Park Chan-wook (박찬욱)

Still room for movie theaters in a high-tech world

Source | 2009/07/03 | Permalink |

Trekking out to a movie theater might seem a bit quaint in today's high-tech world, where it's often easier and cheaper to watch films over the Internet or on DVD players and portable video devices.

But there's a distinct - and rather important - difference between viewing films from your couch and catching a new release in a packed theater, according to internationally acclaimed Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

"It is like the difference between listening to Rolling Stones songs by yourself in your house and going to their live concert. The contact with the people is what really generates emotion", Inarritu said June 26 during a press conference to promote the opening of a cinema program at the Prada Transformer at Gyeonghui Palace in downtown Seoul. "I think that cinema is a communal experience. The energy of the room and the feeling that people in the room are connected are not something you can get watching a film on a TV or DVD in your house".

Inarritu and U....| More

Fantastic 13

2009/07/02 | Permalink |

13th Puchon (Bucheon) International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) Opens July 16-26

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The number 13 is considered bad luck in many cultures but the Puchon (Bucheon) International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) relishes in triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the ominous digit.

The genre film event opens its 13th edition from July 16 to 26 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Featuring a record lineup of 202 films from 41 countries, the special anniversary "is a chance to renew its `fantastic' spirit", PiFan festival director Han Sang-jun told The Korea Times in a recent interview in Seoul.

"Fantastic films" are more than just about highflying fantasy, and also refer to the French word "fantasme", which means mental fixation or irrational belief. In the 1950s, Europe saw the birth of small-scale events celebrating such themes through horror, thriller and science-fiction genres, said Han.

"Now fantastic film festivals have expanded their scope to include ...| More

Summer Action Flicks Are Coming

Source | 2009/06/30 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Every summer, big budget Hollywood movies flow in, and many worry about the potential threat to homegrown films. Recent trends, however, suggest that competition is healthy.

"The fact that such a comparison (between national and international franchises) is even possible is unique; there aren't so many countries around the world where domestic films can compete with American ones", Han Seung-hee, researcher at the Korean Film Council, told The Korea Times.

After the turn of the new millennium, the Korean film industry enjoyed rapid growth, with blockbusters rewriting box office history each year. But the market plummeted for the first time last year, and investment and production hit an all time low. Moviegoers even criticized films that fared well at the box office as being formulaic.

So far, 2009 looks better. The success of "A Frozen Flower" and "Scandal Makers" ("Speedy Scandal") opened up a promising new year. Although February and March...| More

[Talk of the town] Get your short film fix

Source | 2009/06/26 | Permalink |

The Eighth Mise-en-Scene Short Film Festival kicked off last Wednesday at CGV Yongsan, central Seoul.

The representative committee chairman this year is Bong Joon-ho, director of the current hit film "Mother".

Other renowned filmmakers in Korea attended the opening ceremony Wednesday evening, including directors Park Chan-wook and Heo Jin-ho. Movie stars including Won Bin, Sin Min-ah, Jeong Jae-yeong, Park Hae-il and Kim Joo-hyeok also came to support the festival.

A total of 120 Korean and international shorts, from comedies and dramas to action and thrillers, will be screened at the annual event. The festival continues until Tuesday. ...| More

Fantastic Puchon fest

Source | 2009/06/26 | Permalink |

This year's annual Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) will thrill and chill from 16 July. Until the curtains will be drawn on 26 July, 13th PiFan will be exploring the themes love, fantasy, and adventure.
 
Puchon, only just outside of west Seoul and connected by subway and buses, will host 202 films from 41 countries for film enthusiasts. PiFan secured 38 world premières and 26 international premières.
 
Japanese film M.W. is set to open PiFan. Iwamoto Hitashi directed the revenge story which is based on Tezuka Osamu's work. Indonesian martial arts film by Gareth Huw Evans Merantau has the honor to close PiFan in 2009.
 
PiFan's core is the World cinema section, reserved for upcoming directors. This section has also been designated as the playground for upcoming independent Korean directors. Fanta masters will this year centre around vampire films. PARK Chan-wook's Festival de Cannes 2009's Jury prize winner "Thirst", and Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire K...| More