CURRENT FILMS
(Quiet Earth, August 15, 2012)
(koreanfilm.org, August 2012)
(koreanfilm.org, August 2012)
Showing posts with label as one. Show all posts
Showing posts with label as one. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2012
WKR: The Thieves + More Current and Recent Films (08/11-08/17, 2012)
A good selection of write-ups on new and recent films this week.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (07/28-08/03, 2012)
It's been a few weeks since the Weekly Review Roundups have been up but I've gone back and added them all now. Lots of PiFan reviews of course and plenty more!
I also wanted to take a moment to say that I will be a little more selective about what appears on WRR from now on. Up until now I've been happy to feature anything on Korean film as long as it was legible but over time I've come across some major outlets that don't always present honest opinions. I'm not here to name and shame but I have removed a few sources from my list that I believe do not respect their audience by giving false opinions for ulterior purposes. Anyway, shouldn't change much going forward!
Thanks for reading and WRR should be back to its weekly status for the foreseeable future.
I also wanted to take a moment to say that I will be a little more selective about what appears on WRR from now on. Up until now I've been happy to feature anything on Korean film as long as it was legible but over time I've come across some major outlets that don't always present honest opinions. I'm not here to name and shame but I have removed a few sources from my list that I believe do not respect their audience by giving false opinions for ulterior purposes. Anyway, shouldn't change much going forward!
Thanks for reading and WRR should be back to its weekly status for the foreseeable future.
CURRENT FILMS
Deranged
(Seongyong's Private Place, July 28, 2012)
Friday, June 15, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (06/09-06/15, 2012)
Lots of reviews for new releases this week, including As One and Arirang which are currently screening in various English-language territories. Sector 7 was also just released in the US on Blu-ray.
CURRENT FILMS
All About My Wife
As One
(The Korea Blog, June 8, 2012)
(Seongyong's Private Place, June 14, 2012)
(Reuters, June 13, 2012)
Friday, June 8, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (06/02-06/08, 2012)
First Weekly Review Round-up live from Seoul! A few write-ups on As One and Kim Ki-duk's Arirang this week as they are release in Australia and the UK respectively.
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CURRENT FILMS
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As One
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Korean Box Office Update (06/01-06/03, 2012)
Men in Black Stays Up Top While Domestic Releases Nibble at Its Heels
| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | Men in Black 3 (us) | 5/24/12 | 26.20% | 533,557 | 2,455,318 | 540 |
| 2 | All About My Wife | 5/17/12 | 22.30% | 474,494 | 2,784,894 | 474 |
| 3 | Runway Cop | 5/30/12 | 15.30% | 334,254 | 453,570 | 431 |
| 4 | Don't Click | 5/30/12 | 12.40% | 295,733 | 353,034 | 360 |
| 5 | Snow White and the Huntsmen (us) | 5/30/12 | 11.80% | 261,558 | 452,589 | 443 |
| 6 | The Avengers (us) | 4/26/12 | 4.60% | 96,753 | 6,996,984 | 281 |
| 7 | The Taste of Money | 5/17/12 | 2.40% | 50,357 | 1,131,158 | 248 |
| 8 | Madagascar 3 (us) | 6/6/12 | 2.60% | 39,738 | 40,912 | 186 |
| 9 | As One | 5/3/12 | 0.80% | 19,625 | 1,856,843 | 139 |
| 10 | Inazuma Eleven Go (jp) | 5/24/12 | 0.40% | 10,872 | 81,756 | 96 |
Monday, May 28, 2012
Korean Box Office Update (05/25-05/27)
The Men in Black Score Big After Long Absence
| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | Men in Black 3 (us) | 5/24/12 | 47.50% | 1,064,549 | 1,210,197 | 767 |
| 2 | All About My Wife | 5/17/12 | 24.50% | 610,994 | 1,819,491 | 537 |
| 3 | The Avengers (us) | 4/26/12 | 10.30% | 260,686 | 6,741,216 | 367 |
| 4 | The Taste of Money | 5/17/12 | 7.80% | 193,197 | 951,420 | 412 |
| 5 | As One | 5/3/12 | 3.20% | 86,339 | 1,775,535 | 277 |
| 6 | Snow White and the Huntsmen (us) | 5/30/12 | 2.90% | 71,840 | 71,840 | 284 |
| 7 | Inazuma Eleven Go (jp) | 5/24/12 | 1.50% | 40,393 | 41,668 | 242 |
| 8 | Machine Gun Preacher (us) | 5/24/12 | 0.40% | 10,771 | 17,847 | 140 |
| 9 | Mirror Mirror (us) | 5/3/12 | 0.40% | 10,443 | 574,969 | 57 |
| 10 | A Muse | 4/25/12 | 0.20% | 5,498 | 1,337,811 | 52 |
Friday, May 25, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (05/19-05/25, 2012)
A bevvy of reviews this week for Hong Sang-soo's latest as it vies for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Also a lot of great pieces on current Korean films and for Helpless which recently opened on limited in the US.
FUTURE FILMS
In Another Country - Out 03/31
The Emperor's Concubine - Out 06/06
(The Korea Times, May 22, 2012)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Korean Box Office Update (05/18-05/20, 2012)
All About My Wife Takes First Place in Close Finish
| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | All About My Wife | 5/17/12 | 28.70% | 593,341 | 778,430 | 561 |
| 2 | The Avengers (us) | 4/26/12 | 28.70% | 564,923 | 6,341,504 | 573 |
| 3 | The Taste of Money | 5/17/12 | 21.80% | 444,859 | 568,327 | 641 |
| 4 | As One | 5/3/12 | 9.00% | 200,091 | 1,619,089 | 387 |
| 5 | Dark Shadows (us) | 5/10/12 | 3.10% | 66,722 | 549,733 | 270 |
| 6 | Cold Light of Day (us) | 5/17/12 | 2.20% | 49,217 | 61,552 | 238 |
| 7 | Mirror Mirror (us) | 5/3/12 | 1.80% | 40,355 | 557,229 | 164 |
| 8 | Architecture 101 | 3/22/12 | 1.10% | 23,916 | 4,078,012 | 124 |
| 9 | The Lorax (us) | 5/3/12 | 1.00% | 23,262 | 290,162 | 134 |
| 10 | A Muse | 4/25/12 | 1.10% | 22,065 | 1,319,085 | 160 |
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Korean Box Office Update (05/11-05/13, 2012)
The Avengers Easily Threepeats
| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | The Avengers (us) | 4/26/12 | 47.80% | 994,319 | 5,446,891 | 734 |
| 2 | As One | 5/3/12 | 16.90% | 393,323 | 1,227,411 | 512 |
| 3 | Dark Shadows (us) | 5/10/12 | 13.80% | 314,355 | 372,745 | 386 |
| 4 | Snow White (us) | 5/3/12 | 5.00% | 123,381 | 477,859 | 305 |
| 5 | Eungyo | 4/25/12 | 4.50% | 99,840 | 1,226,704 | 310 |
| 6 | All About My Wife | 5/17/12 | 4.20% | 91,426 | 96,751 | 277 |
| 7 | Architecture 101 | 3/22/12 | 2.90% | 67,365 | 4,007,674 | 244 |
| 8 | The Lorax (us) | 5/3/12 | 1.80% | 46,562 | 261,893 | 240 |
| 9 | Crayon Shin-chan (jp) | 4/26/12 | 1.00% | 26,667 | 259,718 | 130 |
| 10 | The Scent | 4/11/12 | 0.40% | 10,214 | 1,234,209 | 70 |
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Korean Cinema News (05/03-05/09, 2012)
UPDATE 1:50pm (GMT+1) - The KOFA Classic Korean Film youtube channel goes live! More details below.
More developments on upcoming features Mister K and Remember O Goddess this week as well as a strong selection of interviews and a free one-day Korean film seminar in London.
KOFA's Classic Korean Film Youtube channel goes live!
The Korean Film Archive has launched its much anticipated "Korean Classic Film Theater" Youtube channel which features 70 different hard to find titles, all free and with English subtitles. The films range from 1949's A Hometown in My Heart to Hong Sang-soo's 1996 debut The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well. Numerous classic Im Kwon-taek, Kim Ki-young and Shin Sang-ok films are featured as well as many of the most important Korean films of the past decades, including Yu Hyun-mok's Aimless Bullet (aka Obaltan, 1961), Park Kwang-su's Chilsu and Mansu (1988), or the original hostess film, Yeongja's Heyday (1976).
I'm dying to get stuck into the many I haven't seen but I highly recommend Im Kwon-taek's Sopyonje (1993), Kim Ki-young' Ieoh Island (aka Iodo, 1977) and the aforementioned Aimless Bullet. Truly a phenomenal resource from KOFA and cause for celebration for all Korean film fans!
More developments on upcoming features Mister K and Remember O Goddess this week as well as a strong selection of interviews and a free one-day Korean film seminar in London.
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
The Korean Film Archive has launched its much anticipated "Korean Classic Film Theater" Youtube channel which features 70 different hard to find titles, all free and with English subtitles. The films range from 1949's A Hometown in My Heart to Hong Sang-soo's 1996 debut The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well. Numerous classic Im Kwon-taek, Kim Ki-young and Shin Sang-ok films are featured as well as many of the most important Korean films of the past decades, including Yu Hyun-mok's Aimless Bullet (aka Obaltan, 1961), Park Kwang-su's Chilsu and Mansu (1988), or the original hostess film, Yeongja's Heyday (1976).
I'm dying to get stuck into the many I haven't seen but I highly recommend Im Kwon-taek's Sopyonje (1993), Kim Ki-young' Ieoh Island (aka Iodo, 1977) and the aforementioned Aimless Bullet. Truly a phenomenal resource from KOFA and cause for celebration for all Korean film fans!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Korean Box Office Update (05/04-05/06, 2012)
The Avengers Grows, Korean Releases Lag
| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | The Avengers (us) | 4/26/12 | 53.50% | 1,430,595 | 4,001,858 | 918 |
| 2 | As One | 5/3/12 | 16.80% | 509,444 | 596,793 | 535 |
| 3 | Snow White (us) | 5/3/12 | 7.80% | 248,377 | 285,620 | 385 |
| 4 | The Lorax (us) | 5/3/12 | 6.50% | 194,935 | 202,348 | 462 |
| 5 | A Muse | 4/25/12 | 6.30% | 182,261 | 1,021,437 | 402 |
| 6 | Crayon Shin-chan (jp) | 4/26/12 | 3.60% | 121,192 | 230,929 | 293 |
| 7 | Architecture 101 | 3/22/12 | 3.30% | 102,765 | 3,879,029 | 248 |
| 8 | The Scent | 4/11/12 | 0.90% | 27,044 | 1,206,640 | 120 |
| 9 | Battleship (us) | 4/11/12 | 0.30% | 10,779 | 2,230,317 | 62 |
| 10 | Untouchable (fr) | 3/22/12 | 0.20% | 5,102 | 1,709,560 | 19 |
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
May 2012 Korean Releases
This monthly features previews the coming month's attractions in Korean cinema. All of these monthly posts are available in an archive on the Upcoming Releases page.
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May 3
As One (aka Korea)
Just Friends
May 10
Du-re Sori Story
I Am
The Strangers
May 17
All About My Wife
Granny Is in 1st Grade
The Taste of Money
May 24
Children of Heaven
Hello!
Hello!
U.F.O.
May 31
Don't Click
In Another Country
Runway Cop
Still Strange
Runway Cop
Still Strange
May TBC
Rosa
Tummy
As One (aka Korea)
Director: Moon Hyun-sung
Cast: Ha Ji-won, Bae Doo-na
Synopsis: As One chronicles the victory of the first inter-Korean team at the 1991 Chiba Worldwide Table Tennis Championships.
Release date: May 3
There's a lot of buzz surrounding this project, especially with its two big female stars and theme of rapprochement of the divided Korean nations. It the film clicks with audiences it may be one of the highest-grossing films of the year.
Just Friends
Director: Ahn Cheol-ho
Cast: Oh Yeon-so, Lee Young-hoon
Synopsis: Just Friends is a romance about an unemployed art school graduate who has recently been dumped but meets an aspiring musician at a concert
Release date: May 3
I Am.
Director: Choi Jin-sung
Synopsis: A documentary of SM Entertainment's recent Madison Square Garden concert.
Release date: May 10
Release date: May 10
Du-re Sori Story
Director: Cho Jung-rae
Screenplay: Baek Jong-min
Cast: Kim Seul-gi, Jo Ah-reum, Ham Hyeong-sang, Choi Eun-yeong
Synopsis: Two friends at the National High School of the Traditional Arts take a special class taught by a teacher with conflicting western influences. The class will compete as a chorus in contest.
Release date: May 10
The Strangers
Director: Choi Yong-seok
Cast: Yeo Hyeon-soo, Han Soo-yeon, Kim Joong-ki
Synopsis: Yeon-hee returns to her hometown following the death of her mother in a fire and there she meets Seok who has lost in father in the same accident. They bond and attempt to overcome their grief while Yeon-hee revisits the reason she left in the first place.
Release date: May 10
All About My Wife
Director: Min Gyoo-dong
Screenplay: Min Gyoo-dong
Cast: Im Soo-jeong, Lee Seon-gyoon, Ryoo Seung-yong
Synopsis: A romantic comedy about a man who, in a bid to cleanly divorce his wife, hires a playboy to seduce his spouse.
Release date: May 17
The Taste of Money
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Director: Im Sang-soo
Screenwriter: Im Sang-soo
Cast: Kim Kang-woo, Kim Hyo-jin, Baek Yoon-shik, Yoon Yeo-joong
Synopsis: A woman divorces a salaryman and becomes wealthy. A tale of greed and sex in the upper strata of Korean society
Release date: May 17
Im Sang-soo's new film wrapped in January and looks to be another fascinating exposé of our darkest desires. The film will have its world premier at Cannes where it is in the main competition vying for the Palm d'Or. The Taste of Money will also feature a small role for the founder of koreanfilm.org and MKC contributor Darcy Paquet.
Granny Is in 1st Grade
Director: Jin Kwang-gyo
Cast: Kim Jin-goo, Shin Chae-yeon
Synopsis: A 70-year-old woman loses her son but she can't read the final letter he sent her so her 7-year-old granddaughter teaches her how to read.
Release date: May 17
Children of Heaven
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Director: Park Heung-shik
Cast: You Da-in, Park Ji-bin, Kim Bo-ra
Synopsis: A new teacher begins a three month stint at a school for troubled children. She hopes to involve some of new students in a talent contest by staging a musical.
Release date: May 24
U.F.O.
Director: Kong Quee-hyun
Screenwriter: Kong Quee-hyun
Cast: Lee Joo-seung, Kim Chang-hwan, Kim Tae-yoon
Synopsis: A group of students catch sight of an alien spacecraft and decide to travel to UFO mountain but on the way there they are warned to turn back.
Release date: May 24
This sci-fi comedy opened last July at the Puchon International Film Festival and has since played at the Digital Seoul Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival.
Hello!
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Director: Lim Tae-hyeong
Cast: Lee Sang-bong
Synopsis: Documentary chronicling the lives of 14 blind schoolchildren
Release date: May 24
In Another Country
Director: Hong Sang-soo
Screenwriter: Hong Sang-soo
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Yoo Joon-sang, Jeong Yu-mi, Yoon Yeo-jeong, Moon Seong-gun, Kwon Hae-hyo
Release date: May 31
The new Hong Sang-soo film stars a major French actress and will be premiering in Cannes ahead of its Korean release, not to be missed.
Don't Click
Director: Kim Tae-kyeong
Screenwriter: Kim Tae-kyeong
Cast: Park Bo-young, Joo Won, Kang Byul
Synopsis: Bizarre events occur after a pair watch a mysterious video.
Release date: May 31
This sounds like a blatant ripoff of The Ring (1998), given the poor quality of last summer's horrors, I'm not expecting much from this one. Also, as you'll notice on the poster, Don't Click was scheduled for release last August but got pushed back, never a good sign.
Runway Cop
Director: Sin Tae-ra
Cast: Kang Ji-hwan, Sung Yu-ri, Kim Young-kwang, Lee Soo-hyuk
Synopsis: In order to break a case, a determined detective goes undercover in the fashion world.
Release date: May 31
Still Strange
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Director: Lee Hong-jae
Screenwriter: Kim Tae-kyeong
Cast: Jang Si-won, Kim Soo-woong, Lee So-hee
Synopsis: An old couple and their grown up children gather during the first New Year's Day following their only son's death.
Release date: May 31
Rosa
Director: Maeng Gwan-pyo
Cast: Ruzmetova Dayana, Jo Ha-seok
Synopsis: 16-year-old Uzbeki ballet dancer Diana loses her chance at a scholarship as the iron curtain rolls back. She then goes to Korea with a stranger in the hope of following her dreams.
Release date: May
Tummy
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Director: Park Bo-sang
Cast: Cheon Ho-jin, Lee Mi-sook, Seo Yoon, Ye Hak-yeong
Synopsis: A sex comedy about a family's romantic entanglements.
Release date: May
This film was made in 2008 and is finally seeing the light of day.
Resources:
Asian Wiki
Daum
Han Cinema
KMDb
KOBIS
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.
Release date: May
This film was made in 2008 and is finally seeing the light of day.
Resources:
Asian Wiki
Daum
Han Cinema
KMDb
KOBIS
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.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Korean Box Office Update (04/27-04/29, 2012)
The Avengers Knocks Out the Competition
| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | The Avengers (us) | 4/26/12 | 64.30% | 1,342,576 | 1,636,182 | 963 |
| 2 | A Muse | 4/25/12 | 15.80% | 389,797 | 553,807 | 519 |
| 3 | Architecture 101 | 3/22/12 | 6.20% | 157,166 | 3,622,800 | 316 |
| 4 | The Scent | 4/11/12 | 4.70% | 115,110 | 1,090,057 | 296 |
| 5 | Battleship (us) | 4/11/12 | 3.50% | 90,458 | 2,171,337 | 299 |
| 6 | Crayon Shin-chan (jp) | 4/26/12 | 3.20% | 90,099 | 92,885 | 277 |
| 7 | Untouchable (fr) | 3/22/12 | 0.70% | 17,742 | 1,688,300 | 108 |
| 8 | Spring Snow | 4/26/12 | 0.20% | 6,330 | 11,238 | 117 |
| 9 | The Hunger Games (us) | 4/5/12 | 0.20% | 4,615 | 604,809 | 67 |
| 10 | Over My Dead Body | 3/29/12 | 0.10% | 3,626 | 982,185 | 42 |
Total admissions stood at an enormous 2.1 million which is among the biggest in the history of the market, it was also well over last year's 1.5 million when Thor (one of the many predecessors to The Avengers) opened. The Korean box office share took a big hit as it shrunk to 27%, which was a bit lower than 2011's 36%, but it will likely bounce back next weekend.
The Avengers 1,342,576 opening is huge but not a patch on last year's Transformers 3's opening bow, which stood at over two million. This early in the summer though it is a notable achievement and one must remember that The Avengers is not as popular or well known as in the United States. Given the film's positive reaction (Twitter netizens have been raving abut it) it should continue to play well but it will face some competition for the top spot next weekend in the form of a much anticipated Korean film. Though I wonder how much pent up demand was spent this past weekend. The good news is that this is definitely one of the biggest Hollywood films of the year so local fare may have to face much worse during the rest of the season. .jpg)
A Muse was the major opening Korean film this weekend and I've been wondering why they scheduled at the same time as such a gigantic Hollywood blockbuster. It had a fairly good opening with 389,797 but I imagine it would have done better without the extra competition. Awareness for this pic is high and though I have not yet read any reviews I imagine that it could play well throughout the rest of May.Architecture 101 stayed at number three but did drop around 40%. Its 157,166 frame is still very impressive given it is now in its sixth week. It will need a little more to push past the four million mark but I have a feeling that it won't quite make it that far.
Despite its increase last weekend, The Scent retreated this tie around as it lost over 60% of its business. It made 115,110 over the frame and has crossed the one million mark but will probably disappear from theatres very soon.Battleship, after two big weekends, sank suddenly as it shed over 80% of its audience for 90,458 over the three days. Clearly The Avengers was too much competition for it. This also does not bode well for its stateside release.
The new Crayon Shin-chan anime film had an okay start with 90,099 while French hit Untouchable finally took a tumble as it lost most of its business, leaving it with 17,742.
Spring Snow, the other Korean film opening wide this weekend had a disastrous start this weekend as it attracted only 6,330 viewers. I'm not surprised really as even for fans of family melodrama I can't see much appeal in this one.The Hunger Games and Over My Dead Body were almost wiped out as they both lost over 90% for 4,615 and 3,626 respectively, the latter has likely missed its chance at getting past the one million mark.
Next week we'll see if The Avengers keeps its crown or hands it over to As One, the most anticipated Korean film of the year to date. It has a chance but I think the band of superheroes will be taking a second victory lap. I'm also curious to see if A Muse can improve on this week's performance.
Source: kobis.or.kr
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 Sunday evening or 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.
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