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.
Review: A Solid Cast Saves the Schmaltzy MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7
The Korean film industry has many great supporting players but perhaps none more so than the versatile Ryoo Seung-ryong. The dependable, chameleon-like performer has been active for many years, but 2012 was by far and away his biggest. He...
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Review: THE BERLIN FILE Delivers Stellar Action, But Ultimately Disappoints
From North By Northwest (1959) all the way to Tinker Railor Soldier Spy (2011), spy thrillers have long captured the imagination of filmgoers. Over time they have become more elaborate and their appeal has led to a number of blockbuster...
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Review: Tears and Flames - Christmas Mayhem in THE TOWER
Following the biggest ever year for Korean cinema, it is perhaps fitting that the very last work to be released in 2012 was a spectacle-driven disaster film highlighting the industry's technical proficiency. Likened to previous blockbuster failures such as Sector...
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THE HOST 2 Gearing Up for Early Summer 2014 Bow
A few weeks ago Al Young gave us a glimpse of Macrograph's test footage for the long-awaited follow-up to Bong Joon-ho's enormously popular creature feature The Host. The impressive clip, which actually dates back a few years, got a lot...
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Review: Though It Walks a Fine Line CONFESSION OF MURDER Hits the Mark
The sound of torrential rain beating down during a pitch black night can be heard along with the heavy footfalls of boots stamping on the wet ground. The atmosphere is pregnant with a sense of unease; menace and frustration linger...
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First Teaser and Stills for Korean Spy Thriller THE BERLIN FILE
Korea's action kid, Ryoo Seung-wan, who previously brought us Arahan (2004), The City of Violence (2006) and The Unjust (2010), is getting ready to launch his biggest project yet, the star-studded spy thriller The Berlin File. Shot on location in...
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More Details on HWAYI, Jang Joon-hwan's SAVE THE GREEN PLANET follow-up
Recently, news broke that director Jang Joon-hwan would finally be making a new film to follow Save the Green Planet (2003). Coming a full 10 years after his debut, his new project also attracted Korean megastar Kim Yun-seok (The Thieves, The...
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Interview: Jang Kun-jae Talks SLEEPLESS NIGHT
Following his debut Eighteen's successful run on the international festival circuit in 2009, the highlight of which was a grand prize win as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival's Tigers & Dragons section, Jang Kun-jae has proven that he...
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Charlize Theron Takes on Park Chan-wook's LADY VENGEANCE
While Spike Lee is busily shooting his Oldboy (2003) remake in New Orleans and Park Chan-wook is getting ready to release both his English-language directorial debut Stoker next March and Bong Joon-ho's Snow Piercer (which he is producing) in the...
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Seattle Film Fest to Become Hotbed for African Film
There's no shortage of festivals in the world and with an increasing array of diverse programs and sidebars to choose from, covering an enormous breadth of cinema, it is a little surprising that the bod of work of an entire...
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BIFF 2012 Review: Jeon Soo-il's Languid EL CONDOR PASA
A regular staple at the Busan Film Festival, Jeon Soo-il is a local filmmaker whose body of work has steadily brought him acclaim and accolades from around the world. He is not as famous as some of the more prominent...
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BIFF 2012 Interview: FATAL Director Lee Donku Talks Violent Sex Crimes, Working in a Bathhouse, and Respect Towards Women
One of the most talked-about films this year at the Busan International Film Festival was the low-budget debut feature Fatal, which screened as part of the event's signature 'New Currents' competition. It's a section of the festival reserved for first...
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Kim Yun-seok to Star in New Film From SAVE THE GREEN PLANET Director
Kim Yun-seok, Korea's most bankable star, is set to star in the sophomore feature by Jang Joon-hwan, whose sensational debut Save the Green Planet rocked the international film stage when it was released in 2003. It'll be a decade separating...
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Interview: The Singular Lee Sang-woo, Director of BARBIE
I was fortunate to sit down with Lee Sang-woo a few weeks ago on a Saturday evening in Hongdae after having seen his latest two films Barbie (which came out last week in Korea) and Fire in Hell (which premiered...
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Review: Lee Sang-woo's BARBIE Explores The Dark Side of Materialism
Though I have long been a fan of the aesthetic merits of Korean cinema, I also realize that there exists a dark side to Korean culture, a pervasive materialism that often favors beauty and perfection above all else. Designer goods...
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BIFF 2012 Review: Political Torture Drama NATIONAL SECURITY is Intense and Gripping
Corruption, injustice and terror have always been a sad reality of politics. Over the years, many filmmakers have gone to great lengths (sometimes even putting their lives in peril) in a bid to give a voice to the victims of...
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BIFF 2012: Awards Announced, JISEUL Picks Up 3
The 17th Busan International Film Festival just held its Closing press conference at which the award winners of the event were announced. Festival director Lee Yong-Kwan was in attendance along with the following Jury members: Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio; David...
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BIFF 2012 Review: PLUTO Signals the Arrival of a Brilliant New Talent
Film festivals can be a great place to catch up with big films from established luminaries of world cinema but for the ardent cinephile, the most exciting thing is to make a fresh discovery. With patience and some discerning selecting,...
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BIFF 2012 Review: Lee Dong-ku's FATAL Is a Blistering Debut
Fragile and ephemeral, life is a series of moments, of complicated and random connections that constitute the fabric of our character. Each decision we make affects our path irrevocably: our actions may not always be consequential but they are nonetheless...
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BIFF 2012 Review: Strong Performances Can't Save Revenge Flick AZOOMA
When exploring Korean cinema, you can't go very far without bumping into a revenge thriller. Park Chan-wook's 'Vengeance' trilogy and Kim Jee-woon's A Bittersweet Life (2005) are just a few of the more high profile examples. However, of late, this...
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