Korean DVD Roundup Pt. 2

Note: Budget Re-Releases are not included (everybody and their dog is doing them nowadays, it would take years). I also missed the Kim Ki-Duk boxset, because all the DVDs except the one for 파란대문 (Birdcage Inn) were older versions. But since 'Birdcage Inn' released alone once again last November 17, it will go on the next Roundup. Scores are out of 10, and the 'Overall' score counts the film rating twice. TV Dramas are not listed as we'll continue to cover them weekly in our TV Drama Reviews. Also, even though they weren't released during the period we cover, I added the two remaining DVD reviews I wrote, just to be complete with ratings et al.

Ratings are not an exact science (especially mine!), but, generally, if I did my job correctly, the little average you find at the end of every mini-review should tell you:

8.00~10.00 MUST BUY
7.00~7.99 WORTH BUYING
6.00~6.99 RENT FIRST/WORTH A LOOK
5.00~5.99 ONLY IF YOU LOVE THE FILM
0.00~4.99 AVOID

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CONTINUES FROM PART 1...

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enterOne - 09/22/2005
천군 (Heaven`s Soldiers)
2005 - 2 Disc
Director: 민윤기 (Min Yoon-Gi)
Starring: 박중훈 (Park Joong-Hoon), 황정민 (Hwang Jung-Min), 김승우 (Kim Seung-Woo), 공효진 (Gong Hyo-Jin), 김병춘 (Kim Byung-Choon)
FILM: 6.5
I'm glad films like this exist in Korea. No, not because it's particularly good, or because I like this kind of films. But because it shows Chungmuro has finally matured, abandoning the soulless Hollywood-like blockbusters of three years ago and finally making their own brand of blockbusters, with a soul of their own. A lot of Western critics call Korea the cinema of 'genre-bending', but I find that very reductive. Chungmuro is slowly but surely abandoning any notion of genre itself, avoiding the extreme labeling that happens in Western filmmaking (we even have sub-genres now...), and all the burden that comes from that syndrome (horror has to be this, comedy has to be that). Picking what they need to build the story from every genre, those films develop something which could be called a genre of its own, the fusion drama (or, as I'd call it, 'non-genre'). There's a bit of everything here: it's both a local comedy, an action blockbuster, a 'flag-waving' Historical Drama with the kind of Tom Clancy-like obsession with gadgets that populates many Hollywood blockbusters, and more. Which, probably, is the reason this film won't work in the West. First problem would be that outside Korea and Japan few people know Admiral Lee Soon-Shin, although he's one of the greatest naval commanders of all time, deserving a place next to the Nelson's of the world. Many people in the West bring up nationalism when they see films like this. But I find it offensive certain segments of the worldwide film audience (and especially critic circles) only want social critiques from Asia. When Chinese Fifth Generation filmmakers criticized their governments, they made 'masterpieces'... but when they try to show some of their 'heroes' in a slightly more positive light, suddenly they become sellouts. Similarly, one shouldn't praise Korean filmmakers when they criticize their past leaders (Park Jung-Hee's last bang being the latest culprit, thanks to Im Sang-Soo's madly ingenious hand), and complain when they praise their national heroes. Another reason why this film won't work with Western audiences is because they'll expect the usual Hollywood-styled blockbuster, but they'll get a potboiler of different genres they won't be able to handle all at once. Why? Because Hollywood conditions you to expect simple monotone pap, and never tries to cut edges even a little. That's why the mix of silly comedy, brutal action, 'heroic' melodrama and north/south divide shenanigans won't appeal to people who expect another 2009 로스트 메모리즈 (2009 Lost Memories). But one also risks making another mistake: that of blindly accepting anything as simple pride for one's history, instead of acknowledging certain xenophobic undertones buried -- more or less explicitly -- inside films of this kind. While 안중근 (Ahn Joong-Geun) was full of annoying patriotism and flag-waving, what you can find in 'Heaven's Soldiers' is a bit more palatable. More pride than nationalism. Of course there's a lot of stereotyping in the film, the music is too intrusive, Kim Seung-Woo continues to try to expand his range when he should be perfectly happy with his comedies (where he's effective). But the last 20 Minutes of the film and the balancing of genre elements save the film from failure. I can't say I'll watch this more than twice, but it's not as bad it sounds, and as always Hwang Jung-Min, Park Joong-Hoon and Gong Hyo-Jin are reliable.
VIDEO: 6.5
The transfer is quite disappointing for a recent film like this. There's an immense amount of grain, much more than what the 'film-like' look would allow. Also, detail lacks, skin tones don't look natural at all, and there's a good amount of clipping. Also, the last 10 Minutes of the film have a slight white vertical line on one of the sides. Doesn't look horrible, but nothing special.
AUDIO: 7
Your satisfactory action-oriented track. Good use of the surround for the major action scenes, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary.
SUBTITLES: 6
Very lazy translation, especially when the dialogue gets a little more colourful. There's also a few grammar and spelling mistakes, lines missing or untranslated, and the overall feeling that not much time was spent working on these subtitles.
EXTRA FEATURES: 9.5
Is there a better DVD company than enterOne when it comes to extra features? Leave it to them to grant us with over 6 hours (commentaries included) of supplement material even for a film like this. The two commentaries are quite good on their own, especially the one with the cast and director. There's a reason why Park Joong-Hoon always ends up hosting award ceremonies: he's a complete riot. He cracks jokes all the time, but cast and director also talk about the film. Quite memorable in itself. Second commentary track is your usual 'tech-heavy' one, discussing shooting angles, lighting, location-specific commentary and similar things. A bit dry, but full of interesting info. Then there's 3 featurettes (15 Minutes each) talking about the music, the action in the film, and the art direction/production design. There's a 35 Minutes Making of with interviews with the cast, and a really nice 20 Minutes roundtable discussion with the top cast and director, who talk honestly about the film, their reaction to how it did in theaters, the reaction of the audience and critics, and more. Then there's the big daddy, a 60 Minutes Documentary where Director Min follows two experts to the Naval Academy Museum and the War Memorial, exploring all his life, the places he visited, the boats he used, the kind of utensils and even his war strategy. Incredibly fascinating and worth the price of the DVD alone. Closing this great little package is a fantastic booklet, full of pictures, interviews, cast and director introductions, and even a little history of Admiral Lee. Sure, the huge releases in the US -- like the Extended Lord of The Rings trilogy -- are better, but they have Millions to spend and plenty of time to produce. Considering the state of the Korean DVD market at the moment, with most titles having a hard time cracking the 5 figures, an effort of this kind even for mild hits is incredible.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 8
Certainly not a good movie, but it earns its points. There's a nice mix of comedy, historical and human drama. Perhaps because Admiral Lee is just about the most beloved and respected figure in Korean History (next to King Sejong), they didn't go further with the comedy, making a fool out of the character. So it does show the man without all the heroic hoopla this kind of film is often guilty of, and earns its heroic feats later. Above average film, fantastic extra features. Shame for the subtitles and the transfer, otherwise it would have been a top notch release.
OVERALL: 7.14

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enterOne - 09/14/2005
독립영화 단편 모음집 (KOFIC Collection - Short Films, Long Feelings)
2005 - 2 Disc
FILMS: (Average) 7.35
춘희 (The Spring and The Delight) - Dir. Park Jung-Seon - 7.5
Like Tran Ahn Hung's films? This is for you. It feels like laying down on a field after a picnic, staring at the sky, with the wind coming from the sea echoing through your ears. Nothing much happens, but it's so relaxing and hypnotic I didn't really care.
절간의 문우절 (April's Fools Day in a Small Temple) - Dir. Lee Min-Kyung - 8
Sweet and hilarious, the title of the film says it all. It's about a group of kids in a Buddhist Temple in Gyungsang Province (judging by the accent). April 1 is approaching, and the most mature of all the little monks has to take care of a little 'problem' on his behind, while he starts thinking about the bigger picture. The final Magnolia-like sequence is lovely, and the film is a riot. Really cute.
흡연 모녀 (Smoke-Flavored Life) - Dir. Yoo Eun-Jung - 7.5
Nice little coming of age story involving a little girl discovering the other sex, her mother's relationship with daddy, and the desire to become a woman. Might shock some because a couple of 7-8 year old kids openly smoke, but it's done in such a sincere, almost innocent way I don't see any problem with it. Nice acting, and some priceless scenes.
빞방울 전주곡 (Raindrop Prelude) - Dir. Choi Heon-Gyu - 8.5
Great little short about a family experiencing financial difficulties after moving to Seoul, but sticking together at the end. Has none of the fatalism of your usual Shinpa, some excellent acting -- especially Park Won-Sang -- and nice rhythm. Loved this.
후회해도 소용없어 (Irreversible) - Dir. Park Kyung-Mok - 8
Feels like a low-key, slightly more realistic (in the sense it doesn't use icons to make a statement, but normal characters) Hong Sang-Soo styled drama, about the relationship between a man, a woman, and everyone around them. Some really interesting scenes, and good acting.
One Fine Day - Dir. Ha Joon-Won - 8
Perhaps the most creative of all the shorts. Start simple with a man being laid off by his company, coming home and realizing there's no communication with his wife and daughter. But then it turns into a surreal, dream like finale which slightly reminds of David Lynch.
초롱과 나 (Chorong and Me) - Dir. Noh Dong-Seok - 4
I know Noh -- of 마이 제너레이션 (My Generation) -- is one of the hottest directors in the indie scene, but I never warmed up to his films. This feels so phony, from the start to the agonizingly long finale (which feels like a Park Gi-Yong film, and that's not a compliment).
VIDEO: 6
Except one, they're all letterboxed widescreen, and while the picture is generally watchable, it suffers a bit the format.
AUDIO: 6
Varies wildly, from excellent to pretty bad, but generally the dialogue is OK, and with a few exceptions there's no major hiss.
SUBTITLES: 7.5
Overall a nice job, but some of the shorts have a few spelling mistakes, and one too many translation 'liberties'.
EXTRA FEATURES: 6
Just an 11 minutes interview with two of the directors.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7
The first of a collection, this is a nice way to see some of the talents of the future start off with shorts, like most of the top directors in the country. Nice variety, and generally high quality. Too bad there's nearly no extras, which makes me ask the question: why two discs? Still, worth a look.
OVERALL: 6.74

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enterOne - 09/14/2005
독립영화 중, 장편 모음집 하이! 인디영화 (KOFIC Collection: The True Heart Towards The World )
2005 - 6 Disc
거류 (Papa, Daddy, Father) - dir. Park Ji-Won - 8.5
What would have happened if Kwak Kyung-Taek had little money and only non-professional actors to shoot 친구 (Friend)? Most likely something like 'Papa, Daddy, Father', a glorious little portrait of one man's growth as a human being in the streets of Busan, and the changing relationship with his father. Yes, this is a sort of Guerrilla version of Kwak's blockbuster (without gangster and machismo-drenched action, that is), with the same kind of nostalgia for the past, that human warmth added to tropes of coming of age films, that unique toughness that the Busan location and dialect brings to the table. It all feels tremendously real, from our leading character's relationship with his father -- the scene where they sit down talking about a TV Drama and start fighting is priceless, or perhaps too close to home to enjoy -- to the way he changes after the military. It's a very simple film, with no pretenses of being more than what it is, with the kind of pacing of some of the best Family Dramas of the 90s, when MBC was making great ones week after week. Touching, realistic, well acted and directed, funny, energetic... a little gem.
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자본당 선언: 만국의 노동자여, 축적하라! (Capitalist Manifesto: Working Men of All Countries, Accumulate!) - dir. Kim Seon/Kim Gok - 2
Oh boy... where do I start. Twins Kim Seon and Kim Gok are known as probably the most politically outspoken directors in the Korean independent scene. Self-proclaimed communists, their 'Goksa' film company always pushed for Cinema removed from the 'capitalist' system of Chungmuro. Which is fine, but frankly stinks of the same empty superficiality they want to criticize. What's one of the greatest virtues of masters like Im Sang-Soo and Park Chan-Wook? That, even though their ideological tendencies are pretty clear to anybody familiar with Korean Cinema, they never let that upstage their main goal: making films, telling stories, provoking debate. It's not film at the service of politics, but the other way around. But in 'Capitalist Manifesto', an agonizingly pompous little indie trying to twist a famous line from Marx's Communist Manifesto ('working men of all countries, unite!') as a launchpad for criticizing capitalism and all the problems inherent with such system, everything is at the service of politics. So cinema sacrifices itself to further an ideology. But although I can understand and even appreciate some of the arguments the Kim twins make in this film, the way they present it, purposefully cheap and removed from any sort of cinematic structure us poor 'capitalists' are used to, frankly cheapens their message. All about this film screams 삼류 (third rate) to me: from third rate acting, to third rate production (and mind you, I'm not criticizing the film for lack of blockbuster-styled production values. This collection of indies shows you can do a lot with very little. But this film does nothing, period) and third rate directing. But, most importantly, third rate pseudo-intellectual elitism, which prostitutes a medium like Cinema for some superficial black and white ideological fervour. Of course the makers are entitled to believe whatever they want, but even if I agree with some of what they say, the redundancy and amateur-level 'anti-Cinema' they make is nothing I'm interested in. Want to know why producers don't fund your films? Because Cinema can be about politics, but the moment you use it cheaply to make propaganda, it loses impact, and becomes like the blabber every other political leader making a fool of himself on TV makes, parading around with their ideological emptiness and trying to grab viewers with scare tactics. Perhaps I'm a little too anti-politics to appreciate a film like this. Perhaps I was bored to death by how superficial and empty it was. Or is this 'art' because it stubbornly strives to be creative, simply for the sake of it? Removing every single element associated with 'traditional' or 'mainstream' filmmaking might be original, but that does not necessarily make for a stimulating viewing, I'm afraid.
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애국자 게임 (Patriot Games): - dir. Choi Ha Dong-Ha and Lee Kyung-Soon - 9.5
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen, period. Choi Ha Dong-Ha along with co-director Lee Kyung-Soon build an extremely intriguing debate around patriotism, nationalism, and the country's acceptance of politics, politicians, and opinion leaders. You could consider this a sort of Korean Michael Moore, but without all the hogging and manipulation Moore adds to every single one of his documentaries (even though I agree with most of what he says). The documentary starts in an irreverent way, making fun of the format itself, with a person off the street questioning whether what those directors were doing was really a serious documentary, and not something they were shooting just to please themselves. But then the real debate starts: the two directors interview different famous figures -- from 'Outsider' editor Kim Gyu-Hang to Hanyang University Professor Im Ji-Hyun, from soccer commentator Shin Moon-Seon to comedian Jeon Yoo-Sung -- about a variety of different topics: the negative influence of conservative newspaper Chosun Ilbo on the average Korean, but also the hypocritical approach by the left wing media that just wants to shut them down; from the contradictions of conservative 'line of thought' to the same thing that happens on the other side of the spectrum. It interviews all sort of people, from Vietnam vets to dissident poets, from janitors of important media giants to fellow filmmakers (the great Min Dong-Hyun in particular, one of the best indie filmmakers in Korea). Then, things get surreal, as there's a sort of abstract debate between all the parties involved, with an hilarious resolution. Just explaining more about this doc would ruin the fun: it's incredibly balanced, clearly showing what the filmmakers think but also offering the other parties a way to defend themselves, and it has a breezy, 'let's not all take this too seriously' tone which is hard to find on most documentaries of this kind. The beautiful finale, where Director Lee makes fun of her criticism of the Chosun Ilbo, by making money off of it (but I won't reveal how), is just an ingenious little coda to a fantastic work. This is the way to use politics to make films and documentaries, but it's good that this collection also shows certain extremes a group of filmmakers in Korea go to. Hilarious, thought provoking, well paced and constantly interesting.
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뽀삐 (Popee) - dir. Kim Soo-Hyun - 8
A love song to dogs and its owners, Kim Soo-Hyun's 'Poppee' is a delightful little docu-drama showing the many difficulties and joys dog owners go through, thanks to 'man's best friend'. It not only uses the opportunity to celebrate the life of the director's dog, but also shed some light about the world of dog owners, and perhaps even dog themselves. As a dog lover who lost his 'friend', a Siberian Husky who was always there for me no matter what for 14 long years, I can relate to just about everything shown here. And even those who don't own dogs, and those who might not like them, will be surprised at how much like us they can be, after living with them for a while. 'Poppee' uses non-professional (a member of the indie group EoEoBu Project, several other dog owners) and even professional (Oh Yoon-Hong!) actors to re-enact some of those dogs' lives, and also takes its time to show a few negative sides of the business, like pet shop owners who become shrewd businessmen the moment you've bought your puppy. But the best thing about this docu-drama is the people themselves, talking about their dogs, what they represent for them, and how they act. A pleasant, interesting, even cute docu-drama every dog lover should watch.
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진실의 문 (The Gate of Truth) - dir. Kim Hee-Cheol - 8.5
You're probably familiar with the Joint Security Area dividing the Korean Peninsula at Panmunjeom, thanks to Park Chan-Wook's 공동경비구역 JSA (Joint Security Area), or perhaps other historical documents, but this documentary deals with the death of soldier Kim Hoon, which caused a stir in the Korean Media during the late 90s. The case was first considered a suicide, but with the following appeal, both the media and Kim's father -- a longtime military veteran -- pushed more details and proofs, pointing to murder. This is an interview-format style documentary, with a lot of archive footage from the trials, interviews with journalists and experts involved in the case, and even one of the soldiers who served in the JSA. Some might feel it's just a collection of clips and Q&As, but if you have any interest in the relationship between Korea and America, the balance of power and corruption, the stance of the Korean government towards issues like this, 'The Gate of Truth' will certainly be an eye opening feature. Even though facts and conjectures are presented in a very dry, matter of fact style, the amount of information thrown at the viewer is so significant, the pace always building up to the big finale that you'll be involved until the end.
EXTRA FEATURES 6.5
There's an interesting commentary with the director and composer. Although the two are soft spoken and take their time to delve into what they want to say, they manage to be informative up until the end. Pretty interesting.
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미친시간 (Mad Minutes) - dir. Lee Mario - 8.5
A guilt trip (literally) into Korea's involvement in the Vietnam War. But this time the filmmakers show what the people on the other side of the fence think. A lot of villagers involved in the war, specifically those who came into contact with Korean soldiers, recall their experiences, the people they lost because of the War, and their feelings towards Koreans. Intercut with those accounts, the confessions of a few Korean soldiers, and their reflection on the consequences their intervention in Vietnam caused, both to the local people, and to themselves. Some of the interviewees were clearly picked to elicit maximum effect, and perhaps interviewing a few more soldiers from Vietnam, giving their version of the story, would have helped. Still, the documentary is expertly made and tremendously fascinating, exploring many of the villages and locations where the War took place, and how they've transformed since. Excellent.
FILM AVERAGE: 7.5
EXTRA FEATURES: 7
There's only a trailer for 'Papy, Daddy, Father', and nothing for 'Patriot Games'.
Extra features for 'Capitalist Manifesto'are perhaps the most extensive of the whole set. There's even an audio commentary, opening emphatically with a 'do we really have to do this?' (to which I was thinking, 'do I really have to listen to this?'). First, I thought the commentary was quite creative and even funny, as they call the art director of the film asking her to comment, and she hangs up on them after a few seconds. But by the third phone call, it was pretty evident they were trying to be cute and mate something creative even out of a simple audio commentary. It's a decent listen, but in case you didn't like the film (like myself), there's very little here that will make you change your mind. Things get even more surreal though, as the two directors dress up like terrorists (hood and fake guns, et al), and answer weird questions for about 17 Minutes, along with other actors and crew members from the production. Really hilarious and crazy stuff, much better than the boring pap that is the main feature. There's also a 13 Minutes 'making of' with the directors meeting the cast, and doing the various Festival and press rounds, along with clips from the audio commentary recording. Finally, there's a 21 Minutes (English Subtitled! Although they're not removable, they're mostly excellent) short from 2003 entitled 정당정치의 원리 (Principle of Party Politics). It's definitely interesting (mixing ruminations about politics and society, intercut with all the actors screaming like some trash core band, and the crew fooling around the set), and a little more watchable than their longer effort. Still, very preachy, on either side of the spectrum, making it seem like you can only be either a hardcore socialist or some conservative puppet. The short closes with the two prancing around like a bunch of crazy sociopaths, but it's kinda cute in its delusional fervour. Finally, we close with a 1:00 promo for their 2005 film 뇌절개술(Geo-Lobotomy). Yes, lots of extras, and the short is worth watching, but I doubt you'll watch any of this more than once, as its mostly 'cute' and original material, and nothing really that informative regarding the main feature.
SUBTITLES: 7
Things are different depending on the film. For example, subs for 'Papa, Daddy, Father' are almost hilariously bad, reminding me of some of the very earliest HK DVDs. It's not just bad translation, but also tons of spelling and grammar mistakes, creating some memorable lines out of nowhere, like 'I'll kick your asshole', or 'bring your presents tomorrow' (should be parents). Instead, subs for 'Capital Manifesto', 'Mad Minutes', 'Poppee' and 'Patriot Games' tend to be quite good, even though there's a few spelling mistakes. Finally, 'The Gate of Truth' would sport some of the best subtitles ever seen on a Korean DVD, shame about the many spelling mistakes. But besides that, the translation is excellent, descriptive, literal to the point of obsession, and the format follows the speech pattern more than trying to adapt Korean to English.
VIDEO: 7
Again, dependent on the type of film, but generally good, with a few exceptions, mostly down to the film itself, and not faults with the transfer.
AUDIO: 7
Good quality, especially for the Documentaries, but the films tend to be a little on the quiet side. Still, no major problems.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 9
I sincerely hope enterOne and KOFIC will continue to release boxsets like this. Quality, quantity and variety are offered for very little money, letting us discover hidden gems like 'Papa, Daddy, Father', and tremendous documentaries which would have little chance of traveling if not for a few Film Festivals. Considering we're talking about indie films and documentaries, I can't really complain about the extra features, which in certain cases are even more exhaustive than certain films on DVD. What one hopes, if this kind of releases continue, is that KOFIC will not only focus on 'meaty' Independent filmmaking like this, but also quirkier, more abstract works that usually don't fit into the 'arthouse' mold.
AVERAGE: 7.43

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KD Media - 09/14/2005
안녕, 형아 (Little Brother)
2005 - 2 Disc
Director: 임태형 (Im Tae-Hyung)
Starring: 배종옥 (Bae Jong-Ok), 박원상 (Park Won-Sang), 박지빈 (Park Ji-Bin), 오지혜 (Oh Ji-Hye), 정종철 (Jung Jong-Cheol)
FILM: 7
It was inevitable that, after the monster success of 말아톤 (Marathon), films like this would be pushed more than usual. Taking a real life event, wrapping it with a nice family drama and good actors is a pretty safe way to get a good -- or, better, 'well made' -- commercial film. And 'Little Brother' has all the right players for the job: Bae Jong-Ok has been pretty amazing whenever starring in Family Dramas on TV, Park Won-Sang is one of the most underrated character actors in the industry, and to anyone who's been following Korean Cinema for a while, the name Oh Ji-Hye should be familiar. But there's also another factor, that of Park Ji-Bin, already hailed as one of the most promising child actor in Korea -- he had a wonderful little cameo in the TV Sitcom 안녕, 프란체스카 (Hello, Francesca), and will star in a couple of other films in the near future -- who completely looks his age, but does things with a maturity and professionalism almost unheard of, for someone his age. Also, the film is clearly well written, focusing on how the family copes with the illness, with a lot of beautifully subtle moments between the two parents, and the two brothers. There's also two small but memorable cameos by comedians Ahn Sung-Tae and especially Jung Jong-Cheol of KBS' Gag Concert. But what brings down the film a few notches is lazy directing, and an agonizingly over the top soundtrack. The way this film is paced and scored, sometimes you feel like you're watching a Sunday Morning Disney Film, only there's no dog. Without that big flaw, the film could have easily competed with things like 'Marathon'. Too bad.
VIDEO: 8.5
Top notch transfer, with really natural skin tones, brought to the forefront by the amount of closeups in the film.
AUDIO: 7
Generally muted and not too active (for obvious reasons), but a good job.
SUBTITLES: 6.5
This is where things get a little disappointing. The subtitles are a little superficial with the translation, they don't subtitle important signs and text (except the final one, thankfully), and when it's time to translate culturally-specific sentences, slang, or jokes, it gets lame to the point of becoming annoying. One added half point for the hard of hearing track (Korean only), and -- like on the 'Marathon' DVD -- another track explaining the film to those who aren't able to see it. Nice little touch.
EXTRA FEATURES: 7.5
Extra features aren't on par with enterOne or CJ releases, but still better than most DVDs on the market. The commentary with the director, Oh Ji-Hye and Park Ji-Bin is quite interesting, with a lot of fun anecdotes and scene commentary. The first part of the supplements on Disc 2 takes care of pre-production and similar things. They show the audition to find the child actors (don't miss the Yoon Moon-Shik impersonation, priceless), they show the kid whom this story was based on, various premieres and press screenings, and finally Kim Jang-Hoon and Park Ji-Bin singing the theme song. Second part is a 36 Minutes Making of, showing Park Ji-Bin's hilarious parody of one of Rain's videos, Jung Jong-Cheol's involvement in the film, and the usual behind the scene clips. Third part talks about Lee Hang, a real doctor who starred in the film, and finally there's the usual promotional material.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7.5
I haven't liked this film as much I thought I would, but despite the obnoxious soundtrack, it's still quite good. The adult actors do a spectacular job, the kids are cute and do quite well, and the story doesn't dumb down to the point of becoming a Hollywood kids flick. Extra features are very good, just like the presentation.
OVERALL: 7.29

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CJ Entertainment - 08/22/2005
연애의 목적 (Rules of Dating)
2005 - 2 Disc
Director: 한재림 (Han Jae-Rim)
Starring: 강혜정 (Kang Hye-Jung), 박해일 (Park Hae-Il), 이대연 (Lee Dae-Yeon), 박그리나 (Park Geurina)
FILM: 8.5
They say there's no rules in love and war. But then why do most romantic comedies and melodramas follow the same 'rules'? Is it because people more or less do the same things when falling in love, approach relationships the same way? Of course not. 'Rules of Dating' is one of those rare films that gives space to people who have different ideas of what love is, what dating and sex mean in a relationship. But the best thing is its not being preachy about it. With one of the most memorable opening lines in recent memory (젖었어요? - Are You Wet?), Han Jae-Rim's debut film manages to avoid all the cliches of the 'opposites attract each other' canon, focusing on how different people have different ideas about dating itself. This is one of those films that will make you think, not only about relationships, but also the way society considers certain 'atypical' behavior. With smart, snappy dialogue, and a sort of Hong Sang-Soo inspired but more accessible 'gentle monster' character, mixed with a realistically honest female character, in the vein of 결혼 미친짓이다 (Marriage is a Crazy Thing)'s Eom Jung-Hwa, the film manages to be affecting, disturbing and thought provoking at the same time. Lee Byung-Woo gives us another of his little gems, with a soundtrack that mixes subtle guitar solos, ensemble pieces with a Southern European touch, and a nuance of quirky jazz. Also, the only sex scene -- the much touted one between Park Hae-Il and Kang Hye-Jung -- manages to avoid becoming voyeuristic while at the same time never falling into 'hide the nipple' shenanigans, the likes of which you can find in more mainstream fare. Kang and Park are excellent, in different ways: Park is playful, with a touch of sleaze and humour; Kang is tough, but also sweet, almost childlike in a few scenes. And they show chemistry right from the first scene, maintaining it throughout the film. Praise should also go to the supporting cast (Lee Dae-Yeon in particular), and of course the scriptwriter, responsible for what arguably is the best script of the year.
VIDEO: 7.5
The film uses a lot of handheld shots, with many closeups, so it was important to capture very natural skin tones, which the transfer does well. There's a little too much grain, and the occasional marks and spots, but overall quite a good transfer.
AUDIO: 7
Nothing amazing, but the dialogue is clear and loud, and Lee Byung-Woo's creative soundtrack is well balanced. Not much surround activity otherwise.
SUBTITLES: 8.5
Quite satisfied with these subtitles. The translation is good, there's no major spelling or grammar mistakes, and all signs and notes are subtitled. Only minor flaw is for the more creative portion of the dialogue (especially during sex), which the subs fail to capture, but a few jokes go through well (the 'clam' one, particularly).
EXTRA FEATURES: 7.5
We start with an interesting commentary on Disc 1, where Park Hae-Il joins the director and producer commenting the film. It's not incredibly informative, but offers a nice balance of scene-by-scene commentary, anecdotes from the shoot and more. Disc 2 has an interesting interview with the director (15 Minutes), a great little featurette about Lee Byung-Woo's soundtrack (6 Minutes), 30 Minutes of Deleted Scenes with commentary (mostly exposition, but a few scenes are quite good), a nearly useless 7 Minutes clip about the script, collecting the most memorable lines from the film, some quick interviews with the staff, poster shoots, and the usual promotional stuff (there's a nice couple of Music Videos in there, a jazzy one with Park Hye-Kyung, and the other is by Lin, one of the best soul singers in the country).
VALUE FOR MONEY: 8
This is not the kind of film you'll appreciate watching it once. You'll need time to remove yourself from the 'shock' (which will change depending on how much you can tolerate), and think more about the issues it covers. I found it tremendously absorbing, perhaps for different reasons than most people will find watching it. More than the 'rules of dating' itself, I loved how it was the details that brought them together: not sex, not money, not the thrill of doing something that's considered controversial, but just because they felt at ease with each other. Just like one of the last few beautiful shots shows. DVD is good, but not exceptional. Perhaps a bit more focus on the extra features wouldn't have hurt. Still, usual quality work from CJ.
OVERALL: 7.93

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enterOne - 08/22/2005
간큰 가족 (A Bold Family)
2005 - 2 Disc
Director: 조명남 (Jo Myung-Nam)
Starring: 감우성 (Gam Woo-Sung), 김수로 (Kim Soo-Ro), 신구 (Shin Goo), 신이 (Shin Yi), 김수미 (Kim Soo-Mi)
FILM: 7.5
Unification has been one of the hottest themes in Korean Cinema, as most of the major successes in the country deal with the divide between North and South in some way. But it's mostly always been a case of using unification itself as a sort of iconic 'abstract' character to draw certain reactions from. Jo Myung-Nam's debut film ' A Bold Family' deals with the impact the division of the two Korea's has on normal families afflicted by it. And the fact it uses a basic 'comedy of manners' structure to do so elevates it from the preachy under and overtones often found in other films. The script for the film was written in the late 90s (which will put to rest all the 'Goodbye Lenin ripoff' sharks), and then Director Jo started preparing for what should have become his debut, the musical comedy 'Mr. Lady'. But, during the blockbuster drought of 2002, the film went belly up along with another couple of projects, and Jo was left without a film to work with, which sped up proceedings on this one. The film has a simple structure, but has fun with all the implications of its plot devices, like how it deals with the father (Shin Goo... who else?) starting to smell fish, and the two sons trying to cover their tracks. Perhaps cutting here and there, about ten minutes worth, would have helped the pacing, as one too many 'trials' can get tiresome. But the comedy works so well the film is a success anyway. If anything, further proof Kim Soo-Ro could seriously be the next Song Kang-Ho, and that Gam Woo-Sung is building versatility. This year's YMCA 야구단 (YMCA Baseball Team): well written, well acted, doesn't take itself too seriously, but has enough to deliver the goods.
VIDEO: 8
A predictably excellent transfer from enterOne. Splendid colours and natural skin tones, nice black level and contrast, no major problems.
AUDIO: 7.5
This is clearly not an action film, so there's no major surround activity, but whatever is there is well balanced, the dialogue is clear, and the soundtrack well mixed.
SUBTITLES: 4.5
Huge letdown. No, I'm not giving such a bad rating because these are subtitles of the level you'd find in early HK DVDs, but just because the translation is horrible. If this were a drama, I wouldn't worry too much: the 'normal' dialogue doesn't suffer much, and sometimes they even stick to the script. But the moment even the slightest hint of comedy begins, the subtitles fly in another world, completely different from the original Korean, trying to climb a glass wall with adaptation and cultural appropriation -- which NEVER work -- failing miserably at it. A mess, more or less. Too bad, because it could ruin the film for a lot of people.
EXTRA FEATURES: 7.5
The audio commentary is really good, with the cast and director often cracking jokes and adding a lot of additional info and anecdotes from the shoot. On Disc 2, the usual array of supplement material. There's 6 Minutes introduction with director and producer about the theme of the film, how it was green lighted and why; there's another 6 Minutes clip introducing the main characters, and a really fun 25 Minutes making of. 6 Minutes of deleted scenes follow (with ot without commentary from Director Jo), along with 4 Minutes of NG and the Theatrical Trailer. Second part of the extras has a great little featurette (17 Minutes) about the crew's trip to Mt. Geumgang in North Korea, where they filmed a few scene -- making this film part of history, as the first to shoot in North Korea. There's a 15 Minutes featurette about unification and its social and popular effects, along with a great little stop-motion animated short, a sort of parody of JSA. Perhaps the real highlight of the extra features is a 7 Minutes look at 'Mr. Lady', the project which was halted in mid production: sounded really funny, and quite interesting. We close with a Music Video by popular punk rock band Crying Nut, and a TV Spot.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7.5
One of the nicest little surprises from 2005. Really entertaining comedy, which manages to be funny, touching without pulling too much your strings, and intelligent. DVD is a little low-key compared to other enterOne releases, but still quality. Shame about the subtitles, otherwise this would be a really good pick.
OVERALL: 7.14

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enterOne - 08/09/2005
태풍태양 (颱風太陽, The Aggressives)
2005 - 1 Disc
Director: 정재은 (Jung Jae-Eun)
Starring: 천정명 (Cheon Jung-Myung), 김강우 (Kim Gang-Woo), 이천희 (Lee Cheon-Hee), 조이진 (Jo Yi-Jin)
FILM: 7.5
The life of a director is hard. You make a film that's subtle, has a charming energy and creativity you almost never find in Hollywood films, and you're instantly labeled 'arthouse'. Which, in itself, becomes a burden, because your follow up will always be measured on whether it fits within the accepted canons of that world. But in Korea, more than ever, and perhaps more so than in any other mature film industry, directors are confusing people's ideas of genres and labels. It's no more arthouse and commercial on different ends of the spectrum, but a mix of both. Jung Jae-Eun is one of them: her first film 고향이를 부탁해 (Take Care of My Cat) explored the 'angry' suburban youth of Korea, serving a four-tiered pie with four different tastes: the ennui of the middle class, the utopia of the upper class, the complex of inferiority of the lower class, and the situations ethnic Koreans or multi-ethnic Koreans face. But when Jung took to the streets of Seoul to make another portrait of this generation's youth, a lot of people were disappointed: it's not as subtle as 'Take Care of My Cat'! It's not as creative and charmingly unique as that film! Of course... if you expected another 'Take Care of My Cat', this film was bound to disappoint, because it's playing on a different planet. Showing how different personalities react to life in the metropolis, using inline skating as a metaphor for their outlook on life, 'The Aggressives' is a totally new experience. From the talented but superficial Mogi, who loves skating but doesn't want any responsibility or burden attached to it; to Lee Cheon-Hee's character, the most responsible and realist of them all, the one who wants to fulfill his dreams and make a living off them. And, finally, to So-Yo, who still doesn't know what his future will be. Along with Byun Young-Joo, Jung is another female director who's started to rewrite the angry youth Cinema of the 00s: whereas in the 90s filmmakers were content with using machismo and empty melodrama (with a few successful exceptions, mostly by Kim Sung-Soo), these new 'angry youth' films are more in tune with this generation, less concerned with the cinematic dynamics of the genre than with trying to paint a realistic picture of our young Koreans. I find it disappointing so many people fail to see how much Jung loves these characters, and only look at the pretty faces and pretty visuals populating most of the film's first half. Sure, the film falls into many traps of the genre, like the over-reliance on the stylistic cliches of the 'new age' sports film, or tropes of the coming of age Dramas. But as a whole it works, and it transmits a certain power. Its characters might feel like stereotypes, but they're handled with such sincerity and loving care they come alive. Like the beautiful coda of the film suggests, the film falls a thousand times, but gathers all its strength and succeeds at the end. That's good enough, if you ask me.
VIDEO: 9
enterOne... if you didn't exist, we should invent you. This is one of the best transfers of the year. Incredibly beautiful colours, extremely natural skin tones, and even with tons of digital correction, DI, bleach bypass and the like, there's no sign of booming whites, and contrast looks fantastic. Fabulous job.
AUDIO: 8.5
One big reason why I liked this film is that, unlike most films about skating in the West, there's almost no indie/punk rock (save for the lame Avril Lavigne song at the end), and the soundtrack focuses mostly on trip hop and lounge pop. Artists like Casker and DJ Soulscape (responsible for the music in the film, along with Dalparan) make this one of the best soundtracks of the year (except they don't sell it in stores!). And the audio track here is no different, with super solid dialogue, and a very good use of surround channels. Top notch.
SUBTITLES: 8
It could have been lower, but it manages to follow the 'street'-like dialogue and not fall into the usual traps. It doesn't appropriate culturally-specific slang giving you the American version, but mostly remains simple. Although in a few instances things get a little more colourful than they should, I'm quite happy with these subtitles.
EXTRA FEATURES: 7
Not much, but what's there is quality. There's a really good commentary with all the cast and director Jung, who seems to be like an older sister rather than a mother figure to them, just like she did for the girls in 'Take Care of My Cat'. Also, there's a 30 Minutes documentary about the 'inline skating' culture in Korea, quite interesting and illuminating. Closing the package a superb little Teaser Trailer.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 8
It has flaws, but it also has heart, and it's smart. If it weren't for some minor problems (not all the actors perform as well as Cheon, Lee Cheon-Hee and Kim do, and the first half is a little too 'pretty' for my taste), this would be one of the my favourites of the year. But I still liked it a lot, and it's another sign that pretty much all the major female directors in Korea are changing traditions in the type of films they're making: from Lee Soo-Yeon's 'horror films', to Park Chan-Ok's 'arthouse films'; from Byung Young-Joo's 'melodramas' to Jung Jae-Eun's 'angry youth films'.
OVERALL: 7.93

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KD Media - 08/09/2005
활 (The Bow)
2005 - 1 Disc
Director: 김기덕 (Kim Ki-Duk)
Starring: 한여름 (Han Yeoreum), 전성환 (Jeon Sung-Hwan)
FILM: 4.5
12. Twelve like the months in a year, the zodiacal signs, or even Kim Ki-Duk's films. The maverick director has come a long way since his humble beginning in the mid 90s, building an impressive fanbase overseas, yet still having to find his voice amongst Korean viewers. And it would be pretty safe to say 활 (The Bow) will do nothing to change things, as it seems tailor made for a certain sphere of the overseas audience, and seems avoiding any attempt to penetrate the domestic market. As for myself, even though I made my thoughts on the matter clear already (hit 'Kim Ki-Duk' in the forums), I can't help but feel disappointed about what is nothing but career recession, in my book. When Kim started, his films were rough, even superficial when it came to criticizing Korean society, but they had a certain charm. A playful creativity and panache similar to some Kim Ki-Young films. As his films opened to International film circles, he changed even more. His films in the early years of this decade were a little more polished, but became more disturbing, powerful, thought provoking even only with visuals. His films like 섬 (The Isle) and 나쁜 남자 (Bad Guy) reminded me of Jang Sun-Woo, and I felt a new bad boy had come to town, continuing the tradition of those luminaries. But with his films in the last two years, he's destroyed every hope I previously had. He's gone from powerful and disturbing images which had a certain beauty to them, to the kind of pretty emptiness and sanitized exotica that presses the buttons of some Western filmgoers in Europe and North America. He's become, in short, just like any other arthouse 'auteur', with bland and gentle, 'subtle' films about... nothing. Sure, 'The Bow' features a lot of the recurrent themes of Kim's past works, but they're presented with such a sugarcoated, oh-mama-look-at-how-subtle-this-is aplomb that I can't help but shake my head. Kim even says in the DVD's commentary that he doesn't use dialogue because our emotional state doesn't need words to be represented, which is something I completely agree with. But then he uses the bow as a metaphor for human communication with the delicacy of an elephant, with mood swings that wouldn't feel out of place in a classic 신파 (shinpa) on TV, tacky melodrama et all. It's just that, since he's not using dialogue, this suddenly becomes 'subtle'. Like the occasional insert of stunningly beautiful cinematography, or the use of the bow as an instrument (which is quite distracting, as theater actor Jeon Sung-Hwan moves such an instrument in a way that he looks like a bad singer hopelessly trying to lipsynch). Just about everything here feels like a gimmick, tacked on to resonate with what a certain demographic demands. You can do something great with a few good ideas and very little money -- look at Song Il-Gon's mesmerizing 깃 (Feathers in the Wind) for that -- but you can also be lazy, you can be obvious, and even insultingly bland, like in this film. Kim's worst film to date.
VIDEO: 8
Another really strong transfer from KD Media, with stunning colours and excellent detail level, especially when it comes to the very natural looking skin tones. Top notch.
AUDIO: 7.5
The Daegeum soundtrack becomes grating after 15 Minutes (it's a fantastic instrument, but you have to use with intelligence, otherwise it becomes just like every other violin arpeggio), but this is a very good track, particularly focusing on the ambience, since there's very little dialogue.
SUBTITLES: 8
They could have simply slapped a third rate subtitle track on this, since all the dialogue in the film probably fits in one page, but it's nice to see they worked hard even for so little. No spelling or grammar mistakes, and given the very simple dialogue, translation is quite adequate.
EXTRA FEATURES: 7.5
There's a truly excellent audio commentary with Kim Ki-Duk and actress Han Yeo-Reum, who comment everything from the film's shooting, to Kim's favourite films, and Han's projects in the future. Han comes off as a really intelligent girl, someone who could go places if she keeps this mentality in the future. She seems to already want a kind of distance from the star system, and only cares about projects that speak to her. Kim reveals a lot about the film process and his ideas, and even though some of the things he says might irritate nutjobs like me (always have to make excuses, don't we, Director Kim?), if you're a fan, this is a great commentary. But that's not all, as an excellent 37 Minutes Making Of Documentary follows, intertwining interviews with actors and director with behind the scenes footage, showing Kim at work and his directing style. Very interesting.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7.5
I hated the film, but I'm sure there's a lot of fans of Kim's work waiting for this. Well, if you like his films, this is certainly a recommended release: the presentation is very good, subtitles have no major problem, and the extras are surprisingly good (for an indie film like this, that is...). If you're not convinced by or even dislike Kim's films, this will certainly not change your mind.
AVERAGE: 6.78

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Woosung Entertainment - 08/04/2005
극장전 (劇場前, Tale of Cinema)
2005 - 1 Disc
Director: 홍상수 (Hong Sang-Soo)
Starring: 김상경 (Kim Sang-Kyung), 엄지원 (Eom Ji-Won), 이기우 (Lee Gi-Woo)
FILM: 8
That Hong Sang-Soo... always pulling pranks on us. If you read the title via its Hanja characters, it simply means 'In front of the Theater', if you merely translate the Korean, regardless of how many meanings it will have without the Hanja to explain them, it's just 'Tale of Cinema'. And there's a reason for such ambiguity, because many people fell for the first half of the film, not understanding it's actually a film within the film. But that's just one of Hong's many playful little devices he uses in this film: the zoom, which feels completely like a fish out of water in the 'film' part, but much more focused and revealing in the 'real' part; the voiceover, pretentious and unnecessary in the 'film' part, highlighting an important coda just in the final scene; and, finally, the repetition which has become a staple of Hong Sang-Soo films. I get the suspicion Hong is turning his films more and more into an introspective diary, only enjoyable/accessible for himself and his fans. That's fine with me, as I adore most of his films, but he's unlikely to receive more than a polite applause like he got in Cannes last year, if he continues this way. This is probably the most self-referential of all his films: it has the usual 'gentle monster' character, this time as embarrassing and hilariously selfish as humanly possible (I almost fell off my chair laughing when he put on the earphones listening to a famous Sousa march, while stalking Eom Ji-Won, it's a priceless scene), the usual hypocrisy laid bare, of people changing face depending on whom they're meeting, and so on. This film needs many repeated viewings, to appreciate the small nuances and hints Hong throws at us, and should never be approached expecting a simple arthouse film about a relationship gone wrong. The first part feels as if Bunuel directed an old fashioned 신파 (shinpa, over the top melodrama), while the second brings Hong's decalogue of human weakness to a new level. Hilarious, almost irritatingly in love with its rhythm, but with a clear absence of that kind of pretentiousness which populates similar films from other arthouse darlings.
VIDEO: 7
A little too grainy for my liking, but a clear transfer, with very natural colours.
AUDIO: 7
Solid stuff, with not much surround activity.
SUBTITLES: 7
A bit rough compared to Hong's rich and interesting dialogue, but they do their job quite fine. There's a couple of timing issues, with dialogue carrying over to another line, but it's nothing major. Translation is not bad, and there's no major spelling mistakes.
EXTRA FEATURES: 7.5
At first you'd think there's very little in the way of extra features, but this is a major case of quality over quantity. There's about a half hour of interviews with the three top stars, but those are as candid as they come, especially the one with Kim Sang-Kyung, where he explains how his relationship with director Hong changed, since working together in 생활의 발견 (The Turning Gate). Also, there's a fantastic commentary with two Korean critics, who go so much in depth about the film that I needed two sittings. Future International releases should just subtitle this and get it over with This is completely analytic, with very little debate about specific scenes. It's all about Hong's influences, what he's trying to do with his stylistic modus operandi, and what the changes he's made since his last film means for his work. Great stuff.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7.5
Hong Sang-Soo: you love him, or hate him. I adore most of his films, perhaps because they're all so similar, or are an upgraded version of each other. This film is weirdly comic, at least for those who've become fans of his work. It seems dropping the booze during filming (he often shared drinks with the stars, to get closer to each other) has made him much more pungent and ironic, which is a good thing. Hard to predict your reaction if you've never seen his films or didn't like his other work. This is not a good way to start (I'd go with 'The Turning Gate'), nor perhaps a good way to change your mind if you don't like Hong. But for fans, this is gold.
OVERALL: 7.43

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CONTINUES ON PART 3