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Hansel And Gretel (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Chun Jeong Myung (Actor)
| Eun Won Jae (Actor)
| Shim Eun Kyung (Actor)
| Jin Ji Hee (Actor)
Hansel and Gretel is Korean director Im Pil Seong's follow up to his debut Antarctic Journal, a slow moving slice of ambiguous horror which although visually impressive managed to confound as much as it did chill. For his sophomore outing he has taken a similarly offbeat approach, drawing upon the traditional fairytale for a meditation on cruelty and lost innocence. The result is a film that defies expectation and which thankfully avoids pretty much all of the cliche of the modern Korean horror genre to offer something far more disturbing and interesting. The film starts as a young man called Eun Soo (actor Chun Jeong Myung, recently in The Aggressives) crashes his car in the middle of a... [read more]
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Highway Star (DVD) (Korea Version)
Cha Tae Hyun (Actor)
| Lee So Yeon (Actor)
| Kim Hyun Soo (Director)
| Kim Sang Chan (Director)
Highway Star, the debut film from directors Kim Hyun Soo and Kim Sang Chan, is based around the unlikely subject of trot singing, which for the uninitiated is a much mocked melodramatic Korean folk music tradition enjoyed mainly by the middle-aged. Although this might not seem like a good idea on paper, there has been of late a trend of musically themed films in Korean cinema, and so perhaps trot was one of the few remaining genres to be tackled. Furthermore, the practice itself has been enjoying a resurgence in Korean popular culture, and as such the film can be seen as a timely means of introducing the masses to its flamboyant charms. The plot follows Dal Ho (Cha Tae Hyun, best known as... [read more]
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My Son (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Cha Seung Won (Actor)
| Ryu Deok Hwan (Actor)
| Jang Jin (Director)
My Son sees the return of the ever versatile Korean director Jang Jin, previously noted for genre blending films such as Guns and Talks and Righteous Ties. This time he turns his attentions to family drama, a well-worn and overly familiar form desperately in need of a fresh take. The film follows Lee Gang Sik (Cha Seung Won, previously in the director's quirky Murder, Take One), a man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, who after fifteen years of good behaviour is awarded the chance to be released for a day to see his son. The day comes, and along with a prison officer he makes the journey and finally comes face to face with the lad (played by actor Ryu Deok Hwan, recently lauded for... [read more]
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Hwang Jin Yi (2007) (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Song Hye Kyo (Actor)
| Yoo Ji Tae (Actor)
| Jang Yoon Hyun (Director)
For his 1986 film about legendary Korean woman Hwang Jin-Yi, director Bae Chang-Ho avoided the usual biopic trappings by employing frustrating, alienating long takes and subtlety (read: slow silence). The latest big-budget retelling of Hwang Jin-Yi from director Jang Yoon-Hyun (The Contact, Tell Me Something) also tries to avoid the same trappings, but he uses action and star-crossed lovers instead of self-indulgent artistic devices to do so. In other words, it's Hwang Jin-Yi for summer at the multiplex. Still, despite its dubious intentions, this latest version is actually mildly successful for what it is. For those not in the know, Hwang Jin-Yi was a legendary figure who lived in 1500s... [read more]
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Running Turtle (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Jung Kyung Ho (Actor)
| Kim Yoon Seok (Actor)
| Kyun Mi Ri (Actor)
The rather oddly titled Running Turtle sees Kim Yoon Seok following up his award winning role in The Chaser by playing another down and out cop working outside the law to track down a murderer. The film was written and directed by Lee Yeon Woo, who was previously responsible for 2424, and is a decidedly lighter affair than Na Hong Jin's grim crime thriller, adding in a little humour and family drama amidst all the usual fugitive chasing and cat and mouse games. The mix was certainly a successful one, and the film was a hit at the domestic box office, pulling in more than three million admissions. Kim Yoon Seok (who also impressed in the excellent Tazza: The High Rollers) takes on the role of... [read more]
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A Blood Pledge (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Oh Yeon Seo (Actor)
| Jang Kyeong Ah (Actor)
| Lee Jong Yong (Director)
The landmark Korean ghost series Whispering Corridors returns for its fifth instalment with A Blood Pledge marking the debut of director Lee Jong Yong, an interesting choice for the helm, given his previous work under Park Chan Wook on the likes of JSA and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. The film continues very much in the tradition of its predecessors, being set at an all-girls school, dealing with contemporary themes and concerns of friendship, and of course presenting a new set of up and coming young actresses no doubt hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Whispering alumni Kim Min Sun, Kim Ok Bin, Kim Kyu Ri, Seo Ji Hye, and Choi Kang Hee. Interestingly, the film not only performed... [read more]
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Sisters On The Road (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Kong Hyo Jin
| Shin Min Ah
Sisters on the Road marks the debut of female writer director Boo Ji Young, and as the title suggests, is a drama following two sisters on a voyage of discovery and an exploration of their shared pasts. The film has an impressive cast, with the two siblings in question being played by actresses Shin Min Ah (recently in The Naked Kitchen) and Kong Hyo Jin (superb in the award winning, Park Chan Wook produced Crush and Blush), and has enjoyed success at festivals, premiering at Pusan in 2008. The film starts with young Seoul businesswoman Myung Eun (Shin Min Ah) travelling to Jeju Island for the funeral of her mother, having not been home for some years. Although she had effectively cut... [read more]
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Handphone (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Uhm Tae Woong (Actor)
| Park Yong Woo (Actor)
| Park Sol Mi (Actor)
| Kim Han Min (Director)
Mobile phone related films have been pretty popular of late in both Hollywood and Asia, with the likes of Connected and Cellular manipulating the modern over-reliance on technology for tense thrills. Thankfully, Korean director Kim Han Min, previously responsible for the offbeat mystery Paradise Murdered takes a different, somewhat more interesting route, exploring how the simple loss of a phone can lead to a series of wildly escalating events that push two very different men over the edge. The result is a thriller which is not only fast moving and gripping, but which has a fascinatingly amoral edge, with no clear cut heroes and villains. The film begins with sleazy talent manager Seung Min... [read more]
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Do-Re-Mi-Pa-Sol-Ra-Si-Do (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Jang Geun Suk (Actor)
| Cha Ye Ryun (Actor)
| Jung Eui Chul (Actor)
| Im Ju Hwan (Actor)
Teen angst raises its head once more with Korean drama Do-Re-Mi-Pa-Sol-Ra-Si-Do from helmer Kang Geon Hyang and online novelist Guiyeoni, who also gave the genre He Was Cool and Romance of Their Own. The film treads a similar path to these earlier efforts, again revolving around a love triangle and packing in plenty of melodrama, though this time with somewhat of a musical twist. More so than for its plot, the film is likely to be of interest thanks to its hip cast of young performers, with the hotly tipped actor Jang Geun Suk (recently in Crazy Waiting) and promising actress Cha Ae Rin (Bad Love) as the star-crossed leads, and with able support from Jung Euh Cheol. The film begins as the... [read more]
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Mother (2009) (DVD) (2-Disc) (Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Kim Hye Ja (Actor)
| Won Bin (Actor)
| Bong Joon Ho (Director)
| Jin Gu (Actor)
After the the mega-blockbuster The Host (now Korea's highest-grossing film), director Bong Joon-Ho outdoes himself by trying not to outdo himself with Mother, a mystery-thriller that plays like a more intimate version of the director's 2003 classic Memories of Murder. While Mother doesn't achieve that level of masterful filmmaking, it still has the superb directorial touches and great performances to make this an easy pick for one of the best Korean films of 2009. However, the film's potentially melodrama-infested plot is not the reason for the acclaim. Mentally-handicapped Do-Joon (Won Bin, in his first role since completing his military service) lives with his sometimes-overbearing Mother... [read more]
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Portrait of a Beauty (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Kim Min Sun (Actor)
| Kim Nam Gil (Lee Han) (Actor)
| Choo Ja Hyun (Actor)
| Jeon Yun Soo (Director)
Portrait of a Beauty sees Le Grand Chef director Jeon Yun Soo offering a fascinating take on the life of Shin Yun Bok, one of the greatest ever Korean artists, based upon the supposition that the painter was actually a woman who disguised herself as a man in order to chase her dreams in the male dominated Confucian society of the Joseon Dynasty. Although the film draws its premise from the same best-selling novel by Lee Jung Myung that inspired the 2008 television drama series Painter in the Wind which featured Moon Geun Young in the lead role, here Jeon ups the stakes somewhat by adding an erotic charge to the proceedings. The film begins as a young girl called Shin Yun Jung from a family... [read more]
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Fate (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Song Seung Heon (Actor)
| Kwon Sang Woo (Actor)
| Ji Sung (Actor)
| Park Han Byul (Actor)
Pretty people do some pretty ugly things in Fate, the latest addition to a long tradition of Korean gangster movies. This time it's all about the stars: Song Seung Heon takes on his first film after completing his two-year duty in the army, and Stairway to Heaven heartthrob Kwon Sang Woo takes on a rare villain role. In addition to the abs-filled poster, the main selling point of the film is the two macho tough guys going up against each other in a violent grudge match that only a Korean gangster film could deliver. Those also happen to be the best things in this exhausting and sometimes sadistic crime melodrama. One of the posters for the film shows the two manly men hugging each other like... [read more]
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Like You Know It All (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Kim Tae Woo (Actor)
| Ko Hyun Jung (Actor)
| Gong Hyung Jin
| Uhm Ji Won (Actor)
The cinematic medium can make for a fascinating subject, especially in the hands of a director willing to explore it through personal insights. This is certainly the case with Like You Know it All from Hong Sang Soo, one of the current champions of the Korean independent film scene, whose previous works such as Women on the Beach and Woman is the Future of Man have offered fascinating and offbeat looks at modern life and relationships. This, his ninth feature, screened as part of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight, and features a host of former collaborators including Kim Tae Woo, Ko Hyun Jung and Uhm Ji Won. Aptly enough, the film's protagonist Ku (Kim Tae Woo, who... [read more]
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Himalaya, Where The Wind Dwells (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Choi Min Sik (Actor)
| Jeon Soo Il (Director)
Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells is the latest effort from noted Korean independent director Jeon Soo Il, who previously won praise and prizes for his With a Girl of Black Soil. This time, he heads to the wilds of Nepal for a minimalist, yet grand tale featuring some truly breathtaking scenery and a documentary style look at the local culture and way of life. The film is arguably somewhat of a step up the industry ladder for Jeon, with the presence of actor Choi Min Sik, here taking on his first role since Park Chan Wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance back in 2005, likely meaning that it will reach a far wider audience than most indie features. The plot is fairly simple, following Choi Min Sik... [read more]
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Castaway On The Moon (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Jung Jae Young (Actor)
| Jeong Ryeo Won (Actor)
| Lee Hae Joon (Director)
Leave it to the co-creator of the eccentric sports film Like a Virgin to make the urban isolation-themed comedy-drama Castaway on the Moon. Writer-director Lee Hae-Joon makes his solo directorial debut with this universal story about a man trapped on a deserted island trying to survive. Thanks to its eccentric Korean humor, the film turns out to be a strange delight that's worth checking out. The first sign of the film's strangeness is that the deserted island isn’t in the middle of the ocean. – it's actually Bamseom Island, which lies under a bridge in the middle of the Han River in Seoul. Spurred on by mounting credit card debt, Mr. Kim (Jeong Jae-Yeong) tries to commit suicide by jumping... [read more]
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Secret Couple (AKA: My Girlfriend is an Agent) (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Kim Ha Neul (Actor)
| Kang Ji Hwan (Actor)
| Shin Tae Ra (Director)
Secret Couple (a far better title than the rather familiar and misleading My Girlfriend is an Agent) is basically a Korean take on the recent Hollywood action couple comedy thriller Mr and Mrs Smith. Strangely enough, the film was directed by Shin Tae Ra, whose previous efforts were the intense, grisly serial killer horror Black House and the offbeat Brain Wave. Here, he turns his talents to an entirely different form, backed by an appealing pair of leads in the form of genre favourite Kim Ha Neul (also in the likes of Lovers of Six Years, My Tutor Friend, and Ice Rain and Kang Ji Hwan (recently excellent in Rough Cut), who last worked together on the television series (90 Days, Time for... [read more]
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Your Friends (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Korea Version)
Emoto Akira
| Nakamura Asami
| Kitaura Ayu (Actor)
| Fukushi Seiji
In some ways Your Friends, the latest film from pink film director turned arthouse favorite Ryuichi Hiroki, represents a major change for the director. After all it includes none of the sexual content or domestic violence that have attracted attention to his work for years. In the most important ways, however, Your Friends is Hiroki through and through. Though they've used sex as a primary metaphor for years he stopped being defined and limited by that long ago, the key element to Hiroki's work being their resounding emotional intimacy and that factor is in full effect here. The story of a young woman, crippled in childhood, and the small handful of relationships that have defined her life... [read more]
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For Eternal Hearts (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Jung Jin Young (Actor)
| Seon-min Kim (Actor)
| Jung Kyung Ho (Actor)
| Cha Soo Yeon (Actor)
Writer/director Hwang Kyoo-Deok's For Eternal Hearts attempts to mix two seemingly disparate genres - romance and horror. On one hand, the film is a nostalgic journey back in time narrating one's man's experience of first love. On the other, it's a creepy ghost story, complete with all the visual trappings associated with the genre - a haunted mansion, creepy long-haired women, and plot twists galore. A successful melding of these two formulas isn't completely out of the question - Ghost (1990) might be a good example - but, all in all, For Eternal Hearts feels like a terrible patch job. It's not romantic enough to be a love story, but it's not spooky enough to be an effective ghost story... [read more]
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Private Eye (DVD) (2-Disc) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Hwang Jung Min (Actor)
| Uhm Ji Won (Actor)
| Ryu Deok Hwan (Actor)
| Park Dae Min (Director)
Private Eye offers a twist on the recent trend of modern noir detective stories by adopting a period setting, making for a change from the usual tortured cops, car chases and neon alleyways. The film marks the debut outing for Korean director Park Dae Min, and was a high profile production, boasting an impressive cast including the award winning Hwang Jung Min (A Man Who Was Superman), young rising star Ryu Deok Hwan (who recently impressed as a murderer in Our Town) and popular actress Uhm Ji Won (also in the excellent horror opus Epitaph. The film is set in Seoul in 1910, and begins as a young medical student called Kwang Su (Ryu Deok Hwan) discovers a corpse in the woods, and decides to... [read more]
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Breathless (DVD) (2-Disc) (Korea Version)
Kim Kkot Bi (Actor)
| Yang Ik Joon (Director, Actor)
Brutal Korean indie Breathless was obviously a personal project for Yang Ik June, who wrote, directed, produced and starred in the lead role. Certainly, the film is a very brave and raw one, being a partly autobiographical tale of an extremely aggressive and violent man, himself the product of a rough childhood. Dealing with issues of domestic violence, estranged families and self destruction, it quite obviously takes viewers into some pretty dark territory, though not without a glimmer of hope and a deeply felt sense of humanity. Deservedly, the film has enjoyed a successful run at international festivals, winning awards at the likes of Rotterdam, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Fantasia,... [read more]
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