| 'Cyborg She', One Man's Perverse Fantasy (Source) |
2009/04/30 |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Director Kwak Jae-yong has been giving less than stellar performances ever since the South Korean megahit "My Sassy Girl" (2001) and the mellow romance "The Classic" (2003) ― and he makes an effort to redeem himself, rather fruitlessly, in "Cyborg She".
The Korea-Japan joint production nevertheless held a top spot in the Japanese box office for five weeks and sold over 110,000 DVDs. The movie translates into real action akin to Japanese sci-fi anime, and is not without its charms, particularly with some striking visuals and top stars Haruka Ayase and Keisuke Koide giving endearing performances.
But this reporter ― having loved Kwak's "Sassy" and "The Classic" (2003), despised "Sassy's" prequel "Windstruck" (2004) and felt pity for "My Mighty Princess" (2008) ― was not at all convinced by "Cyborg's" perverse pursuit of an older man's self-gratifying fantasy. "This movie is like a gift to myself, to my lonely days as a young man ... |More
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| 'Princess' Flies High, Dips Low |
2008/06/26 |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The higher you climb, the more it hurts if you fall. After much time and anticipation ― two years since its completion ― "My Mighty Princess" opens across theaters. Director Kwak Jae-yong, reaches for the sky by adding martial arts moves to a love story in the tradition of "My Sassy Girl" (1999). But he falls flat on his face in this contrived, cliched drama about a love struck martial artist.
So-hwi (Sin Min-ah) is a martial arts child prodigy-turned-college student, and in tune with her rainbow-hued outfits and pigtails, she bounces over rooftops when she's late for class. She's literally a "mighty princess" who makes use of her superhuman strength to dress up as Snow White to pull stunts in a freak martial arts gig.
One day, she realizes that openly displaying her monster stamina will never get her a boyfriend, let alone catch the attention of the handsome hockey jock Jun-mo (Yoo Geon). To the dismay of her father and the rest of ... |More
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| [ChanMi's movie news] "Actress Sin Min-ah and actor Jeong Jae-yeong, why are they so wanted?" (Source) |
2008/06/26 |
In Korea today, rather than the glamorous and flashy movie stars, actors of substance and good quality are more in demand.
Sin Min-ah and Jeong Jae-Young are a few of many movie actors who are always working on a movie project.
Taking on the lead role in "My Mighty Princess" filmed 2 years ago, she also took on a role in a movie with Kong Hyo-jin, and another with Jo Seung-Woo. She is also casted in "The Naked Kitchen" starring Kim Tae-Woo and Joo Ji-hoon.##
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| Romance missing from Korean films (Source) |
2008/06/25 |
Two genres - the melodrama and the romantic comedy - used to do very well at the box office.
"200 Pounds Beauty" is a case in point. It deals with plastic surgery, but it is deeply rooted in the romantic comedy tradition in which love ultimately conquers all.
But Korean theaters in recent months have had few, if any, offerings that stir people to talk about the triumph of romance. The summer lineup continues the paucity of romantic flicks.
What happened?
Last week, "Public Enemy Returns", directed by Kang Woo-seok, rose to the No. 1 slot, offering a much-anticipated reprieve to the protracted slump in the local film industry. But the film, starring Seol Kyeong-gu and Jeong Jin-yeong, does not have any elements that can be categorized as romantic.
"Crossing", a film about North Korean defectors which is also getting a lot of attention, is about to hit theaters this week, but there is no room in that story for romance.
"The Good, The Bad, The Weird", a big-budget Korean... |More
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| 'My Mighty Princess' is bland, cliche (Source) |
2008/06/18 |
"My Mighty Princess", directed by Kwak Jae-yong, revolves around a mighty female character who can beat up powerful martial art professionals -- if she wants to. The problem is that she does not bother to show off her awesome power even though the fate of the secret marital art community in Korea hangs in the balance. After all, she's a college student and she's busy chasing after handsome guys.
Director Kwak's new romantic comedy, which relies heavily on the visual effects of wire actions, starts from a cartoonistic assumption that a host of ancient martial art practitioners are living in the city of Seoul without revealing their true identity.
The movie's heroine So-hui (played y Sin Min-ah) not only belongs to this secret community but also comes with a special privilege. Her father was one of the four masters who once flexed their martial muscles in the secret community and her mother, who died when So-hui was young, was a top-rated swordswoman.
Despite the glorious herita... |More
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