Girl Scout (2007) - 걸스카우트 (Geol-seu-ka-woo-teu)

No pain, no gain for the streetwise ajumma squad

2008/06/11 | Source | Permalink |

Life is tough for four ajumma, or housewives, in "Girl Scout", an action comedy directed by Kim Sang-man.

The film was released last Thursday. It is the only Korean film that was included among the top five ranking, as of Monday.

The film takes place in Bongcheon-3 dong, a deprived area in Seoul where this aggressive middle-aged squad lives.

The squad members are I-man (Nah Moon-hee), a woman in her 60s working at a supermarket to look after her unemployed son; Bong-soon (Lee Kyeong-sil), a widow who lives with an ill child; Mi-kyung (Kim Seon-ah), a divorcee; and Eun-ji (Ko Joon-hee), a caddie.

The four women are determined to raise the money to open up a store in their neighborhood.

It is their sole hope and dream.

Though they try their best, they are hit by a piece of news that comes at them like a bolt from the blue.

Hye-ran (Lim Ji-eun), who used to be one of the squad members and who is in charge of their collective savings, runs away.

The four ajumma, ran...| More

Korean films plunge to record low in May

2008/06/10 | Source | 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

'Girl Scout' Showcases 'Ajumma' Power

2008/05/29 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

"Ajumma". The word can be roughly translated as "auntie", normally referring to married women or those past the rosy bloom of their youth. In certain contexts it can be derogatory or even sexist, but it's also a fond term for all the mothers of the world.

Director Kim Sang-man celebrate ajumma power in his directorial debut, "Girl Scout". But there are, of course, no girls to be found here. Think of a pitifully amateur Charlie's Angels with four generations of women, from a 20-year-old to a grandma in her 60s, joining forces to get their money back from a swindler.

Our main ajumma is played by Kim Seon-ah, the lovable heroine of "My Lovely Samsoon" ("My Name is Kim Sam-soon"). Mi-kyeong is a 30-something-year-old divorcee trying to make ends meet for her young daughter.

Veteran actress Nah Moon-hee plays imo (auntie), a forgivable kleptomaniac grandma who works at a supermarket to feed her grouchy, unemployed son, and occasionally offers hers...| More

Korean movies leap into box-office fray

2008/05/29 | Source | Permalink |

In late April, Iron Man arrived in the Korean cinema, smashing the box office into very profitable pieces. In mid-May, Prince Caspian took the baton and kept up the pressure on Korean competitors. Last weekend, whip-wielding Indy joined the Hollywood-only party, roped in plenty of movie tickets sales.

The bombardment of Hollywood films dragged down the share of Korean films to a record low. But the bleak development was widely predicted since only a couple of new Korean releases were made. June might be slightly different, as eight Korean movies are set for release.

"Girl Scout", directed by Kim Sang-man, will hit theaters on June 5, featuring well-known actors such as Kim Seon-ah, Nah Moon-hee, Lee Kyeong-sil. The film will test whether the audiences still have an appetite for a chase-the-money drama with fewer funny moments than publicized.

Waiting in line for the June 12 release are four Korean films: "Life is Cool", "Beyond All Magic", "Spare" and "Like Father, Like Son". ...| More

[MOVIE REVIEW] 'Girl Scout' short on comedy, long on realism

2008/05/27 | Source | Permalink |

Life is tough, especially money-wise, for these four women.

Mi-kyeong (Kim Seon-ah) confronts one financial setback after another. Lee-man (Na Mun-hee) barely makes a living working at a store for a meager salary. Bong-sun (Lee Kyeong-sil) struggles to find the money for her son's surgery. Eun-ji (Ko Joon-hee) is saddled with deepening debt.

The women, aged from 20s to 60s, do not need extra troubles given their dire financial conditions, but the accidental nature of life does not leave them alone. In fact, an unexpected turn of events has all of them running, screaming and fighting all the way through the end of the film.

The story development highlights a private cooperative fund, known as "kye" in Korean. This collective installment savings system, still popular among Korean housewives, has one tiny problem -- the lack of security.

In general, a single "kye" master manages the collection and management of the entire funds, and each member take turns getting a large sum o...| More