambitions to take down his rival who has Joo-yang in his pocket. As the story gets more complicated they get more entangled together.

My primary misgiving with The Unjust is that like a great number of the New Hollywood filmmakers, Ryoo Seung-wan doesn’t seem to have strong or relatable female characters in most of his work. The film is a prime example of a male-driven thriller that makes no effort to portray the opposite gender. In one sense this is sort of a blessing in disguise as all the males and therefore all the protagonists in this narrative are shown to be corrupt, ruthless, and/or motivated purely by personal gain. Moral fiber figures in some of the characters ideals but this veneer is swiftly peeled away to show the moral turpitude of everyone associated with the system and then some.

Film noir

The main theme of the day is police corruption which is something that is so frequent and dare-I-say blasé in modern Korean film that the proposition could potentially seem a little risky. I don’t know if it has ever been so pronounced and vociferous though, everyone is a very dark shade of grey in this film and the corruption is so all-consuming, depraved, and simply conducted that it kind of takes your breath away.

The performances are among the cast’s best, the script (from I Saw the Devil scribe Park Hoon-jung) is tight and menacing, the sparse choreography by Jeong Doo-hong will blow your socks off, and Ryoo’s expert and thrilling direction will keep you on the edge of your seats all throughout. This film noir is one of the best Korean movies of the last few years and I suggest that you don’t miss it!


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 Update, Korean 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.

Korean Cinema News (08/01-08/07, 2011)

A large amount of trailers this week and lots of news to boot, including a number of box office milestones.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

The Unjust Picks Up Award at Fantasia
Scribe Park Joon-hung won the best screenplay award for The Unjust at the close of the 2011 Fantasia International Film Festival which also featured a master class with award-winning director Ryoo Seung-wan. (DreadCentral.com, August 7, 2011)

South Korean Cinema Overview
Korean cinema is once again making waves on the international scene and Richard Gray briefly brings us through its evolution and where it currently stands. (Tresspass Magazine, August 7, 2011)

Fashion Trends in Ten Korean Films
An examination of ten korean films that display forward-thinking or versatile fashion sense. (racked.com, August 7, 2011)

Video Review of Terracotta Far East Film Festival
A video recap of this year's Terracotta Far East Film Festival which featured a number of Korean films and a special guest appearance by Breathless (2009) star Kim Khobbi. (youtube.com, August 6, 2011)

The Rise of Korean B-Movie
With the recent polarization of big-budget and independent cinema in Korea, B-Movies are now also gaining favor. Invasion of Alien Bikini, which was shot for less than $5,000 is leading the fray. (Joong Ang Daily, August 5, 2011)

Rain and Richard Gere to Collaborate on Project
Rain met with Richard Gere last week and announced on Twitter that they would be collaborating on an upcoming project. The results will likely not be seen for over three years as Rain must complete his compulsory military service. (soompi.com, August 5, 2011)

Leafie Breaks Animation Box Office Record
After attracting 500,000 spectators in 8 days, Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild is now officially the quickest selling animation in Korean history. (The Chosun Ilbo, August 4, 2011)

Sector 7 Bursts Out of the Gate
Summer blockbuster Sector 7 got off to a strong start with 230,000 viewers on its first day. It has benefited from the buzz of being the first Korean 3D action film. (hancinema.net, August 4, 2011)

Nicole Kidman Boards Park Chan-wook's Stoker
Park Chan-wook's hollywood debut Stoker is quickly assembling its high profile cast and the latest addition is screen siren Nicole Kidman. (soompi.com, August 4, 2011)

Arirang Confirmed for TIFF
Kim Ki-duk's new film Arirang, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, has been confirmed in the masters section of this year's Toronto International Film Festival. (indieWIRE, August 3, 2011)

Korean Indie Animation Fest to Present in Australia
In the lead to KOFFIA 2011, the Indie-Anifest will present a special showcase of independent animation from Korea on August 16th. (koreanculture.org.au, August 3, 2011)

Normalization for Online Film Distribution Demanded by Chungmoro
On July 27, 108 companies and organizations, led by the Korean Film Council announced the Declaration for the Normalization for Online Film Distribution. The declaration calls for putting a stop to the illegal circulation of films online. (hancinema.net, August 2, 2011)

Hollywood DMZ Movie in Pre-Production
CJ has partnered with Di Bonaventura Pictures to produce a multi-million dollar blockbuster about Korea's De-Militarized Zone (DMZ). (hancinema.net, August 2, 2011)

New Casting Announcements for Stoker
More casting news for Park Chan-wook's Stoker as Alden Ehrenreich joins the feature. (Variety, August 1, 2011)

The Thieves Completes Location Shoot in Macau
Choi Dong-hoon's fourth feature has wrapped up its location filming in Macau. The Thieves, which stars Kim Yoon-seok, Gianna Jun, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jeong-jae and Oh Dal-suis set to be released in the summer of 2012. (Film Business Asia, August 1, 2011)

Hollywood Studios Funding and Producing Asian Films
Recently, various Asian films have been partially funded or produced by Hollywood studios. They include Na Hong-jin's The Yellow Sea. (Wildgrounds, August 1, 2011)

Indian Marial Artist to Train in Korea
Salman Khan will be training in martial arts in Korea for his upcoming film Kick, which wil be shot on the peninsula. (movies.ndtv.com, August 1, 2011)

INTERVIEW

PiFan Q&A for Invasion of Alien Bikini
Transcription of a Q&A session following a screening of Invasion of Alien Bikini at this year's PiFan. (Asian Media Wiki, August 1, 2011)

TRAILERS

Lots of trailers this week for upcoming Korean films and various touring independent films.

Elbowroom

Fighting Spirit

Ghastly (clip, no dialogue) 

Hanaan

Invasion of Alien Bikini (eng subs) 

Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild

Marrying the Mafia IV - Family Ordeal

Pong Ddol

Share the Vision

Winter Smells


BOX OFFICE

Sector 7 Posts Cracks 1 Million in Opening Weekend
As expected Sector 7 dominated the box office with an opening of 1.154 million admissions. Quick and The Front Line dipped slightly from last week and are in great shape with 368,000 and 329,000 respectively. With 250,000 Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild is edging closer to its 1.5 million break-even point, currently stands at 880,000. Horror film Ghastly opened poorly with just over 50,000 while Sunny begins to wind up its run with 25,000 in its first week out of the top 10. (hancinema.net, August 7, 2011)


Korean Cinema News is a weekly feature which provides wide-ranging news coverage on Korean cinema, including but not limited to: features; festival news; interviews; industry news; trailers; posters; and box office. It appears every Wednesday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews 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.

Weekly Review Round-Up (07/30-08/05, 2011)

This is a brand new feature I am dabbling with which aims to round up all of the reviews published within the week on Korean films. I categorize them as: NEW KOREAN RELEASES, movies that have just or are about to be released in Korea; CURRENT WORLDWIDE RELEASES, new films that are making the rounds at film festivals or being released in foreign territories; and PAST FILMS, reviews for films that are no longer current.

The reviews will come from print sources, major websites, and blogs. If you know of reviews that are current but are not listed below please let me know via twitter or email. The formatting is for the moment very simple and I will likely change it in subsequent editions. I may or may not create a directory of reviews which I will maintain on a weekly basis with his update. Any suggestions or comments are most welcome!

NEW KOREAN RELEASES

Arrow, the Ultimate Weapon

(The Korea Times, August 4, 2011)

Blind 

(Film Business Asia, August 4, 2011)

Quick 

(Film Business Asia, July 30, 2011)

Sector 7 

(The Korea Times, July 28, 2011)

CURRENT WORLDWIDE RELEASES

Battlefield Heroes 

(Montreal Gazette, August 1, 2011)

Come Rain, Come Shine 

(The Bourne Cinema Conspiracy, August 1, 2011)

I Saw the Devil 

(Rockstar Weekly, August 4, 2011)

Poetry 

(The Independent, July 31, 2011)

(Front Row Reviews, August 2, 2011)

(The Case for Global Film, August 3, 2011)

(Sight & Sound, August 2011)

Sunny 

(Film Business Asia, July 31, 2011)

(Init_Scenes, August 2, 2011)

The Unjust 

(Sounds Like Cinema, August 5, 2011)

The Yellow Sea 

(Sounds Like Cinema, August 5, 2011)

PAST FILMS

Aimless Bullet, 1962 

(New Korean Cinema, August 3, 2011)

Ghost Theatre, 2006 

(Hangul Celluloid, August 1, 2011)

Murder, Take One, 2005 

(Modern Korean Cinema, August, 2, 2011)

The Restless, 2006 

(Modern Korean Cinema, August 3, 2011)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. Reviews 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.