Small Town Rivals (2007) - 이장과 군수 (I-jang-gwa Goon-soo)

2007/08/10 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Major production house Sidus FNH has joined hands with mobile contents firm MO2 Communications to produce mobile games based on Sidus FNH's feature films.

After producing their first game based on comedy "Small Town Rivals" in March, the two companies signed a partnership agreement in March to create more games based on Sidus' past and upcoming films.

The next film to be adapted into a mobile game is "Femme Fatale", a remake of the French comedy "Serial Lover". Scheduled to be released on August 23, the comic thriller stars YE Ji-won as a famous actress who is pursued by four men who want to marry her.

The game based on the film will see the player act as a detective searching for clues to the murder of various characters. Although future games will be designed to debut at the same time as the film's release, in this case Sidus FNH said the game designers are taking extra time to ensure the game's quality, and it will debut in October or November.

In 2005 Sidus FNH was...

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2007/04/24 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

There have been many films that have shed light on motherly love such as "Running Boy" ("Marathon" - 2005), "Herb" (2006) and "Sunflower" (2007), where single mothers raised their children overcoming hardships.

Now it's the fathers' turn. This spring, local filmmakers are paying a particular attention to fathers, as many new films portray the contemporary father.

At the box office, the audience can choose from a range of films that center on fatherly love. These fathers have different jobs according to their social class. But what they share in common is, of course, the devotion and affection they have for their family.

"Meet Mr. Daddy" ("Shiny Day" - at theaters)

Directed by Park Kwang-soo, the film is a story of a man who learns about fatherly love, something he never experienced as a child himself.

Jong-dae is a ruthless and selfish man. One day, after a fight, he is placed in a police cell. He receives a visitor, a former love.

S...

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2007/04/19 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

March, a slow month for ticket sales generally in Korea, marked one of the weakest months for Korean box office share since December of 2004. The domestic market share dropped to 21.6% last month, raising concerns in the wake of last year's reduction of the Screen Quota system which guarantees screen time for local fare. March saw tough competition from Hollywood with films 300, Music and Lyrics and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer dominating screens.

April is showing signs of a come-back with local films "The Show Must Go On", "Small Town Rivals" and most recently "Paradise Murdered" ("Paradise 1986") opening in the top position for nationwide box office sales. "Small Town Rivals" has performed best overall, with, as of April 15th, over 1.2 million tickets sold since its opening on March 29th. Mid-April numbers show domestic market share back up to previous levels at a healthy 56% according to KOFIC statistics which monitor 93% of nationwide ticket sales.

Local companies ar...

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2007/03/29 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

You might think that the new comedy "Small Town Rivals" was made by those who ought to know the ingredients of a good comedy.

In his new film, director Jang Gyoo-seong, who has shown talent in such previous hit comedies as "My Teacher, Mr.Kim" (2003) and "Lovely Rivals" (2004), teams up with veteran actors Cha Seung-won and Yoo Hae-jin _ well known for their comic performances in the past.

Cha and Yu don't deliver anything especially new _ they are quite comfortable in such roles with Cha playing a corruptive teacher in "My Teacher, Mr.Kim" and Yoo a talkative gambler in "Tazza: High Roller" ("The War of Flower" - 2006). But the two combined to produce satisfying results, eliciting bursts of laughter from audiences in this new film _ a story about rivalry and friendship between two old friends.

But the director may have tried too hard to be smart and ambitious in this movie. He unsuccessfully tries to weave heavy issues, such as politics, int...

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2007/03/22 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Rivalry is a double-edged sword: It can be a bitter yet healthy pill to accelerate sound competition, or it can cut into a formerly amicable relationship, driving a wedge between friends.

Either way, rivalry is an interesting theme for filmmakers, and director Jang Gyoo-seong has attempted to dissect what underlies a bittersweet competition between close friends in his latest flick "Small Town Rivals (Yijanggwa gunsu)".

The Korean title offers a clue about the film's structure. "Yijang" refers to the head of a small town, a nominal title that does not carry much public authority. "Gunsu", meaning magistrate, is one of the highest positions in a provincial government. Their gap is as wide as, well, the stylistic discrepancy between Cha Seung-won and Yoo Hae-jin.

Cha is widely recognized as Korea's fashion icon. In fact, he used to be a top-rated fashion model. Yoo does not have such fashionable credentials because his strength lies in comic roles that do not require good looks ...

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