Director Kim Jee Woon 김지운 Kim Ji Woon

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October 2, 2018

 

Director Kim Jee-woon to Receive Cultural Honor from France
 

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

 

 

Filmmaker Kim Jee-woon will receive an honor from the French government for his contribution to the arts later this week.

 

He will be named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters at an annual event hosted by the French Embassy on Saturday during the Busan International Film Festival.

 

The honor is given to people who "significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance."

 

Kim's films include "The Age of Shadows" and "Illang: The Wolf Brigade." He is the third Korean director to receive the honor following Hong Sang-soo in 2015 and Bong Joon-ho in 2016.

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October 10, 2018

 

KIM Jee-woon to Be Decorated as Officer of Arts and Letters by French Embassy in Seoul

 

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

 

 

Genre Auteur to Receive Designation during French Night at Busan International Film Festival

 

Famed genre auteur KIM Jee-woon is set to be decorated as an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Embassy in Seoul. The celebrated filmmaker will receive the designation during the Busan International Film Festival’s French Night organized by the Embassy at the Paradise Hotel in Haeundae on October 6. 

 

The Officer rank is the second highest honorary designation bestowed by the French government, following that of Commander. Other figures of the Korean film industry to be honored by France include Busan International Film Festival founder KIM Dong-ho, actress JEON Do-yeon and directors Hong Sangsoo and BONG Joon-ho.

 

Following his debut with the horror-comedy The Quiet Family in 1998, KIM became known around the world for his stylish films which helped put Korean cinema on the map. His most famous works include the horror film A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), the gangster thriller A Bittersweet Life (2005), the revenge thriller I Saw the Devil (2010) and the period espionage drama The Age of Shadows (2016). 

 

KIM’s most recent work, the sci-fi action noir ILLANG : THE WOLF BRIGADE, just had its international premiere at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. A remake of the Japanese anime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, the film will debut worldwide on the Netflix streaming service on October 19.

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An unseen (deleted) footage from CINE21 pictorial feat. The Age of Shadows?

 

Thanks to @ILCHIRI

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January 4, 2019

 

Another throwback photo (from The Good, The Bad, The Weird) posted by Lee Byung Hun on his IG, during the filming in Dunhuang (2007).

 

Without a face-mask, LBH was sitting next to Dir. Kim Ji Woon who's covering his face at the set.

 

His caption: (You) look happy to wear mask in sand storm. 

 

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February 1, 2019

Celebrating Burning | 10 Great South Korean Thrillers

 

By Andrew Carroll  HeadStuff

We here at Headstuff loved new release Burning, a strange blend of social drama and Hitchcockian mystery. In fact, it could be an early contender for best film of 2019. That said, it is only the latest entry in a series of stellar South Korean thrillers. With their enhanced grittiness, more morally ambiguous characters and a willingness to push boundaries, they leave American counterparts in the dust.

 

To mark Burning’s release, Headstuff editors Andrew Carroll and Stephen Porzio have outlined the South Korean movies cinephiles need to see. Read below to see what made the list.

Shiri (1999) – Dir Kang Je-gyu

Spoiler

 

A great entry point for Western audiences, Shiri was South Korea’s first attempt at crafting a blockbuster to rival Hollywood and other Asian cinema following an economic boom in the country. It centres on a South Korean agent on the trail of an elusive North Korean female assassin who has resurfaced and is seeking to get her hands on a new experimental bomb capable of destroying cities.

 
Fans of John Woo will get a kick out of Shiri’s hyper-kinetic action and spy intrigue. However, its the exciting twists, moments of dark comedy and exploration of paranoia surrounding reunification with North Korea which feel distinct to the country. Also, watch out for great supporting turns from future leading men Song Kang-ho (Memories of Murder, The Host and Thirst) and Choi Min-Sik (I Saw the Devil, Oldboy), the latter akin to a South Korean Gary Oldman. Stephen Porzio

 

Memories of Murder (2003) – Dir Bong Joon-ho

Spoiler

 

Far more original and distinct than Shiri is Memories of Murder, based on the true story of Korea’s first serial murders in history. Set over 17 years, it follows an older less formal local cop, Parl (Kang-ho), and a young idealistic officer, Seo (Kim Sang-kyung), from Seoul as they attempt to find a killer who targets his victims when it rains.

While the rural setting looks gorgeous and Joon-ho stages not only some thrilling action but terrifying scenes of the killer stalking his victims – often hiding above them in trees – what stands out about Memories of Murder is its story. The viewer really gets a sense of the effect these killings have on the local community. It’s as if the violence has upset the natural order, with both the locals and police’s fear and interest in the case leading to more chaos.

Without sanding off any rough edges, Memories of Murder is also a very moral film, criticising the desperate police’s torturing of suspects for information. Each act of violence comes back to bite the cops in some way as the movie progresses. Meanwhile, its heartbreaking to watch the youthful confidence of Seo disintegrate, growing wearier until he finally snaps in the climactic scene.

Fans of David Fincher’s Zodiac should watch this great video essay comparing it to Memories of Murder. Stephen Porzio

 

The Host (2006) – Dir Bong Joon-ho

Spoiler

 

No, not the Saoirse Ronan film. Yes, the film about the mutant fish monster that attacks Seoul. By the end of its run in 2006 The Host was the most successful South Korean movie ever made up to that point.

Coming off of Memories of Murder, Bong Joon-ho has had a run of success making films about the country’s and the world’s downtrodden with Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (2017). Yet, The Host is his most personal and probably best work. Ostensibly a creature-feature horror film, it’s surprisingly tender and a lot funnier than it should be.

In 2000, American army doctors pour gone-off formaldehyde down a drain. In 2006, a mutated fish emerges from a river and swallows Park Gang-du’s (Kang-ho again) daughter (Go Ah-sung). What follows is a comedy of errors rescue mission by the bumbling Park, his nagging father, overachieving sister and alcoholic brother.

The Host has a lot to say about America’s effect on South Korea but it also indicts uncaring politicians and inept protesters. Plus, the flopping, ungainly creature is a sight to behold and ranks as one of the most original monsters in the modern cinematic landscape. Andrew Carroll

 

Thirst (2009) – Dir Park Chan-wook

Spoiler

 

Vampires don’t have much of a reputation anymore. You can probably thank Twilight for that but if Thirst doesn’t put some respect back on the vampire name I don’t know what will.

Dedicated but doubtful Catholic priest Sang-hyun (Kang-ho yet again!) takes part in an experimental medical trial to find a cure for a deadly virus. After receiving a blood transfusion he finds himself cured and in possession of extraordinary powers and a thirst for blood. Not only that but he’s also attracted to his childhood friend’s wife. Nothing’s ever simple especially as Sang-hyun’s condition worsens.

Thirst might be a horror film but it’s also a film about forbidden, illegal love. It’s a love triangle story much like but also very different from Burning. Directed by Korean master Park Chan-wook – who by this point had already made his much loved Vengeance trilogy [Sympathy For Mr Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005)] – the film is noticeably different from his earlier work. It’s an oddity that despite all the bloodletting is quite a sweet film that slowly curdles into sourness.

Relationships are difficult especially when you’re a member of the living dead and Chan-wook makes sure to examine this from every angle. A domestic spat, for instance, turns dramatic as the bickering couple clear rooftops in a single bound. Vampire movies may be well and truly staked but you can always resurrect Thirst if you need a reminder of how good they once were. Andrew Carroll

 

The Man From Nowhere (2010) – Dir Lee Jeong-beom

Spoiler

 

South Korean movies, especially genre movies as this list shows, are often brutal affairs. Maybe it’s their unpredictable northern neighbour. Maybe it’s centuries of upheaval and foreign invasion. Whatever it is it’s leant itself to one of the most brutal, harrowing and uncompromising national cinemas in the world. The Man From Nowhere is no exception with its tale of former government assassin Cha Tae-sik (Won Bin) and his race to rescue his young neighbour So-Mi (Kim Sae-ron) from Korean-Vietnamese organ harvesters.

Won Bin is the most selective Korean actor working right now with only five films throughout his entire career. The Man From Nowhere was his most recent and that came out in 2010. Still the film’s physically demanding and fatally efficient action alongside its viciously nihilistic story would encourage anyone to take a break from acting. The final fight scene sees Tae-sik knife fight seven goons. Mostly shot in closeups, it is both a bloody grudge match and a lesson in major blood vessel placement. I would say that South Korean revenge movies don’t get more disturbing than this but that’s just not true. Andrew Carroll

 

I Saw the Devil (2010) – Dir Kim Jee-woon
Speaking of disturbing and bloody, this action horror thriller may be the most disturbing and bloody movie ever! When a serial killer (Choi Min-sik – playing the character like he is pure id) brutally murders the pregnant wife of an National Intelligence Service Agent (Lee Byung-hun, G.I. Joe), the latter goes rogue to track him down.

However, it doesn’t stop there. Wanting him to suffer as his wife did, he beats the murderer half to death and implants within him a tracker before setting him free. The goal: so that any time the killer thinks he is safe, the agent will be on call again to give his bones a fresh break. Needless to say, all does not go according to plan.

One could laud tons of praise on the direction which manages to casually chuck into the film insane action set pieces on top of its already gripping cat and mouse thriller – beats which would be the centrepiece of your typical Hollywood movie. The result: a film which feels like Seven meets John Wick.

However, that’s not what I Saw the Devil is truly about. Like Memories of Murder, it’s character and idea driven. People throw around phrases like ‘violence begets violence’ or the Nietzsche quote: “He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby becomes a monster.” When I hear them, the first thing that springs to mind is I Saw the Devil. Stephen Porzio

Train to Busan (2016) – Dir Yeon Sang-ho

Spoiler

 

Reinvention seems to come so easily to South Korean cinema. Whether it’s vampires in Thirst, a two-and-a-half hour slow boiler like Burning or zombies in Train to Busan, the country seems to know just how to tweak the formula. Train to Busan is not especially violent or gory nor does it generate any new characters out of the stock of pre-existing zombie movie sketches. Instead it mobilises pre-existing tropes for the whole film.

After a zombie outbreak in Seoul banker Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) and his young daughter board a train to Busan. Unbeknownst to them and their fellow archetypes, I mean passengers, an infected girl is also on board. Much like the speeding bullet it’s set on the movie never slows down. Yet, even at moments such as the station attack or train switches director Yeon Sang-ho keeps things human. Characters instantly become favourites through their actions. Working class everyman Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) bulldozes through zombies. Brave highschool lovers fight it out to the end. Seok-woo might be an richard simmons in the world of finance but when his daughter’s in danger he’s a different man.

Train to Busan is one of this decade’s best zombie movies even if that phrase means very little these days. Andrew Carroll

 

The Handmaiden (2016) – Dir Park Chan-wook

Spoiler

 

Queer romance doesn’t come more complex than this. Inspired by the British novel Fingersmith. Park Chan-wook adapts a tale of con artistry turned into female rebellion powered by layered, defiant performances from its two leads. A conman under the moniker Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) hires pickpocket Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) as a maid for the Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee). Hoping that Sook-hee will convince Hideko to marry him things instead begin to turn against the Count as the two women fall for each other and the Lady’s perverted Uncle Kouzuki (Cho Jin-woong) enters the fray.

Complex as the plot is, The Handmaiden never strays far from its core conceit which is – like Chan-wook’s previous movie Thirst – the trials and tribulations of forbidden love. No matter how many pornographic tales Lady Hideko is forced to read to her uncle nor how desperately the Count tries to insinuate himself in between Sook-hee and Hideko, The Handmaiden always comes back to its two leads. It’s in their long looks and stolen glances as well as the over-the-top love scenes the film makes its mark.

The Handmaiden is Romeo and Juliet only Romeo’s a conniving thief and Juliet is an impassive vixen that crushes men in her white gloved hands.

 

The Wailing (2016) – Dir Na Hong-jin

Spoiler

 

Na Hong-jin is one of the most promising figures in South Korean cinema, having broken onto the scene with 2008’s The Chaser, centring on an ex-detective turned pimp whose forced to go back to his old ways when his girls begin to go missing. He followed this up in 2010 with The Yellow Sea, a grander more uneven tale of gangsters and immigrants, with flashes of utter brilliance.

However, The Wailing is his best work to date, a thrilling over two and a half hour genre mash up which really puts into perspective how bad Cowboys vs Aliens and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies truly are. Set in a little village in the mountains of South Korea – resembling True Detective’s depiction of Louisiana – a series of random gruesome murders take place. The only element common to the crimes is that the killers all share a strange rash. Could the murders be linked to the Japanese stranger who has newly arrived in the village?

Beginning as a crime thriller before adding zombies, demonic possessions and more into the mix, The Wailing strength comes from how mysterious it is. While many American mash-ups literally spoil the twist in their title, one never gets a sense of where Hong-jin’s thriller is going. It continually dishes out rich symbolism and intriguing details – never spelling out anything clearly for audiences. It helps too the whole film is seen through the eyes of an ordinary joe police officer, adding an off-kilter mundanity to proceedings – leading everything to feel even more visceral. Stephen Porzio

 

The Villainess (2017) – Dir Jeong Byeong-Gil

Spoiler

 

I was a little harsh when I reviewed The Villainess for HeadStuff back in 2017. But with hindsight and a greater appreciation for Korean cinema I see it’s value. Essentially The Man From Nowhere with a female lead and a healthy dose of melodrama, it follows Sook-hee (Kim Ok-bin), a former assassin turned South Korean intelligence agent trying to protect her child and fellow agent lover Jung Hyun-soo (Sung Joon) from the truth. Although The Villainess isn’t cut from the taboo breaking mould of Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon-ho it’s influence is still felt worldwide.

The thriller is not as cleanly shot as it could be which works to both its advantage and disadvantage. The action scenes from the opening first person POV assault to the bus set climax are exhilarating. It feels like a found footage action movie just not like Hardcore Henry thankfully.

The romantic interlude between Sook-hee and Hyun-soo adds a bit of levity and a lot of pathos as the thriller barrels towards its end game. Without The Villainess we wouldn’t have the shot in the John Wick 3 trailer that seems to hint at a sword fight on motorbikes. Not many people in the West may have seen The Villainess but those that did took notice. Andrew Carroll

 

 

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Source: Admiral Ackbars Memoriam @DCrizzler

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Photos: 육회 @ILCHIRI

 

 

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April 25, 2019

 

Korean Films About Revenge That Are Served Ice Cold

 

Source: Soompi by seheee

Wanting revenge is a natural human instinct, but most of us know better than to act on such desires. Besides, it often proves better to forgive and forget than it does to hold onto a deep-seated grudge. The characters in these Korean films, however, embrace their desire for vengeance, often relying on shocking violence as a means to this end. But what will become of them if and when they finally do achieve their revenge?

 

As Nietzsche once wrote, “He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.”

 

Warning: Many of the films mentioned below feature graphic violence and other elements (e.g., drug use, suicide, nudity) that may disturb viewers. I recommend checking the Parents Guide on each film’s IMDb page if you are concerned about particular triggers or other content.

 

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
“Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” is a must-watch for fans of Korean cinema, despite being less popular than “Oldboy,” which is actually the second film in Park Chan Wook’s Vengeance Trilogy. Park once said in an interview that when making this film, he wanted to make something that felt “too real,” so buckle your seat belts and get ready for a bumpy ride. This movie will make you wonder whom you should ultimately feel sympathy for, as well as whether anything good can ever come of revenge, no matter how justified it may seem. Also, don’t let the old school trailer stop you from watching this movie — it’s definitely worth your time.

The Deal
“The Deal” is a movie that makes no attempt to conceal the identity of the killer or aid him in evading the police in almost miraculous ways to help propel its plot. Instead, it relies on cold, calculated revenge. The question is: Just how satisfying will revenge be in the end? After all, vengeance often comes at a cost, whether it’s in the form of money, human life, or even one’s own humanity. Although this movie doesn’t add anything new to the genre — it actually employs numerous tried-and-true elements found in various other crime films, ranging from a remorseless serial killer to gangsters — it’s still a decent watch.

The Man From Nowhere
It took me almost 10 years to get around to watching this movie, but let me just say that it did not disappoint. Sure, the film gets off to a bit of a slow start, taking its sweet time to get viewers acquainted with its enigmatic, taciturn lead and the charming girl who lives next door to him. By the time we get to the second half of the film, however, it becomes obvious that we’re watching a man who won’t be stopped until he saves the day or destroys everyone else and possibly even himself. The film’s dark atmosphere in general also lets us know that this movie makes no guarantee of a happy ending, maintaining its suspense and intensity until the very end. If you aren’t a Won Bin fan going into this movie, you likely will be one by the end of it.

 

The Villainess
“The Villainess” pulls no punches during its opening scene, pitting the protagonist — who it turns out is a highly skilled killer — against what feels like an endless onslaught of attackers. Clearly, someone has messed with the wrong woman. The action doesn’t stop there though. Having been raised by criminals and later trained by a covert intelligence group, the protagonist continually shows she is a force to be reckoned with as she seeks to exact revenge on those who hurt her and her family. While this film leaves much to be desired narrative-wise, its kinetic action sequences that almost leave you wondering which way is up make this an entertaining watch nevertheless. In fact, the cinematography overall was enjoyable.

 

 

I Saw the Devil
You know a movie means serious business when even its trailer says it’s been approved for mature audiences only. (The one I’ve embedded here is the more subdued of the two trailers I found and did not come with the same advisement, though it’s still quite intense.) Full disclosure: I haven’t gotten around to watching this one yet, but I have seen some clips and can confirm that people aren’t joking when they say this movie is brutally violent, perhaps almost excessively so. Then again, people sometimes go to horrific lengths in real life for the sake of revenge, so what’s there stopping someone from going even further in the world of fiction?

Broken
As a parent, what would you do if someone murdered your child? On top of that, how helpless would you feel knowing that her murderers were still roaming free while the police told you to simply wait at home? Would you take it upon yourself to ensure her killers are brought to justice in the end? Well, that’s what the father in “Broken” does, showing that even children (albeit high school age ones) can become victims of revenge. He might wind up losing more than he bargained for by seeking out his own form of justice though. Whether you’re a parent or not, this film is bound to stir up some emotions in you, largely thanks to the lead actor’s great portrayal of a grief-stricken father.

Monster
“Monster” separates itself from most other revenge films by giving its protagonist not, say, incredible ingenuity or weapons training, but an indefatigable nature along with what might be considered blind courage. Unlike the protagonists in many of the other films mentioned above, this heroine feels very much like the underdog as she engages in a deadly game of cat and mouse. For me, this film falls short of its potential, but it still has some noteworthy moments (such as the final encounter between the heroine and the villain), and Lee Min Ki’s performance as the psychopathic antagonist is spot on.

 

seheee is a software engineer by day and an avid K-pop concert goer by night. You can find her on twitter @_seheee.

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Thanks to the highlight by @mistymorning at Lee Byung Hun soompi thread ~

 

News of program dealing with 2 genius directors and their personas. One of them is Kim Jiwoon and Lee ByungHun.

 

 

Movieroom episode 59, on Friday 6:30 PM KST, next week. Rewatch seems to be possible thru 

 

http://tv.jtbc.joins.com/replay/pr10010791/pm10048426

 

To watch streaming without subs, click here. 

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June 27, 2019

 

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival to open
 

 

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest annual genre film festival will open late Thursday in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, featuring 288 movies from 49 countries.

 

The 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) will run from June 27 to July 7 under the motto "Love, Fantasy and Adventure," with special attention to science fiction flicks.

 

One of its official posters is inspired by the 1982 sci-fi film "Blade Runner" by Ridley Scott, which is set in a dystopian city in 2019.

 

Audiences can check out Godzilla, Gamera and other monster movies in the "Robots: Future Beyond the Human Race" program, where classic films featuring robots like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" will be shown.

 

Moreover, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Korean film industry, the festival will screen 13 Korean genre movies, including musical, sci-fi, horror and monster films, under the title "A Crazy Chronicle of Korean Genre Cinema." It features a range of films from the 1949 musical "The Blue Hill" to the 2003 mystery horror "A Tale of Two Sisters."

 

Opening the festival will be the Asian premiere of Mexican director Edgar Nito's "The Gasoline Thieves," which narrates a realistic story about the fuel-stealing phenomenon in the Central American country.

 

The closing film is Korean director Ko Myoung-sung's mystery thriller "The 12th Suspect," featuring a murder investigation and which touches on guilt, ideology and opportunism in the post-Korean War era.

 

Eight films, including "Abyss: The Girl's Eye" by Chang Hyun-sang and "Lapse" by Chae Soo-eung, will vie for prize in the Korean Fantastic section.

 

Ant Timpson's "Come to Daddy," Talal Selhami's "Achoura" and 10 other movies were invited to the Bucheon Choice competition, aimed at highlighting new trends.

 

Actress Kim Hye-soo will adorn the festival's special silver-screen star section. Her 10 best movies, including "Tazza: The High Rollers" (2006), "The Thieves" (2012) and "Default" (2018) will be screened during the period.

 

The opening ceremony of BiFan will be broadcast live for the first time via SBS. 

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Source: Korean Cultural Center Brussels

 

Clip & photos: Graciella

 

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August 5, 2019

 

Lee Honey Considers Kim Jee-woon's Korean-French Drama

 

Source: HeraldPop via HanCinema.net

 

Will Lee Honey join director Kim Jee-woon?

Saram Entertainment announced on the 5th that she's considering the Korean-French drama "Klaus 47".

 

"Klaus 47" is a collaboration between Korea and France directed by Kim Jee-woon. "Klaus 47" is based on a true story of a weapons lobbyist who shook up the French political world.

 

Meanwhile, Lee Honey is starring in "Black Money", the latest by director Chung Ji-young.

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August 14, 2019

 

Song Kang-ho Wins Excellence Award at Locarno Film Festival

 

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

 

Actor Song Kang-ho received the Excellence Award at this year's Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on Monday, becoming the first Asian actor to earn the honor.

 

The award is given to internationally acclaimed actors who have enriched the cinema with their work and talent.

 

Song Kang-ho poses with the Excellence Award trophy at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on Monday. /Yonhap

In his acceptance speech, Song said, "Thank you. I'm happy and honored to receive this great and meaningful award at the prestigious, beautiful Locarno. I'm all the more grateful, as this is the place where many of the world's best actors that I have admired left their traces."

 

Song added, "When I recall my 30-year career as an actor, it has been truly an honor to have been able to work with great directors. I'd like to give my thanks and respect to Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook and Kim Jee-woon."

 

He expressed special thanks to director Bong Joon-ho, who attended the awards ceremony. "I dedicate this trophy to director Bong Joon-ho, my friend and comrade," he said.

 

Some of Song's hit films, including "Memories of Murder," "The Foul King," "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" and "Parasite," have been screened at the festival, which ends its 10-day run on Saturday.

 

Previous recipients of the Excellence Award include Susan Sarandon, John Malkovich, Isabelle Huppert and Ethan Hawke.

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August 23, 2019

 

KIM Jee-woon to Return with French-Korean Co-Produced Series

LEE Ha-nee Considers Leading Role in KLAUS 47

 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC
 

 

Following last year’s Japanese sci-fi action noir anime adaptation ILLANG : THE WOLF BRIGADE, Director KIM Jee-woon is gearing up for his next project, which will be a co-produced French and Korean series called Klaus 47. Extreme Job star LEE Ha-nee is currently considering an offer for a leading role in the film, according to her agency Saram Entertainment.

 

Klaus 47 is based on real events surrounding a lobbyist in the arms industry who shook up the world of French politics. Originally a Taiwanese character, the lobbyist was turned into a Korean character for the series. Klaus 47, which will consist of four episodes, will be produced by the major French network Canal+.

 

Director KIM debuted in 1998 with The Quiet Family and is known for his stylish genre films, which have included A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003), A Bittersweet Life (2005), The Good, The Bad, And The Weird (2008), I Saw The Devil (2010) and Korea’s 2016 official entry to the Academy Awards, The Age of Shadows.

 

LEE Ha-nee first entered the spotlight when she was crowned ‘Miss Korea’ in 2006 and has since made a successful transition to the big screen. Her film credits include SORI: Voice from the Heart (2016), Heart Blackened (2017) and of course Extreme Job, which became the second most successful Korean film of all time when it was released during the Lunar New Year holiday earlier this year.

 

Production on the series is expected to commence before the end of the year.

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September 23, 2019 (related excerpt )

 

Film Directors Migrate to the Small Screen

Korea’s Top Content Creators Navigate New Distribution Landscape

 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

 

 

Much like we’ve witnessed in several western markets over the past decade, the lines between the film and TV worlds are also beginning to blur in Korea. Major Hallyu stars have frequently crossed this line, but the content creators have largely remained in their own trenches, until now. With the explosion of streaming services redrawing the global content map, filmmakers and TV drama creators are exploring new mediums. Industry leaders like PARK Chan-wook and KIM Jee-woon have been heading overseas for major TV mini-series, while other local names are being snatched up by Netflix for local-language series. Eager to jump in on the action, local cable shows are also hiring big filmmakers for new and more cinematic series, as well as commissioning them for ambitious anthology projects.

This week, we take a look at some of the film directors who have been making waves with streaming or TV projects.

 

KIM Jee-woon’s Investigates Klaus 47 in France

 

 

Hot on Director PARK’s heels is another of Korea’s most acclaimed and globally recognized filmmakers, as it was recently revealed that A Bittersweet Life (2005) and I Saw The Devil (2010) director KIM Jee-woon has partnered with the major French broadcaster Canal+ for a high-end, four-part espionage miniseries called Klaus 47.

 

Based on real events, the series will focus on a lobbyist in the arms industry who is at the center of a scandal that rocks French political circles. Originally a Taiwanese person, the character’s nationality was changed to Korean for the series. Extreme Job star LEE Ha-nee is reportedly considering an offer to star in the project.

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October 4, 2019

 

16 Best Korean Movies of This Decade

 

by Diksha Sundriyal TheCinemaholic

 

In international cinema, there are a couple of countries that have made their presence felt strongly. While European cinema continues to excel, in the Asian market, Korean filmmakers have taken charge. Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook and Kim Ki-duk are just a couple of directors that have made excellent films while succeeding in breaking into the international market. Their films are commercially successful without compromising with the soul of the story. In the past decade, this trend has been followed by a number of other directors. Here, we have compiled the list of the best Korean movies of this decade, from 2010 to 2019. that you must watch:

16. Train to Busan (2016)
 

15. The Man from Nowhere (2010)

 

14. The Day He Arrives (2011)

 

13. Masquerade (2012)

 

12. The Wailing (2016)

 

11. I Saw the Devil (2010)

 

‘I Saw the Devil’ is a psychological thriller that blurs the line between the hero and the villain. The story begins with Jang Joo-yun. She is stranded on a highway in the middle of a snowy night with a flat tire. Just in time, a school-bus driver, Jang Kyung-chul happens to pass by. It looks like he wants to help her, but that is not his true intention. A couple of days later, Joo-yun’s severed head is discovered which breaks the heart of her fiancée. The brutality of her murder makes him vow the same fate for her killer. His background as a secret agent helps him track down Kyung-chul, but he doesn’t kill him. Not straightaway.

 

10. The Handmaiden (2016)

 

9. House of Hummingbird (2018)

 

8. The Age of Shadows (2016)

South Korea’s official entry for Academy Awards in 2017, ‘The Age of Shadows’ follows a complex game between its characters, as they try to manipulate each other to serve their own purpose. The first spoke of the wheel is Lee Jung-chool. He is a Korean police officer and a turncoat who provides information to the Japanese to earn their favours. His lifestyle receives a blow when the Japanese government accuses him of working against them. This thoroughly confuses him but also brings him to the attention of some major players in Korea and Japan. While one tries to recruit him to his cause, there is another who plays a psychological game to establish his prominence. Who will win and how far will this game go?

 

7. Burning (2018)

 

6. Planet of Snail (2011)

 

5. Poetry (2010)

 

4. The Bacchus Lady (2016)

 

3. Hope (2013)

 

2. Silenced (2011)

 

1. Parasite (2019)

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November 12, 2019

12 BEST SOUTH KOREAN MOVIES YOU SHOULD WATCH
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone."

 

by Gabriel Ricard Cultured Vultures

From the origins of Korean cinema in the 1920s, to the current slew of critically and commercially successful movies that define the current Korean New Wave, South Korea has an incredible stake in film history. While the country has released its own films for decades, the last 20 or so years have been particularly fruitful. With just a handful of titles to define this list of the best South Korean movies, the 2000s and 2010s alone have numerous films that are worthy of consideration. South Korean horror movies make up a long list of contenders for the best, as well.

 

So, while we can’t reach all the way back to Korea’s initial efforts, with their first feature being released in 1923, we can highlight why South Korean films are more popular with worldwide audiences than ever. That doesn’t just apply to horror films. With stories that can create an experience that is unique to the country itself, yet imminently relatable to the rest of us on one level or another, cinema from South Korea is finding larger and larger audiences around the world.

 

New to the country’s film output? This chronological list of the best films from South Korea is a primer for what their filmmakers, actors, writers, and other artists have to offer. This list won’t cover everything. Hopefully, it will emphasize their releases nationwide and abroad.

THE BEST SOUTH KOREAN MOVIES

1. THE HOUSEMAID (1960)

 

2. CHILSU AND MANSU (1988)

 

3. THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE (1998)

 

4. PEPPERMINT CANDY (1999)
 

5. MY SASSY GIRL (2001)

 

6. SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (2002)

 

7. SAVE THE GREEN PLANET! (2003)
 

8. A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (2003)
 

9. OLDBOY (2003)

 

10. THE HOST (2006)
 

11. I SAW THE DEVIL (2010)

 

12. BURNING (2018)

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February 4, 2020

 

Welcome to Hallyuwood:

10 South Korean films to watch after Parasite

From South Korea’s first big budget blockbuster to a revenge flick with a deadly assassin, here’s a cinematic guide for those who loved Bong Joon-ho’s hit

James Balmont DAZED Digital

 

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite recently made history after becoming the first South Korean film to receive nominations for best picture, best director and best international feature film at the Academy Awards, and has cleaned up across this awards season. A masterful amalgamation of family drama, black comedy, and psychological thriller, the film marks the apex of a South Korean film industry that has been steadily establishing itself as one of the world’s best over the past two decades.

 

Despite a tendency to frequently place as “runners up” at some of the world’s biggest competitions, films of the South Korean New Wave, or “Hallyuwood” (with “Hallyu” roughly translating as “flow from Korea”) are no stranger to global acclaim. The South Korean cinema renaissance has seen directors like Kim Jee-woon and Park Chan-wook pick up countless international awards, while native acting stars like Choi Min-sik, Ma Dong-seok and Lee Byung-hun have capitalised with successful ventures into Hollywood.

 

Parasite has already bagged a Palme d’Or, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors’ Guild Award. In February 2020 it may take home the biggest gong of them all at the Oscars ceremony. But beyond Parasite, South Korea is home to a broad host of cinematic excellence. In the words of Bong Joon-ho, “once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

 

Here are ten of Dazed’s favourite films of the Korean New Wave to watch after Parasite.

 

SHIRI

For fans of: The Rock, Heat, Hard Boiled

A BITTERSWEET LIFE

 

 

Award-winning psychological horror A Tale of Two Sisters established Kim Jee-woon as a force to be reckoned with in 2003, but it was 2005 revenge thriller A Bittersweet Life that really cemented his place as one of South Korea’s leading directors.

 

The film tells the tale of a conflicted mob enforcer, hunted by his own gang after he refuses to kill the boss’s unfaithful mistress. The sensational Lee Byung-hun stars in the leading role, in one of the coolest and most memorable performances on this list. Smartly dressed and played with charismatic subtlety, Byung-hun also excels as a robust action star in the film’s many ultra-stylised combat scenes. The film’s final shot superbly combines the two sides of his character, with the protagonist smiling as he shadow-boxes with his own reflection while gazing out over the Seoul skyline at night.

 

Brilliantly combining film noir and western genre tropes, A Bittersweet Life also features an Ennio Morricone-influenced orchestral score by Dalpalan, who would later score the psychological horror The Wailing. The film takes plenty of tips out of the book of Kill Bill – with a live burial scene that mirrors a scene from Kill Bill: Volume 2 being a notable nod to the Tarantino classic.

For fans of: Kill Bill, A Fistful of Dollars, Oldboy

THE HOST

For fans of: Godzilla, Jaws, Cloverfield

OLDBOY

For fans of: Leon: The Professional, Straw Dogs, Death Wish

DONGMAEKGOL

For fans of: Life Is Beautiful, JSA, The Bird People of China

THE VILLAINESS

For Fans of: La Femme Nikita, John Wick, Atomic Blonde

BURNING

For fans of: Lost Highway, The Machinist, Audition

TRAIN TO BUSAN

For fans of: 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, Snakes on a Plane

NEW WORLD

For Fans of: The Departed, The Godfather, Infernal Affairs

THE WAILING

For fans of: The Wicker Man, The Exorcist, Memories of Murder

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February 11, 2020

 

ROAD TO PARASITE: THE RISE OF KOREAN CINEMA IN 11 MUST-SEE MOVIES
A brief history of the Korean New Wave.

 

Source: Inverse.com

 

THE AWARD WAS GIVEN TO PARASITE, BUT ALL OF KOREA FELT ACCOMPLISHED.

 

The mountainous rise of Korean cinema reached its highest peak on Sunday when the American-centric Oscars crowned Korean director Bong Joon-ho and his acclaimed drama Parasite as the year's Best Picture (not best international, just best).

It was a historic moment, not just for foreign language cinema, but for the wide breadth of the Korean film industry that has seen pictures regularly transcend language and cultural barriers, from cult classics like Old Boy to sci-fi blockbusters like Snowpiercer. The list goes on, but we've whittled it down to an essential eleven.

 

For the unfamiliar, it may be hard to understand how this happened, and why Korean cinema is now the darling of the worldwide film community. While Japan boasts legends like Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki, and Hong Kong has Wong Kar-Wai, Ann Hui, and John Woo, the most renowned artists of South Korea didn't emerge until the 2000s. Out of the 1997 financial collapse and a boost from screen quota laws, the East Asian nation of 51 million found their voices in directors like Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Jae-yong, and more, who helped kick off the Korean New Wave that's now lasted nearly two decades.

 

The can't-miss films below illustrate a region's cinema that carved its identity through blending overly familiar genres into pointed social commentaries. Spy movies, monster movies, zombies, vampires, and rom-coms are remixed with uniquely Korean flavor that all point to a nation, and a people, who fell hard in the global economy only to resurge amidst grand, sweeping technological shifts. By the second decade, Korean filmmakers began to reckon with the unfair income inequality that continues to plague the nation.

 

Below is a brief history of the Korean New Wave, as illustrated by 11 must-watch movies that all led to the crowning of Parasite. If you're less "#BongHive" and more "Bong Joon-who?" let this be your starting point.

11. JOINT SECURITY AREA (2000)

 

Spoiler

 

It is commonly understood that the Korean New Wave kicked off in 1999 with South Korea's first Hollywood-style blockbuster, Shiri. A spy film directed by Kang Je-gyu, Shiri had the highest budget of a South Korean film at the time ($8.5 million) and still broke box office records upon its release. It was the reason James Cameron's Titanic sunk in South Korea, the only Asian nation the movie bombed.

But while Shiri was the first punch, Park Chan-wook's Joint Security Area (2000) was the haymaker. A mystery thriller that helped cement the careers of actors Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, and Lee Young-ae, the film explores the circumstances of a murder at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border separating North and South Korea. In its microscopic view of the war-torn region, the film looks far and wide to the irreconcilable differences between two nations still at war today.

The fourth release from Park Chan-wook, Joint Security Area was a smash hit at home, becoming the highest-grossing movie in Korean film history in 2001. It developed an international cult following thanks in part to American directors like Quentin Tarantino giving it public praise.

Fun fact: When the film was released on DVD, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun gifted the movie to North Korea's Kim Jong-il at the 2007 Inter-Korean summit.

 

 

10. MY SASSY GIRL (2001)

 

Spoiler

 

Before Tom met Summer in (500) Days of Summer, director Kwak Jae-yong adapted a popular online blog written by a lovestruck boy obsessed over the perfect, if not quirky, girl.

My Sassy Girl, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Chae Tae-hyun, was a major hit that spawned one of the most popular Korean franchises of all time, earning acclaim across all of Asia. The inevitable American remake was produced in 2008 with Elisha Cuthbert, while other adaptations and remakes have popped up in Japan, India, China, and Nepali. In 2014, The Korean Wave author Jennifer Jung-Kim wrote of My Sassy Girl that it's a film that "deserves to be called a global success" based on its numerous localized adaptations.

 

 

9. VOLCANO HIGH (2001)

 

Spoiler

 

When misfit teenager Kim Kyung-soo (Jang Hyuk) is transferred to a secret martial arts school, he literally fights to survive in a mashup of teen dramas and kinetic action movies that all pay homage to Korea's homegrown manhwa (comics).

You won't find much praise for Volcano High outside the most niche action movie blogs. If it wasn't for an MTV-produced dub starring hip-hop musicians like André 3000, Lil Jon, Snoop Dogg, and Method Man, Kim Tae-kyun's martial arts teen comedy would be forgotten to time.

But it was precisely because of MTV and the movie's wide distribution in the US on DVD that Volcano High become a cult hit among American teens — and the first real dose of Korean action for a mass, impressionable audience. (I knew about the movie because it was always so cheap at Walmart.)

Peep the YouTube comments and you'll find people reminiscing about discovering it on MTV and DVD in their youths. While not the highest of brows, the availability of Volcano High may have been the untold Westerners' first dose of Korean cinema.

 

 

8. OLDBOY (2003)

 

Spoiler

 

Easily one of the most renowned movies of the Korean New Wave, this neo-noir thriller from Park Chan-wook adapts the Japanese comic of the same name. The film tells the story of a man mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years. When he's finally released, he's given only five days to figure out the reason for his torture.

Choi Min-Sik, Yoo Ji-tae, and Kang Hye-jung star in a gritty revenge tale whose reach and influence went far beyond its homeland. The film played a direct influence on American movies and shows like John Wick and Marvel's Daredevil.

Like Park's Joint Security Area, Old Boy's praise from Western voices like Quentin Tarantino and Roger Ebert — who in his review called the film "powerful ... not because of what it depicts, but because of the depths of the human heart which it strips bare" — helped cement the movie as a must-see and the real barn burner for the Korean New Wave around the world.

 

 

7. THE HOST (2006)

 

Spoiler

 

By the time Bong Joon-ho got to making his political monster thriller, The Host, he was already a veteran with film credits like Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) and Memories of a Murder (2003). But it was The Host that put Bong on the global map. Merging together the styles of Japanese monster films with Korean social commentary, Bong tells the story of a Korean family that tries to stay together when a mutant monster emerges from the Han River.

Eschewing the spectacle of blowing things up in favor of family drama, The Host won acclaim and proved the Korean New Wave's tendency to mesh and reinvent genres like science fiction and horror into something more profound. The film is also proudly Korean, with scathing depictions of American imperialism. (The film was in part inspired by an international incident in 2000, when the United States military dumped formaldehyde into the drinking water of Seoul.)

 

 

6. THIRST (2009)

 

Spoiler

 

Amid the height of the West's obsession for vampires, thanks to the Twilight phenomenon, Park Chan-wook directed Thirst. A loose adaptation of the 1868 French novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, the movie stars Song Kang-ho as a Catholic priest who volunteers for a medical experiment that turns him into a vampire. The priest must then resist his bloodlust as he falls in love with an old childhood friend.

The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 and debuted at number one at the South Korean box office upon its release. While not the capital-B biggest movie in the Korean New Wave, the film's buzz — supported by Park who was still floating internationally thanks to the popularity of Oldboy — kept Korean film popularity going into the 2010s.

 

 

5. I SAW THE DEVIL (2010)

 

 

A movie seemingly made for the Reddit crowd, Kim Jee-woon's gruesomely morbid thriller, I Saw the Devil, took the Korean New Wave into its darkest territory yet. Flipping the manhunt movie on its head, the movie stars Lee Byung-hun (by now known to Americans for his role as Storm Shadow in 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) as a heroic NIS agent who pursues a serial killer (Choi Min-sik) for the murder of his fiancé.

 

What the movie does differently than other hunt movies, to unnerving effect, is a downward spiral journey revealing what, or who, is a real monster. Praised by Rolling Stone for "relentless nastiness" that's "hard to watch and even harder to turn off" and by Taste of Cinema as "a modern masterpiece of South Korean cinema," the film endures thanks to discussions on places like Reddit.

 

4. SNOWPIERCER (2013)

 

Spoiler

 

Bong Joon-ho went international with Snowpiercer, a Korean-Czech financed movie with a majority English-speaking script and cast all based on a French comic book. Fresh from The Avengers, Chris Evans fights for freedom as the leader of a revolution aboard a high-speed train that circles a frosted Earth — an apocalypse from an overcorrection of reversing climate change. Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Go Ah-sung, Alison Pill, and Ed Harris also star.

A critical favorite when it was released in 2013, the film not only proved the international appeal of Korean cinema, but it also became a bonafide franchise. An American TV series will premiere on TNT in 2020.

 

 

3. TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016)

 

Spoiler

 

Like The Host before it, Yeon Sang-ho's Train to Busan takes another horror genre (this time zombies) and again explores the meaningful bond of a family and class warfare when a zombie outbreak occurs on a train to the second-most populous city in South Korea.

Amidst the decorations for the film, the biggest praise came from English director Edgar Wright, of the 2004 comedy Shaun of the Dead, who tweeted Train to Busan was the "best zombie movie I've seen in forever. A total crowd-pleaser. Highly recommend."

 

 

2. THE HANDMAIDEN (2016)

 

Spoiler

Another erotic thriller from Chan-wook Park, this adaptation of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters changes Victorian England to Korea, dominated by colonial Japan, and is notable for borderline "pornographic" sex scenes between two main female characters. The film made numerous critics' end-of-year top 10 lists and included a nomination for the Palme d'Or. Just halfway past the 2010s, movies like The Handmaiden proved Korean cinema was here to stay.

 

1. BURNING (2018)

 

Spoiler

 

Lee Chang-dong's Burning adapts Haruki Murakami's short story "Barn Burning" into a mystery drama that, according to The Atlantic, "rejects the glamorization of Asian wealth and the notion of a universal Asian identity."

With two opposing characters — one working-class native Korean and one "Americanized" wealthy Korean played by The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun — the film imbues suspense into another harrowing tale of class warfare.

 

 

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Highlight by ㅅㄹㅎㄱㅎㅈㅅㅇ@lOxOla on twitter