Park Jung-woo (박정우)

'Bang' Ironically Fails on Rules

2007/03/15 | Source | Permalink |

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter


New film "Big Bang" (Ssonda) is a story about a man, who tries to set himself free by breaking all the rules that have restricted him his entire life by deviating from them, just for one day.

It aims to criticize the ironical world where being honest is often seen as being foolish and the fact that the world is full of rules but those who tactfully dodge them for their own sake always tend to win.

In the beginning, the main character's antisocial behavior provides the audience some vicarious satisfaction. However, as the movie progresses it becomes clear it lacks the necessary rules for the workings of a good plot.

Directed by Park Jung-woo, the film revolves around Park Man-su (played by Kam Woo-seong), who lives his life according to a set of rules. He abides by them strictly because of his strict-minded father's influence.

He has never jaywalked, sped or been late for work. But this man of rules is not well received anywhere including...| More

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"Heaven's Soldiers": Movie and Life of Park Joong-hoon and Kim Seung-woo

2005/06/24 | Source | Permalink |

by Dong-Yong Min

The actor Park Joong-hoon has turned forty this year. Despite his youthful vigor, he's now over the hill. In the virtual history movie "Heaven's Soldiers" set to premiere on July 15, he will play Admiral Yi Sun-shin. Kim Seung-woo (36), who plays the part of North Korean sergeant Kang Min-gil, is a happy newlywed. It's been six years since the two actors have become the kind of friends who "'meet, drink all night, and say goodbye with the morning sun behind them". Park Joong-hoon has acted as Kim Seung-woo's mentor since the latter's divorce in 2000. The two actors met on June 16 at a café in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul on June 16, and talked about life, movies, and friendship.

On Aging and Acting-

Park Joong-hoon: Turning forty was a shock. It feels strange. During the past couple of years, I've turned forty, celebrated the twentieth anniversary of my acting career, celebrated the tenth year of my marriage, and seen my eldest become a teenager.

Kim Seun...| More

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Korean Films Bookend Udine Film Fest

2004/04/27 | Source | Permalink |

By Paolo Bertolin
Special Correspondent
UDINE, Italy - Udine, a small town in North Eastern Italy, has fast become the capital of East Asian cinema in the West. The sixth Far East Film Festival (FEFF), the biggest film festival promoting knowledge and appreciation of Asian popular cinema outside of Asia, has in fact become an unmissable middle-spring rendez-vous for European fans of Asian pop culture and a key event in the calendar of Western film critics interested in tracking down the new paths taken by East Asian cinemas.

This year, Korean cinema plays a leading role in the festival's schedule, as both the opening and closing events are marked by international premieres of much-anticipated Korean productions. Park Jung-woo's directorial debut "Param-ui Chonsol (Dance with the Wind)" had the honor of being the curtain-raiser on Friday, while Kang Je-gyu's all-time box office smash "Taegukgi Hwinallimyo (Brotherhood)" will bring it to its official conclusion this coming Friday e...| More

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Well-Paced `Dance' Shimmies Between Art and Swindle

2004/04/08 | Source | Permalink |

By Joon Soh
Staff Reporter

Park Jung-woo, the screenwriter behind such hit local films as "Kwangbokjol Tuksa (Jail Breaker)" and "Chuyuso Supkyoksakon (Attack the Gas Station!)", has stepped up to direct his first feature and he doesn't fail to deliver. A story about a man and his utter devotion to a craft, "Param-ui Chonsol (Dance With the Wind)" moves with the smoothness of a waltz and yet has the slyness and energy of a jitterbug.

From salsa to techno, dancing has grown in popularity here, but there was a time when it had a stigma attached to it. Now predominantly viewed as a fun way to shed pounds and make friends, ballroom dancing is also seen as a tool of seduction for the "chebi (swallow)" _ a slang for gigolos out to squeeze money from older women _ in the nation's seedier nightclubs.

Suspected of being tied to this sordid side of dancing is the film's protagonist, Pung-sik (Lee Sung-jae), who begins the film in a hospital nursing mysterious wounds. Eager to catch h...| More

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