Christmas in August (1998) - 8월의 크리스마스 (8 weol-eui Keu-ri-seu-ma-seu)

'One Fine Spring Day' [DVD Review] Directed by Heo Jin-ho (2007)

2008/01/13 | Source | Permalink |

Howard Schumann (howard16)

Although Alfred Lord Tennyson said, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all", anyone who has endured the breakup of an intense relationship would not necessarily agree. Certainly not Lee Sang-woo (Yoo Ji-tae), the young sound engineer from Seoul, South Korea, in Heo Jin-ho's exquisite second feature "One Fine Spring Day" (literally "Spring Day Goes").

In this film of quiet power, two young people meet, fall in love, then gradually pull back and withdraw, but the film is not about their circumstances, it's about the impermanence of life and how we must learn to ride the roller coaster. Like Heo's 1998 film "Christmas in August ", it is a realistic and intimate work, filled with a touching lyricism that never succumbs to manipulative devices.

Working to record sounds of nature for a radio station, Sang-woo and radio disc jockey Han Eun-su (Lee Young-ae) meet at a bus station in a most unusual way. Unable to wake her from a b...| More

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[Talk of town] Stork, not stardom, pays visit to Shim

2007/12/05 | Source | Permalink |

Still making headlines despite her retirement, actress Shim Eun-ha gave birth to her second daughter last Wednesday.
Shim debuted in 1993 after being recruited by MBC. She became Korea's top actress after starring in "Art Museum by the Zoo" and "Christmas in August". In 2001, however, she suddenly quit acting, simply stating a desire for an ordinary life as a housewife. She married Ji Sang-wook in 2005 and hasn't appeared onscreen since.
Recently, Ji's work as a staffer for independent presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang sparked rumors that Shim would reappear in the media as an influential politician's wife.
But all rumors seem to be for naught, as Ji recently said he won't take any political positions if Lee wins the election.
Ji is the only child of Ji Sung-han, chairman of Hansung Industrial. He has shown special loyalty to Lee. He followed Lee to the United States after the politician lost the 2002 presidential election and worked for him for several years. Lee has in turn p...| More

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A girl needs heartbreak to be a woman

2007/10/10 | Source | Permalink |

Perhaps Im Soo-jeong has bid farewell to her girl years. It's a disappointment, but the 27-year-old actress has made her choice. Now in her late 20s, she is only doing what is natural.
"Happiness" is a film about a young woman who falls in love with a bad boy (Hwang Jeong-min) she meets in a rural nursing home. It's a coming-of-age ritual for Im. In the movie one of her lines is, "I am older than I look".
"After starring in a movie about love between adults, rather than between teenagers", Im said, "I feel like I've grown up, like I've married someone".
With a baby face on a petite frame, Im has always taken the roles of precocious girls who suffer early tragedies.
In the hit KBS drama "Sorry, I Love You", she fell in love with an adoptee; in the film "Ing", she was a terminally ill high school girl who accepted her imminent death with grace.
But Im has never been an object of sexual desire for older men. Some of her characters even had the power to heal, such as the 30-kilog...| More

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Heo Jin-ho Meditates on Love again

2007/10/03 | Source | Permalink |

Acclaimed director Heo Jin-ho returns with another exploration of love in the melodrama "Happiness" (Haengbok). Traditionally, Heo assembled an A-list cast with Im Soo-jeong and HWANG Jeong-min in the leading roles.

HWANG's character, who used to live the fast life, ends up in rehabilitation center where he meets an angelic character portrayed by Im, the two fall in love.

Heo gained acclaim with the restraint "Christmas in August". "One Fine Spring Day" and "April Snow" followed and are recognizable Heo films.

Im received much attention for this role as she departs from her youthful portrayals to a more mature character. Im became internationally better known through KIM Ji-woon's "A Tale of Two Sisters". HWANG reached star status with the films "You Are My Sunshine" and "Black House".

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...| More

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6th Mise-en-scene's Genre Film Festival

2007/06/26 | Source | Permalink |

Opening June 27th at Yongsan CGV in central Seoul, the 6th edition of the Mise-en-scene's Genre Film Festival (MGFF) will run until July 3rd, screening over 60 short films. This year's slogan is "Beyond the Barrier of Genres", the event will celebrate films that challenge conventional genres.

MGFF began six years ago when a group of young directors collaborated on a festival that would support emerging cinematic talent. This year 10 of Korea's top directors joined hands to curate and program the festival. Known both at home and internationally, they are KIM Seong-su ("Musa", "Please Teach Me English"), HEO Jin-ho ("Christmas in August"), KIM Ji-woon ("A Bittersweet Life"), OH Seung-wook (Kilimanjaro), Lee Jae-Yong ("Untold Scandal"), KIM Dae-seung ("Blood Rain"), BONG Joon-ho ("The Host"), JANG Joon-hwan ("Save the Green Planet"), RYOO Seung-wan ("The City of Violence"), and SONG Hae-seong ("Failan"). Directors LEE Hyeon-seung ("Il Mare") and PARK Chan-wook ("Vengeance" trilogy...| More

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