A Tale of Legendary Libido (Movie - 2008)

New SBS drama looks at working moms

Source | 2008/07/29 | 0 comments | Permalink |

With the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the horizon, television networks are hard pressed to churn out dramas that can draw sports-hungry viewers away from the games.

SBS - who has been scoring high viewer ratings with its dramas "Iljimae" and "Gourmet" - hopes to draw audiences away from the games with their upcoming Wednesday and Thursday night comedy: "Working Mom" ("Working Mom - The Taming of the Badness Husband").

Featuring the ever-comical Bong Tae-gyu as a philandering husband, "Working Mom" may not deliver the top-notch ratings of its predecessor "Iljimae" but promises to be entertaining.

Set to start airing tomorrow night, the drama takes a look at the life of Choi Ga-young. Played by veteran actress Yeom Jeong-ah, Ga-young is a career woman who was on the fast track to the top.

That is, until she ends up pregnant with her much younger co-worker's child. Soon, she ends up unemployed and married with two children.

"Working Mom" - artfully scripted by Kim Hyeon-hee, wh...| More

Korean Films at the 12th PiFan

Source | 2008/07/18 | 0 comments | 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

Korean films plunge to record low in May

Source | 2008/06/10 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The market share of Korean movies plunged to a single digit for the first time in six and a half years, reflecting the depth of problems facing local filmmakers amid the lack of a much-needed hit.

CJ CGV, the country's biggest multiplex operator, said in a regular monthly report that 12.82 million people watched movies in May, but only 1 million, or 7.8 percent, opted for home-grown films.

The figure, the lowest since January 2002, marked a continued downward trend that started in February this year when it topped 69.1 percent. The figure plunged to 46.3 percent in March, and then went down further to 23.1 percent in April.

The drastic development came after a briefly hopeful moment in January and February when "Forever the Moment" and "The Chaser" sold far more tickets than expected on the strength of their solid storyline and enhanced dramatic effects.

But the buoyant mood quickly gave way to a bleak outlook in the following months as a slew of powerful Hollywood flicks m...| More

[MOVIE REVIEW] 'Legendary Libido' twists Korean sex folklore

Source | 2008/04/28 | 0 comments | Permalink |

"A Tale of Legendary Libido" (Garoojigi), directed by Sin Han-sol, is loosely based on "Byeon Gang-soe Tale", one of the most notoriously decadent and sexually provocative theatrical songs which took its current form in the late 19th century.

Byeon Gang-soe is a Joseon-era version of Austen Powers, as he has an amazing sexual energy. The original tale, transmitted by word of mouth, was documented and extensively edited by Shin Jae-hyo (1812-1884). Many of the explicit sexual descriptions were cut out in the process; nevertheless, the extant version contains imagery and expressions that are shockingly frank about sexuality, even by today's relatively liberal standards.

The challenges facing director Shin were obvious. First, the highly inflated and exaggerated metaphors throughout the risque story could not be easily revised for mainstream moviegoers, including some adults who are not familiar with the sex comedy genre. Second, the theme has been adapted for the big screen several...| More

Body Exposure of Actors – how much?

Source | 2008/04/10 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The exposure of actresses in Korean movies has been a hot issue. Everyone wondered how much women expose themselves and if they acted without fear according to their role.

Now, the interest is to the exposure of actors. As much as the female body is beautiful, the male body is too. In promotions of dramas and movies, one used phrase is, "Actors' sexy, muscular bodies, unexpected exposure".

Korea's best bodies, Kwon Sang-woo and Song Seung-heon of "Fate"

The movie "Fate" actually used a still cut of the topless actors as the poster. Kwon Sang-woo, who is viewed as having Korea's 'best body', and Song Seung-heon, with a cigarette in his mouth, both show off their muscular build.

This picture is a capture of when their friendship in the movie is deep. Whether or not there is a need to use a topless picture of them, it is true that it provokes expectation and curiosity for their acting in the movie.

Bong Tae-gyu changes into Byun Kang-soi in "A Tale of Legendary Libido"

I...| More