Surprise (2002) - 서프라이즈 (Seo-peu-ra-i-jeu)

Actors Keep "Eleventh Mom" Afloat

2007/11/29 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

When you have a classic storyline and an amazing cast of top-notch actors, what can possibly go wrong? While a movie can go terribly off beam, fine acting can sometimes keep a film from drowning completely.

"Eleventh Mom", is a conventional tearjerker. Director Kim Jin-seong ("Surprise", 2002) spices up the family genre a bit by throwing in some novel ingredients that work surprisingly well in the beginning. But the rest of the film goes sour ― rather than sweetly heart-wrenching ― and forcibly squeezes out tears.

Jae-su leads a cruel life for an 11-year-old. His father (Ryoo Seung-yong) is an abusive, gambling and jobless wreck of a guy, so the little boy has learned to survive on his own, cooking or carefully spending his food stamps and running a string of part-time jobs.

One day, his father shows up with a woman (Kim Hye-soo). Apparently used to the comings and goings of such transient mother figures ― this one being the...| More

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'Geochilmaru: The Showdown' [DVD Review]

2006/04/23 | Source | Permalink |

Unique blend of a naturalistic, low-key approach and wry, quirky humor

Kyu Hyun Kim (internews)

Murim Jijon, (in Korean means "The Ultimate Among Martial Artists") an internet website devoted to all things martial arts, is embroiled in a controversy over the identity of a mysterious contributor, known only as "Geochilmaru (a vernacular Korean name roughly meaning "The Toughest and Best")".

When the members of the site challenge Geochilmaru that he is all talk and no action, he responds by selecting eight among them and giving them a chance to fight him.


Production Notes

A Sponge/Mongmaru Production.

Directed by Kim Jin-seong. Screenplay by Byeon Won-mi and Kim Jin-seong. Starring Kwon Min-gi, Kim Jin-myeong, Seong Hong-il, Oh Mi-jeong, Yoo Yang-rae, Yoo Ji-hoon, Jang Tae-sik, Choi Jin-yong.

Cinematography by Choi Young-min. International sales by Sponge. 86 min.
oming from radically diverse social backgrounds and specializing in various martial arts ski...| More

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Seeking their '5 minutes of fame'

2004/10/26 | Source | Permalink |

'The Korean entertainment industry sees foreign performers as something of a novelty'.

October 26, 2004 ㅡ If you've ever wondered how the foreign actors you see on television got into the entertainment business in Korea, here's the answer: by chance.
After leaving his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee in 1995, Scott Phillips spent several years teaching English in Korea and Saudi Arabia. When he returned to Korea in 2002, he hoped to get a job in the country's budding film industry.
One night when two friends, a hotel nightclub manager and a DJ, were entertaining a group of Korean TV producers, Phillips joined them. The casual meeting led him to visit a Korean TV station the following week and watch a show being recorded.
"They needed one foreign man for a one-liner. All I needed to say was, 'Is she pretty?'" Phillips, 36, recalls with a loud chuckle. "I got the job on the spot. The way I said it was so funny, and everyone liked it actually, so they kept on asking me to w...| More

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