Art of Fighting (2005) - 싸움의 기술 (Ssa-woom-eui Gi-sool)

'Punch' Lands All the Wrong Moves

2007/10/18 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Movies are loaded with nonsensicality, and that's sometimes the fun part. Think of those unbelievably undying characters like "Die Hard's" Bruce Willis or Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill".

Nevertheless, things make sense -- in a comically surreal way -- within the internal logic of the film. "Punch Lady" is a tale of modern heroism where a battered housewife- turned-kickboxing queen fights her abusive husband in the ring. Pitifully reminiscent of J-Lo's "Enough", it stops short of being ridiculous, period, because it lacks its own set of cardinal rules.

The movie thoroughly disappoints as it serves third-rate comedy and contrived drama . without aplatter. Ha-eun's husband Ju-chang is a mixed martial arts champion who does not hesitate to practice Guillotine chokes or low kicks outside the ring. Ha-eun decides she cannot take it any longer and, in a spur of passion, publicly challenges Ju-chang to a duel in the ring.

This is a woman who has grown imm...| More

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Actresses Gain Presence Onscreen

2007/10/02 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

While the female persona Korean entertainment remains largely reminiscent of Hollywood during the 1950~60s, a few in recently released or upcoming films are beginning to reflect, with some realism, Korean women today.

Women onscreen tend to be either innocent asexual Audrey Hepburns (think Lee Young-ae, Choi Ji-woo, Song Hye-kyo) or smoldering Marylin Monroes oozing with sex appeal (Kim Hye-soo, Uhm Jung-hwa). Then there exists a third, very minor group of eccentrics like Katherine Hepburn that fit into neither category, like actresses Kang Hye-jeong, Bae Doona and Kong Hyo-jin.

In other words, it is rather difficult to meet truly realistic female characters in movies. A most disappointing example is director Kwak Gyeong-taek's latest offering "A Love". In this terribly old-fashioned story about a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, the heroine is but a mere caricature embodying romantic fantasies: the unforgettable first love, frail damsel in distress ...| More

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Middle-Aged Men Escape, Onscreen

2007/09/11 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

A lineup of heartwarming family movies await audiences with Korea's thanksgiving holiday Chuseok around the corner. Among them, "Bravo My Life - 2007", "The Happy Life" and "Wild Hogs", show that one can never be too late to rock 'n' roll or hit the road on bikes. The latent spirit of youth awakens in middle-aged men, providing much laughter and tears for audiences of all ages, especially fathers.

White-collar Band Sings `Bravo My Life - 2007'

Four veteran actors, Baek Yoon-sik ("Art of Fighting", 2000), Park Joon-gyoo ("My Wife is a Gangster 2", 2003) and Im Ha-ryong ("Welcome to Dongmakgol", 2005) make breakthrough lead performances in "Bravo My Life - 2007", now showing in theaters. Inspired by the true story of a group of white-collar rockers Gapgeunse (Grade A Earned Income Tax) Band, the movie traces the depressing retirement of Min-hyuk (Baek Yoon-sik).

Diligent but far from ambitious, 50-year-old Min-hyuk dedicated 30 years to his firm...| More

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Early Summer Horror Titles

2007/04/23 | Source | Permalink |

Like Koreans enjoy specific dishes and activities in particular seasons, young Koreans have the tradition of being chilled down during the hot summer season by horror films; which compete with the spectacular blockbusters lined-up by Hollywood each summer. Early horror titles include "Black House" (Geomeun Jib) and "Evil Twin" (Jeonseolui Gohyang).

"Black House" brings together director SIN Tae-ra ("Brainwave", 2005) and the actors HWANG Jeong-min ("You Are My Sunshine", 2005), KANG Shin-il ("Silmido", 2003), Yoo Seon ("The Wig" ("Sacry Hair"), 2005) and Kim Seo-hyeong ("The City of Violence", 2006). The CJ Entertainment project is a co-production with the Japanese production company Kadokawa Pictures. The film is based on a book by the popular Japanese horror novelist Yûsuke Kishi, who specializes in the particular Japanese style of psychological horror. The book has been adapted into a Japanese film before. Filming wrapped-up in early April and will open in cinemas in June.

E...| More

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'Two Men' Lacks Story to Tell

2006/11/16 | Source | Permalink |

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

At first glance, the combination of Baek Yoon-sik and Bong Tae-gyu in the new comedy film "How the Lack of Love Affects Two Men" (Aejonggyolpibi Tu Namjaege Michinun Yonghyang) appeals to those who have enjoyed the actors' wacky yet funny characters in previous films.

It was hilarious to see Baek play a hermit with super martial art skills and his own profound philosophy of life in "The Art of Fighting" and a traditional Korean wrestling coach in "Like a Virgin". Bong has also successfully created interesting roles such as a fainthearted playboy in "When Romance Meets Destiny" and a bullied student in "See You After School".

But what is missing from their new film is a story for them to tell and develop to show off their charms.

The film's storyline is so simple _ a father and his son fight over a sexy woman who moves into the room downstairs in their house, but the film totally relies on the two actors and seems to expect them to make the si...| More

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