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.

BIFF 2012 Review: MAI RATIMA Marks an Impressive Debut from Yoo Ji-tae

Directorial debuts arrive with a weight of expectation, but especially when they come from a major thespian making his first foray behind the camera. Yoo Ji-tae is one of Korea's most well-known actors, he is a celebrity whose marriage last... More »

By Pierce Conran

BIFF 2012 Review: COLD WAR Proves a Disappointing Opener

If Cold War, the opening film of this year's Busan International Film Festival, is heralding a new paradigm for commercial Hong Kong Cinema, then I can't say that it's something I'm very excited about. Over-produced and austere, it features strong... More »

By Pierce Conran

A BITTERSWEET LIFE to Be Remade, Albert Hughes Takes the Reigns

One half of the directing duo behing Menace II Society, From Hell and The Book of Eli, Albert Hughes, is set to direct a fast-tracked remake of the seminal Korean gangster film A Bittersweet Life. Anthony Peckham, recently behind Invictus... More »

By Pierce Conran

Park Chan-wook Signs Onto Another New Project with Gangster Pic CORSICA '72

Only a few weeks after signing on to the western The Brigands of Rattleborge, Park Chan-wook has taken on an additional Hollywood gig. This new project is one that has been knocking around for a while after appearing on Hollywood's... More »

By Pierce Conran

TIFF 2012 Review: THE SUICIDE SHOP, A Mildly Curious Oddity

Animation was featured quite prominently at this year's PiFan, with Japanese works such as Gyo, Rainbow Fireflies, and Blood C: The Last Dark, not to mention some retrospectives on the Space Battleship Yamamoto series and Czech animation. Sadly, by... More »

By Pierce Conran

Busan Film Fest Reveals Meaty Lineup

The 17th Busan International Film Festival, which will unfold over October 4-13, has announced its full selection and, boy, is it packed to the gills. Many new films from stars of world cinema will be screened and a number of... More »

By Pierce Conran

KOFFIA 2012 Review: Korean Legal Thriller THE CLIENT Gets a Positive Verdict

One of the films playing at the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia. There are few things more satisfying than a well-performed and thoughtfully structured courtroom drama. I for one have pleasantly idled away many a Sunday afternoon whisked away... More »

By Pierce Conran

JIMFF 2012 Review: PUNK'S NOT DEAD

Seen at the 8th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF). Each of us loves different styles of music. Our tastes are informed by many factors: style, geography, language, instrumentation, tempo, etc. We fill our computers and smartphones with these... More »

By Pierce Conran

Park Chan-wook Picks Western as Next Project

Following the completion of his first major Hollywood feature, Park Chan-wook, the famed Korean cineaste behind the Vengeance trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, 2002; Oldboy, 2003; Lady Vengeance, 2005) and Thirst (2009), has signed on to his second tinseltown production.... More »

By Pierce Conran

JIMFF 2012 Review: ABBA

Seen at the 8th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF).Though not always convinced by the films, the Jecheon Intl. Music & Film Festival was definitely a period of musical discovery for me. It reawakened my love for Tropicalia and... More »

By Pierce Conran

KOFFIA 2012 Review: Disney, Nostalgia, and Politics in SUNNY

The closing film of the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia.Delve into any well-balanced childhood and you're sure to find a candy store: our ephemeral youth's source of confectionary delights and perpetual euphoria. During my childhood I had a particularly... More »

By Pierce Conran

JIMFF 2012 Review: GAINSBOURG BY GAINSBOURG: AN INTIMATE SELF-PORTRAIT

Seen at the 8th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF).When I noticed this documentary among the many titles on offer at this year's JIMFF, I quickly saved a spot for it in my schedule. It was my first time... More »

By Pierce Conran

Wong Kar Wai to Lead Next Year's Berlinale Jury

One of international cinema's most respected auteurs has been taped to preside over the jury of next year's Berlin International Film Festival, which will run from February 7 to 17. Won Kar Wai is no stranger to festivals: his works... More »

By Pierce Conran

JIMFF 2012 Review - Thai Biopic THE MOON

Seen at the 8th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF).Generally speaking I'm not a huge fan of music biopics. As the Jecheon film festival has proven (or not in some instances), musicians tend to make better documentary subjects. With... More »

By Pierce Conran

KOFFIA 2012 Review: Hong Sang-soo's THE DAY HE ARRIVES

As far as the critical discourse of Korean cinema goes, few filmmakers have a more commanding presence than Hong Sang-soo, whose flowing narratives often feel like chapters in the same grand story. In a sense, his body of work reminds... More »

By Pierce Conran

KOFFIA 2012 Review: Geriatric Romance Done Right in LATE BLOSSOM

One of the films playing at the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia.It's easy to forget sometimes how rigid the rules can be concerning the technical aspects behind the making of a film. When done right, everything you see on... More »

By Pierce Conran

The 6th Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival - Preview

This weekend I will have the opportunity to attend the Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival for the first time. It may not be one of the biggest Korean film festivals but it has a stellar reputation and is very well-attended.... More »

By Pierce Conran

KOFFIA 2012 Review: BLEAK NIGHT, an Extraordinary Student Feature

One of the films playing at the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia. It's amazing to witness what can be done with little resources and in 2011, a year filled with high-falutin, hollow, and very disappointing blockbusters, there were many... More »

By Pierce Conran

KOFFIA 2012 Review: METAMORPHESES and the Influence of Korean Film Schools

One of the films playing at the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia.One of the aspects of Korean cinema which strikes people the most once they become acquainted with it, is the highly sophisticated level of the production values. From... More »

By Pierce Conran

KOFFIA 2012 Review: Hong Sang-soo's IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

In Another Country was one of two films showed during the opening night of the 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA), here we revisit my review from earlier this year.Quick disclaimer before barreling on with my discussion of Hong... More »

By Pierce Conran

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Leading Voices in Global Cinema

Todd Brown, Founder & Editor Toronto
Peter Martin, Managing Editor Dallas
Ryland Aldrich, Festivals Editor Los Angeles
James Marsh, Asian Editor Hong Kong
Brian Clark, European Editor Paris

China Beat: What did China See in IRON MAN 3?

Much has already been written, both on these pages and many others, about the landmark Hollywood-China co-production that is Marvel and DMG Entertainment's Iron Man 3. The film, directed by Shane Black, is the third solo outing for Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark, and has proved a phenomenal success around... More »

FEAR & LOATHING AT CANNES, PART 2: I'M IN LOVE WITH EVERYBODY'S GIRL

CHAPTER 4: THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANNA KARINA AND BUTT PLUGSI'm sitting outside at a small Café that my editor told me to meet him at. I'm a 10 minute walk from the Marche Du Film convention hall and I'm still waiting for my editor to arrive so he take guide... More »

CINEMA HOLOCAUST ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA, PART 1: THOSE GOD DAMN FILM BLOGGERS

MIKE'S JOURNAL. MAY 13. MORNINGI wake up sometime around five AM. My flight to France doesn't leave until five PM. I should be there for security check in sometime around 3PM. There is no reason for me to be up this early but I'm feeling anxious. I have an itch... More »

FEAR & LOATHING AT CANNES, PART 1: A MAN'S HANDSHAKE SAYS EVERYTHING

CHAPTER ONE: THE BIGGER THE SIDEBURNS, THE BIGGER THE ASSHOLE. I've hit the big time now. I've finally made it. I'm in like Flint from here on out. I'm boarding a plane to France where I'll be attending the Cannes Film Festival for the first time.No more unpaid blogging from... More »

Destroy All Monsters: Leo DiCaprio and the Myth of the Chick Flick

I have a running argument about whether or not movie box office is a zero-sum game. I tend to attack film earning potential from the "mother of two" perspective - which is that while yes, it's nice to believe that if a film is good it has a theoretically unlimited... More »