… and some ways in which it isn’t. Hill of Freedom (자유의 언덕) is Hong Sang-soo’s 16th feature, and could not have been made by anyother director. The awkwardness of human interaction and conversation, the bonding over alcohol, the fragmentation of the narrative, the aim to rekindle lost love – all are common features of […]
Director: Hong Sang-soo (page 2)
The tweet that launched a podcast
I was watching Nobody’s Daughter Haewon as part of the BFI London Film Festival this year, and was rather enjoying it. I’ve done a little review of it here. It was nice to see some familiar locations in the film. And then I saw something even more familiar: one of the characters in the film […]
Festival Film Review: Nobody’s Daughter Haewon
I often find myself falling asleep during Hong Sang Soo films. But my two most recent experiences – a second viewing of HaHaHa as part of the KCC’s Moon So-ri season – and Nobody’s Daughter Haewon at the ICA, coinciding with its screening at the 57th BFI London Film Festival, have been exceptions. Part of […]
Hahaha – the first Hong Sang-soo film I’ve enjoyed without trying
OK, it was the second time I had seen it. The first time, I had slept through it. But that was because I had been entering into the spirit rather too much by indulging in a drinking session of Hongian proportions beforehand. The second time round, there was the anticipation of seeing the lead actress […]
Hong Sang-soo’s Hahaha to screen at BAFTA, with Moon So-ri Q&A
People who know me will be aware that my sincere appreciation of Hong Sang-soo’s work does not mean that I always stay awake during his movies. But having been to Tongyeong since the first time I went to the theatre when Hahaha was screening, I know I’ll be wide awake for the upcoming screening on […]
Korea Herald gives Im Sang-soo a thumbs-down
The Korea Herald *really* doesn’t like Im Sang-soo’s Taste of Money, currently in competition at Cannes. Hong Sang-soo’s In Another Country with Isabelle Hubert fares better. Full story: http://bit.ly/JskHji
Korean Films at the 55th BFI London Film Festival
Two Korean films will be screening as part of the 55th BFI London Film Festival this month: Hong Sang-soo makes his regular appearance, while Kim Kyung-mook’s Stateless Things centres on the life of a North Korean illegal immigrant in Seoul. Hong Sang-soo: The Day He Arrives Fri 14 Oct | 20:45 | NFT 2 Sun […]
Hong Sang-soo’s film “The Day He Arrives” – same as all the others?
Is director Hong Sang-soo making the same film over and over again? With latest film, “The Day He Arrives,” Hong Sang-soo makes a return to the familiar. http://bit.ly/qDuiAd
Isabelle Huppert cast in next Hong Sang-soo film
Isabelle Huppert now shooting new Hong Sang-soo film. Moon So-ri and Hong Sang-soo regular Yu Jun-sang will also be appearing. Via Screen Daily bit.ly/nK9T4O
Hong Sang-soo for beginners
Darcy Paquet: Which Hong Sang-soo film is best to show to a newcomer? My gut feeling is HaHaHa. Will test this on my Korean cinema class in May. lklinks: Fell asleep during HaHaHa. My choice would be Like you know it all. darcypaquet: According to Twitter votes, the best Hong Sang-soo film to show a […]
Korean film at Cannes 2011
Three Korean Films have been invited to the 2011 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. Nice to see Kim Ki-duk back in action with Arirang. http://bit.ly/i7Q3D3 #. Na Hong-jin’s Yellow Sea plus the latest Hong Sang-soo also going.
An Afternoon and Evening with Hong Sang-soo at the National Film Theatre.
Colette Balmain, editor of the upcoming Directory of World Cinema: Korea, encounters Hong Sang-soo at the screening of Hahaha on Friday 3rd September 2010, which opened the month-long retrospective of his work at the South Bank. Before the screening of HaHaHa, which was followed by a Q&A with Tony Rayns, at the NFT, I had […]
Women is the Future of Man, with Hong Sang-soo Q&A in Cambridge
Fresh from his win at Cannes, award-winning filmmaker Hong Sang-soo receives his first ever retrospective in the UK (BFI Southbank) on the eve of his Venice debut. “Arguably Korea’s finest filmmaker of the last decade” Time Out. “Hong Sang-soo is a great director…. his films make us less stupid. (They) endow narrative with a complexity […]
Hong Sang Soo retrospective at BFI South Bank
A couple of years ago, when participating in the Blogathon on the subject of A Virgin Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, I commented that the UK had never seen a Hong Sang Soo retrospective, while the US has had three of them. The BFI, with the assistance of the Korean Cultural Centre, is now putting […]
Hong Sang-soo wins Un Certain Regard
Hong Sang-soo wins Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes for Hahaha http://bit.ly/cjguln #. Nice shots of the Tongyeong area. Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry also wins the award for best screenplay.
2010: a bumper year for Korean film?
Not so long ago, the Korean film industry seemed to be in the doldrums. Darcy, Twitch and others were sounding notes of gloom that Korean cinema had lost its way. But then things picked up again, with blockbusters such as Haeundai, and new indie films such as Breathless making the headlines and bringing in the […]