gopeglegs!

My top 2 in no particular order:

X-mas in August
Attack the Gas Station

Distant 3rd:
JSA

Jury is still out:
Friend

Why distant? While movies, for one reason or another, can't be realistic 100% of the time, the story of 2 ROK army soldiers deserting their manned post (which doesn't exist in real life anyway-cctv) at the same time is simply incredulous, not to mention two front-line soldiers in an elite/hightly disciplined unit.

I still bought the dvd and like it, though.

I actually found Attack the Gas Station to be more realistic in its format/genre. Maybe it's because I've never worked at a gas station to be sensitive enough to know what's realistic.

Trigger

My Korean Top 10:

1. JSA
2. My Wife is a Gangster
3. Musa
4. My Sassy Girl
5. Il Mare
6. Ditto
7. Quiet Family
8. The Isle
9. Kick the Moon
10. Volcano High

The Rest in order:

Attack the Gas Station
Failan
I Wish I Had a Wife
Friend
Shiri
My Boss My Hero
Ring Virus
Nowhere To Run
Bichunmoo
Bungee Jumping Of Their Own
Funny Movie
Art Museum By The Zoo
Foul King
Take Care of My Cat
My Beautiful Girl Mari
Hi Dharma
AFRIKA
The Record

There's more I can't think of at the moment.

Quislink

Been a fan of Korean movies for a few years now. The movie that hooked me was Il Mare, which is still one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Here's a complete list of what I've seen thus far...

Blew me away (in no particular order):
Christmas in August
Il Mare
Kick the Moon
Memento Mori
Volcano High
Wanee & Junah

Very Good:
A Masterpiece in My Life
Happy End
My Wife is a Gangster
Sympathy for Mr Vengeance
Take Care of My Cat
Tell Me Something

Good:
2009 Lost Memories
Art Museum by the Zoo
Failan
My Beautiful Girl Mari
My Sassy Girl
Nowhere to Hide

Ho-hum:
JSA
No. 3
Shiri
White Valentine

Bad:
Jakarta
Last Witness
Nightmare

Crap:
Afrika
Bichunmoo
Musa
Paradise Villa
Sorum
The Isle

cirrus888

My new korean DVD order:

The Power of Kangwon Province
Wanee and Junah
My Beautiful Days
Take Care Of My Cat

cirrus888

2002 Top Korean Films so far:

Figures are tickets sold and release date.

1. "The Way Home" 4,091,000 Apr 5
2. "Public Enemy" 2,987,900 Jan 25
3. "For the Glory of My Family" 2,962,084 Sep 13
4. "2009 Lost Memories" 2,263,800 Feb 1
5. "Phone" 2,182,915 Jul 26
6. "Champion" 1,770,000 Jun 28
7. "Break Out" 1,293,827 Jul 17
8. "Bet On My Disco" 1,273,035 Jun 6
9. "Lovers' Concerto" 1,232,897 Sep 13
10. "Crazy Thing Called Marriage" 1,148,736 Apr 26

Note some films are still showing.

2001 Top Korean Movies:

1. "Friend" 8,134,500 Mar 31
2. "My Wife is a Gangster" 5,180,900 Sep 28
3. "My Sassy Girl" 4,852,845 Jul 27
4. "Kick the Moon" 4,353,800 Jun 23
5. "Hi, Dharma" 3,746,000 Nov 7
6. "My Boss, My Hero" 3,302,000 Dec 8*
7. "Guns & Talks" 2,227,000 Oct 12
8. "Musa" 2,067,100 Sep 7
9. "Volcano High" 1,687,800 Dec 8*
10. "Bungee Jumping Of Their Own" 947,000 Feb 3

Heliosphann

Here's a updated list of the Korean films I've seen thus far... I've still a lot to watch though! If someone wants to donate some money or Korean DVD's to me it'd be much appriciated!!!!

Here's what I really liked (in no particular order):

-My Wife's A Gangster
-JSA
-Sympathy for Mr. Vengence
-Tell Me Something
-THE QUIET FAMILY!!!!!!
-Attack the Gas Station
-Guns & Talk
-Nowhere to Hide
-Friend

Here's a few I thought enjoyed, but though average:

My Sassy Girl
Musa
My Boss, My Hero
Bichunmoo
Shiri

Here's a few I didn't care for at all:

-Volcano High
-Memento Mori
-No. 3

cirrus888

2002 Korean Movie Top 10 updated

1. The Way Home 4,091,000
2. Marrying The Mafia 3,648,987*
3. Public Enemy 2,987,900
4. 2009 Lost Memories 2,263,800
5. Phone 2,182,915
6. Champion 1,770,000
7. Lover's Concerto 1,450,485*
8. Breakout 1,293,827
9. Bet on My Disco 1,273,055
10.Oasis 1,152,000*

young

i liked musa a lot. bichunmoo... no. the others, i haven't seen (although i have sorum).

personally, i think the korean dvds are too expensive ($20+ w/ shipping) so i've been scouring ebay.

i think the next purchase will be:
this way home
nabi
kick the moon

Grimfarrow

I haven't seen many Korean films, but here's what I would rate them so far:

1) Peppermint Candy 9/10
2) The Way Home 9/10
3) One Fine Spring Day 5/10
4) Chunhyang 3/10

To see:

Failan
Take Care of My Cat
Volcano High
Oasis

IC_Freeze

let me make this easy for you

il mare - 10/10
this is absolutely the best of the Korean movies so far. Nice story, beautiful scenary, just about every frame in that film is a masterpiece.

ditto - 9.5/10
similar to 'il mare' and
xmas in august - sort of sad but great movie 9.1/10
my sassy girl - good movie, maybe in top 10 but not top 5 8.8/10

memento mori - is above average 8.5/10
musa - is above average but ending was bad 7/10
bichumoo - great movie, bad ending 8.8/10
shiri - is boring and overhyped 2/10
one fine spring day - is ok but not great though nice scenary 5/10
friend - is interesting and pretty good 8.8/10
failan - interesting love drama though first half could be left out 8.9/10
foul king - ok movie but not worth owning 6.9/10

cirrus888

Updated Top Ten:

Essential Viewing:

1. Il Mare
2. Christmas In August
3. My Sassy Girl
4. Failan
5. Barking Dogs Never Bite
6. Take Care Of My Cat
7. One Fine Spring Day

Worth Viewing:

8. My Boss My Hero
9. The Foul King
10. Attack At The Gas Station

Hendrik

...more about Korean films here... and here... and here, too...

...Korean Cinema certainly is being well-served on the Internet!...

. . . . . .

Quislink

Hiya young,

I disliked Musa mainly due to excessive shakycam action scenes which made no sense and stretched believability, especially during the ludicrous hillside "ambush". By the time the equally silly forest hide-n-seek with the cavalry came along, I was laughing my head off. For me, the movie had fallen into the realm of bad unintentional comedy.

Haven't yet seen Nabi or The Way Home, though the latter is now having a run in cinemas where I am(Singapore). Kick the Moon is outrageously funny - I hope you enjoy it!

Strangely, I didn't think that highly of My Beautiful Girl Mari after I saw it a while ago, but it grew on me over time. Understated, but moving in its own way. And I keep humming that unforgettable opening song...

cirrus888

My Beautiful Days

Korean R3 (All Region), Non-Anamorphic 1.85:1, DD5.0 Eng Subs (good), DVD-5 90mins (cover says 137mins).

Good sound and picture particularly for a DVD-5 Disc.

Autobiographical film about a man and 3 women, 1 older, 1 same age and 1 younger than himself. Disappointed with this meandering and very pointless movie. Uninteresting characters tries to be like other romances I've seen but fails completely. Never picks up your interest and a very unsatisfying ending.

Who wants my copy?

blessthemess

ADDRESS UNKNOWN

Heck. Anything by Kim Ki-Duk.

~Heart Wrenching stuff. And i don't mean in a sappy way. Prepare thyself.

cirrus888

Take Care Of My Cat

Korean R3 (only) 1.85:1 Anamorphic dd5.1, eng subs (good), 2-disc feature laden DVD. 2nd Disc contains 2 short films.
Excellent picture and sound. Strong colours and blacks. Active rears.

Film - Been waiting to see this with anticipation, I wasn't disappointed although it dragged a touch towards the end. Beautiful Incheon Location shots (industrial seaside town, dreary) which is what the film is known for. The principal actresses hold the film together and I like them a lot. Be warned no real story to this movie ... its more a study of 3 girls dreams and hopes.

Refreshing and different ... recommended!

I like this summary of another review ... the 5 girls in the movie are:

Ji-Young has a direction that she cannot pursue; Haejoo is able to pursue her direction with abandon; Taehee is without direction; and Ohnja and Biryu landed long ago.

=^.^=

To those wondering what the hell the film has to do with taking care of a cat:

compulsive dvd

Check out a Korean movie called Say Yes. It's out on Region 3 from Fox Korea.

cirrus888

Wanee & Junah

Korean R3, Anamorphic 1.85:1 DD5.1. Eng subs on this are only so so. Good rear speaker sounds and clean clear picture. no complaints.

My faith in Korean romances has been restored after the disaster of My Beautiful days. Popular Kim Hee-sun and her leading man make for very attractive viewing and both pull off good performances which are essential for these understated Korean romances. Every facial gesture, every look speak volumes and the acting has to be just right.

The movie moves along pleasantly as both leads discover and question their love for each other.

Its above average and if you like romances like I do you will enjoy it.


Kim Hee Sun:thumbs:

cirrus888

Barking Dogs Never Bite

Released by Spectrum DVD
Korean R3 (Only)
NTSC Colour
109 Mins

OAR 1.85:1 Anamorphic
DVD-9 Korean DD5.1 and DD2.0
English Subs (Good)

Extras
- Cast and Director Bios (Korean Only)
- Audio Commentary (No Subs)
- Interview With Bae Doo-na (No Subs)
- Storyboard of Key Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Highlight (Preview Of Movie)
- Music Video
- OST

A relatively clean print with subdued colours but solid blacks. The DD5.1 sound is also clear with a good jazz soundtrack. No real Complaints.

A comedy drama that is light on drama but still full of sharp and interesting observations about life with a Korean flavour. Directed by first time director BONG Jun-ho and starring LEE Sung-jae (Public Enemy) and my favourite Korean actress Bae Doo-na (Take Care Of My Cat, Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance). The story involves living on a grey faceless housing block, annoying yapping dogs, one man's mission to get a peaceful nights sleep and an estate clerk to right the wrongs of the world (well in her neighbourhood anyway).

The Koreans have a black sense of humour especially when dogs are involved, it pulls no punches and its fresh to watch because it doesn't hold back. The female lead (Bae Doo-na) and her rotund friend are a riot to watch and they provide all the biggest laughs. A great little movie with an ending that makes you feel good about our mundane existence which we all share no matter where you live in the world.

Highly Recommended.

(The cheaper HK DVD is great value at about US$5)

cirrus888

The Isle

The isle is a film that relies completely on the unusual setting of floating fishing holiday homes on a scenic lake.

Its completely different from what your likely to ever find in western cinema and it would be hard for me to categorise this if I tried. Nothing really goes on in this movie, there is no plot and very little character development but its intriguing nevertheless.

The film contains acts of cruelty to animals and to humans which only leads me further to believe that Korean cinema is lax in their regulations or their very down to earth people.

Worth watching just to see what directors will do to catch the ever decreasing human attention span.

cirrus888

One Fine Spring Day

HK R3 (only) DVD-5 Non-anamorphic, DD5.1, eng subs (good).
A very good clean non anamorphic picture no pixels evident, DVD -5 black levels. The DD5.1 is very good with active rears throughout the movie.

Film - From the director of x'mas in August we have another excellent picture which is very similar in style (if not identical) to x'mas. Beautiful to look at and very very understated in pace and execution. The only difference here are the two leads who are only a fraction as good as the two in x'mas. However, they still put in competent performances and the ending to this is very very good.

Left me feeling confused about my emotions just like x'mas did but invoked by the movie in a totally different way.

Recommended.



*The HK R3 universe disc is the only version available with English subtitles and seeing that this release is very cheap and of good quality you can't go wrong.

cirrus888

Christmas In August

Technical: Korean R3 boxset with CD soundtrack. Anamorphic 1.85:1 DD2.0. Great picture with good sound no complaints.

A romantic movie thats really about nostalgia, life and death.
I watched this expecting good things and within the opening few minutes the lead male captures your heart. His very existence, his life and thoughts are the envy of us all.

The movie moves perfectly between scenes and people always giving you time to admire whats on screen. I love the pacing found in Korean romance movies, this isn't the first I've seen like this and I hope it isn't the last ... so different from HK and US movies but not slow and boring like UK ones.

Il Mare, Failan and Christmas in August are about the best romances anyone can hope to see. Simple yet touching and never cynical or cover from beginning to end with cheesy dialogue and scenes.

Korean Romances ... Brilliant

cirrus888

JSA: Joint Security Area

Technical: Non-Anamorphic 2.35:1, DTS and DD5.1 DVD-9
Watched it with DTS sound which is excellent. The picture is also clean and clear despite non anamorphic treatment ... No complaints.

Film - Part poltical investigation drama. Not as good as the reviews I've read. The investigation part of the film felt dliberately written to include a female lead in the film ... this part of the movie didn't work for me at all.

However, the rest of the movie is made up excellent scenes between North and South soldiers. If the story spent more time elaborating the story between the 4 leads this would have been an indespensible movie.

Polished and well made. Charming and touching when female lead is not seen.

cirrus888

My Beautiful Girl Mari

Technical - Anamorphic 1.85:1 DTS and DD 5.0 Korean R3.
Reference quality picture and but sound was mixed too loud at front covering whatever sound there was at the rears.

Film about nostalgia which I felt was made to primarily show off some beautiful animation. The plus points are the original design and look of the cartoon with its subtle colours and shapes very pleasing to the eye. The bad points being that the plot was too simple and no real magic was invoked in the film.

Hayao Miyizaki it is not but it is better than most Japanese and disney animation I have seen simply because its different. .... Oh yes the music is wonderful too.

Recommended.

cirrus888

Failan

Released by China Star Entertainment Group
Hong Kong R3 (All Region)
NTSC Colour
116 mins

OAR 1.85:1 Anamorphic
DVD-5 Korean DD5.1 and Mandarin DD2.0
Chinese and English Subs (good)

Extras
- Cast and Crew Bios in English and Chinese
- Film Synopsis in English and Chinese


The sound is fine and the picture is as good as it can be for a single layer disc. Blacks are not completely black and there are compression artefacts. The DVD cover is printed wrong stating that the disc is anamorphic 2.35:1. At US$8 this DVD release is more than acceptable.

The film stars my favourite Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung (Fly Me To Polaris) and this film gives you ample evidence as to why. Cecilia doesn't say much in this Korean film with language being the obvious barrier but she acts her little socks off at every given moment. The lead actor Choi Min-sik (Shiri) is also incredibly good and its essential that both leads work very well for a film like this to work.

Directed by SONG Hae-sung (Chara), the film is about a hoodlum who is passed his sell by date and is refered to as all talk and no action by the young gang members. His life is pretty low and he has nothing to live for as he dreams of retiring on a boat somewhere by the sea. The first half of the film concentrates on building up the background of the lead actor.

Just when the lead actor is about to sacrifice his life for his gang boss he recieves a letter telling him that the wife he married from China 1 year ago for cash (to flout S.Korean immigration laws) has died leaving him a letter that has a profound affect on him. The film takes a turn and begins to tell the story of Cecilia Cheung ... she lives a simple naive life and is forever grateful to the lead actor who married her although they have never met.

It is from this point on that the film becomes an interesting study of chracters and this is when it really takes off.

A great film with a great latter half. Recommended ...

(Highly recommended if you like Cecilia Cheung)