WKR: Confession of Murder, Pieta and More (12/08-12/14, 2012)

A trove of past Korean films reviewed in this week's roundup, along with a pair of writeups on Kim Ki-duk's Pieta and more.

CURRENT FILMS

Confession of Murder

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 13, 2012)

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Confession of Murder (내가 살인범이다, Naega Salinbeomida) 2012

The sound of torrential rain beating down during a pitch black night can be heard along with the heavy footfalls of boots stamping on the wet ground. The atmosphere is pregnant with a sense of unease; menace and frustration linger in the air. A weary and despondent detective chases after a despicable man: a monster with the blood of young women on his hands. But the lawman’s pursuit will prove fruitless, as this faceless ghost will vanish into thin air and into the forgotten recesses of history.

Such a passage could easily describe any number of narratives that have cropped up in all kinds of mediums across the world. As far as Korean cinema is concerned, it quickly brings to mind a handful of powerful works whose import cannot be dismissed in any serious consideration of the nation’s cinematic output. Chief among them is Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder (2003), a transcendent genre piece that captured the anxiety and trauma of an entire nation and which is for many, including myself, the single greatest work that the country has ever produced. Another would be Na Hong-jin’s blistering The Chaser (2008), which deliberately trampled over every generic convention it could find and forged a new direction for one of the world’s most dynamic film industries in the process.

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KBO: 26 Years Steady at No.1 (12/07-12/09, 2012)

26 Years Steady at No.1

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	26 Years	11/29/12	31.10%	606,877	1,815,877	610
2	My P.S. Partner	12/6/12	25.40%	473,527	565,557	553
3	Rise of the Guardians (us)	11/29/12	13.60%	258,352	677,900	430
4	Werewolf Boy (Director's Cut)	10/31/12	8.10%	164,554	183,029	278
5	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	5.20%	104,602	2,578,609	305
6	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	5.10%	95,262	2,648,477	281
7	Tone Deaf Clinic	11/29/12	2.00%	42,000	303,714	212
8	Masquerade	9/13/12	1.60%	32,353	12,227,303	97
9	Don't Cry Mommy	11/22/12	1.30%	26,550	956,740	201
10	Judge Dredd (us)	12/6/12	1.40%	26,402	34,731	184

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WKR: Current Release and Much More (12/01-12/07, 2012)

Even spread of write-ups this week covering old and new releases.

UPCOMING FILMS

Tumbleweed

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 6, 2012)

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WKR: Eungyo, Taste of Money and LeeSong Hee-il in the Spotlight (11/24-11/30, 2012)

A number of current releases covered this week, including three films by LeeSong Hee-il as well as writeups the LKFF selection Eungyo, the recently-released Taste of Money, and a pair of favorable reviews from Variety's Maggie Lee.

UPCOMING FILMS

Pluto

(Variety, November 25, 2012)

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KBO: A Werewolf Boy Claims 4th Win During Crowded Weekend (11/23-11/25, 2012)

A Werewolf Boy Claims 4th Win During Crowded Weekend

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	24.80%	550,880	6,015,700	595
2	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	21.50%	468,965	1,940,783	536
3	Don't Cry Mommy	11/22/12	19.20%	425,916	538,138	444
4	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	15.10%	310,819	2,109,450	382
5	National Security	11/22/12	6.90%	147,759	188,020	310
6	Masquerade	9/13/12	2.80%	62,631	12,064,506	166
7	Rise of the Guardians (us)	11/29/12	2.80%	50,523	56,850	197
8	Iron Bag Man	11/22/12	1.20%	26,250	42,208	119
9	Tone Deaf Clinic	11/29/12	1.20%	25,876	42,251	203
10	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	1.10%	23,232	2,349,440	122

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KBO: Werewolf Boy Fights Off Twilight For Third Win (11/16-11/18, 2012)

Werewolf Boy Fights Off Twilight For Third Win

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	34.40%	901,842	5,093,692	678
2	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	34.60%	880,700	1,080,756	665
3	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	17.20%	416,119	1,538,341	388
4	Code Name: Jackal	11/15/12	4.10%	109,017	141,284	301
5	Masquerade	9/13/12	3.80%	98,383	11,933,678	283
6	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	2.70%	69,181	2,285,115	239
7	Sinister (us)	11/15/12	1.10%	26,386	33,809	183
8	Upside Down (us)	11/8/12	0.40%	11,328	169,384	107
9	Jungle Emperor Leo (jp)	11/8/12	0.30%	9,984	38,984	56
10	Brave (us)	9/27/12	0.20%	5,424	1,228,682	34

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WKR: Current Korean Hits, LKFF and Classic Film Reviews (11/10-11/16, 2012)

Lots of reviews in from the LKFF and more than classic films reviewed than usual, thanks in large part to a big new update on koreanfilm.org.

CURRENT FILMS

A Werewolf Boy

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 12, 2012)

Confession of Murder

(Screen Daily, November 9, 2012)

Masquerade

(oriental nightmares, November 12, 2012)

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KBO: A Werewolf Boy Chews Up the Competition (11/09-11/11, 2012)

A Werewolf Boy Chews Up the Competition

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	A Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	51.70%	1,333,425	3,603,599	855
2	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	23.80%	567,631	725,877	548
3	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	8.90%	222,312	2,119,922	350
4	Masquerade	9/13/12	6.90%	174,674	11,734,840	317
5	Upside Down (us)	11/8/12	3.70%	93,968	126,282	308
6	Now Is Good (uk)	11/8/12	1.10%	26,495	34,742	142
7	Jungle Emperor Leo (jp)	11/8/12	0.90%	25,189	25,725	159
8	Perfect Number	10/18/12	0.90%	22,622	1,534,523	192
9	Argo (us)	10/31/12	0.60%	14,519	128,393	121
10	Brave (us)	9/27/12	0.40%	9,711	1,222,736	58

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KBO: Werewolf Boy Opens Big, Masquerade All-time No. 5 (11/02-11/04, 2012)

Werewolf Boy Opens Big, Masquerade All-time No. 5

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	48.70%	1,030,285	1,294,479	707
2	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	22.80%	459,005	1,694,359	581
3	Masquerade	9/13/12	13.10%	272,736	11,418,849	404
4	Perfect Number	10/18/12	5.30%	108,248	1,462,108	316
5	Argo (us)	10/31/12	2.70%	56,647	79,989	238
6	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	2.60%	49,809	59,519	214
7	Brave (us)	9/27/12	1.00%	23,145	1,211,560	106
8	Almost Che	10/25/12	1.00%	21,287	215,887	195
9	The Peach Tree	10/31/12	0.70%	13,980	24,048	201
10	Savages (us)	10/31/12	0.40%	8,340	13,278	171

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