[Movie 2009] Private Eye 그림자살인

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Condolences to the family of Woo Seung Yeon

April 28, 2009

Young Actress Woo Found Dead

Woo Seung-yeon

A young South Korean actress has been found dead at her home in southern Seoul in what appears to be a suicide, Yonhap News Agency reported Tuesday, quoting a police source.

The body of Woo Seung-yeon, who played a supporting role in several films and worked as a model, was discovered by her live-in friend, police said, noting she appeared to have hanged herself. The 26-year-old actress left an alleged suicide note, saying "I love my family. I'm so sorry to leave early."

Woo's family members and friends told police investigators that she has been under severe stress after recently failing to pass auditions for new roles.

Celebrity suicides are on the rise in South Korea, which witnessed suicides of top movie actress Choi Jin-sil, young TV actress Jang Ja-yeon and actor Ahn Jae-hwan over the past year.

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

Actress Hangs Herself

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Staff Reporter

The late Woo Seung-yeon

Actress, Woo Seung-yeon, 25, was found dead in her home in Seoul in what appears to be a suicide, police said Monday.

Woo apparently hanged herself in her room and was found dead by her roommate who notified police, according to the Seoul Songpa Police Station.

She left a note stating she loved her family and she was sorry to leave them. She also sent a text message stating "I'm sorry" to her sister, who tried to reach her by phone, a police officer said.

Woo debuted as a model for fashion magazines and appeared in minor roles in the movies "Herb" (2007) and "Private Eye" (2009). She was taking leave from the Department of French Language and Literature at Chung-Ang University.

She was signed by the Oracle Entertainment agency two months ago and expected to broaden her acting career.

Her agency said she was undergoing treatment for depression and spoke to her sister and friends about her failures at auditions. Police believe the depression might have driven her to the suicide.

Woo's death is the latest in a series of celebrity suicides. Top actress Choi Jin-sil, actor, Ahn Jae-hwan and TV actress Jang Ja-yeon all took their own lives.

Credits: meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr

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Lots of domestic movies (+Wolverine) coming out last weekend but we're all cool ^^ the Private Eye at #9! Fighting!

Weekly Box Office 2009.05.01 ~ 2009.05.03 3-day Gross/Total Gross (won)

1. Thirst (South Korea) 4,369,977,000 / 5,538,596,500

2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (U.S.) 2,705,005,000 / 3,398,422,000

3. My Girlfriend is An Agent (South Korea) 2,600,424,500 / 9,473,694,000

4. Insadong Scandal (South Korea) 1,832,476,000 / 2,343,165,500

5. Monsters Vs. Aliens (U.S.) 794,008,000 / 2,518,359,000

6. Knowing (U.S.) 462,892,000 / 6,317,741,000

7. Sergeant Keroro The Super Duper Movie : Dragon Wars (Japan) 289,617,500 / 307,540,500

8. State Of Play (U.S.) 320,315,000 / 423,924,500

9. Shadow Kill / Private Eye (South Korea) 245,702,000 / 12,424,297,500

10. White Tuft, the Little Beaver (France) 180,417,500 / 186,358,500

Source: KOFIC

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May 8, 2009

Domestic movies see increased audience in April: report

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean movies were greeted by an increased number of local audiences last month, a report said Friday, signaling renewed hope for the domestic film industry hit by an ongoing economic downturn and a deluge of Hollywood blockbusters.

Backed by two local box office hits -- "My Girlfriend Isn't an Agent" and "Private Eye" -- domestic movies took up 47.4 percent of the April film market with some 3.7 million in ticket sales, according to CJ CGV, South Korea's largest film distributor and multiplex chain.

The market share of local movies increased by 24.3 percentage points from the same period last year and 9.6 percentage points from March, the report added.

"Private Eye" and "My Girlfriend Isn't an Agent" drew the largest number of moviegoers last month, seeing accumulated ticket sales of 1.8 million and 1 million, respectively.

Credits: hayney@yna.co.kr via yonhapnews.co.kr

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Private Eye

I'd heard some positive things about Private Eye before actually catching the movie in the theater. A detective story set in the early 20th century under the Japanese colonial rule! With Hwang Jeong-min, Ryu Deok-hwan, Uhm Ji-won, Oh Dal-soo in the cast! And the screenplay picked up some kind of award! Well, the last bit was not so intriguing. It's not uncommon for an acclaimed screenplay to turn out to be disappointing. Still, the first two pieces of information were enough to get my expectations up.

The details of the story go like this. Hong Jin-ho, the character played by Hwang Jeong-min in this film, is a pro at things like tracking down missing people and exposing illicit love affairs. He doesn't call himself a private eye, but that's basically what he is. He usually tries to avoid tight situations but is one day pushed into a rather sticky murder case, when Jang Gwang-soo, a med student who collects abandoned bodies for dissection, asks Hong to find the murderer of his latest cadaver.

Wait. I mean, wouldn't it be obvious to a med school student that if you find a body with a knife wound in it, it was probably a victim of murder? The film begins to lose its footing this early on. The story wouldn't make sense even from the viewpoint of early 20th-century Seoulites. Any moderate reader among them would have been familiar with the ABCs of detective novels. This would have included a cadaver-hungry medical student, by the way. It could be that Jang was simply thinking that his actions were fine if the body belonged to some insignificant fellow, but less so if it turned out to be the son of a high-ranking official that spells out mortal danger for him-- but then the audience wouldn't be able to like him as much.

If it's all an excuse to bring together a private eye and a doctor-to-be as a murder investigation team, well, I can't say I don't understand. The folks who made this film were indeed aiming for a Holmes and Watson partnership, colonial Seoul-style. The names match somewhat, with a little stretch: Holmes - Hong Jin-ho, John Watson - Jang Gwang-soo, see? But there's a fatal flaw here. As you Baker Street Regulars already know, Holmes and Watson are highly distinctive characters. Just a few pages into the story and you know what kind of people they are. In Private Eye, it's much harder to figure out the two main characters. Especially Hong Jin-ho. What is he, anyway? A man of "the little gray cells" like Hercule Poirot? No, he's too dumb for that. Or an eclectic super-hero like his namesake Holmes? He doesn't have half the skills. Maybe a tough guy like Sam Spade? Not so. Hong can't hold up in a fistfight, nor does he have the guts to handle the life underground. Then why in the world is this man the hero?

Hong's plight springs from the fact that the film denies him a chance to reveal his unique features or skills. In other words, the screenplay was not very well thought out. The film doesn't have much mystery in it. There's no foreshadowing that lasts more than ten minutes, and most clues are explained away in the very next sequence. On top of that, there's just one suspect. Or were there two? In any case, there's no room for a detective to do anything, much less show himself off. Even that snazzy toy that looks like something Q might make for 007 is simply no good if the man doesn't get to use it.

And who makes these toys for Hong? It's the inventor Soon-duk, played by Uhm Ji-won. Soon-duk, although not very realistic, could have been an interesting character: a lady of noble birth that gets hooked on modern Western science and sets up a lab in an abandoned church to cook up all sorts of inventions. A personage of these dimensions might well be the heroine in a sensible screenplay, but here she remains underdeveloped and misused in a supporting role.

Another badly formulated character is the police officer Oh Young-dal. As always, Oh Dal-soo turns in a fun, top-notch comic performance, but his character really does not deserve such cutesy treatment. It's always a bad idea to put together in one character the roles of a harmless clown and an accomplice in crime. No amount of good acting on Oh Dal-soo's part can pull it off, however excellent an actor he may be.

The film attempts to cover up gaping holes in the story and characters with action scenes, but those aren't so well-crafted either. The chase scene between Hong and a mysterious pursuer is a glaring example. The city-stomping stunts on the fabulous open sets could have been "cool," or so the makers must have thought, but it did not work. The rhythm is awkward and the timing a mess. The entire sequence here is meant to end on a clear slapstick note, which might have looked good in the script. But where one second would have been enough, the film drags on for a few more seconds and the result is a boring scene. This is just one of many such unwise decisions. All in all, I don't believe that the makers of Private Eye are giving film as a medium its full workout. (Djuna, translated by ye-jung)

Source: http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm09.html#privateeye

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May 21, 2009

Korean Cinematography Booms on High-quality, Lucrative Productions

http://english.kbs.co.kr/ICSFiles/artimage...1/7017_69_l.jpg

Korean cinematography has been thriving recently as more movies continue to draw scores of viewers to theaters, bringing in impressive revenues and receiving positive feedback both from domestic and foreign critics. As more viewers these days are attaching more importance to the uniqueness of movies rather than their scale, Korean movies are expected to continue to enjoy popularity for the time being. But some have voiced concerns that their success could be short-lived because many Hollywood blockbusters are set to open later this year.

The Korean film market remained stagnant in the first three months of the year despite the success of “Speed Scandal” and “Old Partner,” which opened this past December and January, respectively. The number of viewers during that period plummeted 19 percent from the same period a year ago, according to the Korean Film Council. Viewers began paying attention to domestic movies again around mid-April, when several hits including “Thirst” opened.

Domestic movies drew more than two million viewers in the first five months of last year, but there were only two movies -- “The Chaser” and “The Best Moment Of Our Lives” -- that produced impressive results. This year, however, there are five movies that are likely to keep the domestic film industry afloat -- “Speed Scandal,” “A Frozen Flower,” “Old Partner,” “Secret Couple” and “Thirst.” The latter drew significant attention for the impressive acting of Song Kang-ho and Kim Ok-bin and for receiving an invitation to the Cannes International Film festival. “Thirst” and the comedy movie “Secret Couple” managed to beat even Hollywood blockbusters such as “Knowing,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Star Trek XI,” which cost 10 times as much to produce.

Kang Hyo-mi from First Look, which oversees the promotion of “Secret Couple,” says though it’s a given that large-scale foreign productions typically receive a larger response, viewers seem to base their choices on the uniqueness of movies rather than on their scale. She added that Korean movies that are fun to watch and that stand apart from other productions have received a favorable response from viewers so far.

It is also worth mentioning that domestic movies that have become hits so far have received positive feedback even from film critics and are diverse in terms of genre. “Speed Scandal” and “Secret Couple” have struck a chord with viewers with their humorous plots, characters with distinctive personalities and the impressive acting of their casts, unlike the movies of the early 2000s, which evoked laughter with obscene language and the comical behavior of their characters.

“Old Partner,” which was underestimated by many, proved the great potential of independent films, while “Thirst” turned out to be a huge success despite its complexity. Other domestic films that have contributed to drawing more than one million viewers so far include the detective movie “Private Eye,” which is set in the period of the Japanese colonization of Korea; the thriller “Insa-dong Scandal” about conspiracy in the art circles; and another thriller “The Scam,” which deals with stock manipulations. These movies mark a new chapter in the history of Korean cinematography, which until recently focused mostly on provocative subjects such as organized crime.

The surging popularity of Korean movies overseas is further proof of their high quality. Ten Korean movies have been invited to this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, including “Thirst” (Competition) “Mother” (Un Certain Regard) and “Like You Know It All” (Director‘s Week). That’s the largest number of Korean film invitees to date, and they have all received rave reviews from foreign media.

But despite the recent boom in the domestic film industry, its future remains obscure. The comedy movie “Castaway On The Moon,” which opened last weekend, lost the spotlight to the Hollywood blockbuster “Angels & Demons,” while director Bong Jun-ho’s new production “Mother,” which opens May 28, will have to compete with “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.”

Things could be more challenging in the second half of the year, when domestic films will have to compete with a number of Hollywood blockbusters such as “Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen,” “Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince” and “G.I. Joe: Rise Of Cobra.” Domestic productions slated for opening in the second half of the year include the nation’s first disaster blockbuster “Haeundae,” which is to open later this year; “Jeon Woo-chi” from director Choi Dong-hoon, who gained recognition for his previous movie “The War Of Flower”; and “National Athlete” (tentative title) from Kim Yong-hwa, whose movie “200 Pounds Beauty” was a big hit. It remains to be seen if they will manage to steal the spotlight from their Hollywood rivals.

Domestic film experts agree that the future of domestic cinematography will be determined by the contents of movies. Film critic Kim Bong-seok says up to now Korean movies have failed to draw viewers because they were not fun to watch, and that the reason behind the popularity of recent hits “Speed Scandal” and “Secret Couple” is none other than their "fun plots." He also added that “Mother” by Bong Jun-ho stands a high chance of succeeding because Bong produces films that appeal to the public. He stresses that it is of primary importance to resolve internal problems in the domestic film industry and produce high-quality movies, because the future of Korean cinematography rests in the hands of viewers.

Source: KBS Global

[Guest lucky_moon]

Torrent Link:

http://www.box.net/shared/c9q27pvr83

[malenn]

thank you cute_girl for the link!

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July 17, 2009

TWITCH-PiFan 09 Review: PRIVATE EYE

Posted by Todd Brown

it is the early 1900s and Jin-Ho is master of his own destiny. Ignoring the social unrest around him - Korea has, after all, just recently been occupied by Japan - Jin-Ho has adopted a devil-may-care, path of least resistance approach to life, swaggering and smirking his way through a career as private investigator tracking unfaithful wives for jealous husbands, his only goal to make enough money to leave Korea for good and head to America. That Jin-Ho is superior to the work he does is obvious, that he knows it even more so, that he has some sort of hidden past the unspoken truth. But it is not until a young doctor-in-training comes to him with a unique problem that Jin-Ho is jolted out of his self-imposed rut. You see, our young doctor - Kwang-Su - has discovered a dead body and, rather than reporting the discovery to the police, he has taken it home for dissection and study. Which he probably would have gotten away from if not for the fact that the body turns out to be the son of a high ranking government official and daddy is officially unhappy that his son is missing. Knowing that the discovery of the carved-up body will lead to his immediate conviction as the killer the desperate Kwang-Su needs to find the real killer before the body is discovered and for that he needs professional help. He needs Jin-Ho and the bounty posted for the recovery of the corpse and / or capture of the killer is just what is needed to convince him.

With a plot that branches and twists to include opium smuggling, international politics, police corruption, a child-prostitution ring, a knife-throwing circus performer and a princess that longs for the life of a scientist / inventor, first time writer-director Park Dae-Min has very clearly bitten off slightly more than he can chew with Private Eye. There are simply too many balls to keep in the air and the result is a film with muddled focus and a tendency to jump from action sequence to plot point as quickly as possible just to fit everything in. As Park commented during the Q&A session afterward there was a good amount of material written and shot for the film that was later omitted for pacing and run time and those omissions are definitely felt with minimal background information being given on any of the major players and more than one plot thread introduced seemingly out of nowhere only to be abandoned shortly thereafter. That said, Private Eye two great strengths: the sumptuous production design and star Hwang Jeong-min as Jin-Ho.

Richly detailed and deeply immersive, Private Eye plays out in a lushly designed set that sinks the audience into an absolutely convincing history. Equal parts factual reality and artistic speculation, the sets were designed by the same team that brought Kim Ji-Woon’s The Good, The Bad And The Weird to life on screen and the results are no less impressive here. The setting and production design, in fact, ultimately ends up being at least as compelling and important as many of the characters on screen.

The real gem of the picture, however - and the element that keeps it being eminently watchable even when the plot stumbles - is the charismatic Hwang in the lead role. An absolutely perfect casting choice, Hwang so flawlessly embodies the smirking, dissolute Jin-Ho - a man for whom life clearly meant something at some point but who has abandoned any sort of ethic larger than ease and wealth. He has a devil-may-care attitude fused with playful dangerousness that makes him compelling to watch, his fusion of Asian influences with the obvious nods to American noir bringing to mind Tetsuya Watari’s performances in Nikkatsu Action pictures Velvet Hustler and Gangster VIP.

Hwang Jeong-min has long been one of Korea’s hidden gems, a consistently stellar performer generally tucked away in support roles who turns in a timeless performance here in a rare lead, a performance that masks many of the film’s obvious flaws and makes for an entertaining ride even when the going gets bumpy. Writer-director Park clearly needs some more seasoning but, thanks to Hwang’s performance here making the film a modest hit in Korea, he will certainly get the chance to learn and adapt from the experience.

Source: twitchfilm.net

[Guest lucky_moon]

Torrent Link (DVDrip version):

http://www.box.net/shared/2n51q9ugpo

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August 2, 2009

Private Eye

Posted by luna6

Set sometime in the early 20th century, “Private Eye” tracks the exploits of Korea’s very first (fictional) super detective named Jin-ho Hong, played by the charismatic Jeong-min Hwang. And like another well known sleuth named Sherlock Holmes, who always had Dr. Watson as his sidekick, Jin-ho Hong has his very own sidekick played by Deok-hwan Ryu (Like A Virgin). The movie itself likely won’t be remembered for its storyline as the story is fairly pedestrian and offers little in genuine mystery or suspense. What “Private Eye” does offer is two standout performances by its male leads to always keep you engaged.

In “Private Eye” talented medical student Kwang-su roams around a wooded area at night looking for animal corpses to practice his surgical procedures upon. To Kwang-su’s surprise he discovers a naked human corpse and he immediately proceeds to take the body home. The next day, Kwang-su learns that the body he discovered is actually the son of a high ranking local politician who recently went missing. Kwang-su having already removed some of the corpse’s organs knows if he goes to the police he will become the primary murder suspect. Without having anywhere to turn, Kwang-su then lucks upon a flyer advertising the skills of a prominent detective named Jin-ho Hong. He immediately goes to Jin-ho Hong to ask for his help in finding the real murderer. Unfortunately for Kwang-su, Jin-ho has no desire to work on a murder case (he loathes danger) and quickly rebukes Kwang-su’s offer. Kwang-su doesn’t give up and eventually appeals to Jin-ho’s competitive senses as well as pointing out the large reward available for capturing the murderer.

As stated earlier the movie’s strong points lies squarely with its two male leads – Jeong-min Hwang and Deok-hwan Ryu. Jeong-min Hwang seems born to play the role of the somewhat goofy but talented super sleuth, while Deok-hwan Ryu brings a whole lot of unique charisma to a role lesser actors would make instantly forgettable. The light comedic elements found in the early portions of the film felt just right and, in retrospect, this is the tone the film should have maintained throughout its runtime. Instead, there’s a whole lot of dark secrets that Jin-ho and Kwang-su uncovers, with the tone becoming darker by the moment. Perhaps because of the lighter tone of the first half of the film or because of the poor execution of the second half, these dark secrets that are uncovered feels hackneyed and out place with the spirit of the early portions of the film. “Private Eye” also suffers from a poor choice for its main villain. Je-mun Yun being too familiar with Korean fans in modern gangster films, fails to bring anything to the table as the main villain and is a complete dud.

Action scenes looked generally good, with the first chase scene in particular, involving Jin-ho Hong and a mysterious follower, bringing “The Good The Bad The Weird” like visuals to the screen. There’s also moments where the filmmakers completely takes the viewers for granted with scenes that pushes the boundary of believability. The worst offender being the scene where Kwang-su pulls out a cloth from a corpse’s mouth, with two other men standing right next to him.

Even with a story that feels contrived, “Private Eye” is worthwhile to check out thanks in large part to Jeong-min Hwang & Deok-hwan Ryu. The movie does seems ripe for a sequel and if it does ever occur let’s hope for a better screenplay.

Source: lunapark6.com

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September 3, 2009

PRIVATE EYE -- Film Review

By Maggie Lee

"Private Eye."

Bottom Line: Lushly rendered period production design steals the scene from a regular crime plot.

Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival

BUCHEON, South Korea -- Seductive ambience and dapper style hold sway in "Private Eye," a lurid mystery that unearths serial murder, drug racketeering and sexual corruption in turn-of-the-19th-century Korea. Newcomer Park Dae-min shows promise as a director, spinning a rich, if sinuous yarn from his distended screenplay. Yet, his true calling maybe as art director, evident in the visual sophistication of his exquisitely costumed and ornately decorated production.

For entertainment value, "Private Eye" surpasses similar Korean films set in the Japanese colonial era with a patriotic theme, like "Once Upon a Time in Corea" or "Modern Boy." Standard genre elements, plus grisly, noirish scenes make it more commercially viable for Asian theaters and western ancillary.

Hong Jin-ho (Hwang Jang-min) is what one would call a "bedroom Richard" in a '50s noir film. The deadbeat gumshoe only takes adultery cases, so he refuses to dirty his hands when trainee-surgeon Gwang-soo (Ryu Deok-hwan) begs him to clear him of murder. Gwang-soo has discovered the body of Min Soo-hyun, the Interior Minister's son, just days after Min was declared missing from his blood-smeared room. He must find the killer before the police, eager for a fall-guy, makes him prime suspect.

Meanwhile, a similarly sensational murder is committed. Tempted by the reward and aided by female scientist Soon-duk's (Uhm Ji-won) handy inventions, Hong's sleuthing instincts lead him to an opium den, a circus and stately homes where he digs up evidence of sexual misbehavior implicating eminent men in the colonial administration.

Scattering many clues and coincidences to weave a web of intrigue that brings imperialist politics, class inequality and even female emancipation into play, there is much breadth in the narrative but tension gets diffused along the way. Violence escalates and culminates in a bloodbath so overblown it weighs on the sparky, light-hearted tone of the early acts.

"Private Eye" works best when purely indulging in nostalgia. Even small props like billboards and art curios are replete with quaint period detail. The filtered lighting wraps everything in the tender glow of lanterns and gaslight.

In the first act, a Keatonesque chase set to a Mariarchi score gives a lively tour through recreations of Seoul's historic Jong-no district, showing off the film's elaborate set design. The circus scenes are the film's crowning visual feat. A butterfly magic show, a knife-throwing stunt and a trapeze act are gorgeously filmed to muster the phantom air of Degas' paintings.

Hwang Jang-min, with his characteristic swagger, is tailor-made to play the dandy who's a gallant gentleman at heart. He has hearty comic rapport with Ryu, whose nerdy, cowardly character foils Hong's flamboyant heroics. Hong's advances to Soon-duk are too furtive to ignite much chemistry between the two leads.

Credits: hollywoodreporter.com

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Private Eye (2009) Movie Review

By James Mudge on September 12, 2009

“Private Eye” offers a twist on the recent trend of modern noir detective stories by adopting a period setting, making for a change from the usual tortured cops, car chases and neon alleyways. The film marks the debut outing for Korean director Park Dae Min, and was a high profile production, boasting an impressive cast including the award winning Hwang Jung Min (“A Man Who Was Superman”), young rising star Ryu Deok Hwan (who recently impressed as a murderer in “Our Town”) and popular actress Uhm Ji Won (also in the excellent horror opus “Epitaph”).

The film is set in Seoul in 1910, and begins as a young medical student called Kwang Su (Ryu Deok Hwan) discovers a corpse in the woods, and decides to take it home to use for anatomy practice. Unfortunately for him, the body turns out to be that of the missing son of a politician, who will stop at nothing to have him found. Understandably fearful of being accused of the killing, Kwang Su hires private detective Jin Ho (Hwang Jung Min) to track down the real murderer. Jin Ho takes on the case, which is a step up from his usual work tracking down cheating wives, though matters rapidly become more complicated as further bodies turns up and it becomes clear that there is a deadly conspiracy afoot.

The central mystery of “Private Eye” is an engaging one, essential for this type of film, and though it progresses via a series of well-timed revelations rather than thanks to any real detective work on Jin Ho’s part, it manages to keep the viewer interested. There are a number of twists and turns, some of which are predictable and a few of which are pleasingly left-field, and Park does a good job of switching the focus from the question of ‘who’ to the more important ‘why’ as the film progresses from simple murder mystery to sinister conspiracy.

Although fairly typical for this type of film, Jin Ho makes for a good protagonist, mainly since whilst Park allows him enough room to be roguish and slightly comical, he is basically played straight rather than for laughs. Hwang Jung Min does manage to convey a vague sense of moral conflict, or at least of unfulfilled ambitions, which proves essential during the latter stages when things turn more serious. The film does build gradually from light hearted shenanigans and the photographing of infidelity to something much darker, and by the time all the cards are on the table it does venture into some pretty harsh territory and grim subject matter. Ryu Deok Hwan is also on good form, managing to avoid coming across as too much of a green youngster, though unfortunately Uhm Ji Won is rather wasted in a pointless role as Jin Ho’s distant possible love interest, who does at least have the honour of providing him with some fairly useful gadgets.

Although the film has a familiar premise – a cocky though brilliant sleuth, his young sidekick, his somewhat detached relationship with a mysterious woman, and his problems with authority figures – the period setting does give it rather a different feel. Director Park’s style a mix of polish and grit, which works well to ground the film whilst allowing for some handsome production values and impressive visuals. He shows a keen eye for detail, bringing the historical setting to life without being overly ornate, making good use of both urban and rural settings.

The film certainly benefits from being more grounded and realistic than other similarly set efforts, and it makes for atmospheric and involving viewing. Park helps to keep things moving along at a good pace by throwing in a good amount of action alongside all the head scratching, with some impressive set pieces, most notably a “Bourne” style marketplace chase scene, complete with characters leaping over ramshackle rooftops. The film has its fair share of rough moments, with some occasional scenes of strong violence, bloody surgery and rotten corpses. Combined with a subplot revolving around drug abuse, this gives it a valuable hard edge which again serves very well during the final act.

As such, “Private Eye” is the kind of film which offers viewers the best of both worlds, working well both as a fairly straightforward and entertaining popcorn hit, and as a well crafted and tough thriller. Slickly directed, its period setting helps it to stand out from the recent rush of other noir-themed films, as does Hwang Jung Min’s charismatic lead performance, making it a highly enjoyable and occasionally quite suspenseful thriller.

Park Dae-min (director) / Lee Yeong-joong, Park Dae-min, Yoon Seon-hee (screenplay)

CAST: Hwang Jeong-min, Ryoo Deok-hwan, Oh Dal-soo, Eom Ji-won, Yoon Je-moon, Joo Da-yeong

Source: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/private-eye...9-movie-review/

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December 3, 2009

'Mother' Wins Best Picture Award at Blue Dragon Film Awards

The movie "Mother" directed by Bong Jun-ho has won three awards at the 30th Blue Dragon Film Awards on December 2. "Mother" received the Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Lighting awards. "Take Off," "Haeundae," "Thirst," "Speed Scandal" and "Breathless" each took two awards. Director Kim Yong-hwa received his second Best Director award.

Actor Kim Myung-min and actress Ha Ji-won, who played the leads in "Closer To Heaven," received the Best Actor and Best Actress awards, respectively. Jin Ku ("Mother") was honored with the Best Supporting Actor award, while Kim Hae-sook ("Thirst") received the Best Supporting Actress award.

Yang Ik-jun of "Breathless" took the Best New Actor award. Kim Kkot-bi ("Breathless") and Park Bo-young ("Speed Scandal") won the Best New Actress awards. Late actress Chang Jin-young, who died in September of cancer, was honored with the Special Award. Her father, Chang Kil-nam, received the award on her behalf.

The Popular Actor awards went to Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, Ha Ji-won and Choi Kang-hee.

The jury was headed this year by Pusan International Film Festival Executive Director Kim Dong-ho. The award ceremony was hosted by Lee Bum-soo and Kim Hye-soo.

Following is the list of award-winners (film titles are indicated in parentheses)

Best Picture: "Mother"

Best Director: Kim Yong-hwa ("Take Off")

Best Actor: Kim Myung-min ("Closer To Heaven")

Best Actress: Ha Ji-won ("Closer To Heaven")

Best Supporting Actor: Jin Ku ("Mother")

Best Supporting Actress: Kim Hae-sook ("Thirst")

Best New Actor: Yang Ik-jun ("Breathless")

Best New Actress: Kim KKot-bi ("Breathless"), Park Bo-young ("Speed Scandal")

Best New Director: Kang Hyung-chul ("Speed Scandal")

Best Cinematography: Park Hyun-chul ("Take Off")

Best Lighting: Choi Chul-soo, Park Dong-soon ("Mother")

Best Music: Cho Young-wook ("Thirst")

Best Art: Cho Hwa-sung, Choi Hyun-seok ("Private Eye")

Best Engineer: Hans Ulrik, Chang Sung-ho, Kim Hee-dong ("Haeundae")

Best Screenplay: Lee Yong-joo ("Possessed")

Special Award: Chang Jin-young

Popular Actor: Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, Ha Ji-won, Choi Kang-hee

Best Short Film: Kim Han-kyul ("Seeing")

Most Viewed Movie: "Haeundae"

Source: KBS Global

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March 13, 2010

Korean films, stars nominated for U.S. Green Globe Awards

Reporter.Lucia Hong Editor.Jessica Kim

Some of the biggest names in the South Korean film industry, as well as its most noted productions, have been nominated in multiple categories at this year's Hollywood-based Green Globe Film Awards.

According to the event’s official webpage, a number of Korea's top movie stars and films will compete in this year's "International Film Awards Theme: Asia" segment of the event which recognizes movies, actors and directors in the Eastern region of the globe.

Noteworthy nominees include Song Kang-ho for film “Thirst,” Ha Jung-woo for “Take Off” and Kim Myeong-min for “Closer to Heaven” in the category for best international actor. Actress Ha Ji-won from "Closer to Heaven," Kim Ok-vin from "Thirst" and Kim Hae-ja from "Mother" are in the running for best international actress.

Films by Korea's two most critically acclaimed directors are also in competition -- "Thirst" by Park Chan-wook and "Mother" by Bong Joon-ho, the latter also a nominee for best international director -- to own the title of best international film.

Director Kim Yong-hwa's sports flick "Take Off" and Yoon Jae-kyun's disaster pic "Haeundae" have been nominated for best international action film and "Good Morning President" and "Speedy Scandal" for best international comedy. "Mother" took another nomination, alongside films "Thirst" and "Private Eye," in the category of best international thriller.

Meanwhile, Asian pop sensation Rain and Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon are up for vote as best international entertainer while Bae is also competing for Asian cultural ambassador of the year alongside top Korean actor Lee Byung-hun.

Winner will be chosen by 100 viewers who will submit their votes on the official Green Globe Film Awards website. The award ceremony will be held March 23 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in California.

Source: Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@asiae.co.kr Editor: Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr <ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved> 10.asiae.co.kr

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November 12, 2010

Founder of largest English K-pop site 'Soompi'

Korean-American web developer creates first global online community devoted to K-pop, Asian entertainment

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Main page of the ultimate K-pop site “Soompi”

If you’re looking for news about a SuperJunior concert, reviews for a 2NE1 album, recaps of Korean drama "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" or simply anything about Korean entertainment, chances are you’ll find it on Soompi.com.

Soompi.com is the oldest and currently the largest English-language online community devoted to Korean and Asian entertainment, with a million unique visitors every month.

Soompi has come a long way from its early days as a personal online shrine devoted to K-pop started by Korean-American Susan Kang in 1998.

"I had recently graduated from college with nothing much to do. As a recent fan of both K-pop and the Internet (AOL was all the rage), I noticed that there weren't any English-language sites devoted to Korean pop music or TV dramas, so I purchased a book called `Make Your Own Website with Microsoft Word '97’, and the rest, as they say, is history," Kang said, now a 35-year-old mother living in Irvine, Calif., in an email interview with The Korea Times.

Kang’s original site, Soompitown, was fairly simple. She would just upload photos of her favorite K-pop acts like H.O.T., S.E.S., Shinhwa and FinKL and English translations of Korean magazine articles, as well as post CD audio samples and her own album reviews. Basically, Kang ran the website out of "love" for K-pop.

(If you’re wondering about the meaning of Soompi, it simply refers to a nickname that a roommate’s family gave Kang in college.)

In the early 2000s, hallyu or the Korean wave began spreading around Asia and international fans discovered Soompi, the first website that actually provided English-language information about their favorite Korean stars.

Soon Soompi became more and more popular, requiring more servers and more technical expertise. A team of volunteers helped moderate the forums and post content on the website, but Kang, who also worked full-time as a web developer, was running the website on her own as a hobby and it was starting to feel burdensome.

For one, it was getting expensive to pay for the server fees out of her own pocket, although it was partially funded by member donations and small ad buys.

Then came the fateful day, Oct. 5, 2005, when the entire Soompi website crashed. Its entire database of 80,000 members and millions of forum posts was gone. "I seriously thought of just making that the end of Soompi, as I'd been running the site as a hobby for seven years at that point, and was paying for the servers completely out of my own pocket," she said.

"The turning point was when we re-opened an empty forum with 0 members and 0 posts, and within 5 days, we already had 40,000 members. That's when I knew that Soompi was bigger and more important than just one person's hobby."

Soon, it became apparent that a more serious, business-oriented approach to Soompi was needed.

In 2006, Joyce Lan Kim, a lawyer then working for technology firms in Silicon Valley, joined Soompi to handle the business side, albeit on a part-time basis.

"I joined the company, working on advertising and thinking of ways the company can break even. Susan never started this with business in mind. It was always just about fun. It was about bringing K-pop to the people. But how we make this sustainable is our job," Kim told The Korea Times at a coffee shop in downtown Seoul, last week.

Last year, Kang and Kim both decided to leave their full-time jobs and focus on Soompi.

The 33 year old Kim, who studied at Cornell and Harvard universities and received a law degree from Columbia University, had no second thoughts giving up a law career. She sees Soompi as a good business opportunity with K-pop’s potential to expand around the world.

Soompi is may not yet be profitable, but there is no doubt it is an Internet success with 500,000 registered members, and attracts over one million unique visitors every month ("That's like a small city," Kim quipped.) Revenues are currently generated from ads, premium membership and affiliate programs, but not enough for the company to break even.

There may be other K-pop websites that attract more hits, but Soompi has the most activity among community members, such as posting content and comments on the site. "Our success comes from covering such a wide variety of topics - not only the latest K-pop news, but Korean dramas and variety shows, original fan fiction, our own member-run shops, beauty & fashion, among so much more," Kang said.

Aside from sections on entertainment news, fan clubs and beauty & fashion, Soompi also has its own weekly music chart and annual contests, such as Soompi Idol, Soompi Dance Idol, Soompi Ulzzang, fan fiction writing and graphics contests.

All contests were originally started by Soompi members themselves. This year, Soompi Ulzzang Contest, a modeling competition for Soompi members, has become an official event and sponsored by Korean entertainment company Sidus HQ.

Member feedback is invaluable to keeping Soompi relevant. Whenever new features are launched, Soompi looks at the comments from members and makes the appropriate tweaks. Members can also vote for which Soompi fan clubs should be created next, as well as recommend new forums and sub-forums.

Soompi is working to make the site more user-friendly. "It's not a hobby anymore. We have to do it for real. Functionality is very important for us. We are definitely working on making it easier to use, and on getting great content," Kim said.

In terms of technical innovations, the Soompi Street Teams Twitter application is being launched. This will make it easier for fans to get their favorite K-pop idols on Twitter’s top trending topics.

"We wanted to make it easier for everybody to join together and tweet in support of their celebs. Twitter is not just for K-pop, because it's for everyone... Each time a K-pop celebrity ends up as a Twitter topic, people go, `who is this guy?’ Like when (SuperJunior member) Kim Hee-chul was trending on Twitter, everyone was talking about him... We can expose more people to the world of K-pop," Kim said.

An Asian website

Soompi is no longer just devoted to Korean pop music, but Asian pop and entertainment in general. It is also very much a global community, with most members from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia.

The majority or 81 percent of Soompi members are Asian, while 8 percent are white, 5 percent are multi-ethnic and the rest are African-American, Hispanic and other ethnicities. The most surprising fact was 60 to 80 percent of the non-Asian groups said they "know some Korean."

"It’s mostly non-Koreans, as opposed to 7 or 8 years ago when majority were Korean-Americans. Now Korean Americans are a minority on the site. We have ever growing number of people who are not even Asian. We have Caucasians, African-Americans, Middle East, Latin American, South East Asians," Kim said.

Soompi stands out because of its tight-knit community and its members. "Soompi is very community-focused, not just information or gossip-focused. It feels like home to many, and there are many members who have literally grown up on the site ― from Junior High to High School to College to getting married and having children," Kang said.

Noticeably, the Soompi forums are relatively free from the anti-fans and trolls who frequent K-pop websites to post vitriolic comments that rile up fans.

"I think our biggest defining feature is our members. Our members are the ones who do the subtitles, episode recaps and organize fan meetings," Kim said. "We have good members."

Future of Kpop & Soompi

Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that Soompi has helped give a boost to K-pop and Korean entertainment’s popularity among English speakers.

But while K-pop is undeniably big in Asia, there is yet to be a real K-pop breakthrough in the U.S., despite attempts by Rain, Wonder Girls and Se7en. "Honestly, I'm not sure if the U.S. is ready to accept Asians as idols, as Asians are still widely portrayed as awkward geeks or kung fu masters on TV and film, but I do believe it's just a matter of 'when', not 'if'. I hope it's sooner than later," Kang said.

Looking back, Kang admitted being constantly amazed and inspired by the level of commitment and amount of time people will willingly volunteer to support their favorite idols. "Passion will drive people to do crazy and wonderful things," she said.

In the future, Soompi hopes to leverage its brand value as the oldest K-pop online resource, and to continue fanning the flames of K-pop and Asian pop fever around the world.

"In 10 years, I'll be 45 years old. I hope by then, the Soompi community will still be going strong, with the love for Korean and Asian pop being passed to a much wider audience. We'll still be providing the best place for people to express their fandom and meet others who share their passion," Kang said.

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January 2, 2011

Soompi.com shows Hallyu where to go

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

Soompi.com is the world’s biggest English-language online community dedicated to Korean pop culture. It boasts some 1.4 million visitors daily. More importantly, 90 percent of its members are non-Koreans.

The website is widely regarded as a promising social network venture that has secured a solid user base on the strength of Korean cultural content. Softbank of Japan has already invested in Soompi.com and other investors are lining up amid the outlook that the website will emerge as a key gateway to Asian pop culture for English-speaking audiences.

Soompi.com CEO Joyce Kim, who lives in San Francisco, said in an interview that Hallyu is still in the early stages of growth internationally and the website would help foster its development online as “the central online activity hub for all fans of Hallyu and Asian pop.”

Joyce Kim

As for Hallyu, Kim noted that the near absence of a legitimate distribution of Korean pop content is a serious problem that is often neglected by Koreans.

The following are excerpts from the e-mail interview with Kim.

Korea Herald: How did Soompi.com start, and how did you get involved in the site?

Joyce Kim: Soompi was started by my co-founder Susan Kang in 1998 as her own personal website dedicated to her interest in Korean dramas and music. During the initial first few years, Susan would scan Korean entertainment magazine articles, translate them into English and post them on the site. Slowly, a community began to grow around the site and Susan soon had people volunteering to help with the site. As the first Hallyu wave began to grow, the site also began to grow. Soon, there were hundreds of thousands of visitors each month.

I met Susan because she is the older sister of my best friend from law school. We initially started to work together on Soompi in 2006 when the site growth was really taking off which meant server expenses were also taking off. I was helping Susan set up the advertising system on the site and eventually we decided to officially create a company and work on Soompi together. At first, we both kept our full-time jobs (Susan as a coder and me as a lawyer) and worked on Soompi during our nights and weekends. But by the end of 2008, the site was so active that it was obvious that the site needed more support. We made the decision to leave our jobs in 2009 and work on Soompi full-time.

KH: If you define Soompi.com, what is it?

Kim: Soompi is an online fan community for Hallyu. Soompi’s greatest strength lies in our members. Ninety-nine percent of the content on Soompi is user-generated content so our members are the ones who find the information to share and discuss. They spend a great deal of time online answering each other’s questions. No amount of money or marketing can create the organic community that sites like Soompi have.

KH: Who are Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members are mostly young Americans of many different backgrounds (Asian, Caucasian, black and Latino) followed by people in their teens and 20s in South East Asia (Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, etc). They are typically very fashionable and up on the latest trends since they follow entertainment so closely. When they come to Soompi, they are often looking for the latest news about Hallyu and to meet other passionate fans. Hallyu fans love to work together to do events and share their love for their idols.

KH: What aspect of Hallyu appeals to Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members love the celebrities ― their personalities, their visuals, their songs ― all of it. In fact, many of our members (90 percent of whom are not Korean) have started to learn Korean to better understand the music and dramas. Hallyu has definitely started to grow beyond its typical Asian boundaries. I think we will see Hallyu spread to the U.S., Latin America and Europe in 2011. However, for Hallyu to be truly successful abroad, Korean entertainment companies need to better understand international fans better ― this is important for creating new fans and reaching out to new markets.

KH: What can Korean websites and firms interested in Hallyu learn from Soompi?

Kim: I would say two differences between Soompi and Korean sites are 1) we really take into consideration the community’s desires when we build new products ― meaning oftentimes we look at community feedback first when thinking about new features and 2) we push out features before they are 100 percent perfect ― sometimes it means it has bugs, but it also means we can get our full community reaction quickly and fix or change things as needed.

For entertainment firms working in the Hallyu industry, it is important to make the music and drama content easily available for international fans. People in Korea do not realize how hard it is for international fans to buy the music and dramas legally ― there are not good options available. If entertainment firms made their content for easily available for international purchase, then more international fans would buy the content. But at the moment, we cannot even easily register on Korean websites.

KH: To create new and successful services based on social network service, what should and shouldn’t Korean venture startups do?

Kim: I see many Korean startups that are testing or half-heartedly targeting the global market. The decision whether to go global should be made early as it significantly impacts the kind of team that needs to be built and the product. If you are building an SNS service targeting the international market, then you should create your team abroad.

KH: What was the purpose of your latest visit to Seoul, and what did you feel when you were in Seoul?

Kim: I visit Seoul at least once a year to meet with Korean entertainment companies and Korean Internet startups. On the entertainment front, there is strong interest in online and social media strategy from the entertainment companies. This is one of the big growth opportunities for Hallyu. But I think Korean entertainment companies will need to hire people with international Internet experience to really open that opportunity.

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April 18, 2011

Korean Mystery Movies

by T. Cousin screenjunkies.com

This article will list some top Korean mystery movies and the actors that help make them such. Mystery movies always tackle subjects that are not easily explained, and are usually thrillers or horrors. Check the list below for some Korean mystery movies that you should see.

"

Private Eye

" (2009). This is the story of a private detective, Hong gin-ho (Hwang Jeong-min), who's goal is to one day travel to America to work. It is a period film, set in 1910 Seoul Korea. Hong is hired by a medical student (Ryoo Deok-hwan), who after discovering and practicing on a corpse, is accused of murder; it turns out the body is the son of Seoul's most powerful man. When another body turns up, with a piece of cloth in its hand, it is the first and only clue Hong has to track down the killer. If you like Sherlock Holmes mysteries, you'll love this movie.

"Living Death" (2009). This is a missing persons movie, its alternate title is "Possessed." The story follows a family who's fourteen year old daughter So-jin (Sim Eun Kyeong) goes missing. The mother, a very religious woman resorts to prayer, and the older sister Heui-jin (Nam Sang-mi) returns home from college. Rumors of So-jin being possessed by the devil circulates the neighborhood and soon after, Heui-jin starts having mysterious dreams about a recently dead neighbor who left everything to her sister in their will.

"Best Seller" (2010). This is a mystery about a best selling author, who falls into depression after being accused of plagiarism. With the help of her close friend, Hee-soo (Uhm Jung-hwa) is determined to make a comeback after two years of suffering. She takes up residence in a small town and soon starts talking to a mysterious figure for inspriration, Hee's next book is a best seller, until she is accused of the same crime; her new book was published by another author ten years prior. Now Hee must prove her innocence of both crimes.

"Detective K" (2010). This comedy/mystery Korean film stars Kim Myeong-min as Detective K, who is very busy investigating a series of murders in his country. K and his sidekick Han Gaek ju (Han ji-min) will stop at no end to uncover clues, clues that eventually lead to a massive conspiracy against the Korean nation of Joseon.

"No Doubt" (2010). This mystery revolves around prejudices and group violence. The story follows a family who's daughter, Mi-rim goes missing after they move to a new village. When her father visits the police station he discovers a criminal, Sejin (Lee Jeon-jin) who recently left town has family still living there. The father rallies the villagers to put pressure on the family to the point of violence, because he is certain of Sejin's guilt.

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Source: pathfinderpictures.com

Private Eye

Director: Dae-Min Park

Cast:Jeong-min Hwang, Dal-su Oh , Deok-Hwan Ryu,

Ji-won Uhm

1900s, Seoul, Korean Empire. A Hong Jin-ho (Hwang Jung-min) is a down and out detective. Makes most of his catching cheating spouses.

Until a corpse is discovered in the woods. A rich man's son is dead and the killer must be found.

Gwang-soo, a medical student, teams up with Jin-ho to solve the murder. But what they discover is a conspiracy far more evil and

sinister than anything they imagined. "Private Eye" is film noir at its apex, South Korea's answer to "Sherlock Holmes".

"Purely enjoyable"

-Screencrave

"Korean cinema can announce its arrival as a

competitor to Hollywood"

-Asain Pacific Arts

"A classic pulp story... I want to see more"

-efilmcritic.com

Official Selection:

Montréal Fantasia Festival

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Newport Beach International Film Festival