한국 영화
Welcome to Koreanfilm.org.uk!
Koreanfilm.org.uk moves to Korea - that's right, my time here in London has come to an end as I am about to embark on a new chapter in my life with my wife, Meeyeon. I am moving to Seoul to begin a PhD in Korean cinema at Hanyang university. I will spend a year learning Korean before commencing the 3-year PhD programme, so I won't be back in London anytime soon, other than to visit. This is not to say this website will no longer available; on the contrary, I will endeavour to keep it updated as frequently as I can. Inevitably, as I get busy, updates are less frequent - sincere apologies for the lack of updates recently as I have been busy preparing the move to Korea - but I will keep the site online and whilst I will be in Korea, I will remain faithful to the website's domain and therefore, keep the site focussed on the UK while giving it an international feel as I know many of you readers are outside the UK.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued readership and support! Thank you so much indeed!
Website updates are as follows:
There is a Hong Sang-soo Q&A at the NFT, Southbank tomorrow (3rd September) after the screening of Ha, Ha, Ha and there will be a Q&A after Women is the Future of a Man at the Cambridge Arts Centre in Cambridge. You can book tickets here (London) and here (Cambridge) and there is more info on the Hong Sang-soo retrospective here (my post). A full schedule of the London screenings is here. (Posted on 2nd September 2010) I have put my review up of The Sword with No Name / 불꽃처럼 나비처럼 and I have also copied my review of Mother / 마더 and put it in the DVD review section (I reviewed it at the London Film Festival). Both DVDs are released in the UK on 20th September 2010. (Posted on 2nd September 2010) The Sword with No Name / 불꽃처럼 나비처럼 and Mother / 마더 go on UK DVD Release on the 20th September 2010. More info here. (Posted on 28th August 2010) The London Korean Film Festival has now confirmed five films that will be screening at the Korean Film Festival this year, including The Housemaid / 하녀 (2010) and Paju / 파주. I will do a post when all the films are confirmed, but if you want more info, please go to the film festival's official website. (Posted on 25th August 2010) Hong Sang-soo films to be screened all over the UK as part of a retrospective of all his work - more info here. (Posted on 12th August 2010) Kim Jee-woon's latest 'I Saw the Devil' has been delayed - more info here. (Posted on 12th August 2010) I have updated Film of the Month (see below) (Posted on 12th August 2010) Mother goes on theatrical release on Aug 20 - more info here. (Posted on 12th August 2010)
Lovers in Woomukbaemi is to be screened at the Korean Culture Centre tomorrow as part of their Jang Sun-woo series. More info here. (Posted on 25th August 2010)
Film of the Month
The Man from Nowhere / 아저씨
Director: Lee Jeong-beom
Starring: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Tae-hoon & Kim Hee-won
Running Time: 119 min
Korean Release Date: 08/04/2010
Number of Korean Admissions: 984,677 admissions (as of 08/08/2010)
Korean Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Synopsis
Having once done time behind bars, CHA Tae-sik now leads a quiet life. His only connection to the rest of the world is a little girl, So-mi, who lives nearby. So-mi’s mother, Hyo-jeong, smuggles drugs for a drug trafficking organization and entrusts Tae-sik with the product. When the traffickers find out they kidnap both Hyo-jeong and So-mi. Mistaking Tae-sik for another mule, the brothers that lead the gang—Man-sik and Jong-sik—promise to release Hyo-jeong and So-mi if Tae-sik makes a delivery for them. Tae-sik makes the decision to face the outside world in order to rescue So-mi. However, the delivery was part of a larger plot to eliminate a rival drug ring leader, Mr. Oh, and Tae-sik is arrested. At the same time, Hyo-jeong’s disemboweled body is discovered, and Tae-sik realizes that So-mi’s life may also be in danger. He fights off half a dozen detectives and escapes from the police station. Now on the run, Tae-sik pursues Man-sik and Jong-sik. In the process, he discovers that their drug ring operates around kidnapped children. Stumbling upon a factory where the brothers have children’s organs removed to accommodate the drugs, Tae-sik rescues one child just before surgery and becomes enraged at the prospect So-mi may already be dead. Tae-sik prepares for a battle with Man-sik and Jong-sik, putting his own life at risk…
Source: KOFIC
Some thoughts..
I know I need to get back into the habit of doing these every month... This film is currently number in the Korean box office and seems to be doing very well indeed. It has amassed almost a million admissions following its first week in the box office on 558 screens. Though as I often say on this website, what becomes more difficult is sustaining its popularity, which is largely down to word-of-mouth - this is something distributors can't really control. Ultimately, this comes down to the quality of the film and whether it correlates with what its audience deems popular. So is it any good?
Although I have yet to read a number of reviews, the reviews I have read tend to be favourable, particularly when it comes to Won Bin's acting. Won Bin is well known for his handsome looks and therefore, his acting has tended to utilize his looks, so to speak. Therefore, some wondered whether he was equipped for such a demanding role that involved him to play a role that is more akin to Bruce Willis as opposed to someone like Hugh Grant. To be honest, after seeing him in Mother, I can't see why anyone would doubt his acting ability, even if his performance in Mother is overshadowed by the extraordinary Kim Hye-ja. Nevertheless, he has proved his critics wrong and whilst I have yet to see the film, the fact that he has been praised so highly - I recall him being compared to Leonardo Dicaprio - suggests he must have done something right.
The director, Lee Jeong-beom, on the other hand is less well known. This is his second feature film - he made his feature debut in 2006 with Cruel Winter Blues, which didn't perform well in the box office despite starring Seol Kyeong-gu and Nah Moon-hee, who I adore... Both films follow characters in the criminal world - this time the main protagonist, a former special agent, Cha Tae-sik, goes on a deadly mission to find the missing girl he has formed a close bond with. Lee conveys a criminal world that 'Korea tourism' wouldn't be keen on promoting and it will be interesting to see how he portrays a world that may or may not be far from reality. I suspect this film adopts more of the stylistic features inherent in Hollywood action thrillers than Lee Chang-dong social commentaries, but this is not to say Lee will abandon any social critique.
Trailer (without subtitles)