Articles in South Korean Movie Reviews
APT aka Apartment (2006) Movie Review
There isn’t really a whole lot of reasons to watch Byeong-ki Ahn’s “APT”, as the director has made the exact same movie at least 3 times now, counting among them “Nightmare”, “Phone”, and “Bunshinsaba” — all films about vengeful female ghosts bent on haunting the hell out of a poor innocent heroine unless our heroine [...]
August 15th, 2006 | Nix | 0 Comments | Read MoreHanbando (2006) Movie Review
I had my doubts about “Hanbando” from the very beginning. It was clearly a nationalistic film, the sort of patriotic movie that exploits a very current situation in order to grab an audience. In this case, the issue is the continuing confrontation between South Korea and Japan [...]
August 13th, 2006 | Eric Choi | 1 Comment | Read MoreThe Host (2006) Movie Review
Finally, a movie that is so refreshingly entertaining that it puts most blockbusters to shame. “The Host” is the new film by director Bong Joon-Ho (”Memories of Murder”), and besides being one of the best films I’ve seen all year, it deserves all the attention it is receiving, and more. The host of the title [...]
August 11th, 2006 | Eric Choi | 1 Comment | Read MoreGagman (1989) Movie Review
“Gagman” was the debut feature by Korean director Lee Myung Se, best known for “Nowhere to Hide” and “Duelist”, now finally released on DVD. Lee’s works have a tendency to divide critics, as many are arguably exercises of style over substance, being more concerned with the cinematic form than a coherent narrative. In this respect [...]
July 28th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreTyphoon (2005) Movie Review
“Typhoon”, the latest effort from “Friend” director Kwak Gyeong Taek, was very much a flagship release for the domestic South Korean market, having the highest budget in the nation’s history and having been shot on various locations, including Pusan, Thailand, and Russia with a partly international cast. Unfortunately, despite being a deeply personal and uniquely [...]
July 12th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreVampire Cop Ricky (2006) Movie Review
Every once in a while, a film comes along with a premise that is simply astounding in its brilliance. The Korean “Vampire Cop Ricky”, which follows a useless, corrupt policeman who turns into a vampire whenever he gets an erection, is one such film. Amazingly, director Lee Si Myung (also responsible for “2009: Lost Memories”) [...]
May 23rd, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreHoliday (2006) Movie Review
“Holiday ” is based upon an actual incident whose roots lie in the Korean government’s preparations for the 1988 Olympics, which saw them destroy countless neighbourhoods to make way for new developments in order to impress foreign visitors. In most cases, these neighbourhoods were squatter settlements whose inhabitants were forcibly cast onto the streets. This [...]
May 16th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreShadowless Sword (2005) Movie Review
In 2000, director Kim Young-jun wowed and befuddled viewers and critics alike with “Bichunmoo”, a swordplay movie with a ton of action but an undecipherable storyline. Kim’s follow-up, 2005’s “Shadowless Sword”, fairs much better in the screenplay department, in that you can actually follow the film’s plot threads, and there’s certainly more than enough action [...]
April 17th, 2006 | Nix | 6 Comments | Read MoreRunning Wild (2006) Movie Review
“Running Wild” marks the debut of Korean director Kim Sung Soo, apparently the prot’g’ of ‘Mr. Vengeance’ himself, Park Chan Wook (director of “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” and “Old Boy”). Thankfully “Running Wild” is not simply a retread of Park’s own work, and though Kim has somewhat unfortunately chosen to add yet another to the [...]
April 13th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read MoreThe Unforgiven (2005) Movie Review
“The Unforgiven” marks the debut of Korean director Yoon Jong-bin in impressive fashion, having won several awards at the 2005 Pusan Film Festival, including the FIPRESCI and NETPAC prizes. What is most remarkable about this feat is the fact that the film is actually the director’s feature-length graduation thesis, made while completing his university studies. [...]
February 27th, 2006 | James Mudge | 0 Comments | Read More
nothing they payed fox.... 
OMG!!!! 
