Articles in South Korean Movie Reviews
Hanbando (2006) Movie Review #2
“Hanbando” proved to be one of the biggest box office draws of the summer in South Korea, pulling in more than 4 million viewers, no mean feat considering the film’s controversial subject matter and overtly political content, dealing with the country’s reunification in the face of an attempted present day Japanese economic takeover. Of course, [...]
November 16th, 2006 | James Mudge | 1 Comment | Read MoreCinderella (2006) Movie Review
The modern Asian ghost bandwagon rolls ever onward, with film makers reluctant to abandon the cinematic cash cow of the long haired female spectre. “Cinderella” is one of the most recent examples of the genre, the second feature from Korean director Bong Man Dae, marking somewhat of a departure from his debut, the erotic drama [...]
October 16th, 2006 | James Mudge | 2 Comments | Read MoreDasepo Naughty Girls (2006) Movie Review
Although “Dasepo Naughty Girls”, based upon a sexually explicit online comic called “Multi-Cell Girl”, to an extent marks a surprising change of direction for Korean helmer Lee Jae Yong, best known for dramas such as “Asako in Ruby Shoes” and “The Affair”, it can perhaps be seen as a continuation of his exploration of the [...]
October 13th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreTo Sir With Love (2006) Movie Review
The release of the Korean Summer horror blockbusters on DVD continues with “To Sir with Love” from director Im Dae Woong. Unsurprisingly, the film has nothing whatsoever to do with the 1967 Sidney Poitier classic of the same name, but is in fact a wonderfully vicious and twisted slice of mayhem which gives the genre [...]
October 12th, 2006 | James Mudge | 1 Comment | Read MoreLes Formidables (2006) Movie Review
It’s hard to imagine anyone getting overly enthusiastic about the Korean film “Les Formidables” after seeing the horribly generic DVD cover, which features two macho but pained looking men handcuffed together, one of whom is most likely a corrupt cop, and the other a strangely moral criminal. These two figures have become almost as ubiquitous [...]
September 16th, 2006 | James Mudge | 1 Comment | Read MoreA Bloody Aria (2006) Movie Review
“A Bloody Aria” is the latest film from Korean director Won Shin Yeon, who recently made his debut with the painfully earnest haunted thatch ghost film “The Wig”. His sophomore effort is a different prospect entirely, being a stripped down, brutal slice of tension, shot through with a nasty streak of dark humour and [...]
September 15th, 2006 | James Mudge | 1 Comment | Read MoreArang (2006) Movie Review
“Arang” is the first of the 2006 wave of Korean Summer horror blockbusters to be released on DVD. The film marks the debut of director Ahn Sang Hoon, who apparently spent several years preparing the production, which previously went under the title of “Line”. The film begins in less than promising fashion, with a couple [...]
September 7th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreOver the Border (2006) Movie Review
With DVD box art depicting its characters either staring longingly or howling with misery, “Over the Border” certainly sets expectations for glumness of the highest order. However, the film itself surprises by being a fairly frothy, though pleasingly human melodrama, that uses the Korean divide for soap opera shenanigans rather than the usual psychotic acts [...]
August 24th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreBloody Tie (2006) Movie Review
In recent years, the amoral policeman has become almost as common a motif in Korean cinema as the long haired female ghost. Despite this, many film makers seem to be harbouring the illusion that there is something original in satirising the establishment through depicting corrupt officials and drawing an explicit link between the behaviour of [...]
August 20th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreDaisy (2006) Movie Review
On paper, “Daisy” sounds like an Asian film fan’s dream come true, directed by “Infernal Affairs” co-helmer Andrew Lau and starring everybody’s favourite sassy girl, popular Korean actress Jeon Ji Hyun. Unfortunately, despite the talent involved, and the fact that the crew flew halfway around the world to shoot in Amsterdam [...]
August 17th, 2006 | James Mudge | 2 Comments | Read More
It looks like a dud. I saw the trailer. Tom is the only person speaking with an American news network ...
nothing they payed fox.... 
OMG!!!! 
