South Korean Movie Reviews »
Arahan (2004) Movie Review
Have you noticed that in Korean comedies the main characters (usually the male) tend to give the impression that he is, shall we say, not “all there”? Take, for example, the hero of “My...
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Samaria (aka Samaritan Girl, 2004) Movie Review
In addition to Chan-wook Park (“Old Boy”), South Korea has one of the most talented directors working in cinema today in Ki-duk Kim. Like his fellow countryman, Kim’s films are raw, emotional and uncompromising,...
Read More »Dead Friend (aka The Ghost, 2004) Movie Review
If you’re not too hung up on originality, “The Ghost” isn’t too much a waste of time. Oh sure, it’s yet another Dark Hair Ghost Story, where the ghost at hand is a vengeful...
Read More »Old Boy (2003) Movie Review
Chan-Wook Park’s “Oldboy” comes to us on a wave of expectation, having garnered a series of high profile accolades at film festivals around the world, including the Grand Prix at Cannes and several of...
Read More »Face (2004) Movie Review
Dark Hair Ghost Stories from Asia are a dime a dozen nowadays. If you threw a pebble at the continent, you’d probably hit 10 films in the genre on the first thud. Really, it’s...
Read More »The Big Swindle (2004) Movie Review
To give credit where credit is due, first-time writer/director Dong-hun Choi certainly knows where he’s going and how to get there with his caper film “The Big Swindle”. Oh sure, the movie is highly...
Read More »Clementine (2004) Movie Review
In terms of Korean cinema, you’d call “Clementine” a B-movie. In any case, it’s certainly not a very good movie, and perhaps that has more to do with the hackneyed script than it does...
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Mokpo Harbor, Gangster’s Paradise (2004) Movie Review
“Mokpo Harbor, Gangster’s Paradise” is a Korean Gangster Comedy, so right away there are certain things you can expect. As with the “My Wife is a Gangster” films and various others, 90% of the...
Read More »Jakarta (2000) Movie Review
Cho Sin Jung’s “Jakarta” is a good way to spend 90 minutes — that is, if one has 90 minutes to waste. It’s the kind of movie that requires an audience to, as the...
Read More »H (2002) Movie Review
The secret to a successful thriller is simple: an involving storyline for the audience to be sucked in by and involving characters to take the audience through that story. Mood and atmosphere will only...
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Crazy Marriage (2002) Movie Review
Apparently being a part-time college professor in South Korea is not nearly as prestigious as you would think. The main character in Ha Yu’s “Crazy Marriage” (aka “Marriage is a Crazy Thing”) is Joon-young...
Read More »Ring Virus (1999) Movie Review
Fans of the Naomi Watts horror film “The Ring” may be surprise to learn that the US remake wasn’t the first attempt at redoing the story. It was remade in South Korea in 1999,...
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Mr. Handy (aka Mr. Hong, 2004) Movie Review
If you’ve seen your share of South Korean comedies in the last few years, you might be wondering if the industry has stopped making adult comedies altogether. With the likes of “Sex is Zero”...
Read More »Bloody Beach (2000) Movie Review
If you were wondering if director In Soo Kim and his five writers (count’em, five) patterned their Teen Slasher “Bloody Beach” after their American counterparts, all you need to do is watch what happens...
Read More »The Record (2000) Movie Review
It’s been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, then the makers of “The Record” must adore “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. But while the South...
Read More »Spirit of Jeet Keun Do (aka Once Upon a Time in High School, 2004) Movie Review
I must confess that in middle school I got into too many fights and in high school I spent most of my time sleeping in class or reading the history of Jesse James and...
Read More »Live or Die (2003) Movie Review
Anyone looking for an excellent reason to die young should immediately rush out and buy this waste of a DVD. Although billed as an action/comedy, is has little action and the only laughs are...
Read More »Comrade (aka Double Agent, 2003) Movie Review
The words “double agent” and “espionage” conjure up exciting images, especially when being used to describe a movie. It’s sad that this Korean import doesn’t live up to those expectations. By choosing to focus...
Read More »Spy Girl (2004) Movie Review
Although it opens with the main character doing his “business” in a bathroom stall, Han-chun Park’s “Spy Girl” is actually not another “Sex is Zero”. Oh sure, the film indulges in bathroom humor about...
Read More »Slave Love (aka 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant, 2004) Movie Review
Actress Ji-won Ha played the straight man in the gross-out comedy “Sex is Zero” and an adult in the horror film “Phone”. And apparently she’s tired of playing it straight, which may explain why...
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