FUTURE FILMS
In Another Country - Out 03/31
The Emperor's Concubine - Out 06/06
(The Korea Times, May 22, 2012)
Friday, May 25, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (05/19-05/25, 2012)
A bevvy of reviews this week for Hong Sang-soo's latest as it vies for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Also a lot of great pieces on current Korean films and for Helpless which recently opened on limited in the US.
Punch (완득이, Wandeuki) 2011
On the surface Lee Han’s new feature may not seem like much as it treads well-worn territory such of the coming-of-age drama and the sports film. Even as it unspools it doesn’t seem to break any new ground as we are introduced to a very familiar plot and a fairly typical coterie of characters. What sets it apart is the skill in its staging. Though a standard narrative, it is so well executed that it beckons you into its story with a gesture that, like from an old friend, is both welcoming and comforting. Once you’re nestled into Punch’s world, which hardly takes a moment, subtle and sometimes surprising elements flutter into the film and the outwardly simplistic characters slowly become more fleshed out. Though it takes some time to realize that you are watching a film that is much more complex than its easygoing exterior lets on. Lee, who has previously made a name for himself with a series of well-crafted romance films such as Lover’s Concerto (2002), Almost Love (2006) and Love, First (2007), deftly and almost imperceptibly handles the narrative’s many cogs.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Korean Cinema News (05/17-05/23, 2012)
Some sales in Cannes this week but not too much else to report though there are some great interviews and a new trailer for incoming summer zombie feature Deranged. Next week should yield some more Cannes news and hopefully a Korean film will pick up a prize though at this point I don't think they'll get anything in the main competition unless The Taste of Money suddenly received a better welcome than in Korea where it opened last week.
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
A number of high-profile pics have sold at Cannes, including the hotly anticipated The Thieves which was bought by firms in China, Hong Kong and Thailand. The year's biggest local hit to date, Nameless Gangster, also secured distribution in some territories such as Japan, China and Hong Kong in Asia as well as Eastern Europe, Spain and the French-speaking portion of Europe. So Ji-sub's hitman film A Company Man, which is scheduled to open next month, was sold to Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and French and German-speaking Europe. The Scent was also taken by a few Asian markets, including Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore. Lastly, Love On-Air, the first wide Korean release of 2012, was sold to Thailand. (Modern Korean Cinema, May 23, 2012)
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 |
Friday, May 18, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (05/12-05/18, 2012)
A lot of reviews this week and many of them for a trio of action/war film which are currently making the rounds in North America, either in theatres or on the home video market. I'm thrilled to see such interest in these titles but the fact that they all stem from the same genre doesn't really give me high hopes for expanding English-language consumers interest in the broader Korean film industry. THese titles just confirm that Korean cinema, at present, is still viewed as a niche genre industry abroad, which couldn't be further from the truth. Sigh...
Also from now on you may notice a few more Twitch reviews as I have been taken on as their Korean correspondent.
Enjoy!
Also from now on you may notice a few more Twitch reviews as I have been taken on as their Korean correspondent.
Enjoy!
FUTURE FILMS
(Twitch, May 12, 2012)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Korean Cinema News (05/10-05/16, 2012)
Not a huge news week, the main item being that Snow Piercer is finally underway but some interesting features and tidbits nonetheless, including and a couple of trailers with English subtitles.
In other news I have become the Twitchfilm's Korea correspondent, a position I'm thrilled to take on but no need to worry as nothing will change regarding the day-to-day running of MKC.
Production Begins on Bong Joon-ho's Snow Piercer
Likely the most anticipated project on the horizon from a Korean cineaste, Bong Joon-ho's Snow Piercer has finally begun production, having first been floated as a project back in 2007. New additions to the cast have been made, which now features Song Kang-ho, Ko Ah-sung, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Kenny Doughty and Emma Levie.
Some location photography on a glacier in Austria has already wrapped and no they are underway with the main segment of filming which is happening at the Barrandov studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It's wonderful to see this exciting project finally coming to life and hopefully the production will be smooth sailing from here on in. (Modern Korean Cinema, May 16, 2012)
In other news I have become the Twitchfilm's Korea correspondent, a position I'm thrilled to take on but no need to worry as nothing will change regarding the day-to-day running of MKC.
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
Likely the most anticipated project on the horizon from a Korean cineaste, Bong Joon-ho's Snow Piercer has finally begun production, having first been floated as a project back in 2007. New additions to the cast have been made, which now features Song Kang-ho, Ko Ah-sung, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Kenny Doughty and Emma Levie.
Some location photography on a glacier in Austria has already wrapped and no they are underway with the main segment of filming which is happening at the Barrandov studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It's wonderful to see this exciting project finally coming to life and hopefully the production will be smooth sailing from here on in. (Modern Korean Cinema, May 16, 2012)
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Unbowed (부러진 화살, Bureojin Hwasal) 2012
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However, the second star has all the hallmarks of greatness that such a distinction would indicate, and then some. Ahn Sung-ki is a legend in the Korean film industry and is probably its most respected star. One of his earliest roles was in Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid (1960) and he starred in a series of classics starting in the 1980s, such as A Fine, Windy Day (1980), Im Kwon-taek’s Mandala (1981), Whale Hunting (1984), Park Kwang-su’s Chilsu and Mansu (1988), The Taebaeck Mountains (1994, also Im Kwon-taek), Lee Myeong-se’s Nowhere to Hide (1999) and many, many more. Even now he is still one of the country’s top working actors and earlier this year he proved that he could still draw in the crowds just as well as anybody. He has won the Grand Bell Award (the Korean Oscar equivalent) no less than six times but he seems almost certain to pick up his seventh accolade later this year for his latest performance.
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 |
Friday, May 11, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (05/05-05/11, 2012)
Many reviews for a wide variety of films this week and I've rejigged the subsections to reflect films that have already been released in Korea and those that have played at international festivals but have, as of yet, not secured a Korean release date.
Over on the VCinema Show website, which I am a contributor for, Adam Hartzell has embarked on a week-long consideration of Hong Sang-soo's The Day He Arrives as he posts his thoughts after seeing it every day during its week long engagement in San Francisco. Below are the links to his special feature with only the final day outstanding, which will likely be posted this evening:
Over on the VCinema Show website, which I am a contributor for, Adam Hartzell has embarked on a week-long consideration of Hong Sang-soo's The Day He Arrives as he posts his thoughts after seeing it every day during its week long engagement in San Francisco. Below are the links to his special feature with only the final day outstanding, which will likely be posted this evening:
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Dangerously Excited (나는 공무원이다, Naneun Gongmoowonida) 2012
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After being in the doldrums for a few years, Korean cinema seems to have regained its stride as it rebuilds its reputation abroad. However, as much as I’m thrilled to see new Korean film festivals, on-demand ventures and a free classic Korean film youtube channel, when it comes to Korean entertainment, the word on everyone’s lips these days is k-pop.
Hollywood’s Rihanna, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Usher and co. are getting some serious challenges from the likes of 2NE1, Girls Generation, Big Bang and BoA with their sharp moves, fresh threads and slick videos. The industry has featured in many recent Korean films, like the k-pop themed drama Mr. Idol (2011) and horror White:The Melody of the Curse (2011) and its stars are also making strides to the silver screen, such as Big Bang’s Top in 71: Into the Fire (2010). Personally I don’t really listen to pop music so k-pop tends to fall just outside my radar though even I am aware when someone like Rain goes to do his military duty! The sector is so big that it’s hard to ignore it.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
KOFA's 'Classic Korean Film Theatre' Youtube Channel Goes Live!
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!
Enjoy!
Full list of films after the jump:
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.
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!
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
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!
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