The packed performance of The Host at Frightfest on Monday went down well. We were told by the organisers that we were watching the longest possible print. Whether that means there are cuts in other theatrical versions I don’t know. One of the things about The Host is that it’s generated a lot of noise … [Read More]
Category: Film reviews and comment (page 34)
Kim Ki-duk: the Coast Guard
While browsing Play.com over the weekend I noted an upcoming Tartan release: Kim Ki-duk’s neglected The Coast Guard. The title of the film, to a westerner, is somewhat misleading. In the peaceful west, a coast guard is something to do with lifeboats, or air-sea rescue. He sits in a lookout post all day scanning the … [Read More]
If you’re going to trash a film in a British newspaper…
… the least you can do is use British English. Mark Kermode’s strange review in the Observer of Fruit Chan’s full-length version of Dumplings (above) reveals a prissiness that I don’t expect of a reviewer. Cat III sleaze it is not. His comment raises the question of whether he has ever watched any Cat III … [Read More]
Festival film review: Love is a Crazy Thing (연애)
I dreamt last night that I was interviewed about my reactions upon seeing Love is a Crazy Thing (OH Seok-geun, 2005) which screened yesterday evening at the Korean Film festival 2006. Well, actually, it was more of a nightmare. This is how the interview went. CJ Entertainment: Did this film entertain you? Me: No Sorry? … [Read More]
Festival film Review: Lost in Love (사랑을 놓치다)
Dir: Chu Chang-min 2006. Stars: Sol Kyung-gu Thu 25 May 2006, 8:50pm, Prince Charles Cinema “Dull, dull, dull” is how I thought this review would read as I watched the first half of this film last night. It got better, but not much. This is a story about a non-relationship. There were some great observations … [Read More]
Festival film Review: Princess Aurora (오로라 공주) (18)
A whydunnit rather than a whodunnit. From the start, the perpetrator of these rather fun and sometimes gruesome murders is not in doubt, and the film sustains interest by drawing you into why the murders are committed. At first you think the motivation is a rather extreme vigilantism, but as the film progresses the motive … [Read More]
Sport and nationalism: YMCA Baseball Team
We’ve just witnessed the triumph and then despair following the ups and downs of the Korean team in the baseball world cup. And the TV commercials are now full of football references. So I just put my copy of YMCA Baseball Team in the DVD player (it’s been on my to-watch pile for rather too … [Read More]