What really intrigued me about Kim Ki-young’s original Housemaid (1960) was when I read that the female audience were so incensed by the seducing housemaid’s character, that they stood up in cinema auditoriums and shouted: “Kill the wench!” I can’t help but think that a female watching Im Sang-soo’s 2010 remake would remark: “nice house.” … [Read More]
Event tag: LKFF 2010
Film Review: The Man From Nowhere
Colette Balmain reviews the opening film of LKFF 2010 The Man From Nowhere (아저씨- Ajeossi) (Lee Jeong-beom, 2010) Cha Tae-sik (Won Bin), is a man shrouded in mystery, a loner who runs a small pawnshop and who is positioned on the margins of society. His only meaningful relationship is with the young girl, So-mi (Kim … [Read More]
Film review: 71 Into the Fire
71 Into the Fire, by director John H Lee (이재한), is a film based on a true story which occurred in the early months of the Korean War, when the northern armies swept all before them until they reached the Busan perimeter. A group of 71 student soldiers are given the job of defending a … [Read More]
Discovering Korean Cinema book launch closes the 2010 festival
Colette Balmain reports from the book launch of Discovering Korean Cinema at the Korean Cultural Centre UK Tuesday 23 Nov 6pm For the launch of the book, Discovering Korean Cinema (edited by Daniel Martin and Mark Morris, The Korean Cultural Centre: London, 2010), both the editors, Daniel Martin and Mark Morris, and one of the … [Read More]
LKFF Festival Bites: Film Students are Softies
We’d just seen Jang Jin’s contribution to the Human Rights Watch short film collection If You Were Me 2: Someone Grateful (고마운 사람). In it, a student demonstrator is befriended by his police interrogator in the KCIA’s underground torture chambers in the 1980s. It’s a provocative short, because instead of railing against police brutality and … [Read More]
Mysterious Creature: Jang Jin at the London Korean Film Festival
Director Jang Jin is sometimes referred to as “The Future of Korean Cinema” but also as a “Mysterious Creature”. Nyomi Anderson tells us more. This year’s London Korean Film Festival featured a retrospective of the films of writer-director Jang Jin. Jang began his career in theatre before making his first film was The Happenings, which … [Read More]
Discovering Korean Cinema book launch at the KCC
For those keen to find out more about Korean film there’s an interesting talk, together with a book launch, at the KCC on Tuesday 23 November. Three distinguished speakers: Daniel Martin will be chairing the panel and giving a brief talk on the history of the LKFF, Mark Morris will be talking about War films, … [Read More]
Green Days: a charming look at the dreams and uncertainties of youth
In the London Korean Film Festival there is always a selection of long and short animations to showcase that part of the Korea motion picture industry which otherwise does not get much screen time. This year, the organisers made a controversial decision: to promote the main animation feature as “a Korean cousin to Studio Ghibli … [Read More]
Jang Jin and performers’ fees
Just for once, at the Q&A with Jang Jin tonight, I DIDN'T ask any question about the screen quota. It was an effort though. #. Instead, I asked him about actors fees, which for a significant portion of a film’s budget. But in the news today, it seems film actors aren't the only performers with … [Read More]
Kim Ji-woon’s I Saw the Devil: more than just gore?
Aashish Gadhvi speaks on behalf of three LKL reviewers: Kim Ji-woon’s latest is a disappointment. Hype can be a film’s best friend or its worst enemy. In the case of some films it has worked (The Blair Witch Project) and in the case of others it has backfired spectacularly (Star Wars Prequels), but the fact … [Read More]
The LKFF 2010 is off to a sizzling start
The London Korean Film Festival is now more than 10 years old, and this is the 5th year of its existence under the organisation of the Cultural Centre. It seems to get bigger every year. From its early home in the Prince Charles Cinema, it moved to the more prestigious venue of the Barbican for … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival 2010
The London Korean Film Festival returns at its regular early November slot. With the Barbican cinemas out of action this year’s festival is a bit of a logistical nightmare, with screenings at the ICA, Odeon West End and the Apollo, but there’s more than enough film interest to compensate. One of the highlights of the … [Read More]