korean Archive

  • Theeeeey’re baaack!… Following last years hugely successful launch of the Korean Film Festival In Australia (KOFFIA), the organizers have recently announced the full details the second year of the event, and they’ve taken things up another notch – or three. Not only will the festival be back at Dendy Cinemas in Circular...

    KOFFIA 2011: Korean Film Festival In Australia

    Theeeeey’re baaack!… Following last years hugely successful launch of the Korean Film Festival In Australia (KOFFIA), the organizers have recently announced the full details the second year of the event, and they’ve taken things up another notch – or three. Not only will the festival be back at Dendy Cinemas in Circular...

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  • An elementary school in Seoul, the present. Six-year-old Jin spends her penultimate day at elementary school learning about time and playing with friends. Later that evening, she is chastised by her mother for failing to take Bin, her four–year-old sister, off the neighbours’ hands when she was supposed to. While...

    Review: Treeless Mountain (Kim So-yong / 2008)

    An elementary school in Seoul, the present. Six-year-old Jin spends her penultimate day at elementary school learning about time and playing with friends. Later that evening, she is chastised by her mother for failing to take Bin, her four–year-old sister, off the neighbours’ hands when she was supposed to. While...

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  • [New York Asian Film Festival 2011 Review] A mystical and magical concoction, much like the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) dish that it revolves around, Lee Seo-goon’s second feature The Recipe hinges on a brilliant bit of narrative misdirection. Choi Yu-jin (Ryoo Seung-ryong), the producer/host of a sensationalistic TV expose...

    Review: The Recipe (Lee Seo-goon / 2010)

    [New York Asian Film Festival 2011 Review] A mystical and magical concoction, much like the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) dish that it revolves around, Lee Seo-goon’s second feature The Recipe hinges on a brilliant bit of narrative misdirection. Choi Yu-jin (Ryoo Seung-ryong), the producer/host of a sensationalistic TV expose...

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  • The night before he is released from prison Gwang-pil tells a fellow inmate the story behind his ten year incarceration. As a young boy Gwang-pil ran the streets with his friends Dal-soo and Sang-moon, picking pockets and stealing to make their money. During a failed attempt to rob a warehouse...

    Review: Forever With You (Yoo Hyeon-mok / 1958)

    The night before he is released from prison Gwang-pil tells a fellow inmate the story behind his ten year incarceration. As a young boy Gwang-pil ran the streets with his friends Dal-soo and Sang-moon, picking pockets and stealing to make their money. During a failed attempt to rob a warehouse...

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  • AKA Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard The world comes close to being thrown into complete chaos when the ‘Pipe of the Prophecy’ is lost by a group of Taoist monks who manage to accidentally free a group of demons who can only be restrained by the instrument. Trickster, schemer...

    Review: Woochi – The Demon Slayer (Choi Dong-hun / 2009)

    AKA Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard The world comes close to being thrown into complete chaos when the ‘Pipe of the Prophecy’ is lost by a group of Taoist monks who manage to accidentally free a group of demons who can only be restrained by the instrument. Trickster, schemer...

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  • In the eight years since its original release Kim Jee-woon’s A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) has established its status as a classic of Korean cinema. It’s been remade by Hollywood as The Uninivited (Charles Guard, Thomas Guard, USA: 2009) and its director has consistently delivered crowd-pleasing projects within various...

    Blu-ray Review: A Tale of Two Sisters (Kim Jee-woon / 2003)

    In the eight years since its original release Kim Jee-woon’s A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) has established its status as a classic of Korean cinema. It’s been remade by Hollywood as The Uninivited (Charles Guard, Thomas Guard, USA: 2009) and its director has consistently delivered crowd-pleasing projects within various...

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  • Sang-hyeon, a priest who is questioning his faith, volunteers to help in the search for a vaccine for deadly virus by being injected himself. Almost dying, he suddenly makes a miraculous recovery. As he recovers he develops characteristics of vampirism and as he develops a relationship with a young girl...

    Review: Thirst (Park Chan-wook / 2009)

    Sang-hyeon, a priest who is questioning his faith, volunteers to help in the search for a vaccine for deadly virus by being injected himself. Almost dying, he suddenly makes a miraculous recovery. As he recovers he develops characteristics of vampirism and as he develops a relationship with a young girl...

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  • A psychopath kills a woman. An innocent woman. A beautiful woman. Imagine the plight of her soon-to-be-husband, who loves her and dotes on her. That is the premise. I Saw the Devil is the revenge. Review If one were to ask me the greatest script ever written, or the most...

    Review: I Saw The Devil (Kim Jee-woon / 2010)

    A psychopath kills a woman. An innocent woman. A beautiful woman. Imagine the plight of her soon-to-be-husband, who loves her and dotes on her. That is the premise. I Saw the Devil is the revenge. Review If one were to ask me the greatest script ever written, or the most...

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  • A couple of drug packets assume the role of a MacGuffin in a world involving cops, smugglers, a bar dancer, a little girl, and a mysterious man. Review Putting the cinematic history of The Man, a.k.a The Man who has nothing personal to do with the film’s events (Chris Sabian...

    Review: The Man From Nowhere (Lee Jeong-beom / 2010)

    A couple of drug packets assume the role of a MacGuffin in a world involving cops, smugglers, a bar dancer, a little girl, and a mysterious man. Review Putting the cinematic history of The Man, a.k.a The Man who has nothing personal to do with the film’s events (Chris Sabian...

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  • Hello! It’s been a while so I thought it was time for a quick news update on the site. In case you’ve missed them the recently posted reviews on the site include the stylish The Sword With No Name, the weird and fairly wonderful My Mighty Princess, the classic rom-com...

    News: Festivals, Podcasts, DVDs and Big Breasted Zombies..

    Hello! It’s been a while so I thought it was time for a quick news update on the site. In case you’ve missed them the recently posted reviews on the site include the stylish The Sword With No Name, the weird and fairly wonderful My Mighty Princess, the classic rom-com...

    Continue Reading...