Son Byeong-ho (손병호)

"Going by the Book" (Bareugae salja) is directed by Ra Hee-chan but critics and media, perhaps understandably, have focused on the fact that it is written by Jang Jin, who directed a string of hit movies, including "Welcome to Dongmakgol".

The film, released on Oct. 18, has all the dramatic hallmarks of Jang's style, peppered with skewered sense of humor and featuring a show-stealing topsy-turvy situation.

The unabashedly comic film revolves around a by-the-book traffic cop whose uprightness -- or stupidity -- sparks off a series of events that shed light on what a truly disastrous bank robbery means.

That helpless policeman is Do-man, played by Jeong Jae-yeong, who has appeared in most of the films ...More

The chance of a lead role in a promising soap opera or movie is unquestionably a golden opportunity for actors to demonstrate their potential. Thus Kim Ah-joong and Cha In-pyo must have felt awful for declining such offers on account of their hair.
After her success in the movie "200 Pounds Beauty", Kim gladly accepted the lead role of Ko Eun-chan in "Coffee Prince", a popular drama that boasts an audience rating of 30 percent -- until she realized that Ko was a cross-dressing young woman. This meant that Kim's long, shiny hair had to be cut. Kim's manager, Kim Eun-joo said, "Unfortunately, as a shampoo model, Kim is forbidden to get a haircut at any time under th...More

Running Wild (Yasu) (2006)

Seoul Selection Bookstore

11:00 a.m. Saturday

Directed by Kim Seong-soo, this crime thriller deals with the relationship between a tough detective and cool-headed prosecutor. Starring the nation's top heartthrobs Kwon Sang-woo and Yoo Ji-tae, the movie depicts how man's violence and ruthlessness can turn into weapons of self-destruction. The movie teams up detective Jang Do-young (played by Kwon) and a bright prosecutor named Oh Jin-woo (Yoo), who take on crime boss Yu Kang-jin (...More

A ragtag team of Korean soldiers in the Vietnamese jungle find more than they bargained for
Kim Kyu Hyun (internews)

"R-Point" (2004) marks the directorial debut for Kong Soo-chang, a screenwriter behind such hits as "Tell Me Something" and "Ring Virus". One of Kong's personal preoccupations seems to be Korean participation in the Viet Nam War, which he previously tackled as a co-screenwriter for "The White Badge", adapted from An Jung Hyo's groundbreaking English-language novel.


Production Notes

A CN Film Production. Distributed by Cinema Service.

Written and directed by Kong Soo-chang. Executive Producer Chang Youn Hyun. Produced by Choi Kang-hyeok. Cinematography by Seok Hyeon-jeong. Lighting by Lee Joo-saeng. Edited by Nam Na-yeong. Production design by Ha Seon-min. Starring Kam Woo-seong, Son Byeong-ho, Oh Tae-kyeong, Park Won-sang.

Internationally distributed by Cinema Service. 107 minutes.
"R-Point" returns to the topic in the guise of a horror film. The year is 1972. A ragtag team of Korean soldiers is assembled to investigate a missing squadron, lost somewhere in the Vietnamese jungle. Volunteers are chosen from those about to be shipped back to Korea for various reasons, including being diagnosed with STDs, and morale is low. The team is led by Lieutenant Choi (Kam Woo-seong), a seasoned veteran and an excellent soldier who nonetheless has become cynical and desensitized to the gruesome massacres taking place around him, backed up by Sergeant Jin (Son Byeong-ho), a typical military hard-butt. What they do not know is that their destination, so-called Romeo Point, is a haunted precinct, which has been swallowing up foreign invaders since the French colonial period.

It is clear that director Kong Soo-chang wanted to make his film relevant to current affairs, especially Korea's participation in the American war against Iraq, but "R-Point" works first and foremost as an atmospheric thriller. In that regard, the film does pretty well, enormously aided by the location shots in Kampuchea, with the huge, abandoned, and moss-covered colonial-period mansion as its main setting. The jungle looks damp and unco...More

by Seung-Jae Lee

Let's get this straight. The movie "Vampire Cop Ricky" is not what you'd expect. It's about 40 degrees off from what you're imagining, with less laughter and more seriousness.

What makes this movie so disconcerting is that there's a disparity between what viewers want Kim Soo-ro to be, and what he himself aspires to be. So it's not that the movie can't make you laugh, it's that it won't.

Here's the gist of the story: Na Do-yeol, played by Kim Soo-ro, transforms into a vampire only when he's angry or aroused. One day, a cop named Kang (Cheon Ho-jin) who's been a brother to Na, is struck down by villain Tak Moon-su (Son Byeong-ho). Tak has been working for Na to stay undercover. Conflicted, Na decides to go f...More