On May 24 2011 17:42 bjwithbraces wrote: my friend recommended that I watch Old Boy and I did. It was an AMAZING movie. I put it all together just before the main character and I was like OH SHIT. Definitely recommend.
Yes, during the scene when he is flipping through the picture book, my heart just stopped and so did my breathing. Without a single word uttered, it was one of the most gut wrenching scenes I've ever experienced in a movie.
If that was your first Korean movie, you should definitely check out some others in this thread! After Oldboy (the first Korean movie I saw) I thought that it would be impossible for others to live up to it. Turns out a lot of Korean cinema is just as compelling and interesting.
I had a discussion with a friend about cinema and we both agreed that in terms of action based movies, the US does it best with the CG and all that but in terms of just pure storyline, foreign movies are the way to go. What do you guys think?
Though I would agree in general, I think the lines are getting increasingly blurred. American TV shows and Hollywood seem to be getting more complex/intricate, as the American palette increasingly favors more intellectual fare (the success of Dark Knight, Inception, Lost, for example.)
Meanwhile I think foreign movie industry, particular those in first world Asian countries (Korea, Japan, Hong Kong) are becoming increasingly better funded, so production values are going up. You still don't have the huge summer blockbusters that Hollywood delivers, but some Korean movies for example have approached Hollywood movies in cost/scale, such as Good, Bad, Weird and the Host.
As a side note on action movies, you should watch 13 Assassins by Takashi Miike, a fantastic Japanese movie that also packs Hollywood level of explosive action. Pretty sure more people died in that than in The Expendables :D
On May 24 2011 17:04 Golgotha wrote: what you picked The Host?! I am Korean and that movie was horrible.
Personally, I liked The Host. I also liked Save the Green Planet, although I suspect that a Korean might think that it is terrible. I wonder if there are some movies you have to be foreign to enjoy, ie. without being able to understand the language, you imagine that the acting is fantastic. Then the rest of the movie (action, humor) is judged on visuals. Humor can also benefit from this treatment... what might be cliched jokes in the culture of the movie-maker come across as really zany or different humor. I know there are a lot of American blockbusters which perform poorly in the US due to terrible acting, but do very good business outside of the US on the strength of their cinematics.
Anyway, my favourite Korean director (on the art side of things) is Im Kwon-taek, and my favourite film by him is Chunhyang, a very simple movie version of a Korean legend that somehow really appeals to me.
On May 24 2011 17:04 Golgotha wrote: what you picked The Host?! I am Korean and that movie was horrible.
Personally, I liked The Host. I also liked Save the Green Planet, although I suspect that a Korean might think that it is terrible. I wonder if there are some movies you have to be foreign to enjoy, ie. without being able to understand the language, you imagine that the acting is fantastic. Then the rest of the movie (action, humor) is judged on visuals. Humor can also benefit from this treatment... what might be cliched jokes in the culture of the movie-maker come across as really zany or different humor. I know there are a lot of American blockbusters which perform poorly in the US due to terrible acting, but do very good business outside of the US on the strength of their cinematics.
I think the real answer to why you enjoy The Host and he does not is that taste is subjective. =P
Personally I think the Host is only 'okay.' The reason I mention it in my list is because I have a lot of friends who don't watch Korean movies enjoy the Host. It seems to be a safe, crowd pleasing movie that most movie watchers will enjoy. Whereas Oldboy many people would argue is a better film, it can put off some people because of its visceral nature.
Of course, some disagree, and it is well within their rights. :D
I'd definitely recommend Taeguki, a film about two brother's lives during the Korean War. Also, I'd strongly recommend Old Boy as well! Some Korean cinema is really great and it really opens your eyes to the scope and breadth of films outside Hollywood.
On May 24 2011 17:04 Golgotha wrote: what you picked The Host?! I am Korean and that movie was horrible.
Personally, I liked The Host. I also liked Save the Green Planet, although I suspect that a Korean might think that it is terrible. I wonder if there are some movies you have to be foreign to enjoy, ie. without being able to understand the language, you imagine that the acting is fantastic. Then the rest of the movie (action, humor) is judged on visuals. Humor can also benefit from this treatment... what might be cliched jokes in the culture of the movie-maker come across as really zany or different humor. I know there are a lot of American blockbusters which perform poorly in the US due to terrible acting, but do very good business outside of the US on the strength of their cinematics.
I think the real answer to why you enjoy The Host and he does not is that taste is subjective. =P
I know, I'm just breaking down one of the things that goes into "subjective"...
Hmm sounds like Korean's make some really good thrillers. Just to give me a point of reference, how would they compare to modern Western thrillers such as Se7en, Zodiac or No Country for Old Men in terms of quality?
On May 24 2011 18:12 St3MoR wrote: 3 Iron (2004) Bin-jip (original title)
A transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
I saw this film long ago, and absolutely loved it.
I watched this not long ago, I thought this was a good movie + Show Spoiler +
the ending is a little strange though (it's like is becomes a ninja haha)
Anyway I'd recommend this for a little light hearted comedy and romance It's called My school girl, it's a romance between a guy and girl with a huge age difference.
edit - Old Boy is one my fav movie ever The Good, The Bad, The Weird i loved it, although i expected even better when i first saw the trailer :D Green Planet it is...weird O_O i'm not sure about what i just saw, but i enjoyed some scenes a lot.
I don't know a lot about korean movies, but i was planning on watching a tons in the next few month, this thread is now bookmarked ! Thanks for sharing
I used to watch Korean movies several years back (though I admit I just watched them because they were new to me and I was introduced to My Sassy Girl back then, which became quite big here... eventually lost interest/motivation due to personal stuff). Loved Old Boy, My Sassy Girl (I used to be kind of obssessed with Jeon Ji Hyun) and Memories of Murder from those listed here, was trying to find The Host and Attack the Gas Station but just couldn't find the motivation to watch/look for them anymore.
Of those not listed, I liked "Bad Guy" (kind of messed up, like the director's other film "The Isle" but more tame/simple. Plus I loved the main song played all throughout the film)
I also liked "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" from the vengeance trilogy. Perhaps a bit more than Old Boy. More serious and tragic IMO, very depressing.
I remember a couple more films I used to watch from this channel called Arirang TV, but couldn't remember the titles anymore (one of them used Lou Reed's "Pale Blue Eyes" and the other one was about a girl who was obssessed with a boy and ended up killing herself because she couldn't have him)
On May 24 2011 19:56 Dali. wrote: Hmm sounds like Korean's make some really good thrillers. Just to give me a point of reference, how would they compare to modern Western thrillers such as Se7en, Zodiac or No Country for Old Men in terms of quality?
It's funny because the movies you mentioned are very similar. Just like the Western thrillers you mentioned, they tend to be more bleak and defy the conventional Hollywood narrative. I found Memories of Murder similar to Zodiac in tone and even story (both are based on real serial killers after all.) Se7en is on the recommend movies of 'I Saw the Killer' IMDB page. Though ISTK is more fast paced and gory, it has similar themes of a man becoming a monster in order to punish a monster.
Our tastes seem very similar, as Zodiac and No Country for Old Men are two movies I love a lot. If you aren't subtitle-phobic, you should definitely give Korean thrillers a try, starting with either Joint Security Area, Oldboy or The Chaser, then going on to I Saw the Devil if you enjoy those.
On May 24 2011 23:01 GTR wrote: anyway my contribution
pretty awesome for a movie i watched at 3 in the morning =]
oh and how could i have forgotten
The director of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring just won an award in Cannes, although its one of those artsy movies that don't make any sense.
Korean movies have definitely taken a fall. The majority of blockbusters are all these dark thrillers that are just rehashed from previous movies. It's fallen into a little rut just like the HK movie industry. Unfortunately, the HK movie industry hasn't yet recovered, but let's hope we can see some great movies from Korea, especially with all that talent.
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