Pierce Conran
Seoul, South Korea
Pierce Conran is a film journalist based out of Seoul, where he tries to get the lowdown on the latest and greatest from the Korean peninsula for Twitch and runs the website Modern Korean Cinema. Irish by birth, he has lived in Dublin, Switzerland, New York and Los Angeles. When he's not going to film festivals, writing about and reporting on films or rambling on Twitter (@pierceconran), he mostly stares wistfully out the window.
Spectacular New MAN OF STEEL Trailer Drops
Though many have been skeptical about the Zack Snyder Superman reboot, a spectacular new trailer should help convert many skeptics, of which I have been one since the project was announced.The feel is epic and the visuals are tantalizing but most importantly...
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Cannes 2013: Shorts Competition and Cinefondation Selection Revealed
The full program will be revealed on Thursday but the Cannes Film Festival has just given us our first look at this year's lineup by revealing its Shorts Competition and Cinefondation Selection for next month's 66th festival. The 2013 Shorts...
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SNOWPIERCER Character Posters Reveal Post-Apocalyptic Malaise
Not along ago we had our first glimpse SNOWPIERCER's characters through a set of new stills and now we have been given another taste thanks to some fresh character posters for Bong Joon-ho's post-apocalyptic blockbuster. No new information is revealed...
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Korean Box Office: Cruise Knocks Out FISTS OF LEGEND
It was a close battle for first place this weekend but it one of the most world's reliable box office properties won out in the end. Admissions stayed flat with both last week and last year at 1.55 million. Despite...
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Review: Korean Indie KOALA Oozes Charm
Simplicity is in rare supply in Korean cinema these days, so when a film like Koala comes along, it does so as a breath of fresh air. Nary an overwrought emotion, sad backstory nor superfluous tangent can be seen here....
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Review: Kim Yun-seok on Form in SOUTH BOUND
Normally, when a Korean film's characters decamp to the countryside, we can expect terrible things to happen. But Yim Soon-rye's new film offers a refreshing take on this standard formula. While bad things also befall the characters in South Bound,...
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NAFF Shines a Light on Filipino Genre Cinema
Asian cinema is on the rise these days and some new national industries are starting to make their presence felt. Every year, the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF), a project market that takes place during the annual Puchon International...
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Adventures in Classic Korean Cinema: THE BALL SHOT BY A MIDGET
Adventures in Classic Korean Cinema is a bi-weekly feature looking back at classic South Korean Cinema. Korean Cinema, especially when at its best, frequently explores pressing themes and social realities to thrilling effect. The deeper I delve into classic Korean...
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UPDATED with Official Stills - SNOWPIERCER Revealed Through New Passport Images
UPDATED: CJ Entertainment have now officially revealed the stills used in the promotional passports mentioned below.It's a little hard to overstate how excited we are about Bong Joon-ho's (Memories of Murder, The Host) latest here at Twitch. His new sci-fi...
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Korean Box Office: RUNNING MAN Quick Off the Mark
Business remained on par with last year in the slow spring season as theaters sold just over 1.6 million tickets. With only one significant foreign film making an impact at the Korean box office, the local market share stood at...
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Review: What GHOST SWEEPERS Lacks in Scares, It Makes Up in Humor and Good Will
Korean cinema has proven on many occasions that it can be quite brazen when it comes to generic codes. It can sometimes seem like a kid has been let loose in a well-stocked kitchen as he begins to mix and...
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Review: Lack of Focus Hinders AN ETHICS LESSON
Ensemble casts and high concept scripts seems to be all the rage these days in Korean cinema and An Ethics Lesson, billed as an erotic thriller, is the latest addition to this trend. But as wonderful as Korea's multi-genre concoctions...
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Korean Box Office: G.I. JOE 2 Wipes Out the Competition, or Was It Lee Byung-hun's Abs?
Spring is in the air following a long winter and as a result Korea's multiplexes saw a dip in admissions. Hollywood took back the top spot during the weakest frame in quite some time as only 1.64 million tickets were...
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Review: The Stylish YOUR TIME IS UP Rings Hollow
I discussed the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), or more precisely their graduation feature projects, for my recent piece on When Winter Screams, a film I enjoyed with some reservations. Now it's time to take a look at the...
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Matthew McConaughey Offered Lead in Chris Nolan's INTERSTELLAR
Deadline reports that Matthew McConaughey has been offered the lead role in Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated sci-fi blockbuster Interstellar. Details are thin on the ground but McConaughey, if he takes the part, would play Cooper in what sounds like another...
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NAFF's IT Project Wants You! Submit Your Genre Film Today
The Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan), going into its 17th edition this summer, puts on a great show every year. Genre films are savored during the day while the smell of barbecued meats and the cacophony of karaoke stimulate...
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Adventures in Classic Korean Cinema: EARLY RAIN
Adventures in Classic Korean Cinema is a bi-weekly feature looking back at classic South Korean Cinema. The aftermath of World War II brought about a quick change in social values, which reevaluated the needs and lifestyles of youths around the...
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FOXFIRE and WADJDA to Bookend 14th Jeonju Film Festival
The Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) will be returning for its 14th edition next month. It gets underway on April 25 with its opening film Foxfire, the new film from Laurent Canet, who was behind the 2008 Palme d'Or winner...
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Trailer for NORIGAE Seeks Justice
April 18 will see the release of a new Korean social thriller that seeks to highlight the rampant abuse of women by figures of power and authority in Korea. Much like how 2011's Silenced or 2012's Unbowed took the courtroom...
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Korean Box Office: Strong Start for VERY ORDINARY COUPLE
March is generally not a busy period for movies and South Korea is no exception. After a rocket-fueled start which saw records fall as local films dominated (Miracle in Cell No.7, The Berlin File, New World, etc.) and almost...
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