The City of Violence (2006) - 짝패 (Jjak-pae)

2008/02/05 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

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...

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2008/01/29 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

'The Show Must Go On' a vehicle for Korean star's amazing talent

Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

Kang In-gu (Song Kang-ho, "The Host", "The Secret Sunshine") is a middle-rank boss of a criminal gang. Recently, he is suffering from chronic fatigue, taken to falling asleep while caught in a traffic stop. His business is not exactly booming. His attractive wife Mi-ryung (Park Ji-yeong) has had it with his broken promise to open a fruits and vegetables shop after washing his hands from racketeering and extortion business. His equally attractive teenage daughter Hee-soon (Kim So-eun, "Someone behind Me") wishes he were dead. His supposed colleague Sang-jin (Yoon Je-moon, "The Host", again typecast as a mean thug) is looking for a chance to stick a knife in his gut, both figuratively and literally. The only sympathetic figure around him appears to be his childhood buddy Hyung-jin (Oh Dal-soo, "Old Boy") who now works for a rival gang.

"The Show Must Go On" comes at the end of the cycle of i...

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2007/11/13 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Seoul Independent Film Festival's (SIFF) 33rd edition will open on November 22 and run until the 30th. The festival will highlight independent films from around the world and awards several awards to support independent filmmakers financially.

SIFF's opening ceremony will feature short films by Korean directors. The festival also includes director RYOO Seung-wan's "Modern People", the winner of the 25th SIFF. RYOO also directed "Arahan", "Crying Fist", and "The City of Violence".

Another prominent program will be Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's retrospective, including his 2004 Cannes winner "Tropical Malady".

The festival will be held at Indie Space, recently opened in Myeongdong, Seoul. Indie Space is unique because it's the first cinema to exclusively cater to independent Korean cinema. The theater is financially supported by KOFIC.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...

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2007/07/16 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Egg Films and Chungeorahm Films released their horror summer title "The Cut" (Haeboohakgyosil). The film is directed by SON Tae-woong and the cast features the young actors HAN Ji-min and ON Joo-wan.

The film depicts medical students who one by one start to meet their death when they start dissecting a corps of a mysterious beautiful woman. The film tackles the horror genre from a visual imaginative angle rather than relying on gore.

SON is both a director and writer and he penned BONG Joon-ho's international breakthrough "Barking Dogs Never Bite" (2000). HAN has already a long career in television dramas. ON was recognized for his leading role in JO Chang-ho's 2006 international film festival favorite "The Peter Pan Formula". He also played supporting roles in the gangster film "Bloody Tie" and the martial arts film "The City of Violence".

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...

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2007/06/26 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Opening June 27th at Yongsan CGV in central Seoul, the 6th edition of the Mise-en-scene's Genre Film Festival (MGFF) will run until July 3rd, screening over 60 short films. This year's slogan is "Beyond the Barrier of Genres", the event will celebrate films that challenge conventional genres.

MGFF began six years ago when a group of young directors collaborated on a festival that would support emerging cinematic talent. This year 10 of Korea's top directors joined hands to curate and program the festival. Known both at home and internationally, they are KIM Seong-su ("Musa", "Please Teach Me English"), HEO Jin-ho ("Christmas in August"), KIM Ji-woon ("A Bittersweet Life"), OH Seung-wook (Kilimanjaro), Lee Jae-Yong ("Untold Scandal"), KIM Dae-seung ("Blood Rain"), BONG Joon-ho ("The Host"), JANG Joon-hwan ("Save the Green Planet"), RYOO Seung-wan ("The City of Violence"), and SONG Hae-seong ("Failan"). Directors LEE Hyeon-seung ("Il Mare") and PARK Chan-wook ("Vengeance" trilogy...

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