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Korean movies opening today 2011/08/25 in Korea

Korean movies opening today 2011/08/25 in Korea "Invasion of Alien Bikini", "Nostalgia" and "Pong Ddol"

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"Invasion of Alien Bikini" (2010)

Directed by Oh Young-doo

With Hong Young-Guen, Ha Eun-jung-I, Seo Byeong-cheol, Choi Yeong-jo, Jo Hoon-yeong, Hyun Tae,...

Synopsis
Directed by four filmmakers calling themselves Kino Mangosteen, "Invasion of Alien Bikini" arrives among a recent crop of B-movies that have been making a comeback this year.

A mixture of many sub-genres including sci-fi, romance and action, "Invasion of Alien Bikini" depicts a confrontation between a seemingly innocent young woman named Monica (Ha Eun-jung-I) and a nerd named Young-gun (Hong Young-Guen) who fancies himself a crime fighting hero and even wears a superhero costume to disguise himself. When the two meet, Monica seems to be the victim of a mugging, but is actually being pursued by government agents who suspect she is being inhabited by an alien that wants to reproduce and take over the world. Young-gun takes Monica back to his apartment to help her recover, and that's when the fun starts. The alien inside of Monica goes on the prowl to seduce our young hero, who, although attracted to Monica, wants to keep his virginity until he gets married with comic results as the two tussle over their conflicting desires.

Working with a low budget of 5 million won ($4,545), the members of Kino Mangosteen - Oh Young-doo, Ryu Hoon, Hong Young-Guen and Jang Youn-Jung - kept things simple by doing a lot of the work themselves. Oh wrote the screenplay, directed and participated in the editing process. Ryu was in charge of equipment rentals and Hong played the role of Young-gun in the film. Jang, who is Oh's wife, produced the film and also served as a special effects makeup artist.

"Invasion of Alien Bikini" won the grand prize at Japan's Yubari Fantastic Film Festival in February and was a sell out during all three screenings at last month's Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

"Nostalgia" (2009)

Directed by O Muel

With Oh Yeong-soon, Moon Seok-beom, Yang Jeong-won, Lee Kyeong-joon, Kim Dae-yeong,...

Synopsis
Petty incidents occur around a small shop in a small town on Jeju island. An old woman, owner of the shop, fights everyday with an old man who drinks and sleeps on a wooden bed. Sick and tired of city life in Seoul, Yongpil, a singer, comes back to his hometown, when Ppongttol and Dancer Kim try to learn how to play the guitar from him.

"Pong Ddol" (2010)

Directed by O Muel

With Kim Min-hyeok, Lee Kyeong-joon, Yang Jeong-won, Jo Eun,...

Overview
Seong-pil, an actor, is traveling through Jeju Island when he sees an ad looking for actors. He follows the ad that leads him to Pong-ddol. The film captures their sincerity without losing the humor. What does film and life mean to you?

Synopsis
Pong Ddol is a ruthless director with an indomitable will to make a film without any money. Not only is he penniless, but he also lacks a script and cameras. He settles himself in a director's chair in a demolished building and puts ads up, searching for actors. During a trip to Jeju Island, Seong-pil, who doesn't even speak the Jeju dialect or know how to act, starts shooting a film with Pong Ddol. He even covers the production cost. Pong Ddol tries to film the process of fishing Dotdom, the legendary fish. Pong Ddol doesn't require anything other than Seong-pil, the main actor, and the co-director who acts out Dotdom. The absurd scenes Pong Ddol insists on and how the actors respond to it brings out laughter, but the actors couldn't be more serious. The pain and suffering of creating which is normally seen in films have no part in Pong Ddol. The director Pong Ddol just goes for it. He enjoys the process of film-making without getting stressed out over it or feeling responsible for the results. A friendship builds up while they work together and a sense of happiness they hadn't expected settles in, sometimes bringing tears for no reason. Dotdom is a legendary fish that supposedly saved the country and isn't easily caught, but show up at small stores at times when least expected. The film is like a Dotdom that could mean nothing to one person, but a goal that is impossible to reach no matter how relentlessly he strives for it to another. Also, films should be accessible and enjoyed by anyone, unlike a piece of art you agonize over. This is the cinematic view Pong Ddol and O Muel share. You can experience Jeju Island's dialect and scenery first-handedly through Pong Ddol, a unique film full of comical and enjoyable scenes. (Cho Young Kag)

* Excerpt from the 2011 Jeonju International Film Festival Program book

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