My Way, directed by Kang Je-gyu (Taegukgi) and with a pan Asian cast was the selected opening night film for the Terracotta Asian Film Festival. And whilst the top class cast of Jang Dong-gun (Taegukgi, Friend), Joe Odagiri (Azumi, Shinobi) and Fan Bingbing (Shaolin, Flashpoint) sounded very promising, I had heard from some of my … [Read More]
Category: Festivals (page 41)
Korean Film at the Terracotta Festival
The Terracotta Far East Film Festival gets more exciting every year. For K-film followers, there are four UK premieres plus two short horror films. And of course there’s plenty of non-Korean stuff as well. For those who come along to watch the double bill at the Korean Breakfast Club on Sunday morning, there will be … [Read More]
Arirang (아리랑, 2011) review: Kim Ki-duk in isolation, anger and self-reckoning
Arirang is a deeply personal search for catharsis from a director frozen by how he feels he’s been treated by the film industry and stands as an utterly unmissable example of his talent. To my mind, at its time of making Arirang was quite simply Kim Ki-duk’s best film to date. [Read More]
Booking is now open for the Terracotta Far East Film Festival
The Terracotta Far East Film Festival gets more exciting every year. For K-film followers, there are four UK premieres plus two short horror films. And of course there’s plenty of non-Korean stuff as well. For those who come along to watch the double bill at the Korean Breakfast Club on Sunday morning, there will be … [Read More]
Woochi: The Demon Slayer (전우치, 2009) review — witty wizardry across time
Numerous film genres blending seamlessly with top notch action, well-realised special effects and genuinely likeable characters add up to Woochi: The Demon Slayer being out and out spectacular entertainment from beginning to end. [Read More]
Night Fishing (파란만장, 2011) review: PARKing CHANce’s haunting iPhone short
Ignore the fact that Night Fishing was made using the iPhone4. Even if you took all the best elements from Park Chan-wook’s previous films, wrapped them up within a gripping narrative and added the beyond exemplary cast performances seen here, you still wouldn’t come even close to creating a film as astounding as this. [Read More]
SNSD members at London Fashion Week
Girl’s Generation members YoonA, Seohyun and Tiffany at London Fashion Week reduce “the crowd outside to hysterical shrieks”, says the Telegraph. http://t.co/qRXZoph3 [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival round-up and Ryu Seung-wan’s The Unjust
The 2011 London Korean Film Festival gave the London audience a chance to assess, and in my case reassess, the work of Ryu Seung-wan. Ryu has had several of his films released in the UK on DVD, but he is not as well-known to the viewing public as the likes of Park Chan-wook and Bong … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Blood, Sweat, Tears and Laughter – ‘Yellow Sea’ has it all
While on a visit to Korea, I once asked a wise, old-looking Korean how he would describe the spirit of the Korean people. My friend who was interpreting answered the question instead, to my initial annoyance, giving the answer ‘Fun’, which I found doubly disappointing given its apparent banality. Several years on, I am beginning … [Read More]
Ryoo Seung-wan interview: action, justice and laughter
Director Ryoo Seung-wan discusses The Unjust, corruption and justice in Korean cinema, evolving directorial style, acting influences, working with family, and future projects including The Berlin File. An engaging interview blending insight, humour, and candid reflection. [Read More]
Mark Morris on Lee Man-hee and the flowering of Korean film in the 1960s
Everybody in Britain has heard of Samsung computers or Hyundai cars. However, another aspect of South Korea today is its successful export of films, music and TV dramas to neighbouring countries, known as ‘Korean Wave’ or ‘Hallyu’. In order to get a Western perspective on Korean cinema, I visited the Korean Cultural Centre in London … [Read More]
A mixed review for Lee Man-hee, the classic film director for LKFF 2011
Most years, the London Korean Film Festival aims to include some classic films, usually from the 1960s, within its schedule. This is a valuable feature for UK cinemagoers, some of whom may be of the impression that Korean film started with Shiri. This year Lee Man-hee was featured, with two films: A Day Off and … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: why Dachimawa Lee is thoroughly groovy, and why I’m becoming a fan of Ryu Seung-wan
I have to confess that when I heard that Ryu Seung-wan was to be the featured director on the London Korean Film Festival 2011, my reaction was lukewarm. Of the films I had already seen, the silliness of Arahan did not endear the film to me, while seeing Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Hye-hyoung severely thrashed … [Read More]
‘War of the Arrows’ – Causing Death and Saving Lives
The opening gala of the London Korean Film Festival was a more rambunctious affair than I remember even last year’s being, due in no small part to the sudden and unexpected entrance of SHINee (I was lucky enough to be two rows behind them, but many who had specially booked seats I gather were incandescent … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Suicide Forecast
LKL ponders on how a surprisingly charming film on the difficult subject of suicide could have useful lessons for financial sector remuneration strategy and sales practices. [Read More]
Lee Yong-baek honours Paik Nam June at Venice Biennale
There’s an awful amount of twaddle on display in the country pavilions at the Venice Biennale. Probably the greatest amount of tosh was to be found in the Australian pavilion, which included a free-standing notice-board cast in resin, and where an empty plinth entitled Venus rising from the Waves was heard to elicit the understandable … [Read More]