Review: ODE TO MY FATHER Puts Blockbuster Spin On Melodrama

By Pierce Conran

Family takes centre stage in Ode to My Father, a new Korean melodrama that is every bit as bombastic as this year's naval battle hit Roaring Currents. Directed by JK Youn (Youn Je-kyun), whose last film Haeundae sauntered over the 10 million admissions barrier in 2009, this new epic drama proves to be an expert balance of scale and intimacy that will surely find a huge audience at home.

Click to read more»

Top 10 Korean Films of 2014

2014 was an interesting year for Korean cinema. From a financial standpoint, the industry remained strong and produced its most successful film of all time (Roaring Currents), even if sales weren't quite able to reach the peaks of the preceding two years. However, from a qualitative angle, the picture was far less rosy. Early in the year, studio slates looked promising but many of the finished products, while undeniably polished, felt overworked and lacked originality. This speaks to growing concerns over corporate influence in the industry's current creative streak. Some feel that talented and especially younger filmmakers aren't being afforded the freedom they used to.

Click to read more»

Hong Sangsoo Taps Jung Jae-young, Kim Min-hee and More for 17th Film

Prolific auteur Hong Sangsoo is getting ready to shoot his 17th (as yet untitled) film this month after fixing his leading cast. Previous collaborators Jung Jae-young (Our Sunhi, 2013) and Yu Jun-sang (The Day He Arrives, 2011) will be joined by Hong first timers Kim Min-hee (Helpless, 2012) and Ko Ah-sung (Snowpiercer).

Click to read more»

Review: Mail-Order Bride Mystery-Drama THUY Driven by Strong Lead

By Hieu Chau

The notion of ordering a bride is largely written off as a joke in various parts of the world but the reality of the scenario is certainly no laughing matter. Particularly in South Korea, where cases of domestic violence (and in some extreme cases, murder and suicide) towards bought brides is reported to be startlingly frequent. It’s this harrowing facet of Korean society that attracted the attention of filmmaker Kim Jae-han, who felt an urge to create a film that reflected a part of Korean society that hasn't been discussed all too much in Korean films.

Click to read more»

EXCLUSIVE: Watch Lee Myung-se's M for Free on MKC

MKC is once again delighted to present a Korean film to view directly here on the site. We recently teamed up with streaming service DramaFever to bring you the best in Korean films, and part of that involves co-premiering some movies and this week's film is M, Lee Myung-se's 2007 mystery/romance that is quickly becoming a classic of Korean cinema.

Click to read more»

EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Watch THE FATAL ENCOUNTER for Free on MKC

MKC is delighted to present, for the very first time, a Korean film to view directly here on the site. We recently teamed up with streaming service DramaFever to bring you the best in, what else, modern Korean cinema, and part of that involves co-premiering some brand new Korean films and first among those is The Fatal Encounter, one of this years' biggest Korean releases.

Click to read more»

Busan 2014 Review: THE TRUTH SHALL NOT SINK WITH SEWOL Invokes Tears And Outrage

Part of MKC's coverage of the 19th Busan International Film Festival

By Pierce Conran

The Sewol Disaster, the most significant event to rock South Korea since the IMF Crisis in 1997, gets its first big screen treatment with The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol, the first of what are sure to be many documentaries exploring the subject. Rather than offer an overview of the event and the many issues plaguing Korean society it uncovered, this film from Lee Sang-ho and Ahn Hae-ryong wisely examines only a small portion of the incident. Yet even the narrow avenue it walks uncovers a mountain of upsetting truths concerning the conduct of government and the press during the immediate aftermath of the sinking.

Click to read more»