K Movies : 150+ Reviews : 68monkey Reviews steamy Period Drama - Untold Scandal, The

[unrealnils]

I ordered it from Yesasia on the week of release and i did get a map :norty:

[unrealnils]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Wet Dreams
StarMax
2-Disc Set
DVD-9 + DVD-5
DD5.1
Anamorphic 1.85:1 (not quite that wide)

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies6/Wet%20Dreams.jpg


:norty:



http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies6/Wet%20Dreams2.jpg









I might get this now :thumbs:

[Shingster]

Heh heh that's about how long she is in the film though i'm afraid, just some token fit bird at the start of the film :p

[megatron]

Any chance of you posting a pic of the map to see what I'm missing out on?:(

[Splinter]

I received my Battle Royale from Yesasia last week and didn't receive a map either. It seems to be a bit of a trend with these extras which are not stated as being limited not being included with with the DVD a few months down the line. Christmas in August with the OST being another.

The dts sound on the Starmax is superb though, really gives the rears a work out with alot of ambience in the outdoor scenes.

[Edge]

Guys,

I've run out of Korean discs to watch and so am after some recommendations. I'd go for Lover's Concerto but YesAsia don't have it so other suppliers would also be welcome.

To give you an idea of my taste I enjoyed these:
Art Museum By The Zoo
Christmas In August
Ditto
Failan
Il Mare
The Isle
My Sassy Girl
One Fine Spring Day

But didn't like these:
Memento Mori
Take Care Of My Cat

Edge

[Ono]

Edge

Lovers Concerto can be found at DVDAsian (http://www.dvdasian.com/cgi-bin/dvdasian/14538.html)

You've seen most of the one's I have seen and would recommend so I'll leave it up to the others to give their views - although April Story is on my shopping list.

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by Edge
Guys,

I've run out of Korean discs to watch and so am after some recommendations. I'd go for Lover's Concerto but YesAsia don't have it so other suppliers would also be welcome.

To give you an idea of my taste I enjoyed these:
Art Museum By The Zoo
Christmas In August
Ditto
Failan
Il Mare
The Isle
My Sassy Girl
One Fine Spring Day

But didn't like these:
Memento Mori
Take Care Of My Cat

Edge

I haven't seen it yet but from what I know I'd say Lovers Concerto is right up your street judging by your list & Yes Asia do sell it.
You could always try Joint Security Area or Sympathy for Mr Vengeance for a change of pace (Sympathy being the best Korean film I've seen........probably).

[Splinter]

Edge - Yesasia are selling Lover's Concerto, i've got my eye on it myself. Here's the link:

http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx?pid=1002468450&did=90&code=k&section=videos&

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by Edge
Guys,

I've run out of Korean discs to watch and so am after some recommendations. I'd go for Lover's Concerto but YesAsia don't have it so other suppliers would also be welcome.
If you want to play safe and get films similar to those you liked, the following would make up a free shipping order from <a href="http://global.yesasia.com/assocred.asp?LU83C65N+http://global.yesasia.com/" target="_blank">YesAsia</a>:

Lover's Concerto
Harmonium In My Memory
Wanee and Junah

There are reviews of the first two <a href="http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/index.cgi?page=Feature&id=63&story=4088" target="_blank">here</a>, and Cirrus888 has reviewed the third <a href="/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1572201#post1572201">here</a>.

[Barry Evil]

<a href="http://global.yesasia.com/assocred.asp?LU83C65N+http://global.yesasia.com/en/brPrdDept.aspx?section=videos&code=k&cc=46&" target="_blank"><b>Buy 3 Korean Dvds and get Shiri free @ YesAsia</b></a>

[Edge]

Thanks for the link Splinter as it still doesn't show up for me when I do a search :confused:

Ono Looks good and is in the cart :)

jimmyboy Will give Sympathy a try as you're so enthusiastic

Barry Evil Harmomium is on my wants list but YesAsia have it listed as OOP and the HKR3 is cropped :(

Edge

[unrealnils]

Originally posted by Shingster
Heh heh that's about how long she is in the film though i'm afraid, just some token fit bird at the start of the film :p





:eek: :eek: :eek:

I thought she was the hot teacher every one was getting "wet dreams" about :suspect:

[Cirrus888]

LOL - about my wet dreams screen grabs :p ... shingster is right ... I apologise for misleading anyone ... the main actress is pictured below ... :D

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies6/Wet%20Dreams5.jpg

[Cirrus888]

I've been trying to get Harmonium as well but it is out of stock from my usual korean supplier too.

Instead I have got my eyes on Conduct Zero (No Manners) LE which Darcy seems to like too as well as The Way Home (finally) ...

The shiri DVD seems like a very good offer Barry! :thumbs:

Note the 2-Disc Korean Way Home comes with varying gifts ... The one at Yesasia lists a set of pencil and drawing Pad ... :nuts:

[megatron]

"Buy 3 Korean Dvds and get Shiri free @ YesAsia"

Damn! I just recieved my order of BR and Volcano High.:(

*edit it says it's swiri not shiri. Is that the korean name or is it a typo?

[Cirrus888]

Swiri is the Korean name.

[Shingster]

Originally posted by unrealnils
I thought she was the hot teacher every one was getting "wet dreams" about :suspect:

Yeah there's a distinct lack of pics of the teacher, so it;s about time some pics of Kim Seon-ah were posted. :p

She;s one of these actresses that sometimes looks well fit, but sometimes looks less fit, she get's my thumbs up though :D:

From Wet Dreams:

http://shingy.netmag.easyspace.com/images/kim1.jpg http://shingy.netmag.easyspace.com/images/kim2.jpg


Better pics:

http://shingy.netmag.easyspace.com/images/kim3.jpg http://shingy.netmag.easyspace.com/images/kim4.jpg


BTW the chap in pic 2 is actually Lee Beom-su, looking quite a bit older than he does in Jungle Juice, he is 32 though.

[Cirrus888]

Thanks for the pics Shingster ... :D

Another pic of her from Wet Dreams but the aspect ratio is a little off ...

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies6/Wet%20Dreams3.jpg

[Barry Evil]

According to the <a href="http://www.koreanfilm.org/weekly/index.htm" target="_blank">Korean Film Weekly</a> there's going to be a US DVD release of <b>The Way Home</b> in May ... might be worth waiting to see what this release is like if you've got the patience ;) ... and don't mind missing out on the pencils that currently come with the Korean edition :)

[Cirrus888]

Jail Breakers

A solid well made comedy from Korea's leading comidic film makers. Head and tails better than recent comedies I've seen and is a tad below Breakout which I thought was slightly funnier. Jail Breakers does everything right and the professionalism is seen in the writing, acting, plotting and pacing ... a smooth and polished film in everyway.

Like shingster's review before I rate this above films like marrying the mafia, wet dreams and my wife is a gangster ...

Kick the moon is on order ...

[gZa]

Originally posted by megatron
Any chance of you posting a pic of the map to see what I'm missing out on?:( Pretty much the same as this (http://www.cityonfire.com/gZa/misc/br_island_map_white_1024x768.jpg) (only maybe in English) I believe.

[mediacircus]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Jail Breakers

A solid well made comedy from Korea's leading comidic film makers. Head and tails better than recent comedies I've seen and is a tad below Breakout which I thought was slightly funnier. Jail Breakers does everything right and the professionalism is seen in the writing, acting, plotting and pacing ... a smooth and polished film in everyway.



I watched this the other night, and I found it to be a disappointment. :( Other than the last twenty minutes (e.g., the politicians confessing their crimes), I really couldn't get into it.

It reminded me too much of a lot of low-rent gangster comedies (e.g., "Jungle Juice", "2424") where most of the running time involves characters shouting and swearing at each other. Of Kim Sang-jin's films, I actually enjoyed this one the least ("Attack the Gas Station!" is still my favorite Kim film).

However, I do agree that "Breakout" was better... Kang Seong-jin stole every scene in that movie as the resident Chatty Cathy.

[mediacircus]

Here's an oldie-but-goodie...

Pisces - 2000

Starring: Lee Mi-yeon, Choi Wu-je, Yun Ji-hye
Director: Kim Hyung-tae
Availability: Hong Kong-import DVD and VCD (multi-region)
Rating: ****

At first glance, Kim Hyung-tae’s debut feature “Pisces” starts off like any number of Korean romantic melodramas. Jung Ae-ryun (Lee Mi-yeon) has just taken over the running of a video store named ‘Sad Movie’. As per the film’s title, Ae-ryun has a typical Pisces personality, which includes tendencies toward shyness, orderliness, boundless loyalty, and being a hopeless romantic. However, it is also said that Pisces personalities tend to have their heads in the clouds, making it easy for them to lose touch with reality.

One of Ae-ryun’s regular customers is handsome arthouse film buff Yu Dong-seok (Choi Wu-je, seen recently in the 2002 horror film “Phone”), who is also trying to jumpstart a career in music. Instantly smitten by the aspiring singer/composer, Ae-ryun strikes up a friendship with Dong-seok in the hopes of pursuing a romantic relationship. She also makes it her life’s mission to help Dong-seok break into the music business. Unfortunately, Dong-seok already has a steady girlfriend (Yun Ji-hye, who co-starred with Lee in “Whispering Corridors”) and is not interested in Ae-ryun’s assistance, let alone her affections.

It is here that the film makes a 180-degree turn, transforming what appears to be a cute and whimsical romance into a much darker drama/thriller. With shades of Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Amelie”, albeit with a much more sinister context, Ae-ryun starts breaking into Dong-seok’s apartment when he’s out, while secretly putting his demo tapes in front of music producers, all part of her obsession for winning his love. As the film moves into the closing act, both Ae-ryun’s behavior and her hold on reality become increasingly erratic, and she ends up doing the unthinkable. And just when you think that director Kim could have no more tricks up his sleeve, he unleashes one last parting shot that will make viewers reinterpret the events that led up to the film’s tragic conclusion.

As the tragic protagonist with unrequited love, Lee is absolutely mesmerizing, and it is easy to see why she is one of the most popular actresses in Korea. In addition, she is more than capable of credibly handling Ae-ryun’s descent into obsessive madness. Unfortunately, in comparison to Lee, Choi is somewhat average in his servicing of the Dong-seok character, as is the bland Yun in the role of Dong-seok’s girlfriend.

Like “The Usual Suspects”, “The Sixth Sense”, and “Memento”, “Pisces” is one of those films that you will want to watch again to catch all the clues that were subtly dropped along the way. For the uninitiated, the film’s first half might appear to be plodding and unoriginal, despite the beautiful lensing by cinematographer Hwang Seo-shik. However, those viewers patient enough to sit through the clever set-up are given a terrific pay-off in the second-half. And as a testament to how well conceived “Pisces” is (apparently, Kim spent seven years of his life working on this film, from script to screen), it holds up remarkably well on subsequent viewings. There’s certainly more than meets the eye here.

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Jail Breakers

Jail Breakers does everything right and the professionalism is seen in the writing, acting, plotting and pacing ... a smooth and polished film in everyway.

Like shingster's review before I rate this above films like marrying the mafia, wet dreams and my wife is a gangster ...

Kick the moon is on order ...

I haven't seen Jailbreakers yet, but I watched Kick The Moon a week or so ago and it's a polished film too. Like a number of Korean comedies, it works as a light-hearted drama even if you don't appreciate the humour.

I always find that it's difficult to gauge comedies based on other people's opinions because sense of humour is so personal.

[megatron]

Thanks Mr Garry. Map looks at bit poo, but still would have liked it. Ho Hum.

[unrealnils]

The map has no english it's all in korean and looks similar to it :|












Still looks cool om my wall next to other posters and postcards :D

[megatron]

:oh-hum:

[megatron]

GIT!;)

[Jimmyboy]

The UK Tartan Tin SE release comes with a map as well.
Why not just get that ?.

[Splinter]

DTS baby :norty:

[megatron]

"The UK Tartan Tin SE release comes with a map as well.
Why not just get that ?."

Cause I need to get rid of my Starmax first!.:suspect:

[unrealnils]

I should have YESTERDAY in about 2 weeks and i will let you know what i think.
It's an action/sci-fi korean film.

Me thinks that im the only forumite who'll actually get this film :norty: Apart from Bruce ,maybe:thumbs:

[bruce-leroy]

Originally posted by unrealnils
I should have YESTERDAY in about 2 weeks and i will let you know what i think.
It's an action/sci-fi korean film.

Me thinks that im the only forumite who'll actually get this film :norty: Apart from Bruce ,maybe:thumbs:


Yes, I want to see this......although I will wait to hear what you think before making the plunge. :norty: :noid:

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by unrealnils
Me thinks that im the only forumite who'll actually get this film :norty:

Well I figure I should do a feature on Korean SF and Fantasy at some point, so there's a good chance I'll be getting it too ;)

[Ono]

I got my Korean version of The Way Home today :) - it's a lovely set and comes with a diary notebook and colouring pencils. Very impressive. :notworthy


Oh, also got Wet Dreams as well. :D

[lorenzo]

Originally posted by Ono
Oh, also got Wet Dreams as well. :D

:norty:

Glad you got the film and thanks for the loan again :thumbs:

Those MESH pc's look tastey

[megatron]

"I got my Korean version of The Way Home today - it's a lovely set and comes with a diary notebook and colouring pencils. Very impressive."

Time to get your colouring books out then Ono.:lol:

[Ono]

Originally posted by megatron
[BTime to get your colouring books out then Ono.:lol: [/B]

No way! I'm keeping these colouring pencils in *mint* condition for eBay in 2 year's time. :D :nuts:

[lorenzo]

Hey guys check out my mini-review of Ichi the Killer (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171327) :lol:

[Ono]

Originally posted by lorenzo
Hey guys check out my mini-review of Ichi the Killer (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171327) :lol:


Just let me finish reading that pamphlet I have called War & Peace first. :nuts:

[lorenzo]

Originally posted by Ono
Just let me finish reading that pamphlet I have called War & Peace first. :nuts:

:clap:

You're a very funny man Ono :p

[GK]

Can I just say how much I've enjoyed this thread since it began ? I've been watching Korean movies for a couple of years now and I'm a big, big fan. However, one film has simply stopped me in my tracks ...

Finally got to watch my copy of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and my thanks to Cirrus for his initial enthusiasm (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=132567&highlight=sympathy+for+vengeance) which prompted me to buy it.

This is a truly, truly outstanding film. Several days later I'm still haunted by it and in recent years only The Blair Witch Project and Mulholland Dr. have stayed with me in this way. I love it when a film-maker is confident enough not to force-feed his audience and I'm so struck by how events are presented almost casually, how the camera doesn't follow events too closely or present the action too sensationally. The set-pieces are so under-played - for example :

the disaster at the river, the suicide note, passing the organ-dealers in the corridor, the sheet slipping in the lift

I think it takes really big, meaty themes and hands judgement over to the viewer. It's certainly one of the most demanding meditations on the nature of revenge I've seen on screen. Awe-inspiring, simply.

[Cirrus888]

Glad people are loving this film as much as I do ... About the end where a few think the film falls apart ... I like to think that the father paid some people to kill him right at the end because he had nothing to live for rather than the fact it was a revolutionary group out for revenge but the revolutionary group taking revenge for killing one of their members is in keeping with the whole revenge theme of the movie ...

[Ono]

Happy End came this morning (along with Hero).

Can't wait to watch those [Cirrus888]Sensational sex scenes[/Cirruss88] :norty: :D

[mediacircus]

I just received confirmation that the underappreciated serial killer thriller "H" has just been shipped to me. I can't wait to see it... it's been favorably compared to "Tell Me Something" and it supposedly has a great twist ending.

[mediacircus]

Apparently, this Korean article states that the remake of "My Wife is a Gangster" is about to start production with J. Lo.

http://sports.hankooki.com/lpage/cinet/200303/ds2003031211412214390.htm

[Cirrus888]

Saving My Hubby

Bae Doo-na ROCKS! :notworthy :thumbs: :D

Action comedy/drama, well made but incredibly thin plot ... however ... it doesn't matter because Bae doo-na makes this more watchable than the last three comedies I've seen ... Just realised that I have been through a Korean comedy fest ... :dork:

[Cirrus888]

I've been thinking about H ... tell us what you think when you've seen it MediaC ... minus spoilers! :p

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by mediacircus
Apparently, this Korean article states that the remake of "My Wife is a Gangster" is about to start production with J. Lo.

http://sports.hankooki.com/lpage/cinet/200303/ds2003031211412214390.htm

This news makes 'that' scene from Ringu pale in significance.:gag:

[Ono]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Saving My Hubby

Bae Doo-na ROCKS! :notworthy :thumbs: :D

Action comedy/drama, well made but incredibly thin plot ... however ... it doesn't matter because Bae doo-na makes this more watchable than the last three comedies I've seen ... Just realised that I have been through a Korean comedy fest ... :dork:


I reviewed this earlier (can't be arsed to look for the post) and found it distinctly average. Could be something to do with the fact that I don't fancy BDN much. :|

[Cirrus888]

Yeah I agree if you don't like BDN then it does offer very little ... but I LIKE BDN :nuts:

I didn't think the Husband was annoying he was kinda amusing actually :p

[unrealnils]

J Lo to be "Mantis" from My wife is ............. is very :gag:

[mrsteve]

Bae Do Na also has a brief - but effective - appearance in the rather good Korean take on Ringu - "Ring Virus"....

Steve

[Shingster]

Hai she's got the Sadako role & i got to say I disliked Ring Virus, thought it was tedium.

[Ono]

Saw the first 10 mins of Happy End today. :eek: :norty:

Hardly family viewing. ;)



Now if I wanted to sell it on - do I advertise in the DVD Classifieds or the Adult Classifieds? :D :suspect:

[Splinter]

Well the first of my orders arrived yesterday, Friend and Musa - and yes it was worth spending the extra on the tin ;) I can't stop stroking it. I watched Musa this evening and thought it was really good although one thing that really got to me after a while was how alot of the action scenes were shot with close ups and very fast editing. I was having trouble taking it in and understanding who was doing what. Half the time the camera was fixed on a close up of someone's foot or back.

Also can anyone tell me who does the translation and writes the subtitles for some of these films? I'm willing to bet they give it as a project to a class of 15 year old korean, english students. I just find it hard to believe someone's getting paid to do this - the bloke must be laughing his way back to the bank as i'm sure the guys putting the DVD together don't know any better. But on the other hand, whichever language you speak I think we all can understand that flashing a full sentence on the screen for half a second isn't very clever - I couldn't even pause my DVD player on it to read it, it sped by so fast.

One thing I've noticed (in Iron Monkey too) is they use the word ***** quite alot in the subs, in stuff like Iron Monkey and Musa it doesn't quite fit somehow. Definitely ruins the atmosphere when it comes up in some scenes.

So back to film...I'm not sure which country or area it was set in, I'll have to go back to the beginning and see if I missed something - but the setup was fresh for me as I haven't really seen a film based on that period before. I felt the score let the film down on a few occasions during some of the battle sequences especially in the forest, some of it just didn't fit with
the great score we got at the end.

One thing I couldn't work out was how the General stayed standing and agressively fighting for so long. He got bashed up pretty good in the forest and it looked fatal from what I saw the enemy do to him but not long after he was up and walking, then later fighting the lead man. He then goes out to protect the princess with the lead guy - gets bashed up again and looks pretty good shortly after. I just thought they were taking the mickey a bit on that.



I've bashed the film quite a bit, but overall I enjoyed it. Perhaps it was a tad long but it was a great epic and i'm glad I didn't wait for the HKL release. If HKL sort out the subs then I'll probably buy it again with the extras and DTS.


My next order, which hopefully will ship soon, will include My Sassy Girl ;) after all the messing about I've taken the plunge - Ono gets first slapping if Jeon Ji-Hyun doesn't win me over :D


Right - i'm off to learn Korean now for my new career move, a film subtitle translater. :thumbs:

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by Splinter

My next order, which hopefully will ship soon, will include My Sassy Girl ;) after all the messing about I've taken the plunge - Ono gets first slapping if Jeon Ji-Hyun doesn't win me over :D


Jeon Ji-Hyun's looks didn't win me over in My Sassy Girl, in fact I think she's rather average. But there's something extremely likeable about her in II Mare.

[unrealnils]

Glad you enjoyed MUSA splinter :thumbs: even thought you bashed it


Personally theres three Koren films that stand out for me
MUSA
SHIRI
MY SASSY GIRL
(in no real order)


JJH has some of the most incrediable facial expressions :eek: :notworthy :nuts:

They are sexy or what :thumbs:

[Ono]

Listen people. I am not forcing you guys to liek her :nuts: .

In fact, it would be better if you were all to leave her (and ZZY) to me. Now that would be nice. :norty:

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by Splinter
Also can anyone tell me who does the translation and writes the subtitles for some of these films? I'm willing to bet they give it as a project to a class of 15 year old korean, english students. I just find it hard to believe someone's getting paid to do this - the bloke must be laughing his way back to the bank as i'm sure the guys putting the DVD together don't know any better.

As you will discover when you watch <i>Friend</i>, the standard of the subs on Korean releases is usually pretty good - they sacked the 15 year-old after Musa :D

[Cirrus888]

I have to say that the subtitles for korean movies are a lot better now than the early DVD releases. I can't think of any real problems such as that found in Musa with the subtitles from films I've seen recently.

I just bought Panorama's HK edition of all about Lily Chou Chou. From the quick glance of the DVD on my PC I got the picture is widescreen and anamorphic! :thumbs: ... it looks like a single layer DVD though although its hard to see how a 140 min film with a 7mb bitrate and DD5.1 sound could fit on a single layer ...

I can't see 2 serial numbers on the DVD inner ring although I can see various numbers and the words "Layer 1" ...

I hope to summarise all the Shunji Iwai films onto one thread later with proper reviews ...

[mrsteve]

I recall seeing somewhere on Darcy Pacquet's site that he had re-worked the English sub-titles for "Musa" but that the movie then got released with subbies in the state they were in before he'd worked on them....
Odd....

Still love "Musa", though.

Steve

[kanedaa]

Cirrus - I'd love to hear more on the quality of Lily Chou-chou, been thinking of picking this up myself. Just check the properties of the CD using Windows Explorer, if its over 4.7gig then its dual layer.

[Cirrus888]

:brickwall - I should have known that kanedaa ... its 7.19 gigs so I guess its dual layered ... :thumbs:

... I haven't had time to watch it yet ...

[bruce-leroy]

Originally posted by Ono
Saw the first 10 mins of Happy End today. :eek: :norty:

Hardly family viewing. ;)



Now if I wanted to sell it on - do I advertise in the DVD Classifieds or the Adult Classifieds? :D :suspect:

Can I have first dibs? :norty: :lol:

[Saber]

Anyone seen this?

Looks interesting.

http://www.btinternet.com/~khademi/2968.jpg

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0304120

A serial killer named Shin-Hyun gives himself up to police. He confesses to committing a series of particularly horrifying murders of exclusively female victims. He is imprisoned, awaiting the death sentence for his crimes. Yet the killings do not stop. They continue with all the same characteristics trademarks of the Shin-Hyun serial killings.

[unrealnils]

Frell yeah it does look good

[Ono]

Okay guys (I presume there are no gals amongst you lot :norty: ), what Korean films should we be keeping an eye out for this year?

I've sort of isolated only a few that really appeal to me:

1. The Classic - love the bird in this (the one out of LC)
2. The Madeleine
3. Bus Stop
4. The Uninvited - :norty:

That's it really unless you include Resurrection ..... with English subs. :(

Am I missing anything seriously good?

[kcxdev]

I've been waiting for Madeleine for ages and YesAsia have just posted it up (for notification). Any ideas when Bus Stop is out?

[Ono]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies5/bus%20stop.jpg
Bus Stop
:norty:



No idea when it's out. :(

:norty: :norty:

[JayLunar]

I'm personally very much looking forward to the new Park Chan-wook film Old Boy starring my favorite (Korean) actor Choi Min-sik.

The director of the best 2002 movie (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) teamed up with the lead actor of the best 2001 movie (Failan), and based on a Manga!!
Oh man, I can't wait :nuts:

[mediacircus]

Originally posted by Ono
Am I missing anything seriously good?

There's also Han Suk-kyu's new film, "Comrades" aka "Double Agent", which co-stars Ko So-young.

[Cirrus888]

I'm addicted to ordering ...

No Manners
H
Way Home

[Saber]

I may try and watch H tonight, and I'll report back, so far from what I have read it is supposed to be good.

[mbp]

I've been reading (portions of) this thread for a couple of months now, and I'd like to thank everyone who's contributed to making this a great source of information. Even if it is a bit hard to navigate. :)

I live in Copenhagen, Denmark and in a couple of weeks a number of Korean movies will be shown in cinemas here as part of the NatFilm (http://www.natfilm.dk/) festival.

The movies are:

My Heart
Il Mare
Art Museum by the Zoo
Bad Guy
Ditto
Joint Security Area
Oasis
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Take Care Of My Cat
The Way Home
Turning Gate
Volcano High


I won't have the time or energy to see more then about three of these, so I'm asking for your advice as to which ones I should choose.
Many of these have been discussed earlier on in this thread and that has given me some ideas, but there are also a few I don't remember having heard anything about.
As this is probably the only chance I'll ever have of seeing any of these in a cinema, I'd like to choose movies that gain something from being shown on the big screen and not some that I could just as well just have seen at home.

At the moment my top "candidates" are Oasis, Take Care Of My Cat and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.
The Way Home and Il Mare sound interesting, but also as if they could work (almost) as well on my TV screen.

Any comments or suggestions?

[Ono]

*cough* My Sassy Girl? *cough* :suspect:

[unrealnils]

JSA has to be seen, a very good film

[Shingster]

Originally posted by mbp
My Heart
Il Mare
Art Museum by the Zoo
Bad Guy
Ditto
Joint Security Area
Oasis
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Take Care Of My Cat
The Way Home
Turning Gate
Volcano High

Not seen all of these films mbp, just the following:

Il Mare
Art Museum by the Zoo
Joint Security Area
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Take Care Of My Cat
The Way Home
Volcano High

Now out of these titles 2 films immediately stand out as being big "cinema" films & that's Sympathy for Mr Vengeance & Volcano High with JSA bringing up the rear as my 3rd recommendation. These are the most stylised films of the titles i've seen.

As for the others i've seen, well i don't think watching them in a theatre would give you that much more than watching them in the comfort of your own home, certainly Take care of My Cat & The Way Home are relatively low key films.

[Cirrus888]

Sympathy and Il Mare will benefit on the big screen ... especially if they have a clean Il Mare print ...

[unrealnils]

:brickwall :brickwall :brickwall :brickwall :brickwall

I can't belive that they have put YESTERDAY back :mad:

It was meant to be out on Jan 31st then Feb then March now April :(


http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx?pid=1002148101&section=videos&code=k&

[Cirrus888]

I'm getting intrigued by Yesterday ...

Musa
Running Time: 110 Minutes
DVD Company: M6 Video (France)

Video
2.35:1 - 16:9 Enhanced, Dual Layer, PAL Region 2

Audio
Korean Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitle
French Subtitles

Extras
Making Of, Interviews, French Theatrical Trailer, Photo Gallery

Notes
Zhang Ziyi gets top billing in the International Cut of Kim Sung-soo's epic drama. It has been reported this abbreviated version not only focuses more on Zhang's princess (hence the French title meaning Princess of The Desert), but also substantially changes the mood of the film. However, it'll be interesting to see how the changes affect the film, and if it has the same power. This is the first time the International Cut makes its way on DVD. Following this, there will be a UK version by Premier Asia, a Finnish/Scandinavian Version by Future Film. And, perhaps later, a HK Version.

[Splinter]

Wow that's some serious cuts, that's about 40 minutes worth scrapped. Would definitely be interesting to see what they kept and how it works. I guess they decided it was just too much of an epic and to have it focus on a more commercial title and theme.

To me that wasn't what the film was about though, it's like cutting up FOTR and having it called "Boromiir's Journey". Wierd thing to do anyway - i'm assuming the Premier Asia DVD will be uncut.

[Jimmyboy]

I've just recieved my latest Yes Asia order along with the rather generous offer of Shiri for free.
For those that are interested to know which version they are giving away I'm happy to report that Yes Asia havent skimped out and it's the Korean R3 Bitwin release. It's the single disc release but I'm quite sure the extras on the 2-disc Bitwin werent subbed in English anyway so it's not much of a loss considering it's free.
Other than this, the free Shiri dvd is identical in every respect to the 1st disc of the 2-disc Bitwin in terms of disc content (packaging is slightly different I think).
This includes DD5.1/DTS, Anamorphic Transfer, English Subs, Talent Profiles and around 44 Chapter Stops.

Anyone who doesnt already own Shiri and like me didnt quite like the film enough to consider it a must have purchase, your well advised to take advantage of this offer while stocks still last.
Not only is it completely free, but you still qualify for free shipping as well making it a double bonus !.
:thumbs:

[Saber]

Looks like a new one just came out:

Blue (2003)

Genre: Action / Drama / War

http://www.btinternet.com/~khademi/blue2.jpg

http://www.btinternet.com/~khademi/blue1.jpg

[Ono]

I'm holding out on buying any more Korean stuff until I've had a nice long chat face to face with Kin. :D :suspect:

[unrealnils]

When you going on you'tre travels then ?
:D

[Jimmyboy]

Cirrus - Can you tell us anymore about the HK release of Lily Chou Chou yet matey ?.

[Cirrus888]

Originally posted by Jimmyboy
Cirrus - Can you tell us anymore about the HK release of Lily Chou Chou yet matey ?.

Soon Soon ... I'm Busy Busy ...

I can tell you that the Jap R2 version (with no English subs) is 146 mins long while the HK R3 is exactly 140 mins long both are NTSC ... it looks like panorama got their hands on a PAL master as there are no rumours of cuts being made to this film anywhere on the net and the difference between PAL and NTSC speed up is around 6 mins ...

[unrealnils]

JIMMY is the 1 disk bitwin Shiri you have an R3 or R0 encoded disk Cheers

[JayLunar]

Originally posted by unrealnils
JIMMY is the 1 disk bitwin Shiri you have an R3 or R0 encoded disk Cheers
I own the 1-disc version as well, and I can tell you it's R0 :)

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by unrealnils
JIMMY is the 1 disk bitwin Shiri you have an R3 or R0 encoded disk Cheers

I can't personally check because my dvd player is set to multi-region but going on all the info I know about the 1-disc Bitwin it's R0. :)

[SimonI]

Don't know how likely it is to happen, but on this interesting page here (http://pub125.ezboard.com/fcriterioncollectionforumfrm2.showMessage?topicID=118.topic), they have All about Lily Chou Chou down as a "Distinct Possibility" for a Criterion release... mmmmmmmmm :)

[Cirrus888]

There are at least 10 titles on those lists I would give my left arm for ... :dork:

[unrealnils]

Thank you Jay Luner and Jimmy boy
:)



P.S Jimmyboy do you visit bullets n babes ?? :D

[mediacircus]

Shim Eun-ha playing a hooker? Read on...

My Old Sweetheart (Ajji appa) - 1995

Starring: Shim Eun-ha, Choi Min-su
Director: Shin Seung-soo
Availability: Hong Kong-import VCD and DVD (multi-region)
Rating: ***½ (out of 5)

No matter how big movie stars are, they all had to start somewhere and pay their dues. Harrison Ford got his start with an uncredited appearance as a bellboy in the 1966 crime-drama "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round", Tom Hanks played a cross-dresser on the sitcom "Bosom Buddies", while Meg Ryan spent a couple of years on the daytime soap opera "As The World Turns". In the case of Shim Eun-ha, who is considered to be one of the most beautiful actresses in South Korea today, her big break came in the same fashion that Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster made a name for themselves-- playing a 'hooker with a heart of gold' in the 1995 romance "My Old Sweetheart". And while the film is a bit rough around the edges, it still manages to be an affecting romantic melodrama that showcases the emerging talents of a then-unknown Shim.

Shim plays Nam Yu-ri, a nineteen-year old prostitute who gets arrested after shoplifting a miniskirt. Kwak Young-su (Choi Min-su), the cop who is put in charge of processing her, ends up feeling pity on her and releases the wayward girl without any charges. But because Yu-ri has nowhere to stay, Young-su invites the young woman to sleep on the floor of his apartment, while resisting her persistent offers to ‘pay him back’ for such generosity.

The next morning, Yu-ri leaves the apartment before Young-su wakes up, but it is not the last time he sees her. In fact, Yu-ri continues to pop into Young-su’s life, and as expected, a romantic attraction develops between them. Pretty soon, Yu-ri moves into Young-su’s apartment, and goes back to school in a bid to get her life back on track. Unfortunately, elements of their respective lives threaten to derail the fragile relationship, including a crime kingpin (Shin Seong-il) who still considers Yu-ri to be his property, Yu-ri’s estranged father who wants his daughter to resume her studies in the United States, and the unwanted amorous attention Young-su receives from a fellow female officer.

Fans of the technically polished Korean films of late might experience a bit of culture shock when they first start watching “My Old Sweetheart”. The film’s opening scene, in which Young-su is in the middle of an undercover bust, looks as though it had been spliced from a Seventies Shaw Brothers production. The directorial style employed by Shin Seung-soo (whose most recent film would be 2002’s “A.F.R.I.K.A.”) is reminiscent of the quick zoom-ins and fast pans employed by veteran Hong Kong ‘old school’ director Chang Cheh (which were parodied in “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist”). It also doesn’t help that the film’s occasional fight sequences seem to have borrowed liberally from the Hong Kong action film sound effects library, where even water splashing on someone’s face sounds bone-crunching. And because the majority of the film takes place in the late 1980s, there are a number of jarring cultural cues that may seem tacky to some viewers, such as ladies with big hair and an MTV-style interlude with a character dancing to a Michael Jackson song.

However, if you are able to look past the film’s grating style, then “My Old Sweetheart” is not a bad little film, which actually gets better as it unspools. Like other entries in Korean melodrama, the two romantic leads live in different and incompatible worlds-- Yu-ri is a prostitute unable to extricate herself from her underworld ties, while Young-su is a dedicated cop with a penchant for violence. And though the artwork on the film’s most recent Hong Kong DVD and VCD release implies that the film is a bubbly romantic comedy in the spirit of “Pretty Woman”, as the film moves into its second-half, the proceedings become increasingly tragic, with Young-su making some tough sacrifices to secure Yu-ri a fresh start.

For her first film role, Shim is absolutely radiant as Yu-ri, whose perky and carefree exterior barely hides her troubled psyche and boundless compassion. Unlike the mature and staid Shim seen in films such as “Christmas in August (http://www.mediacircus.net/christmas.html)” and “Tell Me Something (http://www.mediacircus.net/tellmesomething.html)”, Shim is quite vivacious in “My Old Sweetheart”, and she sports a number of smashing outfits throughout the course of the film. However, Shim also demonstrates some considerable dramatic range, particularly in the film’s heartbreaking coda, which she handles with the assuredness of a veteran. As her counterpart, Choi, seen recently in “Yesterday”, is charismatic as Yu-ri’s newfound guardian who, despite his street-hardened exterior, is still at a loss when it comes to revealing his inner feelings to Yu-ri.

Spurred in part by Shim Eun-ha’s popularity in recent years, Hong Kong’s Winson Entertainment has re-released “My Old Sweetheart” on DVD and VCD. And while the film definitely shows its age, it is still worth a look on the basis of seeing a pre-“Christmas in August” Shim who, even back then, demonstrated the charisma, acting skill, and star quality that have made her one of South Korea’s top actresses.

[bruce-leroy]

Shim is quite vivacious in “My Old Sweetheart”, and she sports a number of smashing outfits throughout the course of the film.

Um....this is going to sound shallow, but........screengrabs? :norty: ;)


Any pics will do - I'm not sure what Shim looks like. :D

[mediacircus]

Originally posted by bruce-leroy
Um....this is going to sound shallow, but........screengrabs? :norty: ;)


Any pics will do - I'm not sure what Shim looks like. :D

I don't have any screengrabs... but the following sites might help:

http://www.sanchodoesasia.com/sdk/sdk_my_old_sweetheart.php

http://www.dvdasian.com/cgi-bin/dvdasian/14061.html?id=DRo3qYbk

REMOVED

slightly dodgy link there - kcxdev

[Cirrus888]

My Old sweetheart - is it full screen?

[mediacircus]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
My Old sweetheart - is it full screen?

Unfortunately... yes. They also didn't try very hard in cleaning up the transfer so be prepared... but watching Shim prancing around in miniskirts more than makes up for it!

[Cirrus888]

Originally posted by mediacircus
I don't have any screengrabs... but the following sites might help:

REMOVED

slightly dodgy link there - kcxdev

There was nothing dodgy about that link :norty: ... :nuts:

That link did have some early photos of shim and she has changed a lot ... she looks very different to what she looks now ... I prefer her present look but thats just because I've fallen for her 'xmas in august character ... :)

[Jimmyboy]

Lucky I saw the link ealier today. :eek:

I'm sure kcxdev rememberd to bookmark the site before removing the link so you could always email him for it.
:D

[mediacircus]

Why was that link dodgy?

[Barry Evil]

There was a banner ad on the page for the kind of site banned under the T&Cs using imagery also banned under the T&Cs .... it's possible a different banner was there when you looked at the site (I didn't shop you to the mods, btw!)

[kcxdev]

It was the banner a tthe bottom of the page that was against the T & C's. I did visit it several times just to check and I got the same banner everytime.

[mediacircus]

D'oh! I should have scrolled all the way down when I looked at it!

[kcxdev]

Shim must have taken so much of your attention that even the 'uh umm' pics were completely missed :norty:

[Ono]

Kin!!!1111

Guess who's in town?!! :nuts: :nuts: :suspect:

[dysfunction]

Hey Ono!

How is your holiday??

Cant be that good that you are abusing the forums!

[bruce-leroy]

Originally posted by Ono
Kin!!!1111

Guess who's in town?!! :nuts: :nuts: :suspect:


Girls....Be afraid....be very afraid. :D :suspect:

[megatron]

Anyone heard of A Mystery Of The Cube? The synopisis for it sounds quite intresting. link: <a href>http://global.yesasia.com/assocred.asp?LU83C65N+http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx?pid=1002588228&section=videos&code=k&</a>



Link forumified

[mrsteve]

Just finished watching Sympathy for Mr Vengeance....

It's an astonishing piece of work. There is more humour than I had expected (not unwelcome) and the performances are superb all-round. I'm not sure I want to see it again (may put it up for trade soon) , but the quality is unmistakeable. Damn near ten out of ten, I can fully understand why it has topped Cirrus888's Korean movie list and why it was Harry Knowles' best film of 2002....

Steve

[Jimmyboy]

Country: Japan

Distributor: SRE Corporation

Region: 0

Running Time: 66 mins

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic

Audio: Japanese DD5.1/DTS5.1

Special Features: Synopsis, Photos Video Clips ( 3:00 ), Music Video ( 1:35 ), Trailers, TV Commercial (2:00 )


April Story

The title seems almost ironic for a film where language serves such a minimal purpose in unravelling the story. Here, a single mannerism says more than a thousand words while understated emotions relay what little there is of a plot.
The movie only details one character, Uzuki Nireno, played excellently by Takako Matsu who I'm sure would hit the high end of Ono's babe ranking.

In the opening frames of the film we see Uzuki Nireno heading out to the big wide world of Tokyo City leaving behind her home in rural Hokkaido to pursue studies at the University. It's clearly the first time she's ever been away from home and family, while the thought of what lies ahead in City life doesn't exactly help her anxieties either.

Much of April Story can be summed up in the above sentence, it's simply one girl trying to adjust to an alien City lifestyle while taking her first steps alone into the big wide world. But it's the performance by Takako Matsu captured so magnificently by Shunji Iwai which raise's it vastly beyond the mediocre description.
The effects of Uzuki's shy nature for example is detailed throughout. From difficulty in socialising in her new surroundings to being swept along into joining the University Fly Fishing Club out of politeness and a seeming inability to raise her voice and offer an assertive opinion one way or the other. Every emotion is captured then excellently portrayed by Matsu.
All other characters have only the barest of detail, but this is a story purely about Uzuki Nireon and it never becomes boring watching her trying to accept and adjust within her new surroundings.

Little needs to be said about Shunji Iwai's eye for great cinematography. If you've seen Love Letter then you should be well aware of his visual excellence and April Story is no exception. Many a shot will leave you mesmerised by the sheer beauty of the scenery and in ore of Iwai's attention to the most subtle of details.

Contained within the short 64 minute running time is a compelling and cheerful little gem of a movie. The simplicity, subtlety, beauty, and occasion elements of slight comedy will be admired by anyone who adores Asian dramas and love stories. So much so in fact, that when the film ends you'll be left wanting more.
Highly Recommended.


DVD
Picture quality is of a high standard.
April Story uses an intentional soft focus style which creates one or two niggles in the process to DVD, mainly a lack of real detail in dimly lit shots.
This is purely due to the source material though and other than this the transfer is perfectly fine.

The Audio is of equally high standard.
I opted for the DTS track and it doesn't disappoint. This clearly isn't a film that's going to rock the house but there are still some memorable moments where the audio really shines. One highlight being the on campus band, where you could be tricked into thinking you're in the crowd watching.

The extras aren't anything to write home about.
The text based features are all in Japanese making them useless to English speakers. While the video clips & music video are nothing more than edited footage of the main film condensed down into rather irrelevant clips.
The only thing of any worth is a rather cute collection of screen shot/clapper board scenes.


So the DVD gives you an excellent presentation of the main feature and little in credible extras. Given that the film runs for barely over an hour, some might be put off by what could appear as a lack of bang for your bucks.
To be fair though, there's more offered in April Story's short running time than most other similar themed movies & it will almost certainly guarantee more repeated viewings than many a so-called 3-hour epic.

:thumbs:

[Cirrus888]

Jimmyboy - Nice insightful review ... I totally agree.

Ono - give me a call ...

Mrsteve - Glad you liked it as much as me ...

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by megatron
[B]Anyone heard of A Mystery Of The Cube? The synopisis for it sounds quite intresting.

It lists Chinese subs only, no English :oh-hum:

<b>Jimmyboy</b>, very nice review. Must do some catching up with Iwai-san, but my list of unwatched DVDs is expanding a lot faster than I can view them. Blame Splash DVD and the Play World Cinema sale ;)

[Ono]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Ono - give me a call ...


I'll call you either tomorrow or Wed Kin.

Bit busy at the moment - haven't even had time to look for DVDs yet.:(

[Jimmyboy]

There's a lot of groovy new stuff at yes asia.

The Little Chinese Seemstress - Nominated for 2003 Golden Globe Best Foreign film.

Hero - 2-disc release with DTS.

Blue - Korean love triangle set in a submarine. :confused:

Calla - Korean Love Story yet again involving the idea of time travel. (HK release is crappy P&S).

[Splinter]

Cheers for the review on April story, Jimmyboy - will be tempted to pick that up soon.

Also, I should be seeing Blue soon.

[Jimmyboy]

No Probs Splinter, It's certainly one that should be placed high up the to buy list.

Cirrus, I don't suppose you happen to know the name of the film which Uzuki goes to see at the cinema do you ?.

[unrealnils]

Oh Splinter i gotta say :notworthy

That sig rules :smokin:







P.S you not the leader of a gang of trained assassins are you :suspect:

[Splinter]

:lol: Not specifically, but by all means let me know what you need doing and I'll see what I can do.

I've got a pretty hefty baseball bat lying around somewhere which should do the trick...:nuts:

[Cirrus888]

Originally posted by Jimmyboy


Cirrus, I don't suppose you happen to know the name of the film which Uzuki goes to see at the cinema do you ?.

No ... but what ever it is it certainly needs a little criterion restoration ... :dork:

[mediacircus]

If you see the following, you're most likely watching a Korean movie:

1. Characters slap each other on the head a lot and say things like 'a-shi-ba!'.

2. There is an aquarium in the shot, and it ends up getting destroyed and/or the fish get killed (e.g., "Shiri", "An Affair", "Pisces", "Who Are You", etc.)

3. There is a movie-within-the-movie (e.g., "My Sassy Girl", "I Wish I Had a Wife", "Road Movie", "Art Museum by the Zoo", etc.)

4. Characters ride on each other's backs.

5. Two characters in love cannot be together as they are separated by some barrier (e.g., time in "Il Mare" and "Ditto", politics in "Shiri" and "Chihwaseon", distance in "Asako in Ruby Shoes", social status in "Chunhyang", etc.)

6. A convenience store is a key setting for the story (e.g., "Saving My Hubby", "Holiday in Seoul", "Attack the Gas Station!", etc.)

7. Only the cops use guns... everyone else uses baseball bats.

8. One or more characters is either called up for military service or has recently just been discharged (e.g., "My Sassy Girl", "My Beautiful Days", "Kick the Moon", "Break Out", etc.)

9. Female characters are abnormally mouthy, belligerent, and violent, especially in the post-"My Sassy Girl" era (e.g., "2424", "Kick the Moon", "Break Out", "My Wife is a Gangster", etc.)

Can anyone think of any more?

[kanedaa]

Originally posted by mediacircus
Can anyone think of any more?

10. School Teachers freely and happily beat their students (e.g, "No Manners", "Friend", "My Boss, My Hero", "Volcano High", etc)

[Jimmyboy]

11. The Girls are friggin hot!.

12. Your credit card has melted.

[Barry Evil]

13. It rains a lot and the two leads share an umbrella

14. Being a gangster is seen as a respectable profession

15. The male lead is, or has been at some time, either a professional or gifted amateur photographer

16. One or more of the lead characters breaks down into tears

17. One or more of the lead characters dies

18. You cry like a baby

[mediacircus]

19. Snowflakes are freakin' big and puffy (e.g., "Nowhere to Hide", "Joint Security Area", "Shiri", etc.)

20. The film's score comprises of soft piano (e.g., "My Sassy Girl", "Lover's Concerto", any melodrama) and/or Wagnerian orchestrations accompanied by opera-like vocalizations ("Friend", "2009 Lost Memories", "Last Witness", etc.)

21. A boy character in a flashback turns out to be a girl (e.g., "Tell Me Something", "Lover's Concerto")

[rumbletum]

Originally posted by Barry Evil
13. It rains a lot and the two leads share an umbrella


LOL, this has to be the number one reason - I think it has rained in every Korean flick I've seen :)

[mediacircus]

Originally posted by rumbletum
LOL, this has to be the number one reason - I think it has rained in every Korean flick I've seen :)

There are also a lot of fight scenes staged during a torrential downpour (e.g., "My Boss, My Hero", "Nowhere to Hide", "My Wife is a Gangster", "Conduct Zero" at least as part of a gag, etc.). It must rain a lot in South Korea.

[JayLunar]

Hi guys,

I’ve seen Sorum recently and I’m very much intrigued by it. Like most Korean movies it’s stylish and very well directed. The story is complex and sometimes hard to follow, which is in this case not a bad thing if you ask me. I also liked the use of environment, sound, (lack of) music and editing, all of which somewhat reminded me of my favourite 2002 movie Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. I thought the film was a bit tedious at times though, and I felt it wasn’t going anywhere in the beginning, but as the story develops you get into it more and more, and ultimately the movie is very rewarding. The characters are interesting and a bit distant hence mysterious, and they are very well played by (to me) unknown actors. I have to emphasize the direction, which was superb, especially the last half hour or so, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Yoon Jong-chan’s work. Unfortunately, the Limited Edition that contains three short movies of his (including Yoon’s version of Memento) has gone out of print. Lastly, I’d like to warn you not to be fooled by the “horror”-label it’s gotten. I would say Sorum is more of a drama/mystery. Because of that mystery factor and the complexity of the story I feel the film has a relatively high replay value. My rating for this movie would be *** / ****
I recommend this movie, and I’m looking forward to reading opinions from those who’ve seen it.

The single disc release (which is very cheap at hkflix and Yeon) unfortunately is non-anamorphic, but has DTS and numerous special features. Worth a buy!!

[Splinter]

Originally posted by Barry Evil
17. One or more of the lead characters dies

To me that's the main one, I haven't seen many korean films but that seems to be a common theme with all of them.

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by mediacircus
There are also a lot of fight scenes staged during a torrential downpour (e.g., "My Boss, My Hero", "Nowhere to Hide", "My Wife is a Gangster", "Conduct Zero" at least as part of a gag, etc.). It must rain a lot in South Korea.

It's not just in Korean cinema you get this though, it happens in a lot of Asian cinema, I blame Akira Kurosawa. :D

It crops up in the west, too. I noticed Attack Of The Clones featured a fight in the rain (between Jango Fett and Obi Wan), and given George Lucas' acknowledged admiration of Kurosawa I'm sure this is no coincdence.

[Shingster]

You know it's a korean film when:

22. You have a group male masturbation scene. (Sympathy for Mr Vengeance & Wet Dreams)

23. You see grown men drinking from tiny tiny cups. (Any film with booze in it)

24. Everyone goes out to eat in tents! Then a fight breaks out within 5mins resulting in hundreds of plastic chairs going sprawling everywhere! :smokin:

25. People get kicked a lot, particularly when they're down on the floor.

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by Shingster

25. People get kicked a lot, particularly when they're down on the floor.
I don't know if thats unique to Korean movies.
It sounds alot like the local W.I to be honest.

[unrealnils]

Bichunmoo

is shipping from play.com :clap:




*****EDIT*********

The first PA title has now been posted :thumbs:

I can't wait

[Shingster]

I don't know if thats unique to Korean movies.
It sounds alot like the local W.I to be honest.

Yeah & ruffians like you know all about that :suspect:

[Barry Evil]

I received my copy of the HK release of The Ring Virus this morning, obviously I haven't had a chance to watch the film yet but I've had a quick check of the disc, and contrary to reports (and what it says on the case) it's non-anamorhpic, the sound is only Dolby stereo and the transfer is only VCD quality. :mad:

Good job it was dirt cheap :)

[Splinter]

Here's a quick round up of the stuff i've seen recently:

Lover's Concerto 9/10 - Good stuff, was initially worried it was going to be a bit sappy in a teenage mainstream kind of way but it came up with the goods and I was really impressed.

Friend 7.5/10 - I'm not qute sure about this one. the main problem for me was I had difficulty feeling for the 4 friends, probably because the story moved so fast and was at times a bit confusing. I was definitely moved by the latter stages of the film though, it's just the whole thing didn't gel. A second viewing may increase the score for this one though.

Blue N/A - I turned this one off half way through as it wasn't for me and I didn't want to waste my time. The film follows two best friends in a naval camp who have feelings for the same girl. She then leaves for advance diving training in England and when she returns she's been promoted to their training officer. Relationships with the three of them aren't the same as before though and the tension mounts.

It wasn't what I was expecting when I watched it, it's got a wierd Police Academy thing going on and was just a bit too mainstream - not what I'm looking for in Korean cinema. Granted, it could have improved in the latter half, but the first half did nothing for me and the lead character was a bit of a pillock.

My Sassy Girl and Christmas in August next...

[kcxdev]

The buy 3 get one free dvd offer at <a href=http://global.yesasia.com/assocred.asp?LU83C65N+http://global.yesasia.com/en/brPrdDept.aspx?section=videos&code=k&cc=46& target="new"> YesAsia</a> has now changed to Ditto (if anyone is interested)

[unrealnils]

:gag:

[bruce-leroy]

Originally posted by Splinter
Here's a quick round up of the stuff i've seen recently:

Lover's Concerto 9/10 - Good stuff, was initially worried it was going to be a bit sappy in a teenage mainstream kind of way but it came up with the goods and I was really impressed.

Friend 7.5/10 - I'm not qute sure about this one. the main problem for me was I had difficulty feeling for the 4 friends, probably because the story moved so fast and was at times a bit confusing. I was definitely moved by the latter stages of the film though, it's just the whole thing didn't gel. A second viewing may increase the score for this one though.



Yeah, Lover's Concerto is a great movie.

Completely agree with you about Friend. I really don't know what the fuss was all about (the no. 1 box office movie of the year in Korea etc.). With a title like that, the most important element are the characters, and I didn't care for any of them. There was no connection, and the movie left me cold. I just thought that it didn't work at all. If I had to give a rating, it would be 5 out of 10 for Friend. :|

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by kcxdev
The buy 3 get one free dvd offer at <a href=http://global.yesasia.com/assocred.asp?LU83C65N+http://global.yesasia.com/en/brPrdDept.aspx?section=videos&code=k&cc=46& target="new"> YesAsia</a> has now changed to Ditto (if anyone is interested)

Judging by the cover and info it's the HK release they are giving away.
Still a good deal if you don't already own it and were planing on buying 3 Korean films anyway, but probably not worth going over budget for considering you can pick it up for around £4 from the usual HK stores.

[mediacircus]

H - 2002

Starring: Ji Jin-hee, Yeom Jeong-ah, Cho Seong-woo, Sung Ji-ru
Director: Lee Jong-hyuk
Availability: Korean-import DVD (multi-region)
Rating: ***½ (out of 5)

“H”, the latest serial killer chiller to come out of South Korea, doesn’t waste any time in giving fans of the genre the goods. Within the film’s first few minutes, a landfill worker finds the nude and mutilated body of a teenage girl. Later on, after the arrival of Detectives Kang Tae-jun (Ji Jin-hee), Kim Mi-yun (Yeom Jeong-ah), and Park (Sung Ji-ru), another grisly discovery is made-- the schoolgirl was pregnant, and her unborn child was untimely ripped from the womb and left elsewhere.

After another pregnant woman is found murdered on a bus, the investigation zeroes in on Shin Hyun (Cho Seong-woo), a convicted serial killer who is currently on death row for the murder of six women several years ago. The details of the current crimes are nearly identical to the murders committed by Shin, and the detectives suspect that the copycat killer is somehow related to him. Unfortunately, Kang’s attempts to interrogate Shin are unsuccessful, with the convicted killer offering only a smile and philosophical aphorisms in return.

Meanwhile, Kang and Kim follow a number of leads, and even end up catching one suspect red-handed following a murder in a nightclub. But despite the arrest, the killings continue, with more women turning up dead throughout the city, and their murders mirroring the original killers by Shin. In addition, Kim has a personal stake in the investigation, as her fiancé, also a detective, committed suicide after investigating the original Shin murders. Somehow, Shin is at the center of this new spate of murders, but the detectives are stymied in figuring out the connection.

Like 1999’s “Tell Me Something (http://www.mediacircus.net/tellmesomething.html)”, “H” is a slickly produced ‘hard gore thriller’ that features rich cinematography and top-notch production values. “H” also outdoes “Tell Me Something” when it comes to presenting the gruesome details, with no-holds-barred imagery of mutilated corpses, throats being cut, and even a victim’s ear being sliced off-- definitely not for the squeamish viewer. The script also deserves kudos for fleshing out some the fascinating details behind what motivated Shin’s original murder spree, as well as the rationale behind the timing of the killings.

Unfortunately, “H” also shares some similar weaknesses to its predecessor. Like “Tell Me Something”, “H” is a fun ride, as long as you do not think too much about the logic of the story. Unfortunately, as the film rolls into its final act, it seems as though animator-turned-writer/director Lee Jong-hyuk (his animation work was featured in “Wanee and Junah”) has painted himself into a corner with the clever set-up and intriguing build-up. Instead of a resolution that ties up the loose ends in a satisfactory (not to mention logical) fashion, Lee’s script offers up a gimmicky plot twist that makes the convolution of “Tell Me Something” seem mild by comparison.

While “Tell Me Something” benefited from the presence of Korea’s top actors, “H” is saddled with a mixed bag of performers. Stepping up from her supporting role in “Tell Me Something”, Yeom is cool to watch, though it is a shame that her character is not given more to do other than be the silent and emotionally reserved Kim. Cho, whom audiences may remember as the male lead in “Chunhyang (http://www.mediacircus.net/chunhyang.html)”, is sufficiently creepy as the enigmatic Shin, though at times, he seems to be trying to hard to channel Anthony Hopkins. On the other end of the spectrum, former television actor Ji seems to be suffering from a bout of ‘unmotivated emotional response syndrome’, as he over-emotes in almost every scene he is in. Having previously appeared in “Marrying the Mafia (http://www.mediacircus.net/marryingthemafia.html)” and “A.F.R.I.K.A.”, Sung ends up being an unwelcome distraction with the comic relief trappings of his character. Finally, Kim Sung-kyun is annoyingly pretentious as Shin’s smug psychiatrist who refuses to help with the police investigation.

It is unfortunate that “H” wastes a promising premise with an increasingly clunky story and some sub-par performances. Not surprisingly, “H” failed to bring in audiences when it was released in its native Korea at the tail end of 2002 (though releasing a serial killer film during the Christmas holidays is probably not a good idea to begin with). Nevertheless, fans of the serial killer genre may wish to look this one up, as well as those moviegoers who don’t mind style over substance.

[Shingster]

Nice review Anthony, I also enjoyed this film to a certain extent, but felt it was just too derivative to truly stand out within it's genre. The physcological profile & reasoning for Cho's character is something we've seen before in countless US thrillers, although H definitely handled this aspect very well. What it didn't handle well is the obligatory "twist" which like you I found to totally defy logic. Although saying that I saw it comng a mile off, just felt a little robbed by the explanation for it.

Also the pyschological mind games that Cho's character liked kept reminding me of the much superior scenes in Manhunter/Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs. Also the shock tactics & twists seemed straight out of Seven.

I totally agree with you on the performances, Yeom was the stand out performance for me & that pyschologist was just annoying, which i suppose was the point :D.

I prolly would give the film a *** (out of 5 rating). I enjoyed it, but not in the same league of the likes of Seven or Manhunter for me.

[unrealnils]

*Does happy dance*

It's not often i get dvds on the week of release but a day early is even better

The first disc has the movie and nothing else (haven't looked at the second disk yet but i hope it's fully loaded thats for sure )

By the way they have called the film
BICHUNMOO
Warrior of Virtue


There's the following audio tracks
Korean DTS 768kbps
Korean 5.1 448kbps
English dubbed 448kbps
Audio commentray (Bey and Mike Leeder) 192kbp

With English, English HOH and Dutch subs.


By the ay the picture looks stunning (as expected )

So far so good :thumbs:

[Splinter]

Did you see it before you got the DVD Nils? Will be interested to see what you think of it.

[unrealnils]

Yeah i seen the Korean dvd months ago..............

I quite liked it but it wasn't anything special, story and fights were decent.It was the second Korean film i had seen and i was like very cool :thumbs:

I wonder what i will think now after a second viewing :suspect: and having seen alot more Korean films

[kanedaa]

Postman has not long delivered Bichunmoo - I've had a look through the discs and it looks like an excellent set. A few things I noticed from that quick sample...

Subtitles - They're almost word for word the English dub based on a 5-minute section I viewed. How close the English dub is to the original dialogue though, I have no idea.

Musa - Features in the 'additional titles' section, there is no trailer to view but they do list preliminary specs - only DD5.1 is listed.

Behind-the-scenes vignettes - Only the 'interview' sections of these are subtitled, general chatter between the actors etc between takes seems to have been passed by (this is quite typical of UK DVDs - Battle Royale for example).

[lorenzo]

So many questions ........

Have you all gone for Play's R2 Bichunmoo??

When's Musa out?

Are these the versions to go for and are any other releases of other films planned?

Why am I so poor :(

Why can't I handle late nights out anymore?

Why can't I concentrate at work?

Why am I asking so many questions?

:brickwall

[Barry Evil]

I will be reviewing Bichunmoo on DVD Times ... I should be getting my copy early next week (cheers Dave ;) ) and I'll try and get it ready as soon as possible. Be patient with me though, as writing reviews takes me ages and I've got a busy week next week.

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by lorenzo
>>> So many questions ........

>>> Have you all gone for Play's R2 Bichunmoo??

<b>No, some bought it from Splash DVD :D </b>

>>> When's Musa out?

<b>PA Musa is scheduled for 1 August 2003</b>

>>> Are these the versions to go for and are any other releases of other films planned?

<b>Yes, bound to be. There is a French release due for Musa in April, but it's the shorter international cut. PA will also be releasing Champion, Volcano High and My Wife Is A Gangster.</b>

>>> Why am I so poor :(

<b>You buy too many DVDs.</b>

>>> Why can't I handle late nights out anymore?

<b>You're getting old.</b>

>>> Why can't I concentrate at work?

<b>You're getting old/ work is boring.</b>

>>> Why am I asking so many questions?

<b>You're just ignorant.</b>

:D

[mrsteve]

The Wife in Romance - a.k.a. Love Bakery

A master baker believes his life is almost perfect - he has a lovely wife he "takes to heaven" on a regular basis, a daughter and a thriving business. But all changes when his wife begins to sigh. All is not well, and the baker determines to find a solution!
But the solution arrives in the form of a writer roaming away from his wife, a wife who seems to delight in beating her husband to a pulp (and almost features the first head-butt I've seen in a Korean movie!). The baker accepts that the writer has eased his wife's aching heart, but then the writer's wife grounds him and bans him from visiting the bakery! What can the baker do?

Love Bakery proves to be a quirky and often delightful romantic comedy. It has its flaws - the humour is broad and sometimes strays into uber-gurn territory - but the pacing is good (I never clock-watched once!). The story structure is very well worked out indeed - the key characters are painted with broad-brush strokes at first then allowed to breathe and establish themselves for the viewer.

Of the four main characters, the two leading ladies turn in the best performances. Each could remain a caricature but the actresses turn them into warm and alive people. The actor playing the baker is certainly good and turns in a winning performance, but the writer.... well, never mind.

A word for the score - it reminded me a little of the soundtrack for Crossing Delancey (seen many many moons ago), but suits the mood of the film perfectly and serves the story. I loved it.

It is certainly not as strong a film as Sassy or one of my other personal favourites - Art Museum by the Zoo - but I'd cheerfully recommend a watch for those who enjoy romantic comedies.

The disk I saw was the Korean Spectrum edition. The extras include a trailer and documentaries (sadly no OST a la Art Museum by the Zoo or Memento Mori). The 5.1 surround track is rather perky and makes good use of the surrounds (mainly for the score). Dammnit, I like Korean sound-mixes and thsi is a good one.

The video, unfortunately, shares the same problem as other early Spectrum disks. It is labelled 16:9 and provides a signal to a w/s TV to display as anamorphic, but the picture is non-anamorphic. A shame, but the quality of the non-anamorphic picture is not bad (great techno-speak, huh?).

Steve

[lorenzo]

Originally posted by Barry Evil


Why am I so poor :(

<b>You buy too many DVDs.</b>

>>> Why can't I handle late nights out anymore?

<b>You're getting old.</b>

>>> Why can't I concentrate at work?

<b>You're getting old/ work is boring.</b>

>>> Why am I asking so many questions?

<b>You're just ignorant.</b>

:D

:clap:

I prefer the old to ignorant but think today it is 110% boredom ..... I've been updating my CV since 09.00 and am only half way through :brickwall

Important career defining job though so worth the brainless pain :p

[unrealnils]

I got mine from play :norty:

Subtitles - They're almost word for word the English dub based on a 5-minute section I viewed. How close the English dub is to the original dialogue though, I have no idea.

Thats terribale news :gag:

If it is dubtitles im gonna get rid of mine .............

[unrealnils]

Yo Kanedaa i quoted you're comments abou Bichunmoo on bullets......

Hope you do not mind,

Nils :noid:

[Cirrus888]

The Way Home - nice book and colouring pencils :thumbs:
Manner Zero (Conduct Zero) - lovely 3 disc set ala Jail Breakers
and H arrived today ... onto my pile of unwatched Korean films they go ...

[unrealnils]

Doea anyone know the diffrence between the Korean and HK dvd of Volcano high ??

Apart from the longer cut on the Korean dvd how does the av comapre

Cheers

[bruce-leroy]

Originally posted by unrealnils
Doea anyone know the diffrence between the Korean and HK dvd of Volcano high ??

Apart from the longer cut on the Korean dvd how does the av comapre

Cheers

Hey Nils,

I posted some info a while back about the HK dvd of Volcano HIgh:

volcano high thread (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1752807#post1752807)

The AV on the HK Megastar disc is excellent (from what I remember, as I sold it ages ago).

I haven't seen the Korean disc, so can't compare, sorry. :D

[Cirrus888]

Manner Zero (Conduct Zero)

Snappy teenage comedy about a school bully who falls for a bookworm (Im Eun-Gyeong - girl from ressurection of matchstick ... :norty: ).

Not plot whatsoever but has good solid characters, all fun to watch although they never stray far from typical Korean caricatures of teenagers. Has a brilliant, funny and inventive beginning and a nice untypical ending which wraps everything up nicely.

At 90 mins its short, entertaining and has high production values ... hard to recommend but I don't want to bury it either ... See it for the male lead (Ryu Seung-Beom - The Waikiki Brothers) who is excellent.

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by unrealnils
Thats terribale news :gag:

If it is dubtitles im gonna get rid of mine .............

It should be pointed out that Premier Asia had to produce their own English dub, it wasn't a horrible dumbed-down one produced by Americans, for example. So the similarity between the subs and dub may not be as worrying as it sounds.

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by lorenzo
:clap:

I prefer the old to ignorant but think today it is 110% boredom ..... I've been updating my CV since 09.00 and am only half way through :brickwall

Important career defining job though so worth the brainless pain :p

I'm so glad you've got a sense of humour, lorenzo, and took that in the spirit it was intended ;)

PS Good luck getting that job

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Manner Zero (Conduct Zero)

Snappy teenage comedy about a school bully who falls for a bookworm (Im Eun-Gyeong - girl from ressurection of matchstick ... :norty: ).

Not plot whatsoever but has good solid characters, all fun to watch although they never stray far from typical Korean caricatures of teenagers. Has a brilliant, funny and inventive beginning and a nice untypical ending which wraps everything up nicely.

At 90 mins its short, entertaining and has high production values ... hard to recommend but I don't want to bury it either ... See it for the male lead (Ryu Seung-Beom - The Waikiki Brothers) who is excellent.

It sounds like the Korean version of She's all that. :nuts:

[unrealnils]

Originally posted by Barry Evil
It should be pointed out that Premier Asia had to produce their own English dub, it wasn't a horrible dumbed-down one produced by Americans, for example. So the similarity between the subs and dub may not be as worrying as it sounds.

Yeah this is what i posted up on bullets after some thought...........


I guess we won't know unless we get someone who speaks korean or somehon who hs the korean and R2 dvds and compares them :innocent:

[kanedaa]

I've had another brief look at the PA Bichunmoo DVD and can add the following regarding the subtitles.

I ripped the subs from the first vob file & compared them to the Korean DVD subs that I downloaded from the net. They basically tell the same story but with different words, in some places I thought the PA translation flowed better, in others the Korean DVD translation seemed better.

Examples (I've put these in spoiler form, though as they cover the first 12mins they're hardly spoilers):

Opening Text Subtitles - Korean DVD
Yuan, the Mongolian Empire ruled by the descendants of Genghis Khan controlled China, but anti-Yuan forces were growing in number.

Opening Text Subtitles - PA DVD
China was ruled by the Mongol Empire, Yuan Dynasty, descendants of Genghis Khan. Rebellious groups were secretly trying to break free.

Korean DVD:
-Out of the way!
-Insolence!
-Leave him. We must press on.

PA DVD:
-Clear the road!
- ldiot!
- Leave it! We are in a hurry.

Korean DVD: A fine-featured lad.
PA DVD: You have an interesting demeanour.

Korean DVD: Mother's body isn't even cold yet.
PA DVD: She hasn't even got cold yet.

Korean DVD: If he dies, so do l!
PA DVD: lf you kill him, l die, too.

While checking the subs I listened to the dub some more and can say this...

A) The voice actors are bloody awful!
B) The subs are almost word for word the English dub script (like I said before). This extends through to the location names used in the film - examples...

Korean DVD: Yu Hua Pagoda in Shao Xing
PA DVD: Woo Hwa Jung pavillion in So Heung

Personally I find it very difficult to even pick out names in the Korean language unless someone is shouting another persons name, so i can't even begin to say which sounds more accurate based on the Korean audio track. The names do sound similar when spoken the way I would interpret them though, and like I said the English dub voice actor pronounces that line exactly how it is written in the subtitles.

[Splinter]

My Sassy Girl 8/10 - I'm eating my words as I speak. Apologies for knocking this one (especially to Ono), I was pleasantly suprised. Although there were a few cheesy/naff comedy moments in the first half I still found myself involved with it but the second half I enjoyed the most. I guess it's because the film dropped alot of the comedy and went for a bit of drama.

As i've said before "romantic comedies" really aren't my thing (although nor were any type of dramas before I began reading this thread!) but I really enjoyed this one - I thought the ending was great to.


Christmas in August 8/10 - Yep this one was good too, maybe a bit slow but that's what I was expecting. I thought it ended quite suddenly though, and I felt a bit short-changed as a result. Was hoping to see more of a reaction from the girl, like when she found out/discovered what happened etc.

But overall a solid film with some great scenes - giving the girl a lift on the moped and the scene with the umbrella being the standout moments for me.


That's all my Korean DVDs watched then :( Apart from April Story nothing else really interests me at the moment but hopefully that will change soon.

[kcxdev]

Its been quiet around here...

Not much happening, but just ordered Bus Station and Madeleine (and a sheep but thats for another thread) :nuts:

EDIT: and I still can't type.

[Splinter]

Nice one kcx - looking forward to hear what you think about those two titles - had a look at them earlier on Yesasia. I assume Bus Station is the same as Bus Stop mentioned a few pages back with that fit bird?

[kcxdev]

I hope Bus Station is Bus Stop otherwise I've ordered the wrong thing :nuts:

It does look the same http://www.krmdb.com/stills/2002/BusStop-2002/index.b5.shtml :)

Here's the website (http://bus.myungfilm.com/) again.

[Splinter]

Yep I think you've got the the right one ;) Pictures on Yesasia match up anyway. Bus Stop/station looks really promising after looking at that myung website.

[Barry Evil]

My review of Bichunmoo (http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/index.cgi?page=Review&id=1293&story=4313) is now up

[mediacircus]

A sneak peak at an upcoming DVD release (potential spoilers)...

The Classic - 2003

Starring: Son Yeh-jin, Cho Seung-woo, Lee Gi-wu, Jo In-seong
Director: Kwak Jae-yong
Rating: **** (out of 5)

"The Classic" is director Kwak Jae-yong's long-awaited follow-up to his 2001 smash hit "My Sassy Girl (http://www.mediacircus.net/mysassygirl.html)". In addition to becoming one of the most well recognized films to emerge from South Korea, "My Sassy Girl" made the director an A-list player and vaulted the careers of actors Jeon Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyeon into the realm of superstardom. Thus, it is not surprising that expectations would have been high for "The Classic", with many moviegoers expecting something akin to "My Sassy Girl 2".

But unlike its predecessor, "The Classic" is as the title suggests-- a classic Korean romantic melodrama, as opposed to the bombastic fusion of romantic comedy, genre parody, and melodrama that made "My Sassy Girl" a breakout hit. And though "The Classic" more-or-less succeeds in what it sets out to do, the end result ends up being somewhat diminished by some lackluster performances and an over-extended second half.

"The Classic" begins with college student Chi-hye (Son Yeh-jin of "Lover's Concerto") cleaning house and stumbling across a box containing an old diary and some love letters belonging to her mother. Though some of the letters are from her late father, Chi-hye's interest is piqued when she sees some letters written by a man named Chun-ha. The story then jumps back about four decades to detail the love triangle that formed between Chi-hye's mother Chu-hui (also played by Son), her future father Tae-su (Lee Gi-wu), and Tae-su's best friend Chun-ha (Cho Seung-woo of "H (http://www.mediacircus.net/h.html)"). Though Chi-hye fell in love with Chun-ha after a chance meeting in the countryside, she was already betrothed to Tae-su in an arranged marriage.

Meanwhile, in the present, Chi-hye has some romantic entanglements of her own to work out. She is in love with Sang-min (Jo In-seong), the boyfriend of her narcissistic best friend Su-kyeong (Lee Sang-in), yet finds herself unable to express her true feelings. As the story moves from past to present and back again, parallels are drawn between the heartbreak, lessons learned, and travails of mother and daughter, whose destinies are inextricably intertwined.

Right off the bat, fans of “My Sassy Girl” will notice shades of that film permeating "The Classic". Besides having a similar soundtrack, there are a number of scenes that mirror sequences in Kwak’s earlier film, particularly a scene in which Chu-hui and Chun-ha are caught in the countryside during a storm, which viewers will recognize as the melodrama parody in “My Sassy Girl”. In addition, the character of Chi-hye shows some signs of ‘sassiness’, as does the humor in the film, which plays with audience expectations of the genre, such as Chi-hye’s response to some doves that have landed on her windowsill in the film’s opening scene.

Story-wise, "The Classic" spends most of its running time in the past, detailing the on-and-off-again relationship between Chu-hui and Chun-ha. It is here that the film gets most of its emotional weight, and it is no doubt helped by the strong performances of Son and Cho, who are earnest and affecting in their portrayals of the star-crossed lovers. Lee, as the goofy and not-too-bright Tae-su, straddles the line between bathos and pathos as Chu-hui’s would-be suitor who is torn between the ties of friendship and the obligations of family. The Lee Joon-kyu cinematography and attention to detail in the historical set pieces are also a boost to these scenes.

Unfortunately, the drama is not as compelling in the present-day story thread. While this is due in part to the fewer complexities that Chi-hye faces in her pursuit of Sang-min, it is also sabotaged by Jo’s relatively lifeless performance as Sang-min. Likewise, Lee’s turn as the self-centered, arrogant, and undeniably one-dimensional Su-kyeong is similarly disappointing. Thankfully, Son does more than her fair share in salvaging these scenes with her portrayal of Chi-hye, which displays equal parts of vitality and vulnerability.

The film also runs into some problems in the over-extended second half, at which point it is rather obvious where the story is going given the numerous hints provided along the way. While Kwak’s enthusiasm for the material is admirable, the film starts to drag as the melodrama becomes overwrought and emotionally manipulative. In addition, the story ends up taking a backseat to some big-budget set pieces, particularly a detour into Vietnam that will tempt viewers to shout, “Run, Forrest, Run!” and be on the lookout for Bubba.

Execution issues aside, one of the more fascinating aspects of "The Classic" is how Kwak compares and contrasts South Korea of the Sixties and the present. On the one hand, the worlds that mother and daughter inhabit are on opposite extremes, with Chu-hui growing up under a military dictatorship and subject to traditional Confucian norms (such as arranged marriages), while Chi-hye is a product of South Korea's recent democratic and social reforms, with the will and latitude to chart her own future. However, despite the changing times, it seems that some things remain the same, such as the internal and social pressures that prevent Chu-hui and Chi-hye from expressing their true feelings.

Along these lines, "The Classic" also shares some thematic resonance with the films of the 'love across time' genre (such as "Il Mare (http://www.mediacircus.net/ilmare.html)", "Ditto (http://www.mediacircus.net/ditto.html)", and "Failan (http://www.mediacircus.net/failan.html)"), which revolve around protagonists who develop an emotional connection bridging two different time periods. But whereas the 'love across time' genre explores the need to embrace the past in order to understand the present (an apt metaphor for how the growing pains of the past five decades have shaped and become an integral part of the Korean identity and nation), the story of "The Classic" illustrates the simple wish of any mother for their child-- that sons and daughters accomplish in their lives what their parents could not. Thus, on a grander scale, "The Classic" speaks to how the unfulfilled aspirations of past generations, whether they are democratic reforms or gender equality, are being realized in today's South Korea, as witnessed by the contrast made between the worlds that mother and daughter inhabit.

While “The Classic” may not share the exuberance and originality of Kwak’s breakthrough hit “My Sassy Girl”, it is still a decent entry into the romantic melodrama genre, buoyed by strong showings from lead actors Son and Cho. In addition to fulfilling the emotional demands of the genre, Kwak has also crafted a film that works on a deeper level, poignantly illustrating the aspirations of parents for their children, as well as South Korea’s achievements as a nation. It may not be quite “The Classic” it aspires to be, but it comes pretty close.

[Cirrus888]

I Wish I Had A wife, Too

Korean romance on autodrive. T

he 2 stars give watchable performances and anyone who are fans of Sol Kyung-yu (Oasis and Public Enemy) and especially Jeon Do Yeon (Happy End, No blood No Tears) will not be disappointed.

If you like rain, bus stops and umbrellas with high production values, this yuppie romance (A mature rather than teenage roamnce) hits all the correct notes and I enjoyed it while it last.

The DVD is pretty basic extras-wise but the picture is solid and the DD5.1 sound is particularly excellent.

With another Korean romance under my belt I can't see myself stopping and enjoying this genre within the Korean film industry.

[Ono]

Well, just got back from HK.

DVD wise - not much out that I didn't already have - although I did manage to pick up a couple of copies of DTS Hero for about £8 each and tracked down April Story. Apart from that it was shopping for my cousins.


Had a couple of evenings out with Kin (Cirrus888). He's almost what I imagined - the only thing was that he didn't wear a suit to work and he's *almost* a vegetarian. No chicken escalope spaghetti for me then. :brickwall :D

Pretty good chats over the 2 meetings - although the second evening's chat deteriorated into eyeing up the Chinese birds in the restaurant in no time - especially the nice one in the party of (mostly ugly) birds and the long haired one in black sitting a bit too far away . :norty:


I suggest that anyone popping off to HK in the future ahould drop Kin a line. :wave:

[lorenzo]

Originally posted by Ono
I suggest that anyone popping off to HK in the future ahould drop Kin a line. :wave:

Well I'm keen and may well be over to visit a friend this year - will let you know. It's all well and good discussing cinema but the babe-watching is far more appealing :lol:

Hope no one was coughing too much at the party - must be real worry. Hope all is well though.

I've not watched much recently but am planning to see JSA tonight before I trade it on tomorrow :( Not sure I should have done that but too late now.

I watched Lover's Concerto the other day and whilst it had its moments akin to MSG and a great deal of poignance it was not as good as I had hoped. I think it may have just been bad timing but my wife told me not to buy anymore Korean stuff where ..

all the women ot the lead woman/man dies!

I am starting to side with her as it doesn't work for me when it is so consistent. I'm sure you will flame me but my limited experience this far is being tainted by predictable outcomes. I think I will have to avoid melodramas for a while but my experience of Korean comedy, with the exception of MSG of course, hasn't been great either. Slightly worrying when you think that I have at least 15 unviewed purchases waiting to be watched.

I think I am heading back to Europe and some more Criterion titles in my next purchases. Au revoir ;)

[Ono]

I can understand your (Missus'?) sentiment Nick. It can get a bit samey - but that's what the Koreans do best (apart from make great Inkjet printer adverts :norty: ).


I still have lots and lots of Korean DVDs to get through so keep a look out for my reviews :norty: :norty:

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by lorenzo
I watched Lover's Concerto the other day and whilst it had its moments akin to MSG and a great deal of poignance it was not as good as I had hoped. I think it may have just been bad timing but my wife told me not to buy anymore Korean stuff where ..

all the women ot the lead woman/man dies!

I am starting to side with her as it doesn't work for me when it is so consistent. I'm sure you will flame me but my limited experience this far is being tainted by predictable outcomes. I think I will have to avoid melodramas for a while but my experience of Korean comedy, with the exception of MSG of course, hasn't been great either. Slightly worrying when you think that I have at least 15 unviewed purchases waiting to be watched.


Haven't watched Lovers Concerto myself but by the sounds of it - it seems like a textbook Korean melodrama, and to be honest thats exactly whats put me off buying it.
Why listen to Linkin Park when you can listen to Nine Inch Nails ?. :D

[Splinter]

Yeah I can understand your wife's comments too. It can get predictable but i'm still enjoying them and as Ono says it's what the Korean's do and most the time it's what gives them the impact. Probably a bit of a Korean film overload though, if you keep watching the same stuff it loses the impact.

Let us know what you think of JSA if you get around to see it as i'm still thinking about picking it up.

[unrealnils]

Anyone ones intrested in Bichunmoo R2 HKL ??

Cuase i have it up for trade :wave:

[Ono]

Just ordered Madeleine SE and Bus Station (stop?).

Both were kinda eagerly awaited. :norty:

[Cirrus888]

Hi Ono! :wave: (who is pretty hyperactive especially for an accountant and father of 2 ... I don't know where he gets his energy from ... :D )

Lover's Concerto is a textbook Korean melodrama, I agree with that but WHAT a textbook it comes from ... I still say its excellent :thumbs:

I've been watching nothing else but Korean for the past year but I must admit I find it harder to find something I want to watch ... still have The Way Home to watch though and that looks like a corker ...

[Ono]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Hi Ono! :wave: (who is pretty hyperactive especially for an accountant and father of 2 ... I don't know where he gets his energy from ... :D )

:wave:

[bruce-leroy]

I just want to say:

:wave:

[Splinter]

:wave:

[mediacircus]

Oh hell, why not...

:wave:

[kcxdev]

Stop padding :nuts:






















oh, and hi :wave:

[megatron]

:gag:

[kcxdev]

Ono - whats the status of Bus Stop and Madeleine (SP?) in your account? I got 5 items, 1 in stock and 5 are 'sourcing from supplier' including Hero DVD :(

[Cirrus888]

HK Film Awards

Best Movie: Infernal Affairs
Best Director: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak, Infernal Affairs
Best Actor: Tony Leung, Infernal Affairs
Best Actress: Angelica Lee, The Eye
Best Supporting Actor: Anthony Wong, Infernal Affairs
Best Supporting Actress: Rene Liu, Double Vision
Best New Performer: Eugenia Yuan, Three (Coming Home)

Best Action Choreography: Hero
Best Art Direction: Hero
Best Cinematography: Hero
Best Costume Design: Hero
Best Editing: Infernal Affairs
Best Original Score: Hero
Best Screenplay: Infernal Affairs
Best Song: "Mo Gaan Do", Infernal Affairs, sung by Andy Lau and Tony Leung.
Best Sound Design: Hero
Best Visual Effects: Hero

Best Young Director, Lo Chi-Leung, Inner Senses
Best Asian Film: My Sassy Girl :nuts:

[Cirrus888]

My Tutor Friend is racking it up in Korea and has already taken over The Way Home figures and is approaching and likely to exceed Marrying The Mafia ... DVD out in May ...

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/My%20Tutor%20Friend.jpg

You've seen her in Ditto ...

[Cirrus888]

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/GardenofHeaven-2003-07-b.jpg

The Garden Of Heaven

Stars Lee Eun-joo of Lover's Concerto

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/GardenofHeaven-2003-15-b.jpg

[Cirrus888]

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/Madeleine-2003-07-b.jpg
Madeleine

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/BusStop-2002-03-b.jpg
Bus Stop

Madeleine looks much more fun though ...

http://www.krmdb.com/stills/2003/Madeleine-2003/Madeleine-2003-03-b.jpg

[Cirrus888]

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/byul02_800.jpg

Byul (Star) ... yeah another romance ...

Future releases are split between romances and comedies with the odd thriller and action movie ... if you don't like romances then I suggest you look elsewhere around the world because thats exactly what your getting if you stay here in Korea ... :D :nuts: :luv:

[Cirrus888]

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/ConductZero-2002-04-b.jpg

http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/no%20manners2.jpg

Conduct Zero (No Manners)

Comedy Romance set in the eighties? ... attention to detail in the sets and costumes makes this a quality piece of film.

[unrealnils]

:help:

Bo-Yah hunnies overload :D

Nice pics of nice chicks Ken :thumbs:

[unrealnils]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.com/Movies9/no%20manners2.jpg


Bottom left from Whasango :wave: She's nice :luv:

[Cirrus888]

Originally posted by unrealnils
Bottom left from Whasango :wave: She's nice :luv:

The one in blue is the same girl from Resurrection of the little matchstick girl ...

[Ono]

Originally posted by kcxdev
Ono - whats the status of Bus Stop and Madeleine (SP?) in your account? I got 5 items, 1 in stock and 5 are 'sourcing from supplier' including Hero DVD :(


The Eye (DTS Version)
1 1 $10.49 $10.49 Ready, In Stock
Madeleine S.E
1 1 $22.99 $22.99 Processing
Bus Station
1 1 $22.75 $22.75 Processing


"Processing" will probably change to "Sourcing from Suppliers" soon as I only ordered this lot last night.

[kcxdev]

One just changed, I (pre)ordered lst tuesday:

Madeleine S.E
1 1 $22.99 $22.99 Ready, In Stock
Hero
1 1 $15.99 $15.99 Sourcing from Suppliers
Bus Station
1 1 $22.75 $22.75 Sourcing from Suppliers

[Splinter]

Cheers for the pics and info Cirrus - good to see some new stuff coming out. Shame they're all comedy and romances though!

[kcxdev]

Bus Station is listed as a limited edition now, get it now before it runs out :D

Still sourcing from supplier though :|

[moowee]

Good news for Londoners!

Some Korean DVDs will be shown on 23-26 of this month at UCL and LSE.
What's more, they're free!


HI, DHARMA!
23 April 2003 18:30, UCL
Dir. PARK Chul-Kwan, 2001, 94 min

THE WAY HOME...
24 April 2003 18:30, LSE Hong Kong Theatre
Dir. LEE Jeong-Hyang, 2002, 87 min

YMCA BASEBALL TEAM
25 April 2003 18:30, LSE Hong Kong Theatre
Dir. KIM Hyeon-Seok, 2002, 104 min

ARDOUR
26 April 2003 15:30, LSE Hong Kong Theatre
Dir. BYUN Young-Joo, 2002, 112 min

* All Films English Subtitles
* Admission Free
* DVD Screening

See details at
http://kacc.org.uk/festival


Thank you.

[Splinter]

Damn they've bumped the price up for Bus Stop too :(

Has anyone seen any reviews for the film yet? It's a bit expensive for a blind buy for me - wasn't planning to put a Yesasia order in for a while.

[Splinter]

I'm weak, stick Limited Edition in front of anything and look what happens:brickwall

Ordered:

Bus Stop
Beijing Bicycle
April Story

and a free copy of Ditto...which is nice

:thumbs:


edit: Bus Stop is 4 shipping units, wonder what's included in the package.

[kcxdev]

The price has shot up :eek: mines still at the lower price but still sourcing.

4 shipping units :suspect: could include a real bus stop in that.

[Cirrus888]

I can't seem to find bus stop and madeleine is sold out from my usual Korean supplier ...

[Jimmyboy]

Bus Stop contains a concept book similar to that found with Musa hence the 4-disc shipment.
I'm a little undecided as to whether a book you can't actually read is worth the extra bucks tbh.

[Cirrus888]

If its a book thats limited to 2000 copies?

If its a picture book ... :nuts:

Harmonium For My Memory is Back in stock but with no book ... well at least its cheaper ...

[Ono]

Kin

http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=2374448#post2374448

:D

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
If its a book thats limited to 2000 copies?

If its a picture book ... :nuts:

Well I've been caught out on these ltd editions before so this time I've decided to make a stand and just buy the fekker!.
Although I also ended up buying Saving my Hubby and errr Fin.K.L live in Concert.
Typical, I debate whether I should even buy 1 dvd and end up buying 3 at the checkout. :wave: :wave: :wave:

[kcxdev]

Originally posted by Jimmyboy
I'm a little undecided as to whether a book you can't actually read is worth the extra bucks tbh.

What extra bucks :p

[Splinter]

Originally posted by Jimmyboy
Well I've been caught out on these ltd editions before so this time I've decided to make a stand and just buy the fekker!.

Same here! I only started buying Korean stuff a short while ago, but I keep finding the limited stuff OOP when I want them. In this case i'm buying now and thinking about it later ;)

[kcxdev]

Bus Stop is now In Stock :clap:














dunno why I'm excited

[unrealnils]

Originally posted by moowee
Good news for Londoners!
Some Korean DVDs will be shown on 23-26 of this month at UCL and LSE.
What's more, they're free!

HI, DHARMA!
23 April 2003 18:30, UCL
Dir. PARK Chul-Kwan, 2001, 94 min

THE WAY HOME...
24 April 2003 18:30, LSE Hong Kong Theatre
Dir. LEE Jeong-Hyang, 2002, 87 min

YMCA BASEBALL TEAM
25 April 2003 18:30, LSE Hong Kong Theatre
Dir. KIM Hyeon-Seok, 2002, 104 min

ARDOUR
26 April 2003 15:30, LSE Hong Kong Theatre
Dir. BYUN Young-Joo, 2002, 112 min

* All Films English Subtitles
* Admission Free
* DVD Screening
See details at
http://kacc.org.uk/festival
Thank you.




No one else see this :eek:

I mean a few of you live in London right ?

[kcxdev]

Free Admission :eek:

[Ono]

I can't be arsed to go.

[kcxdev]

Won't be able to get time off

[Barry Evil]

I'm on holiday then, so wrong country :D

[Cirrus888]

Here's a little info on Bus Stop ...

"the movie is a bit heavy and dark...
it's about a 30 something male 'hak-won' teacher who finds himself
falling in love with a highschool girl who sells her body just
because she can...

... this movie is not a romantic film... it's more like an art-film
with rough edges... "

Now it sounds interesting to me :D

[Ono]

Originally posted by Cirrus888

falling in love with a highschool girl who sells her body just
because she can...

:help: :norty: :nuts:

[Shingster]

I've seen Bus stop, it's a very subtle drama (just about classes as a romantic drama I guess, although there's not really any romance) about 2 kindred spirits who both have given up on the outside world for their own reasons. It's not in the slightest bit mushy & it really let's the viewer draw their own conclusions. It's not quite in the same league as titles like Xmas In August but it's good none the less.

I might post more on it later when I have more time but I can give it the thumbs up. If you're after an intelligent typically subtle Korean drama then you can do a lot worse than picking this film.

[kcxdev]

Originally posted by Shingster
If you're after an intelligent typically subtle Korean drama then you can do a lot worse than picking this film.

:thumbs:

[Splinter]

Cheers for that Shingster, good to hear something about it. Also good to hear it's not a run of the mill romantic drama, sounds interesting.

[kcxdev]

Madeleine has changed back to sourcing from suppliers again :confused:

[Ono]

Originally posted by kcxdev
Madeleine has changed back to sourcing from suppliers again :confused:


Same here.

[kcxdev]

dunno whats going on...

Ordered Kick the Moon from YeonDVD.com last weekend, got shipping email on monday and received it today, top service :thumbs:

[Cirrus888]

The Way Home

A film about a 7 yr old ******** abusing his granny for an hour ...

Excellent charater study of a little boy and how he copes with what life has dealt him. Low in dialogue but high in visual detail.

A film deserving in its success, well written, well directed and well acted ... a solid bundle, recommended.

An excellent DVD sound and picture wise but the extras really need subs.

[Ono]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
A film about a 7 yr old ******** abusing his granny for an hour ...



:lol:

[kcxdev]

Madeleine back in stock :dork:

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
The Way Home

An excellent DVD sound and picture wise but the extras really need subs.
Let's hope the forthcoming US release has subbed extras....

[kanedaa]

Originally posted by Barry Evil
Let's hope the forthcoming US release has subbed extras....

I've been trying to find the details on this release for quite sometime now and the best i've come up with is that it will be Anamorphic Widescreen with Korean 5.1 audio and English subs. And thats it!

Information is incredibly sketchy though despite only being 3 weeks from release date. Most sites list it as Fullscreen with Stereo audio, while 90% of sources seem to think the film was released theatrically in 1967 :D Even the site (DVDPlanet) this coverart comes from says its Fullscreen...

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/thewayhome_r1front.jpg

[Ono]

Ah, but does it come with free pencils and a notebook? :dork: :D

[megatron]

:wave: :dork:

[kcxdev]

Bus Stop trailler (http://www.kcxdev.dsl.pipex.com/busstoptrailer.wmv) (6.5MB) for those interested.

[Ono]

Grabbing it now. :thumbs:


EDIT: Hmmm, saw a bit of black bra with wet chest - but the bird kinda looked piggy to me. :suspect:

[Splinter]

Originally posted by Ono
EDIT: Hmmm, saw a bit of black bra with wet chest - but the bird kinda looked piggy to me. :suspect:

:lol: That made me laugh for some reason


Cheers kcx, i'm on it.

[kcxdev]

wouldn't call her piggy, more 'ordinary'

[Splinter]

See what you mean about piggy, she doesn't look as good in close up. Also not too keen on the male vocals they seem to putting on the scores of films i've seen recently. anyway it still looks interesting, just a shame it's not as high on the babe factor as originally thought.

edit: that bit when she glances over on the bus near the beginning of the trailer :gag:

[Ono]

Think I'm going to cancel my order for this with Yesasia now. :lol:




j/k

[kcxdev]

Kick The Moon

There isn't really that much to say about this movie...

2 old school friends meet up after xx years, ones a teacher and the other a gangster, both fancy the same girl, girl's little bro wants to be in the gang...

"I want to be in your gang... ok, but only if you do well in school... study, study, study, teacher friend susses it out... don't study, don't study, don't study, whack, whack, whack... girl gets kidnapped cos of the gang wars... fight, whack, whack, whack... thump."

A gangster comedy about friendship with a love triangle thrown in. Comedy value is similar to Break Out (Lighter).

Not to say the movie is mediocre but there's nothing really special about it, but a good one to watch after a night out with mates.

http://www.kcxdev.dsl.pipex.com/pics/kickthemoon.jpg
Couldn't get any decent screen shots cos of dodgy software

Recommeded viewing, with good extras.

Also reviews at KFC (http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/comedy/kickmoon/kickmoon.html) and KCH (http://www.koreanfilms.host.sk/kickmoon.html).
(Not affiliated with KCX :p)

[mediacircus]

Another sneak peak of an upcoming DVD release...

My Tutor Friend (Donggabnaegi gwawoehagi) - 2003

Starring: Kim Ha-neul, Kwong Sang-woo, Kim Gi-woo, Gong Yoo
Director: Kim Gyeong-hyeong
Rating: ****½ (out of 5)

One of the biggest hits of 2003, with admissions almost rivaling 2002's box office chart topper "Marrying the Mafia (http://www.mediacircus.net/marryingthemafia.html)", "My Tutor Friend" (aka "Tutoring a Friend") is a romantic comedy about the sparks that fly (from both passion and friction) when a geeky college girl is hired to help a spoiled rich kid get his grades up. And though it may run a little on the long side, the well-rounded blend of broad comedy, romance, slickly shot martial arts sequences, and two great lead performances make "My Tutor Friend" a worthwhile effort.

The titular tutor is Choi Su-weon (Kim Ha-neul), a homely 21-year old English major who gives private lessons to high schoolers to cover her college tuition. Unfortunately, it is not the easiest way to earn a living. She quits her most recent teaching job after being sexually harassed by a couple of twelve-year olds, and reluctantly accepts an offer to tutor a high school student, a referral from one of her mother's rich friends. And as alluded to by the film's Korean title, Su-weon's new charge, Kim Ji-hun (Kwong Sang-woo), is the same age as her, having failed the same grade twice.

As in any romantic comedy, Su-weon and Ji-hun are like oil and water at first. Ji-hun is a spoiled brat who has been brought back to Korea by his stern dad (Baek Il-sub) after screwing up while studying overseas. Unfortunately, it seems the experience has not changed his outlook, as he would rather sneak out and hang around with his airhead girlfriend Ho-kyung (Kim Gi-woo) than hit the books with Su-weon. Furthermore, because she is the same age, Ji-hun shows little respect for his tutor by not showing up for lessons or insultingly referring to her as 'country chick'. But as determined as Ji-hun is to send away his unwanted tutor, Su-weon is equally unwavering in her attempts to break through his pigheadedness.

Unfortunately, Ji-hun has more than just lackluster grades to worry about. The 'king' of his high school, Jong-su (Gong Yoo), is determined to put the post-matriculant student in his place for stealing the affections of Ho-kyung, though he is unable to match Ji-hun's prowess in martial arts. Meanwhile, Su-weon finds herself targeted by a jealous Ho-kyung, who sics her bitchy clique on her.

Like the romantic comedy that it has often been compared to, "My Sassy Girl (http://www.mediacircus.net/mysassygirl.html)", "My Tutor Friend" is based on a series of stories that were posted on-line by a real-life English literature major named Choi Su-weon during the summer of 2000. After attracting a large number of eyeballs on-line, the stories jumped onto the printed page as a monthly comic series and were eventually picked up by first-time writer/director Kim Gyeong-hyeong, who fashioned a feature-film script out of them.

For those who have seen films such as "She's All That (http://www.mediacircus.net/shesallthat.html)", "A Walk to Remember", "Educating Rita", as well as the Korean high-school comedy "No Manners", what transpires during the two-hour running time of "My Tutor Friend" should be of no surprise. Fortunately, director Kim keeps things interesting from both a narrative and visual standpoint. The love-hate relationship between Su-weon and Ji-hun (along with the expected cat-and-mouse banter) is rife with some great zingers as the would-be high-school dropout tests the resolve of his tutor. Ji-hun's misadventures at high school, resulting from run-ins with Jong-su, are also a highlight, and serve as a good excuse for the film's eye-popping effects-heavy martial arts sequences. In addition, Kim spruces up the banter between the leads with some on-screen graphics, calling to mind Song Neung-han's "No. 3" and Jeong Jae-eun's "Take Care of My Cat (http://www.mediacircus.net/takecareofmycat.pdf) ".

Unfortunately, the film runs into some trouble during the second-half, which feels longer and more forced than what preceded it. It is here that the story goes into overdrive, as tutor and student begin to fall in love with one another as they literally race against the clock to get Ji-hun's marks up. Meanwhile, as if Kim suddenly remembered what he learned in 'Screenwriting 101', another romantic interest for Su-weon is abruptly brought into the fold to compete for Ji-hun's affections. However, despite such an aberration, the film manages to recover with an action- and humor-packed climax, as well as a satisfying coda.

And while the storytelling and visual flourishes more-or-less stand up well on their own, "My Tutor Friend" works because of its two charismatic leads. Kim Ha-neul is almost unrecognizable from her turn in "Ditto (http://www.mediacircus.net/ditto.html)", with her rather unglamorous portrayal of 'country chick' Su-weon, who is clearly intimidated by her new charge, yet is determined to see the job to the end-- a more down-to-earth 'sassy girl', if you will. Playing her opposite, Kwong Sang-woo is no stranger to CGI-enhanced martial arts mayhem, having played the top student at "Volcano High (http://www.mediacircus.net/volcanohigh.pdf) ". In "My Tutor Friend", Kwong is fun to watch as the brash and ill-mannered Ji-hun who gradually becomes bored to tears by his vacuous high school friends and finds himself warming up to his tutor as maturity takes hold.

Overall, "My Tutor Friend" seems to be 2003's heir apparent to "My Sassy Girl". It is also the leader of the pack when it comes to the recent wave of high-school focused comedies that have inundated Korean moviegoers since 2002, such as "No Manners", "Bet on My Disco", and "Wet Dreams". With two great characters backed by likeable leads, great humor, and plenty of terrific eye candy, this romantic comedy earned a rightful place at the top of South Korea's box office. Get yourself educated with "My Tutor Friend".

[Barry Evil]

Miramax have bought the remake rights to <b>Jailbreakers</b> and <b>Teacher, Mr Kim</b>. If you haven't heard of the latter it's because the film hasn't even been completed yet!

After a succesful theatrical release in France, it looks like <b>Chihwaseon</b> will also be getting a UK cinema release, distributed by Pathe. I think it's quite likely Pathe may release a UK DVD of it, too....

[Earl Jolly Brown]

Originally posted by Barry Evil
[B]Miramax have bought the remake rights to <b>Jailbreakers</b> and <b>Teacher, Mr Kim</b>. If you haven't heard of the latter it's because the film hasn't even been completed yet!B]

What's that film with the same name that's been playing in cinemas for a month then? :D

Saw preview of My Wife is Gangster 2 on TV, planned release around September with a DVD by Christmas.

[mr_woo]

Originally posted by Earl Jolly Brown
What's that film with the same name that's been playing in cinemas for a month then? :D

Saw preview of My Wife is Gangster 2 on TV, planned release around September with a DVD by Christmas.


Oooh any idea of the story then ? I am a BIG fan of the original and is one of my favourite korean films. I know it isn't as popular as a lot of other korean films here but I absolutely love it and am really looking forward to the sequel :)

Therefore any information on the sequel i'd be grateful for :)

[Barry Evil]

Originally posted by Earl Jolly Brown
What's that film with the same name that's been playing in cinemas for a month then? :D


Oops! My source was out-of-date then :D

[Cirrus888]

Nice review of tutor my friend MC :thumbs: ... Have to add that to my wants list.

[mediacircus]

Originally posted by Cirrus888
Nice review of tutor my friend MC :thumbs: ... Have to add that to my wants list.

Thanks Cirrus! The version I watched was on VHS... when the DVD comes out sometime in May, I'll probably pick it up and watch it again.

[Jimmyboy]

Well my copy of Bus Stop arrived this morning.
It's sitting in it's nice big (or even huge) box which is about twice the size of an old Amiga video game package.:dork:

[Ono]

You mean the DVD packaging is big or just the box Yesasia shipped it in? :confused:

[kcxdev]

when did yours ship Jimmyboy?

[Splinter]

Nice one Jimmyboy, quick delivery from Yesasia. So i guess it won't fit on my DVD shelf then?