New Korean Films: Meta-Narratives and Binge Drinking (2013 Week 9)

(by Fabien Schneider)

The program for this week looks quite unique, with only two new films, but two independent productions that both have many similarities: they were screened in the Berlinale this month, and propose experiments with narrative. Nothing that could shake the top of the current box office of course, but it will be interesting to see which of these two movies will get the most endorsement from the public.

Nobody's Daughter Haewon  (누구의 딸도 아닌 해원)

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Divorce, Korean Style: All About My Wife (내 아내의 모든 것, Nae Anaeui Modeun Geot) 2012

(by Rex Baylon)

There used to be a time when America was known as a manufacturing giant. In agriculture, electronics, and automobile design America seemed not to have any contenders. With regards to film, Hollywood was the first and last word when it came to cinema. Even as the US began its slow decline, the soft power of American cinema never seemed to waver even through all the social upheaval of the twentieth century; while presidents came and went, one hit wonders rose and fell, and wars were won or lost, Hollywood never lost its luster in the eyes of foreign and domestic audiences.

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For Eternal Hearts (별빛 속으로, Byeolbit Sokeuro) 2007

(by refresh_daemon)

There is an almost early Korean New Wave sensibility to the storytelling of For Eternal Hearts with its loose, observant narrative, that gives it an almost art-film like aesthetic, but the film's rather forced and self-cancelling narrative fails to build any significant dramatic tension, even despite throwing in several twists, to elevate this romance-less supernatural romance film from its murky story and visuals.

It all starts with a German literature professor, Hyeon Suyeong (Jeong Jin-yeong), who runs into a classroom full of students who ask him to recount his first love. He then tells of how as a young man (Jeong Gyeong-ho), he was taken by a spunky fellow student, nicknamed Pippi (Kim Gyu-ri), but shortly after he meets her, she commits suicide following a few cryptic comments about following love into death. However, shortly after her death, Suyeong starts seeing Pippi and she leads him to a job tutoring a high school student, Suji (Cha Su-yeon), who is instantly infatuated by Suyeong, but things are not what they seem.

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KBO: Close Race as New World Beats Miracle (02/22-02/24, 2013)

Close Race as New World Beats Miracle

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	New World	13/02/21	35.50%	860,754	1,038,890	671
2	Miracle in Cell No.7	13/01/23	33.10%	855,942	10,386,785	667
3	The Berlin File	13/01/30	12.00%	303,727	6,608,013	440
4	An Ethics Lesson	13/02/21	4.30%	104,494	145,437	302
5	Delhi Safari (In)	13/02/21	3.30%	90,837	110,358	289
6	How to Use Guys With Secret Tips	13/02/14	2.10%	56,007	454,704	223
7	The Giant King (us/th)	13/02/21	1.80%	52,646	66,897	228
8	A Good Day to Die Hard (us)	13/02/06	1.60%	40,442	1,422,089	169
9	The Last Stand (us)	13/02/21	1.40%	34,220	44,280	296
10	Marco Makaco (de)	13/02/14	0.80%	22,656	159,640	131

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Park Chan-wook's Stoker (2013)

Hollywood has a history of cherry-picking the world’s greatest filmmaking talents. Though many greats such as Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, F.W. Murnau and Roman Polanksi have made some of their finest works on American soil, the same can’t always be said of Asian directors. Besides Ang Lee, most Asian cineastes have had trouble adapting their style to the US. This year all eyes are on a few Korean directors making their Hollywood debuts to see if they can buck the trend.

It’s been a longer wait then usual for Park Chan-wook’s new film and the prospect of him working in the States with internationally recognizable faces has meant that expectations for his latest have been sky high. Unlike Kim Jee-woon, who was forced to work on a very controlled project with his Hollywood debut The Last Stand, Park was given much greater freedom for his film.

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New Korean Films: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (2013 Week 8)

(by Fabien Schneider)

This week will be very bloody and will features many deaths, both within these new films and between them at the box office. Two of the largest distributors in Korea, NEW and Lotte, will each propose a thriller full of promise. And although I will not dwell on this film because technically it isn't Korean, CJ Entertainment is also going to unsheathe The Last Stand by Kim Jee-woon. Three films not allowed for children, three films that seem to have each their strengths and weaknesses. Which one will manage to make it out alive?

New World (신세계)

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KBO: Miracle Stays Flat for 4th Straight Weekend (02/15-02/17, 2013)

Miracle Stays Flat for 4th Straight Weekend

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Miracle in Cell No.7	13/01/23	41.20%	1,129,726	8,867,424	721
2	The Berlin File	13/01/30	24.10%	644,456	5,980,252	579
3	A Good Day to Die Hard (us)	13/02/06	7.80%	210,178	1,297,703	329
4	How to Use Guys With Secret Tips	13/02/14	7.40%	200,891	266,891	367
5	Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (us)	13/02/14	5.70%	138,407	177,571	297
6	Marco Makaco (de)	13/02/14	2.90%	88,766	96,848	276
7	South Bound	13/02/06	3.00%	84,070	772,586	240
8	The Snow Queen (ru)	13/02/07	1.90%	58,181	245,463	229
9	Silver Linings Playbook (uk)	13/02/14	1.90%	48,935	70,731	223
10	Pororo: the Racing Adventure	13/01/23	1.10%	30,952	867,20	102

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