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:
Korea has produced many romance films over the years and if you’ve seen even a few of them you may have noticed that things don’t always end well for the lovers. Be it a spacio-temporal gap, a terminal disease or a handicap, there almost always seems to be something that separates them. By force of seeing so many of these films I began to wonder if there might have been something behind this. The most convincing reason I could come up with was that these separations may have been an allegory for a larger theme of separation that looms over Korea, namely the division of the peninsula.
While by no means a catchall theory, it think it stands up pretty well if you examine a number of the genre’s most famous offerings such as Lee Hyeon-seung's Il Mare (2000) and John H. Lee’s A Moment to Remember (2004). However as the years wore on and my knowledge of Korean cinema increased, this has become a less satisfactory explanation. It is quite simplistic and vague and though it can easily be applied to a film it can just as quickly be discredited. I still think there’s something to it but now I can see that it is just one facet of a broader set of priorities for Korean filmmakers.
Song Il-gon, though not as well known as filmmakers like Park Chan-wook, Kim Ki-duk or Lee Myung-se overseas, is nevertheless one of Korea’s most impressive cineastes. In a very short time he made Spider Forest (2004), Feather in the Wind (2004) and Magicians (2005), all critically-acclaimed films. Spider Forest in particular was I film I was very impressed with which straddled a fine line between commerce and art and in the briefest possible terms I would describe it as what a Korean David Lynch film might look like.
Given his prior output, his latest seems like a bit of a departure. A romance film with a big hallyu star, Always was the opening film of last year’s Busan International Film Festival. If you didn’t know who was behind it, the film seemed just like any other Korean romance film and sure enough this is the kind of reception it received after it premiered. Because of its mediocre reviews and its disappointing box office returns I was ready to write the film off but out of respect for Song I decided I’d give it a chance. I must say I’m very glad that I did, while it did not scale the heights of some of his previous films, it turned out to be a rewarding experience that had more to offer than its generic trappings might imply.
Cheol-min (So Ji-sun) is a former boxer which a shady past who now solemnly works odd jobs to make a living. Jeong-hwa (Han Jye-hyo) is a telemarketer who lost her sight in a accident and mistakes Cheol-min for someone one day while he’s manning the booth at a parking complex. Sensing something sweet and sincere in him she frequently visits him, sharing his booth as they watch K-dramas. Both have suffered trauma and this is alluded to early on. Their pain and consequent vulnerability makes them sensitive and very well suited to one another. There is something dark lurking within in Cheol-min which he hasn’t fully been able to hide away while Jeong-hwa has her own complex (typical of handicapped characters in cinema) whereby she is unable to accept help from others.
So far so plain, nothing here really hints at anything more than typical romantic fare. So the question is: Is Always Song Il-gon’s attempt to make a commercially viable film? Given the demographic friendly plot, the presence of major Korean heartthrob So Ji-sub and the film’s big marketing push, the answer would appear to be yes. But this doesn’t mean the film is devoid of substance. First of all, the film looks great. The luminous cinematography is hazy and frequently sun-drenched, which gives off a potent air of nostalgia not to mention romance. Generally speaking the film is well-made, it is evident that the film is a result of a strong directorial hand.
As far as the leads go I would say that the casting of So Ji-sub works in its favor. Primarily a K-drama actor, So has also impressed in a few feature roles, namely as the stoic gangster in Jang Hoon-s exceptional Rough Cut (2008). The strong silent type, a staple character of the romance genre, suits him very well. He succeeds in bringing both the physicality and vulnerability out of his character. Han Jye-hyo on the other hand is less impressive. Early on she is very endearing and gels quite well with So but soon she falls prey to excess as she shrieks her way through the film’s more dramatic moments.
At one point in the film, Cheol-min is engaged in a vicious cage fight. He is presented as the opponent who faces a superior and notoriously dirty fighter. What struck me about this scene was its ambivalence: while outmatched, his opponent doesn’t resort to dirty tricks while he does, and this wins him the fight. The film cleverly brings the concept of audience alignment into question. We root for him because he is the protagonist and also because the film shows us, through codes and pieces of information, that he is the good guy while the other fighter is the villain, though we have never seen him before this point. We take these clues at face value but as Cheol-min begins to brutalize his opponent it becomes clear that our moral compass can be easily duped by emotional manipulation.
The film is not without its faults, which include a very poorly defined antagonist and some clunky Deus Ex Machinas but by and large this is a successful outing for Song who has once again stretched out into new territory. Always proves to be a fresh bent on an old theme and will likely reward discerning viewers who give the film a chance. I hope a few more people see it as it would be a shame for it drift away into anonymity.
Love Fiction and Ha Jung-woo Conquer the Marketplace
Title
Release Date
Market Share
Weekend
Total
Screens
1
Love Fiction
2/29/12
37.60%
567,529
1,013,532
615
2
This Means War (us)
2/29/12
13.90%
212,387
337,149
351
3
Nameless Gangster
2/2/12
12.90%
194,585
4,399,127
350
4
Howling
2/16/12
6.40%
103,240
1,531,667
372
5
Man on a Ledge (us)
2/22/12
4.50%
70,935
546,532
284
6
Safe House (us)
2/29/12
4.40%
70,148
115,418
291
7
Act of Valor (us)
2/29/12
3.50%
54,371
99,208
222
8
Dancing Queen
1/18/12
3.20%
51,315
3,966,611
220
9
Legends of Valhalla: Thor (ic)
2/9/12
2.50%
42,211
717,099
249
10
Hugo (us)
2/29/12
2.00%
22,400
40,418
85
The dominance of local films shows no signs of abating as yet another high profile Korean release has clinched the top spot. March is typically a very slow time for theaters but nevertheless over 1.5 million tickets were sold over the past weekend, a 20% increase over last year's similar frame. Meanwhile Korean films accounted for a very healthy 60% of business which more than doubled last year's result.
As predicted Love Fiction came in strong with a big first place finish as it sold 567,529 tickets and has already accumulated over a million admissions since its release. Ha Jung-woo has the distinction of starring in two of the chart's top three films and there is no question that he has become a significant draw for as top billing. Word of mouth seems decent on this pic and it should continue to do some strong business though competition will be very fierce with a number of high profile local and foreign releases opening in the coming weeks.
Hollywood romance-action film This Means War floundered in America so its 212,387 take here comes as a bit of a surprise though it is by no means an exceptional figure. In any case it won't last as it will likely crumble in its sophomore frame against heavy competition.
Nameless Gangster continues its strong run though it did slow 45% this past week as it wound up with another 194,585. It has 4.4 million admissions stacked way so far and it may struggle to reach the big 5 million milestone though stands a fighting chance of reaching the mark. It is certainly the early hit of 2012 and may be some time before another film unseats it at the top of the chart.
Howling meanwhile continues its disappointing performance as it dropped 60% for a 103,240 take. Word of mouth has been strong for the film but it got lost amidst so many unexpected hits in February. At this rate it may not even reach the 2 million threshold. After the failure of last year's Hindsight, could it be that Song Kang-ho's drawing power is fading?
Man on a Ledge crumbled over 70% in its sophomore frame as it added 70,935 tickets to its haul. Hollywood's Denzel Washington genre pic Safe House failed to find a mark as it opened with 70,148. Act of Valor, wich surprised in the US last week, didn't find an audience in Korea as it sold only 54,371 tickets during its opening.
Dancing Queen fell 65% as it added 51,315 admissions to its take. However, it should cross the 4 million mark in a few days and that is a very impressive achievement.
Icelandic animation film Legends of Valhalla: Thor finished with a 42,211 weekend for 9th place while Martin Scorsese's 3D pic Hugo disappointed as it took the 10th spot with a measly 22,400.
Next week there are no less than eight Korean films opening including the highly-anticipated Helpless which is getting some strong reviews. Meanwhile major Hollywood blockbuster John Carter will also be opening. I think Helpless will take the crown as the John Carter proprety is not in itself going to be a draw for local audiences. In any case Korean cinema looks to continue to do well and will likely do strong business throughout March.
The Korean Box Office Update is a weekly feature which provides detailed analysis of film box office sales over the Friday to Sunday period in Korea. It appears every Sunday evening or Monday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News 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.
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.
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.
Bit of slow news week for Korean cinema but some interesting tidbits nonetheless, including some festival news and some new stills, posters and trailers for anticipated films.
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
KOFIC to Re-open Seoul Media Center
The Korean Film Council is re-opening its media education institute, “Seoul Media Center,” in Chungmuro district in Pil-dong, Seoul, on Thursday, the organization said. The institute was first established as "Mediact" in 2002 on the fifth floor of the Ilmin Museum of Art building near Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. (The Korea Herald, February 22, 2012)
Florence Korea Film Fest to open with Always
The 10th Florence Korea Film Fest in Italy has announced it will open with Song Il-gon’s Always, last year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Opening Film. The festival will screen 32 feature films and 24 shorts during its nine-day run, and close with Kim Ki-duk’s Arirang, which made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year. (KoBiz, February 24, 2012)
New Kim Ki-duk Film
Director Kim Ki-duk, producer of the film Rough Cut, is creating a second project called Actor's Cut. In a sequel to Rough Cut, which starred So Ji-sub and Kang Ji-hwan, the new movie is based on the collapse of a popular star actor. It is expected to express Kim's shocking and unique style. The distributor for the movie told "TV Report" on February 28th, "The cast hasn't been decided upon yet because we are still in the preparation process". (hancinema.net, February 28, 2012)
After a bit of a quiet stretch Korean director Kim Ki-duk is returning to the sort of gritty dark drama where he first made his name with the upcoming Pieta. Jo Min-soo and Lee Jeong-jin star in the director's eighteenth feature. (Twitch, February 28, 2012)
20th Century Fox to Directly Invest in Korean Film Industry
Film distributor 20th Century Fox has announced its plan to directly invest in the South Korean movie industry. As the first U.S. major film company to directly enter the South Korean market, Fox will produce five Korean movies, each costing up to five billion won, starting this year. The movies will be sold around the world through Fox’s own distribution network. (KBS, February 28, 2012)
Lee OK For Mr. K Nowhere to Hide (1999) director Lee Myung-se is to direct comedy spy action film Mr. K from next month, his first feature film in five years. The film will star Seol Gyeong-gu, Moon So-ri, Go Chang-seok and heart-throb Daniel Henney. The confused identity story sees a spy undercover in a foreign country while his wife, not knowing his disguise, also gets involved. (FilmBiz Asia, February 29, 2012)
Korean Films in the Hong Kong Film Festival
The 36th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) has announced their line-up to include five feature-length films from Korea - Choked, Stateless Things, Moving, From Seoul to Varanasi and The Day He Arrives. HKIFF has also produced and will premiere four short films under the collective title of Beautiful 2012. Korean director Kim Tae-yong (Late Autumn) joins China’s Gu Changwei, Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-Liang, and Hong Kong’s Ann Hui in this project. (KoBiZ, February 29, 2012)
INTERVIEW
E J-Yong Roundtable Interview
Prior to a KCCUK screening of Actresses, acclaimed director E J-Yong sat to down to a group interview with Hangul Celluloid, MiniMiniMovies, London Korea Links and Eastern Kicks. (Hangul Celluloid, February 23, 2012)
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.
This monthly features previews the coming month's attractions in Korean cinema. All of these monthly posts are available in an archive on the Upcoming Releases page.
March 1
Eighteen and Nineteen
Stateless Things
March 8
Helpless
Romance Joe
Mirage
Taking Architect
The Dearest
Sympathy for Us
Chocked
March 15
Russian Coffee
Fighting Family
Pink
The Beat Goes On
Home Sweet Home
March 22
Planet of Snail
Architecture 101
Hand in Hand
March 29
Over Her Dead Body
Eighteen and Nineteen
Director: Bae Gwang-soo
Cast: Yoo Yeon-seok, Baek Jin-hee
Synopsis: Eighteen and Nineteen chronicles the youthful scandals of Hoya and Seoya, fraternal twins who are going through their last winter before becoming adults.
Release date: March 1
Stateless Things
Director: Kim Kyung-mook
Cast: Lee Paul, Yeom Hyeon-joon, Kim Sae-byeok
Synopsis:Stateless Things crosscuts between the lives of two young men, one an illegal immigrant from North Korea stuck in dead-end jobs, the other the kept boy of a married businessman stifling in a swanky apartment. Release date: March 1
Stateless Things premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September and has received a number of positive notices since that time as well as screenings at many other prestigious events.
Synopsis: When a woman (Kim Min-hee) disappears overnight. Her nervous, cartoonist boyfriend (Lee Sun-gyun) searches for her, only to come across some dark secrets.
Release date: March 8
Judging by the below trailer Helpless could be another solid addition to Korea's crime thriller genre. Based on the Japanese novel Kasha by author Miyuki Miyabe, known as the Queen of Crime Fiction.
Synopsis: Romance Joe is an assistant director but after an actress commits suicide, he quits his job. He returns to his hometown after suicidal thoughts begin to creep into his mind. At home he meet a boy whose mother is in Japan and happens to be his first love.
Release date: March 8
Romance Joe had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival last October during which it won a Citizen Reviewers' Award and has subsequently been featured in the Seoul Independent Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Rotterdam. The film is Lee Kwang-kuk's debut as a feature filmmaker after having worked as an assistant director on a number of Hong Sang-soo films.
Mirage
Director: Jang Jung-ho
Screenplay: Jang Jung-ho
Cast: Mun Jeong-ung, Kim Chang-hwan, Sin Jae-seung, Kim Tae-yoon
Synopsis: One day, Dong-jo wakes up drunk on a subway on his way to his hometown, where he is to receive an award from an annual spring literary contest. But then he soon he's lost his bag. He visits an old friend to borrow money and suddenly his old memories return.
Release date: March 8
Talking Architect
Director: Jeong Jae-eun
Synopsis: A documentary about an architect and his fight to create a better society through architecture.
Release date: March 8
The Dearest
Director: Kim Sun-ah, Park He-sui
Screenplay: Kim Sun-ah, Park He-sui, Shin Hye-jin
Cast: Hwang Eun-jin, Han Hyo-jeong, Jeong Yoo-jeong, Sang Hyeon-joo
Synopsis: In-hye and Sun-mi visit their hometown only to discover that their old friend Eun-sil died while giving birth. While the town is in an uproar over the orphaned child, it is up to In-hye and Sun-mi to look after it.
Release date: March 8
Sympathy for Us
Director: Choi Young-seok
Screenplay: Choi Young-seok
Cast: Lim Joon-sik, Lim Chae-seon, Kim Sang-ho
Synopsis: Three friends play a concert at a restaurant in order to surgically remove a spot on for Yo-da's face. But after messing up the show, Yo-da takes a job at a deep-sea fishing vessel.
Release date: March 8
Choked
Director: Kim Joong-hyun
Synopsis: The story of a family fraying at the seems.
Release date: March 8
Kim Joong-hyun's first film, previously an assistant director on Family Ties (2006), premiered at Busan in 2011 and has since been showcased at the Seoul Independent Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival.
Russian Coffee
Director: Jang Yoon-hyeon
Cast: Joo Jin-mo, Kim So-yeon, Park Hee-soon, Yoo Seon
Synopsis: A tale of the attempted assassination of the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty, King Gojong (Park Hee-soon). A Russian rifleman and a beautiful barista are tricked into carrying out the hit.
Release date: March 15
Russian Coffee, which is based on the novel of the same name by Kim Tak-hwan was initially a very big affair, with a 10 billion ₩ budget but after some delays and casting changes the budget was ultimately halved. The film does still boast an all-star cast and was in production for five months across 16 locations on two continents.
Fighting! Family
Director: Hong Ji-young, Kim Seong-ho, Lee Soo-yeon, Shin Su-won
Cast: Kim Ji-young, Seon Woo-seon, Lee Myeong-haeng, Jeong In-gi
Synopsis: An omnibus movie created by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to increase the nation's interest in low birth rates. The four-part story tells us the reality of our society.
Release date: March 15
Fighting! Family is a new omnibus feature which will debut in March.
Pink
Director: Jeon Soo-il
Cast: Lee Seung-yeon, Seo Kap-sook, Kang San-eh, Lee Won-jong
Synopsis: Pink is rundown bar run by Ok-ryun and the film chronicles the characters that come through it.
Release date: March 15
Jeon Soo-il, a festival favorite, returns with his 8th feature.
The Beat Goes On
Director: Byeon Seong-hyeon
Cast: Bong Tae-gyu, Lee Young-hoon
Synopsis: Korea's first hiphop film!
Release date: March 15
Home Sweet Home
Director: Moon Si-hyun
Cast: Kim Young-hoon, Yoo Ae-kyung, Kim Jong-soo
Synopsis: A young man puts his life on the line when he underwrites a friend's debt. Things go from bad to worse as he must escape debt collectors and gets in with the wrong people.
Release date: March 15
Home Sweet Home had its world premiere at last year's Puchon International Film Festival.
Planet of Snail
Director: Yi Seung-jun
Screenwriter: Jo Young-chan
Synopsis: Young-Chan is blind and death and goes about life with the aid of his feeling touch. Soon-Ho suffers from stunted growth after long-ago accident. They see the beauty in each other and help one another achieve their dreams.
Release date: March 22
Documentary Planet of Snail premiered at last year's Jeonju Film Festival and has since played at many others.
Introduction of Architecture
Director: Lee Yong-joo
Screenwriter: Lee Yong-joo
Cast: Uhm Tae-woong, Han Ga-in, Lee Je-hoon, Bae Suzy
Synopsis: An architect (Uhm Tae-woong) is asked to design a house by a former classmate (Han Ga-in). As the house goes up, the pair fall in love.
Release date: March 22
I've been very excited about Lee Yong-joo's follow up to the phenomenal Possessed (2009) since it was announced but upon learning that it was a romance film and looking at the trailer below I admit that I'm not as excited as I was. Lee previously studied architecture which led me to think it might be incorporated in an interesting way here, not sure how it figures in the final product though. However, the presence of Lee Je-hoon, who was remarkable in last year's Bleak Night and The Front Line, is encouraging.
Hand in Hand
Director: Choi Jong-tae
Screenwriter: Choi Jong-tae
Cast: Joo Hyeon, Ye Soo-jeong, Chae Min-hee, Kim Bong-geun
Synopsis: Min-ho (Joo Hyeon) and Hee-jeong (Ye Soo-jeong) have been together for 40 years and one day Min-ho has a heart attack. He survives the crucial moment but the danger is not past.
Release date: March 22
Over My Dead Body
Director: Woo Sun-ho
Cast: Lee Beom-soo, Ryoo Seung-beom
Synopsis: Hyun-Chul (Lee Beom-soo) is a a researcher who fights against a group attempting to steal core technology from an important semiconductor chip. That group uses corpses in their crime. Jin-Woo (Ryoo Seung-beom) is a man who faked a suicide for the insurance money. Hyun-Chul then unintentionally pulls out the body of Jin-Woo who is pretending to be dead. This is how their relationship begins...
Release date: March 29
Filming for Over My Dead Body finished in September and with its high-concept comedy plot and charismatic stars like Lee and Ryoo, could prove to be a springtime hit.
