Thanks for your understanding!
CURRENT FILMS
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Masquerade
Showing posts with label blind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blind. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2012
WKR: Masquerade and Coverage from MoMA's Yeonghwa Screenings (09/22-09/28, 2012)
Sorry for the delay for this week's Korean review round-up. I'm transitioning from on job to another, moving out of my apartment, and getting ready for Busan. On that note, there will be no weekly updates during the festival, they will be retroactively added later in October.
Thanks for your understanding!
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Thanks for your understanding!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Yeonghwa: Korean Cinema Today 2012 - Blind (블라인드, Beulraindeu) 2011
Part of MKC's coverage of the 3rd Yeonghwa: Korean Cinema Today event at NY's Museum of Modern Art. (previously published).
First impressions are important and as film viewers we are particularly prone to making rash decisions based upon the opening moments of anything we watch. This is perhaps even more important in this day and age as multimedia is so readily accessible. Our already short attention spans are dwindling ever further as we can easily switch between TV channels, on demand, stored digital, and portable media. Those first few minutes of a film can dispense a large volume of information but even so, they cannot always prepare you for what you are going to see. Opening scenes are important but not every kind of film can benefit from a flashy beginning.
One of this year’s most successful Korean films, Blind does not get off to the greatest start and blunders on through the first act with heavy feet, trampling through the early stages of the plot. Subtlety is not the film’s strong suit and the quicker this is accepted, the better. Once I got used to the heavy-handedness of the proceedings I was able to enjoy myself but the film walks a dangerous line from the start. It doesn’t really announce itself properly and seems like a relatively sober affair at first, it is only as it continues in unsubtle fashion and when things become even more ridiculous that you begin to understand the intent of the film, which is to be a trashy and entertaining potboiler. It does succeed on that last count, but it takes a while to get there and is not without its fair share of problems.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (04/28 - 05/04, 2012)
More review this week for My Way, various films screened at the Udine Far East Film Festival and Song Il-gon features from the KCCUK's retrospective.
FUTURE RELEASES
Dangerously Excited
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Udine Far East Film Festival Day VIII Report
Ongoing reports on the 14th Udine International Film Festival which Modern Korean Cinema will be covering onsite.
Splendid Outing
(South Korea, 1978)
The second Kim Soo-young film of the retrospective (after Night Journey, 1977), Splendid Outing was a fantastic island drama that was almost a horror in its design. It’s also seem to be a huge influence of one of the best Korean films of the last few years, Jang Chul-soo’s Bedevilled (2010).
The film’s central protagonist is a successful businesswoman, which is an anomaly in 1970s Korea. She owns a high rise, has a big office and seems respected by all of her peers. She has two children but doesn’t seem to have much time for them. Early on in the film the pressure starts to get to her and she takes a trip down to the South in her car, at which point she is swallowed up by a mob in coastal town, abducted and brought to an isolated island where she is given to a man who believes that she is his wife.
Once again, notions of female identity in contemporaneous Korea dominate. Is she being punished for not conforming to the standard role of a woman? The abundant power she holds is instantly stripped from her and after neglecting her duties as a mother in the home she is forced to care for a new offspring and has no means of escape.
Of course the traditional position of woman in society also comes under the microscope as she is literally stripped of all her freedom and forced to debase herself. She is beaten and people ridicule her when she tries to explain who she is. Like a number of other Korean films, old and new, the main character is transplanted from a comfortable urban environment to a rural one. The islands in Iodo (1977), Splendid Outing and Bedevilled, as well as the villages in Bestseller (2010) and Moss (2010) are presented as spaces of horror, where dogmatic traditionalism or religion lead to horrific acts of abuse.
One of my favorite films of retrospective and the festival, Splendid Outing is a classic Korean film that could win over many spectators if given the chance.
A Woman Chasing a Killer Butterfly
(South Korea, 1978)
This bizarre effort from Kim Ki-young was loved by some and derided by others but it is certainly one of the week’s films that elicited the strongest response. A Woman Chasing a Killer Butterfly (aka Killer Butterfly) seems like a cultish B-movie but it also has many philosophical overtones as it references Nietzsche and other works, including Leni Riefenstahl’s infamous Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will (1934).
I won’t bother providing a synopsis because to be honest I wasn’t really sure what was going on most of the time. The film seemed relatively clear at first as it went through two pseudo-chapters but its third section, which swallowed most of the narrative, lost me completely. I was frustrated not to understand what as going on but I was never bored. Killer Butterfly is furiously inventive and often hilarious though this is not always intentional and poor subtitles from an old copy didn’t help matters.
Compared to Kim’s other films I was surprised at the lack of a polished mise-en-scene, which leads me to imagine that this was made in a rush. This would also explain the choppy plotting and uneven pacing. That said, I will definitely give this another chance some day, if I’m presented with the opportunity, as I think there was much that I didn’t catch during this viewing.
Afro Tanaka
(Japan, 2012)
I’ve been lucky to see some wonderful Japanese comedies this week, including Sukiyaki (2011) and The Woodsman and the Rain (2011), but it’s true that sometimes, Japanese humour can be a little dry. The films of Miki Satoshi (In the Pool, 2005; Adrift in Tokyo, 2007), which I had a chance to see earlier this year at the East Winds Festival, walk a dangerously fine line but just about get away with it. Afro Tanaka has a lot of charm and is frequently inventive but it pushes this style of comedy to an extreme and at times it was too much for me handle. However, the audience in the theater certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves and true enough the film has many laugh out loud moments so perhaps this just wasn’t one for me.
Tanaka is a young man with an enormous afro who has yet to have a girlfriend. He is invited to the wedding of a childhood friend and must now find a companion so as not to lose face.
I couldn’t quite make sense of the ridiculous afro, it was funny for a moment but over the course of the film, which stretched to nearly two hours, it starts to become a bit of an eyesore. The script contents itself with situational comedy for the most part which is a shame as I think some more focus on the characters and a stronger plot may have yielded a much stronger film.
The Bounty
(Hong Kong, 2012)
This HK movie world premiere was attended by director Fung Chih-chiang as well as the producer, costume designer, production designer as well as a co-star. An action-comedy about a bounty hunter tracking down a fugitive on a little island in Hong Kong, The Bounty had its moments but was not a satisfying effort. Chapman To, the star, was hilarious but this pales in comparison to his performance in Vulgaria (2012). There wasn’t much to the plot which in and of itself isn’t really a problem for this kind of a narrative but it dragged on for far too long. There was a clear ending point which seemed to work quit well but then the film trundled along for another half an hour which really spoiled it.
Maybe the film would have played better if it had remained a straight comedy but as it stands its slide into melodrama was poorly conceived and killed any momentum that the film had built early on. There were elements of the film I liked, the comedy mostly worked in the early stages and as already mentioned Chapman To was good, he’s a very reliable performer in this type of role, but overall this is not a film I could recommend to anybody besides diehard HK film fans.
Blind
(South Korea, 2011)
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.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Blind (블라인드, Beulraindeu) 2011
|
| The none-too-subtle opening sequence |
First impressions are important and as film viewers we are particularly prone to making rash decisions based upon the opening moments of anything we watch. This is perhaps even more important in this day and age as multimedia is so readily accessible. Our already short attention spans are dwindling ever further as we can easily switch between TV channels, on demand, stored digital, and portable media. Those first few minutes of a film can dispense a large volume of information but even so, they cannot always prepare you for what you are going to see. Opening scenes are important but not every kind of film can benefit from a flashy beginning.
One of this year’s most successful Korean films, Blind does not get off to the greatest start and blunders on through the first act with heavy feet, trampling through the early stages of the plot. Subtlety is not the film’s strong suit and the quicker this is accepted, the better. Once I got used to the heavy-handedness of the proceedings I was able to enjoy myself but the film walks a dangerous line from the start. It doesn’t really announce itself properly and seems like a relatively sober affair at first, it is only as it continues in unsubtle fashion and when things become even more ridiculous that you begin to understand the intent of the film, which is to be a trashy and entertaining potboiler. It does succeed on that last count, but it takes a while to get there and is not without its fair share of problems.
Min Soo-ah (Kim Ha-enul) is a young trainee at the police academy and she barges in on an informal dance show and corners her brother, whom she chastises and more or less drags out by the ear. He is cuffed to the door of the passenger seat of a police van as they bicker, presumably on the way to bring him home. To cut a long story short: they crash, he dies because he is handcuffed, and she loses her sight. Flashforward a few years later and she is still adjusting to the life of the visually-impaired and carrying a lot of guilt over her brother’s death. One night she gets in a taxi, or at least she thinks she does, and the driver hits someone and assuming she can’t tell the difference, tries to cover it up then swiftly disappears. Equipped with her heightened hearing as well as her intuition and cleverness she tries to help scruffy Detective Jo (Jo Hee-bong) at the local police station track him down. A youth called Gi-seob (Yoo Seung-ho) comes forward with some information but is dismissed as an opportunist out for some reward money. They soon realize he was telling the truth and he becomes a part of the investigation. Little do they know that are in fact tracking a serial killer.
 |
| Gi-seob (Yoo Eung-ho), the brother stand-in |
Although it starts with a big dollop of melodrama, Blind mainly indulge in dribs and drabs. In fact most of the melodrama that appears in the film relates to that opening scene. Gi-seob serves as a stand-in for Min’s deceased brother and his relationship with her mainly serves as an instrument for her to forgive herself for her sibling’s untimely passing. There are a lot of none-too-subtle parallelisms linking Gi-seob and her brother and as a result things play out exactly as you would expect them to. More glaring is the manipulative sentimentality on display courtesy of Min’s guide dog Wisdom who provides a connection to the world for her. Besides being cute and protective he will serve one unavoidable purpose which for me amounts to no more than a cheap trick.
Blind features a number of remarkable similarities to the much superior The Chaser (2008): the principal protagonists both used to be in law enforcement; nighttime chase sequences through decrepit but stylistically lit alleys abound; the villain in both is an amoral serial killer of young women; and the leads don’t realize that they are chasing a serial killer until about the halfway mark. The tone is admittedly quite different but there is a surprising amount of common ground all the same and it hardly seems coincidental. Of course it is only natural to ‘borrow’ from something that is proven to work (The Chaser sold over 5 million tickets domestically).
While I certainly enjoyed Blind, the fact that it won both best actress for Kim Ha-neul and best script for Choi Min-suk at the recent ‘Daejong Film Awards’ is ludicrous. Kim’s performance, while adequate, certainly did not feature the kind of measured, nuanced acting that typically receives such accolades. In fact, her performance as a blind woman was about as subtle as a brick through a window. Similarly, Choi’s script managed to holds its elements in place but it lacks any real intrigue or originality, besides the gimmickry, which I admit that I enjoyed. Once again his slightness of touch reminded of a guerilla in a china shop. I don’t mind campy films, though I find it odd to see them recompensed at industry awards. What I do need is for the filmmakers to tell me that I am watching one, not to have me suss it out at the tail end of the second act.
Besides a strong supporting turn from Jo Hee-bong, a fantastic subway chase sequence that could double as a 10-minute ad for the iPhone, and a few clever investigatory tricks, Blind often fails to impress. However its gusto is admirable and if you catch it in the right frame of mind you may end up really enjoying yourself.
★★★☆☆
 |
| Sentiment is cheap |
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.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Preview: 14th Udine Far East Film Festival
This Friday, the 14th Udine Far East Film Festival gets underway presenting one of the best lineups of Asian cinema to be found outside of the continent. MKC will be onsite covering the event though since I only get there on Sunday night I will have missed the first few days, which sadly include some of the films I was most excited about. Long have I known about the FEFF and wanted to go so I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to attend this year and sample the many films on offer.
Unlike last month's excellent Fribourg International Film Festivsl, which MKC also covered, the FEFF's programme is much more closely aligned to this site's focus, namely Korean cinema. In the standard section of the festival, which encompasses the majority of the films, there will be ten Korean films presented. Outside of this there are an additional ten films selected in the 'Darkest Decade: Korean Filmmakers in the 1970s' sidebar, curated by Darcy Paquet.
Among the remaining 40-odd films there is a lot I'm looking forward to. One film that jumped out to me was Seediq Bale (2011), the Taiwanese epic but unfortunately that will be playing before I arrive. There are a few Hiroki Ryuichi (The Egoists, 2010; River, 2012) and Pang Ho-cheung (Love In a Puff, 2010; Love in the Buff, 2012; Vulgaria, 2012) films I will checking out as well as offering from all over Asia like Malaysia (Songlap, 2011), Thailand (It Gets Better, 2011), Philippines (6 Degrees of Separation From Lilia Cuntapay, 2011), Hong Kong (The Bounty, 2012; The Viral Factor, 2012) and Japan (Sukiyaki, 2011; The Woodsman and the Rain, 2011).
New Korean Films
Kicking off the festival will be the popular Korean hit Sunny (2011) which has been winning over audiences the world over. In attendance will be director Kang Hyeong-cheol and producer Lee Anna. Also playing will be Dangerously Excited (2012), the only Korean film on the program that has yet to be released in theatres. I was also dangerously excited for this until I realised that I won't be there for it.
Not to worry though as I will get the chance to see Unbowed (2012) and Punch (2011) on the big screen. I have seen the other new Korean films and it's a strong selection, particularly with the presence of Moby Dick (2011) and Silenced (2011), though I was surprised to see Perfect Partner (2011) included. Below are MKC's available reviews for the selection:
Darkest Decade: Korean Filmmakers in the 1970s
The most exciting thing about this year's FEFF for me is without a doubt this retrospective of 1970s Korean cinema. Heavyweights of classic Korean cinema Im Kwon-taek, Kim Ki-young, Kim Soo-yong and Yu Hyun-mok are all featured twice and make this sidebar a must.
I'll be leaving from Switzerland at 7am by train on Sunday and should arrive about 12 hours later in Udine after a stop in Milan. I'm dying to get there and if you will also be making your way to the festival, please don't hesitate to contact me (pierceconran [at] modernkoreancinema [dot] com).
Full Programme
FEFF Preview
Day IV Report
Day V Report
Day VI Report
Day VII Report
Day VIII Report
Day IX Report
Final Thoughts, Top 10 and Awards
Blind (블라인드, Beulraindeu) 2011
Dangerously Excited (나는 공무원이다, Naneun Gongmoowonida) 2012
Disney, Nostalgia, and Politics in Sunny (써니, Sseo-ni) 2011
Moby Dick (모비딕, Mo-bi-dik) 2011
Penny Pinchers (티끌모아 로맨스, Ti-kkeul-mo-a Ro-maen-seu) 2011
The Front Line (고지전, Gojijeon) 2011
Unbowed (부러진 화살, Bureojin Hwasal) 2012un
FEFF Preview
Day IV Report
Day V Report
Day VI Report
Day VII Report
Day VIII Report
Day IX Report
Final Thoughts, Top 10 and Awards
Blind (블라인드, Beulraindeu) 2011
Dangerously Excited (나는 공무원이다, Naneun Gongmoowonida) 2012
Disney, Nostalgia, and Politics in Sunny (써니, Sseo-ni) 2011
Moby Dick (모비딕, Mo-bi-dik) 2011
Penny Pinchers (티끌모아 로맨스, Ti-kkeul-mo-a Ro-maen-seu) 2011
The Front Line (고지전, Gojijeon) 2011
Unbowed (부러진 화살, Bureojin Hwasal) 2012un
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.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (04/07-04/13, 2012)
More great reviews this week and I imagine we'll see a lot more next friday once the writeups start flowing in from the current Terracotta Far East Film Festival.
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.
CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES
(Time Magazine, April 10, 2012)
RECENT RELEASES
(London Korean Links, April 13, 2012)
(Hangul Celluloid, April 7, 2012)
Blind
(Init_Scenes, April 12, 2012)
(The One One Four, April 13, 2012)
(Oriental Nightmares, April 11, 2012)
(Drama Beans, April 11, 2012)
(Modern Korean Cinema, April 13, 2012)
(London Korean Links, April 13, 2012)
(Flixist, April 10, 2012)
(Tweeten Goes Korea, April 10, 2012)
(Beyond Hollywood, April 9, 2012)
Silenced
(Modern Korean Cinema, April 12, 2012)
(japancinema.net, April 12, 2012)
(koreanfilm.org, 2012)
PAST FILMS
Ditto, 2000
(Init_Scenes, April 7, 2012)
Flower Island, 2001
(Otherwhere, April 11, 2012)
Heartbreak Library, 2008
(Init_Scenes, April 10, 2012)
Once in a Summer, 2006
(jediprincess, April 12, 2012)
(An Online Universe, April 11, 2012)
Postman to Heaven, 2009
(Korean Grindhouse, April 10, 2012)
(Cinemalacrum, April 10, 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.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (03/10-03/16, 2012)
Another huge Weekly Review Round-up as the Korean blogathon came to an end. A great wealth of films covered stretching across every time, genre and style you could imagine.
Enjoy!
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.
Enjoy!
CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES
(The One One Four, March 14, 2012)
(Scene in Korea, March 9, 2012)
(hancinema.net, March 10, 2012)
(Scene in Korea, March 10, 2012)
RECENT RELEASES
(Unseen Films, March 10, 2012)
Blind
(We Eat Lemon, March 10, 2012)
(Film in Asian, March 12, 2012)
(cineAWESOME!, March 11, 2012)
(VCinema, March 9, 2012)
(Unseen Films, March 11, 2012)
(Far East Films, March 11, 2012)
(KOFFIA Blog, March 11, 2012)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, March 13, 2012)
(Unseen Films, March 10, 2012)
(Hangul Celluloid, March 10, 2012)
(YAM Magazine, March 11, 2012)
(The Montreal Gazette, March 8, 2012)
(Init_Scenes, March 13, 2012)
The Yellow Sea
War of the Arrows
PAST FILMS
200 Pounds Beauty, 2006
(YAM Magazine, March 11, 2012)
A Bittersweet Life, 2005
Ad Lib Night, 2006
(Flying Guillotine, March 8, 2012)
Another Public Enemy, 2005
(Rainy Day Movies 9, 2012)
Bad Guy, 2001
(Next Projection, March 12, 2012)
Christmas in August, 1998
(We Eat Lemon, March 10, 2012)
Dream, 2008
(Next Projection, March 13, 2012)
Duelist, 2005
(Rainy Day Movies 7, 2012)
Epitaph, 2007
(VCinema, March 8, 2012)
Haeundae, 2009
(Hong Kong Rewind, March 9, 2012)
Hansel and Gretel, 2007
(Orion's Ramblings, March 11, 2012)
In Between Days, 2006
(Podcasts Without Honor and Humanity, March 9, 2012)
Life Is Cool, 2008
(Unseen Films, March 9, 2012)
M, 2007
(Rainy Day Movies 7, 2012)
Marathon, 2005
Mother, 2009
(At the Cinema, March 11, 2012)
My Dear Enemy, 2008
(Unseens Films, March 11, 2012)
My Heart Beats, 2009
(Korean Grindhouse, March 5, 2012)
Nowhere to Hide, 1999
(Rainy Day Movies 7, 2012)
Oasis, 2002
(Rainy Day Movies 8, 2012)
Oishii Man, 2008
(Podcasts Without Honor and Humanity, March 6, 2012)
Peppermint Candy, 1999
(Rainy Day Movies 8, 2012)
Public Enemy, 2002
(Rainy Day Movies 9, 2012)
Public Enemy Returns, 2008
(Rainy Day Movies 9, 2012)
Rikidozan, 2004
(VCinema, March 11, 2012)
Sky Blue, 2003
(VCinema, March 9, 2012)
(Greetings From Movie City, March 8, 2012)
(Oriental Film House, March 10, 2012)
Tigresses, 1977
(Planet Choco Zine, March 9, 2012)
Time, 2006
(Next Projection, March 11, 2012)
Truck, 2007
(Unseen Films, March 9, 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.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Weekly Review Round-up (12/17-12/23, 2011)
A pair of reviews for the Kim Jong-il produced godzilla propaganda film Pulgasari (1985) this week and a huge amount of writeups from Hanguk Yeonghwa and Connor McMorran who recently wrapped up his fantastic Kim Ki-duk week. A variety of other reviews for films, past and present, were also published this week.
CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES
(Film Journal, December 20, 2011)
(The Korea Times, December 22, 2011)
RECENT RELEASES
(Korean Class Massive, December 18, 2011)
(Otherwhere, December 23, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 11, 2011)
(Modern Korean Cinema, December 20, 2011)
Poetry
(Modern Korean Cinema, December 22, 2011)
Suicide Forecast
(The One One Four, December 20, 2011)
(hancinema.net, December 17, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 19, 2011)
PAST FILMS
3-Iron, 2004
(Rainy Day Movies, December 17, 2011)
Breath, 2007
(Rainy Day Movies, December 19, 2011)
Double Agent, 2003
(Hangul Celluloid, December 21, 2011)
Dream, 2008
(Rainy Day Movies, December 19, 2011)
(My Film Views, December 20, 2011)
Memento Mori, 1999
(Subtitles Online, December 15, 2011)
Oldboy, 2003
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 12, 2011)
Pulgasari, 1985 - North Korean
Samaritan Girl, 2004
(Rainy Day Movies, December 18, 2011)
The Bow, 2006
(Rainy Day Movies, December 18, 2011)
The Evil Twin, 2007
(Init_Scenes, December 21, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 16, 2011)
The Host, 2006
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 10, 2011)
The King and the Clown, 2005
(Init_Scenes, December 20, 2011)
Time, 2006
(Rainy Day Movies, December 19, 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.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Weekly Review Round-up (11/26-12/02, 2011)
A number of high-profile reviews for Na Hong-jin's sophomore feature The Yellow Sea as it opens in major cities across the US. A number of new of other pieces including on current Korean hits Punch and SIU.
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.
CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES
(Joong Ang Daily, December 2, 2011)
(abs-cbnnews.com, November 28, 2011)
(The Korea Times, December 2, 2011)
RECENT RELEASES
Blind
(Modern Korean Cinema, November 29, 2011)
(Flight of the Fangirl, November 27, 2011)
(Anikor, November 28, 2011)
(Seen in Jeonju, November 30, 2011)
Poetry
(Film Business Asia, November 27, 2011)
(Film Business Asia, November 27, 2011)
The Cat
(hancinema.net, November 26, 2011)
The Yellow Sea
PAST FILMS
Going By the Book, 2007
(searchindia.com, November 29, 2011)
Heaven's Postman, 2009
(Otherwhere, November 30, 2011)
Into the White Night, 2009
(iloveasian-movies.blogpsot.com, November 30, 2011)
Secret Sunshine, 2007
(japancinema.net, December 1, 2011)
(Cine-International, December 1, 2011)
The Fox With Nine Tails, 1994
(Hangul Celluloid, December 2, 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.
Friday, November 25, 2011
32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards
When I covered the 'Daejong' awards last month my analysis was somewhat impaired by the fact that I hadn't seen many of the main contenders. Thankfully, in the time since, I have managed to catch up. Out of the films that scored three or more nominations, I have only War of the Arrows and Silenced left to see, both of which I am looking forward to.
There was not a great deal of difference between the nominations for both events. The Front Line led both with the same amount (12). Silenced was the main difference as it scored 7 nominations, it received none at Daejong as it it was not eligible, having been released too late. The Yellow Sea wound up with half the nominations it garnered at last month's event (5 vs. 9), and Hindsight was almost completely shut out (1 vs. 5). Besides that, the main change was a slightly less even distribution outside of the top six or seven contenders.
This year, the most nominated films were (wins in parentheses):
The Front Line - 12 (2)
War of the Arrows - 8 (5)
Sunny - 8 (0)
Silenced - 7 (1)
The Unjust - 6 (3)
The Yellow Sea - 5 (1)
Blind - 4 (1)
Petty Romance - 4 (0)
Bleak Night - 3 (2)
Detective K - 2 (0)
Hello Ghost - 2 (0)
Late Autumn - 2 (0)
The Journals of Musan - 2 (0)
As I mentioned in last month's analysis, this year's roster of films duking it out for the major awards has been poorer than usual. It has by no means been a bad year for Korean cinema as there have been numerous strong mid-level entries but, without a great many offerings from marquee names like Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Kim Jee-woon, Im Sang-soo, or Lee Chang-dong, there have been relatively few breakout films that have made big impressions on critics. In terms of audiences though 2011 looks to be the best year since the peak of 2006. Both Sunny and War of the Arrows played long in theaters and attracted over 7 million admissions, well over what was expected of them. Similarly, the controversial Silenced and the enjoyable but unambitious Detective K both nearly broke the 5 million admissions mark. Punch, which came out too late to be considered for either of this year's awards looks set to cruise past that mark and may reach further milestones as it shows no signs of abating just yet at the Korean box office.
Jang Hoon's The Front Line came in as a heavy favorite, with 12 nominations and having already bagged the top prizes at the Daejong Awards and the Critics' Film Awards, as well being selected to represent Korea at the Oscars. In the end it lost out in all of the major categories and only picked up two technical awards, for Best Art Design, which it wasn't even nominated for at 'Daejong', and for Best Cinematography, which it also won last month. Personally I don't think it deserved that last award as I belive many films featured stronger cinematography this year, including some that weren't even nominated such as Late Blossom and Moby Dick.
The surprise big winner tonight, to my delight, was Ryoo Seung-wan's excellent The Unjust which deservedly took the awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. In the Best Film category it routed some stiff competition from the heavily favored The Front Line and from the immensely popular Sunny, which, despite being loved by critics and audiences alike, has failed to score many accolades (save for Best Director at the 'Daejong Awards') this awards season, and War of the Arrows.
Ryoo Seung-wan's Best Director win was equally impressive. While the nominees were identical to the Best Film category, which is quite common, the last time a film has won both awards at a major awards show was Na Hong-jin's The Chaser back in 2008 at Daejong.
Park Hoon-jun walked away with the Best Screenplay prize after the tacky (but enjoyable) Blind had bizarrely picked it up last month. However, it must be said that in a recent interview with Paul Quinn over at Hangul Celluloid, Ryoo Seung-wan did mention that "I changed the script entirely according to my own style but, in truth, I never actually saw the version that Hoon-jung wrote, and I still haven’t seen it. It had been through the hands of many other writers who had been adapting it and it was only at that point that I saw the script." Park also wrote last year's popular I Saw the Devil.
Park Hae-il won Best Actor for War of the Arrows, as he did last month, against heavy competition from Kim Yun-seok (The Yellow Sea) and Ko Soo (The Front Line) but I think many great performance were shut out of this category like Lee Soo-jae in Late Blossom (who was nominated at 'Daejong') or Hwang Jeong-min in both The Unjust and Moby Dick.
Repeating her Daejong success, Kim Na-heul picked up the Best Actress prize for Blind. Frankly I don't understand this decision at all, her performance is passable but nothing very noteworthy. Kim Hye-soo (Villain and Widow) or Yun So-jeong (Late Blossom), who sadly wasn't nominated, would have been more deserving.
The fantastic veterans Ryoo Seung-ryong (War of the Arrows) and Kim Soo-mi (Late Blossom) were awarded the supporting actor prizes for their roles. Ryoo in particular had to fend off some strong competition from Yu Hae-jin (The Unjust) and Jo Sung-ha (The Yellow Sea), though I was disappointed that Kim Sang-ho didn't get a nod for his fantastic turn in Moby Dick.
Bleak Night, which has been hoarding numerous awards these past few weeks, once again picked up prizes for Best New Director, for Yoon Sung-hyun, and Best New Actor, for Lee Je-hoon. Meanwhile Moon Chae-won was awarded Best New Actress for War of the Arrows.
The blockbuster War of the Arrows won the most prizes of the night (5) including the
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Movie and the
Best Technical Award for its action sequences. However its most impressive accomplishment was scoring three acting prizes, no mean feat for an action film!
Despite all of the hullaballoo and its 7 nominations, Silenced only picked up on award, for Best Music. The Yellow Sea was similarly unsuccessful with only one win for Best Lighting. Perhaps the biggest shock of the night was that the wonderful Sunny failed to win in any of the 8 categories it was nominated for.
The other awards went to Yanh Hyo-joo who won Best Short Film for Broken Night and Ko Soo, Gong Yoo, Choi Gang-Hee, and Kim Hye-Soo who shared the Popularity Award.
Petty Romance surprised with 4 nods though it didn't pick up any prizes and the huge critical darling The Journals of Musan was also unable to convert either of its nominations into wins at tonight's ceremony.
Just as I was about to write off this year's Korean film industry awards, the Blue Dragon's managed to surprise me by awarding a great film (The Unjust) some richly deserved accolades. By and large however, the awards show's nominees and winners were often short-sighted, perplexing, and not very evenly distributed. Though I must confess that I am looking forward to seeing what will be in the mix next year.
32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards Winners and Nominees:
Nominees:
Silenced
War of the Arrows
Best Director
Best Director
Winner:
Kim Han-min (War of the Arrows)
Ryoo Seung-wan (The Unjust)
Jang Hun (The Front Line)
Hwang Dong-hyuk (Silenced)
Best Actor
Winner:
Best Actor
Winner:
Gong Yoo (Silenced)
Kim Yun-seok (The Yellow Sea)
Park Hae-il (War of the Arrows)
Kim Hye-soo (Villain and Widow)
Jung Yu-mi (Silenced)
Choi Gang-hee (Petty Romance)
Wei Tang (Late Autumn)
Best Supporting Actor
Winner:
Best Supporting Actor
Winner:
Ryoo Seung-ryong (War of the Arrows)
Yu Hae-jin (The Unjust)
Jang Gwang (Silenced)
Jo Sung-ha (The Yellow Sea)
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Winner:
Kim Soo-mi (Late Blossom)
Nominees:
Nominees:
Kim Soo-mi (Late Blossom)
Ryoo Hyoun-kyoung (Petty Romance)
Yoo Sun (GLove)
Jang Yeong-nam (Hello Ghost)
Winner:
Lee Je-hoon (Bleak Night)
Nominees:
Nominees:
Park Jung-bum (The Journals of Musan)
Seo Jun-young (Bleak Night)
Song Yoo-ha (Petty Romance)
Lee David (The Front Line)
Winner:
Moon Chae-won (War of the Arrows)
Nominees:
Nominees:
Kang So-ra (Sunny)
Moon Chae-won (War of the Arrows)
Baek Jin-hee (Foxy Festival)
Shin Se-kyung (Hindsight)
You Da-in (Re-encounter)
Best New Director
Best New Director
Winner:
Yoon Sung-hyun (Bleak Night)
Nominees:
Nominees:
Kim Min-suk (Haunters)
Kim Young-tak (Hello Ghost)
Kim Jung-hoon (Petty Romance)
Park Jung-bum (The Journals of Musan)
Winner:
Kim Woo-hyung (The Front Line)
Nominees:
Nominees:
Kim Woo-hyung (The Front Line)
Kim Tae-sung (War of the Arrows)
Son Won-ho (Blind)
Lee Sung-jae (The Yellow Sea)
Winner:
Hwang Soon-wook (The Yellow Sea)
Nominees:
Nominees:
Winner:
Silenced
Late Autumn
Best Art Design
Best Art Design
Winner:
Ryoo Sung-hee (The Front Line)
Nominees:
The Front Line
Sunny
The Yellow Sea
War of the Arrows
Detective K: Secret Of Virtuous Widow
Best Technical Award
Nominees:
The Front Line
Sunny
The Yellow Sea
War of the Arrows
Detective K: Secret Of Virtuous Widow
Best Technical Award
Winner:
Oh Se-young (War of the Arrows) (action)
Winner:
Park Hoon-jung (The Unjust)
Nominees:
Nominees:
Kang Hyung-chul (Sunny)
Park Sang-yeon (The Front Line)
Park Hoon-jung (The Unjust)
Choi Min-suk (Blind)
Hwang Dong-hyuk (Silenced)
Best Short Film
Best Short Film
Winner:
Yang Hyo-joo (Broken Night)
Popularity Award
Winners:
Winners:
Ko Soo
Gong Yoo
Choi Gang-hee
Kim Hye-soo
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Movie
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Movie
Winner:
War of the Arrows
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