It was not so long ago that writing an article on queer cinema in Korea was a real struggle, for want of source material. Adam Hartzell does an excellent job in his 2002 Film Journal article Queer Pal for the Straight Gal, referencing films such as Wanee and Junah, Bungee Jump, Memento Mori and others. … [Read More]
Category: Film reviews and comment (page 18)
The President’s Barber – an awkward film that’s difficult to categorise
Lim Chan-sang’s The President’s Barber (효자동 이발사, 2004) was the first KCC screening of 2013, in which we will be seeing films featuring four actors each of who will be coming to London for a Q&A. The first three months feature Moon So-ri, who will be in London for a screening of Hong Sang-soo’s Hahaha … [Read More]
Thousand Years Old Fox (천년호, 1969) review: gumiho myth and classic Korean horror
Ultimately as important as it is enjoyable, Thousand Years Old Fox takes a ‘classic horror’ tack in its depiction of a disembodied gumiho spirit taking possession of a human body to exact revenge; standing almost as a bridge between standard Asian ghost/evil spirit horror tales and the gumiho horror-romances that would eventually follow. [Read More]
Stoker: not one of Park’s best, but definitely worth a look
Kim Ji-woon’s Hollywood debut, The Last Stand, created virtually no buzz and vanished from London screens within a couple of weeks of opening. Stoker, having created some positive vibes at Sundance, played to a packed house at a preview screening at the BFI on 27 February before it has its main UK opening on 1 … [Read More]
Neighbors (이웃사람, 2012) review: guilt, communal apathy and genre confusion in a serial killer drama
While Korean cinema is well known for its deft ability to merge genres, in ‘Neighbors’ their mixing with a multitude of individual character stories results in a film that, though interesting and well-acted, feels rather cluttered and even schizophrenic on more than one occasion. [Read More]
A Company Man (회사원, 2012) review: of hierarchies and hitmen
Superbly choreographed, perfectly realised action/fight sequences ultimately cannot hide A Company Man’s narrative predictability and though director Lim Sang-yoon should indeed for credited for attempting a critique of company hierarchy, work ethics and expected loyalty, this dissection feels somewhat underwhelming. [Read More]
The Road (길, 2006) review: past wounds and quiet healing
Bae Chang-ho’s scenic road movie follows a blacksmith and a troubled young girl whose chance meeting leads to a shared walk and an emotional reckoning. A physical journey on foot to a specific geographical destination soon becomes a journey of the heart, mind and soul in search of an inner place of peace. [Read More]
The Taste of Money (돈의 맛, 2012) review: power, sex and emotional emptiness
While Im Sang-soo’s The Taste of Money’s narrative is without question an interesting concept in its extension of a subject previously dissected in his Housemaid remake, by the very nature of the characters portrayed it was always going to risk falling flat emotionally. And fall flat The Taste of Money does. [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 Uninvited / Table for 4 (4인용식탁, 2003) review: a haunting exploration of real-life horror and family secrets
Ominous, brooding and foreboding throughout, The Uninvited/Table for 4 centres on horrors, atrocities and tragedies based in reality and, as such, is far more powerful, worthy and indeed horrifying than the majority of New Korean Cinema wave vengeful ghost-fests ever could be. [Read More]
Eungyo aka A Muse (은교, 2012) review: aging, loneliness, and the pursuit of a muse
Eungyo is, on the surface, the story of a controversial relationship between a 70-year-old man and a high school girl, but ultimately provides a moving dissection of age and loneliness that deserves to be described as more than simply an ‘erotic thriller’, though both thrilling and erotic it is. [Read More]
Song Hae-sung: A Better Tomorrow – not worth the time
I have a huge admiration for Alua at Otherwhere and Colette at Oriental Nightmares for dedicating the time and energy to writing reviews of Song Hae-seong’s remake of the classic A Better Tomorrow. I only had the enthusiasm to stay for the first half hour (which I found confusing and uninteresting) before deciding my time … [Read More]
The London Korean Links Awards 2012
The seventh eclectic and highly personal commemoration of the best of the past year. Personality of the Year Runner up There were plenty of personalities in the South Korean Olympic team, particularly the pistol shooters, archers and the gymnasts. But the athlete that everyone will remember is fencer Shin A-lam, cheated out of a place … [Read More]
Pieta (피에타, 2012) review: violence, abandonment and redemption on the margins of society
With Pieta, Kim Ki-duk has created a searing dramatic thriller set on the very cusp of society adding in copious social commentary, in the process. A film that is both worthy of his talent and utterly deserving of the numerous accolades it has received. [Read More]
A Werewolf Boy (늑대소년, 2012) review: tender emotion, predictable path
A Werewolf Boy blends romance, fantasy and Korean melodrama into a warm, gently told story of love and otherness. While beautifully shot and anchored by strong performances, its familiar themes and uneven characterisation prevent it from fully transcending genre conventions, making the film more sweet than truly heartbreaking. [Read More]
The Concubine (후궁: 제왕의 첩, 2012) review: power, desire and matriarchal control in Joseon Korea
A sumptuous and erotically-charged period drama, both visually and in terms of narrative content, and playing with themes of patriarchy and a domineering mother as well as a volatile love triangle, ‘The Concubine’ is every bit as gripping as it is intricate; as involving as it is involved. [Read More]