Weekly Review Round-up (01/14-01/20, 2012)

Lots of reviews this week with The Front Line being released in the US.  Four movies also came out this week in Korea though as of yet only review has surfaced, expect more to come.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Dancing Queen

(The Korea Times, January 19 2012)

My Way

(hancinema.net, January 14, 2012)

RECENT RELEASES

A Better Tomorrow

(Varied Celluloid, January 13, 2012)

Bedevilled

(Init_Scenes, January 18, 2012)

Choked

(Film Business Asia, January 16, 2012)

Come Rain, Come Shine

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 13, 2012)

Countdown

(Modern Korean Cinema, January 19, 2012)

I Saw the Devil

(examiner.com, January 14, 2012)

Moby Dick

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 16, 2012)

Mother Is a Whore

(Hangul Celluloid, January 18, 2012)

Poetry

(Empire, January 18, 2012)

Sector 7

(Haunted Hell, January 19, 2012)

Spellbound

(Beyond Hollywood, January 15, 2012)

(The National Post, January 12, 2012)

The Day He Arrives

(Beyond Hollywood, January 13, 2012)

The Front Line

(Entertainment Weekly, January 19, 2012)

(Film Journal, January 19, 2012)

(Libertas Film Magazine, January 19, 2012)

(Movie Line, January 19, 2012)

(Slant Magazine, January 16, 2012)

(The A.V. Club, January 19, 2012)

(The Los Angeles Times, January 20, 2012)

(The New York Times, January 19, 2012)

The Man From Nowhere

(cinemageekly.com, January 15, 2012)

(g33k-e.com, January 14, 2012)

The Servant

(Dramas Whoo!, January 16, 2012)

You're My Pet

(The One One Four, January 14, 2012)

War of the Arrows

(Beyond Hollywood, January 19, 2012)

PAST FILMS

A Man Who Was Superman, 2008

(Rainy Day Movies, January 13, 2012)

Chaw, 2009

(Movie Mobsters, January 15, 2012)

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, 2003

(Otherwhere, January 13, 2012)

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, 2005

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 18, 2012)

The Coast Guard, 2002

(boxofficebuz.com, January 16, 2012)

The Isle, 2000

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 15, 2012)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. 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.

Weekly Review Round-up (12/10-12/16, 2011)

30 new reviews this week including a great write-up on Hong Sang-soo's latest from The New Yorker and a series of reviews on Kim Ki-duk's from the Rainy Day Movies blog where Connor McMorran is hosting a fantastic Kim Ki-duk Week.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Spellbound

(Init_Scenes, December 14, 2011)

(The Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2011)

RECENT RELEASES

A Better Tomorrow

(Shu-Izmz, December 11, 2011)

A Confession

(Variety, December 14, 2011)

Blind

(Beyond Hollywood, December 12, 2011)

Hello Ghost

(Pinoy Movie Blog, December 16, 2011)

I Saw the Devil

(Cine-International, December 14, 2011)

(New Korean Cinema, December 14, 2011)

King of Pigs

(The Los Angeles Times, December 15, 2011)

Marrying the Mafia IV

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 11, 2011)

Poetry

(awardscircuit.com, December 12, 2011)

(Front Row Reviews, December 13, 2011)

(The Telegraph, December 14, 2011)

Sector 7

(Twitch, December 13, 2011)

The Day He Arrives

(The New Yorker, December 15, 2011)

The Man From Nowhere

(City on Fire, December 10, 2011)

The Quiz Show Scandal

(Inti_Scenes, December 14, 2011)

The Recipe

(Init_Scenes, December 16, 2011)

War of the Arrows

(Wildgrounds, December 13, 2011)

PAST FILMS

Address Unknown, 2001

(Rainy Day Movies, December 14, 2011)

Bad Guy, 2001

(Rainy Day Movies, December 13, 2011)

Beat, 1997

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 9, 2011)

Born to Kill, 1996

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 9, 2011)

Castaway on the Moon, 2009

(The Non-Review, December 9, 2011)

Green Fish, 1997

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 11, 2011)

No. 3, 1997

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 10, 2011)

Real Fiction, 2000

(Rainy Day Movies, December 15, 2011)

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, 2003

(Rainy Day Movies, December 16, 2011)

The Coast Guard, 2002

(Rainy Day Movies, December 15, 2011)

The Isle, 2000

(Rainy Day Movies, December 12, 2011)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. 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.

Weekly Review Round-up (11/19-11/25, 2011)

A wealth of reviews for current and past films this week from many sources including multiple write-ups on A Better Tomorrow, The Front Line, and The Yellow Sea.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Spellbound

(The Korea Times, November 24, 2011)

RECENT RELEASES

A Better Tomorrow

(moviecynics.com, November 18, 2011)

(Wildside Cinema, November 22, 2011)

Bleak Night

(Ali Quail, November 22, 2011)

Blind

(Modern Korean Cinema, November 22, 2011)

In Love and the War

(hancinema.net, November 19, 2011)

King of Pigs

(hancinema.net, November 19, 2011)

Leafie: A Hen Into the Wild

(Hangul Celluloid, November 22, 2011)

Moby Dick

(Film Business Asia, November 20, 2011)

Poetry

(rainydaymovies, November 24, 2011)

Secret Reunion

(VCinema Show, November 3, 2011)

Sector 7

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 24, 2011)

Sunny

(Far East Films, November 13, 2011)

The Front Line

(Japan Cinema, November 25, 2011)

(Modern Korean Cinema, November 24, 2011)

(Next Projection, November 19, 2011)

The Unjust

(Korean Class Massive, November 19, 2011)

The Yellow Sea

(London Korea Links, November 22, 2011)

(subtitledonline.com, November 24, 2011)

(The Huffington Post, November 23, 2011)

Through Korean Cinema

(New Korean Cinema, November 23, 2011)

White: The Melody of the Curse

(Film Business Asia, November 23, 2011)

PAST FILMS

3-Iron, 2004

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 22, 2011)

Arahan, 2004

(Mouth London, November 23, 2011)

Assassins, 1969

(London Korean Links, November 20, 2011)

A Sister's Garden, 1959
(koreanfilm.org, November 2011)

A Tale of Two Sisters, 2003

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 17, 2011)

Crossing, 2008

(asianmovieweb.com, November 21, 2011)

Dachimawa Lee, 2008

(Mouth London, November 23, 2011)

Day Off, 1968

(London Korean Links, November 20, 2011)

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, 2002

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 23, 2011)

The City of Violence, 2006

(Mouth London, November 21, 2011)

The Good, the Bad and the Weird, 2008

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 20, 2011)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. 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.

Weekly Review Round-up (11/12-11/18, 2011)

A wide array of films reviewed this week, many due to the just-wrapped London Korean Film Festival.

RECENT RELEASES

A Better Tomorrow

(DVD Verdict, November 17, 2011)

(Rock! Shock! Pop!, November 14, 2011)

Arirang

(SBCC Film Reviews, November 14, 2011)

Bedevilled

(fright.com, November 15, 2011)

City

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 15, 2011)

Detective K

(Alive Not Dead, November 12, 2011)

Ghastly

(Nekoneko's Movie Litterbox, November 14, 2011)

Haunters

(Horror Films, November 17, 2011)

Hindsight

(Film Business Asia, November 15, 2011)

I Saw the Devil

(PinoyMovieBlog, November 14, 2011)

King of Pigs

(The Korea Times, November 17, 2011)

Late Autumn

(Otherwhere, November 14, 2011)

Moss

(Init_Scenes, November 14, 2011)

Negligence of Duty

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 16, 2011)

Poongsan

(Variety, November 15, 2011 - Paid Subscription Required)

Promise

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 15, 2011)

Sector 7

(Dread Central, November 14, 2011)

Secret Reunion

(Next Projection, November 17, 2011)

Suicide Forecast

(London Korea Links, November 12, 2011)

Sunny

(hancinema.net, November 12, 2011)

(Korean Class Massive, November 6, 2011)

The Cat

(Film Business Asia, November 18, 2011)

The Day He Arrives

(Init_Scenes, November 17, 2011)

The Front Line

(heyuguys.co.uk, November 11, 2011)

(Wildgrounds, November 17, 2011)

The Hideout

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 16, 2011)

The Unjust

(Eye for Film, November 18, 2011)

The Yellow Sea

(beehivecity.com, November 12, 2011)

(heyuguys.co.uk, November 16, 2011)

(movies reviews by tom clift, November 14, 2011)

War of the Arrows

(Korean Class Massive, November 6, 2011)

PAST FILMS

Handphone, 2009

(Korean Class Massive, November 7, 20110

I'm a Cyborg But That's OK, 2006

(moviefilmreview.com, November 14, 2011)

Rough Cut, 2008

(Next Projection, November 17, 2011)

The Host, 2006

(Ticker Talks Film, November 11, 2011)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. 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.

Weekly Review Round-up (10/29-11/04, 2011)

A few reviews for Silenced (aka The Crucible/Dogani) this week as it opened in select locations in the US.  A variety of other pieces, including some on Sector 7 and The Yellow Sea.  I imagine that next week we will be seeing a lot of write-ups coming in from the London Korean Film Festival, which opened last night.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

The Client

(Film Business Asia, October 29, 2011)

Silenced
(Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2011)
(The Daily Herald, November 3, 2011)
(The Jeju Weekly, October 28, 2011)
(The Seattle Times, November 3, 2011)

RECENT RELEASES

A Better Tomorrow
(DVD Talk, November 3, 2011)
(japancinema.net, November 4, 2011)

Amen

(Film Business Asia, October 28, 2011)

Hero
(Modern Korean Cinema, November 1, 2011)

Moss

(unseen films, October 30, 2011)

Poongsan
(Modern Korean Cinema, November 3, 2011)

Sector 7
(free malaysia today, November 4, 2011)

(hancinema.net, October 29, 2011)

Stateless Things
(Anikor, November 1, 2011)

Sunny
(japancinema.net, November 3, 2011)

The Cat

(hancinema, October 29, 2011)

The Yellow Sea
(The Student, October 29, 2011)
(Varsity, November 2, 2011)

War of the Arrows
(Every Film in 2011, November 2, 2011)

PAST FILMS

Eye For an Eye, 2008

(Init_Scenes, November 1, 2011)

Family Ties, 2006
(Otherwhere, November 2, 2011)

Take Care of My Cat, 2001
(Otherwhere, October 28, 2011)

Yellow Hair, 1999

(Hangul Celluloid, October 30, 2011)

The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. 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.

A Better Tomorrow (무적자, Mujeogja) 2010

Great production values

Song Hae-sung’s A Better Tomorrow is a flashy remake of John Woo’s seminal 1986 classic which tries hard to refigure the tale of brotherly love in a gangster-riddled modern Busan. John Woo served as an executive producer for this film, which is a co-production between South Korea, China, and Japan, something that would not have happened 15 years ago. Budgeted at $8.7 million, this is a pricy affair with excellent production values and some stunning set pieces, the problem is that the plot is so familiar and drawn out that it is difficult to care.

Ju Jin-mo, last seen in Ha Yu’s gay period epic A Frozen Flower (2008), plays the role of a gangster who tries to go straight and win the affection of his cop brother. Like the original the plot is thin and the outcome can be spotted a mile away. However Woo’s version was a seismic blockbuster that revolutionized the Asian film industry by creating a new type of stylized action film that would be emulated for years to come. This Korean update does feature some great gunfight sequences, but they are short and infrequent throughout the 124 minute running time.

The plot is a major problem in this new version as it cuts out some significant elements, such as the younger brother’s love interest, yet is still half an hour longer than the original. The characters do not have much depth and are often lacking in charisma, especially Song Seung-heun who cannot possibly match Chow Yun-Fat’s iconic cool from the original. It is a difficult task to recreate a beloved character and it is often wise to change the protagonist so as not to invite comparison, but Song's incarnation lacks three-dimensional characteristics.

The divide between the brothers

There are a few minor changes from the original: the gangsters deal in arms as opposed to counterfeit money; and the overseas set piece is set in Thailand instead of Taiwan. The most promising change is that the brothers are North Korean defectors, this also sets up the seeds of the younger brother’s resentment as the elder brother abandoned him when he initially defected to the south. While this could be an interesting premise, appropriate attention is not given to North-South tensions and this becomes little more than an afterthought.

One of my favorite things about Korean cinema is its propensity to hop across genres. This style of filmmaking can irk a lot of viewers but is also the reason many western audiences are so transfixed by these films. The Host (2006), Save the Green Planet (2003), My Sassy Girl (2001), and many others exhibit a deft handling of generic conventions as their narratives fly across horror, comedy, sci-fi, melodrama, action, and social commentary. This is also true of films that have not crossed over to western audiences, in fact it is pretty much the style of filmmaking that many have come to associate with South Korea. A Better Tomorrow does not cross genres and the reason I mention this is because it’s a damn shame that it doesn’t. It severely limits itself by working within the confines of an already limited original. It takes away without adding, it tones down instead of taking it to the next level. This wouldn’t bother me so much but there is so much skill and potential from a technical standpoint that I wish they had given themselves more leeway to experiment and add a real Korean touch.

The film looks great and has a couple of great, albeit brief, action sequences but is let down by an obvious and simplified plot, two-dimensional characters, and a horribly misjudged finale. Although the film was a hit in its domestic market (with over 1.5 million admissions), I think that director Song Hae-seong is capable of a lot better. Having previously helmed Calla (1999), Failan (2001), Rikidozan (2004), and Maundy Thursday (2006), by comparison his latest effort seems decidedly by-the-numbers.

★★★☆☆

Solid set pieces

Reviews and features on Korean film appear regularly on Modern Korean Cinema.  For film news, external reviews, and box office analysis, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update, Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Review Round-up, which appear weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings (GMT+1).

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.