tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54288760750557718032024-03-14T17:18:00.313+11:00The KOFFIA BlogThe Official Blog for the Korean Film Festival in Australia - Presenting the Many Faces of Korean Cinema
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05577435552125780797noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-38762937432372477852014-04-10T12:19:00.001+10:002014-04-10T12:19:57.373+10:00Review: Boss / 보스 (1996)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Having recently screened the Australian premier at Cinema on the Park for the rare Korean kung-fu movie, ‘Canton Viper’ (<a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/action-month-review-15th-nov-canton.html">reviewed here</a>), directed by Korean kicking extraordinaire <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/hwang-jang-lee-king-of-leg-fighters.html">Hwang Jang-lee</a> back in 1983, I decided it was high time to check out his final movie appearance, in the 1996 movie <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0331205/">‘Boss’</a></i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7ljQDAP5BLkODGehIjle8Mar2lmBDxzdBP4LcutBCa4s29j7Fo2B-bYE7Z9SE9EvC2G9BL3_bD5BFGRt8GaDc0OLrkQaMGkWJI-hZbN093GDIKjHUHHZTqEx-ceSlxVi8NA1qbSdCn0/s1600/149798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7ljQDAP5BLkODGehIjle8Mar2lmBDxzdBP4LcutBCa4s29j7Fo2B-bYE7Z9SE9EvC2G9BL3_bD5BFGRt8GaDc0OLrkQaMGkWJI-hZbN093GDIKjHUHHZTqEx-ceSlxVi8NA1qbSdCn0/s200/149798.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a></div>
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While it’s fairly common knowledge for fans of Jang-lee to know that this was his last performance, information about it is virtually impossibly to come by, being made in that murky decade of Korean cinema from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, when it seems very little is known about the countries cinematic output. Still, in this day & age it’s only once in a blue moon when you can go into a movie knowing hardly anything about it, so I gladly pressed play with little to no expectations. As it turned out it was just as well, as for anyone approaching this as a fan of Jang-lee, it should be pointed out that he’s in it for barely a minute, has a couple of lines, and disappears. It seems he saved his final fighting performance for against Dragon Lee a couple of years earlier, in 1994’s <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371532/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">‘Emperor of the Underworld’</a></i> (암흑가의 황제), which he also directed.</div>
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So, with that out of the way, what are we left with? Thankfully a pretty solid gangster drama, which echoes can be seen of in plenty of more recent movies. There’s a number of fairly large scale brawls which bring to mind those seen in <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_A_Dirty_Carnival.php">‘A Dirty Carnival’</a></i> (비열한 거리), the threat of being buried alive ala <a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_A_Bittersweet_Life.php"><i>‘A Bittersweet Life’</i></a> (달콤한 인생), and the whole structure of a gangster recalling his rise during a turbulent era of Korean history recalls <a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Nameless_Gangster.php"><i>‘Nameless Gangster’</i></a> (범죄와의 전쟁: 나쁜놈들 전성시대).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSTT1lLHY7tJegRxVyQZqB4ypxuyXso77iKF52_ZcIJdQUMPRIGMt2FLCQxTk8I9aVjZXwHEMoB04d-fRMjPGaS6cv0LRB_3KQOxl8XLxRnfp4iCxs2aT7CUwsyIBLZOH9QNbUkkCojU/s1600/33841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSTT1lLHY7tJegRxVyQZqB4ypxuyXso77iKF52_ZcIJdQUMPRIGMt2FLCQxTk8I9aVjZXwHEMoB04d-fRMjPGaS6cv0LRB_3KQOxl8XLxRnfp4iCxs2aT7CUwsyIBLZOH9QNbUkkCojU/s320/33841.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
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The story itself concerns a loyal but ruthless gangster played by Chao Yang, in his only acting performance, who along with his faithful second in command, played by Dok-go Yeong-jae (<i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Hanbando.php">‘Hanbando’</a></i> 한반도), tear their way through the Korean gangster world with what seems like nothing more than fists, feet, baseball bats, and steel pipes. ‘Boss’ gets points for delivering a pure no-frills gangster movie, of which the camera angles and lighting often conjure up the feeling of watching a Japanese Nikkatsu movie from the 1970s, rather than a Korean movie from 20 years later. For its 105 minutes run time, a good 75 minutes of those are spent literally going from one scene of carnage to the next, with Yang & Yeong-jae uttering tough guy talk in-between. If anything, <i>‘Boss’</i> shows that the Koreans have always known how to do gangster violence, even 25 years ago. I’d go so far as to say some of the scenes are better staged and choreographed than more later efforts, and special mention must go to the scene involving a moustache and some painful hair removal techniques, you’ll wince! </div>
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Eventually though Yang’s crimes catch up with him, and he lands himself in prison. A betrayal by one of his own lands him in even deeper trouble, and it seems his future is destined to the confines of his prison cell, with even the gang boss who promised he’d do anything to get him out within a couple of years dieing while he’s inside, leaving him without hope. It’s in this predicament, at almost precisely the 75 minute mark, that if the movie were a train, it suddenly & without warning jumps the tracks and completely derails, sending everything to hell. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-crizAnwR-p6ujkS_W8CpaqEYRjxtpO5oLMcD1_zY2mM8kq9pVpr3QU__FzqVtzTGvE8e5Y15nxlD-9sq8qRhALbG6vuQX3ZXeYKiIG4TO9faeuyVinTp4KgUegznbaOp2w_2-4pxPA/s1600/149797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-crizAnwR-p6ujkS_W8CpaqEYRjxtpO5oLMcD1_zY2mM8kq9pVpr3QU__FzqVtzTGvE8e5Y15nxlD-9sq8qRhALbG6vuQX3ZXeYKiIG4TO9faeuyVinTp4KgUegznbaOp2w_2-4pxPA/s200/149797.jpg" height="103" width="200" /></a></div>
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Or, as I should more correctly say, heaven. Yes, out of nowhere, completely left of field, Yang finds God, and the movie turns into an unashamed promotion for Christianity. I sat there wide eyed for most of those last minutes, completely thrown off by what I was witnessing having just been guiltily enjoying the barrage of punches to the face, steel bars over the head, and kicks to the groin that had gone before, to seeing Yang on his knees in prayer, Bible in hand, on his prison cell floor. </div>
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I had no idea what was going on, and at the time of writing this review, I still don’t know what was going on. It almost makes me curious to see director Yoo Young-jin’s other movies, he also directed earlier efforts such as <a href="http://movie.daum.net/moviedetail/moviedetailMain.do?movieId=12673&t__nil_Biography_workList=workname" style="font-style: italic;">‘Agnes’</a> 아그네스를 위하여 (1991) & <i><a href="http://movie.daum.net/moviedetail/moviedetailMain.do?movieId=1030&t__nil_Biography_workList=workname">‘Water Kingdom’</a></i> 물의 나라 (1989), with <i>‘Boss’</i> being the final movie he worked on. If I wasn’t thrown off enough, in the final 15 minutes Yang suddenly develops a pen-pal romance with a Korean student studying in none other than Sydney! From the dangerous and brooding gangster world of Korea, scenes of the girl happily engaging in English & Japanese conversation with her fellow students against the sunny backdrop of the Opera House & Harbour Bridge are interweaved with Yang sitting in his cell. Well, it was interesting to get a brief glimpse of mid-90s Sydney, it seemed mullets were an Australian fashion statement back then as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z_6aj1K283fjZVYBE7G3dVmvkZF4AEGqLNC_w59EWawPXSgth4bbYrKlyIJOYQnUqVBhWkUunKZx7qaQhv4XsPUCnlG_i697lGtCZl0-0LAgfB07DCaa7IPmiCXJigU0y7TrNvyfD1s/s1600/boss-hwang-jang-lee-dvd-english-subtitles-1976-0c1e.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z_6aj1K283fjZVYBE7G3dVmvkZF4AEGqLNC_w59EWawPXSgth4bbYrKlyIJOYQnUqVBhWkUunKZx7qaQhv4XsPUCnlG_i697lGtCZl0-0LAgfB07DCaa7IPmiCXJigU0y7TrNvyfD1s/s200/boss-hwang-jang-lee-dvd-english-subtitles-1976-0c1e.png" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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To say that while the credits roll they’re against the backdrop of a church crucifix should give you some idea as to just how much of a huge turn the movie makes in the final 25 minutes, it’s jarring and doesn’t even come close to being believable. Much like Hong Kong movies these days always have to end with some not so subtle pro-China message being thrust in our face, <i>‘Boss’</i> comes off the same way, but instead of nationalism it’s religion. Overall, <i>‘Boss’</i> is worth a viewing for 75 minutes of Korean old school gangster violence, and the rest is worth watching simply for the bizarreness of it, a cautious curiosity.</div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Fan of Korean crime thrillers? Cinema on the Park recently focused on this popular genre of Korean cinema. For more Korean cinema check out the <a href="http://www.koreanculture.org.au/regular-events/cinema-on-the-park#2014program">2014 Cinema on the Park screening schedule</a> online now! The weekly film night is completely free so get along and check it out!Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-18042865692494686582014-04-02T12:17:00.000+11:002014-04-10T12:19:59.564+10:00Review: Confession of Murder / 내가 살인범이다 (2012)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFol6XmO6YpJKKNRmLxqIUbFMjyPc6hCPG6maYv3vyE9mNX8XBttfeYyPCCX8Mulw5VKuyCzFd3yQwyocW7g4kGfvoqlZhk-FoRA5RDV6USMrP0XAro7rNS-9Dj_qs5nt6a26EbRWqa4/s1600/fullsizephoto268917+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFol6XmO6YpJKKNRmLxqIUbFMjyPc6hCPG6maYv3vyE9mNX8XBttfeYyPCCX8Mulw5VKuyCzFd3yQwyocW7g4kGfvoqlZhk-FoRA5RDV6USMrP0XAro7rNS-9Dj_qs5nt6a26EbRWqa4/s200/fullsizephoto268917+%25281%2529.jpg" height="200" width="138" /></a><br />
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As a huge fan of Asian action cinema, I found the 2008 documentary <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/action-month-review-action-boys-2008.html" target="_blank"><i>'Action Boys'</i></a> (우린 액션배우다), which followed the lives of a group of stuntmen in the Seoul Action School, to be hugely enjoyable. Such was my enjoyment that <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/lights-camera-action-my-visit-to-seoul.html" target="_blank">I visited the school in the same year</a>, to witness first hand the rigors of the training that they went through. Of course a huge part of that enjoyment came from the way first time director, and student of the school himself, Jeong Byeong-gil, structured the story. So I felt pretty excited when four years later, it was announced his first full movie was set for release, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-film-review-confession-of-murder-51026.html&sa=U&ei=umT7UevhGum9yAHJqYHoDA&ved=0CAkQFjAB&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGmtPxZfq5z_x34tau9aUKeXi7S7g"><i>‘Confession of Murder'</i></a> (내가 살인범이다).<br />
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I’ll be the first to admit though that upon reading the story line, I had no idea what to expect. It’s fifteen years since the last murder took place by a serial killer who targeted women, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, and with the case still unsolved, the statute of limitations is about to expire. Once it does, a mysterious character played by K-drama actor Park Si-hoo, making his movie debut, comes out of the woodwork with an autobiography, graphically detailing how he committed all of the murders. The detective who was on the case, played by Jeong Jae-yeong (‘Moss' 이끼, ‘Castaway on the Moon' 김씨 표류기), has his doubts if he really is the killer. But first he has to contend with the families of the victims, one of which has clearly been styled after the bow and arrow wielding Bae Doona of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_Host.php&sa=U&ei=vGX7Ue20IIbN2QXe-YHgCg&ved=0CAcQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGwoKhh6ZdsYbpb4W8b5RLC2Kn2Tw">‘The Host'</a> (괴물), who have formed a club to kill Jae-yeong at the earliest opportunity.</div>
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You can see it’s supposed to be a crime drama, but something about the details somehow made me smile. Was this movie really going to attempt to get away with being serious, with such details as a best selling serial killer, and a club of blood thirsty family members!? Byeong-gil also wrote the screenplay, so I hoped that whatever he had in mind, he could pull it off without it becoming too laughable. What I didn’t expect though, was for the action to be thrown onto the screen in such abundance. Sure he’s a graduate from the Seoul Action School, but the synopsis simply didn’t seem to lend itself to many action movie scenarios.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehfbZgZ6f6aLvz4kOv9u_8oo3_TLHoYFi2Y0hmI-_i6URoktZ-oOgUtMMByuGUFYD1xBXyrJaqcHgr6Aut3J1z6y93wyi8fXqM8_vf1LEWqEwuSzCI1cgHJL_Yhd7Jp1O7-FwhgHId-M/s1600/confession-of-murder-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehfbZgZ6f6aLvz4kOv9u_8oo3_TLHoYFi2Y0hmI-_i6URoktZ-oOgUtMMByuGUFYD1xBXyrJaqcHgr6Aut3J1z6y93wyi8fXqM8_vf1LEWqEwuSzCI1cgHJL_Yhd7Jp1O7-FwhgHId-M/s320/confession-of-murder-2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><br />
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Imagine my surprise then when it opens to a blistering seven minutes of Jae-yeong viciously throwing down with a masked assailant in a makkoli bar, sending glass and cutlery smashing everywhere, which segues into a ferocious chase on foot featuring several extended one take shots, with the camera following them through dark alley ways and even under cars. It’s an exhilarating and frantic sequence to watch, and one which ends on a particularly wince inducing moment. Similarly, later there’s an insane car chase, with Si-hoo grappling with members of the victim’s families on top of cars, a stretcher, and in an ambulance.</div>
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It’s worth noting that the action sequences are all choreographed by another Action School Graduate, Kwon Kwi-deok, who at the end of ‘Action Boys’ is the only one still working in stunts. In the four years since that documentary was made, Kwi-deok has become a respected stuntman and action director in Korea, having worked with the likes of Kim Ji-woon, Ryoo Seung-wan, and Na Hong-jin. He even makes a cameo as a live fish chauffeur.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn0U0nZ94ZSxAvOHL6FQGq_s8xz98vg25wAeAWRMqVZFW0_A4TXzc1x91Bgaq795LVat4BQOD6AKEllDpZe7H6wMmNQaeUsPlQKiOJdK8lSuCYxDPGGyJIhCYGH-YD3izQP3USKYncUM/s1600/Confession-of-Murder-quot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn0U0nZ94ZSxAvOHL6FQGq_s8xz98vg25wAeAWRMqVZFW0_A4TXzc1x91Bgaq795LVat4BQOD6AKEllDpZe7H6wMmNQaeUsPlQKiOJdK8lSuCYxDPGGyJIhCYGH-YD3izQP3USKYncUM/s320/Confession-of-Murder-quot.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a><br />
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Between these thrilling moments, it becomes clear Byeong-gil never meant to make this as a dark thriller, so while the plot sounds dark, it’s never particularly portrayed that way on screen. There are plenty of comical moments, such as when the victims family arrange for one of them to dress as a pool cleaner, and drop a bunch of snakes into the pool in which Si-hoo is swimming. There are also a lot of subtle swipes at the way the media is willing to make a celebrity out of anyone, such as when it comes into doubt that Si-hoo may not be the real killer, hordes of young girls’ crowd around screaming their adoration for him, and waving colourful banners that pronounce him to be the real killer!</div>
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This tone takes up over an hour of the movie, however at some point Byeong-gil realizes he has to bring everything to it’s close somehow, and the final quarter moves away from both the action and the comedy in order to deliver it’s conclusion, which as with so many things Korean, features a somewhat tragic late in the day revelation. This is perhaps the only time when it becomes clear that this is a debut movie from a new director and screen writer, and there is so much quality on show that for me it was forgivable. Byeong-gil perhaps didn’t think about the fact that if you have an hours worth of great action and black comedy, people are going to expect things to progress in the same way, maybe heading for a big action finale, which to be fair it delivers in part, rather than a complete change of tone to wrap things up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LYRAFkZKALk-01QnbjfVyPiVdThBLODRsWH0MahI-V1OB4imVcLaqafa-Dqwy7IjD2HS5vlaODxluOstyPtw1vS5-qpBCZTUzGQYAZ0J6LnDsG9X6CyJPSCzUzL3KkN4OlQ542ByEjU/s1600/fullsizephoto260434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LYRAFkZKALk-01QnbjfVyPiVdThBLODRsWH0MahI-V1OB4imVcLaqafa-Dqwy7IjD2HS5vlaODxluOstyPtw1vS5-qpBCZTUzGQYAZ0J6LnDsG9X6CyJPSCzUzL3KkN4OlQ542ByEjU/s320/fullsizephoto260434.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><br />
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Still with a second viewing and the correct expectations, I’ve no doubt ‘Confession of Murder’ will still be a rewarding viewing experience, if not more so than the first. Byeong-gil has proven that he has talent to spare, and that his time at the Seoul Action School hasn’t gone to waste, with some of the most exciting action to come out of Korea in far too long contained within it’s run time. With a slightly tighter script to work with, Korea might have potentially found its next Ryoo Seung-wan.</div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Fan of Korean crime thrillers? Cinema on the Park recently focused on this popular genre of Korean cinema. For more Korean cinema check out the <a href="http://www.koreanculture.org.au/regular-events/cinema-on-the-park#2014program">2014 Cinema on the Park screening schedule</a> online now! The weekly film night is completely free so get along and check it out!Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-24693870901712585002014-03-26T12:12:00.000+11:002014-04-11T20:04:55.906+10:00Review: A Company Man / 회사원 (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The success of the 2010 movie <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_Man_From_Nowhere.php">‘The Man From Nowhere’</a></i> (아저씨) spawned a fair few imitations in its wake, notably <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Man_of_Vendetta.php">‘Man of Vendetta’</a></i> (파괴된 사나이) made the same year, & <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_Beast.php">‘The Beast’</a></i> (짐승) made the following year, both of which paled in comparison. Last years <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_A_Company_Man.php">‘A Company Man’</a></i> had many people also drawing comparisons to the Won Bin outing, not to mention <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_A_Bittersweet_Life.php">‘A Bittersweet Life’</a></i> (달콤한 인생), thanks to a promotional poster and storyline that seemed a little too familiar. However <i>‘A Company Man’</i> had something going for it the other movies didn’t, and that was the draw of having So Ji-sub (<i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Rough_Cut.php">‘Rough Cut’</a></i> 영화는 영화다) in the starring role, a sign for most people that the production could hold some potential.</div>
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The movie is written and directed by Lim Sang-yoon in what is his first directorial solo outing, having previously been the assistant director on the movie <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_Old_Garden.php">‘Old Garden’</a></i> (오래된 정원), and tells the story of contract hitman Hyung Do, played by Ji-sub. The spin on the traditional hitman tale is that he works for a corporate company, using a front of metal manufacturing (a possible nod to the character Robert De Niro plays in the movie <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113277/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">‘Heat’</a></i>, who also pretends to work in metal manufacturing), whose business is contract killing.</div>
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Being the number 1 hitman around, Ji-sub has some influence in the company, and is even due for promotion soon. So when he suggests bringing in a temp (in the literal sense of the word!) to help complete his current hit, the management agree on the basis that he also eliminates him once the job is done. Kim Dong-jun of idol group ZE:A plays the role of the temp marking his acting debut, and of course being So Ji-sub, it turns out that underneath his cool and calculating exterior, he has a heart of gold, and he lets him live. However much like he found himself in the same predicament in <i>‘Rough Cut’</i>, once his superiors find out that his mark is still alive, things don’t bode well.</div>
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Despite putting the corporate twist on the world of contract killing, there’s no denying that the story has been done many times before, and yes you’d be right in thinking of <i>‘A Bittersweet Life’</i>, so it needs to have something more for it to really stand out. Sadly, while the technical aspects of the movie elevate things, the plot ends up dragging it further down. Ji-sub winds up meeting Dong-jun’s mother, played by Lee Mi-yeon, here making her first movie role since 2007's <a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Love_Exposure.php"><i>‘Love Exposure’</i></a> (어깨너머의 연인), and as it turns out, it’s revealed she used to be a teen idol. This revelation comes a little left of field, but it only gets worse when it’s revealed Ji-sub used to listen to her music all the time when he was young, and a flashback scene ensues of a young Ji-sub riding his bicycle with his headphones in listening to her music.</div>
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This is the crux of the plot, and is supposed to establish the beginning of a possible romantic connection between Ji-sub and Mi-yeon, unfolding the tale between a contract killer who attempted to murder the son of a former idol who he used to be the biggest fan of. If it sounds clumsy, it’s not delivered on screen much better, and it fails to convince when it matters the most, which is the point were we as an audience invest in the story. Sang-yoon stumbles on his changes of tone as well, we spend the first third of the movie in Ji-sub’s cold detached world, then suddenly we have a montage of him leaving and entering his apartment in a constantly changing variety of clothes. It was so jarring that it actually took me a minute to realize that it was the movies attempt at comedy, displaying Ji-sub’s indecisiveness at what to wear for a date with Mi-yeon.</div>
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While the plot and the pacing display all the signs of a first time writer and director biting off more than he can chew, the one part of the movie which does stand out is the action scenes. Incorporating some very fluid and innovative camerawork, backed up with some solid hand to hand work from Ji-sub, Sang-yoon shows a very technically capable hand and shoots the action with flair. In his take-out of Dong-jun, a scuffle with a disillusioned employee, and a knife fight with one of his colleagues preceded by an attempted assassination in a moving car, the movie briefly springs to life and the scenes really bring an excitement which it so much needs. However a strange thing happens in the final action sequence, which takes part in the company office headquarters, and that is the slick camerawork disappears and instead the whole thing appears to be shot on a home video camera.</div>
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What should be an explosive catharatic finale looks almost like they ran out of budget and simply gave the actors some model guns and said shoot at each other. It’s a somewhat bewildering ending to what is really a bewildering movie. No doubt on paper the story may have read well, but I guess this is the problem when you direct your own script, and that is that you have no one to tell you if perhaps certain aspects of it don’t work. In this case, the whole concept of a killer falling for the idol he used to listen to after attempting to kill her son just didn’t click. I give the movie its dues for going a slightly different route, it’s unusual for a Korean production to have a protagonist like Ji-sub have a love interest who’s a single mother of two, but these individual touches are not enough to support the weak story.</div>
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As it is, <i>‘A Company Man’</i> will still be considered a second rate version of its more popular, and arguable superior predecessors like <i>‘A Bittersweet Life’</i> and <i>‘The Man From Nowhere’</i>. So Ji-sub seems to be channeling Won Bin’s cool demeanor as displayed in <i>‘The Man From Nowhere’</i>, even to the point that in both movies we get a scene of them ironing their shirt. However unlike Won Bin, Ji-sub forgets to interject any kind of emotion into his character, instead playing it cool, calm, and monotone all the way to the end of its mercifully short 95 minutes run time. Sang-yoon no doubt has potential as a director, it’s the writing and story which makes the movie come unstuck, so my hope is <i>‘A Company Man’</i> acts as a learning curve, and one day I’ll be writing about his fantastic second feature.</div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b><br />
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<i>A Company Man</i> recently screened at the Korean Cultural Office's weekly Korean film night. For more Korean cinema check out the <a href="http://www.koreanculture.org.au/regular-events/cinema-on-the-park#2014program">2014 Cinema on the Park screening schedule</a> online now!Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-89676168087262558132013-11-15T15:05:00.001+11:002013-11-15T15:05:16.575+11:00KOFFIA 2013: My Experience by Priscilla<div style="text-align: justify;">
KOFFIA 2013 eventually comes to an end and the opportunity to work for KOFFIA has been a memorable and brand new experience for me. I am neither a Korean nor Australian, I’d only been living in Australia for four months and started working here from the beginning of June. My Korean film background is not very impressive at all but I’d like watching the Korean drama, movies and entertainment TV show.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xkaUH3g3ew6BHSmvYtPg636DFrLYxMCBlpZEhAwqDRPQpvxT9LcpB86lWDBCqKWAKGxM5kXlziEZm3W9T8-MOwwRgPkgqdTniYgj6JCFMinUWEngZUg_blNU4v3YZcMtp2oNzRQcKh2n/s1600/mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xkaUH3g3ew6BHSmvYtPg636DFrLYxMCBlpZEhAwqDRPQpvxT9LcpB86lWDBCqKWAKGxM5kXlziEZm3W9T8-MOwwRgPkgqdTniYgj6JCFMinUWEngZUg_blNU4v3YZcMtp2oNzRQcKh2n/s320/mask.jpg" width="240" /></a>Whenever I told my friends in Hong Kong I assisted in marketing the Korean film festival here, they’re all very excited and followed by a lot of questions, for instance, “Will you meet any of the famous Korean artists or celebrities during the event? Which Korean movies / drama have you watched recently? Do you like Song Joong Ki? He is very handsome"blah blah blah... and the conversation never ends. No doubt, Korean movies and culture are very popular among Hong Kong people too and I believe that the Kwave is spreading quickly in other countries as well, perhaps we will see more Korean Film Festival organised in different places soon.</div>
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Back to my experience for KOFFIA, it’s hard to describe in just a few sentences but I'd have a couples of happy “First Time” memories to be recorded here.</div>
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For the first time on my first day of work in Australia, I couldn’t help myself to stop dropping tears in the KCO library, thanks to the fairy tale romance movie <A Werewolf Boy>.</div>
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For the first time I’m not only doing B2B but B2C marketing and I realise social media has become one of the important channel to promote the event to the new generation audiences.</div>
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For the first time I’m the only one in the office who couldn't understand Korean but maybe I have slightly improved my spoken Korean after this few months, from “Annyeong” to “Sugo haseyo” level.</div>
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For the first time I learned Kpop dancing in another country, all because of after watching <9 Muses of Star Empire> and I found that it’s not that easy to dance well at all.</div>
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For the first time I attended the opening ceremony of a film festival and met all the gorgeous KOFFIA volunteers.</div>
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For the first time I had a chance to taste the soju with colleagues but I still couldn’t figure out why Korean like this so much,”Gun bae”!</div>
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For the first time I did a live radio interview with one of the Chinese media from Melbourne and the presenter thought I was a Korean speaking in mandarin.</div>
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For the first time I watched two mysterious and alternate Korean independent thrillers in a week - <Pieta> and <Pluto>, it excited me a lot and undoubtedly I could see the creativity of the movies itself which presented a different faces of Korean cinema.</div>
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Last but not least, for the very first time I don’t want to say goodbye on my last working day. It’s my pleasure to meet all of you here especially my colleagues and thanks for all the opportunities given, I wish I could come back for the 5th, 10th, 20th,30th…KOFFIA in the future. </div>
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By Priscilla Chu</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-87145667462134161202013-11-12T19:59:00.000+11:002013-11-15T14:58:52.748+11:00KOFFIA 2013: My Experience by Margaret<div style="text-align: justify;">
The opportunity to blog for KOFFIA has been an enriching and rewarding experience. Much like Ben, I have been attempting to juggle the demands of uni, learning Korean and tutoring HSC students, with writing for the KOFFIA blog. It has been a tough balance, but a nice reprieve! As much as I like writing, it can be an arduous task actually putting pen to paper. Starting that first sentence is always the most excruciating. </div>
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My Korean film background is not impressive at all, so I feel that the blogging experience really opened my eyes to the impressive repertoire of Korean films out there. I may not engage in fan-girling or know all the actors names and filmography, but I am beginning to appreciate Korean film, especially as I enjoy seeing the settings and places in the films that are so familiar to me. </div>
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This makes me extremely nostalgic for Korea. So, I guess watching Korean film is a happy medium; I can maintain my vicarious wanderlust, somewhat! I would have liked to have attended more screenings, but I am hoping that there will be further opportunities to blog in the near future. Since returning to Sydney after living in Korea for almost 3 years, I was astounded to find that Korean culture was really burgeoning. </div>
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A well organised event, such as KOFFIA, is proof that people are beginning to immerse themselves in the ample cultural offerings of the 'Land of the Morning Calm'. Sydney has an ever-blossoming Korean community with Korean grocers, restaurants and yogurt shops popping up faster than you can say 'Psy, so it has been wonderful to see all segments of the community coming together to enjoy the week of films.</div>
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Until KOFFIA 2014, I hope you have enjoyed the KOFFIA blogging team's movie reviews! We have enjoyed writing for you!</div>
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By Margaret Hurrell</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-25151806470841174342013-11-10T15:11:00.000+11:002013-11-15T15:11:23.615+11:00KOFFIA 2013: My Experience by Ben<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am currently writing this last blog post for KOFFIA 2013, when I should be reading a chapter of an Honours cohort member’s thesis. That being said, since I have been unable to attend any of the films bar ‘A Werewolf Boy’ on Opening Night, I think I can express some disappointment regarding the unfortunate clash of schedules. </div>
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On the other hand, the optimist in me points out I was at least able to attend one film – and a very good one at that. I did not know that Korean cinema would gather this much attention in Sydney, let alone in Australia so far from the amount of interest generated in Brisbane. I was aware of the interest towards K-Pop due to the increasing number of non-Korean friends asking me about learning the Korean language, but I was not expecting this much attention and dedication towards Korean films. This is something incredible to see and I hope the Korean Cultural Office and other organisations will sustain and increase the momentum gathered thus far.</div>
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There is always something pleasant about watching movies at the cinema and ‘A Werewolf Boy’ was no exception. Despite entering the cinema with the impression of the movie as a Korean adaptation of ‘Twilight,’ I left the big screen appreciating the amount of depth and substance present in Chul-soo. ‘Architecture 101’ struck a chord with me even as a current university student, while ‘9 Muses of Star Empire’ made me think twice about the Korean entertainment industry. Finally, the Short Film selections were superb with each entry having a unique voice that deserves your attention.</div>
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Since all my reviews have been rather verbose and dense (I blame my essay-writing mindset), I will end this post with a positive and short epiphany. If I were to reprise my role as Blogger next year for KOFFIA 2014, I will have at least something going towards my way: this time next year, I will have more or less graduated. I will therefore be able to come up to Sydney to watch more movies. Granted, quantity often does not dominate quality, but Korean cinema is able to harness both aspects. So why not see as many Korean films as possible?</div>
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By Ben Lee</div>
Ben Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15764300956021501520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-87547142987548162932013-11-08T14:50:00.000+11:002013-11-15T14:52:02.688+11:00KOFFIA 2013: My Experience by Paul<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KEI2S8ymPW-FObeqP5Fh_Jo2amwcBfEPW56GwbphMztZH7awCe5rsIHfoz-NrHBsnroWCirso5g0yOzTyz_dEfG5t586ZjzvQl4kD4U1mm_emz94NnPNZj-InOddecbKYele4Srh4sU/s1600/IMG_0418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KEI2S8ymPW-FObeqP5Fh_Jo2amwcBfEPW56GwbphMztZH7awCe5rsIHfoz-NrHBsnroWCirso5g0yOzTyz_dEfG5t586ZjzvQl4kD4U1mm_emz94NnPNZj-InOddecbKYele4Srh4sU/s200/IMG_0418.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Writing this on the last day of this years KOFFIA, it seems like a good time to reflect on the barrage of cinematic goodness that has spread itself along Australia’s East Coast over the last few weeks.</div>
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KOFFIA for me also stands as a kind of moment in time reference point for my own life in Australia, when for the 2012 version of the festival I found myself taking on blogging duties, as well as volunteering to help out at the movie screenings. At that point in time I’d only been living in Australia for a few months, having come here after spending over 3 years living in Tokyo, Japan.</div>
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There were of course a lot of differences between Tokyo & Sydney. There, I could regularly watch Korean movies on the big screen (even if it meant struggling through the Japanese subtitles), whereas here I hadn’t seen a single one. There I’d regularly meet my friends in Tokyo’s Koreatown, a whole suburb of streets and alleyways jammed full of restaurants and bars which even had its own train station, whereas here my friend took me to a strip the length of a single block on Pitt Street and announced “Welcome to Koreatown!” There I was paying to take Korean lessons that were being taught in Japanese, whereas here I discovered I could take them for free in English! & of course there I’d regularly take the less than 2 hour flight to Seoul on a long weekend and be back in Tokyo 72 hours later with an aching liver, whereas here suddenly Seoul was over 10 hours away and a whole lot more expensive to get to.</div>
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It was fair to say that suddenly the land of the morning calm seemed like a long way away, and if you check out Australia’s location on any map of the world, it’s easy to see that that’s because it is. In fact bar the odd Polynesian island nation and New Zealand, there’s not a whole lot which is close to Australia, a fact that looking back now makes me realize I probably spent my first few months living here unknowingly craving the fast paced Asian life I’d been living for the last few years. KOFFIA 2012 came along at just the right time.</div>
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Twelve months on, and things are much different. For a start, while last year I found myself single handedly blogging for the festival, this year I was joined by 5 other fellow bloggers, ranging from Korean movie novices to K-pop stalwarts. Together I think it’s safe to say we’ve brought a range of insights to the movies shown which have each offered a unique perspective, whether it be the 100th Korean movie the reviewer's watched, or just the 10th.</div>
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For myself, KOFFIA 2013 gives a good opportunity to reflect on my own experiences with Korean film during the last 12 months. I’ve probably crammed in watching around 50 movies I’ve never seen before, from old classics such as ‘The Road to Sampo / 삼포가는 길’ to the latest blockbusters. I organized the Australian premiere of two old-school Korean kung-fu movies to be screened at the KCO’s ‘Cinema on the Park’ weekly movie screening in the form of <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/action-month-review-8th-nov-miss-please.html">'Miss, Please Be Patient / 아가씨 참으세요'</a> & <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/action-month-review-15th-nov-canton.html">'Canton Viper / 광동살무사'</a>, as well as helping to arrange an interview with the star <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/hwang-jang-lee-king-of-leg-fighters.html">Hwang Jang-lee</a>. I’ve presented several of my favourite movies to the ‘Cinema on the Park’ audience, including <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/review-bittersweet-life-2005.html">'A Bittersweet Life / 달콤한 인생'</a>, as well as being invited for an interview on ABC Radio as part of their Lunar New Year programming. To top it all off, during the Sydney Film Festival I also had the chance to briefly meet <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/screen-trends-2014-evening-with-park.html">Park Chan-wook</a>! All in all, it’s been an entertaining period of time.</div>
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This years KOFFIA definitely seems a bigger, more mature, and more confident beast compared to that of last year, and I’d like to say I feel the same way about myself. (Ok, maybe not the bigger part, I’m trying to lose weight.) The festival relocated from the DENDY cinema in Circular Quay to Event cinema on George Street, a move which successfully brought in bigger crowds and a more livelier vibe, and I myself also made the change from doing the job I was doing at the time of last years festival, to a much more satisfying one by the time this years KOFFIA rolled around. In these fast moving times, it’s easy to feel that a year has past you by in the blink of an eye, so sometimes it’s good to take a moment and look back to realize just how much can be done in that one blink.</div>
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No doubt KOFFIA 2014 will be even bigger and better than this years festival, and I’ll be looking forward to whatever opportunities it brings to see Korean film where it deserves to be seen – on the big screen. I ended my <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/looking-back-reflections-on-sydneys.html">look back</a> on last years festival by correctly predicting <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-thieves.html">'The Thieves / 도둑들'</a> and ‘Nameless Gangster / 범죄와의 전쟁 : 나쁜놈들 전성시대’ would be shown this year, so I’ll take the chance to wish that for next year, we’ll to be able to watch the gritty gangster movie ‘The New World / 신세계’ and Hong Sang-soo’s latest ‘Nobody’s Daughter Haewon / 누구의 딸도 아닌 해원’. Here’s hoping!</div>
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By Paul Bramhall</div>
Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-83776247766571693662013-11-01T14:48:00.000+11:002013-11-15T14:51:31.520+11:00KOFFIA 2013: My Experience by Genesis<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">An early morning flight
to Korea looms as I write this reflection. Funny, this feeling - that somehow
through the films I viewed at KOFFIA 2013 I feel as if I’ve already been to
Korea – from ancient Joseon to modern day Seoul! Is it safe to say that when I
step out of Incheon everything will feel alien-ly familiar? I hope so, even
though this will be my first time to the land of the Morning Calm.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I’m a K-pop, K-drama
and K-fashion enthusiast – adding K-film to my list of K-enthusiasms was just
covering another base I hadn’t previously. This opportunity came through
artistic director Kieran Tully and fellow blogger Raelene to whom I’d like to
express my deepest gratitude to. I also extend that to the KCO and the entire
team behind KOFFIA. It is so great that such good cinema has become readily available here. I had only experienced Korean cinema once or twice before
but after KOFFIA 2013 I can never see Korean cinema the same way again. I
believe the expression is “broader horizons”!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I was fortunate enough
to see <i>A Werewolf Boy</i>; <i>My Paparotti</i>, <i>Watcha Wearin</i>, <i>Architecture 101</i>, <i>Boomerang
Family</i>, <i>Masquerade</i> and my favourite of the whole festival, <i>Pluto.</i> In total
seven films - a pretty good run for a first timer, hey? Some were more
memorable than others but all of them left an impression that excited me about
my upcoming trip to Korea. Oh and what's more memorable than actress Kim Kkot-bbi tweeting her well wishes for your impending trip to her country?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sensual perhaps sums
up my experience of KOFFIA 2013. Song Joong-ki took my heart when he finally
uttered “<i>kajima</i>”, Lee Je-hoon made me tear up when he belted out <i>Nessun Dorma</i>,
I pained with Lee Byung-hoon when Sa-Wol died in his arms and I felt a cool
sense of revenge when Lee Da-wit finally lit that fuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this is how cinema is supposed to be
experienced then I hope KOFFIA reaches further audiences in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Honourable mentions
must also go out to my fellow bloggers who also offered such varied, academic
and informed perspectives on the other films. It was also quite a joy to
socialise in the Korean way (<i>chi-mek</i> and<i> soju</i>) with these kindred spirits! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Long live KOFFIA and
hopefully see you at KOFFIA14!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">By Genesis Mansilongan</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-22221582015639592622013-10-28T15:25:00.003+11:002013-10-31T00:37:58.047+11:00Review: The Last Stand (2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It’s safe to say that people who went to watch <i>‘<a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDEQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Ftitle%2Ftt1549920%2F&ei=fWn7UeyNMMrukgXsmIDYAQ&usg=AFQjCNEXZ0wZJCAgfGk1KMn5rh3ro6xcpw&sig2=DETyR4KniZFM16oJ9H885Q&bvm=bv.50165853,d.dGI">The Last Stand’</a></i> fall into two categories – those who were exited to see Arnold Schwarzenegger’s big screen comeback in a lead role, his first in 10 years, and those who were excited to see Kim Ji-woon’s English language Hollywood debut. A brief look at the user reviews on the likes of IMDB will tell you which category the majority of people fall into, with endless headers along the lines of “He Said He’d Be Back!” littering the lists of comments.</div>
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For myself of course, as someone who happily admits to Ji-woon being his favourite director, it could have been Arnie or anyone else for that matter, I’d be there! I was however a little late to the party, and was a little concerned that in only its third week of theatrical release, the movie had completely disappeared from the cities cinema screens, forcing me into a trip to the suburbs to check it out. Even then, the total audience members for the 7:00pm screening could sadly be counted on one hand. But still, it was a Ji-woon movie in the cinema, my third after watching <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_A_Bittersweet_Life.php">‘A Bittersweet Life'</a></i> (달콤한 인생) in the UK & <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_I_Saw_the_Devil.php">‘I Saw the Devil'</a></i> (악마를 보았다) in Japan, so I was a happy guy.</div>
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<i>‘The Last Stand’</i> is inevitably drawing comparisons with Korea’s two other major directors who also have Hollywood movies recently release to critical acclaim – Park Chan-wook’s <i>‘<a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-stoker.html">Stoker’</a></i><a href="http://koffia.com.au/programs/2013-film-line-up/stoker/">,</a> and Bong Joon-ho’s <i>‘<a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Ftitle%2Ftt1706620%2F&ei=qmr7UeHaIMGQlQWgrIGQBA&usg=AFQjCNGYeb_elSvpZwumVBk6SUoCIyo7UA&sig2=OPEMN6CdGcCTOIbcmgVgAg&bvm=bv.50165853,d.dGI">Snowpiercer’</a></i>, which I discussed in <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/hollywood-bound-koreas-trio-of-talent.html" target="_blank">last years blogathon</a>. In a discussion I’d had with some colleagues, we’d talked about why the anticipation for Chan-wook and Joon-ho’s movies seems to be higher than for that of <i>‘The Last Stand’</i>. I’d said I thought it was because <i>‘Stoker’</i> & <i>‘Snowpiercer’</i> seem to represent Chan-wook and Joon-ho imposing themselves on Hollywood, while ‘The Last Stand’ seems to be Hollywood imposing itself on Ji-woon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Fn01CA-Jk73EFqHDtUCSI30DXVIxOcCiPMHS2d-7mWbEg1ce2AiR8MBda7UcLmkzp7DArtIZ0P56YXTqJXL9nWtY3y4EMNQWjUHqFl3c1vVIFTcHaIARZu6Z-D-E1Xmt3iL4JG5YYMY/s1600/the-last-stand-review-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Fn01CA-Jk73EFqHDtUCSI30DXVIxOcCiPMHS2d-7mWbEg1ce2AiR8MBda7UcLmkzp7DArtIZ0P56YXTqJXL9nWtY3y4EMNQWjUHqFl3c1vVIFTcHaIARZu6Z-D-E1Xmt3iL4JG5YYMY/s200/the-last-stand-review-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Now having seen the movie, and read various interviews with Ji-woon expressing his love for the Hollywood western movies of old, I can safely say I take back that comment. Perhaps a better way to put it would be Chan-wook & Jong-ho are making their own style of movie, it just so happens that their next one is in Hollywood. However the difference with Ji-woon is that he clearly wanted to make a Hollywood style movie, even down to him having no involvement in the script, it was a pre-existing one that had already been around for a while.</div>
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Indeed <i>‘The Last Stand’</i> does very much feel like a western, with all of the events taking place onscreen leading up to a show down on the main street of a border town. Before we get to the finale though, I sometimes felt like I was watching three separate movies all together. We have Arnie as Sheriff Ray Owens, keeping watch over the small town he has authority over with local characters played by the likes of Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzman, and it’s these segments which give the movie its western feel. Then we have the bad guy, escaped criminal Gabriel Cortez played by Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega, whose vast majority of scenes comprise of him in a speeding customized car, recalling the likes of classic 70s chase movies like <i>‘Vanishing Point’</i>. Lastly, and arguably the only parts of the movie which feel like they’re completely taking place in a modern day environment, we have Forest Whitaker and Daniel Henney (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_My_Name_is_Kim_Sam-soon.php&sa=U&ei=9Gr7UetJhbLKAazugdAM&ved=0CAcQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNFJ7Zj2iGfBBBewSn_tOo2jRnAgpw"><i>'My Lovely Sam-soon'</i></a> 내 이름은 김삼순) trying to keep everything under control within the hi-tech FBI headquarters in LA.</div>
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Domineering over everything of course though is the presence of Arnie, last seen headlining a movie a whole decade earlier in <i>‘Terminator 3’</i>, here he finds the right balance between an older and wiser patriarch to his deputies, while still finding moments to unleash mayhem and crank out his famous one-liners. The script as a whole makes all of the characters easy to relate to, we’ve seen them all countless times before – the country boy who wants to escape to the city, the bad boy with a heart of gold, the FBI guy who’ll stop at nothing 'till he gets his man – they’re all here and accounted for. Thankfully they all come across as likeable people, which stops us dwelling on the lack of originality on display, because the truth is there isn’t much that hasn’t been done before here.</div>
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The script itself has some very sugary moments, complete with a happily ever after ending straight out of a 1950s western, and it’s this slightly out of time feel that gives the movie its charm. For better or worse, Ji-woon has essentially created a 1950s western filmed with a 1980s action aesthetic, ably filmed by his longtime collaborator, cinematographer Kim Ji-yong. You’re not going to get anything more or anything less, <i>‘The Last Stand’</i> simply is what it is. A few people have complained in recent years that starting with <i><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_Good_v__the_Bad_v__the_Weird.php&sa=U&ei=Kmv7UaLyBM6EygHNrYDoAQ&ved=0CAcQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNHJNgnVpIsVLKBrfQeW3qladZtzcg">‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird'</a></i> (좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈) Ji-woon’s movies have lost their depth, and to a degree it’s true. The extra layers in the likes of <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/review-bittersweet-life-2005.html"><i>'A Bittersweet Life'</i></a> (달콤한 인생) and <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_A_Tale_of_Two_Sisters.php">‘A Tale of Two Sisters'</a></i> (장화, 홍련) are definitely not there in his more recent works, but that’s not to say they’re any less enjoyable.</div>
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<i>‘The Last Stand’</i> delivers a solid half hour action finale, completely devoid of any CGI, and is even unashamed enough in its approach to have the bad guys put a bazooka to excessive use not once but twice during its runtime. Perhaps it’s best to look at is this way – <i>‘The Last Stand’</i> is Kim Ji-woon’s way of asking, is it still possible to make an exciting and well filmed action movie in the Hollywood of today? And the answer, based on everything I just witnessed, is a resounding yes.</div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b><br />
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For more: <br />Website: <a href="http://www.koreanculture.org.au/">www.koreanculture.org.au</a></i><br />
<i>Facebook: <a href="http://facebook.com/cinemaonthepark">facebook.com/cinemaonthepark</a></i>Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-77705110090966739062013-09-09T11:09:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:26:15.073+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: Pluto / 명왕성<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last year, I visited Korea for the first time and made it a priority to attend the Busan International Film Festival after hearing much about it through social media and friends. The experience was out of this world - never had I been to a festival that an entire city was in tune with in every kind of way. </div>
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There were two films that stood out to me the most amongst all the Korean films I saw at the festival. One was Kim Ki-duk's outstanding film <i>Pieta</i>, which was also included in the 2013 program of KOFFIA, an excellent comeback from the elusive Korean director. The other film was from a relatively new director and a new force to be reckoned with in the Korean film industry, and was possibly the biggest surprise for me at the festival. I had not heard anything about the film, or the director, and was going with gut when I decided to grab a ticket to see it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdPd11p-t_42XV8hOeTCoyY0JOA_EE-ehdJVhgKCdYok7fyOYM1rMC_vh22I3xFllTBF9C-2PVhunUlvYgh0OiL8ixDxFSfTVuu2P2Z5SfjBFabYIsYDMaJB4bkmjWxE7OkhLH7JsExs/s1600/pluto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdPd11p-t_42XV8hOeTCoyY0JOA_EE-ehdJVhgKCdYok7fyOYM1rMC_vh22I3xFllTBF9C-2PVhunUlvYgh0OiL8ixDxFSfTVuu2P2Z5SfjBFabYIsYDMaJB4bkmjWxE7OkhLH7JsExs/s640/pluto.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The film was <i>Pluto</i>, directed by ex-school teacher turned filmmaker Shin Su-won whose short film <i>Circle Line</i> (also screened as part of the K-Shorts Showcase at KOFFIA this year) was awarded the Canal+ Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. For a film that was made without the support of large funding bodies, <i>Pluto </i>is an incredible achievement for the kind of film it is and I would gladly tell you why.</div>
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June (<i>Lee Da-wit</i>) is a new transfer at an elite, private high school, where the top 1% of the senior students are prepared to go to extremes to get into prestigious universities. Upon entering the school, June struggles to keep up with the top ranking students and begins to fall behind. When he learns of a secret study group comprising of the cream of the crop in his class, he is adamant to join them, but in order to do so, he must complete several tasks beyond his comfort zone. When June is framed for the murder of a classmate, he sets off on an investigation into the group and their dark secrets, and eventually takes off onto a destructive path jeopardising the safety of himself and others.</div>
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What might seem like yet another story about high school students and the age old, cliched elite vs the underdog theme, <i>Pluto</i> redefines it by telling the story using the planetary system as a metaphor. The first quarter of the film is done in a unique style that is almost documentary-like, with stunning visuals for an independently made film, explaining the expulsion of the planet Pluto from the solar system. Shin Su-won uses many references to astronomy, which is what makes <i>Pluto</i> stand out from the rest. In a forum with Shin during her visit to Sydney as part of KOFFIA in August, she mentioned she had been influenced by the likes of Stanley Kubrick, and the references to astronomy and the solar system as part of the existentialist questions raised in the film feel reflective of this.</div>
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The rest of <i>Pluto</i> has a unique visual style that rivals any independently made film out there today. Cinematographer Yun Ji-un has done a fine job of reflecting the claustrophobic nature of the high school, and discord of the school's social hierarchy. There were some very interesting shots, framed from heights and at oddly uncomfortable angles, and after viewing <i>Pluto</i> for the second time, I could see Shin Su-won's nods to Hitchcock and Kubrick, again. Another interesting thing I picked up in second-viewing was the extremely intricate editing style, which seems to have developed from Shin Su-won's <i>Circle Line</i>. There are scenes where time seems to have come to a halt, yet the clever editing suggests a deeper chaos within them. </div>
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The performances in <i>Pluto</i> are something else, too. Lee Da-wit (<i>Romance Joe</i>, <i>Poetry</i>) continues to impress as the quietly destructive June, while newcomer Sung-joon (<i>Dangerously Excited</i>) is excellent as the mysterious, brooding roommate of June and 'leader' of the secret society. Independent film star and one of my favourites Kim Kkot-bbi (<i>Breathless</i>, <i>The King of Pigs</i>) also stars as June's ally and character of the minority in the film. It was incredibly refreshing seeing young, unknown actors alongside each other in a film of this calibre, and I feel that Shin Su-won's direction has been spot on for their characters in <i>Pluto</i>.</div>
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This is one impressive independent film. Moody, thrilling, and quietly unsuspecting in the way it slowly builds on June's destructive nature, and the discord of the school's system. <i>Pluto </i>is full of moments that will leave you on tenterhooks, and it is for this reason you should not miss it. Director Shin Su-won's vision is beautiful, and I think <i>Pluto</i> is just the beginning of it. </div>
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<b><i>Pluto</i> screens at the Korean Film Festival in Australia for the last time in Melbourne, Wednesday September 11th at 6pm, at the ACMI Cinemas. <a href="http://www.acmi.net.au/koffia_2013_pluto.aspx" target="_blank">Buy your tickets now via ACMI's website</a>.</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-81546205797066890222013-09-08T13:16:00.000+10:002013-09-08T13:16:43.496+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: Miracle In Cell No. 7<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I have never hated myself so much for not taking tissues to a film. Never. And I am the kind of person who normally trusts your word on this. <i>Miracle in Cell No. 7</i> is a film that knows exactly how to pull at your heart's strings, over and over again, and doesn't shy away from ensuring you get a good cry out of it.</div>
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Part comedy, part drama, <i>Miracle in Cell No. 7</i> tells the story of Yong-gu (Ryoo Seung-ryong, <i>Masquerade</i>), a mentally challenged man with the capacity of a 6-year-old and his young daughter, Ye-sung (Kal So-won/Park Shin-hye). When Yong-gu is wrongly accused for the murder of a young school girl, he is sent to prison, leaving him separated from Ye-sung. When his cellmates learn of his disability and longing for his daughter, they devise a plan to sneak Ye-sung into the cell to reunite her with her father.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAmB3QgcLUZ1jZcatfWtrL1V9R8RQr5N6YJYOgDePDsSz9bi7GoeONrUz7dWJ5IZbCTyaBOk9Sd1bBHfjAxCanceZumrDN1M8g1Bl0rVQ08x10CC1nBEYcXRQvszbqIivSb_ZaZdPRXE/s1600/XCvc7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAmB3QgcLUZ1jZcatfWtrL1V9R8RQr5N6YJYOgDePDsSz9bi7GoeONrUz7dWJ5IZbCTyaBOk9Sd1bBHfjAxCanceZumrDN1M8g1Bl0rVQ08x10CC1nBEYcXRQvszbqIivSb_ZaZdPRXE/s200/XCvc7.jpg" width="140" /></a>The film both upsets and uplifts, and draws many comparisons in story to the American tear-jerker (guilty) <i>I Am Sam</i>, centring around the mentally challenged father and daughter relationship. However, <i>Miracle In Cell No. 7</i> has an interesting mix of both comedy and drama, which is worth commenting on. The balance of drama and comedy in this film really plays with you after a while. There are scenes of supposedly hardened criminals playing with the young Ye-sung, juxtaposed with scenes of Yong-gu's arrest and re-enactment of the murder, which is unsettling to watch. In thinking about this film after seeing it, I considered an older entry I wrote about genre-bending in contemporary Korean cinema. <i>Miracle in Cell No. 7</i> is a great example of this, where there can be more than one genre that exists in a film where both are used in equal doses, rather than one overpowering the other. It surprisingly works in the film's favour.</div>
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<i>Miracle in Cell No. 7</i>'s immense warmth comes from the large ensemble cast, headlined by the increasingly popular Ryoo Seung-ryong (<i>Masquerade</i>, <i>All About My Wife</i>) and Park Shin-hye (<i>Cyrano Agency</i>). Both Ryoo and Park picked up popularity awards in the last year for their roles in the film, too. Ryoo's performance as the mentally challenged Yong-gu is questionable, though I will forever feel that Moon So-ri in <i>Oasis</i> will beat any other performance of the kind, so I may be biased. The cute Kal So-won who plays the young Ye-sung steals the show for me though. The young actress has an extremely expressive face, so much that her frown will send your tears jerking out of your eyes. It doesn't help that she is as cute as a button, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xiRbl-hf0oetdDvk8igwzVCg2fkVBRKzwjwPegMO7GBcvwnbvhoUcZ92Iu9oTrEywuGS-sPbCCNHfea-_M4ZxDY0_F4EMPOCeKeuj9vn55nDUXCk594hxmfdXrfYpgn9zRSLmOr13JY/s1600/AS10RyP54mQHu-660x520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xiRbl-hf0oetdDvk8igwzVCg2fkVBRKzwjwPegMO7GBcvwnbvhoUcZ92Iu9oTrEywuGS-sPbCCNHfea-_M4ZxDY0_F4EMPOCeKeuj9vn55nDUXCk594hxmfdXrfYpgn9zRSLmOr13JY/s200/AS10RyP54mQHu-660x520.jpg" width="200" /></a>The film's supporting cast is large, and made up of some of the best Korean actors in supporting roles, including the indelible Oh Dal-su (<i>My Paparotti, Thieves</i>), who keeps popping up unexpectedly in many films of late. Others include Jung Jin-young (<i>The King and the Clown</i>), Park Won-sang (<i>Unbowed</i>) and Jeong Man-sik (<i>The Yellow Sea</i>). Most of these actors are known for more serious roles, so it is refreshing to see them play very different characters in the film, which adds to the comedy of the film.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEick0VdKMeIJG6OVZbehsdsoXKnsFdNsWVYCQMVULSDU_fACfszlchPyZCVyfZtYZfjnxsvJdBmyF9l4jQ12kdcHuiFT3G5a_HyYBK1K72cyMtWMnIUEb-QjVO51yrxbs-hIrTDXJEDC04/s1600/25ce96e6afb6b62d7a58ef099699bf15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEick0VdKMeIJG6OVZbehsdsoXKnsFdNsWVYCQMVULSDU_fACfszlchPyZCVyfZtYZfjnxsvJdBmyF9l4jQ12kdcHuiFT3G5a_HyYBK1K72cyMtWMnIUEb-QjVO51yrxbs-hIrTDXJEDC04/s200/25ce96e6afb6b62d7a58ef099699bf15.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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While the film touches on some darker topics such as murder and even rape, I still left <i>Miracle in Cell No. 7</i> feeling uplifted. The film is well paced and slowly reveals the outcome of Yong-gu's case, though if there was one thing I could pick on it would be how many tearjerking scenes there were in the duration of half an hour! The ensemble cast made the film even more enjoyable to watch, and you could argue that the casting was on point. </div>
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The film was released in January of 2013, and by March, it had already sold 12 million tickets and climbed its way up to the third highest grossing film in the Korean box office of all time, right behind Bong Joon-ho's monster flick <i>The Host</i> and another KOFFIA 2013 film <i>The Thieves</i>. If you are after a no-frills, warm-hearted film, look no further. <i>Miracle in Cell No. 7</i> will melt the coldest of hearts and keep you chuckling throughout.</div>
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Final words. Do not forget the tissues.<br />
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<b>By Raelene Loong</b><br />
<b>Follow her @suupatrout</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-38113520613525367492013-09-07T12:40:00.000+10:002013-09-09T20:35:29.689+10:00Review: Project 577 / 577 프로젝트 (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The documentary <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Project_577.php">‘Project 577’</a></i> had an unlikely origin, with actor of the moment Ha Jung-woo vowing that if he won the best actor award at the Baeksang Arts Awards, the Korean equivalent of the Oscars, for two years running, he’d embark on a cross country trek. In 2010 he took the award for his performance in the Winter Olympics ski-jump drama <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Take_Off.php">‘Take Off’</a></i> (국가대표), and in 2011 he did indeed win for a second consecutive year as a North Korean on the run in the thriller <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_Yellow_Sea.php">‘The Yellow Sea’</a></i> (황해).</div>
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Jung-woo planned the trek from Seoul to Haenam, in South Jeolla Province, a total distance of 577 kilometers, and decided to bring along a bunch of his actor friends while making a documentary about their journey along the way, and so <i>‘Project 577’</i> was born. While Jung-woo is in charge of everything related to the trek itself, he hands over directorial reigns to Yi Keun-woo, marking his debut feature. Jung-woo will make his own directorial debut this year with the flight comedy <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Roller_Coaster.php">‘Rollercoaster’</a></i> (롤러코스터), which also happens to feature some of the actors brought along for the ride in <i>‘Project 577’</i>.</div>
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The audition process makes for amusing watching, Jung-woo personally ask his <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Love_Fiction.php">‘Love Fiction’</a></i> (러브픽션) co-star Gong Hyo-jin to come along, and although initially reluctant, spurred on by his encouragement to challenge herself, she eventually agrees to take part on the basis that she can bring her dog for company. In total fourteen actors join the trek, ranging from regular co-stars in Jung-woo’s movies such as Kim Geun-hyeon (<i>‘Love Fiction’</i> 러브픽션) and Kim Seong-gyoon (<i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Nameless_Gangster.php">‘Nameless Gangster’</a></i> / 범죄와의 전쟁 : 나쁜놈들 전성시대), to fresh faces still looking for their big break such as Lee Seung-ha, not to mention the self-proclaimed “Brad Pitt of Korean morning television drama” Lee Geon, who joins as a last minute addition.</div>
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What makes the documentary an interesting watch is everyones motivations for joining the trek. While Hyo-jin constantly complains that she has no idea why she agreed to join, others reasons vastly vary from such polarities as trying to lose weight, to another member explaining that his manager said it would be a great opportunity to gain exposure, so try and get in front of the camera as much as possible! The focus remains on the members of the trek throughout as opposed to the actual landscape itself, and with that in mind it made me realize that it was very much made with a Korean audience, as opposed to a more international one.</div>
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Of course this could be down to my own misconceptions before watching it. Having read that it was about a cross country trek, I had expected a travelogue style piece, perhaps stopping off in some places of interest across Korea and covering their historical or cultural significance. But then again, I guess that’s what the Korean Tourism Office is for, in <i>‘Project 577’</i> the unrelenting pace of the trek mostly restricts our views of Korea to endless shots of the group marching down featureless roads and countryside lanes. While this isn’t necessarily a criticism, it does feel like a missed opportunity to cover so much of what is often a country that, outside of the cities Seoul & Busan, doesn’t get much exposure from an international perspective.</div>
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Thankfully though the interactions between the group make for an entertaining experience. From the somber musings of actors like Kim Seong-gyoon, who reveals that his role as Ha Jung-woo’s right hand man in <i>‘Nameless Gangster’</i> was the only one he got that year, to Kong Hyo-jin gradually realizing that she’s enjoying the experience, everyone reveals themselves in a refreshingly candid way. It’s not all serious though, as between the trekking Jung-woo places various comical sketches and interviews, several of which amusingly revolve around trying to setup the single members of the group with each other, as well as mock commercial breaks starring members of the group advertising everything from noodles to energy drinks. Jung-woo also orchestrates one of the most hilarious practical jokes in recent memory, but to go into it here would spoil the experience.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi866pEZ-2-9UAhPbBnOhbFdZ4vKI8sP_Orv2WlEK1we8uKRvC5S0n88cC6LHAceJBqzHFn_jA7PbqZHywX-x8ns6hJ1lydd7fXHMM32FVysW7aKk-BuCW33d5LkN0ctNYbV7nu3J5QizY/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi866pEZ-2-9UAhPbBnOhbFdZ4vKI8sP_Orv2WlEK1we8uKRvC5S0n88cC6LHAceJBqzHFn_jA7PbqZHywX-x8ns6hJ1lydd7fXHMM32FVysW7aKk-BuCW33d5LkN0ctNYbV7nu3J5QizY/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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All in all <i>‘Project 577’</i> makes for a pleasant 100 minutes viewing of Koreans doing something they love – trekking through countryside. From my own experiences in Korea of being woken up at what seems like the crack of dawn to go hiking up a mountain or through a national park, despite copious amounts of soju being drank the previous evening, I can certainly testify for the enthusiasm the nation has for the past time, and the documentary captures it on film well. Much more than the actual physical places they’re visiting, the trek is a chance for people to bond and share their lives with each other, and for a few moments <i>‘Project 577’</i> allows you to feel as if you’re walking right along with them.</div>
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<i>As a side note, a good companion piece to the documentary would be ‘Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles’, a book written by British author Simon Winchester detailing his own experience of walking the length of Korea. His walk was done in the late 1980s, when Korea was of course a very different country to the one it is today, and it makes for interesting reading to see the difference.</i></div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b><br />
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<b>Catch more of Ha Jung-woo's antics at KOFFIA 2013! Star of <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-berlin-file.html">The Berlin File</a> and <a href="http://koffia.com.au/programs/2013-film-line-up/nameless-gangster-rules-of-the-time/" target="_blank">Nameless Gangster</a>, see him on the big screen at the Korean Film Festival!</b><br />
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For more: <br />Website: <a href="http://www.koffia.com.au/">www.koffia.com.au</a>
<br />Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KOFFIAFilmFest">@KOFFIAFilmFest</a> | #KOFFIA2013
<br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/koreanfilmfestival?fref=ts">Korean Film Festival in Australia</a></i>Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-48951662001897713632013-09-06T11:31:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:08:01.266+10:00Modern Korean Animation: The King of Pigs / 돼지의 왕<div style="text-align: justify;">
How shaped are we by our middle school days? Do our experiences there decide how we live the rest of our lives? Are our memories of this period fond, or continue to haunt us? Can one ever let go of those experiences? <i><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_King_of_Pigs.php">'</a><a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_King_of_Pigs.php">The King Of Pigs'</a></i>, a harrowing and violent Korean animated drama written and directed by Yeun Sang-ho, impressively delves into these questions. <i>'The King of Pigs'</i> won three awards at the Busan International Film Festival and was selected to screen in the Director's Fortnight at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It made its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in the Official Competition. </div>
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The narrative follows two young men and former school friends, Kyung-Min (voiced by Oh Jung-Se) and Jong-Suk (Yang Ik-June), who meet for the first time in 15 years - each facing their own individual adult problems - and reflect on their middle school days and the kid who changed their life forever. The film jumps between their present day conversation, and flashbacks to the incidents they discuss. Kyung-Min, who we are introduced to standing in the shower, is distraught at his company's recent demise and the death of his wife, slumped over the kitchen table. It is assumed, but never revealed, that he has killed her. He makes a phone call to Jong-Suk, now a journalist and struggling novelist, who in a fit of jealousy beats up his wife before leaving the house and meeting Kyung-Min.</div>
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There are lots of incidents conveyed to the audience. Both Kyung-Min and Jong-Suk suffered repeated humiliation at the hands of the school's ruling class (wealthier and smarter students referred to as dogs) - a clan of bullies who were allowed by their teachers to keep the rest of the students (the pigs) in check. These methods involve horrific acts of public humiliation and bullying, and unprovoked violence. It is angering to watch this unchecked schoolroom hierarchy reach the extremes that it does. One interesting case is the arrival of a new student - bright and talented, and friendly to everyone - who draws attention and is declared the 'best essay writer', angering the leader of the pigs, who enlists him to be punished and taught the new rules.</div>
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The pair meet at a diner and discuss Chul (voiced by Kim Hye-na), the one boy who stood up to the dog's brutality, befriending the pair and proclaiming that the only way to overthrow the dog's influence was to match their brutality with reciprocated evil. The stronger-willed Jong-suk is onboard, but the meek and sensitive Kyung-min is not so sure. Ultimately, after being expelled, Chul proposes they send a message ensuring that their tormentors never remember their school days with any semblance of joy or happiness. It is the completion of this act, and Kyung-min's knowledge of what really happened that day, which resulted in their separation for the last fifteen years, and the reason why he has suddenly called his friend to discuss the past and accompany him to their old school.</div>
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One of the main criticisms I had with the film, and this is not the fault of the filmmaking at all, but of the print screened at the festival itself. The subtitle translation was very poor and often distracting. A lot of the subtitled dialogue did not form coherent sentences, which meant extra work to decipher the meaning. I hope the translation is more accurate for future screenings. </div>
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I found the cycle of brutality also became a bit too monotonous in the middle. There seemed like an uncomfortable amount of similarly staged sequences in the classroom. But, in defence of this, it is the relayed memories of the two men. They would have only remembered the essential details; what happened to them, Chul's involvement, and how their friendship with Chul spawned the ideas that would forever change their life. They weren't concerned with conveying what the rest of their classmates (who are depicted just sitting around and watching most of the time) were doing.</div>
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It is an uncomfortable film to watch, and quite unlike any animated feature I have seen to date. The violence is raw and impacting, there are a couple of very grisly scenes and some surreal hallucinations. Also, because there is a lot of emotion, the characters are often crying and screaming, which makes the experience less than pleasant. But the film's cultural significance, highlighting the horrendous conditions for underprivileged and lower class South Korean students, as well as the power it holds in regards to the two friend still unable to forget what happened, has continued to grow on me. </div>
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The film's modest budget - only $150,000 US - is impressive considering some of the excellent animation, which is highly cinematic and conveys some stylised examples of brutal violence. The film's startling twist - a very clever reveal - and the rousing final act, really redeems the film after the somewhat repetitive middle, despite a consistently strong narrative drive when balancing the two time periods. Sure to be one of the better animated films to watch in 2012 and a powerful and resonating cinematic experience.</div>
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My Rating ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★</div>
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<b>By Andy Buckle</b></div>
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<i>For more: <br />Website: <a href="http://www.koffia.com.au/">www.koffia.com.au</a>
<br />Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KOFFIAFilmFest">@KOFFIAFilmFest</a> | #KOFFIA2013
<br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/koreanfilmfestival?fref=ts">Korean Film Festival in Australia</a></i>Andy Bucklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655573933693289124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-84298395326626722402013-09-05T00:58:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:28:07.606+10:00Cinema Forums & Four Leaf Clovers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIksSomMoEO1HTuPOjGXCWPs2g88xwi229T5tIIusL0LGsS7Csr7lq1JxInbXiHm5Y4ciq_No0EvRMwbk1-D0IAeUOUj4AskoSmWiROrgYe4OdZKbqboZXS3gRki9TsYIBqA5TVZy8AW4/s1600/IMG_0421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIksSomMoEO1HTuPOjGXCWPs2g88xwi229T5tIIusL0LGsS7Csr7lq1JxInbXiHm5Y4ciq_No0EvRMwbk1-D0IAeUOUj4AskoSmWiROrgYe4OdZKbqboZXS3gRki9TsYIBqA5TVZy8AW4/s320/IMG_0421.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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During the Korean Film Festival's Sydney leg I was lucky enough to attend a Cinema Forum in the Korean Culture Office. The subject was ‘Thrilling Shorts and Dark Matter’, and was to be attended by the actress <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/kim-kko-bbi-breathless-flower.html">Kim Kko-bbi</a>, directors Moon Byoung-gun & Shin Su-won, & producer Lim Chung-geum.</div>
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The forum lasted for about an hour, and gave the opportunity for this years special guests at the Korean Film Festival of Australia to provide some valuable insights into what it takes to work within the Korean independent and short movie scene. Special mention has to go to Moon Byoung-gun, who thanks to embracing the spirit of Australian culture during the day through partaking in a few Aussie beers (this was revealed after the forum finished), arrived on stage fashionably late with a healthy glow and a spring in his step.</div>
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The directors discussed at length what it takes to really get a short film which doesn’t have the backing of a large studio or a significant amount of funding behind it out there to a larger audience, as they regaled us with their adventures in film festivals such as the prestigious Cannes, and their own experiences closer to home at the Busan Film Festival. </div>
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Ironically director Su-won’s short film ‘Circle Line / 순환선’ started out as part of a project initiated by the Department of Welfare, who after fearing that the birth rate is currently relatively low in Korea, asked four directors to make a short film each to promote couples to basically, well, fornicate more. For anyone whose seen ‘Circle Line’, it’ll come as no surprise that the department refused to show the short, and hence director Su-won and producer Chung-geum hit the festival circuit with it instead. This proved to be the right decision, as it walked away with the Canal + Prize at Cannes 2012.</div>
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Similarly, director Byoung-gun made his short movie ‘Finis Operis</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzepT-nmYburuLOjVN1vV1ocdhh0sjpb-yuQ1NuI-hTdnXt7FQwHh15rCCl1y1CdydN5DMiOhxEZylZakYGeaa70ZcpU44cFZXMiqD95y1QOdA2pJls3rm5iQkhbQBa6c3RfmnnRhujs/s1600/IMG_0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzepT-nmYburuLOjVN1vV1ocdhh0sjpb-yuQ1NuI-hTdnXt7FQwHh15rCCl1y1CdydN5DMiOhxEZylZakYGeaa70ZcpU44cFZXMiqD95y1QOdA2pJls3rm5iQkhbQBa6c3RfmnnRhujs/s200/IMG_0434.JPG" width="200" /></a>/ 불멸의 사나이’ in 2011 as his graduation project, and it was invited to Cannes Critics Week 2011. Byoung-gun revealed he felt quite confident it could pick up an award there, but it wasn’t to be. This year the opportunity came for him to make another short, which came in the form of ‘Safe / 세이프’, which he also took to Cannes. While he felt fairly certain ‘Safe’ wouldn’t be walking away with any awards, he was happy to just soak up the atmosphere and have his short film shown, however he got a lot more than he bargained for when it walked away with the Palme d’Or award!<br />
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It was an entertaining hour of talk, and as things wrapped up people jumped in to get their photos taken with the special guests (myself included of course!) and offer their words of praise and encouragement. Many people there were heading onwards to the showing of ‘Nameless Gangster / 범죄와의 전쟁 : 나쁜놈들 전성시대’ at the cinema close by, so as the office began to empty soon it was just myself, a few other festival staff, and the special guests. After exchanging a few words I said my goodbyes, and after spending over five hours straight in the cinema the previous night, I made my way home to rest my eyes and write up a review of <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-fists-of-legend.html">'Fists of Legend / 전설의 주먹'</a>.</div>
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As fate would have it though, a couple of minutes later I realized that the group walking in front of me was in fact Kim Kko-bbi, Moon Byoung-gun, Shin Su-won, & Lim Chung-geum. Joined by the director of one of this years Short Film Competition entries, Richard Kim (‘0.5’), he revealed that the guests wanted to end the night with some food and drink somewhere local. Richard came up with the somewhat genius idea of taking them to the Irish pub, Scruffy Murphy’s, but seemed to be heading in the wrong direction in order to get there. Taking it upon myself to point them the right way, I was surprised when Kim Kko-bbi, after having watched her for the past hour speak through a translator, suddenly engaged me in conversation with fluent English!</div>
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I’m not sure exactly what happened next, but skip forward 15 minutes, and suddenly I was sat around a table with all of the KOFFIA special guests – directors, actresses, producers – giving a hearty cheers to each other with pints of Guinness. This wasn’t how I’d planned to spend my Tuesday evening, but I wasn’t complaining. As it happened, Guinness has the fantastic effect of loosening everyone’s tongues, and soon everyone revealed themselves to have a pretty good grasp of English, while I no doubt unintentionally amused with my attempts at Korean, which has remained at a consistently terrible level for 3.0 years and counting.</div>
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While Richard got film-making advice from Byoung-gun, I found myself explaining my own beginnings in becoming a fan of Korean cinema back when I was still in my hometown of Liverpool in the UK. As the movie talk dropped away, I was soon shooting the wind with producer Chung-geum over which country is the best to live in – Australia, the UK, or Korea. As there was an unspoken rule of whatever was discussed at the table stayed at the table, I’ll resist offering up everyone’s opinions. As it happened, Kim Kko-bbi had spent some time traveling around Europe, particularly in the UK & Ireland, and was soon excitedly showing me the list of British comedies she has on her I-pod. Wow, she has a lot of British comedies. I was soon receiving an education on my own countries comedy shows, while she revealed her favorite was ‘Little Britain’ of all things!</div>
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Here I was thinking how I was going to mumble my way about how good I thought her performance was in the likes of ‘Breathless / 똥파리’, but instead we’re sitting there talking about which ‘Little Britain’ character is the funniest – the ‘Computer says no’ travel agent, or the ‘I’m the only gay in the village’ Welshman. Somehow our conversation segued into K-pop, as I found myself on the end of an interrogation into if I knew who the Wonder Girls are, and if I did, was I aware that Sunmi had just released a solo single called ’24 Hours’. While I passed the first part, sadly my knowledge of Sunmi’s solo single was non-existent. That didn’t last long, as Kko-bbi exclaimed that I simply had to see the music clip because it was “soooo sexy”. A few taps of the Samsung Galaxy later, and the members of the table found themselves huddled around the small screen for a viewing of the clip in question, presented by one of my favourite Korean indie movie actresses. Surreal.</div>
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The night carried on in a similar vein, we spoke freely and if memory serves me correctly, everyone had a great time. The thought flashed through my head of what a great photo it would make of us all sitting there in an Irish pub knocking back Guinness and beers together, and my mind wandered to a question I’d directed to <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/kim-kko-bbi-breathless-flower.html">Kim Kko-bbi</a> when the floor was opened up to the audience during the forum. I’d asked her that during the making of the project 'My Selves / 나 나 나: 여배우 민낯 프로젝트', in which she filmed her own daily life with a handheld camera over a period of a few weeks, how different did it feel to be filming herself as opposed to having to play a character. She had answered that it was difficult, because often a spontaneous situation would occur with her friends, and she’d realize that she hadn’t filmed it, so she’d switch the camera on and then try and get everyone to reenact what they’d just done. However when she looked at the footage, it seemed unnatural and forced, so she accepted not every moment is meant to be caught on camera. As I thought back to her response, I put my camera back in my pocket, and we said cheers one more time.</div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b></div>
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Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-82885695072858712362013-09-04T14:51:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:27:35.314+10:00Eating for KOFFIA 2013<div style="text-align: justify;">
So any day or evening at KOFFIA will involve more than just seeing the film. Your friends might want to go eat somewhere as well. I'm going to assume you know your authentic Korean food and where to go to get it; Especially when you think of Korean food you think of a big B, quickly followed by another B and then a Q. But I'm going to look further afar while still maintaining some Korean ties. For those interested in a bit more variety than your usual Korean cuisine, read on. Don't worry. There'll be no mention of Old Boy and places to go eat octopus. Except that one.</div>
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Many people don't like the path away from authentic food, but I find it interesting as it can reveal just as much about a culture in the process of changing something to suit someone else's preferences. We're not talking about taming down of Korean food and making it bland and less interesting. We're talking about the taking of a culture's food and having it Korean-ified.The ways that Korean culture modifies the foods of other countries is just as revealing of Korea as their traditional food. </div>
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As happens in many countries, international food trends - good and otherwise - have been embraced in South Korea. They are assessed and adapted in a way to suit local taste buds. Korean staple, Bulgogi beef for instance can actually be found at McDonalds in Seoul in a way that might alarm some peole (Pro Tip: Don't bother trying it). Yet the presence of bulgogi at McDonalds informs you an interesting process of adaptation that tells you just as much about Korea as authentic food does.</div>
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One might think that the Korean version of this food transformation would be limited to South Korea, but it can be found in your local city if you know where to look. Which brings us to eating during KOFFIA 2013.</div>
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Going to see a KOFFIA film at Event Cinemas in Sydney may tempt you to eat something at the nearby KFC. </div>
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Don't. </div>
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You need to consider the other KFC. Korea fried chicken is an institution and when it's served with something like a spicy wasabi soy dressing then you are transported to heaven. Try it at nearby Naruone at 375 Pitt St. You'll never go back to the colonel again. </div>
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Probably the most interesting mix of cultures can be found at Arisun located at 1 Dixon Street. Check out the magic of the hand towels, but please don't eat them. Savory pancakes, fried chicken (yes, again, why not?) served in a wicker basket, hot dogs and sizzling sausages. And it all feels somehow Korean. Arisun also has a strong Chinese influence so go there if you want to experience Korean style Chinese food in Australia. Get your head around that.</div>
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KOFOO - short for Korean Food - is youth-focused restaurant near the corner of Liverpool and Sussex St. It has a kind of industrial feel, without feeling dangerous, with all it's exposed concrete and metal seats. Go there , not because it's great, but because it's cheap. Plus I have had a nice prawn dumpling soup there and it does have some vegetarian options.</div>
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All these restaurants are in Sydney, but your local neighbourhood will have interesting cultural mixes if you go looking. It's multiculturalism at its best where you find something that's more than the sum of its parts. It's quite common to see Korean-ified multicultural food for the South Korean based foodie, but it takes a little more digging to find them elsewhere. However they are there to be found and are rewarding for those that look for them.</div>
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<b>By Michael Collins</b></div>
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Michael Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15362355537035887367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-11115756283484031472013-09-03T14:45:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:26:24.733+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: Stoker / 스토커<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWXOCm0yWHTwxKQ0zRCBIQOC0QOrg7uh1HM3qAD0Q8BSKM8bvDTXK4FDghc-iw2FtBFWZGzxODIROR7Em5hyphenhyphentnOHPw6UnvMTgFyyH67tl7dQc8YRRYi51EILh6R08JF3Th7H1YYVm370/s1600/STOKER_One_Sheet_SMALLER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWXOCm0yWHTwxKQ0zRCBIQOC0QOrg7uh1HM3qAD0Q8BSKM8bvDTXK4FDghc-iw2FtBFWZGzxODIROR7Em5hyphenhyphentnOHPw6UnvMTgFyyH67tl7dQc8YRRYi51EILh6R08JF3Th7H1YYVm370/s400/STOKER_One_Sheet_SMALLER.jpg" width="278" /></a>Director Park Chan-wook sure likes to keep us waiting for a new movie, with his</div>
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last feature length production being 2009’s ‘Thirst / 박쥐’, since then he’s made a couple of short films with his brother, but apart from that things have been relatively quiet. Then suddenly around the start of 2012, rumblings began to emerge that some of Korea’s top directors had their name attached to Hollywood projects - Kim Ji-woon was going to be directing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s action comeback, Jong Boon-ho was going to be adapting a French sci-fi comic, and Park Chan-wook, well, he was going to be directing a Wentworth Miller (yes <i>that</i> Wentworth Miller, although he’s credited under the pseudonym Ted Foulke) penned psychological thriller.<br />
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While the chances of anyone ever guessing that the guy who made ‘OldBoy / 올드보이’ would end up directing a movie written by the actor from ‘Prison Break’ were pretty slim, general reaction seemed one more of curiosity rather than the usual fan boy bickering and whining that traditionally greets such announcements. ‘Stoker’ managed to keep a sense of mystery to it even after the trailer came out, the basic premise of a mother & daughter grieving over the loss of their husband & father, only to have a mysterious uncle turn up out of the blue to stay with them, was all that was known.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCJve_j__Lgd1bntTo-2c8eCxcpRWeYgYpZQoT3FPDZlpv1WOqYhtFox4-9CUtXZG8lQKZc1_3aJInMHtEISsUIWisxLaiiF7nICTmNzJH3I1uFp93vGuW1LXZd99oi1HppiQScWmJF8/s1600/stoker-2013-nicole-kidman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCJve_j__Lgd1bntTo-2c8eCxcpRWeYgYpZQoT3FPDZlpv1WOqYhtFox4-9CUtXZG8lQKZc1_3aJInMHtEISsUIWisxLaiiF7nICTmNzJH3I1uFp93vGuW1LXZd99oi1HppiQScWmJF8/s200/stoker-2013-nicole-kidman.jpg" width="200" /></a>After attending the <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/screen-trends-2014-evening-with-park.html">Screen Trends 2014 forum</a> during the Sydney Film Festival at which Chan-wook spoke about the making of ‘Stoker’, I began to feel concerned about how the final product would turn out. Chan-wook openly spoke out about the difficulties of making a movie within the confines of the Hollywood studio system, and expressed his own frustrations at only having a certain amount of time to wrap up a scene, as well as constantly having producers questioning his artistic decisions and plans. For all intents and purposes, I prepared myself to witness what could have been a potentially great movie, stifled by the overbearing restrictions working in Hollywood brings on any director.</div>
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As it happened, less than five minutes into ‘Stoker’, what I was witnessing suddenly brought me to a realization, an epiphany of sorts. Every coin has a flip side, and indeed, far from crumbling to pieces, some people actually thrive when they’re put under pressure, with the burden of deadlines and expectations being used as a catalyst to create something intense and wonderful, as opposed to stale and hurried. I can happily say that this is unreservedly the case with ‘Stoker’, a 100 minute tour de force of everything that makes not only Park Chan-wook brilliant, but the very medium of cinema itself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQauFSEDbjoxTP_UkmFl7LMo84htRreq9_iG5bD5b5VMMSx_f5Z_IpbfiAhY0cfMtzWVwYQFxX62D0Nw3khA4JGlCj4ByNZgsX4QTR6OyjQ0vjMyz90MItYteNRgu3n97EdKoZDo7GlU/s1600/stoker6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQauFSEDbjoxTP_UkmFl7LMo84htRreq9_iG5bD5b5VMMSx_f5Z_IpbfiAhY0cfMtzWVwYQFxX62D0Nw3khA4JGlCj4ByNZgsX4QTR6OyjQ0vjMyz90MItYteNRgu3n97EdKoZDo7GlU/s200/stoker6.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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No doubt thanks to Fox Studios decision to also meet Chan-wook’s request to bring his director of photography, Chung Chung-hoon, along for the ride as well, the hypnotic and almost trippy visual flair that was found in ‘Thirst’ is here amped up considerably, as the images on screen act as an extension of the Stoker family’s damaged psyche. The narrative of ‘Stoker’ also adopts an almost free form approach, as events and plot points are sometimes teased at perhaps not playing out in real time, or if they even happened at all, but at no point are they force fed to the viewer.</div>
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Of course none of this would work without an effective cast, and the trio of Mia Wasikowska as the daughter India, Nicole Kidman as her mother Evelyn, and Matthew Goode as the mysterious Uncle Charles, more than rise to the task. While the role of India could come across as that of a stereotypical Goth or Emo eighteen year old in the hands of a lesser actress, Mia Wasikowska instills the character with a subtle confidence that underpins everything she does. Likewise Nicole Kidman in her role of Evelyn serves as a welcome reminder of what a great actress she can be, with a slow-burning intensity which hasn’t been seen since the likes of ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ & ‘To Die For’. As the focal point that the movie hinges on though, Matthew Goode delivers an outstanding performance as the mysterious Charles. Charming, sinister, mysterious, and charismatic often in the same scene, as an audience we’re as much in the dark about his intentions as both India and Evelyn.</div>
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To go into any further details of the plot would no doubt spoil the way it unfolds, which would do ‘Stoker’ a great disservice, however if you are a fan of Park Chan-wook or even cinema in general, a viewing of the movie is essential. Perhaps due to the fact that ‘Stoker’ wasn’t written by Chan-wook, the movie sees the director exploring slightly different themes than we’ve become accustomed to. While the subject of suppressed sexuality is still there, the family dynamic here is just as important. Indeed for anyone who’s seen Kim Ji-woon’s ‘A Tale of Two Sisters / 장화, 홍련’, there is an almost similar feel here of watching a family attempting to get along with each other amidst some dire circumstances, entrapped in a large isolated mansion. The most prevalent theme though comes in the form of the controversial question - are mental problems hereditary, and if so, what are the consequences.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmOVx72aTl-Uu7lj08qpShZgYTZGs_GHoEUuU4nuj9jGjQLGf92wiR0S5puWLiEikngd2DJ4BEa4VSS4bzma2Wu83UCbEXWaNx7kOcJYtv1QZZ2LXZPzSMmkPfAfK6LgYdAoxnbAN1MM/s1600/stoker-goode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmOVx72aTl-Uu7lj08qpShZgYTZGs_GHoEUuU4nuj9jGjQLGf92wiR0S5puWLiEikngd2DJ4BEa4VSS4bzma2Wu83UCbEXWaNx7kOcJYtv1QZZ2LXZPzSMmkPfAfK6LgYdAoxnbAN1MM/s200/stoker-goode.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<i>Stoker </i>addresses those consequences in a way which any fan of Park Chan-wook will recognize, as images of violence are captured with surreal beauty, and everything is kept on a satisfyingly slow burn before things begin to boil over. I always thought I’d be the last person to say this, but if Chan-wook is going to turn out English language movies of this caliber, than I’d be more than happy to see another one.</div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b></div>
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Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-20418200336105115402013-09-02T14:36:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:26:16.806+10:00KOFFIA Review 2013: Boomerang Family / 고령화 가족<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The words boomerang
and family to some may be terms that have no relation whatsoever. However Song
Hae-seong’s <i>Boomerang Family</i> defines the colloquialism in an approach that is
relatable to all. It is often said that no matter what we will return to our
families - from cradle to grave we’re bound by binds of blood, intimacy and
inherent nature. This is the setting of Song Hae-seong’s familiar plot. The
insight to this Korean family; made up of siblings who constantly quarrel and a
mother who harbours a million and one secrets is not so unfamiliar that they
could even be Australian, Arabic or even Azerbaijani! But it’s the Korean character’s
nuances that make this film differ from recognizable cinematic narratives. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Take for example the
brains of the family, our lead man, movie director Oh In-mo played by Park Hae-il who
was the golden child of the miserable 202 (their apartment number) family come
home as a sort of prodigal son because his directorial debut movie flopped. As
the lead man you’re constantly questioning why he “boomerang-ed” back. Was it
his mother’s chicken <i><b>juk</b></i>? Or was it that his life had become so complacent he
was drawn back to good ‘ol family drama? As a character I never understood his
motives – the other two siblings seem to be more active in this family
situation -in both physical and emotional investment. Perhaps director Song
wanted to highlight that not all golden children fulfill filial duties nor do
they contribute anything substantial to the family. Furthermore perhaps their
family’s over caring is the foundation of their impending failure.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The other two
siblings: Han-mo (Yoon Je-moon) and <i><b>yeodongsaeng</b></i> Mi-Yeon (Kong Hyo-jin) negate
the resentment I held for their brother. They sustain the film. Essentially
director Song presents two stereotypes: the gangster <i><b>hyeong</b></i> and the somewhat
lovewreck/promiscuous little sister. However the acting of these two parts quashes
every expectation and precedent. Yoon Je-moon is at times sensitive and
endearing as the misunderstood oldest child of the Oh family. The start of the
film shows him still living with Mother not out of dependence but out of
sincere love and gratitude – and his repeated saviour brother moments with
In-mo really yank at the heart of someone who has always wanted older brother.
The comedy he garners in almost every scene keeps the film at its light-hearted
best.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Mi-Yeon boomerangs
back to the family at the end of another doomed marriage; with her is her only
child Min-kyeong (Jin Ji-hee). A place she sees to recuperate and at the same
time palm off her maternal duties to her own mother. The breadwinner of the
family, her financial standing is much better than her mother and her two older
brothers although her source of income is only revealed to us at the end. She is
perhaps the most “normal” one in the family. What is interesting about her is
her standing in the family - in my favourite scene of the film she makes it a
point that she is the one who contributes the most financially. In-mo is
displeased by this and publically embarrasses her at a restaurant causing the
two to have a heated and loud argument which prompts the other restaurant-goers
telling them to shut up. Too much <i><b>soju</b></i> mixed with emotional family scars leads
to the whole family engaging in a brawl with the restaurant-goers. The scene is
quite eloquent and is a sad reminder that at the end of it all – family is all
we have. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Amidst it is their
mother (Yoon Yeo-jeong). A harbourer of a million and one secrets; she’s your
typical Korean mother – she cooks <i><b>yachae soondubu</b></i> (silky tofu stew), gives you
money to go to the <i><b>jjimjilbang</b></i> (public bathhouse) and does whatever she can to
support the family she loves and cherishes. She is a noteworthy highlight of the
whole film and I would get a little teary-eyed after a scene of hers. Her calm
nature and her altruistic deeds for her children are believable and far removed
from the caricature you were expecting. There is a certain warmth she brought
to the screen every time the shot focused on her which makes her the most
memorable character of <i>Boomerang Family.</i> A character you’ll find yourself
constantly empathising with.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Just when you thought
your family was normal – there is <i>Boomerang Family</i> and it’s at the end of the
film that we realise what Mother Oh said is actually true. “Live, eat, sleep
under the one roof, cry and laugh together…that’s what a family is”. Director
Song has truly captured this basic principle and we leave the film with a
humbling realization that although family dynamics change little, food brings a
family together … especially <i><b>samgyupsal</b></i> (Korean grilled pork belly) … well a dysfunctional Korean family in this case!</span></div>
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<b>By Genesis Mansilongan</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-56015048931932801282013-09-01T15:54:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:26:05.274+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Short Film Competition: My Two Cents<div style="text-align: justify;">
As a fan of short films who deplores the fact that they are not exactly the easiest items to discover in mainstream pop culture, I was quite pleased to review the 10 items in the KOFFIA 2013 Short Film Competition. I felt I was able to engage, empathise and most importantly, enjoy the broad spectrum of issues and themes covered by each film. Without further ado, here are my two cents on each short film:</div>
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<b>La Croyance</b> - directed by Chase Lee</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9tL9jwzQbM/Uhrr-zB0tfI/AAAAAAAADaE/2GXq4UgSdI4/s1600/la+croyance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9tL9jwzQbM/Uhrr-zB0tfI/AAAAAAAADaE/2GXq4UgSdI4/s320/la+croyance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">Chase Lee will take you on a five-minute ride that will give you the urge
to overcome any obstacle in your way and achieve all accomplishments you have
sought out. The challenge to defy the odds is portrayed by the protagonist
wanting to shoot at a basketball court. The usage of a mime works effectively, illustrating the mental challenges and aspirations to be able to shoot freely. Eventually, the mime is able to successfully make a layup, showing that most, if not all obstacles start within one's own head. If we are determined and have the urge to succeed, it will happen. The music provides a fitting touch to
have belief – ‘La croyance’ in French </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">–</span> no matter what the odds may be. The protagonist's determination can be applied to situations in our everyday lives, and should be done so.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"><b>Inevitable Paradox </b>- directed by Hyun Shin</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFXN18Q_LnA/Uhrr-g2yXfI/AAAAAAAADaI/s1hGAscJJ2Y/s1600/inevitable+paradox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFXN18Q_LnA/Uhrr-g2yXfI/AAAAAAAADaI/s1hGAscJJ2Y/s320/inevitable+paradox.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"></span></div>
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Passing moments, staircase wit, the inexplicable feeling of mutual understanding but being unable to express this sentiment freely: Inevitable Paradox summarises all these themes and images succinctly and
effectively in three minutes, while leaving the viewer with food for thought
that lasts much longer than the film itself. As the single green leaf flows downstream, so does time and all the various stages of the human condition: childhood, adolescence, university or working life, eventually followed by retirement and death. Days blur into one another and eventually your entire existence passes by you. The usage of both Korean and English dialogue and photographs instead of frames adds a nice touch and reinforces the theme of discrete days agglomerating to become a continuous flux. Perhaps the next time you go out for some fresh air or a cigarette to take a break from work, you too will realise the contradictory intricacies of this existence we call life.<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"><b>Double Truth</b> - directed by Julius Lee</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">'Double Truth' is a rapid burst of experimental cinema, with a succession of images and sentiments ranging from sheer joy to sadness. Given the non-conventional nature of the film, I found it initially hard to comprehend, but perhaps its open-ended aspect is its beauty. Changing moods, situations and sentiments occur at a rapid rate; the viewer's information overload has parallels with the protagonist's feelings. The music grows and adds to the tension and anguish, providing a nice touch.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"><b>0.5 </b>- directed by Daniel Lee</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">This 16-minute expos</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">é on the life of a “1.5/0.5
Generation” member r</span>esonate<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">d</span> with me the most<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"> out of the Short Film collection</span> as a <span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">New Zealander</span>
with Korean origins<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5428876075055771803" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">. Taking place in a typical dinner gathering
involving pork belly and soju between friends, Daniel Lee illustrates various perspectives
ranging from an integrated Korean-Australian to a Korean living in Australia.
The unpretentious, direct delivery of concerns regarding jobs, settling in
Australia or Korea and the clash between self- and other-definition of oneself
is hard-hitting and struck a chord with me. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">“We are neither Australian nor Korean; we are the 0.5 Generation” is a slogan that succinctly summarises the sentiments of many longtime Korean residents in any country, especially for those who grew up outside of Korea. A typical night out to relax and forget about one's identity clash only amplifies it by posing additional concerns regarding the future as transient people. In an age of uncertainty, this film speaks volumes on the transnational lives of various diaspora members.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"><b>Human Meat Factory </b>- directed by Anna Han</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FLxcuOhhy3A/Uhrr-JOEhEI/AAAAAAAADZ4/SH1Mz0-_bIk/s1600/human+meat+factory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FLxcuOhhy3A/Uhrr-JOEhEI/AAAAAAAADZ4/SH1Mz0-_bIk/s320/human+meat+factory.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">News announcer narration voice, a switch of perspectives and Barbie dolls... make no mistake, 'Human Meat Factory' is out to make a point about the ethics of raising animals for food. It would not surprise me if all the facts specified throughout the film are about cows instead of humans and the graphic, visceral nature of the film will make anyone think twice the next time they consume any meat product. The simplified images ranging from plastic dolls to a gummy burger create a juxtaposition of being distant from such cruelty committed in everyday situations towards animals and the events happening before your very eyes on the screen.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"><b>Next Stop Seoulywood</b> - directed by Matthew Rooke</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLl5FR9ryqM/Uhrr_FICbUI/AAAAAAAADaY/kIpLzmuXPCo/s1600/next+stop+seoulywood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLl5FR9ryqM/Uhrr_FICbUI/AAAAAAAADaY/kIpLzmuXPCo/s320/next+stop+seoulywood.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">Matthew Rooke's vision of the entertainment industry is similar to that shown in the documentary "9 Muses of Star Empire," and is a sobering one at that. From the condescending attitude of the agency recruiter and the mismatch of expectations between him and the interviewee, the film makes explicit the negative aspects of cultural commoditisation and how fickle culture is treated and understood by stakeholders in the entertainment sector. Given Hollywood's attempts in the past to incorporate Asian culture - two examples being 'Crash' and 'Ninja Assassin' - and the endless amounts of stereotyping and generalisations involved, here's hoping they will change their minds. At the very least, it seems this director is aware of the tired clichés used to summarise a continent full of cultural intrigue</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">Too little, too late? Psy's "Gentleman" did not have the universal attention and acclaim that "Gangnam Style" managed to acquire. But for what it's worth, the song is catchy and is accompanied by a dance borrowed from Brown Eyed Girls' "Abracadabra." The Asian-Australian context parody music video captures all the archetypal things Asians use and encounter on a daily basis: noodles, frozen yoghurt (in green tea flavour, of course), bubble tea, Dance Dance Revolution and for students: the library. Various Australian landmarks such as the Opera House, Luna Park and the Sydney Chinatown and the diverse origins of aforementioned items show how Asian culture has integrated into Australian society and is here to stay.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">Irrational, demanding, annoying, a walking contradiction; I am fairly certain we all know someone like this in our respective lives. Despite all of these traits, we still care and want to keep in touch with them and that makes them the "Worst" best friend. Clocking in at just under four minutes, all the scenes recollected and recited by the narrator will be quite familiar for those of us with our own worst best friend. The feel-good, easy-going vibe (bar one incident involving a golf club and strange noises) resonates throughout from start to finish and so do the laughs. The sincere mutual bond and affinity between the protagonist and his best friend is clear throughout the film, which was a great pleasure to watch.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">The kitchen. Wardrobe. Cupboard. Pantry. Cupboard again. Microwave. Is it drugs? A secret stash of money from relatives accumulated over several Lunar New Year celebrations? The monochrome setting provides a serious, brooding undertone offset by the sardonic ending. With no dialogue and accompanied by the protagonist's thoughts in text form, Dee Choi successfully walks the fine line between half-baked suspense and a grim comedy. Five minutes of sly wit accompanied by mystery and intrigue, though one must ask: how and why on earth would you place your most treasured item in such an inaccessible area?</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">This seven-minute account of two Korean popular culture addicts' metamorphosis begins with a venture into Korean dramas and the endless rows of impeccably dressed and groomed men dancing and singing K-Pop numbers. Motivated by a desire to dance and look like their idols, our protagonists take dance classes. After much practice and perseverance, their dance instructor suggests entering in the Korean Cultural Office's 2013 K-Pop Contest in Sydney. Not only do they look like their favourite stars, they also dance like them! I hope the girls' exposure to Korean culture has been a positive experience and that they continue to enjoy and discover what Korea has to offer. Similar to the other entries such as "The Worst Best Friend" and "La Croyance," the feel-good theme of the short film sticks around in a non-trite fashion and it feels sincere.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">Overall, all the entries have something significant and substantial to share with their audience. Each entry should be taken seriously and enjoyed as they will give you something to consider on your way home from the movies. If this is a harbinger of things to come in the future, I look forward to the future of Australian-Korean cinema.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "맑은 고딕"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"><b><i>By Ben Lee</i></b></span></div>
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Ben Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15764300956021501520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-58777573982891312242013-08-31T12:08:00.000+10:002014-01-15T00:36:01.350+11:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: Fists of Legend / 전설의 주먹<div style="text-align: justify;">
My apprehension going into watch <i>Fists of Legend</i> was almost palpable. Billed</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDTHblONvr0Hn7ARtRK2eCs8mY_50_oaKN1uAXNysAMafeXtYfG_pkIh-cobTq4UYNn0IAxicJfP21Ui9zDGDZW85Ghpw8iYAQf17pUadaHqUhIK_Dyh3yPW58NidLbPTYFX0SUx0-yk/s1600/Fist-of-Legend-2013-Movie-Poster-600x859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDTHblONvr0Hn7ARtRK2eCs8mY_50_oaKN1uAXNysAMafeXtYfG_pkIh-cobTq4UYNn0IAxicJfP21Ui9zDGDZW85Ghpw8iYAQf17pUadaHqUhIK_Dyh3yPW58NidLbPTYFX0SUx0-yk/s200/Fist-of-Legend-2013-Movie-Poster-600x859.jpg" width="139" /></a>as a mixed martial arts melodrama that follows three middle-aged men take part in a televised fighting competition called ‘Legendary Punch’, the basis of which is that they used to go to school together and had reputations based on their fierce fighting skills, it’s difficult to figure out exactly who is the movies target demographic.<br />
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Furthermore, the MMA style that sporting competitions like UFC have made so popular has yet to really successfully transfer onto the big screen. While watching two sweaty men withering around on top of each other in an actual real match is exciting and dangerous, as you have no idea what’s going to happen, watching it in a movie takes away that immediacy, stripping it of any tension. Lacking the rhythm and flow of old school kung-fu or the kinetic energy of kickboxing, MMA in comparison comes across as stifled and almost boring, as can be witnessed in any of the countless straight-to-DVD Tapout movies.</div>
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Still, while <i>Fists of Legend</i> seems like a questionable proposition from a story standpoint, the talent behind the production can’t be denied. Helmed by reliable commercial director Kang Woo-seok (‘Public Enemy / 공공의 적’, ‘Silmido / 실미도’), the three characters themselves are played by the always enjoyable Hwang Jeong-min (‘The New World / 신세계’, ‘The Unjust / 부당거래’), Yoon Je-moon (‘Boomerang Family / 고령화가족’ – also showing at the Film Festival!), & Hang Song-soo favourite Yoo Joong-sang (‘The Day He Arrives / 북촌 방향’, ‘Nobody’s Daughter Haewon / 누구의 딸도 아닌 해원’).</div>
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Thankfully the caliber both behind and in front of the camera come together well. The opening switches between scenes from the characters youth of them single handedly taking on whole gangs with nothing but their fists and feet, to the present day TV show which has producer (played by Lee Yo-won) pitting them 25 years later, complete with beer belly, against a seasoned MMA fighter to test their legendary status. From the get go the situation is entirely ludicrous, however Woo-seok plays things straight faced, backed up by performers who are obviously giving it their all. As a result, buying into the whole concept of kids who were famous in school for fighting seeing if they’ve still got it a quarter of a decade later, somehow becomes quite easy to buy into.</div>
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Hwang Jeong-min is quickly established as the main character to root for, once a promising boxer, a cruel twist of fate stole him of his dream and he’s now a noodle shop owner which hardly has any customers, trying to support his teenage daughter after his wife has passed away. It’s safe to say his character ticks every requirement of being in a Korean melodrama, and then some. Je-moon’s character has spent most of his life as a small time gangster working under the areas big crime boss, while Joon-sang made a clean break from his troubled high school brawling days, and now works in an office in which he strives to climb the corporate ladder under a less than pleasant CEO.</div>
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Essentially Yo-won’s producer makes it her mission to bring these three characters, who haven’t seen each other since their high school days, together again to face off against each other on the TV show. There is a subtle underlying theme in the movie of how the media manipulates any given situation for its own betterment. Yo-won goes about playing the men's honest motives off against each other to influence them all to agreeing to take part, and it’s perhaps a telling sign that she becomes one of the only characters to have a decent amount of screen time that doesn’t get some kind of redemptive arc, at the end of the move she’s still the manipulative producer she is at the start.</div>
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While the movie earns a lot of good will with its stellar performances and good mix of regular fight action, the question does come up of if you can have too much of a good thing. While the principal story of getting the three guys together for an MMA match seems relatively straightforward, <i>Fists of Legend</i> clocks in at a whopping 155 minutes, which may put off even the most patient viewer. Most of the huge run time is explained through the fact Woo-seok makes the decision to run a parallel story of the guy’s time in high school, so we’re presented with several extended flashback scenes of the three characters brawling days (their young versions are played by Park Jeong-min, Park Doo-sik, & Goo Won respectively).</div>
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While these scenes provide some welcome background to the characters, as well as some of the movies biggest brawling scenes, trimming some of them down would definitely have been beneficial. Woo-seok is also at his most playful in these scenes, having the trio regularly refer to themselves as the characters from the Hong Kong classic ‘A Better Tomorrow’, making a reference to his own movie ‘Silmido’, and he also recycles the plot from his movie ‘Public Enemy Returns / 강철중: 공공의 적 1-1’, of a gangster hiring disadvantaged teenagers to do his dirty work.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68UB1N8vyGouuBRwgz1B-ZMM5Vcv3tahK9SfWDR_KR1HafCpiLtVAydXgFj7fGriheoOaOgSoz0hywTmHn_tHDheHumutqkRxhh-qDD_0wxpZlZECzrez-u2jQKPBvT0bjyuBZ1vleds/s1600/jm-e1366300964314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68UB1N8vyGouuBRwgz1B-ZMM5Vcv3tahK9SfWDR_KR1HafCpiLtVAydXgFj7fGriheoOaOgSoz0hywTmHn_tHDheHumutqkRxhh-qDD_0wxpZlZECzrez-u2jQKPBvT0bjyuBZ1vleds/s200/jm-e1366300964314.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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By the time the final 30 minutes roll around, which are entirely taken up by MMA bouts in a special tournament which offers big prize money, viewers will either be ready to lap it up or suffering from serious fatigue. Luckily, the fights incorporate various plot points being tied up in the process, which makes them equally satisfying from a plot standpoint as it will be for those who just want to watch some grueling fight action. Special mention should go to the movies action director Jeong Doo-hong, here having his craftsmanship on show for a second time in the festival after <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-berlin-file.html">'The Berlin File / 베를린'</a>. He creates some great mass brawling scenes, during which you just know people got hurt, and succeeds in the unenviable job of actually making the MMA fights themselves appear exciting and tense.</div>
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With the US churning out an endless stream of dull and uninspired MMA movies, <i>Fists of Legend</i> achieves the rare feat of combining manly melodrama with equally manly fight action, and while it may outstay its welcome for some, by the time the credits roll it’s hard to deny that the experience wasn’t a satisfying one.</div>
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<b>By Paul Bramhall</b></div>
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Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-84332664735497943282013-08-30T14:29:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:24:47.998+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: My Paparotti / 파파로티<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">An essay of idolatry
or perhaps an open love letter to Lee Je-Hoon would perhaps best describe the
following review of <i>My Paparotti</i>. Late-comer; late bloomer, whatever you want
to call him Lee Je-hoon is a face of current Korean cinema to watch! His versatility
is notable for such a “young” actor. You reviled him as the enfant terrible
come <i>chaebol</i> heir in <i>Fashion King</i>, you fell in love with him as camp and hopelessly-in-love
Seok-I in <i>Just Friends</i> and your heart broke as his did in <i>Architecture 101</i>. Je-Hoon
in <i>My Paparotti </i>commands your hope and your faith in the goodness of a person. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPp1Fa5gBIucB-QvVAMU0-8EeEnc1A3ONx0n_gfWT0t77n1hDYGMFaE_wYAZVL-o57qEtmVVbrfEEWAlC1Lshv6Aw0nkL431XLpjsrll5bcBpy9uDLBjg8D-T3UfyNesvHZOtccbTFgCV/s1600/Paparotti9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPp1Fa5gBIucB-QvVAMU0-8EeEnc1A3ONx0n_gfWT0t77n1hDYGMFaE_wYAZVL-o57qEtmVVbrfEEWAlC1Lshv6Aw0nkL431XLpjsrll5bcBpy9uDLBjg8D-T3UfyNesvHZOtccbTFgCV/s320/Paparotti9.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Director Yoon Jong-chan
in <i>My Paparotti</i> reminds us that anyone can have a dream – they just have to
find their true voice. Je-Hoon is Jang-ho, a sensitive high school gangster with
a striking voice and a passion for Pavarotti. The film’s namesake comes from
his cute mispronunciation of the aforementioned tenor. Worth mentioning is that
actor Lee Je-Hoon can actually sing and it is with this skill that he convinces
us of his operatic abilities as Jang-ho. The transformation from wayward youth accustomed
to the life of gangs into gifted tenor is conveyed in every convincing facial expression
and vocal mimicking portrayed by Je-Hoon. So compelling, that the first time
you see Jang-ho sing you’re left with a heavy flow of tears and you won’t stop
shedding tears there! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnf177Ej0XQFyL6SU-nspTtxmKXUTKHpdg1FP-QIpGe0Ni8GNj6lzvPejI9K-eN7K5Q2UhKPjdAaIAdKkOtrwkv-WiiTnLyK6LiD_0r4w9NdaufVnydllSy97UUYeqP0kdHp45d1YcUmL/s1600/Paparotti11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnf177Ej0XQFyL6SU-nspTtxmKXUTKHpdg1FP-QIpGe0Ni8GNj6lzvPejI9K-eN7K5Q2UhKPjdAaIAdKkOtrwkv-WiiTnLyK6LiD_0r4w9NdaufVnydllSy97UUYeqP0kdHp45d1YcUmL/s320/Paparotti11.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Expectations are set
high when <i><b>Nessun Dorma </b></i>is mentioned. It carries with it immense talent and a
canon of great performances. Imagine an actual gangster who won’t give up his
dream of singing and he actually wants to perform this song. The scene is set
for my favourite sequence of the film. Jang-ho has left behind the gangster
life but no it’s come back to punch him in the gut one final time…just before
his performance of <i><b>Nessun Dorma</b></i> at the singing competition teacher Sang-jin and
he have been training hard for. Je-Hoon’s glory is here - centre stage as
Jang-ho, in a bloody, disheveled tux and with cuts to his face he manages to
belt <i><b>Nessun Dorma</b></i> to the audiences’ bewilderment and and to his teacher’s proud
and overflowing joy. Previously you were crying a river and now you find yourself crying
an ocean!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KwWz0s9kkyjFKJDY2eg_jOiSyv6FvCBncxvDM8LtuufnvOraEUTEhIaxCHRf9DJHdEVLk0MYURl_LlPxwmVIvbCc-9tNzR_9m_c8X0yZi5olrPUJJyvmdpxgY_FFOHbhtO5K56USMmgU/s1600/Paparotti8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KwWz0s9kkyjFKJDY2eg_jOiSyv6FvCBncxvDM8LtuufnvOraEUTEhIaxCHRf9DJHdEVLk0MYURl_LlPxwmVIvbCc-9tNzR_9m_c8X0yZi5olrPUJJyvmdpxgY_FFOHbhtO5K56USMmgU/s320/Paparotti8.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is not just the
amazing performance of Lee Je-Hoon that carries the film but also how
director Yoon Jong-chan captures the interaction of the two leads. Han Seok-kyu
is Sang-jin, the former highlighted vocalist turned country school music
teacher. The mentor set to impose tough love on Jang-ho and nurture the talent
he uncovers when he first hears him sing. As the gruff teacher, Seok-kyu is in
every respect a 3D character. Nothing is forced and everything is real, even
his slight envy of Jang-ho and his exchange of bodily parts for the freedom of
Jang-ho. Convincing us of the “father-and-son” relationship that later develops
between the two. The witty situational comedy between the two tugs at the
heartstrings and tickles you with laughter - becoming the tender moments of the
film.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsdJqjC8ZF9wNcScXH4r3-QVPn9y-wG0qqnA5_4ZXWYVdSnFWJtscZoQWn6o__L1XfUnLLdOSwfmOi7ZOjkj0KxJBrLigyVf51aVMtEU6uzCg8E_BMP1QrpqIwSHm96ONB_k4KjMvFtkR/s1600/Paparotti1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsdJqjC8ZF9wNcScXH4r3-QVPn9y-wG0qqnA5_4ZXWYVdSnFWJtscZoQWn6o__L1XfUnLLdOSwfmOi7ZOjkj0KxJBrLigyVf51aVMtEU6uzCg8E_BMP1QrpqIwSHm96ONB_k4KjMvFtkR/s320/Paparotti1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Although <i>My Paparotti
</i>may share some thematic elements with familiar cinema – think <i>Mr. Holland’s
Opus</i> or even the interaction between Whoopi Goldberg and Lauryn Hill in <i>Sister
Act 2</i> – it stands on its own as it’s loosely based on a true story and the
insight into Korean high school life juxtaposed with life growing up in the
Korean underworld mark its difference. It’s moments of comedy, action and
poignancy in addition to its two leading men round up this heartstring-tugging
underdog triumph. Am I singing praises? Perhaps, but who cares …a thug who
sings, how nice!</span></div>
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<b>By Genesis Mansilongan</b><br />
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<b>#KOFFIA2013 | Korean Film Festival in Australia</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-24542888520511653932013-08-29T14:32:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:24:40.669+10:00KOFFIA Review 2013: Approved for Adoption / Couleur de Peau: Miel <div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>“I come from here and elsewhere. I am neither white, nor black. The colour
of my skin is honey.”</i> -Jung Henin, <i>Approved for Adoption</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMUoFhdiT8bW0j6JfGiQyBAHQf_qP-Kp2IF0p4tsPf5Pt6y1aJKw8fNMCXKOyUXOD-b_2q-5aWO4JRA0-G4ABOepl1y5YApZmDJmneKZtyfzxGu_P77-DA35UQOkvKLwGKICwrq6Q4WK0/s1600/ap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMUoFhdiT8bW0j6JfGiQyBAHQf_qP-Kp2IF0p4tsPf5Pt6y1aJKw8fNMCXKOyUXOD-b_2q-5aWO4JRA0-G4ABOepl1y5YApZmDJmneKZtyfzxGu_P77-DA35UQOkvKLwGKICwrq6Q4WK0/s1600/ap.jpg" /></a></div>
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We all come from somewhere. We take it for granted that we may have the same
shaped eyes as our mother, or the same eye colour as our grandmother; maybe the
inherited eccentricities of our grandfather, or the physical frame of our
father. However, for many of the 200 000 South Koreans who have been
internationally adopted since the end of the Korean War, these simple and
innocuous musings are relative unknowns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5rgY4mf3QJyQeRcIeXcy-oJdjezG8zCvnhBlkwHTV1NJUQwM59w1gnRVdqRKRmfjYHKkQnQ2-PQHoGfQLBImND0dL6OwNSWnJ5Ok4Q56xB8u61KMJ8u_bbcWNXixoZZWNa1ggI_1KAzF/s1600/afa_1_2_5_T.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5rgY4mf3QJyQeRcIeXcy-oJdjezG8zCvnhBlkwHTV1NJUQwM59w1gnRVdqRKRmfjYHKkQnQ2-PQHoGfQLBImND0dL6OwNSWnJ5Ok4Q56xB8u61KMJ8u_bbcWNXixoZZWNa1ggI_1KAzF/s1600/afa_1_2_5_T.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<i>Approved for Adoption</i>, part-animation, part-documentary, part-autobiographical
account poignantly articulates the experience of South Korean-born, Jung
Henin, adopted as a five-year old into a large Belgian family in 1971. It
is a film that chronicles Jung’s personal struggle for belonging; the emotional
dilemmas that he faces as he negotiates his way through the quagmire of cultural
differences and relationships, and ultimately the yearning for a mother’s love.</div>
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How often might you have wondered whether you were adopted because you didn’t feel
you belonged; or there were times when your parents irritated you so much that
you felt that you most definitely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">were </i>adopted?
For the adoptee, these statements are ironic, as, conversely, they may have
wished that they had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>been adopted,
inevitably, feeling the struggle of identifying with their adoptive family and
the culture of their adopted homeland. Such is the complexity of family, and <i>Approved
for Adoption</i> traces these intricacies in a humorous and at times highly-emotive
way. Jung’s talent for drawing and art is conveyed through the charming
animation, which is interspersed with personal video material from the 70s,
Jung’s voiceover and docu-style footage of Jung in Seoul in the present day, as
he pursues his roots. Some might quibble at the bi-polarity of genre, but it is
exactly this mélange that ties in expressively with Jung’s artistic prowess and
the retrospective and nostalgic element that emanates throughout the film. Ultimately,
the film finds its focal point with footage of Jung meandering his way through
Seoul in the present day as he seeks to reconcile his past and to pursue information
about his birth mother.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-7LKH95UOSfRctQk-LEb1WMr_zjWJl20yPfEussQINmPeBxKqg2lcHIjx682eaCCWKrAmHDmNm1CuOY1O567nq1C-GSZ0RexxQSnCk2F8vn3hTgO_biABAdYnOQqq7Bi6TRZGnDY-2dN/s1600/couleur_de_peau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-7LKH95UOSfRctQk-LEb1WMr_zjWJl20yPfEussQINmPeBxKqg2lcHIjx682eaCCWKrAmHDmNm1CuOY1O567nq1C-GSZ0RexxQSnCk2F8vn3hTgO_biABAdYnOQqq7Bi6TRZGnDY-2dN/s1600/couleur_de_peau.jpg" width="320" /></a> The narrative is cemented in the animation of Jung’s childhood growing up in
Belgium amongst people who adopted Koreans because it was supposedly ‘chic’. We
are given little insight into his parent’s motivations for adopting Jung and
his sister. Although Jung expresses the love he feels towards his adoptive
parents, the relationship is constantly volatile, as Jung tests them with the
devious behaviour of a young child. Forming a bond with his siblings is not
hard, for kids are easily adaptable- Jung connects with his brother through
pranks and all his sisters want is for him to be their brother. Where he is
from or what he looks like seems to have little bearing on the fact that he is their
brother, by blood or not. Having a disdain for the other Korean adoptees in his
town and constantly feeling like an outsider and the “little Asian” or “chink” in
the family, Jung
retreats into the world of art and drawing, imagining himself as Japanese and metamorphosing
his drawings into his reality. It is through art that Jung seeks out a new
reality. In a bittersweet moment he ruminates that “not knowing your biological
parents has an upside. They can be just the way you like.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs7KnLJsvyRBmpWj2xqaLb7cI4X49wLRT_16vMm93sCTQcjD1ZI_Z8_9kyBT9Zh4AoB-wx38TzgNijC_4B139JZb_0eE0M3MzFoe84F2zcT_u2hSeri8UvhFW9smH_S9yVCZsrbhutSft/s1600/Approved_for_Adoption-830336894-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs7KnLJsvyRBmpWj2xqaLb7cI4X49wLRT_16vMm93sCTQcjD1ZI_Z8_9kyBT9Zh4AoB-wx38TzgNijC_4B139JZb_0eE0M3MzFoe84F2zcT_u2hSeri8UvhFW9smH_S9yVCZsrbhutSft/s1600/Approved_for_Adoption-830336894-large.jpg" width="224" /></a><br />
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As a French/Belgian collaboration, many will question whether it is entirely a
relevant pick for the KOFFIA line-up. However, despite much of the narrative
taking place in Belgium, the story is one of truly Korean origin and deserves to
be told. The hybridity of the narrative- the Belgian environment, the French
language and the racial factors, ensures that it encapsulates the push-pull
dynamics that are incumbent of the adoptee experience. This does not mean that
each adoptee’s experience is cookie-cut; the assumptions that an adoptee will
be ‘mixed-up’, ‘troubled’, suffer from an ‘identity crisis’, are all too
simplistic. As a Korean adoptee myself, the film conveyed a journey that is not
unfamiliar to me. Henin is able to sensitively convey the complexity of growing
up as an adoptee, but at the same time express that he was also just like any
other energetic, rascally child. The artistic direction of the film is charming,
and the dark nature of the drawings that emerge in some scenes powerfully
evokes the emotions that cannot be uttered. Audiences will find moments of connection and heart-wrenching sadness as Jung relays his story. At the heart of the narrative is a story of belonging and identity, of family ties and culture. <i>Approved for Adoption </i>is a film of finding reconciliation with who we are, where we come from.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_NCbKcjjaKdX4ztPTaw9cXIJ_FXQ5uY2bKDcf488JkQEj-kza4MVnDfP3PFKcXR8UoOyRUPYfE4mnQADcnaM2DOsWDfS1YORXpzOm_gqAi2hMnNyvmAjZW4emT7yy-f4wRrtT6S5PLS-/s1600/approved-for-adoption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_NCbKcjjaKdX4ztPTaw9cXIJ_FXQ5uY2bKDcf488JkQEj-kza4MVnDfP3PFKcXR8UoOyRUPYfE4mnQADcnaM2DOsWDfS1YORXpzOm_gqAi2hMnNyvmAjZW4emT7yy-f4wRrtT6S5PLS-/s1600/approved-for-adoption.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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They say that the nuclear family does not exist. Perhaps ask yourself: <i>“Where
do you come from, from somewhere, or nowhere…” </i><a href="http://littlecomet-aly.bandcamp.com/track/roots" target="_blank">'Roots' </a>by
<i>Little Comet</i>, from the <i>Approved for Adoption </i>soundtrack.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QTz4nWpL5DI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>By Margaret Hurrell</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-70128675748185142742013-08-28T16:14:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:21:44.689+10:00Shin Su-won: A Late Bloomer<div style="text-align: justify;">
A Seoul National University graduate Shin Su-won studied scriptwriting at the Korea National University of Arts while teaching at a middle school. At the age of 34, she told her husband and children that she needed a change of direction, quit her job and enrolled. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-in_Y7BmqXu4/UhrvwB7t36I/AAAAAAAADa8/k34z8sKpsrY/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-in_Y7BmqXu4/UhrvwB7t36I/AAAAAAAADa8/k34z8sKpsrY/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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During her teaching career of 10 years she wrote and published two novels focused on teens’ lives. Shin, who studied German at Seoul National University, is an uncompromising film maker with a good eye for taking a beautiful shot, and has a confident control over tone.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3-ch6LMYL1k/Uhrv9fNADRI/AAAAAAAADcI/isnl5ODlweI/s1600/BAhbB1sHOgZmSSInMjAxMC8xMi8xMi8wMi8yMi8zNC81MzEvcGFzc2VyYnlfMwY6BkVUWwg6BnA6CnRodW1iSSINNTAweDEwMDAGOwZU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3-ch6LMYL1k/Uhrv9fNADRI/AAAAAAAADcI/isnl5ODlweI/s320/BAhbB1sHOgZmSSInMjAxMC8xMi8xMi8wMi8yMi8zNC81MzEvcGFzc2VyYnlfMwY6BkVUWwg6BnA6CnRodW1iSSINNTAweDEwMDAGOwZU.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shin’s debut feature, <i>Passerby No. 3</i>, which won best Korean film at the Jeonju International Film Festival and best Asian-Middle Eastern film at the Tokyo International Film Festival (both in 2010), is at least partly autobiographical. Similarly to her film’s protagonist, Shin quit her teaching job in 2002 to enter film school and pursue filmmaking while raising two children. Also, like her main character, Shin had also been preparing a music-themed film before making this one, and indeed, many musical elements remain in her story. However, Shin insists that the events occurring in her film are heavily fictionalised.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ELw7g3nSUWY/Uhrw8vA-KhI/AAAAAAAADcU/2WKtmElxLFk/s1600/Circle+Line+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ELw7g3nSUWY/Uhrw8vA-KhI/AAAAAAAADcU/2WKtmElxLFk/s320/Circle+Line+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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She collected the Canal+ Prize for best short film for <i>Circle Line</i>, which tells the story of a middle-aged man killing time on a Seoul subway train as he tries to keep from his family the fact that he was made redundant. <i>Circle Line</i> was also noted in Cannes’ Critics Week.</div>
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In 2007, she used funds from her pension to make the autobiographical <i>Passerby No. 3</i> which earned her awards at the Tokyo International Film Festival and Jeonju International Film Festival.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3YGq0lsc1-8/Uhrvwq5UGaI/AAAAAAAADbE/77TImEJ_IKI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3YGq0lsc1-8/Uhrvwq5UGaI/AAAAAAAADbE/77TImEJ_IKI/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Her film, <i>Pluto</i> sets out to critically examine a highly competitive society by following a group of students at an elite high school. Drawn from her experiences as a former middle-school teacher, she draws on her own experiences in film as well to show students taking bullying to the extreme with murder and blackmail.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6jwyYScpmuk/Uhrvxvzx0pI/AAAAAAAADbg/xkyFKO-a2hE/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6jwyYScpmuk/Uhrvxvzx0pI/AAAAAAAADbg/xkyFKO-a2hE/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>By Michael Collins</b></div>
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<b>Shin Su-won is a special guest of the festival in Sydney, make sure to come along to <a href="http://koffia.com.au/events/special-guests/" target="_blank">her schedule</a> of events and learn more about this creative Korean director!</b></div>
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<b>For more see www.koffia.com.au</b></div>
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<b>#KOFFIA2013</b></div>
Michael Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15362355537035887367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-72501897577137802752013-08-27T00:44:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:21:04.599+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time / 범죄와의 전쟁<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's time to catch up with <i>Old Boy</i> favourite Min-sik Choi to see what trouble he's getting into now with <i>Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time</i>. This time we head back in time to the 1980s and 90s as he does a Walter White and gets mixed up in organised crime. Everything is set for disorder, pain and a few questionable haircuts. </div>
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In the early 1980s Choi plays a lowly customs officer going about his business. Apart from the usual customs duties his business also involves the occasional bribe and the swiping of goods that takes his interest. He discovers a consignment of crystal meth and tries to sell it onto a Japanese yakuza that Choi's associate has contacts with. This provides his first steps in organised crime causing all manner of havoc including a not-so-consensual night club acquisition, a touch of inevitable betrayal and all out gang war. The authorities won't have any of that and so they start a crack down on the gangs. As they start to close in though and the crime organisations start to implode, self preservation and betrayal become the order of the day. And in the end does someone win?</div>
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Watching Min-sik Choi can be a a love/hate experience in his films. Full of distasteful qualities, he still somehow manages to be likeable. This film is no exception as the viewer starts to feel sympathy for him. Min-sik Choi's performance is too good to ignore.</div>
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Ably supporting Min-sik Choi is Jung-woo Ha whose character nicely progresses through the film. He has a nice menace about him and provides a good foil to Min-sik Choi in their understated performances.</div>
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There's lots of gritty performances from the cast. By that I mean a swathe of actors get angry, violent and drunk - a lot. There's hit after hit then revenge hit and counter hit. It's all about the hits.</div>
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The violence in the film is quickly established with it being small and intimate</div>
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rather than anything grand. This makes it far more relatable and effective. In this abrasive film, you can feel every strike leading to a typically visceral experience for the viewer. Encounters with rival gangsters involve little pretence and a whole lot of beatings with pipes, bats or whatever is handy. The characters' honour and ego seems to prevent anything resembling reasonableness to be done so excessive force is used instead. Dealing with yakuza, one character seems to get drunk a lot and then get beaten up a lot. With all these messed up people it's any wonder how they put any organisation into their organised crime.</div>
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A surprise success at the Korean box office, the film's length will demand the viewer to pay attention for long periods. Those who do will be rewarded with an emotional amusement ride. It's a nicely photographed film with lots of atmosphere even though those 80s haircuts get a little distracting. There's some groovy surf guitar music and some good food to check out in the mix to make this a highly effective film.</div>
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<b>By Michael Collins</b></div>
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<i>For more: </i></div>
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<i>Website: <a href="http://www.koffia.com.au/">www.koffia.com.au</a> </i></div>
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<i>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KOFFIAFilmFest">@KOFFIAFilmFest</a> | #KOFFIA2013 </i></div>
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<i>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/koreanfilmfestival?fref=ts">Korean Film Festival in Australia</a></i></div>
Michael Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15362355537035887367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-4973946541434787712013-08-26T00:37:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:21:55.079+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: The Berlin File / 베를린<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYTY9CtiMBUBOt9_QLHk8CPEwW8hlJXV_tg-2L3nee2jyNk6ndmcQtRIo-F0flZSPx3X90T_m7W__raSFQO5JHcyP0QM4utogkCL0sbrpn6NPDl2E9J-GNTaXZaWoRxHA_QbWJmOXD-s/s1600/the-berlin-file-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYTY9CtiMBUBOt9_QLHk8CPEwW8hlJXV_tg-2L3nee2jyNk6ndmcQtRIo-F0flZSPx3X90T_m7W__raSFQO5JHcyP0QM4utogkCL0sbrpn6NPDl2E9J-GNTaXZaWoRxHA_QbWJmOXD-s/s320/the-berlin-file-2013.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Any news of Ryoo Seung-wan making a new movie is usually greeted by equal doses of excitement and anticipation from fans of Korean cinema, myself included. Once clumsily labeled as the Tarantino of Korea, outside of both directors love of paying homage to cinema of the past, there is little else to warrant comparing their work. After being influenced by the New Hollywood wave of the 1970s in his last movie ‘The Unjust / 부당거래’, for ‘The Berlin File’ Seung-wan said he wanted to make a spy action movie in the style of ‘The Bourne Identity’.</div>
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The production attracted an impressive cast, with the four starring roles going to Ha Jung-woo (‘Nameless Gangster / 범죄와의 전쟁 : 나쁜놈들 전성시대’, <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/review-project-577-577-2012.html">'Project 577 / 577 프로젝트'</a><span id="goog_1864100640"></span><span id="goog_1864100641"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>), Han Seok-kyu (‘Paparoti / 파파로티’, ‘Eye for an Eye / 눈에는 눈 이에는 이’), <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/jun-ji-hyeon-sassiest-thief.html">Jeon Ji-hyun</a> (<a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-thieves.html">'The Thieves / 도둑들'</a>, ‘My Sassy Girl / 엽기적인 그녀’), and Seung-wan’s brother & frequent collaborator Ryoo Seung-beom (‘No Mercy / 용서는 없다’, ‘Crying Fist / 주먹이 운다’). As for the action, another frequent Seung-wan collaborator, and arguably the most respected action director working in Korea today, Jeong Doo-hong (who took on the starring role in Seung-wan’s 2006 feature ‘City of Violence / 짝패’), came on board as the action director.</div>
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With all the pieces in place to make a potentially great movie, the production has another unique element to it in that the whole movie plays out in Berlin, where it was shot on location. Jung-woo and Ji-hyun play a North Korean husband and wife stationed in the city in a seemingly loveless marriage, however things are shaken up when an arms deal goes wrong leading to both of them coming under suspicion from Pyongyang that they may be traitors. Soon not only do they have a South Korean agent played by Seok-kyu on their tail, but a highly trained North Korean operative played by Seung-beom is also sent to Berlin to investigate them.</div>
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This is the core plot, however it doesn’t actually become clear until around the hour mark of the movie, with the first sixty minutes playing out as an increasingly complex web of espionage and blind sides involving everyone from North and South Korea, the CIA, Israel’s Mossad, international terrorist organizations, and various other groups. If at times you find yourself scratching your head as to what’s going on, it’s entirely forgivable.</div>
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Thankfully, once the focus does shift onto the delicate relationship between Jung-woo and Ji-hyun, they become a couple who are easy to root for and they quickly become the heart of the story, as the walls begin to close in on them and they seek to escape any way they can. For those looking for more visceral thrills though, in the capable hands of Doo-hong ‘The Berlin File’ also serves up some exciting action at regular enough intervals that any action fan should leave the movie satisfied. While the gun battles are functional if nothing that hasn’t been seen before, the action really comes into a class of its own during the hand to hand fight and stunt scenes.</div>
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Jung-woo gives a convincing performance which more than matches a certain Jason Bourne, with a brutally realistic throw-down against a group of assassins in a cramped apartment, which has anything and everything they can get their hands on being used to try and kill each other. Other scenes have people plummeting from several floors up through glass roofs, foot chases across roof tops, and going at each other using unloaded guns as weapons. Doo-hong delivers a career best in terms of action direction, and ‘The Berlin File’ sets a new standard for gritty action in Korean cinema.</div>
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Outside of the action and the central relationship, things do falter a little. Aside from the convoluted plot which can make things a little confusing, and particularly in the second half tends to detract from Jung-woo and Ji-hyun’s plight, there is also the issue that over 40% of the movie is spoken in languages other than Korean, with a lot of it being in English. Seung-wan also wrote the script, and had American screenwriter Ted Geoghegan come in to polish and clean up the English dialogue parts. Seung-beom delivers his English lines with aplomb, embracing the slightly manic and edgy aspects of his character, while Jung-woo also handles his lines well, all be it a little mumbly.</div>
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However the scenes involving Seok-kyu exchanging banter with an American CIA agent are a complete car crash, and almost make it seem like he’s playing a completely different character than when he’s speaking in Korean. Burdened with what is admittedly smarmy dialogue to begin with, which seems to require every other word be an expletive, the scenes have a tendency to make your hand involuntarily clench into a fist, and have the worse effect of completely taking you out of the rather gloomy and dark feel of the movie.</div>
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However aside from these small gripes, ‘The Berlin File’ delivers on the anticipation that was built-up around it. Like <a href="http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-thieves.html">'The Thieves / 도둑들'</a>, it shows Korean cinema once again moving outside of local soil to expand into more international territory, and in this case Seung-wan uses the architecture of Berlin almost as a character in itself, as the Cold War style buildings capture the sense of cloak and dagger all of the characters are involved in. Well worth a watch.</div>
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<i style="text-align: start;">For more:<br />Website: <a href="http://www.koffia.com.au/">www.koffia.com.au</a><br />Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KOFFIAFilmFest">@KOFFIAFilmFest</a> | #KOFFIA2013<br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/koreanfilmfestival?fref=ts">Korean Film Festival in Australia</a></i></div>
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Paul Bramhallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496641836589534952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428876075055771803.post-52587300973240383372013-08-25T00:31:00.000+10:002013-09-09T14:20:12.319+10:00KOFFIA 2013 Review: Pieta / 피에타<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
“What is money? Life? Death?”- quote from the film,<i> Pieta.</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Director, Kim Ki-duk</td></tr>
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If you are familiar with the director of <i>Pieta</i>, Kim ki-duk, you will be aware of the accolades his films have received internationally. Kim’s 18th film, <i>Pieta,</i> was recognised at the 69th Venice Film Festival in 2012 and received the Golden Lion. Those who are brave enough to sit through the 104 minutes of challenging material, will be satisfied with the film’s awarded status. However, as is the case with any film that incorporates confronting and graphic material, the ability of the film to polarise views and reactions will not be a surprise.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee Jeong-jin as the sadistic Lee Kang-do</td></tr>
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<i>Pieta </i>traces the sadistic, pitiless character, Lee Kang-do, played by Lee Jeong-jin; a relentlessly violent character who lives a solitary existence with no sign of family or friends. He works for loan sharks, who prey on the workshop owners in the industrial area of Cheongyecheon. With no concern for the situation of these workshop owners, who are trying to make ends meet, the loan sharks demand ten times the amount of a one month loan. Kang-do’s role does not stop at merely collecting money, it transgresses into the sadistic as he maims those who cannot repay their loans in order to file insurance claims for the handicap payout. There is an element of pathological violence that Kang-do exerts on the susceptible industrial workshop owners who cannot repay their loans, and he refuses to display any feeling or remorse towards his vulnerable victims.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jo Min-soo as the enigmatic Jang Mi-seon</td></tr>
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Audiences will no doubt experience moments of visceral disgust with the graphic nature of animal cruelty and the vehement viciousness of his actions, and will wonder if anything will quell the irrational violence of Kang-do. This is the moment a woman, Jang Mi-seon, (played by Jo Min-soo) claiming to be Kang-do’s long-lost mother, appears and proceeds to stalk the stolid character. It appears nothing can pierce the emotionally impenetrable Kang-do, who refuses to believe that this is the woman who abandoned him; but gradually he begins to form a bond with the mysterious Mi-seon. This bond emerges only after the two engage in disturbing acts that resonate oedipal tendencies, that will ultimately force viewers to turn away in contempt.</div>
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The mother-son relationship that develops between the two is tenuous at first, but the audience will witness Kang-do’s gradual exposure to a lost childhood. Myeong-dong is the site where Kang-do recaptures this juvenility of youth, with both characters acting as five year olds might at a carnival. Those familiar with downtown Seoul will recognise the colourful and lurid luminosity of the shopping area of Myeong-dong, which cinematographically juxtaposes with the rawness of the industrial area of Cheongyecheon. There will be rare moments of tenderness and reprieve for the audience, but the ending will leave many questioning the revenge motif that is so common in Korean film.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcQsQU1LuX7-WrmDmYNGrUIHhWy7vLPa1GSN_vaok4ZveCdrbH6fD154kcJqxOY05f5aQkVTr1Djffje-M3qy8pvXM51xIpXBbtd2E0Wq-4e-Fz8rEdpjpJy0GDIcGiLXRhSVjR3yqUoM/s1600/pieta-by-michelangelo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcQsQU1LuX7-WrmDmYNGrUIHhWy7vLPa1GSN_vaok4ZveCdrbH6fD154kcJqxOY05f5aQkVTr1Djffje-M3qy8pvXM51xIpXBbtd2E0Wq-4e-Fz8rEdpjpJy0GDIcGiLXRhSVjR3yqUoM/s1600/pieta-by-michelangelo.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pietà </td></tr>
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Kim Ki-duk’s use of the Christian subject, the Pietà, for the film’s title and promotional material is an interesting choice, but a choice that finds parallels as the film progresses. Throughout the centuries, artists have created various artistic depictions of the Virgin Mary sorrowfully cradling the lifeless form of Christ after the crucifixion. Michelangelo’s recognisable marble sculpture, the Pietà, the most renowned example, is retained in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Kim utilises the iconic visual representation of the Pietà for the film’s promotional material, but it has the ability to transcend the visual and inculcate a range of emotions and thought-provoking questions that essentially captures the essence of Kim's directorial brilliance. </div>
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Whether the Pietà is viewed in sculptural or painted form, the prominent Christian subject tends to evoke sentiments of pity, sorrow, compassion and sacrifice; sensations which do surface sporadically throughout the film, but cataclysmically collide with confronting images of depravity and a main character seemingly devoid of emotion. Inevitably, it is this binary that will send Sydney audiences on a psychologically-charged journey through the washed-out, colourless setting of the dilapidated industrial area of Cheongyecheon in central Seoul, into the workshops of the financially defenceless. As the film progresses you will make connections with the relationship between mother and son and the notion of sacrifice and pity, which is eloquently conveyed at various points throughout the film and echoes sensations encapsulated by the the Pietà. The ‘Dark Matter’ theme is an apt representation of the film, as it works to challenge our conception of human nature, exploring the psychological backwash associated with loss and abandonment, and the intricacies of human relationships and survival. Despite this overpowering preoccupation, the ideological will be there, slowly bubbling away beneath the surface. The film has just as much to say about the overwhelming intoxication and desire for money and the power that it assumes (especially when situated within the context of South Korea’s steady economic ascent) as it does about human nature. </div>
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Whilst you will be squirming in your seat like the surrealist image of the eel in the film, the uncomfortableness will undoubtedly challenge your views of the complexity of loss, abandonment and the pursuit of revenge and the psychological turmoil that it perpetuates, and the ability of money to corrupt and subsume. As one disillusioned debtor states: "What is money? Life? Death?"</div>
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<b>By Margaret Hurrell</b></div>
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<i>For more: </i></div>
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<i>Website: <a href="http://www.koffia.com.au/">www.koffia.com.au</a> </i></div>
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<i>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KOFFIAFilmFest">@KOFFIAFilmFest</a> | #KOFFIA2013 </i></div>
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<i>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/koreanfilmfestival?fref=ts">Korean Film Festival in Australia</a></i></div>
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