kwak Jae-Yong (곽재용)

'Cyborg She' : My Sassy Girl-Turned-Robot

Source | 2009/05/07 | Permalink |

Director Kwak Jae-yong urges viewers not to compare his Japanese movie "Cyborg She" to his previous production "My Sassy Girl". But the latter comes to mind when watching "Cyborg She". The robot-girlfriend in the film, played by Japanese star Haruka Ayase, is like an updated version of the "sassy girl", who was played by Jeon Ji-hyeon. This bizarre character seems to have no limits when it comes to eccentricity.

Jirou, played by Keisuke Koide, resembles the innocent boy who was played by Cha Tae-hyeon in "My Sassy Girl". His naive behavior, silly facial expressions and the way he responds to the erratic behavior of his girlfriend mimic those of Cha's character.

Though "Cyborg She" is a fantasy movie, its emotional aspect is in many ways similar to that of "My Sassy Girl". The female characters of both these movies are proactive in their relationships but don't want to invest their feelings, whereas the male characters are very dedicated to their girlfriends despite being kept und...| More

'Cyborg She', One Man's Perverse Fantasy

Source | 2009/04/30 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Director Kwak Jae-yong has been giving less than stellar performances ever since the South Korean megahit "My Sassy Girl" (2001) and the mellow romance "The Classic" (2003) ― and he makes an effort to redeem himself, rather fruitlessly, in "Cyborg She".

The Korea-Japan joint production nevertheless held a top spot in the Japanese box office for five weeks and sold over 110,000 DVDs. The movie translates into real action akin to Japanese sci-fi anime, and is not without its charms, particularly with some striking visuals and top stars Haruka Ayase and Keisuke Koide giving endearing performances.

But this reporter ― having loved Kwak's "Sassy" and "The Classic" (2003), despised "Sassy's" prequel "Windstruck" (2004) and felt pity for "My Mighty Princess" (2008) ― was not at all convinced by "Cyborg's" perverse pursuit of an older man's self-gratifying fantasy. "This movie is like a gift to myself, to my lonely days as a young man ...| More

PiFan adventure closes with prizes

Source | 2008/08/01 | Permalink |

The 12th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) came to a close Sunday Jul. 27 after a thrilling 10-day run. This year's fest brought 1978 official guests to the city of Bucheon, a record number for PiFan, helped along by the addition of its first project market called Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF2008).

PiFan's always exciting official competition section saw 12 high quality films vying for cash prizes, with top honors this year going to a stand-out Korean film that has already shaken up local audiences and won a slew of awards. Sleeper hit The Chaser, directed by Na Hong-jin in his feature debut, captured the "Best of Puchon" prize along with two more awards, making it the night's big winner.

The festival's international jury also handed "The Chaser" a Best Actress prize for Seo Yeong-hee, who played a prostitute brutalized by a deranged serial killer. Another special jury from the European Federation of Fantastic Film Festivals (EFFFF) named The Chaser r...| More

"The Chaser" Grabs PiFan's Top Award

Source | 2008/07/31 | Permalink |

Korean sleeper hit "The Chaser", director NA Hong-jin's thrilling debut, captured the 'Best of Puchon' prize at the 12th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan), along with 2 more awards, making it the night's big winner.

The festival's international jury also handed "The Chaser" a Best Actress prize for SEO Young-hee, while a jury from the European Federation of Fantastic Film Festivals (EFFFF) named it the recipient of its Asian Award. EFFFF also gave special mentions to LIM Pil-seong's "Hansen and Gretel" and Yoshihiro Nishimura's Tokyo Gore Police.

The Best Director prize went to Swedish art house vampire film, Let the Right One In, by Tomas Alfredson. The much-talked-about film also won the Prugio Citizen's Choice Award.

A Best Actor award was shared by co-stars Ekin Cheng and Shawn Yue for Singapore/Hong Kong feature Rule Number One, directed by Kelvin Tong. Animation omnibus, Fear(s) of the Dark, from France, won the Jury's Choice award.

In th...| More

Korean Films at the 12th PiFan

Source | 2008/07/18 | Permalink |

The 12th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) kicks off this July 18 – 27 with the biggest line-up of genre films in Asia. Best of all are the return of high-profile Korean films to the fest and a warmer interaction with the local film industry after setbacks in previous years. KOFIC will again host a Korean film night event, this time an outdoor barbeque reception for guests during the festival.

Two Korean films will vie along with 10 foreign films in PiFan's main competition section Puchon Choice for a variety of cash awards including best feature. First is the critically praised sleeper hit "The Chaser" by NA Hong-jin. The tale of an ex-cop-turned-pimp on the trail of a prostitute-killer, made stars of its two leads, HA Jeong-woo and KIM Yoon-seok.

Also in this section is the World Premiere of new Korean horror, "Death Bell", by debut director CHANG. The HD feature is set in a high school where the brightest 20 students are struggling to survive as cla...| More