Superstar Mr. Gam (2004) - 슈퍼스타 감사용

"Only for reality…" Imitation surgery and training

2008/05/01 | Source | Permalink |

'Acting tutors' for actors who have professional roles

'Professional dramas' that show the world of professionals, such as reporters, entertainers, doctors, athletes, and music, are becoming a popular genre.

Last year's "Surgeon Bong Dal-hee" and "White Tower" and this year's "New Heart" and "On Air" are drawing popularity. "Spotlight" and "Beethoven Virus", which will show the daily life of a classical musician, is in production or awaiting broadcast.

Professional dramas easily attain high ratings even without great artistic elements, for it shows a world that viewers don't experience.

So it's picked as the best 'success chord'. But there is the pressure of training hat actors must go through to become like these professionals. How do actors acquire the skills to act like a true professional?

For "Spotlight", Ji Jin-hee had drinks with reporters all night and received 'tutoring' from them. To increase the reality of it, a producer who had been a reporter helped Ji Jin-h...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

[DVD Review] 'The City of Violence': Lean and Mean

2008/02/05 | Source | Permalink |

Ryoo Seung-wan's action extravaganza draws upon classics of the genre

Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

A Seoul cop, Tae-su (Korea's top action choreographer/stunt artist Jeong Doo-hong), receives the shocking news that his childhood friend Wang-jae (a Ryoo Seung-wan regular, Ahn Kil-gang), a retired wise guy, has been stabbed to death by a handful of punks. Tae-su goes back to his hometown, On-sung, to attend Wang-jae's funeral. He immediately smells a rat.

The town is under the thumb of their old buddy Pil-ho (Lee Beom-soo, "Oh! Brothers", "Superstar Mr. Gam"), now a big shot gangster and involved in a citywide real estate development scheme. Tae-su reluctantly teams up with the short-tempered Seok-hwan (director Ryoo Seung-wan) to avenge Wang-jae's murder.

Ryoo Seung-wan, one of the most talented Korean directors and an action film maven, hit the jackpot last time by branching out into the sports drama in "Crying Fist". For the latest endeavor, he consciously returned to his cinem...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

[Review] Handball is a hit for a brief 'Moment'

2008/01/25 | Source | Permalink |

There is no Rambo. There is no Conan the Barbarian. And there certainly isn't a Mad Max. Yet any fan of any genre is going to like "Forever the Moment".
Based on a true story, the movie is essentially a feel-good story about a bunch of female handball players. Despite poor conditions and an uncertain future, they manage to clinch the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.
Director Lim Soon-rye took a gamble when she opted to shift into the sports genre, which almost never succeeds at the box office here. Sports movies are generally one territory that the Korean movie industry has shied away from, except for recent flicks such as "Superstar Mr. Gam" (2004), which met moderate success.
Add to the risk factor the fact that the audience already knows the ending of the movie, and Forever the Moment seems doomed from the start. But Lim conveys the story in such a way that the audience can immediately identify with the movie.
The game scenes look remarkably real to the untrain...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Actor Lee Beom-soo to Make Promotional Visit to Japan

2006/09/08 | Source | Permalink |

Korean actor Lee Beom-soo will make a four-day, five-night visit to Japan to promote his movie "Superstar Mr. Gam", which will be released in the island country soon.

Lee will hold press conferences and interviews in Japan from Friday to next Tuesday.

Released in 2004 in Korea, the movie features the story of the pro baseball pitcher "Gam Sa-yong" who played with the Sami Superstars and was called to take the mound only when his team was losing. The touching movie portrays Gam's unyielding efforts to realize his dreams.

Distributed by IMX, the movie will be released in Japan on Saturday. The comic film about dynamic pro baseball games is expected to succeed in Japan, where pro baseball is very popular. Lee will directly express his gratitude to fans in Tokyo and Osaka on Saturday and Sunday.

Attention is being focused on how much Japanese people will enjoy the movie, especially at a time when the Yomiuri Giants' Korean hitter Lee Seung-yeop is enjoying huge popularity with ...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Aging Koreans need more good sports movies

2006/05/16 | Source | Permalink |

As our biological clock ticks down, we feel the symptoms of age. One is a fondness for watching games on TV rather than being there in person. For me, the occasional pick-up game at the gym or weekend tackle football have become a distant memory. Instead, I exercise my eyes. From watching hours of sports on the tube to playing sports video games or joining a fantasy league as ridiculous as "bass fantasy fishing", the least-strenuous sports have become a major passion.
The downside of all this? Probably a tan from too much exposure to TV-monitor rays and a sore thumb.
But what about sports movies? That seems to be one area in which the Korean industry has fallen behind. There are classics like the U.S.-made "Rudy" that do a good job of capturing the human drama and emotion involved in playing a game one loves. Every year in the United States, there are a fair share of feel-good sports movies. Sports movies don't lead to more Bally's memberships, but they remind people of the things th...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?