By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Funnyman
Im Chang-jeong returns opposite yet another screen beauty,
Park Ye-jin, in the slapstick "
Fortune Salon". It appears difficult for the "
Sex Is Zero" star to shed his typecast character in this half-way sex (rather than romantic) comedy, which rather strenuously tries to show that love (or lust) can prevail in the face of cruel destiny.
But more often than not, fate laughs at chance.
It's a shame because the movie could have done so much more with the classic premise of fate versus free will set against the exotic shamanist subculture that exists in modern Korea. Instead, it makes a disgrace out of one of the oldest traditions/religions here.
South Korea has long been rooted in shamanist beliefs. The fortune-telling market here amasses up to 3 trillion won annuall...
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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Cinema allows artistry to soar high and far, allowing reality to mix freely with products of far-fetched imagination. However, there exists a marked difference between being surreal and just plain baffling. While visually pleasing, "Delivering Love" ("Beyong All Magic"), the directorial debut of
Jo Nam-ho, is, unfortunately, the latter. The movie thoroughly disappoints, particularly since it stars some of South Korea's biggest actresses like
Shim Hye-jin and
Kim Soo-mi.
Unfolding in a rural village with scenic fruit plantations and quaint traditional houses, the film is a visual delight. A painter character does wonders to an old truck and other mundane spaces. But the film fails to keep the narrative on track and viewers will ultimately find themselves lost. If not, then you will be most likely be distracted by th...
MoreIn late April, Iron Man arrived in the Korean cinema, smashing the box office into very profitable pieces. In mid-May, Prince Caspian took the baton and kept up the pressure on Korean competitors. Last weekend, whip-wielding Indy joined the Hollywood-only party, roped in plenty of movie tickets sales.
The bombardment of Hollywood films dragged down the share of Korean films to a record low. But the bleak development was widely predicted since only a couple of new Korean releases were made. June might be slightly different, as eight Korean movies are set for release.
"
Girl Scout", directed by
Kim Sang-man, will hit theaters on June 5, featuring well-known actors such as
Kim Seon-ah,
Nah Moon-hee,
Lee Kyeong-sil. The film will test whether the audiences still have an appetite for a chase-the-money drama with fewer funny moments than publicized.
Waiting in line for the June 12 release are four Korean films: "
Life is Cool", "
Beyond All Magic",
"Spare" and
"Like Father, Like Son". "
Life is Cool", directed by
Choi Ik-hwan, will introduce a love story where three men fall in love with the same woman. The film uses "anigraphics", putting together conventional shooting of real actors and animation.
Kim Soo-ro,
Kang Seong-jin,
Kim Jin-soo play three close friends competing for the affec...
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