Yoon Ji-hye (윤지혜)

Popularity rating of dramas in 2007, from top 5 to bottom 5

Source | 2008/01/07 | 0 comments | Permalink |

As the year 2007 ended, the dramas are also changing its path. On 26th, SBS Wed-Thur drama, "Lobbyist" was finished, followed by KBS 2 "In-Soon is Pretty" on 27th. Previously, KBS1 historical drama, "Dae Jo Yeong" was crowned with perfection on 23rd. The following is the summary of popularity rating of dramas in 2007 (data provided by TNS Media Korea), beginning with MBC serial drama "Bad woman, Good woman" which began on 1st January 2007.

In the Department of Mon-Tue dramas… Between the dominance of "Jumong", "My Man's woman", "Coffee Prince", KBS was doomed, "Oh my God, What should we do?"

This year's KBS and SBS Mon-Tue dramas had a period of dark age due to MBC "Jumong". Strictly speaking, "Jumong" is the 'Old' drama, which began on 15th May 2006 and its leading actor Song Il-gook received a Grand Prize in 2006 MBC Drama Awards for his excellent performance. However, its popularity continued this year. When "Jumong" finally finished on 6th March, it recorded its maximum rati...| More

Film Noir

Source | 2006/08/24 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The title is apt: "Killar". ("No Mercy for the Rude")

If you have ever been enraged by people who have lost "the four elements", you are likely to be interested in this title. At that moment, you would envision someone's face. But who knows. Someone may be thinking of you. It's a twisted world anyhow, so let's just compromise a little. This is the message that the film 'Killar' originally intends to portray.

The lead character (Sin Ha-gyoon) is an afflicted man with a lisp. With the childhood memory of a girl who used to protect him at the orphanage, he does not speak for fear of humiliation. Having heard that he can have tongue surgery with 100 million won, he becomes a 'Killar' in order to earn money for the operation. Not a killer, but a 'Killar' such as the 'F-Killer' (a popular insecticide pronounced as 'F Killar' in Korea). Because he filters out the trash of the society, it's a rule he has set following the advice of his senior, 'Ballet' (Kim Min-joon). After work he goes ...| More

'No Mercy' Leaves Audience Hanging

Source | 2006/08/24 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

New domestic movie "No Mercy for the Rude" (Yeuiomnun Kotdul) is a story about a lonely professional killer, who decides to eliminate those who demonstrate disrespect and coarseness in their lives.

From the very beginning the black comedy twists familiar conventions used in typical action or gangster movies to create a peculiar sense of humor and jokes.

In the film, clumsy killers are far from "being cool" and things often get messy with silly and unexpected sequences.

But such funny little moments and interesting characters are loosely combined and the story spirals off without a specific direction. The result is that audiences can't cope with the huge jump between early humor and a sudden tragic end.

Directed by Park Cheol-hee and starring Sin Ha-gyoon and Yoon Ji-hye, the film revolves around a professional killer with a speech impediment (played by Sin), who is believed to be mute. The truth is he doesn't talk because of a silly soundi...| More

Meditative killer in unexpectedly comic treatment

Source | 2006/08/14 | 0 comments | Permalink |

"I don't kill just anybody. I only kill the rude ones".
Those words are uttered by a hired assassin in "No Mercy for the Rude" as he prances toward a villain to thrust a knife deeply into his chest. The villain slumps to the floor. The killer lights a cigarette and casually pulls his bloody 12-inch knife from the body and places it inside his leather jacket again.
"I am a 'killar' but I have rules of my own", he adds with a smirk while adjusting his sunglasses.
It sounds like yet another exaggerated noir genre movie that uses excessive hyperactivity and churns out the cliches, and so it is, sort of. But it is also comical if you can ignore the gruesome killings that appear occasionally to remind you that you are watching a crime drama about hired killers.
"I hate meaningless murders", says the killer again he leaves the scene of another killing. Before the film turns too brutal, you find yourself chuckling quietly (though the film also emphasizes humanity and introspective issues i...| More

Jeonju Int'l Film Fest Comes to Close

Source | 2005/05/08 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

The Sixth Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) finished its nine-day run on Friday with a closing ceremony in the Chonbuk National University Cultural Center at Chonju, North Cholla Province.

The festival, which kicked off April 28 with the opening film "Digital Short Films by Three Directors," presented a total of 176 short films, feature films and documentaries from 31 different countries, focusing on independent, experimental and digital films.

Hosted by actors Kong Hyo-jin and Yoon Ji-hye, the closing ceremony attracted about 1,500 people to the venue, where the winners of each category were announced and the closing film "Antarctic Journal (Namguk Ilgi)" was shown, followed by the closing speech of Kim Wan-joo, Chonju major and festival chairman.

The event selected "Harvest Time" by Marina Razbezhkina as the winner of the Woosuk Award from the Indie Vision Section. The award of the JJ Star went to "Czech Dream" by Vit Klusak and F...| More