Red Shoes (2005) - 분홍신 (Boon-hong-sin)

Asian Film Market and PPP Results

2007/10/16 | Source | Permalink |

The Asian Film Market was again bustling in its second year although buyers tended to window-shop and take notes for later. A number of Korean films were picked up mainly for TV/DVD rights. Korean sales agent Cineclick Asia sealed a number of deals, selling all rights to KIM Ki-duk's "Breath" to Saudi Arabia-based Ghassan Production and Distribution for the Middle Eastern territories.

The company also picked up DVD/TV rights to KIM's "The Bow" and "3-Iron", along with "Family Ties" ("The Birth of a Family"), "Red Shoes", "Fighter in the Wind", "Love Me Not", "Seducing Mr. Perfect", and KIM Ji-woon's "A Tale of Two Sisters" from Cineclick. More TV rights went to Japan's Nettai Museum for horror films "The Red Shoes" and "Acacia" along with "The Wolf Returns" and "Mission Sex Control". Meanwhile Hungary's Cinetel bought TV/VOD/Video rights to KIM Ki-duk's "Samaria", "Red Shoes", and "A Tale of Two Sisers".

In a major deal, CJ Entertainment sold a four-feature package to buyer Sple...| More

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Kim Hye-soo Once Doubted Her Talents, But No More

2007/02/02 | Source | Permalink |

"I couldn't help but doubt my talent", declares Kim Hye-soo, but despite this modest, self-effacing remark, the actress looks more confident and speaks with more self-assurance than ever before.

In the lustful comedy movie "A Good Day to Have an Affair", set for release on Feb. 8, Kim plays a 30-something wife who has affair with a university student 10 years her junior. Her character is cheerful and comic and Kim delivers the role effortlessly and without exaggerated clowning. It's quite a shift from her past performances. What's the secret behind the sudden change? Has she been hiding her true talents throughout the 21 years of her career?

People started to talk about the "rediscovery" of Kim Hye-soo after her success in "The War of Flower" in 2006. But the real turning point for Kim was 2000 when she returned to the silver screen after a slump. "Before that, I was satisfied with being stimulated by the creative energy unleashed by other talented people, like my colleagues and ...| More

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Kim Hye-soo's sex appeal beams in comedy film

2007/01/22 | Source | Permalink |

Strangely, Kim Hye-soo's beautiful face and curvaceous figure have not delivered box-office success for the actress. Her bold - and revealing - role in "Hypnotized" did not impress moviegoers in 2004. Nor did a tour de force performance in 2005's horror flick "The Red Shoes".

However, a much-awaited turning point came in 2006 when Kim played a voluptuous character in director Choi Dong-hoon's "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War of Flower"), a highly successful gambling flick. Both critics and mainstream viewers praised Kim's dauntless yet sensual portrayal of a gambling hostess, and her silver screen value soared.

As if her sexy image-making on the silver screen was not enough, Kim is doing it all again with a similarly sensuous role in "A Day for an Affair", a black comedy depicting two homemakers embroiled in extramarital affairs. Jang Moon-il, who made the lighthearted comedy "The Happy Funeral Director" in 2000, directs the film.

In "A Day for an Affair", to be released on...| More

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'A Tale of Two Sisters'

2006/08/08 | Source | Permalink |

One of the best East Asian horror films of our time

Kyu Hyun Kim (news)

"A Tale of Two Sisters", currently being remade into a Hollywood blockbuster, was one of the biggest Korean box office successes of the 2003 summer season.

It generated mixed reviews from Korean film critics on its initial release as well as a whirlpool of controversy among its viewers, mostly regarding its audacious twist ending, certainly one of the most extreme among its kinds since perhaps "Usual Suspects".

This twist ending was allegedly one of the reasons why the film, despite high expectations, did not do well in Southeast Asia, where local viewers apparently expected a more straightforward spook show.

During its all too brief theatrical release in North America by Tartan Films, "Two Sisters" was likewise met with a fair share of "huh?" responses from professional critics, although it now counts such notable horror-film gurus as Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog among its champions.

Three years...| More

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Korean Horror Moves to New Haunted Territory

2006/06/27 | Source | Permalink |

There is something afoot in Korean horror movies. From "Arang", to be released on June 28, via "Apartment" ("A.P.T".) out in July, to "To Sir With Love", "Cinderella" and "Untold Story - The Red Forest" all to be released in August, indigenous horror movies have evolved to a higher level. In an effort to wash away the cheap shocker taint, the budgets are growing and the casts are becoming stellar. This summer, even moviegoers with sophisticated tastes are bound to find one good enough for them.

Quality Horror

Horror films have long been a gateway to success for new directors due to their relatively low budgets. If a W2-3 billion (US$1=958) investment including marketing costs lured more than 1 million viewers, the movie was considered to have hit the jackpot. But the new slew of horror films are betting on quality. "To Sir, With Love" cost W4.2 billion, "Apartment" W4 billion, "Arang" W4 billion' and "Cinderella" W3.6 billion -- all pretty close to the average for Korean movies, ...| More

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