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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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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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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 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 (Kim... [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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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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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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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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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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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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The Housemaid (DVD) (Korea Version)
Kim Ki Young (Director)
| Kim Jin Kyu (Actor)
| Lee Eun Sim (Actor)
| Um Yang Lan
Fans of Korean cinema have a real reason to be excited with the long awaited release of the 1960 classic The Housemaid on DVD. The film was directed by Kim Ki Young, who was known for his controversial features, which often tackled head on themes of sexual obsession through horrific subjects. Although a popular box office hit on its original release, the film has remained unavailable for years, despite persistent rumours of its quality. Following a successful retrospective of Kim Ki Young's works at the 1997 Pusan International Film Festival, it has gained praise and popularity around the world, and has been digitally restored and re-mastered by the Korean Film Archive and World Cinema... [read more]
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Boy Director (DVD) (Korea Version)
Kim Young Chan (Actor)
| Kim Sang Ho (Actor)
| Lee Woo Yul (Director)
The Korean independent cinema scene continues to thrive with Boy Director, written and directed by documentary filmmaker Lee Woo Yeol. Here, he tries his hand at narrative form, whilst still keeping to his realist sensibilities, with a film about film making as seen through the eyes of a child. Originally released back in 2007, and having played the Puchon International Film Festival, it now arrives on DVD, though unfortunately with a box cover which misleadingly seems to suggest it to be a cutesy kids' comedy. The plot follows a young lad called Sang Gu (played by Kim Young Chan, who recently starred in The 11th Mother) who lives in a rural village in the Taebaek Mountains. One day he... [read more]
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The Hypnotized (DVD) (Special Edition) (Korea Version)
Kim Hye Su (Actor)
| Kim Tae Woo (Actor)
| Kim In Sik (Director)
Originally released back in 2004, The Hypnotized was the second outing from writer director Kim In Sik, who made his debut with the much praised Road Movie. Sadly, it also marks his last film to date, a real shame since it clearly showed him to be one of the more interesting and creative directors to have come from Korea in recent years. Whilst hypnotism has been a popular subject in Asian horror for some time, often being blamed for normal people turning into killers or lying at the root of the usual long haired ghost shenanigans, here Kim uses the theme to craft a far more nightmarish scenario, and one which drags the viewer into the same half-world confusion as to what is real as his poor... [read more]
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Ong Bak 2 (DVD) (English Subtitled) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Tony Jaa (Director, Actor)
| Panna Rittikrai (Director)
| Dan Chupong (Actor)
Ong Bak 2's production did not go smoothly. Reportedly, star/director Tony Jaa went Colonel Kurtz on his crew, disappearing from the Thai jungle set for a few months until action director and mentor Panna Rittikrai came on board to finish the film. Such tales of behind-the-scenes chaos usually lend themselves to reduced if not poor expectations, and fittingly, Ong Bak 2 feels far from a complete film. The story features numerous details and characters that are barely explored, and any driving plot is ultimately subjugated to an action climax that ends in an unexpected cliffhanger - a narrative decision that was apparently made to complete the film on time. As a start-to-finish narrative... [read more]
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The Scam (DVD) (Korea Version)
Park Yong Ha (Actor)
| Kim Min Jung (Actor)
| Park Hee Soon (Actor)
| Lee Ho Jae (Director)
Whoever did the English subtitles for the Korean film The Scam deserves a hefty bonus for all their extra work, taking financial terms like "booking price per share" in Korean and translating them back into English. Of course, his or her work is miniscule compared to the two years of research first-time writer/director Lee Ho-Jae did for what is being branded as Korea's first stock market movie. But Lee's film is no Wall Street - The Scam is actually a slick heist film that happens to use the stock market and illegal stock rigging as its heist tool of choice. Lee assembles all the typical heist film elements here: the "innocent" outsider, the clueless dopes, the doublecrosses and even the... [read more]
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My New Partner (DVD) (Single Disc) (Korea Version)
Ahn Sung Ki (Actor)
| Jo Han Sun (Actor)
| Kim Jong Hyun (Director)
Buddy cop dramas have long been a mainstay of the Korean thriller genre, something which industry legend Ahn Sung Ki must be only too aware of. Certainly, the renowned actor has featured in more than his fair share, most notably Lee Myung Se's classic Nowhere to Hide and Kang Woo Suk's Two Cops in both of which he starred alongside his frequent screen partner Park Joong Hoon. Here, he returns with My New Partner for director Kim Jong Hyun, though this time playing a rather different style of policeman than he has done in the past, headling alongside Jo Han Sun, best known for the romance Now and Forever, though who has had a taste of action before with the gangster film Cruel Winter Blues.... [read more]
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Marine Boy (DVD) (2-Disc Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Cho Jae Hyun (Actor)
| Kim Kang Woo (Actor)
| Park Si Yeon (Actor)
| Yoon Jong Seok (Director)
Marine Boy marks the debut of writer director Yoon Jong Seok, and has nothing to do with the famous Japanese anime of the same name. Instead, the film is a crime thriller set in the shady world of maritime drug smuggling, and is very much in the continuingly popular modern noir form. The title actually refers to drug mules, who carry packages across the open seas, here played by Kim Kang Woo, recently in Le Grand Chef and who previously had aquatic experiences of a different sort in Kim Ki Duk's The Coastguard. He plays Cheon Su, a former national swimming champ who falls on hard times and into heavy debt after a spectacular gambling loss. With his dream of escaping to the idyllic Palau... [read more]
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Handphone (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Park Yong Woo (Actor)
| Uhm Tae Woong (Actor)
| Kim Han Min (Director)
| Park Sol Mi (Actor)
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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