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For more on the art of film visit the glossary of Cinematic Elements.
I've decided to open this new section with a film that has had a great affect on me and the way I appreciate film. The film I speak of is Address Unknown (2001) by the always controversial up and coming Korean director Kim Ki-duk. This is one of his earlier works, before he learned to make films smooth and glossy like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) or detailed and intricate like 3-Iron (2004). Address Unknown is the one Kim film that has stuck with me throughout the years, for better or for worse. The movie makes me uncomfortable, uneasy, upset, and incredibly angry. I hate the world Kim creates, I hate the people that inhabit it, and most of all, I hate that no matter how you look at it, this place truly exists.
However, it is for those same reasons that I continue to be impressed with this work. Address Unknown is a rare beast in the world of cinema. The film bleeds with emotion scene by scene, frame by frame. Kim has created a powerful story that is gritty, unpolished, and pulls no punches. If you're looking for something unique that takes the formula, punches it a few times, and tells it to go to hell, I'd highly recommend you try Kim Ki-duk's Address Unknown. It is available free here courtesy of the Pirate Bay.
For more on Kim Ki-duk, you can visit his page on KoreanFilm.org. For a full review and synopsis, you can read one of many on the internet at LoveHKFilm.com.
To learn more about torrents, please visit the "Links" section.
(posted 11/8/05)
Most people with at least a passing interest in Korean cinema are no doubt familiar The Way Home, Lee Jeong-hyang's 2002 surprise hit about a selfish young boy sent to the countryside to stay with his elderly and mute grandmother. The film is bare bones in just about every aspect, with even most of its actors having never been in a film before. However, it is a prime example of efficient and fundamental filmmaking. The surprise isn't so much that the director is female, which is rare even here in the states, but that it was only the second film she had directed.
Lee's first (and only other) film is the equally impressive Art Museum by the Zoo from way back in 1998. I have to admit this one's been waiting on my shelf for the past 5 years and I never felt the need to watch it since it was just another romantic comedy I'd have to sit through. Not that there's anything wrong with this genre, it just took me 5 years to get in the mood to knowingly watch one. Now I wish I got in that mood much earlier because this is a wonderful piece of work. The film stars Shim Eun-ha (Tell Me Something) as a cute wannabe screenwriter who comes home to her apartment one day to discover Lee Sung-jae (Public Enemy), a soldier on leave waiting for his girlfriend who he has yet to discover has moved from the residence and is getting married to someone else. With nowhere to go, and having already paid the month's past due rent to the landlord while waiting, he crashes with the girl who reluctantly takes him in out of pity and because he insists he has no interest in her. All highly unlikely, I know, but what the film makes of the situation script-wise was clever, entertaining, and moreover a tribute to the art of film and storytelling itself. It made me feel like I was watching a Korean version of one of Woody Allen's "early, funny ones," sans the New York fixation and Jew jokes, which is a good thing. I greatly enjoyed the characters' dialogue throughout the film as they argued over what should and shouldn't go into the screenplay, which he discovers she is writing during his stay. She wants to write a fairytale love story, he thinks successful films must stick to defined genre guidelines, and along the way as their relationship develops so do the characters of the screenplay, who appear as on screen characters in several small segments. One of those characters is played by the venerable Ahn Sung-ki (Strokes of Fire, Festival), whose appearance I now recall is the only reason I purchased the film in the first place.
Perhaps the best part of all is that for a romantic comedy it is cheese-free. Not one cheesy or corny moment the entire way through. That must be some kind of record. The ending as well is perfect in its own required way, and didn't suffer from the forced emotional climax you would normally expect from this genre. But this all goes in hand with what this film says about storytelling, moviemaking and, of course, love.
Art Museum by the Zoo is available for purchase at sensasian.com.
(posted 1/15/08)
It's no big secret that the recent Hollywood romance/fantasy film The Lake House is an adaptation of the earlier Korean film Il Mare from 2000. Or is it? Either way, it doesn't matter. Film is film, and if a remake is done well audiences tend to forgive the lack of originality and accept the movie for what it is, a well done remake. If the movie sucks, however, the director is vilified, the actors mocked, and the film as a whole is laughed at as a tremendous exercise in stupidity. Take for instance the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho which was released a few years ago. The public's overwhelming verdict on the film was "WTF!?" Why waste your time remaking something that was perfectly done the first time? If you want to see Psycho just go rent it. It's been around for awhile, no one hid it or anything.
This brings me to Il Mare. Now I'm not saying this movie is on par with Psycho, so don't get me wrong. Il Mare is far from masterpiece material. Nevertheless, when put side by side with its American counterpart Il Mare shines as a film which deserves to be seen before Sandra and Keanu try to steal its thunder. If you're unfamiliar with the story, it's a very simple tale told in a very complex sort of way. Han Sung-hyun (played decently by Lee Jung-Jae, who most recently starred in the Korean blockbuster Typhoon) lives 2 years in the past behind Kim Eun-ju (portrayed excellently by Jun Ji-hyun of My Sassy Girl fame). They lived in the same lake house, yet somehow they come into contact with one another via a magical mailbox which allows them to communicate through time. Okay, my description sounds corny, but if you just stick with it and follow along you see how well this idea works as a romance. Without giving anything away, it's sufficient to say that the one main aspect of this film that gives it the emotional kick in the mouth that it needs is the performances by its lead actors. They are never together, they never touch, and are hardly ever on screen at the same time. Yet somehow you can feel the yearning emotions they share for one another. When the final act comes, just the look on Kim Eun-ju's face as she rushes to save her love pierces your heart. For a mere moment you feel what she feels. It wasn't something I expected to happen as I sat down one afternoon to watch this film. To be honest, I had very little expectations of Il Mare as it isn't really my kind of movie.
I did have some expectations for The Lake House though. It touted a bigger budget, two big stars, and my hometown Chicago as the backdrop. The Lake House was really supposed to be better than Il Mare as it had every reason to be. Now it's no secret that bigger budget doesn't mean a better movie, but unfortunately this is the baggage The Lake House brings to the table, and sadly it is a problem. While the movie looks great, and is visually far superior to Il Mare, the rest of it lags behind. Everything is explained to you like you're too stupid to follow it yourself, Sandra and Keanu somehow spend a ton of time on screen together when the whole point was that they were separated by time, and the performances are just awful. I could go on and on about Keanu, but he's Keanu, you know what you're getting when you put Keanu Reeves in a movie. It would be a waste of time for me to tell you how bad he did since you already expect it. Sandra Bullock though was the real disappointment. She just wasn't up to the task. When it came time for her to deliver the emotional home run, she settled for just a plain old run of the mill base hit. I really, really wanted to be touched by this film, but the leading cast simply didn't have it in them.
But who cares what I have to say about it? You be the judge. Let me know what you think. The Lake House is now in theaters, and Il Mare is available for download at Torrent Spy and for purchase at Yes Asia.
(posted 8/2/06)
One of Korea's most prestigious and acclaimed directors, Lee Chang-dong's resume of films is short yet sweet. Although I could easily recommend any of his films, this week I'd like to suggest his greatest work thus far, Peppermint Candy (2000). Many people have commented that this film is the Forrest Gump of Korean cinema. While the magnitude and scale of the film is extremely similar, with major political events of years past used as backdrops to establish important points in the plotline, the hero of Peppermint Candy is by far no Forrest Gump.
Unlike the Robert Zemeckis film, the viewer is never allowed to check back with Yongho (the main character) for his final thoughts or opinions on the subject. The events in his life hauntingly speak for themselves. As the film opens, the first thing we know is that he is dead. There is no clear explanation, only a trip through the past to bring about justification. We learn that Yongho is a victim of a society he understands little about. Similarly, Forrest knew little about his society, yet he triumphed nonetheless with his will and virtue. Simply put, society was a victim of Forrest Gump. Yongho, however, lives in a reality that refuses to be sculpted around him. To put it into perspective, Yongho can very well be a real person or persons, and Forrest most likely is not. We sympathize with Yongho because he is void of hope as a result of his own past actions, something that afflicts us all more than we'd like to realize. Peppermint Candy is a difficult film, its motion backward and shape contorted, and is all the more outstanding because of it. It is available free here courtesy of Isohunt.
For more on Lee Chang-dong, you can read interviews with him here and here. To learn more about Peppermint Candy, and for a full review and synopsis, you can check out these pages at Mediacircus.net, KFCcinema, and LoveHKFilm.com.
To learn more about torrents, please visit the "Links" section.
(posted 11/20/05)
"What a bitch!" This phrase will perhaps never be repeated more than during a viewing of any one of the 26 episodes of the Korean drama Phoenix. Korean dramas are huge all over Asia, and Phoenix is a perfect example of why. Several main characters undergo a series of transformations, plot twists and turns occur frequently, and no matter how much you love or hate the events of each episode, there is ALWAYS something that brings you back to see the next one. Having seen well over a handful of kdramas over the past year, I've noticed that one weakness of the genre that is typically constant is the finale. After investing so many hours to follow a series, the biggest upset possible is for the ending to be a letdown, and more often than not, this is the case with many kdramas. Phoenix, however, does not suffer from this problem, making it a ripe candidate for a recommendation. It's an excellent choice for a newcomer, but also well worth even a veteran's time. Phoenix is available free here courtesy of D Addicts.
A full synopsis and review is available at Spcnet.tv.
(posted 12/27/05)
Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005), the feature film debut of director Park Kwang-hyun, is a delightful excursion into fantasy from the “extreme” reputation of contemporary Asian cinema. The story, although far from original, is surprisingly free of the clichés one would normally expect from this genre of film. The plot, set to the backdrop of the Korean War, involves a downed American pilot, two lost South Korean soldiers, and three lost North Korean soldiers, all of whom collide on the mysterious village named Dongmakgol. The place is simple, untouched by war, politics and weapons, and its people are fun, cheerful, and happy. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Oh how cheesy, all these guys find some hidden Utopia in the mountains, see how meaningless war is, that all people are the same, yada yada, the end.” Well, Dongmakgol could have very easily been THAT movie, but thankfully, it is not. Park has taken a very simple story and made it into a delightfully imaginative film, balanced with just the right amounts of sweetness, comedy, and drama.
I also must mention the amazing likeness this movie bears to several works of Japanese anime director Miyazaki Hayao (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away), not just in story but more so the overall look and feel of the film. Not that that’s a bad thing. My admiration for this film only grew greater as I began to get that feeling that one gets only from watching a Miyazaki film. It’s hard to explain, but for those of you familiar with Miyazaki you probably know exactly what I’m talking about. The lush cinematography, the sweeping score, and the childlike fantasy, all things Miyazaki essential, are all present here. This week (I know, it’s taken me awhile) I recommend Park Kwang-hyun’s wonderful first outing Welcome to Dongmakgol. It is available free here courtesy of Torrent Spy.
Note the file is in .img format, just burn it to dvd with your software of choice, all of the work has been done for you!
(posted 5/25/06)
