codefree

They'd have to be anamorphic widescreen DVD releases like these two are. BTW, I did not like Time And Tide.

RichC2

just to be a smartass - Time and Tide is HK not Korean - though No Where to Hide is Korean and man I hate that movie (liked Time and Tide though :P) Nowhere to Hide reminded me a lil' of Sonatine (sp? the Kitano Takeshi flick) but less entertaining, slower, and really stupid. It won awards and people love it, i'm still trying to figure this one out.

Shiri was cool though - couldn't get into Bichunmoo, the fights sort of bothered me.

Sorry I can't really recommend anything right now, hehe.

-Rich

Player1327

JSA (Joint Security Area) is a good korean movie about North and South Korea. I'm not aware of any english subtitled dvd release (there might be a non subbed Korean release, not sure) available.

gopeglegs!

I'd second JSA, although it's not out on DVD, yet. Just put it on your radar . . . .

Altough there are many shortcomings (i.e., all South Korean (ROK) soldiers look like weaklings, the non-existant MANNED guardpost at the bridge, the absolutely incredulous use of non-formal honorific speech forms between senior and junior conscripts), it seems from second hand knowledge that ROK guys and N. Korean soldiers meeting (for soju?) at the JSA isn't all that improbable.

In my personal opinion, JSA seemed to have a tighter plot than Shiri, a plot that was more enjoyable and possibly less interminable. The whole story about JSA revolves around one incident, while Shiri is about agents trying to thwart a plot by N. Korean infiltrators. If I recall correctly, Shiri's plot is more linear, while JSA has nice blend of flashbacks with the present.


S.

PS: From seeing your dvd collection, I'd recommend that you check out: ATTACK THE GAS STATION and BEAT. I personally prefer them over Shiri and Bichunmoo.

carnifern

I'd highly recommend Memento Mori and Tell Me Something. Both are horror movies as opposed to action movies but they have incredible stories and cinematography. Memento Mori was just released on DVD and both are all region (despite what Memento Mori lists).

I'd also recommend:

Attack the Gas Station: Highly underrated and a great action comedy.

Jakarta: In the style of Memento (told kinda backwards) it's a great caper movie about 3 groups of bank robbers all executing at the same time. One of the best Korean movies ever.

gopeglegs!

To answer your question directly: yes, but not many. You'll be hard-pressed to find many Korean action movies as "good" as the ones above. [You'll note that I'm not even qualifying this as a personal opinion-just look at movie receipts or talk to Koreans] There are action movies as good, and possibly better, but most Korean movies are of the soapy melodrama variety, a genre in which you'll find better luck in finding quality movies. This genre, however, may be more difficult to enjoy than the universal language of action movies, though.

You gotta remember the gov't censorship and low-budgets (not to mention a smaller and more nascent industry when compared to H-wood) of less than a decade ago, made making movies like Shiri difficult, if not outright impossible. There are good movies coming out, though, with the lifting of draconian censorship and increase in movie budgets.

But then again, don't take my word for it: unlike you, I didn't like Bichunmoo.

gopeglegs!

Dude, did I just buy Fallen Angels off of you at Half.com? I bought one from "carnifern."

Matt Stevens

I do not recommend TELL ME SOMETHING to anybody who does not know what they are getting themselves int. This is a gruesome film that quite honestly makes little, if any sense. It tries to be daring and cool and different and just ends up pissing you off. There are fewquent laps in logic and I think the director made the same so vague that you will never know what you just watched.

A RENTAL is warranted with this one.

kahuna

The Hong Kong (Mei Ah) version maybe be region all but it is fullscreen, no features and I heard that the picture quality is not as good as the Korean (Spectrum) version of Momento Mori which is Regionn 3 but is Widescreen - Enhanced for 16:9 TVs,. Also has a few special features added to the dvd, Cast and Crews, Trailer, Original Sound Track, Interactive Menu, Scene Selection.

For me I would go with the region 3 version. Actually for me I always go with the korean version instead of the hong kong version. I may pay a little more but usually it is better quality overall.

Kahuna

carnifern

I agree. I should've specified which version I meant. The HK version should be avoided. I have the Korean Memento Mori DVD and it's ALL REGION despite the fact that it says R3 on the back.

axolotls return

Are you absolutely certain?

kahuna

Yes thats what I want to know also since I have a friend who has the Spectrum region 3 version and it will not play on his region 1 dvd player but will on his region free dvd player.

I actually have a copy of the hong kong version on vhs tape in sp mode. Someone sent it to me so I could watch it and if I like the movie I will buy the region 3 version. I can play region 3 dvds on my computer but not my Pioneer DV-333 since it is only a region 1 dvd player. Should be getting a region free player soon once I sell my 2 region 1 dvd players.



Kahuna

carnifern

Yes. I tried it on my R1 Malata and it loaded without changing the region. Any other non-R1 or R0 DVD makes me change the region before it'll load. This is definitely an all region DVD.

kahuna

I think a better test would be to try and run it on another region 1 dvd player besides the Malata. As I said above I have a friend who has the region 3 dvd and it does not work on his region 1 Toshiba & Sony dvd players but does on his Pioneer region free dvd player.

Kahuna

d-oh

No one seems to have mentioned "Beat" which is an excellent Korean film which I would highly recommend!

Steve

What version of this film do you have? I am aware of only region 0/1 version of this disc and it is non-anamorphic full frame!!

d-oh

I haven't seen a region 1 version. I have the official Korean DVD that is widescreen. I don't recall if it's animorphic or not, I'll have to check.

ScreachingWeasel

There is an anamorphic widescreen 2 disc region 3 Dvd. You can get it at Poker Industries for I think 23.99.

codefree

All:

Thanks for the many responses. You've given me some more titles to look into.

Yup that's the version I own. It also has Korean DTS (with English subs of course).

Grimfarrow

I *really* liked a film called "Peppermint Candy" - a truly disturbing and powerful film that recounts South Korea's often turbulent and violent recent history. However, the available DVDs of this film are woefully horrid - all are full-screen, when the film was shot in widescren....

kahuna

My small korean dvd collection. Might not be everyones cup of tea but i enjoy all of them. Should be getting more once I get a region free dvd player. All these are the korean dvd versions.

1. My Heart
2. Jakarta
3. Tell Me Something
4. Christmas in August
5. Happy End - region 3
6. Attack of the Gas Station
7. Shiri SE - first disc went bad
8. Ditto
9. Bichunmoo - fullscreen
10. Peppermint Candy - fullscreen
11. The Foul King
12. Love Wind Love Song
13. Spring in My Hometown
14. Channel 69
15. La Belle
16. The Shackle
17. Nowwhere to Hide


These I have or will be getting them soon on vhs tape:

1. Green Fish
2. Momento Mori
3. The Contact
4. Art Museum By The Zoo
5. Interview
6. II Mare
7. Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors

Kahuna

jtkv

I just tested my Spectrum DVD of Memento Mori, and it works fine in my R1 Panasonic A110 player. It may not be ALL Region, but it sure supports R1.

My pick of Korean DVDs:

The Foul King
Attack The Gas Station
No. 3
Shiri SE
Bichunmoo SE
Memento Mori
Tell Me Something
Libera Me


J.T.

kahuna

Ok that is from 2 of you so the next time I order from Pokerindustries.com I will pick this up.

I also heard from someone else that these region 3 korean dvds "Art Museum by the Zoo", "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors", & "Bedroom and Courtroom" can also be played on regionn 1 dvd players. Dvdasian.com list them as region all but everyone else lists them as region 3, can anyone confirm this?

Kahuna

trae

Bichunmoo had potential...sigh..too bad it turned into some serious disjointed cheese imho...god i cant stand the main actor... (ive had problems with him since i saw him in a korean soap drama long ago )

eXcentris

A few films to watch for:

Barking Dogs Never Bite (aka Plandas-eu gae)

The Isle (aka Seom)

Don't think they are on DVD yet.