Unexpectedly, I really enjoyed Kang Hyeong-cheol’s Sunny at the KCC this week. I shan’t bore you with the details – Paul Quinn has articulated it on Hangul Celluloid much better than I could. Based on the trailers I had been kind of expecting a bit of an offbeat teen comedy. When it featured in the … [Read More]
Event tag: LKFF 2011
Notices and reviews of screenings at the 2011 London Korean Film Festival, 3 – 17 November 2011, together with related articles and interviews.
Leafie – A Hen into the Wild (마당을 나온 암탉, 2011) review: a hen with a heart
Beneath its gentle humour and warmth, Leafie explores outsiderhood, family, selfless love, and sacrifice, building toward a quietly heartbreaking yet uplifting conclusion that resonates with both children and adults. Disney once asked viewers to believe that an elephant can fly. With Leafie, you’ll believe that a hen has a heart, and a beautiful one at that. [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]
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]
Chinese buy up tickets for Late Autumn
The Chinese community was out in force tonight to see Tang Wei in Kim Tae-yong’s “Late Autumn” at the Festival. Most audiences have been predominantly European. Tonight it was 95% Chinese. It was completely sold out. [Read More]
Sunny (써니, 2011) review: “it’s okay to cry”
In Sunny, director Kang Hyeong-cheol brings a freshness and vitality to a storyline that could easily have been clichéd and predictable. While it could never be considered deep, Sunny never tries to be, and instead successfully concentrates its efforts on mixing genuinely funny humour with truly moving drama, within an altogether engaging tale. [Read More]
Getting to like Ryu Seung-wan
Catching up on my DVD pile, and getting to like Ryu Seung-wan. Looking forward to seeing some more next week at the #LKFF @koreanfilmfest [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Leafie, a Hen into the Wild
At last year’s LKFF the surprise success was the animation Green Days – which for me was the first Korean animation really to stand comparison with Japan’s Studio Ghibli. This year the story may well be the same, with another animation from a director making his first full-length feature. In a country where animation screenings … [Read More]
The final schedule for the 2011 London Korean Film Festival
Here are the screening details for the 2011 London Korean Film Festival, including the screenings in Cambridge, Sheffield and Newcastle. For the events at the KCCUK, book by emailing [email protected]. London screenings and events Thurs 3 Nov 4:30pm SHINee – LKFF launch event – Odeon WE 7:30pm Opening gala War of the Arrows + Director … [Read More]