The Korea Society
As part of the New York Korean Film Festival, The Korea Society hosted an Aug. 28 documentary screening and panel discussion on the past, present and future of Korean cinema and the Korean wave cultural phenomenon, Hallyu, sweeping across Asia and the West.
"Cinema Korea," a documentary by Oscar-nominated director Christine Choy, combines talking head interviews with filmmakers and actors, archival footage of classic Korean films and an overview of national history and culture to contextualize its current popularity. The film dispels the notion that the golden age of Korean cinema began with Kwak Jae-young’s "My Sassy Girl" in 2001.
Continue reading “Surfing the Korean Wave” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Going by the Book (2007)
Courtesy photo
Heist movies can be a wellspring of creativity for talented screenwriters and directors ("Rififi," "Dog Day Afternoon," "Reservoir Dogs"). But without innovation, the conventions of set-up, heist, failed negotiations and foiled plans become stale and formulaic. Filmmaker Ra Hee-chan’s debut feature “Going by the Book” goes refreshingly high-concept in its attempt to offer all the commercial pleasures of the familiar heist premise with a slyly comic spin. Penned by Jang Jin, “Going by the Book” comes across at times as the breezier offspring of Johnny To’s one-track-minded "Mad Detective," with the hilarious genre satire of "Hot Fuzz."
Continue reading “It Takes a Thief, or a Cop Who Thinks Like One” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Epitaph (2007)
TLA Releasing
Since its release last year, “Epitaph” – directed by newcomers
the Jung Brothers – has screened at several film festivals and been
heralded by critics as the best Korean horror film since the 2003
masterpiece “A Tale of Two Sisters.” If the latter is true, it
surely says more about the floundering state of Asian horror than about
the quality of “Epitaph,” an overly-contrived and confusing anthology
film revived only by its gorgeous aesthetic sensibilities.
Continue reading “Ghosts in Residence at Korean Hospital” »
