As is often the case, I was out of town for the London East Asia Film Festival, so I missed the international premiere of the Director’s Cut of Cho Jungrae’s The Singer. I’m not sure if the previously available version has had a formal international premiere – probably not, given the devastation that Covid has … [Read More]
People: Park Chul-min
Interview: Cho Jungrae (The Singer, 2020)
Director Cho Jungrae discusses his deep personal connection to Pansori, his hands-on role shaping the music “The Singer”, and the film’s dialogue between tradition and modernity. In this wide-ranging interview with Hangul Celluloid and LKL, he reflects on legacy, influence, and how traditional sound can still resonate with audiences today. [Read More]
Chilling Romance (aka Spellbound) (오싹한 연애, 2011) review: love, laughs and long-haired ghouls
A film that uses classic romantic comedy narrative ideas and combines them beautifully with humorous homages to, and parodies of, well know Asian horror movies, Chilling Romance, starring Son Ye-jin, may only be light-hearted entertainment at its core but entertaining it is, all the same. [Read More]
Kill Me (킬 미, 2009) review: a hitman, a deathwish, and an unlikely romantic comedy
While the concept of a hardened hitman gradually falling in love with his intended target is certainly nothing new, director Yang Jong-hyeon brings a freshness to the idea by turning it completely (and literally) on its head, allowing the film successfully to step away from predictability to become something much more original and memorable. [Read More]