inri222

It can't be denied that there are some excellent films coming from Korea.
Who do you think is making the best quality films?

RichC2

Park Chan-wook - Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr/Lady Vengeance (Thai Tranny Film), Stoker
Kim Ki-duk - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, 3-Iron, The Isle, Pieta
Bong Joon-ho - Mother, The Host, Memories of Murder, Snowpiercer
Lee Chang-dong - Poetry, Secret Sunshine, Oasis
Im Sang-soo - The Taste of Money, The Housemaid, A Good Lawyer's Wife, The President's Last Bang
Hong Sang-soo - Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, In Another Country, Woman on the Beach, In Another Country
Kim Jee-woon - The Last Stand, I Saw the Devil, A Bittersweet Life, A Tale of Two Sisters
Kim Ki-young - Google him.
Kim Seong-soo - Full House, R2B, The Sweet Sex and Love
Na Hong-jin - Chaser, The Yellow Sea
Kang Je-gyu - Swiri (the movie that sort of rang in the current wave of Korean cinema), Tae Guk Gi, My Way
Kin Je-woon - I don't know who this is.

A list to expedite things for others. Kim Ki-Young died 15 years ago so I don't think he's really making quality films. I'll throw in Hey-Jun Lee because I really liked Castaway on the Moon.

My vote goes to Kim Jee-Woon with Park Chan-wook and Kim Ki-duk in second and third interchangeably. Bong Joon-ho movies are always really interesting and then I end up falling asleep during them.

Arpeggi

Kim Ki-duk for Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Masterpiece and the best Korean film ever.

Why So Blu?

My top 3:

Park Chan-wook
Bong Joon-ho
Kim Jee-woon

inri222

Same here

OldBoy

Park followed closely by Kim Jee-woon bc I Saw the Devil was just masterful.

Why So Blu?

If you get a chance you should watch The Good, The Bad, and The Weird. He directed that one, too.

OldBoy

i saw it. wasn't too fond, but it was mildly amusing.

Solid Snake

Same order for me. Which version of I Saw the Devil did you see? I've only seen the US cut. I'd like to see what difference the added bits did to the overall if anything.

Ash Ketchum

I wonder whatever happened to that Korean animated sci-fi movie, called either WONDERFUL DAYS or SKY BLUE, depending on when you saw it. (I believe I saw it under both titles.) As far as I know it's never come out on DVD in the U.S., nor have I ever seen it in the Korean section in any Chinatown DVD stores. I forget who directed it.

Why So Blu?

There's an unrated original cut? Wow, and I thought the U.S. cut was fucking graphic as hell.

I'd love to get my hands on the unrated version if it exists.

Why So Blu?

If you guys can get your hands on this one it's very well worth watching -



No, Hansel & Gretel (that is mentioned) is not the most recent one that was out with Renner - I'm assuming it was a Korean version.

RichC2

Sky Blue was the "English" cut which was about 2 minutes shorter. Tartan went kaput a few months before the US release of the Sky Blue blu-ray release and their entire library was taken over by Palisades who has chosen to do nothing with the title stateside.

OldBoy

i have the Korean or Japanese Director's Cut Blu-ray. I can't compare to US edit, but this was just phenomenal on first viewing. had so many sick elements that worked, i think similar in tone to OldBoy, but more graphic in the revenge plotting and carrying out. more sadistic as well.

i think it is this version, but was much cheaper at the time of my purchase...http://www.yesasia.com/us/i-saw-the-...0-en/info.html

Solid Snake

Here ya go, man. The Korean Cut and International Cut differences: http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=847718


Could you give me some details on it? Is it R1? Features, quality of the BD, and etc.

RichC2

I Saw the Devil was a bit more serious than Oldboy which was darkly comedic.

printerati

It's available to stream on Netflix.

Memories of Murder is one of my favorite films, so I had to go with Bong Joon-ho, even though I didn't particularly care for the ending of The Host. Kim Ki-duk would probably be second for 3-Iron and Spring, Summer... alone, but I don't need to see The Coast Guard again.

OldBoy

added. thanks.

Why So Blu?

I love Memories of Murder. I imported the Korean Blu-ray a while ago.

Why So Blu?

Didn't know this was OOP but if you can get it then do it:

Solid Snake

I really love Oldboy but I Saw the Devil is better refined for its revenge. It's something about the direction and the colors in the film that make it so cool and brutal.

brainee

These are both excellent movies. If they weren't the only two movies this director made I would've given more serious consideration to picking him.

Yes, I just watched it streaming on Netflix a couple of weeks ago. Worth watching for fans of Korean cinema, though its ~6/10 imdb rating is fair. Though its interesting that, browsing through the imdb comments, that there is no consensus for what the best (and worst) segments were. My favorite was the last - it's goofy Twilight Zonish premise was something I hadn't seen before. While the second segment was well-made, it's theme (a robot attaining sentience) is awfully familiar.

Why So Blu?

Jesus, what a cluster fuck. I've been reading about the various cuts for the last 20 minutes and it seems that there is no actual copy available that keeps the rape scene along with the added gore ALL in intact. Each version that contains one of those scenes does not have the other. You want extra gore, then there's no rape scene. You want rape scene, then there's no added gore. As far as I can tell, the Unrated cut from Magnet, is the real director's cut.

Why So Blu?

Tale of Two Sisters is getting a U.S. release October 22nd but can already be gotten from the UK. I'll be getting that film along with Bittersweet Life (assuming it gets a broader Blu-ray release). I'm noticing that a lot of these Korean Blus are going out of print faster than ever before. I'll definitely have to be on the offensive when Snow Piercer comes out.

Why So Blu?

Well, Germany has Bittersweet Life. Don't know shit about subtitles: