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Kim Hye Ja 김혜자 55th Baeksang Grand Prize Winner 2019


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June 16, 2009

Korean Movie Screened With English Subtitles

By John Redmond

Contributing Writer

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Actress Kim Hye-ja, left, poses with director Bong Joon-ho in an event to promote

the film “Mother.” The film is screening at CINUS in Gangnam and Myeong-dong. / Yonhap

For lovers of good cinema, Korea has a wealth of local releases. Some are of the finest quality, showing innovation and moving cinema in a new direction as applauded by Chris Berry on a recent Discovery Channel program.

What had been a major problem for film lovers of all Korean cinema who do not speak Korean has been the frustrating wait until the films are released on DVD to watch them with subtitles. This scenario is now one of the past.

CINUS in Gangnam and Myeong-dong are to screen latest release Korean films with English subtitles.

One movie of note is "Mother," directed by Bong Joon-ho. Bong is a South Korean film director and screenwriter who had a huge hit at the box office in 2003, with "Memories of Murder," a film loosly based on the true story of Koreas first recorded serial killings.

In "Mother," Hye-ja is a single mom to 27-year-old Do-joon. Her son is her raison d'etre. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is naive and dependent on his mother, and sometimes behaves in ways that are stupid or simply dangerous. He is a constant source of anxiety for everyone.

One day a young girl is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. An inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force that closes Do-joon's case too quickly inspire his mother to act on her own ― to act as Mother in its purest form. Summoning all her maternal instincts and trusting no one, she sets out to find a killer and prove her son's innocence.

The film is screening at both cinemas.

Directions: CINUS Gangnam is located on the eighth floor of the Aara Tower in Seocho-dong. By subway: Take line 2 to Gangnam station (stop 222) and go to exit 5. There is the connecting passage to the theater building before you use the stairs to exit and use the elevator to the theatre on the eighth floor.

CINUS Myeong-dong is located on the 10th, 11th floor of Tabby 2 shopping mall in Chungmuro 2-ga. By subway: Take line 4 to Myeong-dong station (stop 424) and go out exit 6. Once you exit from the stairs turn left. There is an outside ticket booth for the theater on the corner. You can enter the store to access the elevators to the 10/11 floors.

Credits: johnredmond@koreatimes.co.kr

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  • 3 weeks later...

^ WOW!!! :w00t: What a treat these are! :w00t: I am so late checking this out!!

Thanks so much lilcrash for the awesome photos of Ms. Kim Hye Ja.. isn't she just fabulous. Such a cool beauty & classic aura.. in every sense of the word. :wub:

An excellent sharing indeed!

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July 4, 2009

Bong Joon-ho's Latest Challenge in 'Mother'

Kim Hye-ja marvels in an overwhelming thriller

Credits: Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

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Small country town, Korea. Do-joon (Won Bin, returning to the screen after four years of military service) is a pretty-faced young man, treated as a village idiot and perpetually causing minor havoc with his ne’er-do-well friend Jin-tae (Jin Gu). Do-joon's devoted mother Hye-ja (Kim Hye-ja) is left to clean up the aftermath.

Then one day everyone is stunned to find Do-joon arrested for the murder of a high school girl Ah-jung (Moon Hee-ra). The evidence seems incontrovertible, but Hye-ja launches her own awkward investigation into the murder case, hoping to nab the real culprit. However, everyone in the town, including Hye-ja and Doo-jun themselves, seems to harbor some dark secret, threatened to be uncovered by her sleuthing.

While the film's plot and set-up superficially resemble Bong’s based-on-real-life police procedural “Memories of Murder”, “Mother” is even more emotionally shocking and devilishly manipulative of the viewer’s expectations.

Director Bong spares no authority figure in his searing indictment of contemporary Korean society, all the more effective due to the black-comic tone it assumes -- from “Animal Farm”-like depiction of greedy, corrupt lawyers, to the horrific sexual exploitation of Ah-jung, in which even her demented grandmother is actively complicit.

And yet he continuously undermines the viewer’s desire to identify villains and heroes. With the possible exception of Ah-jung and the photo studio owner Mi-sun (Jeon Mi-sun), our responses to the characters oscillate, sometimes very uncomfortably, between sympathy and disgust. Bong captures with amazing fidelity, the sleepy, off-kilter rhythms of a country town but, like David Lynch in his more boldly metaphoric “Blue Velvet,” Bong never loses the sight of festering corruption and inhumanity that pass for “normality” in such settings.

Unlike Kim Hyung-gu, responsible for the warm tones and golden-yellow color scheme usually associated with Bong’s films so far, the new DP Alex Hong (“Taeguki”, “The Foul King”) emphasizes cold, sharp blues and austere compositions of natural landscape that at times dwarf the characters.

With the help of DP Hong and the master production designer Ryu Seong-hee (“Old Boy”, “I’m Cyborg But That’s OK”) Bong communicates much information and insight through sheer visual language, without any reliance on spoken dialogue or written exposition. You see Hye-ja noticing a young tree jutting up forlornly as she comes back from the police station, or a one-page-a-day calendar dancing and flipping its sheets in a frantic ascension to the future as it is licked and scorched by flames. Long-time collaborator Lee Byung-woo contributes another masterful score, combining Latin dance rhythms with Fellini-like circus music, simultaneously gently comic and darkly mocking.

While “Mother” is a great showcase for Bong Joon-ho’s seemingly bottomless directorial talent, it would not have retained half its power if not for Kim Hye-ja’s marvelous performance in the title role.

Kim Hye-ja is absolutely riveting from the frame one, as she seemingly wanders out of a forest and begins to dance, her face a horrid mask pregnant with mysterious knowledge and inarticulate emotion, as she screams and laughs silently with one hand covering her eyes. Kim Hye-ja’s performance in this film is the Korean equivalent of seeing Lucille Ball cast as Queen Eleanor in “Lion in Winter” and she blasts Katherine Hepburn out of water. In a word, it is an amazing experience.

Won Bin brings both tenderness and an unexpected level of chilling seriousness to his role. Yoon Je-mun as the sympathetic local cop, newcomer Song Sae-byeok as his funny-scary, martial-arts-obsessed partner and Jin Gu as the alternately calculating and cruel petty gangster are all excellent in their supporting roles.

Make no mistake, “Mother” is not a feel-good commercial hit of the summer.

It is the kind of movie that leaves you spent, stunned and even devastated. Aside from being an unusually powerful thriller blessed with the maybe-twice-in-a-lifetime great performance from a veteran Korean actress, “Mother” is also an awesomely ambitious artistic statement that cuts deeply into the true nature of love and devotion.

The absolutely frightening yet unmistakably sad “crazy dance” that ends the film, taken with a violently shaking hand-held camera, is like a primal scream from the depth of human heart, excavated by a filmmaker who dares to dig deeper into the subterranean layers of Korean psyche than almost any other filmmaker at work today. It will haunt you long after the movie is over.

Source: ohmynews.com

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July 15, 2009

tiff2009.jpgOfficial Website torontointernationalfilmfestival

S. Korean movie 'Mother' invited to Canadian film fest

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SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's "Mother" has been invited to the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), local film officials said Wednesday, the most recent international screening of his fourth feature.

"Mother," screened at the non-competition section of this year's Cannes and seen by some 4 million viewers locally, has been invited to TIFF's Special Presentation section along with Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" and Jane Champion's "Bright Star," the film's local distributor said.

"Mother," praised as a unique noir thriller by critics from in and out of the country, explores the mystery of a mother's primal love for her son while digging into the secrecy surrounding a murder.

This year's TIFF, marking its 34th anniversary as one of the world's largest film fetes, will run from Sept. 10 through 19.

The festival is expected to attract more than 300,000 public and industry audiences.

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

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  • 3 weeks later...

Mother

Bong Joon-ho's new film Mother begins with a tease: Do-joon's Mother (Kim Hye-ja, Palace), in an embroidered violet jacket, walks toward the camera through a field of tall grass. Soft jazz-funk begins to play on the soundtrack. Gazing offscreen, she stops walking, then hesitantly starts dancing to the music. We'll see her in the same field later in the movie, but not dancing.

Do-joon's Mother lives with her son Do-joon (Won Bin, Taegugk, Guns and Talks) behind the murky shop where she sells medicinal plants and roots, and practices acupuncture without a license on the side. Do-joon is very good looking (he's played by Won Bin, after all), but he's not quite right in the head, rather like Song Gang-ho's character Gang-du in The Host, and like Gang-du, there is a hint that his impairment is his mother's fault. He's not retarded, but his dullness is difficult to define: he has no attention span to speak of and a poor memory; at twenty-seven he still sleeps with his mom, with a hand on her breast. He hangs around with Jin-tae (Jin Ku, A Dirty Carnival), who's also good-looking in a bad-boy way, and is a bad boy - a tough, cynical hustler who feels constrained by his small-town life and dreams of adventure. Still, Jin-tae seems to have nothing better to do than hang out with Do-joon. He taunts Do-joon for being a virgin at his age. Jin-tae doesn't seem to have any family, and lives alone at the edge of town. There's a lot of this in Mother: one high school character lives with her half-senile, boozing grandmother, intact families are not much in evidence. (For a "traditional" society like Korea, its films and TV dramas feature a surprising number of one-parent families and broken homes.)

Do-joon and Jin-tae are already in trouble with the police for vandalizing a Mercedes-Benz that knocked Do-joon down in the street. Then a high-school girl is murdered, and a clue connected to Do-joon is found near her body. Relieved that their first murder case in living memory is so cut-and dried, the police pack Do-joon away. He insists that he didn't kill the girl, though he saw her the night she died. Frantic, his mother sets out to prove Do-joon's innocence. Her blundering efforts draw Jin-tae into helping her to play detective, and they poke around the seamy underside of the town. Jin-tae enjoys himself: "This is in my blood!" he exults after beating up a couple of "suspects," "I should have been a cop." In jail, Do-joon tries to dredge up details from the sieve of his memory, often coming up with details that make matters worse, while his mother closes in on the girl's real killer ... or maybe not ... before returning to that grassy field.

Kim Hye-ja is famous for playing mothers on Korean TV, and it must have been interesting for her to play such a double-edged role. Taking the melodramatic archetype of the Mother to extremes, Kim plays a mother whose symbiosis with her son is nearly complete, yet Bong and Kim manage to keep the character from being monstrous. (The archetype isn't just Korean: the mother who sacrifices everything to save her accused son is a mainstay of American country music, for example.) She does a great job, and one of the main pleasures of the movie is watching her. Won Bin's Do-joon seems like a change from his usual pretty-boy roles, but since the people around Do-joon comment ruefully on his good looks (another of Bong's jokes, I suspect), it's not that big a leap. Jin Ku plays Jin-tae energetically, full of frustrated vitality, and by the end turns out to be a bit more sympathetic than you'd expect.

If you've seen Bong Joon-ho's earlier movies, you'll have some idea what to expect from Mother. Bong says that he chose the English word mother as his title to avoid the associations of the Korean word omoni, but it's probably no coincidence that the Korean pronunciation of mother also sounds like the Korean pronunciation of murder. He likes to build his stories around ordinary people; the characters of his first feature Barking Dogs Never Bite -- a college professor and his salarywoman wife -- were as upscale as he gets. Since then his protagonists have been small-town cops (Memories of Murder), a family that runs a food stand by the Han River (The Host), and now a small-town widow. His manner is operatic: reactions, facial expressions, sound design, even the weather (see the use of rain in Mother) tend to be over the top. Even Won Bin's stupefied look is rapturous in its dullness. Typically for Bong, there are plenty of small jokes at the expense of movie clich?s - misrecognitions, comically inappropriate reactions - jokes that make you wince as you laugh.

In this and in his operatic excesses, Bong is reminiscent of Pedro Almodovar - think of All About My Mother - and if you like Almodovar you may like Bong. (Come to think of it, Lee Byeong-woo's music reminds me of the music in Almodovar's films.) Hong Gyeong-pyo's photography captures the grittiness of decrepit small towns and the working poor; there's a lot of grey and murk, and even the blood looks dark and muddy. Mother is a retreat in scale after the CGI-heavy science-fiction blockbuster The Host, but an advance in confidence and style. It even contains his first sex scene! It's been obvious since Memories of Murder that Bong is a director worth watching, and Mother confirms it. (Duncan Mitchel)

Credits: koreanfilm.org

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Powerful – Madeo

August 7, 2009

The detective stood up, and he brought the prisoner, Do-joon (Won Bin, 원빈) to stand at the same time. “Just stand up, don’t worry,” he assured him, as he opened a drawer, and pulled out an apple. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He raised it to Do-joon’s mouth, and told him to bite down on it. “Do you know what sepak takraw is?” The prisoner, not exactly the sharpest tool in the box to begin with, give a quizzical, “Huh?” He bit down on the apple, making sure it’s held down tightly between his teeth.

The detective took off his jacket slowly, making sure that it is neatly laid on the back of the chair, before proceeding to give a very short and brief history lesson on the new sport now known as ’sepak takraw’. “It is a sport that is very good with urgency, because you can release a lot of power within moments.” Or something to that effect. He then proceeded to give a very swift and very strong kick to the apple, leaving only the part bitten down by Do-joon. Then the detective put on his jacket once again. “If you are not cooperative…”

It is easily the coolest scene in the movie. Is it because it is a popular sport in Malaysia and its neighbours? Maybe. But perhaps just by itself, it is still a very cool scene.

Beyond that, there is still plenty to savour in this fantastic thriller by Bong Jung-ho. Followers of Korean films may well recognise his efforts from ‘The Host’ (one of the biggest hits in Korean film history), and also his sophomore effort, ‘Memories of Murder’. I credit ‘Memories of Murder’, along with ‘Oldboy’, for really kicking my interest in Korean films into high gear, and so I, along with almost every other person with a casual interest in Bong Jung-ho, has been waiting with baited breath for his third directorial effort.

‘Madeo’ tells the story of (Kim Hye-ja, 김혜자), a mother in a small town in Korea. She has a son, the aforementioned Do-joon, who suffers from autism. It’s not quite the ‘Rain Man’, but he does have problems socialising. As such, he is commonly regarded by the others are the village idiot. He does, however, have a pretty loyal friend in Jin-tae (Jin-goo, 진구), who spends a lot of time with him causing all sorts of mischief, some which results in them being captured by the police. However, the mother is always the one to the rescue, turning up time and again to bail out his son, purely of the love she has for him. Things, however, become more difficult once Do-joon was implicated in a murder case; while everyone is convinced of his guilt (including even himself, even though he could not recall clearly, if at all, the night of the incident), his mother is driven on even harder, and goes out to find the truth of her own will.

For once, a synopsis that is not particularly long. I do not make excuses for it, for that is a reflection of the film itself. In so many ways, the film is a simple one. Gone here are the extensive use of CGI by the director in his last film; instead, what I detected is a big reliance on two things here: a very strong script, and a wonderful performance by Kim Hye-ja.

First things first, the script. I say it is because because of two things, it’s simplicity and complexity. Simple, because the premise itself is simple and easy to follow. A mother, believing her son to be innocent, fights to find the truth. Not difficult, is it? But also complex, because the film is structured as a mystery. There are a lot of details even in the smallest of things, and it is these that the film truly comes to life. An acupuncture set. Golf balls. Handphones. Even a bottle of water can be a source of great, great tension. Really, it does. The tension could be cut with a metaphorical knife. In terms of logic, there’s little of the holes that you could poke your pinkie through.

In the middle of all this is Do-joon’s mother. Her characterisation is rather similar to a previous Korean movie I had seen called ‘Marathon’. In that, a mother also fought hard for her disabled son’s future (though primarily here as a marathon runner). In ‘Madeo’, however, the mother is fighting not only for her son’s future, but also for herself. She had given everything to ensure that her son would be safe up until now, and her limits are about to be strained even further. One particularly poignant scene was when Do-joon was eventually picked up by the police for his apparent involvement, and she went out of her shop to go after the car. The camera, positioned inside the car, looking back at the rearview mirror, gives us both Do-joon’s point of view of his mother, receding further away into the distance, as well as highlighting his relationship with his mother, and vice versa: there is always a screen, a barrier, an obstacle in place. With such troubles she had endured up until then, and the trouble that further ensued, I felt that Kim Hye-ja was absolutely perfect for this role. Her face was lined with experience and sorrow, and some of her most heartfelt scenes was magnetic. In fact, the opening of the film, when she was dancing and swaying alone in the field, accompanied by the European-jazz-tinged soundtrack, was…well, I couldn’t quite take my eyes away.

The rest of the characters are merely the sideshow to her spotlight, and I would include Won-bin in this as well. His reactions to being called a retard was comical, and in fact his naivety can also be a source of much-needed comedy at times. Much was made of his big return from military service to the silver screen, but even here, I believe a lot of his actions, while they were well-acted, was not meant to take center-stage. Rather, they served to highlight his mother’s characteristics even more. This is not to say that she is inherently good; what I have always admired about Bong Jung-ho is his ability as a director to create and enhance flawed characters, and, failing that, flawed characteristics within these characters themselves. They are all flawed characters here, and none more so than Do-joon’s mother herself. You will perhaps flint backwards and forwards between liking them and hating them. But you will feel something for them. You will care for them.

It is a powerful experience.

Make no mistake about it, the sum is always greater than its parts. In ‘Madeo’s case, the parts are good, and is worth watching twice or three times, even, if just for the sake of dismantling the film and then putting it back together, trying to figure out how, just how, the film was made so. The director is good. The script is good. The score is also rather good. Some of the parts, however, shine brighter than others, and the star that shines the brightest here is Kim Hye-ha.

If nothing else, watch it for her performance alone.

At first, Fikri thought that ‘Madeo’ was the Konglish version of ‘Murder’. It turns out to be ‘Mother’, but the first allusion is also not that far off.

Credits: thoughtsonfilms.com

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August 10, 2009

'Mother' to represent Korea for Oscars

Maternal thriller beats out vampire flick and farmer documentary

By Park Soo-mee

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"Mother."

SEOUL -- “Mother,” the latest feature film by the helmer Bong Joon-ho (“Memories of Murder”) has been selected to represent Korea for the best foreign-language film in the next year’s Oscar on March 7, 2010.

The strength of the story's narrative, its potential for the film's wide release in the United States and the director’s reputation were considered as priorities for the final contender, Korean Film Council said.

A total of six films were submitted to compete for the Korean finalist including Yu Ha’s “Frozen Flower,” Park Chan-wook’s “Thirst” and Lee Chung-ryul’s “Old Partner,” and were reviewed by a special team of jury including director Lee Myung-se (“No Where to Hide”).

“Mother” was domestically released in May, and garnered over 3 million admissions, falling below the score of the director’s previous films like “The Host,” which set the record as the biggest boxoffice hit in Korean film history, with 13 million filmgoers.

The story, set in a rural village, traces the battle of an anxious mother (played by Kim Hye-ja) out to prove the innocence of her mentally-challenged son (Won Bin) who is accused of murdering a high school girl. The film premiered at Cannes earlier this year.

“One of the most critical considerations [for the selection] was to see whether the film had reflected on sentiment particular in Korea,” said in a jury statement. “We also had to consider if the film was compelling enough to appeal to juries who didn’t know anything about the country or whether the film’s distribution had the ability to be marketed abroad.”

In the statement, the juries also added that “Thirst,” despite the film’s strong plot and solid distribution network, was unfit for Oscar’s popular tastes. “Old Partner,” a documentary about an old farmer and his cow, was considered “too local” in its appeal.

“While ‘Mother’ had a flaw in its ambiguous construction packaged as a mystery thriller, it was agreed that the story of a mother had a genuine appeal and that the director’s previous work “Memories of Murder” was well-regarded in the United States,” the release said.

The nominations for a foreign-language film will be announced on February 2.

Source: hollywoodreporter.com

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August 11, 2009

Film Council Selects 'Mother' for Academy Award Submission

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The film "Mother" by Bong Joon-ho will be submitted for consideration for next year's Academy Awards. The Korean Film Council on Monday announced the selection to compete for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010.

Six films were initially chosen as candidates. The others were "A Frozen Flower" by Yoo Ha, "Thirst" by Park Chan-wook, "Breathless" by Yang Ik-june, "Old Partner" by Lee Chung-ryoul, and "Lifting King Kong" by Park Geon-yong.

The KFC said, "The final decision came down to choosing between 'Mother' and 'Breathless,' and based on the artistry of the film, the influence of the distributor, the reputation of the director and the level of recognition of the film, we chose 'Mother' in the end."

Credits: englishnews@chosun.com

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For the full-length and detailed MOTHER review by X at Twitch

http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/k-film-reviews-mother/

August 17, 2009

[K-FILM REVIEWS] 마더 (Mother)

Posted by X at 10:57am.

Related KHJ excerpt only --

I’ve nearly only spoken about Bong Joon-Ho so far, but this film belongs to one fantastic performer first and foremost: Kim Hye-Ja. Sure, Won Bin gives a surprisingly multi-layered performance, and the rest of the cast is an exercise in restraint and savoring every chance they are given, from Yoon Je-Moon to the animal-like panache of Jin Gu. But it was for Kim Hye-Ja that Bong made this film, trying to convince her ever since Memories of Murder wrapped up. It’s a shame that a lot of the aura Kim projects in this film will be lost on the International audience, because the last thirty years of her career have mostly been spent on TV, playing the quintessential mother figure for weekend drama queens like Kim Soo-Hyun, Kim Jung-Soo and Park Jung-Ran, so the contrast will be less explicit.

What was so frustrating about Kim, whose last film appearance was alongside the late Choi Jin-Shil in 1999’s 마요네즈 (Mayonnaise), is that her career was sort of commoditized by the same factors which brought her fame. First with 전원일기 (Country Diaries) throughout the 80s, then 1992’s monster hit 사랑이 뭐길래 (What is Love) and countless other “mothers,” her talent was slowly and inexorably watered down by the same old characters (albeit played with the same playful verve). Frustrating because if you’ve seen her rare escapades into non-mother territory, such as her guest starring as a killer straight out of a Melville flick on an episode of Chief Inspector during the late 1970s, you’ll see what kind of largely untested potential she always had.

We’re dealing with one of the most beloved and respected icons in the industry, someone who projected a gentle image for decades, and who is notorious for her involvement with charities over the years, so perhaps it was going to be a challenge to see the other side of the coin, at least in cinematic terms. The image of the “Korean mother” Kim Soo-Hyun and Kim Jung-Soo have created along with her acting over the decades was that of someone still tied by traditional social mores, but escaping from that glass ceiling from time to time with some pungent sparkles of energy—particularly memorable were her sudden tirades against hubbies Lee Soon-Jae in What is Love and Kim Seong-Gyeom in 1999’s 장미와 콩나물 (Roses & Beansprouts). Perhaps that’s what intrigued Bong, beyond all the respect and admiration he had for Kim. The challenge of bringing out all the fire which she had to conceal for decades. The results are, simply put, astounding.

Think of the scene where she tries to convince the family of the victim that her son is innocent. As she looks at them in the eyes and mutters a gentle “my son could never do something like that,” hell fire and brimstone explode inside those pupils, as if a dormant dragon was freed from captivity after unnerving decades of silence. It’s just riveting to watch her go from over-possessive mother to the peculiar, quasi-incestuous nuances of her scenes with her son Do-Joon, not to mention that final moment of liberation. As good as 박쥐 (Thirst) and a few other films might (turn out to) be, if we see a better performance than this before 2009 is over, then I’m afraid we’ve got some serious pills of greatness awaiting for us, because Kim Hye-Ja is just majestic here.

Source: twitchfilm.net

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Mother

by David on August 18, 2009

The crimson mantle of light and shadows before sunrise, one last bittersweet goodbye to a day almost gone; their hands in the air, sparkles of youth from many moons past all together embracing that withering light before darkness once again comes. Dancing, screaming, laughing, burning with passion despite the aching vestiges of the past, as if no worry in the world could ever break those fleeting moments of jubilation, solace and a little bit of eerie madness. There is no illusion, no empty chimera for those who know the dark side of the moon. Just a few sweet, mad minutes, when the beast strips the mask, and like all creatures great and small dances around the feeble, unyielding fire of life. Because they’re women, mothers, nature’s most beautiful and puzzling invention. Saints and richard simmons, monsters and goddesses; a life’s companion, best friend and a lot more.

I’m generally not one to be taken aback by single scenes, particularly when it comes to storytellers as diabolically talented as Bong Joon-Ho. But, and I wouldn’t worry about spoilers, one particular moment from a so-called “minor” work of his known as ?? (Mother) might just be amongst the most beautiful and placidly terrifying moments in all of modern Korean cinema. It turns out that Bong waited no less than five years to shoot said scene, jotted as number two on the notebook he so lovingly conserved in between escapades along the Han River and curious, solitary trips to Tokyo. On the top of that page was just a name. Hers and no one else’s. Kim Hye-Ja.

Credits: moviesb.com

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2009’s Top 10 most Influential

http://www.seoulbeats.com

Sisa Journal, Korea’s newsweekly, recently asked 1,000 specialists from 10 different professional fields to rate the top 10 most influential people in Korea. This Hallyu star garnered 19.9% of their votes and earned his place as the #1 most influential Korean star in 2009.

1. Rain

With hit singles, albums and dramas under his belt, this triple threat is making waves in Hollywood with his films “Speed Racer” and “Ninja Assassin.” He’s one of the hardest working artists in Asia and definitely deserves this #1 spot for most influential star in 2009.

2. Yoo Jae Suk

The most popular MC in Korea received 15.2% of the votes and won the #2 spot for the 2009 poll. Not only is he one of the most love-able and like-able people in Korea, he’s got a gifted talent for being so natural and down to earth on TV.

3. Kang Ho Dong

Pro-wrestler turned MC, Mr. Kang Ho Dong, earned 12.6% of the votes which safely placed him as the #3 most influential star in Korea.

4. Bae Young Joon

The Hallyu actor might be missing in action in Korea but that didn’t stop him from placing 4th in the list of most influential stars in Korea.

5. Ahn Seong Ki

Known as the “National Best Actor of Korea,” the star received 9.8% of the votes from the poll.

6. Girls Generation

This one was slightly a shocker, being that the girl group has only been around for a couple of years, but the 9 beauties have more power and influence than an entire Korean army so congrats to them.

7. Jo Yong Pil

This pop singer born in 1950 is considered one of the most influential musical figures in KPOP music.

8. Choi Bool Am

This veteran actor has been around the Korean entertainment world forever and starred in more dramas than you’ve seen in a lifetime.

9. JYP

Rain’s sensei and mega producer won 5.7% of the votes, earning his spot at #9.

10. Kim Hye Ja

The beautiful veteran actress takes the last spot for most influential Korean stars in 2009. Not only is her beauty stunning but her acting is magical. She recently starred along side Won Bin in the film, “Mother.”

Do you think the specialists got this list right?

Source: koreantopnews.com

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August 27, 2009

Actresses Shine Thru Tears in 'Aeja'

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

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Actresses Kim Young-ae, left, and Choi Kang-hee in a scene from "Aeja"

As the last bits of summer linger, "Aeja" by newcomer director Jeong Gi-hun heads the pack of mellow autumn season melodramas. It's a coming-of-age story about a troublemaker learning life lessons when her mother falls victim to cancer, but the character-propelled film downplays the predictability as a pair of talented leading ladies give hotwire the heart of the script and offer some genuinely affecting moments.

Choi Kang-hee ("My Scary Girl") brings to the screen another atypical heroine, the tomboy Aeja. Her outmoded name, which undoubtedly invited much teasing at school when she was young, sums up the small battles she must fight in everyday life. The movie begins with the baby-faced actress posing most naturally as a rebellious high school student.

An epitome of paradox, she is the best and the worst of students ― though always ranking on top, the dreamy poet constantly walks into trouble as she gets caught smoking, cuts class on rainy days to write prose by the beach and makes midnight phone calls to her teacher after indulging in underage drinking. The only person who can restrain this untamed "Tolstoy of Busan" is her charismatic mother, Yeong-heui, played by veteran actress Kim Yeong-ae.

The two sharp-tongued Busan women are constantly gnawing at each other, with Aeja complaining of her mother's biased affections for her older brother who gets to study abroad.

Ten years later, Aeja, 29, is settled in Seoul but is still wrestling with words as a penniless aspiring novelist and getting into trouble. All she has is an unimpressive resume adorned by an insignificant literary prize, a cheating boyfriend and petty arguments with her arch-nemesis mother.

Aeja is beckoned back home for her brother's wedding. But the family event is far from being warm and cuddly. Always feeling like the ugly duckling, Aeja cries "it's unfair" when mom sells real estate to finance her "spoiled" brother's company while she nags her about getting a real job.

Just when Aeja gets her sweet revenge by virtually ruining the ceremony with a crude joke, though, Yeong-heui collapses. But the film refrains from taking a sappy melodramatic turn. Aeja does not mature overnight just because her mom has cancer; the idea of her feisty mother dying eludes her and she rather reluctantly becomes her caretaker.

The two are biting and barking at each other as always, though this time small fights involve using needles and painkillers properly. However, time and circumstances have inevitably changed, and Aeja finds herself becoming the nagger rather than the nagged.

There have been hyper-realistic dramas about love-hate mother-and-daughter relationships such as "Mayonnaise," starring "Mother" heroine Kim Hye-ja opposite the late Choi Jin-sil. "Aeja" continues the tradition of offering vivid characters and subtle nuances and dynamics of relationships.

The film keeps things somewhat lighter with playful theatrical interventions, but the movie is, of course, aimed at tugging the viewer's heartstrings. The use of sappy violin music is clich?, but Kang and Kim offer the finest tearjerker performances and the camera keeps a surprisingly cool distance from the sentimentality, allowing the viewer to overlook the artifice.

In theaters Sept. 10. 15 and over. 110 minutes. Distributed by Cinergy.

Credits: hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

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September 16, 2009

State-run S. Korean film contest announces lineup

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Official Website daejongsang.com

SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- Organizers of the Daejong Film Awards, South Korea's only state-funded film contest, announced 54 candidates Wednesday including the Cannes-invited "Mother" and box-office smash "Haeundae."

The 46th Daejong awards ceremony, one of the oldest and the most prestigious in Korea, will be held on Nov. 6 after a 10-member jury chooses winners in 28 categories including best film, director, actor and actress, the event's organizing committee said.

Fifty people, chosen among applicants aged 18 and older, will be taking part in choosing the awards for leading and supporting actors and actresses.

Established in 1961, the first Daejong awards ceremony was held in 1962. The state-run Motion Pictures Association of Korea currently organizes the event.

Last year's top honor, the Grand Bell Award, went to director Na Hong-jin's thriller "The Chaser."

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

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Monday, September 14, 2009

MOTHER

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sports.khan.co.kr

Korean writer and director Bong Joon-ho (The Host) delivers his most mature and best work with this character study about a mother who desperately attempts to save her son framed for murder. Joon-ho continues to amaze as he expands his range with this impeccably crafted film that holds your attention from the first frame till the last and beyond. At the core of the film lies an astonishing performance by actress Kim Hye-ja as the lead who gives one of the best performances in recent memory.

YRCinema's coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Posted by YRCinema at 6:12 PM l yrfilms.blogspot.com

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September 25, 2009

S. Korean movie 'Mother' to be released in Japan

SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's thriller "Mother," which was invited to this year's Cannes International Film Festival, will be released throughout Japan next month, a Tokyo distributor said Friday.

"Mother," Bong's fourth feature exploring a murder case and obsessive maternal love, will hit major Japanese theaters including Cinema Rise and Cine Switch Ginza Oct. 31, the movie's Japanese distributor Bitter End said on its Web site.

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The movie, which drew some 3 million viewers at home, was screened at the non-competition section of this year's Cannes, which praised it as a "unique noir thriller."

The movie is also anticipating a U.S. release next year.

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

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Look out for MOTHER at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival 2009 :D

Thanks to WoundedHeart at the 14th PIFF thread for the highlight

14th Pusan International Film Festival 제14회 부산국제영화제, PIFF 8-16 October, 2009

http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=315585

Mother

Director : BONG Joon-ho option_line.gif Year : 2009 Korea

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A mother lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old son, Do-joon, providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally murdered, and Do-joon is charged with the killing. Now, it's his mother's call whether to prove him innocent or to leave him imprisoned.

There are two murderers in [Mother]: One is Do-joon who commit killing by mistake, and the other one is his mother who did murder to save her son. How did this mother and son become murderers? In this respect, it is of much importance to draw particular attention to a scene in which the mother, in defiance of police warnings, is on her way to see a guy with Down Syndrome. She asks him, "Don't you have a mom?" In the film, death is inextricably linked to the mother. The mother is the guardian, and her absence soon approaches as death. The mother's typological peculiarity deeply rooted in Korean society is startling. (LEE Sang-yong)

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October 9, 2009

Pusan Critics laud 'Mother,' Kim

Korea's Academy Award rep wins for best picture, actress

By Park Soo-mee

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"Mother."

BUSAN -- Bong Joon-ho's "Mother" won the hearts of Korean critics, as the director's latest thriller was awarded best picture by the Pusan Film Critics Assn. Friday during a ceremony at the Novotel Ambassador.

The film also won for best cinematography and for best actress for Kim Hye-ja, who played the film's determined mother, who is out to protect her mentally challenged son after he is accused of a murder in a rural town.

"Mother" has previously won three awards by the Korean Film Critics Assn. -- best picture, best actress and best screenplay, and was submitted to be considered for next year's Academy Awards.

Pusan critics also selected Ha Jeong-woo ("The Chaser") as best actor for his performance in an edgy melodrama "My Dear Enemy" and Yang Ik-joon, as best director for his debut feature "Breathless."

For Kim, Pusan is her second best actress award in her 36 years of acting. Her first was from the Manila International Film Festival in 1983 for her screen debut in "Manchu."

Source: hollywoodreporter.com

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October 27, 2009

DN LFF09: Mother – Bong Joon-Ho

By El Vez

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South Korean cinema has been going from strength to strength in recent years and if Mother is anything to go by, then this rise isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Park Chan-Wook has stolen much of the praise for the nation’s growing cinematic power with his Vengeance trilogy (Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Old Boy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) and his recent take on the vampire story, Thirst (Cannes 2009, joint Jury Prize winner). Lurking in his shadow somewhat has been Bong Joon-Ho, his police drama Memories of Murder showed the potential of this skilled craftsman, whilst The Host displayed how to make a successful monster movie with a moderate budget (The Host is a far better film than Cloverfield, Godzilla & Peter Jackson’s King Kong put together). With his latest effort Mother, Joon-Ho has once again displayed his deft touch for storytelling with his original take on the murder mystery movie.

Mother is (unsurprisingly) a tale of maternal love and a story about how far one woman will go to protect her only child. The Mother in this case is a quiet, introverted herbalist whose sole purpose appears to be to care for her backwards son Do Joon. Led on by his horny, rebellious friend Jin Tae, Do Joon finds himself falling deeper and deeper into trouble, until he’s engulfed in a serious criminal investigation where only his loving, devoted Mother will fight to clear his name. It’s a refreshing take on the ‘Who-Dunnit’ formula and the story provides moments of shock, humour and raw emotion.

As the titular mother, emphasis inevitably falls on actress Kim Hye-Ja and the film’s success was always going to largely depend on her performance. Thankfully it is a masterful performance, as the veteran actress manages to convey not only the frailties of this lone woman sucked into a male dominated world, but also the strength she conjures from within to save her child.

Mother could almost slot into Park Chan-Wook’s Vengeance Trilogy, as it has a similar feel and a similar plot (the film’s plots all revolve around the title characters’ quests for answers). It’s definitely up to the quality of Chan-Wook’s work and although not as stylish as Old Boy or Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, it’s a confidently made film with some stunning imagery. The camera hangs on Kim Hye-Ja’s face and we see it spread, emotion ridden, across the screen, dominating the frame as often as possible. However, the actress isn’t the only star of this film as the cinematography takes every chance to lovingly display the Korean countryside in full panoramic glory, as we are dazzled with wide tracking shots of fields, forests and mountains.

In all honesty I knew I’d like this film from the opening seconds, I mean if an impromptu dance in a hay field isn’t going to do it for you, then I don’t know what will.

Credits: directorsnotes.com

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November 6, 2009

Actress Kim Named Best Actress at Chinese Fest

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Veteran actress Kim Hye-ja was named the best foreign actress by China's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival for her role in the mystery thriller "Mother," Yonhap News Agency reported Friday, quoting the film's local producer.

Kim, 68, a popular TV celebrity widely known for her on-screen persona of a benevolent mother, surprised fans with her intense performance in the film, the fourth feature by director Bong Joon-ho which revolves around a murder case and obsessive maternal love. Kim was also named best actress at three domestic awards including the Busan Film Critics' Award.

Regarded as China's most prestigious film award, the rooster and flowers festival has been awarding and screening foreign films since 2005. Approved by the central government, two festivals _ Hundred Flowers Film Festival and China Golden Rooster initiated in 1962 and 1981, respectively _ were unified into one national film festival in 1992. The 18th event was held at Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.

"Mother," which drew some 3 million viewers at home, was screened at the non-competition section of this year's Cannes where it was praised as a "unique noir thriller."

Sold to 12 countries including Japan, France and the United States, the movie will hit international cinemas beginning this month.

Credits: koreatimes.co.kr

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November 27, 2009

Kim Hye-ja named best actress at Asia Pacific awards

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- Veteran South Korean actress Kim Hye-ja was named the best actress of the year by the third Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) for her role in the mystery thriller "Mother," the event's Web site said Friday.

Kim, 68, a popular TV celebrity widely known for her on-screen persona of a benevolent mother, surprised fans with her intense performance in the Cannes-invited film, which has been sold to 12 countries including Japan and the United States. "Mother," the fourth feature by director Bong Joon-ho revolves around a murder case and obsessive maternal love.

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Kim was also named best actress at Korea's Busan Film Critics' Awards and China's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.

"A Brand New Life," a Korea-France collaborated film produced by Cannes-winning Lee Chang-dong and directed by Ounie Lecomte, was named the best children's feature film by the APSA, while director Baek Seung-bin was honored with the NETPAC award for his feature "Members of the Funeral." Actor and director Yang Ik-june received a high commendation for his performance in "Breathless."

Established in 2007, the APSA is an international cultural initiative of Australia's Queensland State Government, bringing together Atlanta-based CNN International, Paris-based UNESCO and FIAPF -- the International Federation of Film Producers Associations.

Aimed at exploring the cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the vast Asia-Pacific region, the award ceremony is held in November each year. This year's jury was headed by Chinese director Huang Jianxin.

Credits: hayney@yna.co.kr

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturespo...002000315F.HTML

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