Korean Film Festival
This weekend, Metro Cinema presents seven films from Korea, a country that has produced several of my favorite films in recent years. I'm planning to see all but one, which I have on DVD. I hope to see you there.
The films include:
King and Clown (2005), a period piece about a ruthless tyrant who pardons a couple of clowns on condition they can make him laugh. It has good buzz, was the biggest box-office grosser in Korea before The Host, and has been banned in China due to its gay subtext. My anticipation level is high.
Forbidden Quest (2008) is Kim Dae-woo's follow-up to Untold Scandal (2004), my favorite version of Dangerous Liasons. It concerns a writer of erotic fiction who receives unexpected success among the nobility. The IMDB score is not so high, but my anticipation level is moderate, since I liked Kim's previous film and love sexy period dramas.
Christmas in August (1998) is a title I've seen several times, but I am unfamiliar with the director's work. I have seen the lead actor, Han Suk-kyu in a few other films and like him. The synopsis makes this sound like a sad and possibly eccentric love story, so I'm game. Anticipation is moderate to high.
Secret Sunshine (2008) is Lee Chang-dong's most recent film. He's my favorite Korean director, in large part because of Oasis (2002), but also because of his earlier pictures, Green Fish (1997) and Peppermint Candy (1999). It's a good study of a woman's new life with her son after moving to her late husband's hometown. Not my favorite of Lee's movies, but I recommend it for, among other things, another excellent performance by Kong Sang-ho.
Like a Virgin (2006) looks like a dramedy about a short, chubby teenag boy who enters a wrestling competition to win money for a sex-change operation. I've enjoyed several offbeat comedies from Korea, so I'm hopeful this one stands up. Moderate expectations.
Bunt (2007) doesn't have many listings outside of festival brochures, but it looks like a feel-good story about a developmentally disabled boy who finds acceptance on a baseball team after they discover his singular talent. Koreans love their baseball, and I'll go into this one buoyed by fond memories of YMCA Baseball Team (2002) and Attack the Gas Station (1999).
The Show Must Go On (2007) features Song Kang-ho as a gangster dealing with rival gangs, incompetent underlings, and the pressures of family life. I'd watch Deal or No Deal if Song were the host. Anticipation high.
Epitaph (2007) is a horror triptych set in a snowbound hospital in the 1950s. Directed by a pair of Park Chan-wook's crew, this one is as exciting to me as a film directed by Stan Winston, which is to say, anticipation moderate, and I expect some good effects.
The films include:
King and Clown (2005), a period piece about a ruthless tyrant who pardons a couple of clowns on condition they can make him laugh. It has good buzz, was the biggest box-office grosser in Korea before The Host, and has been banned in China due to its gay subtext. My anticipation level is high.
Forbidden Quest (2008) is Kim Dae-woo's follow-up to Untold Scandal (2004), my favorite version of Dangerous Liasons. It concerns a writer of erotic fiction who receives unexpected success among the nobility. The IMDB score is not so high, but my anticipation level is moderate, since I liked Kim's previous film and love sexy period dramas.
Christmas in August (1998) is a title I've seen several times, but I am unfamiliar with the director's work. I have seen the lead actor, Han Suk-kyu in a few other films and like him. The synopsis makes this sound like a sad and possibly eccentric love story, so I'm game. Anticipation is moderate to high.
Secret Sunshine (2008) is Lee Chang-dong's most recent film. He's my favorite Korean director, in large part because of Oasis (2002), but also because of his earlier pictures, Green Fish (1997) and Peppermint Candy (1999). It's a good study of a woman's new life with her son after moving to her late husband's hometown. Not my favorite of Lee's movies, but I recommend it for, among other things, another excellent performance by Kong Sang-ho.
Like a Virgin (2006) looks like a dramedy about a short, chubby teenag boy who enters a wrestling competition to win money for a sex-change operation. I've enjoyed several offbeat comedies from Korea, so I'm hopeful this one stands up. Moderate expectations.
Bunt (2007) doesn't have many listings outside of festival brochures, but it looks like a feel-good story about a developmentally disabled boy who finds acceptance on a baseball team after they discover his singular talent. Koreans love their baseball, and I'll go into this one buoyed by fond memories of YMCA Baseball Team (2002) and Attack the Gas Station (1999).
The Show Must Go On (2007) features Song Kang-ho as a gangster dealing with rival gangs, incompetent underlings, and the pressures of family life. I'd watch Deal or No Deal if Song were the host. Anticipation high.
Epitaph (2007) is a horror triptych set in a snowbound hospital in the 1950s. Directed by a pair of Park Chan-wook's crew, this one is as exciting to me as a film directed by Stan Winston, which is to say, anticipation moderate, and I expect some good effects.