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Death Bell (AKA: Gosa) (DVD) (Korea Version)
Lee Bum Soo
| Yoon Jung Hee
| Kim Bum
| Nam Gyu Ri
Although summer has long been the traditional time for horror films in Korea, the 2008 season only saw one major release in the form of debut director Chang's Death Bell. As such, the fact that the film proved to be a massive success, attracting over a million viewers and ranking as one of the country's most popular horror hits of all time probably came as a bit of a relief for fans who might have been concerned as to the genre's recent dip in popularity. Thematically, the film can perhaps be seen as an effort to go back to the well, drawing on the high school horrors which helped to effectively launch the modern Asian ghost form back in 1998 with Park Ki Hyung's ground breaking smash... [read more]
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The Good, The Bad, The Weird (DVD) (Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Lee Byung Hun (Actor)
| Song Kang Ho (Actor)
| Jung Woo Sung (Actor)
| Kim Ji Woon (Director)
Over the course of his career Kim Ji Woon has become one of the most unique voices in South Korea. Sure, he doesn't have the name recognition here of Oldboy's Park Chan Wook, but has Park ever told the tale of a bland businessman turned masked wrestler? Told a twisty ghost story? Gone for gangster revenge? Okay he's done the gangster thing - sort of - but Kim has a much more diverse resume and has earned himself a reputation as one of the most technically skilled directors in the world the good old fashioned way: by actually being exactly that. Kim's a wizard with a camera as proven by the atmospheric world of A Tale of Two Sisters and the jaw dropping action of A Bittersweet Life. So the... [read more]
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Ride Away (DVD) (Korea Version)
Han Hyo Ju
| Lee Young Hoon
Given the ever burgeoning population of Korean romantic comedies and dramas, any new genre entries have to offer either an all star cast or something a little different in order to stand out from the mob. Of course, given the fairly strict conventions and audience requirements of the form, the latter is somewhat harder to do. Nevertheless, this is exactly what first time writer director Lim Seong Woon has attempted with Ride Away aiming to deliver all the passion and emotional intrigue that viewers expect, though without either patronising or straying too far into cliche. The setup is certainly familiar enough, following a new college girl called Ha Jung (Han Hyo Ju, who recently starred in... [read more]
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Who's That Knocking At My Door? (DVD) (Korea Version)
Lim Ji Gyu (Actor)
| Yang Hae Hun (Director)
The Korean independent film scene continues to thrive with Who's that Knocking at my Door? which marks the feature length debut of writer director Yang Hae Hun, whose short My Dear Rosetta screened to acclaim at Cannes. Taking its title from the debut effort of legendary American director Martin Scorcese, the film appears to have been inspired by his classic Taxi Driver in particular, dealing with themes of loneliness, anger, and ultimately revenge. Having been one of the stars of the 2007 Pusan Film Festival, the film has won Yang some impressive reviews, marking him as one of the most interesting and promising young directors working in Korea today. The film follows a hikkimori style loner... [read more]
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My Dear Enemy (DVD) (Korea Version)
Jeon Do Yeon (Actor)
| Ha Jung Woo (Actor)
| Lee Yoon Ki (Director)
My Dear Enemy marks a turning point of sorts for its three central figures: Jeon Do-Yeon takes on her first role since her award-winning performance in the emotionally devastating Secret Sunshine; Ha Jeong-Woo appears fresh from his own star-making role as the fearsome serial killer in the surprise blockbuster The Chaser; and director Lee Yoon-ki is tackling his most ambitious production yet after the low key made-for-TV film Ad-Lib Night. With its breezy tone and relatively light story, My Dear Enemy may not seem like an ideal follow-up to the previous successes from Lee's actors. However, it's these three central figures coming together that make the film a textbook example of how to do... [read more]
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Go Go 70s (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Cho Seung Woo (Actor)
| Shin Min Ah (Actor)
Credit should be given to Korean writer-director Choi Ho for trying not to make the same film twice. From the modern drug-addled young adults of Bye, June to the gangster drama of A Bloody Tie, Choi has clearly made an effort to try new topics with every film. His fourth film, Go Go 70s, is his attempt at a Korean version of a music biopic. Based on a true story, Go Go 70s follows the trials and tribulations of The Devils, a soul band from an army town who go to Seoul and end up leading the so-called "Go Go" movement of the mid-70s. Even though Go Go 70s does follow a structure similar to a typical music biopic, Choi makes the welcome move of actually skirting around the stereotypical... [read more]
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Truck (DVD) (Korea Version)
Yu Hae Jin (Actor)
| Jin Gu (Actor)
| Kwon Hyung Jin (Director)
One can easily imagine the idea for Truck being pitched at a Hollywood script meeting. Despite being a completely original Korean creation, writer Jang Hyung-Mo and director Kwon Hyung-Jin take some of Hollywood's favorite thriller elements - a serial killer, an empty countryside highway, the innocent everyman, a truck, and a whole lot of dead bodies - and essentially create a Korean version of a Hollywood B-movie. But since this is a Korean film, there's also the sick child and about a gallon of blood mixed in. While Truck won't be the next film festival darling, it will find plenty of friends in one of those "Azn Xtreme" product lines from a hip overseas DVD distributor. Cheol-Min (Yoo... [read more]
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Rough Cut (AKA: A Movie is a Movie) (DVD) (2-Disc Special Edition) (Korea Version)
So Ji Sub (Actor)
| Kang Ji Hwan (Actor)
| Kim Ki Duk (Producer)
| Jang Hoon (Director)
Grumpy auteur and outspoken critic of the Korean film industry Kim Ki Duk puts his money where his mouth is by continuing his recent assault on screens. Here, he follows his own directorial outing Dream and protege Jeon Jae Hong's excellent Beautiful which he produced, with Rough Cut for which he wrote the screenplay as well as serving as producer. The film was actually directed by Jang Hoon, another of Kim's young charges, who previously worked as an assistant on The Bow. Although it certainly shows the hand of his mentor, with Jang at the helm, the film is a far more commercially friendly prospect, not least since it boasts two major heartthrobs in the lead roles in the form of So Ji Sub,... [read more]
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Our School E.T. (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Kim Su Ro (Actor)
| Park Kwang Chun (Director)
| Lee Han Wee (Actor)
| Lee Min Ho (Actor)
Despite its familiar sounding title, Our School E.T. is not the tale of an alien taking on the Korean education system, but is in fact the latest vehicle for top rubber faced comic Kim Su Ro, star of recent hits like Vampire Cop Ricky and A Cruel Attendance. In this case, "E.T." stands for "English Teacher" and the film is a high concept affair, based around the gag of a lowly and rather daft gym instructor having to try and teach English. The film was directed by Park Kwang Choon, who previously tackled high school comedy with the equally wacky She's on Duty, though here he does try to work in a little social commentary and even inspirational messages amongst the laughs. As well as Kim Su... [read more]
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Forever the Moment (DVD) (Korea Version)
Moon So Ri (Actor)
| Kim Jung Eun (Actor)
| Kim Ji Young (Actor)
| Lim Soon Rye (Director)
Based on the true story of the 2004 Korean Women's Olympic Handball Team, Forever the Moment succeeds as an entertaining sports film with enough humanity and crowd-pleasing heart to satisfy. Director Lim Soon-Rye doesn't attempt a slavishly faithful dramatization of the real events, confining the film's accuracy largely to the set-up and climax, which sees the team enter the final round at the 2004 Athens Olympics with a shot at Korea's third Gold Medal in Women's Handball. That game is regarded as a classic, as the Korean team fought valiantly against the favored Danish team, sending the game into several tense and exciting overtime periods. A screenwriter couldn't come up with a more... [read more]
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The Perfect Couple (DVD) (2-Disc) (Korea Version)
Lee Dong Wook (Actor)
| Hyun Young (Actor)
The Perfect Couple sees the return of Korean director Kim Jung Woo who previously enjoyed success with his 2006 boxing comedy debut Oh! My God. Here, he again goes for a mix of genres, ambitiously attempting to combine elements of comedy, romance and police thriller into an entertaining whole. The film certainly struck a chord with audiences, pulling in an impressive 2.5 million admissions at the domestic box office during its release, most likely due to its offering something a little different than the norm. After a couple of amusing character introductions, the plot begins as harebrained journalist Choi Soo Jin (Hyun Young, recently in The Art of Seduction) accidentally stabs Detective... [read more]
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Seven Days (DVD) (Korea Version)
Kim Yoon Jin (Actor)
| Park Hee Soon (Actor)
| Kim Mi Sook (Actor)
| Won Shin Yeon (Director)
Finding a killer hook is half the battle for a successful commercial film. The Korean thriller Seven Days has accomplished just that with its casting - and not only for Korea, but for English-speaking territories as well. After all, its star Yunjin Kim already speaks in her native Korean on the American hit TV show Lost which means non-Korean fans of the show won't require much effort to get used to her speaking Korean in a Korean film. In fact, Seven Days is essentially a Hollywood blockbuster thriller in the Korean language, meaning it's even more accessible to a Western audience. That may also explain why the film's remake rights were bought up by Hollywood even before its theatrical... [read more]
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Dream (AKA: Bi-Mong) (DVD) (Korea Version)
Lee Na Young (Actor)
| Odagiri Joe (Actor)
| Kim Ki Duk (Director)
| Kim Tae Hyun
With his last film Breath, Kim Ki-Duk went Pan-Asian, pairing Taiwanese actor Chang Chen with South Korean actress Zia. The latter returns in Kim's latest film Dream, but she's relegated to a supporting role behind another Pan-Asian pairing: Japan's Joe Odagiri and South Korea's Lee Na-Young. In Breath, the language barrier was handled by making Chang Chen's character mute, but in Dream; both Odagiri and Lee's characters are in full command of their vocal cords. Instead of resorting to ADR dubbing or some other form of manufactured language concession, Kim has both speak their natural language and lets the audience pick up the pieces. Suspension of disbelief seems unlikely. However, any... [read more]
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What Happened Last Night? (DVD) (Korea Version)
Ye Ji Won (Actor)
| Tak Jae Hoon (Actor)
| Kim Jeong Min (Director)
What Happened Last Night? represents quite a radical change of direction for Korean director Kim Jeong Min, who made his debut with Dark Forest from the horror collection One Day Suddenly. Here, he turns his hand to romantic comedy, though with somewhat of an amoral and adult twist. The film's plot can be boiled down to the rather morally dubious high concept premise of a woman trying to discover who she slept with on a drunken one night stand. The woman in question is Yoo Jin (actress Ye Ji Won, who recently headlined the comedy hits Femme Fatale and Old Miss Diary), recently fired from her job and with no real prospects in life for career or romance. Appropriately nicknamed "Crazy Hair... [read more]
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Brain Wave (DVD) (Korea Version)
Shin Tae Ra (Director)
| Kim Do Yun (Actor)
| Jang Sae Yun (Actor)
Originally released back in 2005 and now finally arriving on DVD, Brain Wave was the debut feature from Korean director Shin Tae Ra, whose grim psychological thriller Black House was one of the horror highlights of 2007 and was a popular hit at the domestic box office. Since screening at the 2005 Jeonju Film Festival and receiving a limited cinema release, the film has remained relatively obscure, undeservedly so, as despite a low budget it manages to pack in more imagination and gripping thrills than any number of recent high profile would-be blockbusters. Certainly, it provides ample evidence as to why Shin has since gone on to bigger things, showing him to be an extremely talented... [read more]
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Loner (DVD) (Korea Version)
Jung Yoo Suk (Actor)
| Ko Eun Ah (Actor)
| Chae Min Seo (Actor)
Korean horror has always strived to capture the zeitgeist, with films from the original teen issue chiller Whispering Corridors through to the recent plastic surgery themed Cinderella trying to make creepy use of current issues. Adding to this trend is Loner, whose alternate title Hikikomori refers to the Japanese term used to describe young people who completely isolate themselves from the world, locking themselves away in their rooms. All issues of sensitivity aside, as the starting premise for a horror film, the condition is a natural fit, not least since it taps into the kind of motifs popular in modern Asian horror, conjuring images of wild haired, ghoulish youths lurking around in dark... [read more]
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A Shark (DVD) (Korea Version)
Hong Seung Il
| Kim Dong Hyun
The independent filmmaking scene in Korea has been thriving in recent years, producing a healthy number of interesting alternatives to the usual blockbusters and giving first time directors the chance to do something a little different. This is certainly the case with Kim Dong Hyun, who followed the short films "Form Island" and "A Starving Day" with his offbeat 2005 feature debut A Shark. The film takes place in a small town called Daegu on a hot summer's day, as the lives of three characters intersect in unexpected fashion. A fisherman called Yeong Cheol (Koo Seong Hwan, recently in the excellent horror GP506) arrives on the train, carrying with him a bag containing a small dead shark... [read more]
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Sunny (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Jung Jin Young (Actor)
| Soo Ae (Actor)
| Lee Joon Ik (Director)
| Jung Kyung Ho (Actor)
With his first "stylish melodrama" Spellbound out of the window again because of funding problems, one gets the idea the producer in Lee Joon-Ik is blocking some energy of Lee Joon-Ik the director from emerging, constantly keeping an eye on market trends and audience response. That is not to say he's one to jump on the bandwagon, everything but. And, obviously, dropping an item will do nothing to his prolific career, since he's constantly at work looking for new stories (and, sure enough, he's already working on his next film). Thing is, the reason Lee still hasn't found his masterpiece might be that. His films are becoming increasingly more polished as time goes on, the message he's trying... [read more]
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The Letter (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Park Shin Yang
| Choi Jin Sil
| Lee Jung Gook (Director)
Most contemporary Korean film fans probably had their first introduction to Korean Cinema through films such as Shiri, JSA, and My Sassy Girl. Over the years, these films have grown to be known as the "new classics" and the epitome of what Korean cinema can do. However, Korean films have had a far longer tradition than one might know. In 1997, the industry was in the middle of a continuing slump, with only 59 local films taking up a mere 25.5% of the market, despite the emergence of major directors and stars who would later contribute to a large part of the industry boom. Of course, this will go down in history as the calm before the storm, as Shiri would come along in 1999 and change the... [read more]
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Dachimawa Lee (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Kong Hyo Jin (Actor)
| Ryoo Seung Wan (Director)
| Yim Won Hee (Actor)
| Park Si Yeon (Actor)
Evidently no longer content with simply being Korea's Action Kid, director Ryu Seung-Wan has now taken it upon himself to become Asia's Blake Edwards as well, or perhaps an adopted Zucker Brother, with his new comedy Dachimawa Lee playing like the demented spawn of The Pink Panther and Spies Like Us with pudgy Im Won-Hee filling in for Peter Sellers. A head-spinning comic riff on just about every action or spy movie Ryu has ever seen Dachimawa Lee arguably gives just a little too much bang for the buck. There is no joke too obvious, no performance too broad, no gag too - dare I say - salivary for Ryu to include here. Kitchen sink? He's got the cabinets and light fixtures in there, too. Like... [read more]
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