Chung Doo Hong 정두홍 Jung Doo Hong

[Guest ksen]

Excerpts from my article in Russian-Korean monthly

--

Rubie, if you are interested: it is MY photos

[rubie]

^

Hi Kseniya!

Thanks very much for the translated article and the link to your album. Really appreciate the sharing & sweet thoughts.

Although things are moving rather slow these days, I really hope that one day... Mr. CDH would read your article (& many more) and that you'll have a photo with him to be included in the photoalbum, too.

[Guest ksen]

Only you understand me! Thanks a lot!

[Guest ksen]

I found out that Mr. Chung participated in shootings of "Mongol" only in China. He will not arrive neither to Mongolia, nor to Kazakhstan. Most likely he will not arrive here on a premiere. The film-company asserts that CDH speaks only Korean. Well, recollecting his study in college of USA and Mexico I think either he consider his English not good enough or he does not want, instead of "can not" speak in English.

Well, I do not think that it is a good sign for me

And they promised to find a phone of his school in Seoul for me... Interesting is it the school www.sats.co.kr where in the beginning I sent some e-mailes (an e-mail client answered me that it is impossible to deliver my letter). Then I tried to send a fax. It isn't automatic, and a girl did not speak English. Then my friend told that after weekends she will send my fax to own friend in Seoul and will ask her to send the fax to this school. In weekends I solved as to write to forum www.sats.co.kr , but I hadn't time to warn the friend and the fax was sent too. At school told they received ALL my letters (! ), but they see him too seldom and consequently can not promise to help me...

Some time ago I saw the film "Chronicles of Narnia" (I love this book very much). And I couldn't but think about what wonder would do Koreans out of this film. Landscapes would be really fantastic, characters would be deep, the plot would not be so hasty, action would not kill logic (wolves have not caught children in an underground course, have not sensed them on a tree...) and fights would be incomparably better....

[rubie]

September 26, 2005

Foreign Film Watch: Criminal Behavior, Part 1

by Won Kim

Crime films seem to dominate my viewing list these days. Some reviews follow...

Center: Lee Marvin in "Point Blank". Clockwise from top left: Lee Byung Hun as Sun Woo, Alain Delon in "Le Samourai", another shot of Lee Byun Hun, Jeon Du-Hung (right) faces off against Yakuza in "Fighter in the Wind", Philip Kwok in "Hard-Boiled", and Michael Caine and friend in "Get Carter".

Kim Jae-Woon’s, “Tale of Two Sisters” (2003) is a stylish slow-burn horror-mystery based on an old Korean fairy tale (of surprising psychological depth) that featured memorable production design (think Laura Ashley from Hell), clever use of a classical score, and great performances by Im Su-Jeong and Mun Keun-Young as the sisters, and Yeom Jeong-Ah, who is unforgettable as the evil stepmother. Impressed put in a standing order for Kim’s next film, A Bittersweet Life (2005) which turned out to be equally stylish as “Sisters”, but otherwise a bit frustrating. The story is simple. A trusted mob enforcer, Sun-Woo (played by Lee Byung-Hun) finds that he cannot fulfill his boss’ latest order. He takes a big chance, and as a result, suffers terribly, then, having been a loyal mobster decides to retaliate. Hardly original as crime stories go. However, what matters in genre films like this, is not what happens, but how the story is told, and the film is certainly stylish. The world Sun-Woo operates in is filled with dramatic locales as shiny and reflective, as the settings in Michael Mann’s urban crime stories “Thief” and “Heat”, and fans of those films will no doubt like “Bittersweet”. The fight scenes are brutal and well choreographed by Jeon Du-Hong (“Fighter in the Wind”, “No Blood No Tears”) particularly the extended finale. There’s one sequence involving low-rent illegal gun dealers that stands out for its’ grim humor.

Whether one considers the film a success or not depends on how one reacts to the casting of Lee Byung-Hun in the lead role. Michael Hodges’ memorable “Get Carter” (1971) and John Boorman’s “Point Blank”, work so well in part because Michael Caine and Lee Marvin look like people who intimidate, and otherwise brutalize, others for a living. Caine and Marvin make it believable when they endured beating after beating and dish out death and destruction in return. I felt Lee’s youthful good looks worked against him in “Bittersweet”. He stands out a bit too much among his fellow mobsters, who are a generally dangerous looking, bunch indeed. found myself wishing the producers and filmmakers had cast Jeon Du-Hung (the black-clad enforcer in “No Blood No Tears”, a demonic martial arts master/sorcerer in “Arahan”, and the noble martial arts teacher in “Fighter in the Wind”) in the lead. He has craggy looks for the role. As with Jeon’s fellow actor and fight choreographer, Phillip Kwok (“Five Deadly Venoms”, “Hard Boiled”) I hope Jeon gets a few starring roles in some well-directed action films before either of them gets much older. Both men look great on film, have the requisite acting ability, and are “hell on wheels” in motion. Compounding matters, Lee’s character, Sun-Woo, is a cold-blooded perfectionist (well illustrated by his first scene in the movie, involving an interrupted meal) and a relatively repressed man, a key plot element in the story. Though Lee Byung-Hun has turned in an engrossing and sympathetic performances “JSA: Joint Security Area”, in “Bittersweet” I suspect he was asked to underplay his character’s reactions. (This is reinforced by the late revelation of his reasons for making a critical choice early in the film.) This was a mistake. Lee doesn’t get to externalize Sun-Woo’s emotions until his enemies put him ‘through the wringer’. Cold blooded killer that he is, we need to sympathize with him earlier on in the story, as we did with Jean Reno’s Leon, in “The Professional”. The rest of the cast is fine. Shin Min-Ah (“Volcano High”) stands out as a young cellist Sun-Woo is assigned to watch, as does Min Hwang-Jeon as a nasty piece of work named Baek, the leader of a rival gang.

Given the high quality of the production, and action scenes, I expect “A Bittersweet Life” to get released in a Region One DVD edition. With the above reservations in mind, I think many people will still enjoy it. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you like Michael Mann’s work, and if Alain Delon’s stoic good looks didn’t get in the way of accepting him in films like “Le Samourai” and “The Sicilian Clan”. If it the answer to both questions is yes, give “A Bittersweet Life” a try, you’ll like it better than I did.

More stuff at http://www.yourmomsbasement.com/archives/2..._film_wa_1.html

[Guest ksen]

Well, it's a big pleasure to see such an ardent fan of CDH

But, despite the fact that I'm all for CDH playing in as many movies as possible, the more so starring, and despite by opinion that he would do with the leading role in Bitter Sweet Life, I cannot agree that Lee fails somewhere. He is quite different image, character, different from that CDH would create, and this is a great character.

"Mongol" shootings news: CDH still haven't finished his work in that project. On May the group goes to China again and he will join them there.

http://www.sats.co.kr/ is indeed the official site of his school

[Guest ksen]

My Korean friend saw http://www.sats.co.kr/ (site of Seoul Action School) and he told that it is not school of Mr. Chung ( ), but related.

CDH is director of 한국무술연기자협회. I don't know what is it and where it is yet..

[Guest ksen]

Hi everybody!

I'm alive and kicking and having had internet at home. But I have no time. An institue exams are approaching, and I started my site's restructuring, and: I managed to get registered at cafe.daum.net

(As a non-Korean I had to wait for approval from the cafe's webmaster)

Alas, my Korean is so poor that I understand only a little, and translate very slowly. It is easier to write myself but a hard work to tumble to the replies.

Anyhow I'm confident now that cafe's member meet CDH from time to time. You can ask questions, and there are heaps of his photos there.

Nothing more special to inform you: Today's weekend I dedicated to translation of menus and main page info

[rubie]

That's good to hear, Kseniya! Finally becoming a member at cafe.daum.net.

I'm sure you'll be accepted, even if it takes a little more time but definitely the first step for better things to come.

Congratulations and all the best in starting your site again, hope to see it later!

[Guest ksen]

Thank you, Rubie!

Oops! I was sure that I wrote about that here. Maybe there was a "quirk" in Soompi so my message was lost?

So: some time ago a girl from Korean language courses told me that cafe.daum.net is one of the few Korean sites where foreigners may register thru hanmail.net - and promised to register me there. I hardly believed, but it came true! Recently I got the full membership in http://cafe.daum.net/jungdoohong

Besides, I learned that there is a thread there where CDH himself writes!!

Sometime I'll translate his messages and tell you

[Guest ksen]

:excl:

CDH has answered to my post!!!!

He addressed to everybody in the cafe, but wrote it in an answer to my post.. Thanked for our love to him and apologized for infrequent attendance - especially to the fans "from faraway Russia"...

And I cannot answer him fluently... I could understand what he wrote in hangungmal only with the help of a friend from Korea

But it was really something!

[rubie]

^

Congratulations Kseniya!!!

That is great news... it's the start you're hoping for and CDH now realizes that he has fans in Russia. I can feel that he's feeling very happy about it.

It's definitely something!

[rubie]

Ksen!!! Do you know about this?

March 01, 2006

[2006 KOREAN CINEMA PREVIEWS]

Ryu Seung-Wan's 짝패 (The City of Violence)

The Hanja idiom 외유내강 (外柔內剛, soft outside strong inside) could perfectly fit Ryu Seung-Wan's description. The golden boy of Chungmuro, who shocked everyone in the industry with his debut film 죽거나 혹은 나쁘거나 (Die Bad) in 2000, a collection of interconnected short films with the kind of intensity even veteran directors had a hard time showing, has become one of the most important directors in Chungmuro thanks to sheer dedication and love for films. Going from a young fan from Chungcheong Province who dreamed of becoming an actor, to the 'Action Kid' par excellence in Korean Cinema. Despite all that, Ryu actually dislikes violence. Yet many of his films find a certain beauty buried within that expression of physical rage, from the devastating finale of 'Die Bad' to the raw, brutal power of 피도 눈물도 없이 (No Blood No Tears); from the final confrontation in 아라한 장풍대작전 (Arahan) to the heart rending 'fight back to life' in last year's 주먹이 운다 (Crying Fist).

The beauty of violence within the film stratosphere, removed from the everyday reality of violence in the media, on the streets, everywhere. Just like his old idols, like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, using violence as film action. It seems then a paradox that a few of Ryu Seung-Wan's films, strong on the outside but with a warm, soft power inside, were produced by this 'soft outside, strong inside' company, 외유내강. To be precise, only two: his debut 'Die Bad', and his upcoming low-budget action noir 짝패 (The City of Violence). While 'Crying Fist' showed his maturation as a filmmaker finally removing himself from his 'cult' roots, few people expected him to abandon the genre he loved so much, which is why the news that he was preparing a sort of 'new age Die Bad' didn't surprise anyone. What's a little more surprising is the fact Ryu will return to the big screen not only as the director of 'The City of Violence', but also as the main star (even better, he'll play TWO roles). Although Ryu has been doing cameos in a few Park Chan-Wook and Lee Chang-Dong films, this is the first time since 'Die Bad' the young director has a big role in a film.

And again something new for a Ryu film, his younger brother Seung-Beom is absent this time. There's many reasons for that, including the two brothers' intention to find their own voice without always needing to be paired together, and the younger Ryu's other projects like 사생결단 (Bloody Tie). But the cast is nonetheless very interesting: Lee Beom-Soo works with the director for the first time, just like talented Kim Seo-Hyung of 여고괴담 4: 목소리 (Voice); we'll also see familiar Ryu regulars, like Ahn Gil-Gang, and last but not least action-director Jung Doo-Hong, who is shooting this film in between projects -- the latest being his directing debut in the US, Bouncer -- and will play the other leading role.

Tae-Soo (Ryu in the adult version, Kim Dong-Young as a teenager) returns to his hometown in Chungcheong Province after years, his reason being one of his best friends' funeral. Back in town, the detective meets again some good old friends he hadn't seen in ages, even though getting together after over a decade for something like a friend's funeral is not exactly the happiest of occasions. Yet in trying to find out why and how his friend died, he finds he was betrayed by a cold hearted group of gangsters (who keep committing crimes, obviously), and starts searching the whole town for the culprits. To make them pay, whatever it takes.

Now, anyone remotely acquainted with recent Korean Cinema should know a little about gangsters, and the treatment they get in Chungmuro. Often associated with 사투리 (saturi, dialect) - mostly from Jeolla or Gyungsang Province -- and stupidity for comic relief, the reality is obviously quite different. And Ryu, who confessed on various interviews he's not a big fan of gangsters, will focus on a more realistic gangster, parasites roaming the streets of little towns, just like in Tae-Soo's hometown. And the action will have a very strong element of realism too, in what looks to be the most traditional action film in Ryu's career. In a recent interview, Director Ryu was asked to describe the style of 'The City of Violence' compared to his other films. And although some joked it would be a 'Chungcheong Ong Bak', Ryu revealed the film will have a very 80s feeling, like some of Sammo Hung's films -- 龍的心 (Heart of Dragon) and 飛龍猛將 (Dragons Forever) on top. It will also be Ryu's most personal film to date, if we exclude the brilliant parody 다찌마와 리 (Dajjimawa Lee) which was an ode to all the films Ryu grew up with, and that's not only because he and Tae-Soo were born in Chungcheong Province.

Ryu, who escaped from genre tropes in most of his films, while at the same blending the various elements which made up genre films he grew up with, will make his first real 'genre' film. A pure, 100% action film. 'The City of Violence' is part of the new HD Project by CJ Entertainment, involving seven other directors. We're talking big names here: Choi Dong-Hoon of 범죄의 재수성 (The Big Swindle), Yoo Ha of 말죽거리 잔혹사 (Once Upon a Time in High School), Hur Jin-Ho of 외출 (April Snow), and even Park Chan-Wook, whose 싸이보그지만 괜찮아 (Cyborg Girl) was the first of these low-budget project to be announced. Each director gets between 1.5 and 2.5 Billion Won, in an effort to show the potential of Digital film in reducing costs. The script of Ryu's film was written by Lee Won-Jae, who did such a great job last year adapting 혈의 누 (Blood Rain) for the big screen, and shooting started on February 1 in Chungcheong Province. Ryu's next project after 'The City of Violence' will be a 'zombie flick', tentatively entitled 야차 (Demon). And here's another good news: this Summer's most interesting release might still be Bong Joon-Ho's 괴물 (The Host), but CJ Entertainment plans to release 'The City of Violence' this June, so maybe we have another contender for 'must see' film of the Summer.

[sources: Naver News 1, Naver News 2, Seoul Shinmun, Soribada News, Yahoo Korea]

credit: http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/005297.html

[rubie]

Hope you can watch the trailer, I've seen it and it's awesome... kicks & all!

March 14, 2006

짝패 (The City of Violence) Teaser Trailer Released

짝패 티저 예고편 Teaser Trailer (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)

mms://wms06.bcst.krn.yahoo.com/c/cine21.com/movie/trailer/2006/03/city_of_violence_teaser_tr_700k.wmv

Credit: http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/005431.html

[Guest ksen]

Thank you Rubie!

> I can feel that he's feeling very happy about it.

Well.. I hope you are right. But I still think we are a little bit

tiresome phenomenon in his life. I do not see happiness on his face in

photos from meetings with press and fans.. he-he-he

But if nevertheless I am right, his kindness to his fans is

especially great

> Ksen!!! Do you know about this?

Yes. But nevertheless thank you very much. I should place it here myself...

But I see the trailer for the first time. Thanks! It is great!

[rubie]

March 15, 2006

짝패 (The City of Violence) Posters

Source: Maxmovie - http://www.maxmovie.com/movie_info/news_re...y=&search=title

Credit to Twitchfilm.net - http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/005441.html

[Guest ksen]

Posters: http://movie.naver.com/movie/bi/mi/photo.nhn?code=58280&mb=c

[Guest ksen]

Boxing (video): http://movie.damoim.net/istyle/movie/exter...584&companycd=2

[Guest ksen]

Teaser Trailer (Downloadable, Windows Media): http://press.nkino.com/cjenter/mailzine/zz...ser_trailer.wmv

Making Of (Streaming, 500k, Windows Media): mms://wms07.bcst.krn.yahoo.com/c/cine21.com/movie/making/2006/04/city_of_violence_mf_500k.wmv

[rubie]

Hi Kseniya, hope you're doing well! Some updates from CDH's movie

May 10, 2006

[시사회 - PRESS SCREENING] 짝패 (The City of Violence)

JUNG DOO-HONG

"Ryu Seung-Wan was really great, even though he injured his knee, he waited until the shoot was over and then went through surgery. That truly shows dedication. I think the fact I've been able to show my best in this film after all those years of acting makes me sad in a way, but I think this experience will help me greatly in the future. I'm quite satisfied in the film, to be honest, and I'd like to give Ryu Seung-Wan 100 points: of course I don't know much about acting so I can't judge that, but as for action is concerned he was great. You won't see too many actors in Korea able to do action scenes like those. In the future I'll try to teach systematically some young actors the fundamentals of action films, to improve the genre in Korea. My dream is to one day walk in a video-shop in a foreign country and see a corner for Korean action films, so that's what we'll try to achieve in the next few years."

For full article, interview, report and links, please click (credit to X)

http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/006085.html