The Restless (2006) Movie Review

Dong-oh Jo’s “The Restless” is easily described as an earnest Korean version of Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s nonsensical “Legend of Zu”. Both films employ top-notch visual artists to render their fantasy elements, and the abundant action are orchestrated with high-flying...

May 22nd, 2007 | Read More

The Perfect Couple (aka The Best Romance, 2007) Movie Review

“The Perfect Couple” sees the return of Korean director Kim Jung Woo, who previously enjoyed success with his 2006 boxing comedy debut “Oh! My God”. Here, he again goes for a mix of genres, ambitiously attempting to combine elements of comedy, romance and police thriller into...

May 21st, 2007 | Read More

My Wife is a Gangster 3 (2006) Movie Review

“My Wife is a Gangster 3″ sees director Cho Jin Kyo returning to the popular Korean series, with Taiwanese actress Shu Qi taking over lead duties from original star Shin Eun Kyung and sparing viewers another non-performance from starlet Zhang Ziyi, who had previously been earmarked for the...

May 17th, 2007 | Read More

200 Pounds Beauty (2006) Movie Review

It is one of the great truths of cinema that fat suits are comedy gold, something which surely stands director Kim Yong Hwa’s “200 Pounds Beauty” in good stead from the start, as does the fact that it deals with the ever topical subject of plastic surgery and its place in modern Korea....

May 8th, 2007 | Read More

The Old Garden (2006) Movie Review

“The Old Garden” is the latest offering from controversial Korean director Lim Sang Soo, whose last film “The President’s Last Bang” ran into trouble with the censors for its satirical mix of fact and fiction in depicting events surrounding the 1979 assassination of former...

May 4th, 2007 | Read More

The Black Republic (1990) Movie Review

“Black Republic” is a re-release of one of the great films of modern Korean cinema from acclaimed director Park Kwang Su, a man known for his intellectually and politically charged works. The film was a major hit during its original run in 1990, winning the prestigious Best Film prize at...

April 27th, 2007 | Read More

Old Miss Diary: The Movie (2006) Movie Review

“Old Miss Diary: The Movie” sees the graduation of a popular Korean sitcom to the big screen, a risky move which often sees concepts that worked well in small doses flounder when played out at feature length. Thankfully, that proves not to be the case here, mainly since the film features...

April 25th, 2007 | Read More

Operation Makeover (aka Go Go Sister, 2007) Movie Review

“Operation Makeover” (a.k.a. “Project Makeover” and “Go Go Sister”) marks the directorial debut of Kim Chang Rae, who previously worked on the classic coming of age blockbuster “Friend”. Here, he bridges the generation gap in a very different fashion, with...

April 20th, 2007 | Read More

World of Silence (2006) Movie Review

“World of Silence” (a.k.a. “The Missing Girl”) sees the return of filmmaker Jo Eui Seok some five years after he made his debut with “Make it Big”. Although his comeback outing is ostensibly a detective thriller, “World of Silence” thankfully strays far...

April 17th, 2007 | Read More

The Forgotten Child: Shin Sung-Il Is Lost (2004) Movie Review

“The Forgotten Child: Shin Sung-Il is Lost” is the first film from director Jane Shin, and is quite possibly the strangest piece of cinema to have come from Korea in recent years. The film is a resolutely eccentric affair with definite cult appeal which has enjoyed a successful run at a variety...

April 11th, 2007 | Read More

Deep Blue Night (1985) Movie Review

“Deep Blue Night” is a welcome re-release of one of the key Korean films of the 1980s. The film was directed by Bae Chang Ho, one of the country’s top and most enduring talents, who has recently returned to form with “The Road”. Based on a novel by the acclaimed Korean writer...

April 5th, 2007 | Read More

The Road (2004) Movie Review

“The Road” sees the return of acclaimed Korean director Bae Chang Ho, who in the 1980s was responsible for a number of critical and commercial hits such as “Whale Hunting” and “Deep Blue Night”. Although he has been in the cinematic wilderness for some time, with his...

April 1st, 2007 | Read More

Sunflower (2006) Movie Review

The popularity of the melodramatic gangster film continues unabated in Korean cinema with “Sunflower”, the latest effort from director Kang Seok Beom, previously responsible for the comedy “Mr. Handy”. The main appeal of “Sunflower” is undoubtedly the star presence...

March 28th, 2007 | Read More

How the Lack of Love Affects Two Men (2006) Movie Review

Although Korean cinema is better known for its melodramas and gangster films, the country does produce a fair number of comedies, most of which tend to be very wacky affairs. Despite its odd title, which seems to suggest some kind of thoughtful emotional drama, “How the Lack of Love Affects Two...

March 27th, 2007 | Read More

Cruel Winter Blues (2006) Movie Review

Given that “Cruel Winter Blues” marks his directorial debut, it’s questionable why Lee Jeong Beom would want to add to the ever growing number of Korean gangster films. However, despite these initial misgivings, the film actually delivers a very different experience than might have...

March 22nd, 2007 | Read More

One Day Suddenly – 4 Horror Tales / February 29 (2006), Hidden Floor (2006), D-Day (2006), Dark Forest (2006) Movie Reviews

“One Day Suddenly” is a collection of four horror films put together and produced by top Korean genre director Ahn Byung Ki, the man who was himself responsible for terrifying audiences with the blockbuster hits “Phone”, “Bunshinsaba” and the recent “APT”....

March 13th, 2007 | Read More

Righteous Ties (2006) Movie Review

“Righteous Ties” is yet another in the long and seemingly endless line of Korean gangster films, this time with director Jang Jin attempting to put a fresh spin on the usual themes. Certainly he is one of the few directors likely to be able to do just that, having turned out a number of eccentric,...

February 27th, 2007 | Read More

Traces of Love (2006) Movie Review

“Traces of Love” is the latest work from Kim Dae Seung, arguably one of the more interesting directors working in modern Korean cinema, who was previously responsible for the unconventional “Bungee Jumping of Their Own” and the gritty thriller “Blood Rain”. With this,...

February 25th, 2007 | Read More

Maundy Thursday (aka Our Happy Time, 2006) Movie Review

“Maundy Thursday” is the latest outing for Song Hae Sung, a director known for affecting dramas such as “Rikidozan” and the excellent “Failan”. Based upon a famous novel by Korean writer Kong Ji Young, “Maundy Thursday” (aka “Our Happy Time”)...

February 3rd, 2007 | Read More

A Cruel Attendance (2006) Movie Review

“A Cruel Attendance” is the latest outing for actor Kim Su Ro, who last split viewers’ sides in the hilarious “Vampire Cop Ricky”, here turning his hand to the slightly more serious subject of kidnapping. Thankfully, debut director Kim Tae Yun (who previously worked on the...

January 30th, 2007 | Read More