Sorry for the delay, it's been a busy week. Not too many writeups this week but a few from NYAFF and TKFF which are both underway.
CURRENT FILMS
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(The Korean Times, July 2, 2012)
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
NYAFF 2012: King of Pigs (돼지의 왕, Dwaejiui Wang) 2011
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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.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
July 2012 Korean Releases
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.
July 5
Deranged
July 12
Bloody Fight in Iron-Rock Valley
Dangerously Excited
Sex, Lies and Videotape
Two Moons
Venus in Furs
Deranged
July 12
Bloody Fight in Iron-Rock Valley
Dangerously Excited
Sex, Lies and Videotape
Two Moons
Venus in Furs
July 19
Tears of the Antarctic
The 5-Million-Dollar Man
Ukelele Love Together
July 25
The Thieves
July 26
Horror Stories
Tears of the Antarctic
The 5-Million-Dollar Man
Ukelele Love Together
July 25
The Thieves
July 26
Horror Stories
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
NYAFF 2012 Retrospective: A Legend in the Flesh - The Life and Career of Choi Min-sik
Biography
In discussing the life and works of South Korea’s legendary actor Choi Min-sik, who is making a special appearance at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival, I feel the first thing that should be mentioned is how very lucky we are that he was given a chance to make any films at all. Choi was born in 1962 in Seoul and during his early childhood he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. His doctor’s prognosis was that he wouldn’t make it but following a lengthy convalescence in the mountains, he beat the disease. I know that I and many others are very glad that he did!
Korean Cinema News (06/28-07/04, 2012)
Some good news for the state of Korean box office this week as well as some features on this year's PiFan. In addition, yours truly was interviewed by hancinema.net recently about Korean film and my recent move to Korea!
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I'm covering this year's PiFan on MKC and over at Twitch with James Marsh where we're currently breaking down the program for everyone in a series of previews, check out the first two parts below:
PiFan 2012 Preview Part 1: Puchon Choice (Main Competition)
PiFan 2012 Preview Part 2: World Fantastic Cinema
PIFAN
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I'm covering this year's PiFan on MKC and over at Twitch with James Marsh where we're currently breaking down the program for everyone in a series of previews, check out the first two parts below:
PiFan 2012 Preview Part 1: Puchon Choice (Main Competition)
PiFan 2012 Preview Part 2: World Fantastic Cinema
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
NYAFF 2012: Honey PuPu (消失打看 - Taiwan, 2011)
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Part of MKC's coverage of the 11th New York Asian Film Festival.
Honey PuPu is one of the most singular works to come out of Asia in quite some time. Its take on the modern world is fiercely original and, by employing a dizzying array of different formats and techniques, it seeks to recount its philosophical and energetic tale of how people’s identities are shaped and disrupted by the world’s aggressive virtualization. Chen Hung-i’s film combines gorgeous and whimsical cinematography with other techniques such as a futuristic platform for social media, photography and a veritable bounty of editing techniques. It features a terrific soundtrack, quickly oscillating between classical pieces and modern electro music, and is a film unlike any other.
Vicky is a radio hostess who is searching for her lover who has disappeared. She seeks the help of a number of young people she has encountered through social media with monikers like Cola, Assassin, Money and Playing. They are all lost souls, seeking answers through the hyperkinetic communication networks of the modern world.
Honey PuPu is one of the most singular works to come out of Asia in quite some time. Its take on the modern world is fiercely original and, by employing a dizzying array of different formats and techniques, it seeks to recount its philosophical and energetic tale of how people’s identities are shaped and disrupted by the world’s aggressive virtualization. Chen Hung-i’s film combines gorgeous and whimsical cinematography with other techniques such as a futuristic platform for social media, photography and a veritable bounty of editing techniques. It features a terrific soundtrack, quickly oscillating between classical pieces and modern electro music, and is a film unlike any other.
Vicky is a radio hostess who is searching for her lover who has disappeared. She seeks the help of a number of young people she has encountered through social media with monikers like Cola, Assassin, Money and Playing. They are all lost souls, seeking answers through the hyperkinetic communication networks of the modern world.
Monday, July 2, 2012
NYAFF 2012: Couples (커플즈, Keo-peul-jeu) 2011
Part of MKC's coverage of the 11th New York Asian Film Festival.
Mainstream cinema has the potential to demonstrate both the best and the worst that the medium has to offer. Concerning the latter, any number of criticisms can be leveled at the swill and drivel that the world’s film industries will subjects us to and while they are often besides the point, they are just as frequently justified. When money is involved projects must inevitably revolve around profit, so at one end of the spectrum you will always find shallow and consumerist works versus the riskier ventures, often from established talents, that you will sometimes witness at the other.
Mainstream cinema has the potential to demonstrate both the best and the worst that the medium has to offer. Concerning the latter, any number of criticisms can be leveled at the swill and drivel that the world’s film industries will subjects us to and while they are often besides the point, they are just as frequently justified. When money is involved projects must inevitably revolve around profit, so at one end of the spectrum you will always find shallow and consumerist works versus the riskier ventures, often from established talents, that you will sometimes witness at the other.
Between these two extremes there lies an uneasy middle-ground, which is expansive and marked by slippery definitions. Within this domain, there are filmmakers that strive to make something worthwhile from within the strict confines of commercial filmmaking and they sometimes achieve it, indeed every once in a while they might even make something transcendent. Then there exists the studio hands who, despite working from a seemingly routine template with the assistance of unexceptional pedigree, every so often happen upon something that works.
Korea Blog Week IV: Birthday, Meetings and Getting Used to Life in Seoul
Part of an ongoing series about my trip to and discovery of Seoul...
As I near the one-month mark in Korea I can definitely say that I've really begun to settle in and already things seem very familiar. I suppose that in some way this is a testament to my nomadic life up until this point. It was also my birthday this past week and as I reflected for a spell I realized that I have almost been in a different city for my last seven birthdays, going backwards the list goes: Seoul, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Fribourg, Los Angeles, New York, Dublin. Six places in seven years, that's a lot of ground covered and I know that I'm extremely fortunate to have lived and visited so many places and in the process meet such incredible people and have so many wonderful experiences. And yet, I'm tired and perhaps have been so for a while. I came to Korea with the intention of staying for some time and I aim to do just that, I would like to make it at home and so far I feel so welcome here that I don't why I shouldn't.
Korean Box Office Update (06/29, 07/01, 2012)
An Amazing Start for Spiderman
| Title | Release Date | Market Share | Weekend | Total | Screens | |
| 1 | The Amazing Spiderman (us) | 6/28/12 | 71.40% | 1,417,504 | 1,694,733 | 1,114 |
| 2 | The Emperor's Concubine | 6/6/12 | 5.20% | 122,415 | 2,452,708 | 318 |
| 3 | Madascar 3 (us) | 6/6/12 | 4.90% | 120,261 | 1,443,354 | 396 |
| 4 | All About My Wife | 5/17/12 | 4.70% | 110,905 | 4,385,425 | 240 |
| 5 | Cabin in the Woods (us) | 6/28/12 | 4.30% | 99,438 | 130,929 | 287 |
| 6 | Miss GO | 6/21/12 | 3.70% | 88,346 | 551,625 | 309 |
| 7 | King of XXX-Kissing | 6/21/12 | 2.80% | 68,375 | 432,192 | 272 |
| 8 | Runway Cop | 5/30/12 | 0.80% | 21,134 | 1,325,807 | 114 |
| 9 | Lockout (us) | 6/14/12 | 0.30% | 6,852 | 457,060 | 84 |
| 10 | Two Weddings and a Funeral | 6/21/12 | 0.20% | 5,498 | 34,608 | 39 |
Friday, June 29, 2012
NYAFF 2012: War of the Arrows (최종병기 활, Choi-jong-byeong-gi Hwal) 2011
Part of MKC's coverage of the 11th New York Asian Film Festival.
It’s about time I threw my hat into the ring and chimed in on War of the Arrows, the top-grossing Korean film of 2011, which has met with positive reactions from all over the globe. Early in 2011, if you were familiar with the big films that were scheduled to come out throughout the year, you could be forgiven for expecting Sector 7 and The Front Line to dominate the charts during the summer months. In the end the former was a cataclysmic failure, likely because it was a terrible film, and the latter fell below expectations, it was a decent film but perhaps a little thin to play well given its subject matter. One film you may not have noticed, I know I didn’t, was War of the Arrows, a straightforward period action film with mid-level stars and no pretense about it.
It’s about time I threw my hat into the ring and chimed in on War of the Arrows, the top-grossing Korean film of 2011, which has met with positive reactions from all over the globe. Early in 2011, if you were familiar with the big films that were scheduled to come out throughout the year, you could be forgiven for expecting Sector 7 and The Front Line to dominate the charts during the summer months. In the end the former was a cataclysmic failure, likely because it was a terrible film, and the latter fell below expectations, it was a decent film but perhaps a little thin to play well given its subject matter. One film you may not have noticed, I know I didn’t, was War of the Arrows, a straightforward period action film with mid-level stars and no pretense about it.
Weekly Review Round-up (06/23-06/29, 2012)
Lots of reviews of recent and past films this week including many for Korean doc Planet of Snail which is currently playing in the UK and many films that will be screening at the 11th New York Asian Film Fesitval which is kicking off today and will be covered here on MKC.
RECENT FILMS
NYAFF 2012: Nameless Gangster (범죄와의 전쟁, Bumchoiwaui Junjaeng) 2012
Part of MKC's coverage of the 11th New York Asian Film Festival.
Korean cinema is filled to the brim with genre offerings and one of its most successful areas is with the gangster film. These are called ‘jopok’ films, which is a Korean word for gangster and we did a whole series on the genre here on MKC not so long ago called ‘Jopok Week’. Clearly I’m a big fan of gangster films and like many others I grew up on the likes of the Godfathers (Part II is my favorite if anyone cares to know) and Goodfellas (1990) but it didn’t take me too long to get turned onto more far-flung examples of the genre, ranging from Brazil’s City of God (2002), Italy’s The Conformist (1970), France’s Jean-Pierre Melville (Bob le Flambeur, 1956; Le Samourai, 1967) and Japan’s Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, 1973-76).
Korean cinema is filled to the brim with genre offerings and one of its most successful areas is with the gangster film. These are called ‘jopok’ films, which is a Korean word for gangster and we did a whole series on the genre here on MKC not so long ago called ‘Jopok Week’. Clearly I’m a big fan of gangster films and like many others I grew up on the likes of the Godfathers (Part II is my favorite if anyone cares to know) and Goodfellas (1990) but it didn’t take me too long to get turned onto more far-flung examples of the genre, ranging from Brazil’s City of God (2002), Italy’s The Conformist (1970), France’s Jean-Pierre Melville (Bob le Flambeur, 1956; Le Samourai, 1967) and Japan’s Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, 1973-76).
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