The concubines of the King were always as famous as the rulers themselves in the Joseon Dynasty. Jang Heebin, Jang Nok-Soo… the list is long. A longtime cliche of Korean Historical Dramas on TV has been that of making concubines easy vehicles to break the mood in the palace, often becoming a more important ‘villain’ than the King’s political opponents. Kim Dae-Woo’s 음란서생 (Forbidden Quest) takes a slightly different turn.

In the film, Han Suk-Gyu and Lee Beom-Soo venture into the business of… erotic painting and novels. Although nobody admitted it in public, erotic art was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the Joseon Dynasty. They make their living drawing people in the act, but their profession gets them in trouble one day: they paint something they shouldn’t have, the King and his favorite companion. And then problems begin, obviously.

‘Fusion Historical Dramas’ have become one of the hottest new genres in Chungmuro, after the success of 스캔들 (Untold Scandal), 황산벌 (Once Upon a Time in the Battlefield), and obviously 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown) (although director Lee Joon-Ik doesn’t think his latest film works within that genre). Mixing comedy and drama with traditional Historical Drama tropes, and its obvious visual allure, Korean Cinema has found a new cash cow to exploit. I personally think this film could become a big success, but we’ll see. In the meantime, you can read our Production Meeting Report, and take a look at the newly released trailer:

음란서생 예고편 Theatrical Trailer (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)

It has been an odd night of creme brule, beer and the first 30 minutes of Cromartie High School. But Todd has finally left my house and I can get back to the computer and fix this post up for you folks.

As award season drops in on us like a wet sack of kittens it is always good to find relief in those who poke fun at Hollywood as opposed to the coorporate butt-slapping it usually gets around this time. Something like the Razzies, an awards ceremony devoted to highlighting the worst in Hollywood cinema, reminds us that these ‘stars’ are mere humans and they are just as capable of making crap movies as the next guy. Oh and what crap there was last year.

The Razzies deem these nominees the worst of the worst in 2005. The Razzies will be awarded at a special ceremony the same night as the Acadamy Awards.

Continue Reading "Take that Hollywood! The Razzies are announced!"...

The official subsite for Ken Suenaga’s horror movie Nightingalo (Naichingêro) is online, and there’s a trailer for the movie on that site.

Nightingalo stars Chinami Ishizaka, Yumi Egawa, Mami Hashimoto, Hazuki Suzuki (Suzuki Haduki), Misato Hirata, and Rei Yoshii.

Ad Gear K.K. (K.K. Ado Gia) is scheduled to release Nightingalo theatrically in Japan in March.

Those who are interested in Nightingalo may also wish to read this Twitch article on Yôichi Nishiyama’s Gurozuka (alternative transliteration: Guroduka).

Nightingalo official subsite (w/ trailer - see “Preview")
Gurozuka official subsite

Now, this is very cool news, cool enough that it’s got a mittfull of different forums buzzing about it ...

Animeigo have announced their next batch of Samurai film titles and among them is Shogun Assassin, a film they quite rightly claim is one of the most bootlegged in the world. For those not in the know Shogun Assassin is a sort of composite film, edited together with footage from the first two films of the legendary - and insanely bloody - Lone Wolf and Cub films and then dubbed over in English. Basically the producers cobbled together all the bloodiest bits of the two Lone Wolf films with little attention paid to plot or character development and cooked up an insane cult classic that has been unavailable through legal channels for ages. The Love Wolf films also provided a rough basis for Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition and this particular film was the one Uma’s little girl stayed up late to watch in Kill Bill.

So ... why would Animeigo think they could sell any of these if there are already bootlegs galore out there? Simple. When they did their Lone Wolf releases they struck new prints of each of the films to generate absolutely pristine new transfers - they generally do stunning work with their samurai titles - and for this edition the will re-cut the film using those restored elements meaning it’s going to be a visually flawless release. Nice!

Check the Animeigo site for their other new titles .... some good stuff in there ...

I have no idea how to summarize what I just saw ... Ayassi’s Vinzent did the festival rounds last year, picking up a major award at Fantasporto while also wowing people at Raindance and PiFAN. It’s a trip, that’s for sure ... the film follows a confused man, the titular Vinzent, as he wanders trapped and lost in a bizarre, nightmarish world. I’m not even going to try and sum up beyond that ...

Vinzent Website
Vinzent Trailer (Embedded Flash)

Perhaps emboldened by the success of Three and Three Extremes there is another pan-asian horror anthology coming titled Black Night, with half hour shorts from Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand.  Big thanks to Don Brown for translating the following, which spills details on the Japanese segment.  No word yet on the other two, though the Thai piece is coming from Five Star Productions, the same Thai production house behind Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and Wisit Sasanatieng’s films as well as the Art of the Devil pics.  Personally I’m a fan of these sorts of things ... it’s a low-risk way for studios to introduce some new talent to the world ...

Horror anthology film “Black Night,” a Hong Kong/Japan/Thailand co-production, is to be released in Japan and six other Asian territories this summer.

Its three thirty-minute installments are set in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Japan’s entry is entitled “Dark Hole,” Thailand’s “Lost Memory,” and Hong Kong’s “Rinjin” (Neighbor).

The cast of “Dark Hole” is headed by Takashi Kashiwabara ("Another Heaven") and Asaka Seto ("One Missed Call 2"). Filming began in Tokyo last December, and editing is currently under way.

The producers of “Black Night” are aiming for entry in this year’s Cannes Film Market, as well as an eventual U.S. release. 

[Source:  Nikkan Sports]

In the ongoing rush to adapt videogames to the movie screen no news has been met with more horror by gaming fans than Uwe Boll’s comment that he’s bee talking to the creators of Metal Gear Solid. Now, my money says that Boll cooked this rumor up out of thin air to attract the attention of the MGS folk - Hugh Jackman has publicly admitted floating Jackman-as-Bond rumors for exactly this reason - but it’s gotten a group of Spanish game fans so upset that they’ve gone and made a parody version of the potential Boll adaptation of the video game. Yes, the parody has come first. Go figure. Best part about it? It looks far better than anything Boll’s ever made.

Metal Guiar Solid Snack Idem Website and Trailer (Embedded Flash)

Thanks to Aureal for the pointer.

Yes, boys and girls, the nominations have been announced for the awards ceremny that everybody loves to hate! And let’s not kid ourselves, we’re all going to pay attention if only so that we have something to gripe about the next day. And here’s another reason to pay attention: it’s the Twitch Oscar Pool! Yep, jump on in, poolies ... we’re giving you all the more reason to gripe ... read on for the details.

Continue Reading "Everybody in the Pool! Oscar Noms Are Out!"...

Enter the Clown…

They’ve done it. 8 Million, top film of the year, 3rd most successful of all time. Lee Joon-Ik’s 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown) continues its incredible box office run, which started a mere month ago, and it shows no signs of stopping. Released last December 29, and having to compete with multi Billion-won blockbusters—야수 (Running Wild), 쳥연 (Blue Swallow) and 태풍 (Typhoon)—and big Hollywood blockbusters—The Chronicles of Narnia and King Kong—this ‘little’ Historical Drama with no stars beat them all, showing how much word of mouth can change a film’s fortune in Korea.

Continue Reading "Korean Box Office Report - January 27/30"...

NEWS

Now that we know who will star in Kim Ki-Duk’s upcoming film 타임 (Time), a few more details about the production are starting to emerge. Kim will return to one of his most successful shooting locations, an island. He previously used the setting for his 2000 film 섬 (The Isle), which in many ways introduced him to the International audience, and you could say the boat in 활 (The Bow) was an island itself, at least psychologically. Kim almost completed shooting at a small island near Jindo in South Jeolla Province, and recently cast Sung Hyun-Ah and Ha Jung-Woo in the leading roles. Release is set for this Spring.

Thought Im Kwon-Taek’s problems with 천년학 (Thousand Year Crane) were over, after he found new investors? Think again. Kim Young-Min, who was supposed to play the lead in Im’s 100th film, was dropped out at the last minute. He might be unknown to movie fans, but Kim is actually a famous theater actor, who impressed Im with his work in 에쿠우스 (Equus), enough to get the lead. Kim even rejected offers for other theater plays, and was preparing for his role in the film, but when Taeheung Pictures took its hand off the project, the new producers Kino2 wanted to change the cast once again. Lee Hee-Won commented they’ll have to complete casting by February if they want to start shooting in March, and although he will definitely not play the lead, Kim Young-Min hasn’t been completely excluded from the project. He also said when they signed the contract, there was a clause allowing them to change the cast.

Continue Reading "Korean Weekly News - January 31"...

You like your comedy dark? twisted? Then you could really like ‘The Book Group’, Annie Griffin’s hit show which ran for two series between 2001 and 2002. Not in the ‘League of Gentlemen’ category of truly bizarre, this is in parts a short drama with a dominating comedy edge to it, a piece set in so-called real life, that is to say it’s a real world with unreal behaviour and relationships. The premise is that Clarie, an American who has recently moved to Glasgow, decides that starting a Book Group would be a great way to make new friends. Underlying this is a wealth of hidden desires that are also contained within each of the odd characters that join - it appears that many, if not all, of the people are desparately bored, insecure, lonely and looking for a quick and easy fix to their lifes varying problems, and probably it’s a relationship, a misguided solution, and it’s here that all the interchanging desires between the group begin.

It’s a familiar element turned on it’s head a little, usually in sitcoms a group of people are locked into being around one another and can’t escape, so their incompatability causes the situations from which the comedy derives. Here we have a group who have chosen to be around one another and yet have nowhere else to go, or they would rather be in this hell than in some other. Has been some time since it was on, wasn’t short lived because of unpopularity, and if anything this is one of Channel 4’s key shows of this decade - hugely popular and very much a ‘watercooler moment’ show. Annie Griffin has gone on to Write and Direct ‘Festival’ in 2005, a film based at the Edinburgh Festival’s Comedy Fringe, and it was the winner of Best Comedy Film at last years British Comedy Awards.

Now, not in a desire to scrape the barrel, but because more than ever the remaining UK film industry is aware that TV comedy is a breeding ground for good writing, and is increasingly recognised abroad as such, and because it’s comparatively low-budget to produce I suppose, more and more comedy films may come your way from the UK. Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse of ‘The Fast Show’ have shown interest in following the success of a film like ‘Shaun of the Dead’ which turned ‘Spaced’ into a major international export, by making a film possibly based on one or more old characters or something new. Now, Andrew Davies, known for book adaptations, but also the man behind classic original comedy ‘A Very Perculiar Practice’ and 90’s lads comedy ‘Game On’ is penning a film based on Annie Griffin’s ‘Book Group’. Could be superb.

‘The Book Group’ Series 1 on R2 UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk.
‘The Book Group’ Series 2 on R2 UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk.
‘Festival’ by Annie Griffin on R2 UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk.
‘The Book Group’ Online Chat Transcript from 2002.

‘The Book Group’ at IMDB.

‘A Very Perculiar Practice’ by Andrew Davies (1986) on R2 UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk.
‘Game on’ by Andrew Davies (1995 - 1998) Complete Series 1-3 on R2 UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk.

Well, this is too bad. In Singapore, Jet Li’s Fearless became the first Chinese New Year movie to be given a NC-16 rating on account of the violent content of the film. No one under the age of 16 is permitted to see the film in cinemas. And it isn’t like you can sneak into the theatre either as identity cards are checked before a person can enter the cinema. Rough. 

A Buena Vista International spokesman told The New Paper: ‘We were not expecting such a rating as Fearless actually has a positive message for teenagers - that violence is not the key to solving problems. We thought it would get a PG rating.’ Director Ronnie Yu said, ‘I felt that with the troubling number of disaffected youth in China today and with the run-up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, now was a good time to examine the concept of sportsmanship. It is a martial arts film about the futility of violence… I want young people to come out of the theatre feeling seven feet tall, not because they’ve just seen someone beat somebody up, but because they have just seen someone refrain from killing.’

So part of the one group that Jet Li is trying to reach out to the most isn’t able to see the film with the message he is trying to reach them with.

The official website for the Spanish made-for-TV horror hexalogy 6 Films to Keep You Awake (6 películas para no dormir) is online, although at present it’s just a home page. The six movies in this Filmax International (Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales S.A.) production are as follows:

The Baby’s Room (La habitación del hijo): directed by Álex de la Iglesia; screenplay by Álex de la Iglesia and Jorge Guerricaechevarría; starring Javier Gutiérrez as Juan, Leonor Watling as Sonia, Sancho Gracia as Domingo, María Asquerino as Anciana, Antonio Dechent as Fernández, Manuel Tallafé as García, Terele Pávez as Domingo’s wife, Asunción Balaguer as Anciana 2, and Eulàlia Ramon as Teresa. Synopsis: “A couple with a recently born child arrive at their new home. It is a wonderful old house that has been completely renovated and the ideal place to start life as a family. The couple go to bed after a tiring day. ¶ Before going to bed, the couple go and check the child monitor that has been installed in the baby’s bedroom. It is the very latest model. Not only does it allow you to listen in while the baby is sleeping, it lets you watch the baby as well.... ¶ They will soon discover that there is someone else living in this house, someone whose presence can be felt every night, right beside their baby’s cradle....” Official webpage. Poster (24 KB JPEG).

Blame (La culpa): directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (a.k.a. Chicho Ibáñez-Serrador); starring Nieve De Medina as Ana, Montse Mostaza as Gloria, Asunción Díaz as Consuelo, Alejandra Lorenzo as Vicky, Mariana Cordero as Teresa, and Cristina Perales as Julia. Synopsis: “Ana, a gynaecologist, invites Gloria, a nurse and friend from the hospital, and Gloria’s daughter Vicky, to come and live with her. The nurse who used to help Ana in her private clinic has moved on, so Gloria will be the new assistant. It seems like a reasonable arrangement. ¶ The house, a section of which is used as a private clinic, is light, cheerful and peaceful. But there is something sinister alive in there. ¶ Once she has moved in, Ana reveals to Gloria that her private practice is in fact an abortion clinic. ¶ A clinic where truth, pain, life and death all intermingle. A clinic in which the patients and doctors are never truly alone. They are always dragging their pasts behind them… towards the room upstairs.” Official webpage. Poster (24 KB JPEG).

Continue Reading "6 Films to Keep You Awake horror hexalogy: Álex de la Iglesia’s THE BABY’S ROOM, Narciso Ibáñez S"...

There’s a downloadable promo trailer for Alejandro Toledo’s Holy Shroud: The Crusader on the page for the movie on Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales S.A.’s Filmax International website. Below is a synopsis for the movie from that page.

After years of fighting for peace, the greatest warrior of his time, The Crusader, respected by allies and enemies alike for his courage and charm, is entrusted with a mission: to bring the Holy Shroud safely to the Pope in Rome in order to restore peace across the world. But to do this, he must overcome a series of challenges and obstacles that only the bravest of heroes could possibly survive.

As he travels across oceans and deserts, mountains and cities, desperately trying to complete his mission, The Crusader is helped by an enigmatic Arab diplomat and a seductive lady with a mysterious past....

And everywhere he turns, The Crusader encounters relentless dark forces prepared to do anything and everything to thwart him and ensure that peace does not prevail.

A race against time. An adventure across continents. A desperate struggle for peace.

Holy Shroud: The Crusader promo trailer (downloadable 5 MB MOV file)

Filmax International: Holy Shroud: The Crusader

Somebody out there must have a personal grudge with John Fawcett. It’s the only thing that explains the fact that his latest film, The Dark, is going straight to video. I mean, come on ... all the advance buzz is good, it’s got a director with a loyal cult following thanks to Ginger Snaps, it’s got a great cast in Sean Bean and Maria Bello, and the footage is just gorgeous. With all the sub-par junk that makes it on to theater screens you’d think they’d find room for something like this, but no ...

I suppose the first clue that all was not well should have been that the trailer existed only in a dubbed German form. If they can’t even bother to put out an English trailer and treat the film right, why would they bother to release it ... sigh ... DVD hits in April. [source: Arrow in the Head]

The Dark Trailer (dubbed German, downloadable Quicktime)