South Korea Archive

  • 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)

    Posted on July 20, 2011 | No Comments
    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)

    Posted on June 30, 2011 | No Comments
    [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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  • Jang Yoon-hyeon’s previous film – the popular Tell Me Something (1999) – played out, in many ways, like a ‘greatest hits’ thriller with horror elements in its generous lifting of ideas from the likes of Se7en (David Fincher, 1995), Kiss The Girls (Gary Fleder, 1997) and Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven,...

    Review: Some (Jang Yoon-hyeon / 2004)

    Posted on May 29, 2011 | No Comments
    Jang Yoon-hyeon’s previous film – the popular Tell Me Something (1999) – played out, in many ways, like a ‘greatest hits’ thriller with horror elements in its generous lifting of ideas from the likes of Se7en (David Fincher, 1995), Kiss The Girls (Gary Fleder, 1997) and Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven,...

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  • It was last years blockbuster smash in Korea, won a stack of awards at the Korea Film Awards and opened last years London Korean Film Festival, The Man From Nowhere is now getting it’s UK DVD release. Reviewed twice on the site, with one rating the film as fun but...

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

    Posted on March 23, 2011 | 1 Comment
    It was last years blockbuster smash in Korea, won a stack of awards at the Korea Film Awards and opened last years London Korean Film Festival, The Man From Nowhere is now getting it’s UK DVD release. Reviewed twice on the site, with one rating the film as fun but...

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  • After the brutal murder of his fiance, state policeman Soo-hyun takes two weeks leave, but the time off isn’t to rest and get over his recent loss, it’s to hunt down the killer and exact revenge… Review Refused a certification which would allow the film to play in front of...

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

    Posted on November 7, 2010 | 4 Comments
    After the brutal murder of his fiance, state policeman Soo-hyun takes two weeks leave, but the time off isn’t to rest and get over his recent loss, it’s to hunt down the killer and exact revenge… Review Refused a certification which would allow the film to play in front of...

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  • Bestselling author Hee-soo finds her career wrecked when she is accused of plagiarizing a manuscript she has been given to read for judging in a competition. In an attempt to find inspiration and the focus to write her next book – which she hopes will begin to repair her reputation...

    Review: Bestseller (Lee Jeong-ho / 2010)

    Posted on October 31, 2010 | No Comments
    Bestselling author Hee-soo finds her career wrecked when she is accused of plagiarizing a manuscript she has been given to read for judging in a competition. In an attempt to find inspiration and the focus to write her next book – which she hopes will begin to repair her reputation...

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