Lies (1999) - 거짓말

Escape artists: Korean directors head overseas to find audiences

2006/06/15 | Source | Permalink |

But critics fear international success could leave Korean films indistinct

June 16, 2006 - For years, auteur directors and their distributors in Korea cleverly used the foreign media and the circuits of major international festivals to attract publicity.
Jang Sun-woo's "Lies", a film about an affair between a teenage girl and a middle-aged artist, was show in Venice in 1999, giving it the publicity to stir up controversy at home about the film's pornographic content. Kim Dong-wan's "Repatriation", a documentary about North Korean "unconverted prisoners", had its world premier at Sundance before it hit an art house theater in Seoul; Hong Sang-soo's "Woman is the Future of Man" was screened at Cannes before its local premiere in 2004; "The Unforgiven", by Yon Jong-bin, also recently held a Cannes screening to compensate for its disgrace after being sued by the Ministry of Defense for openly criticizing the Korean army. The list goes on.
Yet the irony is that many of these auteur-ind...| More

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What nude scenes mean for actresses

2006/03/27 | Source | Permalink |

Just two decades ago, it was rare for movie fans to see actresses do nude scenes because of strict censorship and most stars were hesitant about undressing for the camera.

But as the domestic moviemaking trend took an innovative turn towards liberal expression, nude scenes no longer made much news. And interestingly, baring all turned into an effective strategy for actresses to prove their acting skills, commitment and passion for acting.

"I think of nude scenes as a crucial passage to become a real actress", said actress Eom Ji-won after shooting director Hong Sang-soo's "Tale of Cinema". "After stripping in front of the camera, I felt that I could now take any role".

Even veteran actresses with over 10 years experience have chosen to shoot nude scenes to reach a higher level of acting.

Top actresses Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Hye-soo each gained new perspectives in "Happy End" and "Hypnotized", respectively.

But despite the changes, differing views on nudity often cause conf...| More

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great ajaaja 2006-09-17 19:07:37

Sex revolution in Korean cinema

2005/09/06 | Source | Permalink |

"Sex and Lucia", a Spanish film directed by Julio Medem, which was released here last Friday, is full of sexual description. In the sexually explicit movie, a naked man and woman embrace each other and immerse in the sea in their seductive encounter ensued by consecutive scenes of sex.

Moreover, the man's genitals are briefly shown through close-up shots. Despite such lewd scenes, the movie does not seem offending because it, as a whole, depicts a winding, nostalgic journey of a Madrid waitress Lucia (Paz Vega) to reconcile unresolved feelings on the sudden death of her boyfriend.

In the United States, the original uncut version of this film has been initially rated as NC-17 (No one 17 and under admitted) by the Motion Picture Association of America for its strong sexual content and language. With some modification, the rating has later been eased to R (Restricted: under 17 require accompanying parent or adult guardian). The Korea Media Rating Board was as lenient as its U.S. cou...| More

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'Lady Vengeance' Brings Record High Daily Audience

2005/07/29 | Source | Permalink |

By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter


Director Park Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Chinjolhan Kumjassi)" attracted around 250,000 moviegoers in one day, setting a record among films that have been released this year.

The film was released yesterday in approximately 370 movie theaters across the nation amid enormous attention from the public and the press as it stars top actress Lee Young-ae and is the conclusion of Park's trilogy on the theme of revenge, following "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance", and "Old Boy".

It is a story of a woman who tries to take revenge on a man who puts her in a prison for 13 years.

The film has also been invited to compete at this year's Venice Film Festival, according to the Korea Film Council on Thursday.

This is the third time for Park to be invited to one of the world's three major festivals, following " JSA - Joint Security Area" to Berlin Film Festival in 2001 and "Old Boy" to Cannes Film Festival last year. Thus, following director...| More

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'Sympathy For Lady Vengeance' to make inroads into official competition section in the 62th Venice International Film Festival

2005/07/28 | Source | Permalink |

'Sympathy For Lady Vengeance' which is the talk of the town, has been invited to the 62th Venice International Film Festival.
As movie 'Sympathy For Lady Vengeance' which is the talk of the town, has been invited to the 62th Venice International Film Festival, scheduled to be opened on August 31, director Park Chan-wook became first Korean film director to step on red carpet of competition section at all the world's Big Three film festivals.

The Executive Committee of the 62th Venice International Film Festival said that the Committee has selected Korea's 'Sympathy For Lady Vengeance' as an advance film of official competition section in the 62th Venice International Film Festival to be opened on August 31.

Director Park's movie 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' is the final film in Park's thematically linked trilogy of revenge flicks that started with Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and continued with the massively acclaimed Old Boy.

In the meanwhile, Korean movie 'Sympathy For La...| More

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