With news of Kim Ji-Woon’s 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) going past the 5 million tickets sold and still making its makers nervous (needs at least 7 million to break even, and it’s lost its pole position last week already), this could feel like adjustments to a catering report, but not when we’re talking of Hong Sang-Soo. His latest 밤과 낮 (Night and Day) had a good festival run, but an almost indecent domestic performance, even considering Hong’s past - his most successful film is in the very low six figures. This might have been the spark, then, who made director Hong opt for a ultra-low budget (under 100 Million won), HD base for his next work, tentatively titled 잘 알지도 못하면서 (You Don’t Even Know).

Even the cast is made of Hong regulars, who will surely have agreed to work for a no-guarantee clause: we have Eom Ji-Won from 극장전 (Tale of Cinema), Kim Tae-Woo from 해변의 여인 (Woman on the Beach) and 여자는 남자의 미래다 (Woman is the Future of Man), and even Go Hyun-Jung, who will have a cameo in the film. Story tells of film director Gyeong-Nam (Kim), who is invited to Jecheon to take part in the jury of the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival. There he meets programmer Hyeon-Hee (Eom), and later going to Jeju for a lecture, he ends up meeting the wife of one of his colleagues, played by Go Hyun-Jung. Film will shoot in Jecheon until August 15, and then stay in Jeju Island until early September.

[Yeonhap News]

Anyone even remotely acquainted with historical epics on CCTV will certainly know the name Hu Mei. She’s responsible for some of the most popular and best shows of the last decade, particularly 2005’s masterpiece 汉武大帝 (Han Wu the Great) with Chen Baoguo and 雍正王朝 (The Yongzheng Dynasty) with Tang Guoqiang. Her dramas tend to be madly creative, especially in the visuals department (although that also brings the occasional mishap, especially in terms of editing), and with the kind of panache that would make Shakespeare fans fall in love. Her last year or so has been quite a tumultuous succession of events, what with her departure from the 2008 TV version of the famous 红楼梦 (Dreams of the Red Chamber), and her announcement that she’d helm a film version of the story.

But it seems Hu will first concentrate on a new epic historical drama on the big screen, centered on the life of the great sage, Confucius himself. The film, which starts shooting this September, is currently undergoing auditions for the main role. The press asked Hui if Tony Leung was ever considered as a candidate, but Hu will try to stay true to history and cast a larger, more imposing actor in the role. Preliminary budget is set for 150 million yuan (roughly US$ 21 million), and script will be handled by Chen Han, who also worked on John Woo’s 赤壁 (Red Cliff). Hu was apparently preparing a 60 episode drama on the subject already, when the offer to direct the story on the big screen came. This will officially mark her debut in the film scene (despite having worked in the industry already), but one shouldn’t forget she’s part of the “Fifth Generation,” graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in the early 80s along with Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang. Film will release on October 2009.

[Yinsha] [CRI Online]

Divine? Well, I don’t know, but it looks pretty badass all right.

While on TV they’re flourishing (at least technically), sageuk on the big screen have mostly met with sour grapes, after a string of adaptations from Kim Tak-Hwan novels were handed the short end of the stick, thanks to the funding problems that are hitting Chungmuro as of late. After last year’s underrated, girl power-drenched 궁녀 (Shadows in the Palace), a few other works are shooting or in their pre-production stage right now, including a Sageuk comedy starring Kim Ok-Bin and Lee Jung-Jae directed by Yeo Gyun-Dong, and particularly 절정 (The Summit), a stylish sageuk from Jeong Beom-Shik, one half of the Jung Brothers who brought us the wonderful 기담 (Epitaph). But the one likely to make the biggest noise, at least short term, is director Kim Yoo-Jin’s 신기전 (The Divine Weapon).

A quick look at the dialogue displayed on screen, and it’s a Kang Woo-Suk production all right. Which means spectacle will be there, but you can bet it will be controversial and quite on the flag-waving side, especially if you look at what Ming-clothed Jung Sung-Mo has to say on behalf of the Emperor ("Insolent Joseon, heed my words. I shall lead an army to destroy you"). I bet Ming historians will have a field day with that. Still, it has a very good cast, a director who can certainly handle this material, the super talents of art director Min Eon-Ok and one of the most interesting periods of Korean history at its core. Film releases on September 4, trailer is below the break.

Continue Reading "Divine Trailer for 신기전 (The Divine Weapon)"...

Add another Korean actor to the list of those joining Hollywood. After Rain, Lee Byung-Heon, Kim Yoon-Jin, Song Hye-Gyo, Jeon Ji-Hyun, Gu Hye-Seon and Co., Kang Hye-Jung of 올드보이 (Oldboy) and 웰컴 투 동막골 (Welcome to Dongmakgol) will make her Hollywood debut in the rom-com Wedding Palace, alongside Korean-American actor Brian Tee. The film tells the story of an an American man and a Korean woman dating, overcoming their cultural differences and eventually marrying, and marks the debut of Korean American Christine Yu, who had been mostly writing screenplays in Hollywood up to now, including the TV series Afro Samurai. Film will be produced by Tee himself, through his company TU Productions, and will start shooting from September in L.A., with a week of location shooting in Korea. Kang’s dialogue will be all in English, but the character’s broken English will be an interesting challenge to handle (unless, of course, they share the same problem, then it will be much easier I guess).

[Naver News]

It seems to be an obsession for Lee Joon-Ik, the maestro of cinematic pragmatism which brought us gems like 황산벌 (Once Upon a Time in the Battlefield), 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown) and 라디오 스타 (Radio Star). Giving a voice to those outside the mainstream, a sort of revenge of the losers pulsating at 24 frames per second. Right as his latest 님은 먼 곳에 (Sunny) is continuing Lee’s amazing streak passing the 1 million admissions mark (particularly considering all his films dance with conventions, but they swim upstream for what concerns their message), we’re finally getting the chance to see 즐거운 인생 (The Happy Life), a sort of companion piece to Radio Star.

The film had its fans and detractors, and even lost a little money, uncharacteristic for a post 2003 Lee project, but it always screamed good old fun, with a band of losers flushing their stress and everyday problems down the toilet through the only thing that puts a smile on their faces: music. If last year’s 브라보 마이 라이프 (Bravo My Life) disappointed you despite the top notch cast, this might be the answer. The reason it took so long to surface on DVD goes down to the same reason 색즉시공 2 (Sex is Zero 2) still hasn’t made it past its rental-only status: there was a lawsuit going on between Art Service (the DVD company) and the producers (CJ) because the latter aired the two films on its IPTV platform before the sales DVD was out. It all seems to be solved now, as the film is slated for a release on August 20. Film stars Lee’s “persona” Jung Jin-Young, the great Kim Yoon-Seok, and young up and comer Jang Geun-Seok.

You can preorder the 2-disc Special Edition DVD here, and you’ll find a trailer below the break. It’s very likely this will get a long review after 추격자 (The Chaser), but we’ll see what pops up in between first.

Continue Reading "Lee Joon-Ik’s 즐거운 인생 (The Happy Life) Finally on DVD"...

“Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”

Let’s say it’s a particularly rainy day, and you’re in the mood for existential silliness. What if Snow White had a beauty complex, tried to eat junk food to escape from the mental jowls of her predicament, and all the seven dwarfs were closet sociopaths waiting for the right moment to rape her? And telling they love her right after in passionate rage, of course. “Ha! It’s your beauty that raped me into oblivion, I shouldn’t be blamed!” They’re just horny fools after all, right? Eun-Young (Cha Su-Yeon) would be ecstatic if beauty really was in the eye of the beholder, but she’s denied such pleasure on a daily basis. Annoying schoolgirls stop her by the day, asking her if she’s some celebrity, maybe Jeon Ji-Hyun with acting skills and without silly Hollywood prospects, or something. The moment she gets home, she needs to face the mountain of flowers and letters coming her way, as if she was the second coming. Hell, even her best friend’s boyfriend feels like a wanderer in the desert every time he looks at her and compares, as if sipping the last few drops of water from his bottle while a truck full of Evian passes by. Life calls her beautiful, but when she closes that door she’s just alone, with the pressure that comes from not being considered a person, just a pretty toy, a pair of designer clothes with a few hundreds bones attached to it. And, admittedly, some flesh as well.

Continue Reading "[K-FILM REVIEWS] 아름답다 (Beautiful)"...

It started it all on 1977, October 18, for what would become a 16 year run (with a pause in between), and a total of 652 episodes. Some of the biggest stars, the most important writers and producers of today made their debut there, or established themselves through the franchise. 전설의 고향 (Hometown of Legends) was more than a simple way to cool off the summer heat with the usual dose of horror, it was a bonafide cultural phenomenon. After the late 1990s version ended with (deserved) complaints of silly CG and corny storytelling, horror almost disappeared from Korean TV for close to a decade, until now. The new version of Hometown of Legends continues KBS’ experiments with sageuk, which saw the elegant, low-key political struggles of 대왕세종 (Sejong the Great) open the dances, and the “Zorro in Joseon” b-movie extravaganza that is 최강칠우 (Strongest Chil Woo) give some energy to a dying genre.

But Hometown of Legends didn’t just bank on its traditional appeal, or the constantly changing sageuk landscape, as its cast and crew proves. Not only promising youngsters like Park Min-Young (photo), Park Ha-Seon or Kim Ha-Eun, but also established stars like Lee Min-Woo, Ahn Jae-Mo and Jae Hee, and sageuk veterans like Choi Su-Jong and Lee Deok-Hwa. Directed by Kwak Jung-Hwan of 한성별곡 正 (Conspiracy in the Court), trailer for the first installment to air on August 6 on KBS2, 구미호 (Fox with Nine Tails), is finally out. You can find it below the break.

Continue Reading "전설의 고향 (Hometown of Legends) Unveils its Fox with Nine Tails"...

It’s a jungle of imported saloon cars and stylish designer brands, a zoo for Korea’s nouveau riche; the place to be if you want to wildly speculate on real estate, with schools possessing the kind of clout that would get a shiny tag on your son’s curriculum vitae saying “I’m part of the game now.” But Gangnam also means a wild night life, theoretically throwing discrimination out of the window with its par condicio of host bars for men and women, straight or gay. Seung-Woo (Yoon Gye-Sang) has been in the game for a mere three months, but is already relishing all the benefits, still unaware of the price he’ll eventually have to pay.

His daily sessions begin with putting the finishing touches on his backswing, some shopping and the customary trip to a health’s club, before embarking on a night spent giving cheap pleasure and getting quick money, a lot of it, in return. But Seung-Woo is not just your average mortal from north of the river, trying to make a buck and eventually opting out of the jungle. His past of a well-off family fallen into a crisis has become a present full of questions he can’t really answer. His father is now dating a younger woman, his sister has become a hostess just like him, and actually introduced him to the game through her boyfriend Jae-Hyeon (Ha Jung-Woo). And, of course, all the complexes his past created are starting to get the better of him.

Continue Reading "[K-FILM REVIEWS] 비스티 보이즈 (The Moonlight of Seoul)"...

Can’t possibly call this good news, but the actors’ safety is always paramount, so it’s not so bad either. Recently, on the set of the upcoming KBS sageuk 천추태후 (Empress Cheonchu), veteran Chae Si-Ra injured herself falling from a horse during practice. Despite the injury Chae joined the script rehearsal session at the KBS headquarters in crutches, not to delay proceedings any further. But the injury would get the better of her on her way home, and tests revealed the fracture is more serious than they expected, forcing the star of 해신 (Emperor of the Sea) to eight weeks of complete rest. This puts the drama in a tricky position. Usually weekend historical dramas on KBS tend to take a good 4 months of headstart, to always find themselves shooting at least a month ahead of broadcast—the reason you tend to see exciting and elaborate battles almost only from that format is because it takes a very long time to shoot them, obviously. Most weekly dramas don’t have the luxury, with scripts often coming out a week before the shoot. But with two months of forced rest, it’s very likely the drama will have to be postponed.

The most likely scenario now is 대왕세종 (Sejong the Great) being extended a dozen episodes, perhaps until the end of the year. This wouldn’t be so bad, because the drama starring Kim Sang-Kyung spent way too long on its introductory phase, and will need to rush during the last twenty episodes, if it really wants to portray King Sejong’s reign effectively. Another option could be throwing a 16 episode miniseries in between, but there’s really no available substitute at the moment, unless KBS wants to break the “blood-line” that saw historical dramas on weekends become a tradition ever since the early 80s, albeit they changed station from KBS1 to KBS2 and even showed a dubbed Chinese sageuk in the middle. Still, PD Shin Chang-Seok says he will wait for Chae, so we’ll have just to wait and see as well. Empress Cheonchu is the long awaited return of the Goryeo series on KBS. It tells the story of Cheonchu, consort of King Gyeongjong; the political schemes that engulfed the Goryeo throne at the time, and the war with the Khitan led by legendary general Gang Gam-Chan. Produced by Shin Chang-Seok of 명성황후 (The Last Empress) and 무인시대 (The Age of Warriors), it’s written by Son Young-Mok of the forgotten (not by me!) gem 천둥소리 (Roll of Thunder), and is filled to the brim with sageuk veterans. Other than Chae, cast includes Choi Jae-Sung, Lee Deok-Hwa, Kim Suk-Hoon, Jung Jin, Shin Ae, Kim Myung-Soo, Im Hyeok, Kim Ho-Jin and more.

SOURCES
[Daum News], [Daum News]

Say Luc Besson and Korea in the same sentence, and you’d be likely reminded of all the pathos surrounding Korean theater chains’ decision to torture Besson’s The Fifth Element to pieces (less minutes, more screenings!) back in the day, and the French director’s subsequent reaction. But this time it looks like they’re working together. President Kim Gwang-Deok of Odyssey Pictures just announced they bought the film rights for Yoo Gwang-Soo’s acclaimed novel 진시황 프로젝트 (The Qin Shi Huang Project), set to become a 30 Billion won Korea-France coproduction. Kim commented that Besson and two other French companies are adapting the novel, and that a MOU will take place next month, with Besson to be invited in Korea shortly to make an announcement on the matter.

The novel, which won the highest honors at the first Korean New Wave Literary Awards, is partly based on the famous legend of Xu Fu, one of the court sorcerers of the Qin Dynasty’s First Emperor (the title’s Qin Shi Huang), sent by the emperor to find the elixir or eternal youth. It begins in the present with a series of mysterious murders taking place in Seoul, eventually involving the history of Korea, China and even Japan (Xu Fu’s legendary Penglai Mountain was considered to be Mt. Fuji, by Yichu of the Zhou Dynasty). It mixes history, suspense and action tinted with conspiracy theories in ways that strongly remind of The Da Vinci Code, which is probably why it’s attracting the French. Historical mystery novels have become enormously popular in Korea in recent years, especially Kim Tak-Hwan’s works (some of his novels were to be made into films, but the funding crisis of the last few years ruined most of those plans). Of the 30 Billion won budget, 70% would come from Korean investors, with France taking care of the rest. According to Kim, production will be handled by Besson’s own EuropaCorp, along with AJOZ Film of Bandidas. Despite claiming to be have retired, there are chances Besson might even direct the project himself, as Kim noted he showed strong interest. Film would obviously be in English, with two of the top roles expected to go to Korean actors.

SOURCES
[Joongang], [Hanguk Economy], [NewsEN]

What could happen if Goethe’s Faust, Bagdad Cafe’ and a wild machismo kitsch fantasy filled with mother-whore dichotomies clashed together? Quite likely something as insanely pretty as Go Eun-Gi’s 내 사랑 유리에 (My Love, Yurie). If calling a deserted gas station in the middle of an endless prairie “하늘 (more than simple sky, the 天/heaven flavor)” weren’t enough, the idyllic vision that captures young Dong-Ah’s imagination is a counter girl from the “Papa Motel,” who also happens to be a prostitute (surprise surprise). Her name is Young-Ja, Go Young-Ja, as corny and tempting a name as a trip down memory lane led by Yeom Bok-Sun in 영자의 전성시대 (Young-Ja’s Heydays). In forlorn places like these, it seems all a man needs in life are gas and whores, and enough imagination to fill in the blanks. But she couldn’t possibly be a mere whore to him. Young-Ja is like an angel selling her charms to pagans, a vision of perfection tainted by demons, enough to make him start calling her Yurie. Yurie, the mother and the saint, the personification of eternal love, the spark that lights up Dong-Ah’s emotional fireworks. And, well, since we’re there, his pants as well.

Continue Reading "[K-FILM REVIEWS] 내 사랑 유리에 (My Love, Yurie)"...

When you hear a director has been working for seven years on his film debut, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Don’t they all? When you hear he’s dreamed of becoming a director watching Hong Kong action films ever since his high school days, and tried to turn all those influences into a film, eh. Ryu Seung-Wan anyone? When you actually get to the trailer, and it looks this promising, then that’s another story. With the action kid (why am I calling someone older than me “kid?” Anyhow) soon to unveil his Manchurian Machismo Action Parody (?) 다찌마와 리 (Dachimawa Lee), you’d think it wouldn’t be so crappy if we got some more action coming from Korea. Lee Seong-Han’s upcoming 스페어 (Spare) could become a cross between 짝패 (The City of Violence) (as it’s lensed by Kim Young-Cheol just like Ryu’s film) and the rugged action concertos of 거칠마루 (Geochilmaru). What we know for sure is Kim Young-Cheol didn’t use any particular editing tricks nor special effects, it’s all bonafide action made of long shots and assorted degrees of pain. Which sounds just about right.

Cast is interesting, with young actors like Jung Woo and Im Joon-Il who starred in The City of Violence, eternal Ryu Seung-Wan regular Kim Soo-Hyun playing a ruthless loan shark, and former pro-boxer turned actor Koga Mitsuki from 魁!!クロマティ高校 (Cromartie High School). Indiestory plans to release the film on August 28, and we can only hope a DVD of this will eventually come out despite the very limited release. Below the break both the teaser and trailer.

Continue Reading "Got Some Action to 스페어 (Spare)?"...

It was a fixture of Korean TV ever since the late 70s, and it arguably became the spark that influenced all the 처녀귀신 (virgin ghost)-themed summer horror films. But the, well, legendary 전설의 고향 (Hometown of Legends) eventually fell prey to the constantly changing environment of Korean TV, and slowly disappeared along with the entire horror genre. There were tentatives to resurrect horror on TV, such as the hilariously campy 1994 Shim Eun-Ha “shocker” M, and a remake of the original “Legend” series in the late 90s, but they both didn’t quite live up to expectations. If you want to get pedantic, the genre did resurrect on Cable TV in recent years, but it’s mostly as an excuse to make quasi-softcore porn, with some scares thrown in the mix. Ironically, whereas the genre seems on its last legs on the film side, it’s coming back to Korean TV after almost a decade, with the new Hometown of Legends.

It could feel like a little out of place in 2008, particularly as we’re dealing with period dramas with a very traditional notion of horror (again, the virgin ghost, the goblin and the like), but it suddenly becomes interesting when you look at the cast & crew. The show is structured just like the old format: 8 self-contained stories, with different producers, writers, and cast. The most interesting of the 8 is certainly 구미호 (Fox with Nine Tails), produced by the insanely talented Kwak Jung-Hwan of last year’s 한성별곡 正 (Conspiracy in the Court). Among the list you can also find PD Lee Jung-Seop of 쾌도 홍길동 (Hong Gil Dong). The real interesting point is the cast: for a relatively low-profile show like this, Hometown of Legends is full of sageuk veterans and interesting youngsters. Just to name a few, Choi Su-Jong of 대조영 (Dae Jo Young), Lee Deok-Hwa, Ahn Jae-Mo, Kim Ha-Eun of Conspiracy in the Court, Ahn Seok-Hwan, Park Ha-Seon, Song Ok-Sook, Kim Jin-Tae, and more.

Teaser trailer below the break is rather teasing (and kind of corny), but it’s good to start. This might just become the surprise of the year, considering the talent involved. First story airs on August 6.

Continue Reading "Horror Comes Back to Korean TV with 전설의 고향 (Hometown of Legends)"...

It would be hard to call it a blessing in disguise, but beggars can’t be choosers. And, possibly, the first thing you can do in a period of crisis is pick up the broken pieces after the earthquake, salvage whatever was left intact and start anew. Among the many negatives this 2008 season brought to Chungmuro, the number 37 could become the lucky spark which restarts that process, that wave of creative energy which once produced some of the very best films in the world, and is now struggling to say anything of note. 37% is the domestic share Korean films recorded during the first half of 2008, as KOFIC recently reported. 26 million people saw the 50 Korean films released so far, making up for 35% of the total income. Only a few of those fifty films will end up breaking even, with perhaps only 추격자 (The Chaser) and 우리 생애 최고의 순간 (Forever the Moment) making any real money.

Yet, there’s another 37% which will make some people smile. It’s the growth International sales recorded compared to last year. Total income went up from 7.4 million US$ to over ten million, particularly with a 1,740% increase in North America and 18% in Asia, despite a sharp drop in European contracts. There’s obviously a reason for such impressive performance in the US and Canada, since it factors in the remake rights of The Chaser and 세븐 데이즈 (Seven Days), but it’s nonetheless a positive sign. Also positive, although expectedly so, was the first week on release for Kim Ji-Woon’s kimchi western 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 (The Good, The Bad, and The Weird), which just hit the three million admissions mark after seven days, as is expected to reach four million by this weekend. Right around this time, two years ago, people were experiencing a similarly phenomenal run by another blockbuster. But, strangely enough, this time the monster is being treated much more gently. What could the reason be?

Continue Reading "Kim Ji-Woon Talks 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 (The Good, The Bad, and The Weird)"...

The inseparable pack of cigarettes on one side, the burdensome emptiness of a blank page on the other, all the menacing sound of silence enveloping it; the pen next to it, bearing the pomp and circumstance, the weight of a sword ready to penetrate into that endless white. Like a war fought with one’s imagination, choosing where and how it will start, what will signal that long awaited, mentally draining end. The bittersweet aftertaste full of lights and shadows; a moment of relax, and the urge to start again, because as much as it pains you to go on, that thirst is what keeps you alive. Jung Ha-Yeon still writes dramas in that old “analogue” way, just like when he started writing plays in the 1960s. A thousand handwritten characters per page; twenty five, thirty pages per episode at most. Words catching fire, as if pens were an idrant pouring creative fuel on an inflammable surface. Forty long years, spent running after that elusive, mysterious fire fate only bestows upon the best.

Korean TV dramas have always been accompanied by that exacting moniker: 대중문화, culture for the masses. Although we’re dealing with the most drama-crazy nation on Earth, there’s nearly no critical discourse about this medium online or in print, unlike the rivers of ink spent over Chungmuro’s karmic trips. It’s in that sense that the work of Jung Ha-Yeon, particularly in the last decade, feels like a scimitar wading through an ocean of condescending mediocrity, showing what dramas can really achieve. But, on the other hand, only a tiny portion of Korean drama fans are willing to make that emotional and intellectual investment into something that shouldn’t always be a mere divertissement, sandwiched in between dinner and sleep. It all makes things like 달콤한 인생 (La Dolce Vita) feel like broken glasses of the most savory of wines, half of their flavor wasted on all the cracks of the system, slowly dripping away.

Continue Reading "[K-DRAMA REVIEWS] 달콤한 인생 (La Dolce Vita)"...