Short Watch: DEER FLOWER Will Bloom in Your Nightmares

Deer Flower from KANGMIN KIM on Vimeo.

Short Watch is a weekly feature dedicated to highlighting important short films from emerging and established filmmakers. Check back each Tuesday to watch a free and subtitled Korean short on MKC.

By Pierce Conran

Screened and awarded around the world since it debuted at Sundance last year, Kim Kang-min's deranged and remarkably original short animation Deer Flower deserves all the attention it has and continues to receive.

Click to read more»

Busan 2013 Review: The Fake Is a Bleak and Devastating Experience

Part of MKC's coverage of the 18th Busan International Film Festival.

Terrible things happen all the time but it's easy to ignore what goes on around us. Sometimes, we even fail to see what's right in front of us. Independent films, at least those with a realistic bent, frequently attempt to educate us by plainly us showing the realities of the world we live in but they don't always move us the way filmmakers would like them to. Sometimes it's the fault of poor storytelling, mise-en-scene or acting, but more often than not, the fault lies with us. Among the reasons that we avoid what is plain to see is the diluted effect of these narratives, after decades of similarly minded cinema.

Click to read more»

Jeffrey Katzenberg and Dreamworks Prepping Korean-Style Animation?

It’s no secret that South Korea has for the last few decades been a wellspring for foreign animators to outsource their grunt work to, the most famous example being Matt Groening’s Simpsons franchise, but in the last few years South Korea has begun to come into its own. No easy task with the double juggernaut of Japan’s anime and manga industry right next door and the global proliferation of American pop culture. Yet works like Green Days: Dinosaur and I (2011) and Yeun Sang-ho’s powerful The King of Pigs (2011), though far from being commercially successful, bode well for the development of animators with an auteurist bent.

Click to read more»

Padak (파닥파닥, Padak Padak) 2012

(by Rex Baylon)

Although the United States and Japan have a far more illustrious history when it comes to producing animated features, South Korea has been the industry’s worst kept secret for many decades. At first, merely an outsource center for foreign filmmakers who needed a platoon of talented but cheap inkers and illustrators, this long overshadowed country has in the past few years emerged as a real contender within the animation field. And even though Korea hasn’t produced an animation studio with a ready-made and recognizable style like Pixar in America or Ghibli in Japan this situation has allowed many young animators to forge ahead and create their own unique works, regardless of global economic interests.

In 2011 alone, Yeun Sang-ho’s bleak revenge drama King of Pigs and popular children’s picture Leafie, A Hen into the Wild were released and both attained a level of unexpected success. The former as a searing indictment of school bullying became a critical darling on the festival circuit while the latter became South Korea’s most financially successful animated feature, raking in 2.2 million ticket sales. Unlike the American and Japanese markets that produce content to be exported and exploited by foreign interests these two films were created primarily for Korean audiences with no real expectations that they could travel outside their country of origin. And though a lot of the domestic output by Korean animators is influenced a great deal by the West and Japan their work does have an indelible personal stamp to it. Thus the quality of the animation being released is not only equal to those produced in America or Asia but the films themselves are still inarguably Korean.

Click to read more»

KOFFIA 2012: King of Pigs (돼지의 왕, Dwaejiui Wang) 2011

Part of MKC's coverage of the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia (previously published).

(by Peter Gutiérrez)

I’m not sure what the current cultural status of bullying in is South Korea these days – are public policy steps being taken to curtail it, as is the case here in the U.S.? – but certainly anyone who has followed Korean cinema knows that it has provided the thematic backbone to films which cut across several genres. I’m a bit partial to A Bloody Aria (Won Shin-yeon, 2006), and Yeun Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs shares something of its beyond-bleak tone and emotionally raw approach. Just don’t look for any of the former’s dark humor: Yuen has crafted that rare film that effectively plunges head-first into the abyss and never really allows the audience to come up for air, let alone laughs.

So don’t expect a slow and “tasteful” build to the film’s often unforgettable moments of psychological and physical violence. Right away we see our point-of-view character Kyung-Min experience a form of workplace bullying… and then immediately turn around and take out his feelings of shame and powerlessness on his wife in a dynamic that strongly recalls that of James Joyce’s classic Dubliners short story “Counterparts.” But can all of his present-tense troubles really account for the way that Kyung-Min seems to be so haunted? This question is soon answered as he meets up with middle school classmate Jong-Suk for the first time in years, and it becomes clear to us that something happened back in their early adolescence that shaped both men… something that neither seems eager to discuss directly.

Click to read more»

PiFan 2012: The Suicide Shop 3D (Le Magasin des Suicides, France) 2012

Part of MKC's coverage of the 16th Puchon International Film Festival.

Animation was featured quite prominently at this year’s PiFan, with Japanese works such as Gyo, Rainbow Fireflies, Blood C: The Last Dark, not to mention some retrospectives on the Space Battleship Yamamoto series and Czech animation. Sadly, by the end of the festival the only one I was able to see was The Suicide Shop 3D, a French offering from live-action filmmaker Patrice Leconte.

It looked to be a cross between the stylings of Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville, 2003; The Illusionist, 2008) and the playfully macabre storytelling of Tim Burton. In many ways the film was a combination of those aesthetics but what it lacked was what makes those filmmakers so successful in their craft: originality and heart. Burton may have lost his edge in recent years but his style, which itself was a combination of horror, vaudevillian and campy influences was fresh and invigorating when he burst onto the scenes 30 years ago.

Click to read more»

NYAFF 2012: King of Pigs (돼지의 왕, Dwaejiui Wang) 2011

Part of MKC's coverage of the 11th New York Asian Film Festival.

(by Peter Gutiérrez)

I’m not sure what the current cultural status of bullying in is South Korea these days – are public policy steps being taken to curtail it, as is the case here in the U.S.? – but certainly anyone who has followed Korean cinema knows that it has provided the thematic backbone to films which cut across several genres. I’m a bit partial to A Bloody Aria (Won Shin-yeon, 2006), and Yeun Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs shares something of its beyond-bleak tone and emotionally raw approach. Just don’t look for any of the former’s dark humor: Yuen has crafted that rare film that effectively plunges head-first into the abyss and never really allows the audience to come up for air, let alone laughs.

So don’t expect a slow and “tasteful” build to the film’s often unforgettable moments of psychological and physical violence. Right away we see our point-of-view character Kyung-Min experience a form of workplace bullying… and then immediately turn around and take out his feelings of shame and powerlessness on his wife in a dynamic that strongly recalls that of James Joyce’s classic Dubliners short story “Counterparts.” But can all of his present-tense troubles really account for the way that Kyung-Min seems to be so haunted? This question is soon answered as he meets up with middle school classmate Jong-Suk for the first time in years, and it becomes clear to us that something happened back in their early adolescence that shaped both men… something that neither seems eager to discuss directly.

Click to read more»

Korean Box Office Update (12/23-12/25, 2011)

Tom Cruise's MI4 Scales Over My Way for Surprise Top Spot

	Title	Release Date	Weekend	Total
1	Mission: Impossible 4 (us)	12/15/11	1,230,676	3,677,069
2	My Way	12/21/11	770,220	1,001,676
3	Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (us)	12/21/11	517,421	659,039
4	Perfect Game	12/21/11	340,574	473,088
5	Spellbound	12/1/11	184,145	2,536,632
6	Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked (us)	12/15/11	162,953	383,500
7	Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Reshiram (jp)	12/22/11	130,231	142,727
8	Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Zekrom (jp)	12/22/11	113,229	124,173
9	The Adventures of Tintin (us)	12/7/11	39,870	773,043
10	Arthur Christmas (us)	11/25/11	31,682	614,441
-	Punch	10/20/11	856	5,315,682
-	My Barefoot Friend	12/15/11	437	1,653
-	SIU	11/24/11	271	1,118,060
-	Life Is Peachy	12/8/11	223	2,887
-	Dancing Cat	11/17/11	191	11,849
-	The Forgotten Bag	11/17/11	147	6,323
-	Too Many Villains	12/15/11	123	760

As expected, it was a huge weekend at the Korean box office this Christmas but the victor was a surprise.  After months of extraordinary performances from domestic films, the results for this frame are an unfortunate way to wrap up the year.  In total, admissions hit 3.56 million, a 10% gain over last year, one of the busiest weekends in Korean cinema history but sadly Korean films held only three of the top 10 spots and accounted for a below average 36.5% market share versus last year's 56.7%.

Korean audiences seemed starved for either blockbuster fare or children's movies over this past holiday weekend.  The bottom five of the top 10 were all movies aimed at children, including two Japanese animes.  I've been noticing the relatively poor performance of these kids' films over the past few weeks but now that I see the market share their combined efforts occupy I wonder whether foreign distributors were just a little careless in looking at the release calendar for Korea, ultimately too many films with a specific audience battled it out for a piece of the same pie.

However I have been thinking about the potential future of children's movies at the Korean box office.  Typically the country does not produce many of its own but that seems to be changing as audiences are becoming more receptive to the emerging talents of Korean-produced fare for children, especially in animation.  Kung Fu Panda 2 was directed by a Korean-American and this helped it sell over five million tickets.  A little later in the summer Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild became by far the most successful Korean animation ever made as it soared past the two million mark.  Perhaps next winter there will be some domestic children's movies beside all of Hollywood's seasonal offerings.

After last week's huge opening, Mission Impossible IV has actually increased 20% to 1,230,676.  The film has accumulated nearly four million admissions already and has done so against considerable competition.  Tom Cruise and company will likely end up very high on the yearly chart but how far will they go?

Kang Je-gyu's My Way, the highest budgeted Korean film of all time ($30 million) and probably the year's most anticipated film, had a sizable but very underwhelming debut as it took only 770,220, though it has sold just over a million tickets since opening.  Perhaps business will pick up in the coming weeks but this is an alarming start to the blockbuster war film's theater run.  Word of mouth has been mixed so far but awareness is huge for the pic.

The sequel to Sherlock Holmes had a solid debut with 517,42, slightly below the original's bow in 2009.  The Perfect Game had a decent 340,574 weekend but I expected a bit more after the strong previews.  However, there is some positive buzz surrounding the film so business could pick up, though it is a busy marketplace.  Spellbound dropped three spots but held onto to 60% of its business for a 184,145 weekend and with over 2.5 million admissions through this point, the three million mark is not out of the question.

As already mentioned the bottom five in the chart were all children's films:  Alvin and the Chipmunks (162,953); Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Reshiram (130,231); Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Zekrom (113,229); The Adventures of Tintin (39,870); and Arthur Christmas (31,682).

Outside the Top 10:  Punch shed most of its theaters and sold 856 tickets; My Barefoot Friend added 437 admission in its second week; SIU also lost the majority of its theaters and wound up with 271; Life Is Peachy dropped to 223; Dancing Cat added 191 to its impressive limited run; The Forgotten Bag sold 147 this week; and Too Many Villains, a film I'm tremendously excited to see, sadly sold a paltry 123 tickets in its second weekend, with only 760 in total.

Next Week:  All eyes will be on MI4 and My Way as we see how they perform in their third and second weeks respectively.


The Korean Box Office Update is a weekly feature which provides detailed analysis of film box office sales over the Friday to Sunday period in Korea. It appears every Monday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Korean Cinema News (05/30-06/05, 2011)

Another big week for Korean film news. Some great interviews and lots of (unsubtitled) trailers and a number of great features including a fascinating expose on the supposed liberal stranglehold over Korean cinema and an opinion piece on imagination in Korean film (can't say I agree with it). Box office at the bottom as always.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

Hollywood Inundated with Korean Animators

Korean animators are all over the Hollywood these days, with many taking on coveted roles, such as Jennifer Yuh, director of the current blockbuster Kung Fu Panda 2.  Other prominent figures include Kim Sang-jin, the first Korean head designer to work at Walt Disney Studios.  (korea.net, May 30, 2011)

The Journals of Musan Wins Yet Another Award
Park Jung-bom's highly revered film has added to its trophy collection again by winning the top prize at the Andrei Tarkovsky Film Festival. The jury was presided over by English thesp Ralph Fiennes. (The Voice of Russia, May 30, 2011)

The Unjust Confirmed for Melbourne

The Melbourne International Film Festival isn't until July 21st but a few early selections have been announced and they include the popular Korean action film The Unjust.  (Film Business Asia, May 30, 2011) 

Seoul Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender/sexual Film Festival Underway

The Seoul Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender/sexual Film Festival is underway in the Korean capital and will continue through June 8.  The festival, with the tagline "isn't it time to color yourself?" will present 24 international and domestic feature films.  (The Korea Times, May 31, 2011)

Opening Lineup for New York Asian Film Festival Announced
The New York Asian Film Festival, which will take place from July 1-14, has announced its opening lineup. There will be a special section entitled Sea of Revenge, which will feature: The Chaser (2008), The Unjust , The Yellow Sea, Bedevilled, Haunters, The Man From Nowhere, and Troubleshooters.  (Unseen Films, May 31, 2011)

Program for Cinema Seoul Power Unveiled
The Honolulu Academy of Arts will present its Korean Film Festival, Cinema Seoul Power from June 11-26. Included in the program are Blades of Blood, The Housemaid, and Secret Sunshine (2007). (Honolulu Art Academy, May 31, 2011)

Debut Film From North Korean Defector

North Korean defector Kim Gyoo-min is set to release his first feature film after having previously worked on films such as South of the Border (2006), Crossing (2008), and 71: Into the Fire (2010). Winter Butterfly is based on his own experiences and tells the story of a mother and son who suffered form severe food shortage in North Korea. (The Korea Herald, June 1, 2011)

Ambassadors Named for Seoul International Youth Film Festival

Actors Lee Chun-hee and Kim Sae-ron have been named as the ambassadors for the 13th Seoul International Youth Festival, which begins on July 7th The festival will present 143 films from 37 countries. (The Korea Herald, June 1, 2011)

Tang Wei Wants More Korea Roles

After her successful turn in Late Autumn, Tang Wei has landed a commercial in Korea but she is hoping to get more roles in Korean films, which she admires very much. (Arirang, June 1, 2011)

Lack of Imagination in Korean Cinema

Oh Jung-hun writes that Korean films pale in comparison with Hollywood as far as imagination is concerned. He cites how local will flock to new installments of franchises such as Pirates of the Caribbean to devour their creative worlds. (The Korea Times, June 2, 2011)

Network of Asian Fantastic Films Reveals Projects

The 4th Network of Asian Fantastic Films has announced its 23 projects which include new offerings from Kim Seong-ho (A Girl With Sushi Knife), Moon Seung-wook (Elysium), and Lim Tae-hyeong (Two Rabbits in Osaka). (Hancinema.net, June 2, 2011)

Review for New Thriller Moby Dick

The Korea Times takes a look at the new conspiracy drama Moby Dick, which is set to open domestically on June 9th. They praise the picture, from first-time director Kim In-je, for being painstakingly real. (The Korea Times, June 2, 2011)

Liberal Bias in Korean Cinema
Yu In-chon, Lee Myung-bak's first culture minister, is attempting to oust left-leaning figures in the culture office. Yu has been met with resistance but he is not the only one who believes that the left has gained too much control of the industry and may even be using it to promote it agenda. (The Dong-a Ilbo, June 3, 2011)

2011 Becoming Banner Year for Korean Animation
Many animated films have sprung up in Korea this year, including The Houses and Earth Rep Rolling Stars, and others are on the way, Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild and King of Pigs. However, the most likely to find international success is Green Days, to be released June 16. (Animation Insider, June 3, 2011)

More to Korean Cinema Than Meets the Eye
Abhimanyu Das writes that Korean cinema should be seen on an equal footing as the juggernauts of cinema like India and the US. He examines Memories of Murder (2003) to highlight his point. (The Sunday Guardian, May 2011)

INTERVIEW

Director Kim Jee-woon Interviewed

The director of the acclaimed I Saw the Devil sits down for an interview with Asian Movie Pulse in which he discusses the pressures of outside influences on films in the 21st century.  (Asian Movie Pulse, May 30, 2011)

Kim Kkobbi Interview at Terracotta Film Festival
Paul Quinn sat down with Kim Kkobbi, star of Breathless (2008), at the Terracotta Film Festival to discuss her career, acting style, theatre, and upcoming projects.  (Hangul Celluloid, June 5, 2011)

TRAILERS

Lots of trailers this week but no subtitles to go with them.

Poongsan (no subs)

Play (no subs)

Blind (no subs)

Head (no subs)

Mama (no subs)

Moby Dick (no subs)

Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild (no subs)

BOX OFFICE

Pandas and Mutants Pack in the Crowds
Kung Fu Panda 2 remained No. 1 this weekend with a decent hold and has accumulated nearly 3 million admissions to date. Meanwhile X-Men: First Class opened with a solid 630,000. Sunny continues to do well at No. 3 with 385,000, it has now topped 4 million admissions and is within striking distance of first place among 2011 releases in Korea. (Hancinema.net, June 5, 2011)


Korean Cinema News is a weekly feature which provides wide-ranging news coverage on Korean cinema, including but not limited to: features; festival news; interviews; industry news; trailers; posters; and box office. It appears every Wednesday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.