No Mercy For The Rude Sales Flyer

This sounds quite interesting, and that's a nice cast happening, but I can't help but be reminded a little bit of THE ODD ONE DIES - a film that continues to improve with repeat viewings.

It says in the flier that the director's a veteran of RESURRECTION OF THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL, the first AD of that film no less. Man, I really feel for the poor guy. I have heard from VERY reliable sources who were in Korea at the time, in the film industry, that that long, long shoot was a nightmarish fiasco of unimaginable proportions, so bad that the crew largely boycotted the premiere. Those who didn't show missed quite a spectacle of chaos, with the press there to cover it leaving in disgust mid-film to interview other walk-outs, and the director whining about being misunderstood to a mostly empty theater. Apparently Jang was a totally unprepared and unstable director, prone to leaving the country in mid-shoot unannounced, going to Japan and LA for weeks or longer, looking for "inspiration".

I won't say any more details, because A: I can't really back it up with tangible proof; and B: some of it involves shameful, truly morally reprehensible stuff that shouldn't be aired in public. This is to protect the innocent who suffered more than enough. Whatever the worst you can imagine is (that you wouldn't have already heard about), that's probably about right.

One final thing, though. Imagine you worked two weeks at Mickey D's. You just made more than many of the key technicians on MATCH GIRL, one of the most expensive films in Korean history, got paid, in total, for years of work.

So if you've been wondering where Jang Sun-woo's been hiding... I'd be surprised if he can ever pull another crew together for a comeback, at least in Korea. The word is "radioactive". And I say all this as a former admirer, one of the few people who didn't walk out of the BAD MOVIE screening at the 1998 Vancouver International Film Festival in mid-film. Though now, I could never watch that subhuman, exploitive filth again, knowing what it really is.

Sidetracked into yet another rant, sorry...

All I know is, anyone who survived MATCH GIRL and didn't quit films completely has my respect. I'll check this out.

Ha ha, another fan of Mr. Jang, I see.

He's just a scapegoat for political agendas of certain sectors of Chungmuro. Remember where, how and with whom the guy started and you'll understand who I'm talking about. Looks like the 'clique' is still itchy about 꽃잎 and 거짓말...

As for me, I think he's pretty uneven but his high's are very high, like A Petal, From Me To You and Passage To Buddha. Match Girl kicks ass, respect or not. Takes the 'genre' and sticks a ten foot pole up its ass. I absolutely adore it.

And please, low-paid staff working indecent hours happens for EVERY SINGLE KOREAN FILM, don't blame it on Match Girl. That's why they made an union.

This movie does look interesting. Looks like a noir-type film.

Nothing I've heard about the hell of the MATCH GIRL production had anything to do with political agendas - if anything, my friend, who is definitely in a position to know of what she speaks, is squarely on Jang's side on the political issues that the director has been mixed up with. Before some friends of hers got mixed up in MATCH GIRL, she respected him, even if she wasn't exactly a fan. He went too far in some of his imagery for her taste - but she also felt that it broke down barriers that really needed to go. She did praise A PETAL highly - and one day, I really must check that one out, as I hear nothing but good things about it from those who've seen it.

The beef was all about filmmaking itself; how the production was carried out in a ridiculously irresponsible fashion.

I've been low-paid staff working indecent hours myself, though in the US and not Korea, and swap "low-paid" with "paid in sampler packs of cigarettes stolen from a bar". I know how rough it can be for Korean crews; not personally, but directly from people who do know personally - and they are not whiners about it. More money would be better, but if they were in it for the money they'd just do something else instead. Korean filmmakers might be the most passionate in the world, all things considered, and that passion shines through on the screen. Honestly, they have a better attitude about it than I would in the same situation.

The issue, as I understand it, was more one of frustration at being ridiculously underpaid on such an expensive film, while the director wasted time and money, refusing to produce so much as a script or storyboards for the design and FX teams, who really needed them to do their jobs. This resulted in lots of expensive failed attempts to give the director what he wanted based on his verbal descriptions alone. On at least two occasions he vanished altogether, leaving Korea and shutting down the production with no notice and no announced date to start it back up. People showed up to work, to find a note of explanation taped up. Not cool at all, especially for people working, or not working as the case may be, for so little. There were other horrifying things I was told, but I won't go there because it's not directly production related, and people's personal business should remain that.

But it's definitely not a political beef, or sour grapes over some of his more extreme content. While I respected ("enjoyed" just doesn't seem like the right word) BAD MOVIE and LIES, the only two of his films I was able to see in English subtitled versions before MATCH GIRL, MATCH GIRL I just hated. The genre wasn't the only thing that felt like it had a metal pole jammed up its ass. When I heard what happened behind the scenes, the mess I saw on the screen made a lot more sense, as did Jang's subsequent lack of output.

"The issue, as I understand it, was more one of frustration at being ridiculously underpaid on such an expensive film, while the director wasted time and money, refusing to produce so much as a script or storyboards for the design and FX teams, who really needed them to do their jobs."

and Jang has nothing to do with that, especially for what concerns being underpaid (all the money went to trial and errors, CGI, blocking entire bus lines in Busan, super-expensive gadgets and other assorted shit. It sure didn't go to the actors, since there were no stars). If the producer sucks, if he/she can't organize the schedule, arrange for storyboards or written conti books (things the director is not responsible for) to be made in time through discussion with the director, and play the role he's supposed to play (the trait d'union between the various sections of the crew) then what can the director do? Has he ever directed a blockbuster before? It's like what happened with Bichunmoo in China. The difference? Jang never really cared about blockbusters to begin with. I mean, Taoist philosophy, the limbo between virtual and real... yeah, that's just the kind of stuff I think of first when watching blockbusters.

The most irresponsible of the lot were the investors who gave 13 Billion Won to someone like Jang, expecting to get a 'normal' blockbuster, and the producers who didn't understand his modus operandi from his past films. The big controversy that raised later, putting all the blame on Jang as a sort of payback for the rucks he raised with Lies, while similar affairs like YESTERDAY, R.U. READY and DEUS MACHINA (which, like, didn't even complete production! That's real wasted money, and it's not like they were peanuts either) got away just with the embarassment at the box office was the real disgusting thing. Why, cause the 'clique' brought it up indirectly. How pathetic is to blame a director for 'spending money like that while there's a flood out there'? I guess spending 5 Billion Won for some horseshit star vehicle was fine enough.

They threw money at someone who wanted to have fun with a genre he clearly wasn't too fond of -- and that, in many ways, made it even more fun. It's like asking Wong Kar-Wai to direct X-Men... you expect a normal production?

But just in case, he's still working. His next film 'A Thousand Plateaus' (produced by, guess who, Myung Kye-Nam. Sounds familiar?) has moved to full animation according to Myung himself, so it'll take a while. But he's still working.

Totally agree about Korean crew guys though. Chungmuro turns out movies that good because 95% of the people working there don't do it for the money. A friend of mine worked as assistant in a lighting team for 2 years before getting a decent shot, working often 10 to 14 hours a day for something like 600-700 bucks a month. If that isn't love or dedication, I don't know what is. Certainly not money.

And yes, watch A Petal, especially If you're in any way familiar with the Gwangju Massacre. First time I watched it with a couple of Korean friends I ended up spending an entire night without saying a word. It's that powerful.

and oh... sorry for the off topic-rant. Back to your regular programming.

Didn't Shin already play a silent killer in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance? And a killer in about 3 other films that I can think of off the top of my head right now... I wonder if he's worried about typecasting at all...

Wouldn't call that a rant - more like a valuable alternate perspective from the one I recieved previously. I'll definitely keep an eye out for A PETAL.

I would expect interesting,funny, and unique Korean noir.