Archive for 'Korean' Category
She’s on Duty ???? by Park Kwang Chun (2005)
22 May 2006Sure Korea makes a lot of these Slapstick Gangster comedies, but watching this film I realizes something, these owe so much to Wong Jing. This is such a Wong Jing film! A Police Drama, with slapstick comedy, wirefu action and even vicious bloody violence. Yes all around Wong Jing style fun. Lasting, meaningful, no, it [...]
The Uninvited (4인용 식탁) by Lee Soo-yeon (이수연) 2003
21 May 2006I have to say the Korean title of A Table for 4 is more fitting for this enjoyable supernatural drama. This is an enjoyable and dark tale without any happy revelations, it starts dark and ends dark. And I will see any film with Jun Ji Hyun in it, and she is excellent in this, [...]
The Scarlet Letter 주홍글씨 by Daniel H. Byun (2004)
20 May 2006Hmm, I don’t know what to say exactly about this film. It is not what I thought it would be or what it sets itself up to be, and the twist at the end doesn’t really make any sense to the story, and the police story isn’t intriguing and ends really horrible. Much of the [...]
Shadowless Sword ??? by Kim Young Jun (2005)
16 May 2006Kim Young Jun has followed up his enjoyable Wuxia film BICHEONMOO with this excellent and enjoyable WUXIA film SHADOWLESS SWORD. It shows that Kim is an expert in Taekwondo and Hapkido because the action is totally bad ass, and much higher quality than Bicheonmoo, sure it has some cheesy music at times, but overall it [...]
Duelist ?? by Lee Myung Se (2005)
16 May 2006A gorgeous though very flawed period action romance comedy film from Korea last year. And when I say gorgeous, I mean it. The film is shot perfectly, with amazing action sequences and gorgeous production design and costumes. The problem with the film is that overall it comes off as very disjointed, feeling like many of [...]
April Snow ??by Hur Jin Ho (2005)
21 March 2006Honestly I have been hearing about Bae Yong Joon for the entire year, and that he is the hottest man in Asia, and just had to see this film. Not only that but I am a fan of Hur Jin Ho’s CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST, and I liked Son Ye Jin in THE CLASSIC, so this [...]
My Sassy Girl 엽기적인 그녀 written and directed by kwak Jae-Yong (곽재용) 2001 by Kwak Jae Yong [ê³½ì¬ì©] (2001)
23 February 2006This was the smash hit in Korea of 2001, and became the highest growing comedy in Korean Box office history. And is the film that launched the career of the absolutely cute Jeon Ji Hyun. She is absolutely amazing in this film, and really carries the film through all it’s ridiculousness to it’s touching ending, [...]
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance ??? ??? by Park Chan Wook (2005)
9 January 2006Of course I was looking forward to this film
because I loved OLD BOY, thinking it is one of the most disturbing films every
made, and this film of course is Park Chan Wook’s 3rd film in his revenge
trilogy with SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE having started the series, and of course
OLD BOY being part 2. The films [...]
Welcome to Dongmakgol (웰컴 투 동막골) by Park Kwang-hyeon (박광현) 2005
8 January 2006I had heard much about this film, especially that it broke all records at the box office this year in Korea, so I had wanted to see it. Amazing how well this film works, one wouldn’t think you could pull off a fairy tale about the Korean war, but park has pulled it off, and [...]
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring ? ?? ?? ?? ??? ? by Kim Ki Duk (2003)
5 January 2006I had heard do much about Kim Ki Duk, and have stayed away from some of his films, like the Isle, but had heard this was great. Of course I was pretty disappointed by Samaritan Girl, but that is only one film so I wanted to see this, and was pleasantly surprised, even if it [...]
Samaritan Girl 사마리아 by Kim Ki-duk (김기덕) (2004)
16 December 2005Hmmm, had heard really good things about Kim Ki Duk, and had wanted to see some of his films, and this was interesting, though I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It is about a bunch of fucked up people pretty much, and especially a little girl and her father.
Han Yeo-reum (한여름) plays Yeo Jin a [...]
Save the Green Planet 지구를 지켜라! by Jang Joon-hwan (장준환) (2003)
10 December 2005An interesting though twisted movie, and I must say I expected the ending, just because the film needed a twist to it. Korea has certainly had it’s fair share of completely disgusting revenge films of late, and this one has an added twist. Are we watching the twisted mind of a serial killer, or could [...]
Resurrection of the Little Match Girl ( 성냥팔이 소녀의 재림) by Jang Sun-woo (장선우) (2002)
13 October 2005I have been wanting to see this movie since it came out, but the Korean DVD didn’t have English subs so it took me till now to check it out. I think there had been too much build up for me to really love this film. I saw it because I heard about the amazing [...]
Singles ( ??? ) by Shin Min Kyung (2003)
21 September 2005This is a cute movie, about women hitting 30 in Modern Korea, though it’s box comparing it to Sex and the City isn’t very fitting (yes it is about sex, but their is no nudity at all) it is an enjoyable film, though nothing too deep, and I actually really liked the ending because it [...]
A Bittersweet Life (??? ??) by Kim Jee Woon (2005)
15 September 2005It has been too long since I watched a Korean film, as I had been seeing some crap, but this film makes up for it. I have actually been a fan of Kim Jee Woon’s films for a while, I loved a Tale of Two Sisters and The Foul King, and like those films this [...]
The Way Home ??? by Lee Jeong Hyang (2002)
12 January 2005I just finished watching this Korean fable from 2002, and was so hoping to love it, and hope it would make me feel wonderful. The thing is it really didn’t. The kid was way too much of a brat, he was mean and unpleasant to his grandmother and the other kids in the neighborhood. I [...]
A Tale of Two Sisters ??,?? by Kim Jee Woon (2003)
11 January 2005This is one of the best horror films I have seen in a long time. Really creepy right from the start and with excellent imagery and cinematography throughout. This is one to be seen. And after watching JU ON: THE GRUDGE 2 today I wasn’t expecting much, but this is an excellent and scary film. [...]
Nabi ?? (Butterfly) by Moon Seung Wook (2001)
10 January 2005This is an interesting digital film that is a science fiction film set in the near future, kind of in the vein of CODE 46 where the film is shot all in contemporary locations. It is a very well done and well acted low budget film. The pacing is slow, and may bore some viewers [...]
Memories of Murder 살인의 추억 by Bong Joon Ho [봉준호] (2003)
6 January 2005This is based on an actual string of brutal rapes and murders in the Gyunggi Province of Korea, and is not your typical crime drama that shows the brutality of the scenes. This movie focuses much more on the detectives, 2 from the area, and a detective from Seoul who came to help the investigation, [...]
Everybody Has Secrets by Jang Hyeon-soo (???) (2004)
31 December 2004Another bizarre Korean romantic comedy. Another where the bastard in the film gets away with it, he may not win, but he certainly gets away with it. I guess I enjoyed this film, but just as a single watch, I don’t really care to see it again (too bad I bought the Region 3 Special [...]
Sword in the Moon ???? by Kim Uy Suk (2003)
31 December 2004Just watched the Korean Region 3 DVD of this film, and must say that I enjoyed it. It is a dark and moody period action piece, that if it was from China would be called a Wuxia film. Not amazing, but still an enjoyable watch. The production design and cinematography are top notch (if a [...]
Spin Kick by Nam Sang Guk (2004)
11 November 2004This was an OK though not great film. Sure it’s predictable, but still not bad. Another bad boys in high school setting their lives in order tale, but not a bad one. Not saying it doesn’t have it’s problems, most especially being the real lack of a lead or central character. Kim Dong Wan as [...]
He Was Cool ??? ???? by Lee Hwan Kyung (2004)
29 October 2004This is an impressive first outing for first time director Lee Hwan Kyung. I was hoping this wasn’t just another Korean teen comedy, and I was proved right this time. While this film is at times silly, and also melodramatic, it also has a good story, interesting characters, good fight scenes, and high drama. What [...]
Silmido ??? by Kang Woo Suk (2003)
27 October 2004I had wanted to see this film for some time, I even tried to go and see it in it’s limited US release, but while it was advertised as having English Subs, in fact that print where I went didn’t have any. Then I decided to hold off on the KOREAN SPECIAL EDITION, and wait [...]
Taegukgi ??? ???? by Kang Je Gyu (2004)
26 October 2004Wow. Now I am sad I didn’t see this in the theater. I wanted to, but just didn’t want to go alone, and my friends who would see it already had. What an incredible and brutal war film this is. Sure it borrows from Saving Private Ryan, and yes I would have been happier without [...]