would you recommend these korean movies?
 

my wife is a gangster
guns and talks

bichunmoo

Re: would you recommend these korean movies?
 

guns and talks - Yes :up:

bichunmoo - Yes :up:

my wife is a gangster - I am glad I saw this once, but it was not a keeper IMO.

The other 2, it really depends on what you like. I would definitely suggest Guns & Talks, but Bichunmoo is a little harder. There are mixed reviews on this. I enjoyed it though.

My Wife is a Gangster- I thought it was pretty funny, untill the end when it got a little serious. I think it's worth owning.

Bichunmoo-I have mixed feelings about. It could have been a really good movie, but kind fell short. It's still entertaining. If you can play PAL discs you might want to wait for the Hong Kong Legends 2 disc platinum release at the end of the year.

will the HKL discs offer things to make it worthwhile? i see that they have Musa listed also.

and i think, i will get the Project A JC Platinum set... one of my favorites. thanks for the heads up.

I like and own My Wife Is A Gangster. I thought Bichunmoo was pretty lame though so I traded it away. Haven't seen Guns And Talks.

My Wife is a Gangster= Excellent Drama/Comedy with a dash of action in the mix. My review of it here.

Bichunmoo= Nice period fantasy film, if you like swordplay and style I would recommend it.

I have yet to see Guns&Talks.

Cheers,
Gabe

I don't know for certain what will be on the HKL dvd, but I'm assuming that the extra's from the Korean dvd will be on it, but with eng subs for those of us that korean impaired. Who knows if anything new will be on it though.

bichunmoo is nice but at certain point quite draggy.

Bichunmoo was pretty unpopular in Korea, but it has gained a pretty big following outside of Korea. I thought it was pretty good. Shiri and Bichunmoo are both very much style over substance... Shiri more so probably. Bichunmoo at the time was the most expensive movie ever made in Korea. If you are going to get into Korean cinema, this is a good place to start - but keep in mind that there are better films than this. My current favorites out of the few that I've seen are:

Ditto
Il Mare
Quiet Family
Calla
The Isle (not for everyone though)
JSA

I haven't seen My Wife is a Gangster yet or Guns and Talks, but My Sassy Girl was really popular in Korea and also for people outside of Korea. Sounds like you're more interested in movies with a bit more action. Try The Quiet Family, JSA and Shiri or Bichunmoo. I can't comment on the others you mentioned. :)

I love Shiri personally and feel that it was well deserving of its awards.

Bichunmoo is very good but not the best place to start.

Musa is the best Korean movie I've seen but you need time and patience since it's over 3 hours.

Attack the Gas Station is an excellent and funny comedy.

Jakarta is a great black action/comedy/drama.

JSA is a phenomenal drama.

Tell Me Something is the best Korean horror film to date.

I forgot about Attack the Gas Station - yes, that's another good one. I have yet to see Musa and Tell Me Something. :)

guns and talk is cool, good but i dunno if i'd watch again
my wife is a gangster - funny :) probably also would never watch
again.

other recomendations
musa - awesome awesome action packed and i'd watch several
times kinda like braveheart
sassy girl - still gives me goosebumps after 5th viewing, worth it
attack at gas station - would watch several times
tell me something - didn't do it for me, but all horrors are
probably watch once and that's it
shiri, jsa - decent. not korean so the north/south korea division
didn't impact me that much, but realistic movies

do not under any circumstance get:
bad guy - 80% of movie is spent in a hooker saloon....grrrr bad

I just saw Guns and Talks and is one of my favorite Korean movie. I also like Shiri but I guess I was kinda expecting more because of the hype from everyone. Bichunmoo bored me, it was lame, I compare it to Fist of the Northstar if you're into anime, you'll know what I'm talking about.

young: ...suggest you take a look at this 'dedicated' (to Korean films) site:

http://www.koreanfilm.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi

. . . :o . . .

heh, it's turning into a general recommendation thread :D

here are my ratings - 8 is an excellent movie in my opinion:
attack the gas station = 8/10
quiet family = 8.5/10
musa = 8.5/10
barking dogs never bite = 8.5/10
nowhere to hide = 8/10
foul king = 9/10 (i love this movie - it was so hilarious!)

i have a bunch of others i haven't yet seen - no time! argh!
JSA
Shiri
xmas in august
tell me nothing ;)
sorum
memento mori
il mare
friend
failan

i'm going to order:
guns & talks (kfc likes it a lot)
my sassy girl (i keep forgetting to add it to my orders)
i may wait for the HKL for bichunmoo

i can't wait for:
my beautiful girl, mari... (supposed to play at the philadelphia museum of art on june 30th, but i can't find any info on it???)
the way home
peppermint candy (is this out yet?)
nabi

Peppermint Candy is out on a fullscreen dvd. A couple months ago I got an email from MrKwang's ebay store saying that Peppermint Candy and a few other dvds were going to get re-released, but I haven't heard anything since then so who knows. I think the current release is alright, it has a pretty good picture and doesn't seem to be cropped much.

ok, here's my latest odor... ;) sorry gabegarwick, i couldn't resist.

my sassy girl (finally!)
bichunmoo - ok, i know it seems to get mixed reviews, but what the heck
guns & talks - mainly based on some strong recommendations and KFC's review
Love Letter (japanese movie)
& an OST My Beautiful Girl, Mari - i liked the little snippets of music that i heard so far

:blush: as soon as i take care of a few things! gotta stay up for the world cup... go red devils!!! :D

My Korean Movie Top Ten
 

I've now seen about 25 Korean Movies so far and I'm Dying to see more.

My Favourites so far:

Essential Viewing:

1. Il Mare
2. Christmas In August
3. My Sassy Girl
4. Failan
5. Barking Dogs Never Bite

Worth Viewing:

6. My Boss My Hero
7. The Foul King
8. Attack At The Gas Station
9. Ditto
10. The Quiet Family

11. Last witness
12. My Beautiful Girl Mari

On My Dying To See List:

A Day - Story About Failed pregnancy.
Take Care Of My Cat - Story about a group girls cntred around a lost kitten.
Bungee Jumping Of Their Own - Love Story using reincarnation as a twist.
Art Museum By The Zoo - Romance for the most unlikely of characters.
An Affair - Story in title
Kiss Me Much - Couple dealing with financial difficulties and how it affects on their love for each other.
One Fine Spring Day - Romance
I wish I had A Wife - Romance
An Interview - Romance
The Power Of Kang Won Province - Same story/ two perspectives
Wanee & Junah - Roamance
My Beautiful Days - More Romance

Green Fish/Peppermint candy/Oasis - waiting for decent DVD releases.

As you can see I'm really into the melodramatic stuff because when the koreans get it right ... they make the best in the world.

Nice to see 2 titles I ordered on the list (Il Mare, Failan) and it's going to be my introduction to Romantic Korean films. Really looking foward to see them. I'm getting 3 films ( Musa is the third one), and I've seen only thrillers Tell Me Something and Memento Mori.

I've also seen:

Musa
Shiri
JSA
Friend
The Isle
Nowhere to run
AFRIKA
My Wife Is A gangster
Hi Dharma
Guns & Talks

I think these movies are average at best.

ditto on My Sassy Girl and Il Mare. I enjoy both films.

You're crazy. :)

Musa and JSA are "excellent"


Whasango, Attack the Gas Station and Memento Mori are "very good"


Shiri and Guns N Talk are definitely only "average at best"

1. Shiri
2. My Wife Is A Gangster
(a distant) 3. Memento Mori

Re: My Korean Movie Top Ten
 

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. :)

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. :)

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

My new korean DVD order:

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

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

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

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*

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

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

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

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

...more about Korean films <a href="http://www.koreanfilm.org/">here</a>... and <a href="http://www.asianfilm.org/korean101_intro.html">here</a>... and <a href="">here</a>, too...

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

. . . :o . . .

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...

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?
http://cirrus888.netmag.easyspace.co...MyBeauDays.jpg

ADDRESS UNKNOWN

Heck. Anything by Kim Ki-Duk.

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




;)