By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
You might think that the new comedy "
Small Town Rivals" was made by those who ought to know the ingredients of a good comedy.
In his new film, director
Jang Gyoo-seong, who has shown talent in such previous hit comedies as "
My Teacher, Mr.Kim" (2003) and "
Lovely Rivals" (2004), teams up with veteran actors
Cha Seung-won and
Yoo Hae-jin _ well known for their comic performances in the past.
Cha and Yu don't deliver anything especially new _ ...
MoreRivalry is a double-edged sword: It can be a bitter yet healthy pill to accelerate sound competition, or it can cut into a formerly amicable relationship, driving a wedge between friends.
Either way, rivalry is an interesting theme for filmmakers, and director
Jang Gyoo-seong has attempted to dissect what underlies a bittersweet competition between close friends in his latest flick "
Small Town Rivals (Yijanggwa gunsu)".
The Korean title offers a clue about the film's structure. "Yijang" refers to the head of a small town, a nominal title that does not carry much public authority. "Gunsu", meaning magistrate, is one of the highest positions in a provincial government. Their gap is as wide as, well, the stylistic discrepancy between
Cha Seung-won and
Yoo Hae-jin.
Cha is widely recognized as Korea's fashion icon. In fact, he used to be a top-rated fashion model. Yoo does not have such fashionable credentials because his strength lies in comic roles that do not require g...
MoreBy Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The number of films produced last year was 108, the most ever in Korean cinematic history, and many of them were feature debut works by emerging directors. But more familiar names will be seen at the box office this year as many renowned directors are preparing to return to the big screen.
After Long Break
After a long break,
Im Kwon-taek is back with his 100th movie, "Chonnyonhak" ("
Beyond the Years").
With the movie, 61-year-old Im will have made the greatest number of films ever in Korea. It wasn't all smooth sailing, as the film's production was almost cancelled because the original investor and production company suddenly pulled out.
The film is a sequel to the successful 1993 film "Sopyonje", a story about singers of pansori, or Korean traditional music. The new film is a story of the characters 30 years after the story of "Sopyonje" ended.
Another anticipated work is "
Secret Sunshine" by director
Lee Chang-dong, who is returning after five-year break following his 2002 film "
Oasis".
Lee's last film won him the best director's prize at the Venice Film Festival that year, but he stopped making films after being appointed culture and tourism minister in 2003.
His new melodrama, starring ...
MoreBy Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
A fight for love always sounds romantic, but what if the battle field is an elementary school and the two rivals in love are a female teacher and her 12-year-old student trying to win the heart of a good-looking teacher? A new local comedy successfully takes the funny factors from this exact situation and develops it as bitter sweet.
"Yosonsaeng VS Yojeja (
Lovely Rivals)", directed by
Jang Gyoo-seong, seems like a sequel for the director's previous comedy "
My Teacher, Mr.Kim", since it is also set in a primary school and is a...
MoreNovember 17, 2004 ㅡ Can an elementary school teacher and one of her students really fight over the same man? That's what director
Jang Gyoo-seong's new film "
Lovely Rivals" (Yeoseongsang vs. Yeojeja) is all about.
He describes it as a comical story of competition between a childish teacher and a mature student.
The two competitors' beloved target is a handsome art teacher who has come to the school for the new semester. The teacher and the student struggle to get his attention, going through many funny happenings in the process.
At first glance it may appear to be a sequel to Mr. Jang's "
My Teacher, Mr.Kim" (Seongsaeng Kim Bong-du), which was also set in a small, rural school.
In "Rivals", however, Mr. Jang pushes the envelope further, not only making people laugh but using s...
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