Beautiful (2007) - 아름답다 (A-leum-dab-da)

2008/03/20 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

In the star-studded gangster film "Fate", friends become foes and "pretty" actors get rough. Actor-turned-director Kim Hae-gon casts hallyu TV stars Kwon Sang-woo ("Stairway to Heaven") and Song Seung-heon ("Autumn in my Heart") and other familiar faces to play unfamiliar roles.

"Fate" is a quintessential commercial flick that feeds on star power, provocative action and melodrama. While weak storytelling and exhausting running time wane the fun, the actors' engaging performances fill in the missing links.

In the dark criminal world of Seoul, U-min (Song), Cheol-jung (Kwon), Do-wan (Kim In-kwon) and Yeong-hwan (Ji Seong) are close friends in a gang. One day, with the help of an older member Gang-seop (Ahn Nae-seong), U-min, Cheol-jung and Do-wan attack the gang's casino so they can start new lives. But their plan goes awry when Cheol-jung betrays them, and U-min goes to prison. He becomes the scapegoat to save his friends' lives.

After serving...

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2008/02/14 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

While aesthetic standards vary over time, the desire for beauty and the power of its allure remain unchanged. Countless tales and myths across cultures speak about it, and director Jeon Jae-hong continues this tradition in his feature film debut, "Beautiful". He explores the dark side of this age-old human obsession in a haunting tale about how a woman's enrapturing beauty results in her downfall.

Currently showing at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival's out of competition section, "Beautiful" is based on an original story by distinguished director/producer Kim Ki-duk. The film reads like a stark fairytale for adults that is deeply rooted in reality. It takes flight with human desires and fantasies but keeps its feet on the ground with social messages.

The film is ridden with criticism of how rape victims are undermined and offers a disturbing glimpse into eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia nervosa. But it remains highly allegor...

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2008/02/13 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Except for the Lunar New Year holidays, February and March are regarded as a slow season for movie theaters. No wonder top production houses are reluctant to release their major films with greater box-office potential.

But the lull in the competition for ticket sales does not mean an absence of high-quality films. In fact, movie buffs might prefer the post-Seollal period because they can sit back comfortably in a not-so-crowded theater and enjoy more artistic films.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", to be released tomorrow, lays out a vision of freedom that transcends figurative boundaries and entrapments in life. The movie involves the Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffers a stroke which paralyzes his entire body, except for his left eye, which guides his communication with the outside world.

With the help of an intermediary, Bauby uses that eye to express what he wants in his memoir, detailing his work, love and life in a style that is meditative and insp...

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2008/02/12 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Currently screening in the Panorma section of the Berlin International Film Festival, JEON Jae-hong's dark feature debut, "Beautiful", will open in Korea February 14, through indie-distributor Sponge. The original script for the film was written by none other than prolific auteur KIM Ki-duk, who served as JEON's mentor.

"Beautiful" is the story of Eun-yeong, a lonely and distraught young woman, played by CHA Soo-yeon ("For Eternal Hearts"). She is the victim of her own stunning beauty, becoming the object of every man's desire and the source of women's jealousy. She tries in various ways to ruin nature's gift from binge-eating to starvation. Along the way, a police officer, who has been watching her, falls deeply in love with her.

Director JEON has made several critically acclaimed short films, which have screened at festivals worldwide. His short film Fish screened in competition at Venice last year. He has worked as assistant director on KIM's 2006 feature "Time". JEO...

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2008/02/12 | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The nickname "Little Kim Ki-duk" after one of Korea's most celebrated filmmakers tails director Jeon Jae-hong -- especially now that his feature debut piece "Beautiful", based on an original story by Kim, won him a ticket to Berlin. But the nickname doesn't seem to bother the 30-year-old, who fearlessly jumped into the movie industry only three years ago.

"I like being called `Kim Ki-duk Two"', he told The Korea Times last week before leaving for the 58th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), which runs through Sunday. "Beautiful", which was also produced by Kim, is being shown in the out of competition section, Panorama.

"Kim Ki-duk is my idol. He changed my life", he said. "I saw Kim's film `3-Iron', and was completely enraptured".

Born in Seoul, Jeon started receiving vocal lessons in the third grade. He moved to the United States at the age of 15 and after graduating from an art school in New York, continued studying the art of ...

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