[movie 2009] Chaw 차우

[melusine]

Uhm TaeWoong, Jung YooMi, Jang HanSeon, Yoon JeMoon, Park HyukKwon

Chaw

차우

Cast

Uhm Tae-Woong 엄태웅

as Police Officer Kim 김순경

Jung Yoo-Mi 정유미

as Byun Su-Ryun 변수련

Jang Hang-Seon 장항선

as Cheon Il-Man 천일만

Yoon Je-Moon 윤제문

as Baek Man-Bae 백만배

Park Hyuk-Kwon 박혁권

as Detective Shin 신형사

Also Starring

Kim Gi-Cheon 김기천 as Village Chief

Lee Sang-Hee 이상희 as Head of Village Police

Go Seo-Hee 고서희 as Crazy Lady (Deok-Gu's "mom")

Park Hye-Jin 박혜진 as Kim's mother

Heo Yeon-Hwa 허연화 as Mi-Young, Kim's wife

Jung Yoon-Min 정윤민 as Officer Park

Ha Sung-Kwang 하성광 as "Sunbae" (Su-Ryun's researcher senior)

Jo Moon-Ee 조문의 as President Kwak

Park Chang-Ik 박창익 as Deok-Gu

Kong Ho-Seok 공호석 as Old Man in mountain cabin

Ha Yoo-Yi 하유이 as Choon-Hwa, Il-Man's granddaughter

Directed by

Shin Jung-Won 신정원

Screenplay

Shin Jung-Won 신정원

Kim Yong-Cheol 김용철

Cinematography

Kim Yong-Chul 김용철

Editing

Choi Jae-Keun 최재근

Production Design

Jung Sung-Gun 정성균

Lee Jang-Seob 이장섭

Lighting

Song Jae-Wan 송재완

Costume Design

Kwak Jung-Ae 곽정애

Make-up

Kim Sung-Mi 김성미

Special Effects

Hong Sung-Ho 홍성호

Hans Uhlig

Stunts

Lee Hong-Pyo 이홍표

Music

Kim Jun-Seong 김준성

Sound Mixing

Oh Sung-Jin 오성진

Sound

LIVETONE

Executive Producers

Kim Sun-Yong

Son Kwang-Ik

Producers

Park Kyung-Duk 박경덕

Kwon Gwi-Deok 권귀덕

Park Gab-Jin 박갑진

Produced by

Soo Jack Films 영화사 수작

Distributed by

Lotte Shopping & Entertainment

International Sales

Finecut

Running Time

122 minutes

Budget

US$ 7.0 million

Stills

Teaser Trailer

http://www.chaw.co.kr/1st/teaser_0521.flv

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/trailer/2009/05/chaw_teaser.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

[YouTube]

Main Trailer

http://www.chaw.co.kr/2nd/traillerMovie.flv

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/trailer/2009/06/chaw_tr.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

[YouTube] [YouTube] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKzBNmRy4IU] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWDNR80N6yE]

Making Of

http://www.chaw.co.kr/3rd/making__.flv

[YouTube]

Character Video

http://www.chaw.co.kr/3rd/character_Movie__.flv

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/07/chaw_char.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

[YouTube]

Escape Crisis

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/07/chaw_escape.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

CSI: Sammaeri

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/07/chaw_csi.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

[Streaming]

http://www.chaw.co.kr/3rd/chaw_v3.flv

Monster Movies

http://www.chaw.co.kr/3rd/monster_film.flv

[YouTube]

Queen Seon-Deok Castmates

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/07/chaw_sunduk.wmv

[MultiUpload]

[Streaming]

Stage Greeting

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/07/chaw_suports.wmv

[MultiUpload]

[Streaming]

Production Press Conference

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/06/chaw_bogo.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace]

[Streaming]

Y-Star

http://vod1.ytnstar.co.kr/ytnstar/general/...708206445_s.wmv

[Streaming]

MBC Section TV

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace] [SendSpace]

Press Screening + VIP Premiere

http://www.chaw.co.kr/3rd/vip.flv

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/07/chaw_vipsisa.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace] [Streaming] [Streaming]

Arirang TV (English subs)

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace] [SendSpace] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFJvK6h3NrI] [YouTube]

For more pics and videos, see posts #11-12

Soundtrack

[Naver] [JapKorChi]

01 차우 Opening

02 삼매리 사람들

03 무서운 숲

04 이장님 말씀

05 멧돼지 습격

06 돼지 사냥꾼

07 마을 회관

08 장례식

09 덕구네 집

10 전설의 포수들

11 돼지 찾는 사람들

12 벼락틀

13 멧돼지 굴

14 차우

15 차우의 추격

16 멧돼지 잡기

17 폭발

18 김순경의 꿈

19 차우 Ending

Download

Lets Look [MegaUpload]

CD1: ed2k://|file|Chaw%20Dvdrip%20Xvid-Bifos-A.avi|734785536|AB6FB5D48937360E9D449E74D3A45C29|/

CD2: ed2k://|file|Chaw.2009.DVDRip.XviD-BiFOS-CD2.avi|734388224|E4112425ED01BE4BE0376E122A0917C6|/

Single File 700MB:

ed2k://|file|Chaw.2009.DVDRip.x264.AC3.iNT-REMOVE.avi|734969856|3AD186E41528F81977B42603906BF1E4|/

Single File 1.37GB:

ed2k://|file|Chaw.2009.DVDRip.XviD.AC3-4SouL.avi|1468405760|D7555CC2646DE6D1128AD4CC3DA29457|/

ed2k://|file|Chaw.2009.DVDRip.XviD.AC3-LED.avi|1471746048|16E09106EF6F7B08253DEDE75EBA9AFE|/

ed2k://|file|Chaw.2009.DVDRip.XviD.AC3-RMB.avi|1468725248|1174ADF6C0CA418EAAAF899E9C64A0A1|/

ed2k://|file|Chaw.2009.DVDRip.XviD.AC3-RENDY.avi|1468194816|0FCADE10715D5AAEF3D0D6E131F3C20D|/

ed2k://|file|Chaw.2009.DVDRip.XviD.AC3-RENDY.avi|1468194816|E8831A8E62AE336E7007C59C5810FF01|/

Single File 2.19GB:

ed2k://|file|Chaw.(2009).DVDRip.AC3.XviD-MDCOrient.avi|2346819584|BA95F1985879F8EDAB56EDB996C40AF6|/

Watch Streaming

Dramastyle

DVD

YesAsia | DVDAsian | K2DVD | Sensasian | MadMad

Reviews

Korea Times | Yonhap News | Koreanfilm.org | Variety | Hollywood Reporter

Synopsis

One day in Sammaeri, a small and peaceful village boasting no criminal cases for a decade, a terrible accident happens. Ecologists studying wild animals on a nearby mountain discover a collection of dismembered body parts. Policeman Kim Kang-su, just transferred to Sammaeri from Seoul, takes the case. The victim turns out to be the granddaughter of Chun Il-man, who was once a legendary hunter. Chun is convinced that it wasn't a human that murdered his granddaughter but a man-eating boar, Chaw. Terrified, the people of Sammaeri invite one of the most famous hunters, Baek, to catch the Chaw. Baek leaps at the chance, hoping it will prove himself to be the best ever hunter. Baek, Chun, detective Shin in charge of the case, ecologist Soo-ryun (who takes any risks in studying mutant species animals) and Kim (whose mother is also missing) head into the deep dark mountains to confront the beast.

Arirang TV Cinema Spotlight (English subs): [MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace] [SendSpace] [YouTube]

In Theaters

July 15, 2009

http://www.chaw.co.kr/

Related links Finecut | Cine21 | Daum | Naver | MaxMovie | KoreaFilm | Movist | AsianMediaWiki | IMDb

Forum Rules

Click on thumbnails to enlarge stills/character posters (No hotlinking pls)

[Guest huangsy]

News that the rights to this movie has been sold to some 10 countries.

http://kr.news.yahoo.com/service/news/shel...;newssetid=1352

Now that the press conference for Someone Dear is Far Away is over, news is coming out for Chaw.

[Guest celena8899]

ooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh UHM TAE WOONG!

one of my favorite all time korean actor.

Dang, he is still looking as hot as ever.

seems like an interesting movie, what's the storyline about?

and isn't the female lead from Que Sera Sera with Eric?

can't wait!

[Guest huangsy]

September 8, 2008

Korea's Fine Cut serves up "Chaw"

Korean-American co-production creature flick will screen at American Film Market

Written by Patrick Frater & Han Sunhee

From left to right: Cheon Il-man (Jang Hang-seon), Officer Kim (Eom Tae-woong),

Soo-ryeon (Jeong Yu-mi) and Detective Shin (Pak Hyeok-kwon). © 2008 Polygon

Entertainment LLC/Soo Jack Films (photo credits: scifijapan.com)

SEOUL – Korean indie sales outfit Fine Cut has boarded a Seoul- and San Francisco-shot black comedy about a man-eating boar.

Pic, whose Korean title "Chaw" means to trap a wild animal, is helmed by Shin Jung-won, director of breakout hit "To Catch a Virgin Ghost." Attacks by the beast provoke a whirl of political recriminations, a cover-up by the police and the arrival of a bounty hunter.

Aware of the inevitable comparisons with all time Korean B.O. record breaker, "The Host," Fine Cut topper Suh Young-joo said: "With its touch of sarcastic humor, "Chaw" will be a unique creature film."

"Chaw" is presented by Big House and Vantage Holdings and produced by Soo Jak Films. The U.S.'s Polygon Entertainment provides special effects. Now in post-production, pic will screen as a promo at the American Film Market in November and is skedded for Korean release in December.

Fine Cut, which has Pablo Trapero's "Lion's Den" and Noh Young-seok's "Daytime Drinking," in Toronto, has also picked up rights to two other pics.

It will give an AFM preem to K.T. Kwak's summer hit "Eye for an eye," a dual between a top cop and a devious thief. And at next month's PPP Project market in Pusan it will present Japanese helmer Sabu's "Arrested Memories," an off-beat comedy-thriller about a cop with Alzheimer's Disease.

Source: Variety Asia and more movie info at scifijapan.com

http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/6876/

[melusine]

http://www.finecut.co.kr/renew/library/director.asp?num=91

SHIN Jung-won

With much experience as a music video producer, director SHIN was acclaimed as being strong in creating drama in films rather than placing emphasis on unnecessary stylization. Because of his work as a visual art director in SEX IS ZERO(2002) and ROMANTIC ASSASSIN(2003), ha has true skills and the necessary experience for directing feature films. His first feature TO CATCH A VIRGIN GHOST(2004) won both critical and commercial success with his outstanding horror comedy.

Filmography

2004 TO CATCH A VIRGIN GHOST

Director's Statement

When I was ten, I always wanted to see exciting adventure movies whenever I sat in the dark and damp theater with rats running around. But unfortunately back then we did not have such Hollywood films as Alligator or series of Anacondas, where brutal beasts or monsters like boars, tigers and lions could harm human beings.

What if the animals we see everyday attack people? What if the animals people feel intimate with turn their back and start to threaten?

A survey shows that it was the boar that sat on the top of the food chain and periodically appeared all over the country leaving serious damages to farms and sometimes even attacked people in Korea. But strangely people took boars as one of the pig sorts as livestock not knowing their nature or having met them in real.

CHAW comes from this unexpected dual image and has been developed to be a cannibal creature in the movie.

http://www.finecut.co.kr/renew/library/cast.asp?num=91

Cast

Kang-soo: UM Tae-woong

Soo-ryun: JUNG Yu-mi

Mr.CHUN: CHANG Hang-sun

Man-bae: YOON Je-mun

Detective SHIN: PARK Hyuk-kwon

Credit

Director: SHIN Jung-won

Executive Producer: KIM Sun-yong, SON Kwang-ik

Producer: PARK Kyung-duk

Screenplay: SHIN Jung-won

Cinematographer: Kim Yong-chul

Lighting Director: SONG Jae-wan

Editor: CHOI Jai-keun

Production Designer: JUNG Sung-gun

Make-up: KIM Sung-mi

Wardrobe: KWAK Jung-ae

Original Music: KIM Jun-seong

Sound: LIVETONE

Tech Info

Production Year: 2009

Country of Production: Korea

Language: Korean

Gauge: 35mm

Running Time: 122 min.

Length of Film: 11,224 ft

Screen Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of Reels: 6

Color: Color

Sound: Dolby SRD

Production Budget: US$ 7.0 mil.

http://www.finecut.co.kr/renew/library/sold.asp?num=91

Australia & New Zealand - All Rights.

Austria - All Rights.

Germany - All Rights.

Indian Continents - All Rights

Indonesia - All Rights.

Korea - All Rights.

Malaysia & Brunei - All Rights.

Singapore - All Rights.

Switzerland - All Rights.

Thailand - All Rights.

UK - All Rights.

Vietnam - All Rights.

[creidesca]

Both of the movies Jung Yoo Mi is in are going to be released on the same day (Chaw and A Million), how interesting.

[rubie]

June 29, 2009

This thread previously started by Huangsy is now maintained by melusine at the first post to update with related movie info, etc.

Everyone please keep posting & continue sharing. ^^

[melusine]

Germany's Ascot Elite chews up Chaw

10 February, 2009 | By Liz Shackleton, Screen Daily

South Korea's Fine Cut has clinched a trio of pre-sales on Shin Jung-won's $7m creature feature Chaw, including the sale of all German-speaking rights to Ascot Elite.

The film, about a man-eating boar terrorising a Korean village, has also gone to J-bics for Thailand and IOF Entertainment for India.

Hans Uhlig, whose credits include the Star Wars series, The Day After Tomorrow and The Perfect Storm is over-seeing the special effects on the film, which is currently in post-production after shooting in the US and Korea, including the creation of the boar.

The film's ensemble cast is headed by Eum Tae-woong (Forever The Moment) and Jung Yu-mi (Family Ties).

Shin's credits include To Catch A Virgin Ghost, which racked up two million admissions in Korea and had critics comparing him to Tim Burton.

Fine Cut has also closed more sales on The Chaser, to Spain's Versus Entertainment, and Eye For An Eye to Turkey's Horizon and India's IOF.

Korean films leave their mark in Berlin

Action comedy "Chaw," directed by Shin Jung-won, was sold to 10 countries.

By Lee Eun-joo Staff Reporter, JoongAng Daily

February 18, 2009

Kim So-young's "Treeless Mountain" won the Ecumenical Prize, while Lee Suk-gyung's "The Day After" took the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema Award. Both are independent films.

"Treeless Mountain" portrays two young sisters growing up in the countryside. They have been abandoned by their mother, who does not have enough money to raise them. But their aunt, with whom they are sent to live, is an alcoholic.

The 89-minute film was first screened at the 13th Pusan International Film Festival last year, where it won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema Award.

"Treeless Mountain" will be released in U.S. theaters in April.

"The Day After" tells the story of a divorcee's life as she meets her soul mate.

Although these were the only two Korean films to win awards in Berlin, other Korean films screened during the festival left an impression as well, with several sold and exported at the festival site last week.

Action comedy "Chaw," directed by Shin Jung-won, was sold to distributors in 10 countries, including Germany, India and Thailand. The adventure story revolves around a wild boar with cannibalistic tastes living near a peaceful town in Mount Jiri.

Other films sold included "Marine Boy" to Turkey, "Haeundae" to Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore and the Czech Republic, and "Thirst" and "Mother" to Romania.

Meanwhile, the main prize - the Golden Bear award for best film - went to Spanish-Peruvian director Claudia Llosa's "The Milk of Sorrow." The film received praise from festival judges for its detailed and emotional depiction of abused women during the turbulent 1980s in Peru.

The Best Actor Award went to Sotigui Kouyate from Mali, who starred in "London River," a film depicting the 2005 terror attack in the London subway.

Austrian Birgit Minichmay took the Best Actress Award for her role in German drama "Everyone Else," about an odd couple battling their way through a holiday together.

[melusine]

'New Life' gets new sales after Cannes

Finecut sells Asian, European territories for Lecomte film

By Park Soo-mee, Hollywood Reporter

June 4, 2009, 06:37 AM ET

SEOUL -- "A Brand New Life," a film by Ounie Lecomte selected for the Festival de Cannes' special screenings section in May, has found four local distributors overseas, Seoul-based sales company Finecut said Wednesday.

Lecomte's new film, the company's headliner at the festival, was sold to Benelux (Cineart), Mexico (Filmhouse), Hong Kong (Edko Films) and Israel (Shani Film) from Cannes' Marche du Film, in addition to French-speaking regions that deal with Diaphana, signed earlier while the film was still in development. Finecut also is in discussion to close deals for other major territories such as in U.S., U.K., Japan and Germany.

Aside from "A Brand New Life," Singapore's Visicom Surya also bought the rights to "Chaw," the company's another title first revealed at this year's European Film Market.

Separately, "A Blood Pledge," a Korean horror film, and the related series "Memento Mori," about Korean high school girls, led to deals with Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia with Encore Films.

Both "Chaw" and "A Blood of Pledge" are in discussions for remake rights deals, according to Finecut's head Youngjoo Suh. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Catchplay acquired eight Finecut titles including "My Dear Enemy" and "Eye for an Eye, Hansel and Gretel" which was also sold to Compania General de la Imagen for Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

[melusine]

Chaw to be Unleashed July 16

By Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)

Jul 09 2009

Known for its innovative and daring use of genre combinations, Korean cinema breaks new ground yet again with Chaw, a black comedy thriller about a killer pig wreaking havoc on a small mountain town.

Directed by SHIN Jeong-won (To Catch a Virgin Ghost), the film stars popular actors EOM Tae-woong, JEONG Yu-mi and YOON Jae-moon. While the posters may lead one to think Chaw is a chilling horror and gore flick, the film blends and subverts the monster genre into a witty, suspenseful black comedy.

The story is set in the peaceful mountain town of Sameri where plans are underway to develop the area. Soon mutilated bodies are found at the development site, and panic spreads across the community, as it is discovered that a huge wild boar is on the rampage.

Comparison to Korea’s all time box office champ The Host, are inevitable, and box office expectations are high. Chaw was shot in Seoul and San Francisco, and has been picked up by Hollywood's Variety Fine Cut for release in the United States later this year.

[melusine]

Preview screening for horror movie Chaw

Source: Dramabeans

July 8th, 2009

[...] The film held its preview screening and press conference on the afternoon of July 8, attended by the film's stars (Uhm Tae-woong, Jung Yumi, Jang Hang-seon, Yoon Jae-moon, and Park Hyuk-kwon) whose characters form a five-member hunting team to capture the murderous beast.

Jung Yumi related a story of actually eating a caterpillar as part of her filming experience. When the director of photography had asked after the filming had wrapped whether she felt disappointed by anything, she had named one breakfast scene because she hadn't actually eaten the caterpillar that was supposed to come out of the food prepared in the mountainside. Jung explained, "I didn't know we'd actually re-shoot it. When the director said, 'Let's do it again' in June, I was surprised. The crew, art team, wardrobe, and the entire staff got to work." Her reasoning was, "even if the character didn't eat the whole thing, I felt she would at least give it a taste." [...]

credit as labelled

Videos

http://www.chaw.co.kr/3rd/vip.flv

mms://vod.cine21.com/cine21.com/movie/making/2009/07/chaw_vipsisa.wmv

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace] | [Streaming] [Streaming]

Arirang TV (English subs)

[MegaUpload] [MediaFire] [SendSpace] [SendSpace] | [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFJvK6h3NrI] [YouTube]

Y-Star

[DL] | [Streaming] [YouTube]

Yonhap News

[DL] | [Streaming]

Joy News

[Streaming]

TV Daily

[Streaming]

Media in News

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feT8HoGAVkg] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_MhESQRm1E] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAAAow06CRY]

SSTV

[Streaming] [Streaming] [Streaming] [Streaming]

스팟TV

[Streaming] [Streaming] [Streaming] [Streaming] [Streaming]

coolguy7.tistory.com

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHpWGFmbmPs]

[melusine]

VIP Screening

Celebrity attendees

Lee Byung-Hun <more pics>

Park Hae-Il

Shin Min-Ah <more pics>

Cha Soo-Yeon

Park Sol-Mi

Park Gun-Hyung

Bong Tae-Gyu and Lee Eun

Girls' Generation (SNSD) members Sooyoung, Yoona, Yuri

Lee Jong-Hyuk, Hwang Bora, Director Ryu Seung-Wan, Jo Min-Ah, Lee Jong-Soo, Yoo Hae-Jin

credit as labelled

[melusine]

Koreas' new B-movie star: a CGI pig

By Yang Sung-jin, Korea Herald

2009.06.17

A greedy hunter, a detective and an ecologist appear in "Chaw," a Korean monster film that centers upon a flesh-eating wild boar, but details about the creature were sketchy at a press conference in Seoul on Monday.

The lack of information about the main character called Chaw, a man-eating boar, was apparently designed to nurture more curiosity about the film that director Shin Jung-won readily described as "B-movie."

Few Korean films are designed as B-movie, partly because of the rigidity in themes and subject matters. Despite the exceptional success of Bong Joon-ho's "Host," monster films are a rarity, still more so when the main character is a terrifying pig.

"This film has adopted a typical Hollywood B-movie monster narrative in a way that offers a chance to think about all the destruction happening in the country's nature," director Shin told reporters.

Shin built his fame as a stylish storyteller in the horror comedy genre with "To Catch a Virgin Ghost" (2004), which won both critical and commercial success.

The movie is set in a small town called Sameri on Chiri Mountain, a place far removed from the hustle and bustle. The peace is disrupted violently when a parts of a formerly human body are found by ecologists staying on the mountain to study wild animals.

To catch the creature, a special squad is formed: a policeman (Eum Tae-woong), ecologist Su-ryeon (Jung Yu-mi), a long-forgotten hunter Il-man (Chang Hang-seon), a celebrity hunter (Yun Jae-mun), and a detective dispatched from Seoul (Park Hyeok-kwon).

While the hunters are real figures, the hunted could be brought back to life without the help of computer graphics. So the production crew and the main actors, flew to the United States to shoot special effects scenes.

Plenty of computer-generated images were blended into the leafy forest - the film's make-or-break battleground -- but the task was far more difficult than expected.

"Hollywood staff members found it very difficult to follow my script," Shin said. "Although they handled various subjects for special effects, it was the first time that they had to produce a Korean pig through computer graphics, which was fairly tricky."

The shooting lasted for about 40 days in San Francisco, with Korean actors negotiating with thick trees and unfriendly rocks on a daily basis.

Chang Hang-seon, clad in colorful hunter clothes, said that the U.S. special effects team often misunderstood the nuance of a scene or a dialogue. "Perhaps because of a different cultural background, U.S. staff members interpreted a scene very differently, while Korean actors took hidden meanings according to Korean conventions."

Eum Tae-woong, who plays a policeman, agreed: "At first, we expected a lot regarding the co-production with Hollywood staff members, but there were some disheartening moments. However, after the shooting was over, we formed a strong team spirit, as if we battled together in a war."

Director Shin said the film departs from other monster flicks in that it tackles environmental issues, particularly the serious destruction inflicted on Korea's ecology.

The film, produced by Soo Jack Films, will open nationwide in July.

[melusine]

Make way for a mutant boar with a bad attitude

By Hannah Kim Contributing writer, JoongAng Daily

June 26, 2009

Five hunters await their chance to track down a wild, man-eating boar. [Vantage Holdings]

The ultimate fight between five hunters and a bloodthirsty boar is set to hit screens on July 16.

“Chaw,” which means “trap” in the Gyeonggi and North Chungcheong dialects, and seems to aspire to “chow” in English, is an action comedy that tells the tale of a wild boar gone bad that has developed a taste for human flesh.

The story begins in the tranquil town of Sammae, which has managed to stay crime-free for the last 10 years.

Things start to go horribly wrong after the townspeople find a body that has been ripped to shreds.

When it is discovered that the perpetrator of this horribly ferocious crime is none other than a mutant man-eating boar, the town is torn apart, with all of the bloodcurdling screams, wild running and general chaos that could be expected after such a calamitous event. But the idea that a single creature could destroy the town’s peace and quiet also serves to unite the townsfolk, and they band together to hunt it down.

Why anyone would want to go after such a repulsive creature may be a mystery to some, but the five hunters who set off in search of the hairy beast seem to have secret motives all their own.

Representing the long arm of the law are police officer Kim (Uhm Tae-woong), who joined the squad to find his missing mother, and detective Shin (Park Hyuk-kwon), who just wants to solve the case.

Joining them is a motley crew of individuals who just happen to have a skill set suitable for any boar-catching expedition.

Cheon Il-man (Jang Hang-sun), a legendary artillerist, comes along in hope of avenging his granddaughter. And why have just one marksman when you can have two? Cheon is joined by Baek Man-bae (Yoon Jae-moon), a professional gunner from abroad.

Byeon Su-ryun (Jung Yu-mi), an assistant to an ecology professor, is - like so many of us are - hoping to write a groundbreaking thesis on boar mutations.

The movie trailer shows the group racing through the dark into forests and an abandoned mine - backdrops that are also essential to any boar-gone-bad action thriller.

Director of computer graphics Hans Uhlig, who was also involved in the making of “Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi,” “The Day After Tomorrow” and “The Perfect Storm,” uses his considerable talents to enliven the boar’s fierce eyes and blood-stained jaws to chilling effect.

Chaw was well received at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, and it is scheduled for release in a total of 15 countries including Germany, Switzerland, India, Singapore and Thailand, with deals in America and Japan still in the works.

[melusine]

(Movie Review) Full of wit and humor, monster flick draws laughter rather than chills

By Shin Hae-in, Yonhap News

SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- From its drooling jaws to its bulbous eyes, the man-eating boar in "Chaw" is actually kind of cute. So if you're looking to have shivers sent down your spine, it may be best to opt for something other than this latest Korean monster flick.

The emphasis on the film's narrative sometimes leaves the visual effects looking a little flat, but the well-structured plot can't be faulted. So if you're ready to settle for some distinctly Korean sarcastic humor and black comedy, "Chaw" may be the right choice.

The community headman of a calm and peaceful fictional mountain town of Sameri, crimeless for years, dreams about developing the village to bring an economic boost to the area. But one day, a terribly mutilated dead body is discovered in the grove of the new development area, and as the news spreads, the entire village descends into panic.

Upon investigation, the victim is confirmed to be a young girl attacked by a wild boar. The villagers demand that the development project be suspended, but the headman, greedy for money, ignores the pleas and pushes ahead. Soon, "Chaw" attacks again and terrorizes the entire town, provoking political recriminations, a cover-up by the police and arrival of bounty hunters looking to end the animal's rampage.

Despite its overwhelming appetite spanning all sorts of genres from drama, romance and comedy to horror, murder and mystery, the Korean film industry has been traditionally weak in monster films. With a rare exception of Bong Joon-ho's "Host (2006)," the first film to surpass the 10-million viewer mark at the domestic box office, local monster flicks have often been ridiculed for their coarse computer graphics and tacky storyline.

The mutant pig in "Chaw" is actually quite realistic -- with an adequate mix of Hollywood-made computer-generated imagery and practical effects -- considering its predecessors who have done much worse. The monster is only a minor player in this case, anyway.

Director Shin Jeong-won, who debuted with "Sisily 2km (To catch a Virgin Ghost)" in 2004, has been noted for his talent at "telling," rather than "showing" stories. Dubbed "Korea's Tim Burton" among fellow auteurs, Shin again shows the extent of unique effects that can be provoked by a well-written scenario.

"Korea has never had a film dealing with real life killer creatures like 'Alligator' and 'Anacondas.' I was intrigued by the idea of a familiar animal attacking and killing humans and wanted to create something out of this unexpectedness. But most of all, I wanted something funny and unique," Shin said.

The film doesn't really seem interested on featuring lives saved or the hunt for the beast: rather it focuses on the irony of men being slaughtered by the giant pig while ravenously eating barbequed pork, and explores the five main characters who want to hunt the monster down for varying reasons.

There are no real chills or scares -- after all, how scary can a pig be no matter the size? -- but the film draws a good laugh every other minute, as the director combines suspense, sarcasm and comedy. "Chaw" is hardly darker, more bone-chilling or emotionally profound compared to its predecessor "Host." But clearly entertaining, the film appears to have hatched a genre of its own as a "monster black comedy."

"Chaw," shot in Seoul and San Francisco, has been picked up by Hollywood's Variety Fine Cut and will also be released in the United States this year.

Starring Eom Tae-woong, Jeong Yu-mi and Yoon Jae-moon, the film will hit the local theaters beginning July 16.

[melusine]

'Chaw' Explores Omnivore's Nightmare

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter, Korea Times

07-09-2009 16:02

A scene from the homicidal hog movie "Chaw"

The homicidal hog movie "Chaw" is one of those films that takes a seed of truth and grows it into Jack's beanstalk. This tall tale of horror and adventure proves to be a fine addition to the local stock of computer graphics-ridden monster flicks ― offering a believable, rather than realistic, experience that persuades the viewer with more than just flesh-gnawing gore.

Dubbed the Korean Tim Burton for the punk horror flick "To Catch a Virgin Ghost," Shin Jung-won transforms familiar settings into an atmospheric space, where the narrative is propelled by suspense, dramatic counterpoints and solid character development (including some spoofs by a most memorable madwoman).

In recent years, there have been news reports of how deforesting and dwindling food sources drove ravenous wild boars to ravage dead bodies in tombs and attack villages. It took three years to design and realize via CG ― provided by the creative team behind "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" and the visual supervisor of "Jurassic Park" ― a mutated, super-sized pig that develops a taste for human flesh.

Some of the digitally rendered images are slightly awkward, and scenes are at times loosely woven together, but rife, non-imposing humor and moments of unexpected tenderness and non-preachy food for thought make up for the artifice.

Severely mangled bodies turn up in Sammaeri, a peaceful town near Mt. Jiri that had been crime-free for 10 years.

For the first few reels, "Chaw" unravels like you might expect a carnivorous horror movie would, with plenty of bone-crushing chaw noises that evoke, rather than directly depict, the most nauseatingly vivid images ― a crunch, snap and urgent pull into dark bushes. "Chaw" is also the phonetic transliteration of a Korean word for an animal trap used in Gyeonggi and North Chungcheong Provinces.

The local administrators are alarmed that it might turn away the recent influx of urbanites paying high prices to pick fruit and get back in touch with Mother Nature for the weekend.

Il-man (played by screen veteran Jang Hang-sun), a retired hunter who lost his beloved granddaughter to the horrific event, claims that a wild beast is responsible for the act. Su-ryeon (the endearingly quirky actress Jung Yu-mi), a biologist camping in the area in search of mutated wild animals, is also convinced that there is something uncanny and very hungry out there.

The town beckons the arrival of detective Shin (Park Hyeok-gwon, "Antique"), an unsmiling man with a mild case of kleptomania, and Baek (the devilishly talented Yoon Jae-moon), a celebrity hunter armed with expensive gear, tall Finnish buddies, big bulldogs and a greasy hair-do.

Meanwhile, short-tempered police officer Kim ("Handphone" star Uhm Tae-woong) is reassigned from Seoul to Sammaeri, and he reluctantly moves in with his pregnant wife and Alzeimer's-inflicted mother. When his mother disappears into the woods, Kim is forced to join Il-man, Su-ryeon, Shin and Baek for the big hunt.

The camera keeps a steady distance from the characters and gritty backdrops, but also switches to reveal the perspective of the carnivorous Chaw, showing how easily the hunter is also the hunted.

The camera also pauses every now and then ― a pig's head graces a pot at a local eatery while a human head sits upon a forensic lab. Both are remnants of an omnivore's feast.

Hunger may drive a beast to dig up a dead body or treat itself to an unconscious person. But it is ultimately the savagery of human greed that drives one to indulge in the spoils of an open coffin ― the gold ring on an amputated finger ― or human frailty that motivates drunk drivers to toss a woman's body into the fields.

In theaters July 16. 120 minutes. 12 and over. Distributed by Lotte Entertainment.

[melusine]

Great audience response at 7만 'guerilla' premieres in Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Suwon, Incheon, Ilsan on July 9~12.

via Break News

Box Office 2009/07/10~2009/07/12 <credit: KOBIS>

10. 차우 (Chaw)

Admission / Total Admission : 6,020 / 11,367

Gross / Total Gross (won) : 31,607,000 / 59,142,500

Screens : 38

Opening Date : 2009/07/15

The giant man-eating pig movie Chaw got a few test screenings, opening for a single showing in 33 places around the country and it was able to secure a spot in the top ten. (In contrast, Transformers 2 dominated 872 screens). Looking at the films opening this week, it is certain that Transformers will have to relinquish the top spot. But to whom? Chaw looks like a very good candidate, but it is up against some tough competition in the form of Harry Potter 6. The ads of both films have been receiving a lot of air time on tv–it is going to come down to word-of-mouth. If Chaw can live up to expectations–many people are already comparing it to The Host–then it has a good chance of outselling the boy wizard.

Source: Seen in Jeonju

[melusine]

90,000 viewers on opening day

via Break News

Theater sked

[rubie]

VIP Screening Photos at east-01.com

17th July 2009

CHAW Movie REVIEW

by Tom Giammarco l Seen in Jeonju

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Chaw finally opened yesterday and I am happy to say that it was worth the wait. It blends comedy, horror and action and the result is truely enjoyable.

The movie is about an oversized giant pig. It has developed a test for human flesh after rooting around graves and feeding on the corpses. Its ferocity and hunger soon leads it to start attacking live prey. At first, the deaths it causes are investigated by the police, but soon they are joined by some unusual allies that include a famous big game hunter, an amatuer videographer and a special agent after a brazen attack on a village gathering.

The acting is very good (with one notable exception) and there are quite a few surprises. Even though it utilizes some horror movie conventions that have been around since Jaws first debuted in the 1970s, they feel fresh here perhaps because the director knew they were cliche situations and added new twists to them.

The cast is led by Uhm Tae-woong who plays a police officer from Seoul relocating to this sleepy mountaing community along with his pregnant wife and senile mother. He is an effective police officer with a strong sense of duty–as opposed to everyone else on the force who play more like the Keystone Cops. The cast of characters around him are quirky and very interesting. I half wish that someone would think of writing a television series around the cast living in this village–it would turn out to be something along the lines of a Northern Exposure. Of all the unusual characters in this village, perhaps none are stranger than the terrifying and cerifiably insane woman known simply as Deok-gu’s ‘mother’ played by Ko Seo-hee. Although halfway through the film, you may be scratching your head and wondering what the point of this character is–stick around until after the first set of credits and you will see an additional scene that highlights her..and the depth of her insanity.

Yoon Je-moon does an excellent job as the big game hunter Baek who is a minor celebrity among the hunters of the mountain community. He is the equivelent of Quint in Jaws or the big game hunter from Jurassic Park 2. However, even though Baek would probably take it as a compliment to be compared to either of those characters as he tries to act steely and cold, he is not a mere shadow of them. He has more depth of emotion than either of those two and has his own personality quirks, such as talking to his dog in Russian, showing his frailty when dealing with women and demonstrating his terror of the pig on more than one occassion.

I mentioned that there was one exception to the good acting. The hunters from ‘Finland’ were absolutely awful. What terrible casting and acting! The “actors” (named Smith and Grossman) were clearly North Americans–from their accents. Why couldn’t they have learned their handful of lines in Finnish? or at least faked a Finnish accent if they couldn’t remember their lines in Finnish? Listening to their American colloquialisms and swear words actually angered me as it just showed laziness on the part of the actors and/or the casting director. Fortunately, their parts are very small and they are soon out of the movie.

Otherwise, director Shin Jeong-won did an excellent job for his second film and I strongly recommend this film if you are in the mood for an exciting action film!

[melusine]

^thanks rubie

Box Office <credit: KOBIS>

2009/07/17~2009/07/19

2. 차우 (Chaw)

Admission / Total Admission : 511,947 / 691,982

Gross / Total Gross (won) : 3,642,583,500 / 4,858,629,000

Screens : 516

Opening Date : 2009/07/15

Meanwhile, another Korean action movie opened big last week, the killer-pig-on-the-loose film Chaw [차우] starring Uhm Tae-woong and Jung Yumi. Chaw opened on the same day as Harry Potter and secured a second-place box-office slot for the day. By the end of its first week, Chaw had managed to break the 1 million mark, benefiting from word-of-mouth buzz.

Source: [Dramabeans] Big openings for films Haeundae, Chaw