CURRENT FILMS
Pieta
The Thieves
Showing posts with label king of pigs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label king of pigs. Show all posts
Friday, September 14, 2012
WKR: Pieta and The Thieves on the Intl. Circuit (09/08-09/14, 2012)
Packed WKR this week with lots on Pieta, post-Golden Lion win, and a number of writeups on The Thieves following its HK release and TIFF screening.
Friday, August 24, 2012
KOFFIA 2012: King of Pigs (돼지의 왕, Dwaejiui Wang) 2011
.jpeg)
Part of MKC's coverage of the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia (previously published).
(by Peter Gutiérrez)
I’m not sure what the current cultural status of bullying in is South Korea these days – are public policy steps being taken to curtail it, as is the case here in the U.S.? – but certainly anyone who has followed Korean cinema knows that it has provided the thematic backbone to films which cut across several genres. I’m a bit partial to A Bloody Aria (Won Shin-yeon, 2006), and Yeun Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs shares something of its beyond-bleak tone and emotionally raw approach. Just don’t look for any of the former’s dark humor: Yuen has crafted that rare film that effectively plunges head-first into the abyss and never really allows the audience to come up for air, let alone laughs.
(by Peter Gutiérrez)
I’m not sure what the current cultural status of bullying in is South Korea these days – are public policy steps being taken to curtail it, as is the case here in the U.S.? – but certainly anyone who has followed Korean cinema knows that it has provided the thematic backbone to films which cut across several genres. I’m a bit partial to A Bloody Aria (Won Shin-yeon, 2006), and Yeun Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs shares something of its beyond-bleak tone and emotionally raw approach. Just don’t look for any of the former’s dark humor: Yuen has crafted that rare film that effectively plunges head-first into the abyss and never really allows the audience to come up for air, let alone laughs.
So don’t expect a slow and “tasteful” build to the film’s often unforgettable moments of psychological and physical violence. Right away we see our point-of-view character Kyung-Min experience a form of workplace bullying… and then immediately turn around and take out his feelings of shame and powerlessness on his wife in a dynamic that strongly recalls that of James Joyce’s classic Dubliners short story “Counterparts.” But can all of his present-tense troubles really account for the way that Kyung-Min seems to be so haunted? This question is soon answered as he meets up with middle school classmate Jong-Suk for the first time in years, and it becomes clear to us that something happened back in their early adolescence that shaped both men… something that neither seems eager to discuss directly.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (07/09-07/13, 2012)
Lots more NYAFF coverage this week and an early review for incoming blockbuster The Thieves. Next week PiFan gets underway so get ready for plenty of new genre release reviews!
.jpg)
UPCOMING FILMS
.jpg)
(The Korea Times, July 11, 2012)
Friday, July 6, 2012
NYAFF 2012: King of Pigs (돼지의 왕, Dwaejiui Wang) 2011
Part of MKC's coverage of the 11th New York Asian Film Festival.
(by Peter Gutiérrez)
I’m not sure what the current cultural status of bullying in is South Korea these days – are public policy steps being taken to curtail it, as is the case here in the U.S.? – but certainly anyone who has followed Korean cinema knows that it has provided the thematic backbone to films which cut across several genres. I’m a bit partial to A Bloody Aria (Won Shin-yeon, 2006), and Yeun Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs shares something of its beyond-bleak tone and emotionally raw approach. Just don’t look for any of the former’s dark humor: Yuen has crafted that rare film that effectively plunges head-first into the abyss and never really allows the audience to come up for air, let alone laughs.
(by Peter Gutiérrez)
I’m not sure what the current cultural status of bullying in is South Korea these days – are public policy steps being taken to curtail it, as is the case here in the U.S.? – but certainly anyone who has followed Korean cinema knows that it has provided the thematic backbone to films which cut across several genres. I’m a bit partial to A Bloody Aria (Won Shin-yeon, 2006), and Yeun Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs shares something of its beyond-bleak tone and emotionally raw approach. Just don’t look for any of the former’s dark humor: Yuen has crafted that rare film that effectively plunges head-first into the abyss and never really allows the audience to come up for air, let alone laughs.
So don’t expect a slow and “tasteful” build to the film’s often unforgettable moments of psychological and physical violence. Right away we see our point-of-view character Kyung-Min experience a form of workplace bullying… and then immediately turn around and take out his feelings of shame and powerlessness on his wife in a dynamic that strongly recalls that of James Joyce’s classic Dubliners short story “Counterparts.” But can all of his present-tense troubles really account for the way that Kyung-Min seems to be so haunted? This question is soon answered as he meets up with middle school classmate Jong-Suk for the first time in years, and it becomes clear to us that something happened back in their early adolescence that shaped both men… something that neither seems eager to discuss directly.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Weekly Review Round-up (06/16-06/22, 2012)
Broad section of reviews this week as more and more Korean films see DVD, Blu-ray and theatrical releases in English-language territories, hooray!
CURRENT FILMS
All About My Wife
In Another Country
(The Korea Times, June 19, 2012)
(The Korea Times, June 15, 2012)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
How Korean Cinema Fared on 2011's Year-end Lists
Top 10 or end-of-year lists are one of my great guilty pleasures. I know that ultimately they don't really mean very much and are guaranteed to be subjective, arbitrary, and divisive. Yet I am always eager to discover other people's lists come year's end. To see how my favorites films fared, to discover some things I may have missed and to generally scrutinize the palaver of this enduring critic's ritual.
I thought it would be fun to see how Korean films did on 2011's lists, if only to see what and how many Korean films generated international attention. So I went ahead and tracked down every list I could find which featured a Korean film. I found 70, including 7 which only considered Korean cinema, a pretty solid number which is spread over an impressive array of worldwide broadsheets, film websites, and a panoply of blogs. I was also surprised to see over 30 films make it onto these diverse lists, a reflection of the depth of Korean cinema, from thrillers, horrors, and action films, all the way to melodramas and a large selection of low-budget indies.
The results of this ranking are in no way supposed to reflect some sort of objective standpoint of the best Korean films of last year. For one thing, only a handful of films got any decent kind of exposure in the west and they were by and large 2010 releases. Some of 2011's best films were only featured on a smattering of lists as they have not really been seen outside of Korea. As I've said this is just a little bit of fun!
The system used for the below ranking is very simple. 1 point for making it onto a top 10 list (or the odd top 11), 2 points for a top 5 finish, and 3 points for taking first place. The lists are available below, divided into Korean-only and international lists. If you are aware of anything I've missed by all means let me know either here, on twitter, or by e-mailing me at pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com.
How Korean Cinema Fared on 2011's Year-end Lists
1. Poetry (53)
2. I Saw the Devil (34)
3. The Yellow Sea (17)
6. The Journals of Musan (9)
7. Bleak Night (8)
8. Silenced (5)
9. Night Fishing (5)
9. Night Fishing (5)
10. Arirang (4)
10. King of Pigs (4)
10. Re-encounter (4)
10. Re-encounter (4)
13. Poongsan (3)
13. Punch (3)
15. Bedevilled (2)
15. Come Rain, Come Shine (2)
15. Dangerously Excited (2)
15. Pong Ddol (2)
15. Quick (2)
15. The Front Line (2)
21. Animal Town (1)
21. Barbie (1)
21. Blind (1)
21. Dooman River (1)
21. Haunters (1)
21. Invasion of Alien Bikini (1)
21. Late Autumn (1)
21. Late Blossom (2)
21. Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild (1)
21. Moby Dick (1)
21. Moby Dick (1)
21. Mother Is a Whore (2)
21. White: The Melody of the Curse (1)
Lists of Korean Films
Asia Pacific Arts - Rowena Santos Aquino
Complex - Jaeki Cho
Seen in Jeonju - Tom Giammarco
Lists Featuring Korean Films
Boston Globe - Wesley Morris
Chicago Reader - Ben Sachs
Chicago Tribune - Michael Phillips
Cineawesome! - Jeff
Cinema Salem - Kereth
Cinema Salem - Peter
Cinetology - Luke
Cleveland Plain Dealer - Clint O'Connor
CNN - Tom Charity
College Times - Aaron Tavena
Culture Mob - Matthew Wayt
Dad's Big Plan - Mr. Sparkles
Film Freak Central - Angelo Muredda
Film Freak Central - Walter Chaw
Film School Rejects - Brian Salisbury
Film School Rejects - Luke Mullen
Film School Rejects - Rob Hunter
Film Threat - Don Lewis
Film Threat - John Wildman
Film Threat - Mark Bell
Film Threat - Noah Lee
firstshowing.net - Jeremy Kirk
Front Room Cinema - Tom Bielby
Hollywood Hubbub - Frantic Monkey
Hydra Mag - Jose-Luis Moctezuma
indieWire - Anne Thompson
insidepulse - Robert Sutton
Left Field Cinema - M. Dawson
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan
Living in Cinema - Michael Phillips
Miami Herald - Rene Rodriguez
Mile High Cinema - Jason Cangialosi
Movie Reviews by Tom Clift - Tom Clift
MSN Movies - Sean Axmaker
NOW Magazine - Radheyan Simonpillai
Palo Alto Online - Susan Tavernetti
playbackstl.com - Pete Timmermann
playbackstl.com - Sean Lass
Rich on Film - Rich
Salon - Andrew O'Hehir
Shock Till You Drop - Jeff Alard
Slant - Diego Costa
Slant - Nick Schager
Sounds Like Cinema - Greg Bennett
southcoasttoday.com - Alexis Hauk
St. Louis Today - Joe Williams
The Austin Chronicle - Marc Savlov
The Daily Texan - Alex Williams
the-dispatch.com - Matthew Lucas
The Globe and Mail - Liam Lacey and Rick Groen
The Guardian - Peter Bradshaw
The Hollywood Reporter - Todd McCarthy
The Montreal Gazette - T'cha Dunlevy
The New York Times - Manohla Dargis
The Screening Room - Mark Humphreys
Time Out New York - Keith Uhlich
Total Film - Sam Ashurst
Twitch - James Marsh
Twitch - Kwenton Bellette
Wildgrounds - Ki Mun
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, December 9, 2011
Weekly Review Round-up (12/03-12/09, 2011)
A nice selection of reviews this week including a number for The Yellow Sea and three from The Hollywood Reporter. Since it is Jopok Week here on MKC, I'm happy to note some reviews for A Bittersweet Life and Righteous Ties.
Enjoy!
CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES
(hancinema.net, December 3, 2011)
RECENT RELEASES
(Walter Peck Was Just Doing His Job , December 4, 2011)
(Film Business Asia, December 4, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 27, 2011)
(The Hollywood Reporter, December 7, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 6, 2011)
(The Hollywood Reporter, December 7, 2011)
(Modern Korean Cinema, December 2, 2011)
(The One One Four, December 6, 2011)
(Otherwhere, December 7, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 9, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 28, 2011)
Sunny
(Rainy Day, November 27, 2011
(Beyond Hollywood, December 6, 2011)
The Yellow Sea
(Japan Cinema, December 9, 2011)
PAST FILMS
A Bittersweet Life, 2005
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 7, 2011)
Like You Know It All, 2008
(Rainy Day, December 6, 2011)
My Sassy Girl, 2001
Righteous Ties, 2006
(searchindia.com, December 8, 2011)
Shiri, 1999
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 3, 2011)
The General's Son, 1990
(Modern Korean Cinema, December 7, 2011
The General's Son 2, 1991
(Modern Korean Cinema, December 8, 2011
The General's Son 3, 1992
(Modern Korean Cinema, December 9, 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
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.
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
(The Korea Times, November 24, 2011)
RECENT RELEASES
A Better Tomorrow
(Ali Quail, November 22, 2011)
(Modern Korean Cinema, November 22, 2011)
(hancinema.net, November 19, 2011)
(hancinema.net, November 19, 2011)
(Hangul Celluloid, November 22, 2011)
(Film Business Asia, November 20, 2011)
(rainydaymovies, November 24, 2011)
(VCinema Show, November 3, 2011)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 24, 2011)
(Far East Films, November 13, 2011)
The Front Line
(Korean Class Massive, November 19, 2011)
The Yellow Sea
(New Korean Cinema, November 23, 2011)
(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
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)
(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 23, 2011)
The City of Violence, 2006
(Mouth London, November 21, 2011)
(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.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Weekly Review Round-up (10/22-10/28, 2011)
A lot of reviews for The Yellow Sea this week, as it was recently released in the UK & Ireland. Also found out about a new blog with lots of Korean film reviews, Otherwhere.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES
(Seongyong's Private Place, October 22, 2011)
(Film Business Asia, October 27, 2011)
RECENT RELEASES
(Modern Korean Cinema, October 26, 2011)
(The Korea Blog, October 24, 2011)
(Variety, October 24, 2011 - Subscription required)
Late Blossom
(Beyond Hollywood, October 19, 2011)
(Otherwhere, October 16, 2011)
(yam, October 23, 2011)
(Variety, October 23, 2011)
(amplify, October 24, 2011)
The Yellow Sea
(hancinema.net, October 20, 2011)
PAST FILMS
A Bloody Aria, 2006
(cineawesome!, October 22, 2011)
Jenny, Juno, 2005
(Otherwhere, October 22, 2011)
The Sword With No Name, 2009
(The Fandom Post, October 21, 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.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Korean Cinema News (09/15-09/21, 2011)
Not a huge amount of news this week, mainly pieces on the upcoming Busan film fest. Also a couple of interviews and trailers.
Won Bin’s The Man From Nowhere to be released in China
Actor Won Bin‘s blockbuster film The Man From Nowhere will be meeting audiences in China. According to the Beijing, China office of the Korean Film Commission on September 15th, The Man From Nowhere will be released in more than 4,000 cinemas across China on September 16th. Depending on the turnout of the opening week of this intermediate scale distribution, the movie may further expand on the number of cinemas that it will be showing in. (allkpop, September 15, 2011)
Kim Ki-duk to Head Jury of Eurasia Film Festival
The international jury of the seventh Eurasia international festival which opened in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Monday will be headed by South Korean film director Kim Ki-Duk. His last film Arirang will be shown in the "Special Event" programme. (trend.az, september 19, 2011)
DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival Opens Sept. 22
The Third DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival will open Sept. 22 to 28 in Paju, Gyeonggi province, a northern South Korean city bordering North Korea. The event celebrating themes of peace, life and communication will show 100 documentary films from 30 countries around the world. (The Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2011)
Busan Int'l Film Fest to Shed Light on SE Asian Cinema
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
Won Bin’s The Man From Nowhere to be released in China
Actor Won Bin‘s blockbuster film The Man From Nowhere will be meeting audiences in China. According to the Beijing, China office of the Korean Film Commission on September 15th, The Man From Nowhere will be released in more than 4,000 cinemas across China on September 16th. Depending on the turnout of the opening week of this intermediate scale distribution, the movie may further expand on the number of cinemas that it will be showing in. (allkpop, September 15, 2011)
Kim Ki-duk to Head Jury of Eurasia Film Festival
The international jury of the seventh Eurasia international festival which opened in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Monday will be headed by South Korean film director Kim Ki-Duk. His last film Arirang will be shown in the "Special Event" programme. (trend.az, september 19, 2011)
Poster revealed for the upcoming Korean movie My Way
A poster for Kang Je-gyu's mega-blockbuster My Way, which reportedly cost $30 million to make, has appeared online, the film is set for release in December. (hancinema.net, September 19, 2011)
A poster for Kang Je-gyu's mega-blockbuster My Way, which reportedly cost $30 million to make, has appeared online, the film is set for release in December. (hancinema.net, September 19, 2011)
Actress Song Hye-kyo plays a documentary producer who forgives a 17-year-old boy for killing her fiance in the movie A Reason to Live, which will premier at the 16th Busan International Film Festival next month. The film is directed by Lee Jeong-hyang, of Art Museum by the Zoo (1998) fame. It was officially invited to premiere at the Gala Presentation of the film festival. (The Chosun Ilbo, September 20, 2011)
DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival Opens Sept. 22
The Third DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival will open Sept. 22 to 28 in Paju, Gyeonggi province, a northern South Korean city bordering North Korea. The event celebrating themes of peace, life and communication will show 100 documentary films from 30 countries around the world. (The Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2011)
Busan Int'l Film Fest to Shed Light on SE Asian Cinema
Asia's largest film festival, the Busan International Film Festival, will be held from Oct. 6 to14 at five theaters in the city of Busan. Some 307 films from 70 countries will be screened, with 135 premiering at the festival. The festival was formerly known as the Pusan International Film Festival but amended the spelling of its name this year to conform to the official Romanization of the city in which it is held. (The Chosun Ilbo, September 20, 2011)
Haunters Picked as a Must-see of Fantastic Fest
Haunters, a South Korean movie about a child who has the ability to control anyone who makes eye contact with him. He can assemble armies with the power of his mind. "It's very superhero-esque," says Tim League, festival founder. "But there's no costumes. It plays out more like a drama." (The Hollywood Reporter, September 21, 2011)
Kim Man-hee Interview
Paul Quinn interviews the director of the blockbuster Arrow, the Ultimate Weapon which will be the opening of the upcoming London Korean Film Festival. (Hangul Celluloid, September 16, 2011)
Toronto Fest Interview with Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska discusses working on the new Park Chan-wook film Stoker which is currently in production. Skip down to the final few questions. (The A.V. Club, September 20, 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.
Haunters Picked as a Must-see of Fantastic Fest
Haunters, a South Korean movie about a child who has the ability to control anyone who makes eye contact with him. He can assemble armies with the power of his mind. "It's very superhero-esque," says Tim League, festival founder. "But there's no costumes. It plays out more like a drama." (The Hollywood Reporter, September 21, 2011)
INTERVIEWS
Kim Man-hee Interview
Paul Quinn interviews the director of the blockbuster Arrow, the Ultimate Weapon which will be the opening of the upcoming London Korean Film Festival. (Hangul Celluloid, September 16, 2011)
Toronto Fest Interview with Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska discusses working on the new Park Chan-wook film Stoker which is currently in production. Skip down to the final few questions. (The A.V. Club, September 20, 2011)
TRAILERS
(Modern Korean Cinema, September 19, 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)