The London East Asia Film Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Join them from 23rd October to 2nd November for an exciting lineup of films, events, and special programmes. Here’s the schedule of Korean screenings in the festival, followed by synopses of the Korean screenings and finally the official press release. Date / … [Read More]
Author: Yeon Sang-ho (연상호 1978-)
Selected publications by Yeon Sang-ho
- The Hellbound (지옥, 2019) tr Danny Lim, Dark Horse 2022
Upcoming literature and fiction titles for 2022
Last year was an amazing one for Korean literature in translation, with plenty of lively titles published. 2022 looks for the moment like it’s going to be a little quieter, but new publications sometimes pop out of nowhere, so this list of anticipated books for this year is almost bound to be proved incomplete. There … [Read More]
A review of the Korean cultural year 2021
Each year when I come to write this review, I wonder whether Korean culture in the West has reached its high water mark. And every year so far I’ve come to the same conclusion. Korean music and film, TV and food continue to win admirers, and we can expect to see it continue to thrive … [Read More]
Korean interest at the 2021 BFI London Film Festival
The announcement of the BFI Film Festival schedule is usually a cue for me to renew my BFI membership so that I get access to tickets a week before they go on general release. After the huge disappointment of 2020, when no room could be found in the schedule for any Korean movies, 2021 has … [Read More]
Movie review: Peninsula. Four years after Train to Busan, the zombies rule the streets…
We’re four years on from the zombie pandemic that ravaged the Korea that we saw in Train to Busan (2016). The port city proved to be no refuge from the rampaging menace, and the zombies took over the country. Some lucky few of the non-infected escaped by sea, but no country wanted to receive the … [Read More]
Peninsula (반도, 2020) review: a high-octane zombie heist lacking its predecessor’s heart
Peninsula largely fulfils the requisites for a blockbuster action/horror in a basic sense, but more depth to the narrative and more fully fledged characters rather than caricatures could have allowed it to step so much further towards the genre busting originality that drew so many of us to classic Korean cinema in the first place. [Read More]
Peninsula to get UK theatrical release
Well, the BFI London Film Festival wasn’t interested in any Korean films, but all credit to Frightfest for securing the zombie blockbuster Peninsula to open their festival on 22 October. Here’s the press release from the FrightFest website; UPDATE: unfortunately, since the festival has moved online-only as the pandemic situation has worsened, Peninsula will no … [Read More]
Psychokinesis (염력, 2018) review: superpowers, family and the shadow of Yongsan
While Psychokinesis initially appears to be a whimsical entry into the superhero genre, director Yeon Sang-ho is equally interested in telling a dramatic tale about family and the struggle of powerless individuals against corporate Korea. However, the film being inspired by the real-life Yongsan tragedy raises the question of where the balance between humour and drama should really lie [Read More]
A review of the London Korean year 2016
As is traditional at this time of year, we look back at some of the highlights of the London Korean Year. Exhibitions Is it my imagination, or was there less going on this year? Certainly from the perspective of contemporary art, we have been through a lull this year. With HADA Contemporary gone, Mokspace reborn … [Read More]
Train to Busan (부산행, 2016) review: zombies, corporate self-interest and a relentless ride
A father and daughter’s train journey becomes a fight for survival when a zombie outbreak erupts onboard. Combining ferocious, fast-moving undead with humour, emotional stakes and critiques of corporate selfishness, Train to Busan delivers white-knuckle intensity, crowd-pleasing thrills and a rare balance of spectacle and human drama. Miss it at your peril. [Read More]
Brief review: Train to Busan
What can you say about Train to Busan that hasn’t already been said? When everyone tells you it’s a fantastic thrill-ride you try to go into the screening with lowered expectations just in case everyone is delusional and you come away disappointed. No need to fear. It’s pretty much non-stop entertainment from start to finish, … [Read More]
Event news: Train to Busan is the final LKFF 2016 Teaser screening
The final LKFF Teaser screening before the official festival in November. It’s sure to be popular: Train to Busan (부산행) Director: Yeon Sang-ho. Starring: Gong Yoo, Kim Soo-an. South Korea 2016. 118 mins. Korean with English subtitles. Picturehouse Central, 6 October 2016, 7pm | Book here Eurostar was never like this. Noted South Korean animation … [Read More]
A look at the 2016 London Korean Film Festival programme
Oooh oooh oooh my favourite film of 2012, and in a shortlist for my film of the decade is being screened again. I thought it would never find its way back into a London theatre and that I’d never have the pleasure of seeing it again, because it’s not the sort of movie that they’re … [Read More]
King of Pigs (돼지의 왕, 2011) review: the cost of becoming a monster
Through fractured memories of brutal school bullying King of Pigs explores how rigid hierarchies, violence, and desperation shape identity. While the ideas of ‘violence begets violence’ are indeed inherent to the narrative, they really are just the tip of the iceberg within this dark, brooding and brutal dissection of humanity itself. [Read More]
The LKFF 2012 Programme
Here’s the schedule for the London Korean Film Festival 2012. And below the listing is the official press release to give you a flavour of the thinking behind the line-up. (All dates are November 2012). Thanks to Paul Quinn at Hangul Celluloid for doing a lot of the heavy lifting fishing out run times and … [Read More]
Event news: King of Pigs screens at the Genesis Cinema
For those who’ve already seen the two Im Kwon-taek films screening on Tuesday 23 October and want to get ahead on their LKFF viewing, Terracotta Touring Festival is showing King of Pigs at Stepney’s Genesis Cinema at 6:45 on 23 Oct. I’ll be there provided I can be sure I’m not going to be seeing … [Read More]