Review: UNWANTED BROTHER Puts Onus On Characters In Familiar Setting

By Pierce Conran

After nearly a decade away from the director's chair, Shim Kwang-jin returned with an unhurried take on a common tale of a lowlife manipulating those around him to pay a debt. Propped up by a few fresh spins on the well-trodden material and some earthy performances, Unwanted Brother is a worthwhile character study with subtle yet clear social overtones which debuted at the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2015.

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Review: ISLAND, An Elegiac Arthouse Mystery

By Pierce Conran

A man travels to Jeju Island, planning to kill himself in his grandparents' abandoned home, in the most intriguing Korean film to grace the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2015. A lushly filmed and thoroughly engrossing mystery channeling local family melodrama norms along with surprising genre tropes and themes of the loss in a hermetic urban society, Island is a deliberately paced and ambitious arthouse production from sophomore auteur Park Jin-seong.

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Review: Meditative POHANG HARBOR Doesn't Quite Connect

By Pierce Conran

In a country with so many hardships out in the open and an unspoken swell of pain swirling just beneath the surface, there needs to be a release valve for the frustrations of ordinary citizens. In Korea, that role is often taken on by cinema.

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News: 6 Korean Films Headed to Göteborg

The film festival train is back in full swing and the Göteborg International Film Festival, one of the first major events of the year, revealed its 38th program, which kicks off on January 23rd. As always, there will be a strong Korean presence in Sweden with six titles in the lineup this year.

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Busan 2014 Review: Epic And Austere, ALIVE Depicts Dark Days For Korean Laborers

Part of MKC's coverage of the 19th Busan International Film Festival

By Pierce Conran

Incessantly grim and pushing the three-hour mark, indie helmer Park Jung-bum's Alive is about as challenging a sophomore work as anyone could have dreamt up. And this from a man who debuted with the ferociously bleak The Journals of Musan (2011), a tale of a socially awkward North Korean defector unable to fit into his new surroundings, and whose sole companion, a stray dog, meets a untimely end, leaving his helpless master to fend for himself. Yet, just as that was a devastatingly effective silent wail, this latest work harnesses Park's boiling anger at the injustices that riddle Korean society to create an imposing and austere call to arms.

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Jeonju 2013: Experimental Echo of Dragon Explores Myths and Emotion (용문, 2013)

Part of MKC's coverage of the 14th Jeonju International Film Festival.

When it comes to what we expect to see on screen, it’s worth considering sometimes just how strict we can be. Though we demand filmmakers to be creative, our definition of originality is actually quite narrow. As the lights dim and projectors roll, we wait for characters to show up and guide us along through their world and regale, sadden or shock us with their stories. Like many others I often lament the lack of ingenuity that plagues much of modern cinema but stick me in front of a film that does away with all standard forms of narrative (as we know them today) and suddenly I’m at a loss to process what’s unspooling before me.

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Jeonju 2013: Lee Sang-woo's Thrilling EMERGENCY EXIT is a Poetic Gutpunch (비상구, 2013)

Every year, the Jeonju International Film Festival commissions a pair of omnibus features. The longest-running and most famous of these is the Jeonju Digital Project, which has featured a number of star Asian directors over the years. The other is the Short! Short! Short! series, which focuses on young Korean directors helming experimental works. This year’s edition of the latter featured three shorts and four directors tasked with adapting the works of popular local writer Kim Young-ha. Based on Kim’s idiosyncratic stories, the works, each original in their own right, all featured a strong sense of style. Of course, as with many omnibuses, they didn’t all hit the mark. Lee Sang-woo’s opening segment Emergency Exit was my favorite of the bunch and also the best thing I saw at Jeonju this year.

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Jeonju 2013: Lebanon Emotion (레바논 감정, 2013)

Part of MKC's coverage of the 14th Jeonju International Film Festival.

In the world of cinema, things aren’t always as they seem. A film presents itself to us in a certain way, its details on screen carefully selected by its director. The new Korean film Lebanon Emotion takes a risky approach with its narrative. It puts forward two main characters, immediately giving us a few details concerning their recent past. Beyond this, however, their backstories remain clouded and it becomes clear early on that the story may largely be allegorical. Mystery and surprise are among the most potent elements of any narrative, but too much (or too early) and they can have an adverse effect.

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Jeonju 2013: Cheer Up Mr. Lee (힘내세요, 병헌씨, 2012)

Part of MKC's coverage of the 14th Jeonju International Film Festival.

If you watch a lot of films, it’s hard not to get at least a little excited when a new film about filmmaking comes along. While not a golden recipe for surefire success, the subgenre yields a surprisingly strong crop of works, in part due to their self-deprecating nature. The Woodman and the Rain, This Is Not a Film and The Woman in the Septic Tank are among the many recent films to successfully go down this route. Not to mention that the old adage holds, you should write about what you know.

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Jeonju 2013: Groggy Summer (그로기 썸어, 2013)

Part of MKC's coverage of the 14th Jeonju International Film Festival.

As viewers, sometimes we take for granted the decisions made by filmmakers that affect their works. A lot is decided in pre-production and one particularly important element is a film’s shooting style. Outside of a few highly stylized works, the language that a film’s crew uses to tell a story is remarkably similar from film to film. A wide establishing shot opens a scene, mid-shots introduce characters and relationships, and close-ups get down to the nitty gritty of details and emotions. In fact, we’ve become so accustomed to this style of shooting that anything else is jarring.

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Jeonju 2013: December (디셈버, 2013)

Part of MKC's coverage of the 14th Jeonju International Film Festival.

These days, in a bid to stand out from a crowded field, a lot of young filmmakers experiment with their chronologies. While there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with form, it’s very important to have a strong narrative before playing around with it. Jeonju competition film December follows this trend, but does it get away it?

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KCN: The Thieves Cracks 10 Million and JIFF Gets a New Director (08/16-08/22, 2012)

The Thieves made history this week by becoming only the 6th Korean film to cross the 10 million admissions mark and is now bearing down on the all-time record. In other news, some important castings and appointments, not to mention some festival news, posters and box office.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

Samuel L. Jackson Steps Aboard Spike Lee's Oldboy

Veteran actor Samuel L. Jackson is the latest star to join the remake of Park Chan-wook's classic Oldboy (2003), which is being helmed by Spike Lee with Josh Brolin in the lead. Bruce Horsnby has also recently joined the cast. (Modern Korean Cinema, August 22, 2012)

The Thieves to Screen in Hong Kong from September
The summer blockbuster The Thieves will begin screening across Asia from next month. On Sept. 6, the movie will premiere in Hong Kong and Indonesia before opening in Singapore on the 13th, and Malaysia and Thailand in October and November. (Joong Ang Daily, August 22, 2012)

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Korean Cinema News (06/06-06/12, 2011)

News this week mainly focused around titles acquired for distribution and film festivals. No trailers but a few videos and the box office report.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

The Yellow Sea Acquired by Eureka for UK Distribution
UK distributor has picked up Na Hong-jin's sophomore feature and plans to release it on October 21st. There are still no plans for its release in the US, although Fox, which produced it, is expected to do so. (Twitch, June 6, 2011)

No Doubt Invited to Shanghai International Film Festival
Park Soo-yeong's new film No Doubt has been invited to the Shanghai International Film Festival which is taking place June 11-19. (Hancinema.net, June 6, 2011)

Cinema Guild Acquires US Rights to The Day He Arrives
Hong Sang-soo's latest film, which was well received when it played in the Un Certain Regard section of last month's Cannes, has been picked up for distribution in the US by Cinema Guild. (Indiewire.com, June 8, 2011)

Park Chan-wook Casts Matthew Goode in Stoker
Park Chan-wook's English-language debut has added Matthew Good to its cast. Colin Firth was originally attached to star in the picture with Mia Wasikowska. (The Belfast Telegraph, June 9, 2011)

Green Days: Dinosaur and I Reviewed
Anticipated Korean animation film Green Days: Dinosaur and I is reviewed by The Korea Times. The film is set to be released on June 23. (The Korea Times, June 9, 2011)

Horror Films Set to Invade Theaters This Summer
Korea's audiences are in for a scare or two this summer as numerous horror offerings are set to invade the multiplexes. Along with Hollywood's plate of scares, Korean horror will also make a splash this season with films such as White and The Cat. (Joong Ang Daily, June 10, 2011)

Zhang Jingchu to Promote Korea's Cultural Tourism
Korea’s Culture Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization have selected Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu as a goodwill ambassador in a bid to promote Korea's cultural tourism. (The Korea Herald, June 10, 2011)

CGV Develops 4D Cinema
Korea's CGV Cinemas has developed four-dimensional cinema technology which adds the sensation of smell to the moviegoing experience as well as moving seats, drops of water, and gushes of air. After a successful test screening of Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Cinepolis will open 11 4D theaters across Mexico. (Guadalajara Reporter, June 10, 2011)

VIDEOS

Video Report from The Jeonju Film Festival

Kevin Lee reports on Korean cinema in this video for Ebert at the Movies. While ostensibly from the Jeonju Film Festival, it is really just a basic primer on the basics of Korean cinema. (Ebert at the Movies, June 10, 2011)

Jang Jin on Korea's Got Talent Judging Panel

In a curious career move, respected director and screenwriter Jang Jin is currently on of the judges for Korea's got talent. For those interested parties, the above link leads to a recent video of the show, no subtitles. (Youtube.com, June 2011)

BOX OFFICE

Panda Hangs On to First Place
Kung Fu Panda 2 led the marketplace for a second week but saw its haul dwindle by two thirds, nevertheless it has accrued 4 million admissions to date. X-Men: First Class dropped a little less for an additional 320,000 tickets. Meanwhile, Sunny continues to impress with a small drop and 270,000 admissions. Moby Dick and White: The Melody of the Curse both opened this week to midlevel numbers around the 170,000 mark. (Hancinema.net, June 12, 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.

Korean Cinema News (04/25-05/01, 2011)

I moved this past week and was without internet and phone for a few days until a few moments ago, so I apologize for the delay in this cycle of industry news.  Some festival news, a couple of good features, box office analysis, and a couple of trailers make up this week's content.  Again sorry for this taking so long, next week I'll be back on track and this will be more thorough!

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

Could Hallyu Reunite the Korean Peninsula?

The Korean Wave (also known as Hallyu) has spent the last decade sweeping across Asia but could it now have seeped into North Korea.  A new report from two academics claims that it has, recent defectors have confirmed that people are purchasing films on the black market and tuning their sets illegally to view programming from below the border. Could this be a portend of things to come?  (Reuters, April 29, 2011)

Jeonju International Film Festival: What to Look Out For

The popular Jeonju International Film Festival got underway last Thursday.  Over at theoneonefour.com, Marc Raymond counts down his 10 most anticipated, including an early screening of Bela Tarr's new and perhaps final film, The Turin Horse, a Lee Myung-se retrospective, and much more.  (theoneonefour.com, April 26, 2011)

Veteran Actor Kim In-moon Succumbs to Cancer

At the age of 72, veteran actor Kim In-moon has passed on after a long battle with cancer.  He started his career in 1967 with Barefoot Glory and worked more-or-less nonstop for the rest of his life.  Due to his acquired handicap, he set up the Korean Disabled Actors Association, which he was greatly praised for.  (hancinema.net, April 25, 2011)

Korean Film Industry Fights Competition

Arirang reports that the Korean film industry is losing ground to emerging powers such as China and India.  The industry has reacted by opening centers in Los Angeles and Beijing.  In addition a meeting will be held at the end of this month to discuss the current state of affairs, 200 are expected to attend.  (arirang.co.kr, April 26, 2011)

Lee Chang-dong's Examines Korean Film History

Master director Lee Chang-dong writes an editorial for the Cannes Film Festival about the evolution and themes and the Korean film industry.  (Cannes Film Festival, April 2011)

Musan Adds to its Trophy Haul at Tribeca

Journals of Musan continues to rake in awards, this time at Tribeca where it has won its director Park Jeun-beom, the first narrative feature award.  (April 29, 2011)

TRAILERS

New trailers have been released for Korean films premiering at Cannes:

Kim Ki-duk's Arirang

Hong Sang Soo's The Day He Arrives

BOX OFFICE

US Blockbuster Marking Start of Summer Season Take Over

Thor has a strong opening in Korea with over half a million admissions, while Fast Five in its second week is inches away from the one million mark.  Meanwhile Suicide Forecast and Clash of the Families are still going strong after a few weeks of in release.  Korean war film In Love and the War got off to a decent start with over 100,000 tickets sold, while Sunny and The Apprehenders chalked up some mid-level numbers.  (hancinema.net, May 1, 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.