Preview: 26th Fribourg International Film Festival

I'm thrilled to report that I will be covering the upcoming Fribourg International Film Festival which gets underway this Saturday and runs through to the 31st.  This major European event is now in its 26th year and has remained true to its focal points, namely Latin American, Asian and African films, and it continues to be committed to showcasing some of the very best of truly international cinema, much of which passes us by by without much chance of exposure.  The festival will feature 118 films from 47 countries.

The FIFF has been a significant promoter of Korean cinema over the last few years, having showcased Lee Chang-dong in 2008 and awarded its top prize (Le regard d'or) to Jeon Soo-il for The Bird Who Stops in the Air in 2000 and Lee Chang-dong again for Poetry during last year's edition.  Sadly there won't be much in terms of Korean cinema at this year's event but there is still a mighty program on offer.

This event will mark the first time that Modern Korean Cinema actively covers content beyond the site's core focus of Korean cinema, though it certainly won't be the last!  That being said, there will be some Korean cinema on offer at this year's FIFF including the European premiere of Countdown (2011), starring Jeong Jae-yeong and Jeon Do-yeon, which will be vying for the top prize alongside 11 other films.  Director Huh Jong-ho will be attending the festival and MKC will have the opportunity to sit down with him so look out for an interview which will likely appear in early April.  Also on offer will be Park Jee-youn's short animation Camels (2011).  Beyond the traditional schedule there will be a co-located program for schools and children which will be presenting the Seong-yun Oh animation Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild (2011).

I grew up near Fribourg and always wanted to attend the festival but was never able to as it clashed with school and college and subsequently I moved away, so I am particularly glad for a chance to sample what's on offer at my local festival.  The program is broad and features many exciting projects and some fascinating sections,  I only wish that I could see everything.  As it stands I am going to try and squeeze in about 45 films but of course things can always slip through the cracks.  The morning after each day I will post a recap of the films that I saw with brief impressions until we get to the prize-giving on Sunday, the 1st of April.

The highlights that I am most looking forward to are Asmaa (Egypt, 2011) Good Bye (Iran, 2011), Guerilla (Bangladesh, 2011), Tatsumi (Singapore, 2011), The Raid (Indonesia, 2011),  The Rambling Guitarist (Japan, 1959), and This Is Not a Film (Iran, 2011).

I hope you will join me as I make my way through the programme of the 26th edition of the Fribourg International Film Festival!

Day I Report

Day II Report

Day III Report
Day IV Report
Day V Report
Day VI Report
Day VII Report
Day VIII Report
Final Thoughts, Top 10 and Awards
Huh Jong-ho Interview

Full Programme

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.

Top 10 Korean Films of 2010

2010 was a great year for Korean cinema and as here at Modern Korean Cinema I'm going back through Korean film to get a sense of what were the best and most important films through the years.  I'm thrilled to present my top 10 for the year to coincide with the Korean Cinema Blogathon.  I have seen a lot of films from 2010 and the only major omission is Cafe Noir which has yet to find a DVD release, here's hoping there'll be one!

This follows on from January's Top 10 Films of 2011 and I hope to make my way back through to the 90s.

Without further ado, scroll through the top 10 below, followed by some honourable mentions and the year's biggest turkeys:

Intro - 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 - Best of the Rest

Top 10 Lists

Year  2020 - 2019 - 2018 - 2017 - 2016
2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010

2010s (Top 50) - All Time (Top 25)

Genre

Gangster - Horror - Revenge

Weekly Review Round-up (02/25-03/04, 2011)

Terribly for the two-day delay for this week's update, I'm currently in Coventry attending the East Winds Symposium + Film Festival and haven't been able tear myself away!  In any case lots of great pieces this week including many for The Front Line which saw its home market release in the UK this past Monday.

Don't forget this year's Korean Blogathon starts tomorrow and will be mirrored on Modern Korean Cinema here.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Howling

(FilmBiz Asia, March 2, 2012)

RECENT RELEASES

GLove

(Flixist, February 25, 2012)

Hindsight

(hancinema.net, March 3, 2012)

Invasion of Alien Bikini

(CriterionCast, February 25, 2012)

Moss

(Flixist, February 24, 2012)

Penny Pinchers

(hancinema.net, February 25, 2012)

Poetry

(Init_Scenes, February 29, 2012)

Quick

(Korean Grindhouse, February 26, 2012)

S.I.U.

(The One One Four, February 25, 2012)

Sunny

(Flixist, February 24, 2012)

The Front Line

(Blu-Ray.com, February 29, 2012)

(Blu-Ray Definition, February 24, 2012)

(Chris and Phil Present, February 27, 2012)

(Cinema Architecture, February 27, 2012)

(Cinema Paradiso, February 25, 2012)

(Cine Vue, February 29, 2012)

(Daily Record, February 27, 2012)

(dramabeans, February 26, 2012)

(Film Ireland, February 28, 2012)

(FilmJuice, February 28, 2012)

(Modern Korean Cinema, February 25, 2012)

(myreviewer.com, February 28, 2012)

(Rainy Day Movies, February 24, 2012)

(The Film Pilgrim, February 29, 2012)

(Twisted Wing, February 27, 2012)

The Housemaid

(filmnotion.com, February 24, 2012)

The Unjust

(Init_Scenes, March 3, 2012)

The Yellow Sea

(Seongyong's Private Place, March 2, 2012)

Themselves

(Seen in Jeonju, March 2, 2012)

War of the Arrows

(Film Arcade, February 28, 2012)

(Rough Cut, February 25, 2012)

PAST FILMS

Champion, 2002

(ROK Drop, February 27, 2012)

Mist, 1967

(Seen in Jeonju, February 25, 2012)

Once Upon a Time in High School, 2004

(Korean Grindhouse, March 3, 2012)

The Actresses, 2009

(Eastern Kicks, February 27, 2012)

(Korean Class Massive, February 24, 2012)

(London Korea Links, February 27, 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.

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)

4. Sunny (12)
5. The Day He Arrives (10)

6. The Journals of Musan (9)

7. Bleak Night (8)

8. Silenced (5)
9. Night Fishing (5)

10. Arirang (4)

10. King of Pigs (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. Mother Is a Whore (2)

21. Out of the Cave (1)
21. Romantic Heaven (1)
21. War of the Arrows (1)

21. White: The Melody of the Curse (1)

Lists of Korean Films

Asia Pacific Arts - Rowena Santos Aquino

Complex - Jaeki Cho

koreanfilm.org - Darcy Paquet
Modern Korean Cinema - Pierce Conran

Seen in Jeonju - Tom Giammarco

Seoul Beats

Lists Featuring Korean Films

Boston Globe - Wesley Morris

Boxing Uwe Boll

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 Cinema Snob

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

The Suffolk Voice

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.

Weekly Review Round-up (01/21-01/27, 2012)

Another slew of The Front Line reviews and much else besides including a number for current Korean films and the longest review of Penny Pinchers that is ever likely to be written!

This edition of the Weekly Review Round-up marks the 6-month anniversary of the weekly feature and I'm happy that it has met with such a strong reception over that time.  Thank you all for supporting it!

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Jam Docu Gangjung

(The Jeju Weekly, January 20, 2012)

Perfect Game

(Seongyong's Private Place, December 24, 2012)

Unbowed

(Seongyong's Private Place, January 18, 2012)

RECENT RELEASES

Cyrano Agency

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 22, 2012)

From Seoul to Varanasi

(Film Business Asia, January 22, 2012)

Hindsight

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 24, 2012)

I Saw the Devil

(Film Smash, January 22, 2012)

Penny Pinchers

(dramabeans, January 24, 2012)

Poetry

(Business Week, January 19, 2012)

Silenced

(The Banana Times, January 25, 2012)

The Day He Arrives

(Modern Korean Cinema, January 25, 2012)

The Front Line

(Chicago Tribune, January 20, 2012)

(Cole Smithey, January 15, 2012)

(exclaim.ca, January 19, 2012)

(Glendale News Press, January 20, 2012)

(Movie Buzzers, January 20, 2012)

(New York Post, January 21, 2012)

(Time Out New York, January 17, 2012)

(Toronto Now, January 19, 2012)

(Village Voice, January 18, 2012)

PAST FILMS

A Bittersweet Life, 2005

(Init_Scenes, January 20, 2012)

Failan, 2001

(New Korean Cinema, January 26, 2012)

M, 2007

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 25, 2012)

Pulgasari, 1985

(London Korea Links, January 23, 2012)

Rough Cut, 2008

(flixist, January 23, 2012)

Save the Green Planet, 2003
(New Korean Cinema, January 24, 2012)

The Chaser, 2008

(blogcritics.org, January 22, 2012)

The City of Violence, 2006

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 23, 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.

Weekly Review Round-up (01/14-01/20, 2012)

Lots of reviews this week with The Front Line being released in the US.  Four movies also came out this week in Korea though as of yet only review has surfaced, expect more to come.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Dancing Queen

(The Korea Times, January 19 2012)

My Way

(hancinema.net, January 14, 2012)

RECENT RELEASES

A Better Tomorrow

(Varied Celluloid, January 13, 2012)

Bedevilled

(Init_Scenes, January 18, 2012)

Choked

(Film Business Asia, January 16, 2012)

Come Rain, Come Shine

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 13, 2012)

Countdown

(Modern Korean Cinema, January 19, 2012)

I Saw the Devil

(examiner.com, January 14, 2012)

Moby Dick

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 16, 2012)

Mother Is a Whore

(Hangul Celluloid, January 18, 2012)

Poetry

(Empire, January 18, 2012)

Sector 7

(Haunted Hell, January 19, 2012)

Spellbound

(Beyond Hollywood, January 15, 2012)

(The National Post, January 12, 2012)

The Day He Arrives

(Beyond Hollywood, January 13, 2012)

The Front Line

(Entertainment Weekly, January 19, 2012)

(Film Journal, January 19, 2012)

(Libertas Film Magazine, January 19, 2012)

(Movie Line, January 19, 2012)

(Slant Magazine, January 16, 2012)

(The A.V. Club, January 19, 2012)

(The Los Angeles Times, January 20, 2012)

(The New York Times, January 19, 2012)

The Man From Nowhere

(cinemageekly.com, January 15, 2012)

(g33k-e.com, January 14, 2012)

The Servant

(Dramas Whoo!, January 16, 2012)

You're My Pet

(The One One Four, January 14, 2012)

War of the Arrows

(Beyond Hollywood, January 19, 2012)

PAST FILMS

A Man Who Was Superman, 2008

(Rainy Day Movies, January 13, 2012)

Chaw, 2009

(Movie Mobsters, January 15, 2012)

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, 2003

(Otherwhere, January 13, 2012)

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, 2005

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 18, 2012)

The Coast Guard, 2002

(boxofficebuz.com, January 16, 2012)

The Isle, 2000

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, January 15, 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.

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

Spellbound

(Film Journal, December 20, 2011)

Unbowed

(The Korea Times, December 22, 2011)

RECENT RELEASES

Blind

(Korean Class Massive, December 18, 2011)

Finding Mr. Destiny

(Otherwhere, December 23, 2011)

Ghastly

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 11, 2011)

In Love and the War

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 20, 2011)

Poetry

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 17, 2011)

(The Star Phoenix, December 16, 2011)

Shotgun Love

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 22, 2011)

Suicide Forecast

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 13, 2011)

(Rainy Day Movies, December 22, 2011)

The Front Line

(The One One Four, December 20, 2011)

War of the Arrows

(hancinema.net, December 17, 2011)

White: The Melody of the Curse

(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)

I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay, 2006

(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

(Badass Digest, December 19, 2011)

(crikey, December 21, 2011)

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)

The Harmonium in My Memory, 1999

(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.

Weekly Review Round-up (12/10-12/16, 2011)

30 new reviews this week including a great write-up on Hong Sang-soo's latest from The New Yorker and a series of reviews on Kim Ki-duk's from the Rainy Day Movies blog where Connor McMorran is hosting a fantastic Kim Ki-duk Week.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Spellbound

(Init_Scenes, December 14, 2011)

(The Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2011)

RECENT RELEASES

A Better Tomorrow

(Shu-Izmz, December 11, 2011)

A Confession

(Variety, December 14, 2011)

Blind

(Beyond Hollywood, December 12, 2011)

Hello Ghost

(Pinoy Movie Blog, December 16, 2011)

I Saw the Devil

(Cine-International, December 14, 2011)

(New Korean Cinema, December 14, 2011)

King of Pigs

(The Los Angeles Times, December 15, 2011)

Marrying the Mafia IV

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 11, 2011)

Poetry

(awardscircuit.com, December 12, 2011)

(Front Row Reviews, December 13, 2011)

(The Telegraph, December 14, 2011)

Sector 7

(Twitch, December 13, 2011)

The Day He Arrives

(The New Yorker, December 15, 2011)

The Man From Nowhere

(City on Fire, December 10, 2011)

The Quiz Show Scandal

(Inti_Scenes, December 14, 2011)

The Recipe

(Init_Scenes, December 16, 2011)

War of the Arrows

(Wildgrounds, December 13, 2011)

PAST FILMS

Address Unknown, 2001

(Rainy Day Movies, December 14, 2011)

Bad Guy, 2001

(Rainy Day Movies, December 13, 2011)

Beat, 1997

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 9, 2011)

Born to Kill, 1996

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 9, 2011)

Castaway on the Moon, 2009

(The Non-Review, December 9, 2011)

Green Fish, 1997

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 11, 2011)

No. 3, 1997

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 10, 2011)

Real Fiction, 2000

(Rainy Day Movies, December 15, 2011)

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, 2003

(Rainy Day Movies, December 16, 2011)

The Coast Guard, 2002

(Rainy Day Movies, December 15, 2011)

The Isle, 2000

(Rainy Day Movies, December 12, 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.

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.

CURRENT KOREAN RELEASES

Amen

(Joong Ang Daily, December 2, 2011)

Punch

(abs-cbnnews.com, November 28, 2011)

S.I.U.

(The Korea Times, December 2, 2011)

RECENT RELEASES

Blind

(hancinema.net, November 26, 2011)

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 30, 2011)

Clash of the Families

(Modern Korean Cinema, November 29, 2011)

Haunters

(Flight of the Fangirl, November 27, 2011)

Late Autumn

(Anikor, November 28, 2011)

Pained

(Seen in Jeonju, November 30, 2011)

Poetry

(National Post, November 25, 2011)

(Total Film, November 26, 2011)

Red Vacance, Black Wedding

(Film Business Asia, November 27, 2011)

Talking Architect

(Film Business Asia, November 27, 2011)

The Cat

(Asian Movie Pulse, November 27, 2011)

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, December 1, 2011)

The Front Line

(hancinema.net, November 26, 2011)

The Yellow Sea

(Film Journal, December 1, 2011)

(LA Weekly, December 1, 2011)

(The Los Angeles Times, December 2, 2011)

(The New York Times, December 1, 2011)

(Time Out New York, November 29, 2011)

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)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, 2003

(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.