While his recent output has frustrated many, legenday Hong Kong director Tsui Hark still has legions of fans around the globe and those legions will be glad to know that Missing - the director’s horror themed, scuba diving movie with Tony Leung Ka Fai and Angelica Lee - will be arriving on DVD in Hong Kong July 28th. It’s a region three disc with English subtitles included and is available for pre-oder now.
Some news from the Studio Ghibli front here courtesy of our good friends at Ghibli World.
First, and of most interest, is that the full theatrical trailer for Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo On A Cliff has apparently just aired in Japan. According to Ghibli’s no-online marketing policy for this film it has not been formally released online but things being what they are I’m sure it can be found with a bit of look. What can definitely be found are a quartet of new images from the film.
And if news from Miyazaki the elder isn’t enough for you, how about word on the new features from his son, Goro, and studio co-founder Isao Takahata? All Ghibli is good Ghibli which makes all of this news fantastic.
Oh, this bit of news makes Todd a happy boy ... Miki Satoshi’s Adrift in Tokyo is a big favorite of mine and the Joe Odagiri - starring, gently absurd comedy will be getting a prompt R1 DVD release thanks to new Montreal-based start up Evokative Films. The deal is for Canada only - no idea at all if a US distrib has picked it up as well - but this means that it will at the very least be available for easy import on R1 DVD for our American neighbors. This is just the second pick up for Evokative but they’re looking to be an intriguing little imprint. Their first title is Cedric Anger’s Le Teuer and they’re negotiating now on some other interesting titles to round out the lineup ...
Long time Twitch readers may well remember us talking about Filipino horror film Sigaw a couple years back. Written and directed by Yam Laranas it came late enough in the run of Asian horror films – and in some ways played to the standard conventions of the genre enough - that many overlooked it but Sigaw was such a well crafted little gem of a film that introduced some subtle changes to the genre that I truly believe it is one of the last truly important films to come out of that initial Asian horror boom.
And so I have been tracking with great interest the development of the English language version of the film. Titled The Echo it again puts Laranas at the controls shooting a script adapted from his own by the writing duo of Eric Bernt and Shintaro Shimosawa. The result feels more like a riff on the themes that drove the original film than a straight up remake and it is arguably the most art house oriented picture to come out of Roy Lee’s very commercially minded – in a good way – Vertigo Entertainment.
Continue Reading "FANTASIA: THE ECHO Review"...
When discussing any industry’s output, be it on a yearly or seasonal basis, the most over-used cliche might just be the good old “best of times, worst of times” mantra. After all, any mature business environment will eventually have to deal with both ends of the spectrum sooner or later. For instance, the incredible boom Korean films went through during those fantastic ten years, 1996 to 2006, was fueled by a generation of filmmakers who replaced Kellogg’s and milk with molotov cocktails, Playboy with Cahiers du Cinema, and the smoking sessions inside putrid school bathrooms with editing short films. Or maybe they did both?
The result was new blood who changed the landscape of Korean cinema in ways few people could ever imagine. Chungmuro became one of the few remaining Gaul villages fighting against the mighty Roman Empire of filmmaking with their magic potion. But then, all of a sudden, the potion was stolen under their noses, sold off to the enemy along with their fighting spirit. In no time, the whole village had turned into a collection of youngsters and old farts who didn’t know how to direct their punches, with the occasional Obelix still hanging around with his magnificent menhirs. Chungmuro’s current crisis might have been a predictable outcome, a sort of post dot-com bubble burst going at 24 frames per second, but with a few adjustments things could get better. Alas, when it comes to TV Dramas in the first half of 2008, bringing out that old cliche wouldn’t be just optimistic. It would be a mere illusion, as it was the worst of times. Let’s find out why.
Continue Reading "[2008 K-DRAMA] First Half Wrapup"...
Now, first, the predictable.
Kim Ji-Woon’s 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 (The Good, The Bad, and The Weird) had a great opening as expected, given the insanely wide release (650 screens, with digital prints used by various theaters bringing the total to 700 by the weekend). There’s around 2,100 screens in Korea, so you can do the math pretty easily. The Midnight screening the film had on July 16 was seen by over 75,000 people, with the totally tally for the opening day touching the 400,000. But let’s forget about money, they’ll make enough of it.
What we really should be interested in is that Kim Ji-Woon won the attention of Warner Bros., who sent him a script for a Western, and offered him to direct. Kim still hasn’t decided anything, because this is not the only International offer on the table. Back in Cannes, he was approached by StudioCanal with an offer to direct a noir thriller starring Hollywood talent, as we previously reported consiting of a remake of Claude Sautet’s 1971 heist film Max et les Férrailleurs entitled Max. It’s quite likely his next project might take place outside Korean shores then, since the French-US coproduction is slated to start shooting in late 2008. The French thriller will go first, so there could be something of a smaller scale shot in Korea in between, but it looks like there’s a very good chance we might get a US western with a distinct kimchi flavor pretty soon.
SOURCES
[Daum News], [Daum News], [Daum News], [Daum News], [Asia Economy]
This fell a little under the radar, but looks to be well worth picking up.
If you’ve read comparisons between director Jeon Jae-Hong and Kim Ki-Duk, when the film was invited to Berlin in the Panorama section, there is a reason. Jeon grew under Kim’s wings, working as scripter in 시간 (Time) and on the production team for 숨 (Breath). Whether that means resembling the early, rugged and powerful Kim Ki-Duk of 나쁜 남자 (Bad Guy) or the insipid Festival-friendly version of his last five years, we’ll have to see. Story sounds like 미녀는 괴로워 (200 Pounds Beauty) all gone wrong, with a beautiful lady getting into a world of trouble because of her beauty, and the stalker who falls in love with her. The real interesting point is the young cast: Cha Su-Yeon might be nearly unknown, but she’s among the most interesting new talents in Korea. She was excellent as the decadent temptress in 개와 늑대의 시간 (Time Between Dog & Wolf), and in a completely different role in last year’s fabulous 별빛 속으로 (For Eternal Hearts). On the other side we have Lee Cheon-Hee, who found his footing in the masterpiece 한성별곡 正 (Conspiracy in the Court), and is currently starring in 대왕세종 (Sejong the Great) on TV. Among the interesting special features on the DVD set coming out on July 29 is a short film by director Jeon, Calling You. More info on this whenever preorders are available.
[Once again pulling forward an earlier review for a film that played here in Udine yesterday. Having the chance to see Our Town on the big screen only reinforced my opinions below ... this is one very good film ...]
If you sit down and think about it calmly and rationally, Jung Gil Young’s dueling serial killer thriller Our Town is a film that very likely shouldn’t work. The premise stretches believability and as the film progresses Young piles on emotional traumas and character connections by the boatload in the name of ramping up the tension and melodramatic catharsis. But it does work, and it works very well indeed, thanks to hugely charismatic and believable performances from the film’s three leads and stylish, energetic direction from Young that keeps you so caught up in this bizarre, twisted world that you happily forget that it operates on a set of rules and principals that you’d simply never find at play in reality. Can it be that between this film, The Chaser and Epitaph Korea is finally producing some legitimate young talent and showing signs of shaking off its extended slump? Damn straight.
Continue Reading "FANTASIA: OUR TOWN Review"...
When you create a film that manages the difficult feat of winning the hearts of both critics and the public alike, pulling in serious box office coin while also managing a near-sweep of the local equivalent to the Oscars, there’s only one thing to do: make a sequel. Luckily for us, Takashi Yamazaki’s original Always: Sunset On Third Street was so full of rich characters that any excuse to pay a fresh visit to Third Street is more than welcome. All of the ingredients that made the first film such a rousing success are also in full effect here and while the sequel might lose a little something simply due to the audience now knowing the formula and what to expect it more than makes that up in the pleasure of seeing our favorite characters continue to develop and grow. There is, after all, something to be said for a director that knows what his audience wants and then proceeds to give them exactly that.
Continue Reading "FANTASIA: ALWAYS, SUNSET ON THIRD STREET 2 Review"...
[The Udine Far East Film Festival celebrates its tenth edition this year. The lady friend and I rolled in to town last night and while we missed yesterday’s screenings one of the late pictures was Muay Thai Chaiya, a film I’ve seen and greatly enjoyed previously, so I’m pulling my previous review forward here.]
Kongkiat Khomsiri’s debut as a solo director after being part of the gang behind ultra-gorey Art of the Devil 2 will strike many as familiar on more than one level. Drawing on the tried and true story of three poor friends from the country drawn to the big city by the promise of fame and fortune only to be forced apart by forces outside their control, Muay Thai Chaiya follows one of the most popular structures in Asian action films - one drawn on earlier this year in Alexi Tan’s Blood Brothers and prominent in kung fu and action films from the golden age onwards. Now, if Khmosiri has failed to do the story justice you could reasonably criticize the man for simply repeating what had come before but there’s a very good reason why this particular structure keeps coming back - in good hands it produces remarkable results and Khomsiri’s hands are sure enough and his story laced with just enough novel elements to keep things feeling fresh and vital throughout.
Continue Reading "FANTASIA: MUAY THAI CHAIYA Review"...
My repeated reliance on Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Rouge seminar address “In Search of New Genres and Directions for Asian Cinema” belies not so much laziness on my part as the fact that Hsiao-hsien’s suggestion of the potential values (and pitfalls) of using “local elements … firmly rooted in local culture"—specifically when creating horror genre films—remains not only salient advice for East Asian and Southeast Asian filmmakers but a great handle for understanding genre films emerging from these foreign territories. If said genre films can draw upon the culturally-specific wealth of their respective countries in combination with an expression of national anxieties, then you have the makings of an authentic piece of horror genre that might meet an effective U.S. reception.
This is the precarious challenge successfully endeavored by Malaysian filmmaker Amir Muhammad with his long-awaited “horror musical” Susuk (co-directed with Naeim Ghalili, from an original story by Rajesh Nair). As far as I’m concerned, any film coming from the acerbic articulate vision of Amir Muhammad is a cause for celebration and I am flattered beyond belief that Amir forwarded a copy of Susuk for my review. Amir remains one of my favorite filmmakers—let alone personalities—since we met some years back at the San Francisco International Film Festival. His wit is as sharp as a keris. With Amir, truth definitely is often said in jest. When we first spoke about Susuk and why he elected to take on the horror genre, he asserted: “It wasn’t my idea to do a horror film. I was approached by the production company. ‘I’ve never been so insulted in my life!’ I said. But actually, I have: all my other movies had been ‘festival favorites’, which is a euphemism for ‘flop.’ So I figured on laughing to the bank for a change. Susuk is a practice in Indonesia and Malaysia. Since it’s unIslamic, of course it’s taboo. No other local film had been made on it. So it fit well with my motto: It’s not important to be the best, but it’s important to be the first.”
Continue Reading "REVIEW of SUSUK"...
One could argue half of the merit (or blame) for starting the Korean Wave, the one which made money anyway, goes to Bae Yong-Joon and his 겨울연가 (Winter Sonata). It sent a nation of okasan into Showa nostalgia, purging their wallets at the first sight of anything Yonsama-related, be it films or accessories like Pantene Pro-V or white scarves. But the other half goes certainly to Lee Byung-Hoon’s sageuk 대장금 (Dae Jang Geum). This jewel in the palace not only recorded humongous ratings of over 50% at home, it traveled anywhere from Asia (a huge hit in Japan and Hong Kong), the US and now even Europe and Iran, where the guy reading the Quran on TV is complaining of unfair competition from Lee Young-Ae and Co. But they couldn’t stop there, could they? Oh yes. A film will be made.
Studio999, the Korean company who bought the rights to turn the popular TV Drama into a film, is currently under negotiations for funding, but that’s not all. It appears they also approached director Zhang Yimou about the possibility of directing the film. Zhang and his production company are currently examining the script, and according to Korean media are showing strong interest in the project. Zhang, who will produce the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is said to be a fan of the show, and if he indeed accepts, it certainly would be a killer ap in the Asian market. Still, we should consider this an informed rumor for the time being, as sources close to Zhang say the director is now fully immersed into preparing the Olympics Ceremony, and any future project will have to be discussed after that. We’ll stay tuned on this in the coming months.
SOURCES
[Star News], [DongA News], [163.com], [News Open World]
Ever since, when was it, 1998? It felt like a tradition, the summer onslaught of Korean horror flicks, with their shiny shells and often dubious genre sensibilities. If anything, it was a great training farm for young actors, especially female ones. If you just look at the High School Horror Series which started from 여고괴담 (Whispering Corridors) in 1998 and went all the way to 목소리 (Voice), the amount of fresh new talent emerging through those films is staggering. But, save for the occasional highlight a la 장화, 홍련 (A Tale of Two Sisters), the genre had become a mere training farm for new directors, a proving ground that replaced the wear and tear of short films. The results were a lot of good looking but ordinary projects, and box office prospects vanishing into thin air.
But not all hope is lost. Although horror will surprisingly come back to TV, in the form of 전설의 고향 (Hometown of Legends), the lone horror film of this summer season is Yoon Hong-Seung (a.k.a. Chang)’s 고死 (Gosa - Bloody Midterms). So we’re mixing the gosa, the traditionally crucial midterms that mean just about everything to Korean high schoolers, and the character for death. Young blood will be spilled, methinks. Casting is a little on the thin side, with Lee Beom-Soo carrying the torch, but the rest is interesting as well, at least in a business sense. Tv starlet Yoon Jung-Hee, singer Nam Gyu-Ri of See Ya, and young Kim Beom of 커피프린스 1호점 (Coffee Prince No.1) also star in what looks to be a potentially interesting premise. The subtitle? “For every wrong answer, one student dies. Let the test begin.”
Films opens this August. Trailer below the break.
Continue Reading "Lone Summer Korean Horror 고死 (Gosa - Bloody Midterms) Begins the Test"...
[Many thanks to good friend Anita Wong - gone now on a lengthy sojourn to Taiwan - for passing along this review of John Woo’s Red Cliff.]
I grew up on a healthy diet of John Woo films, back in his heyday, when every film was a masterpiece. As a child, I used to think that Chow Yun Fat had surgically implanted a toothpick between his teeth, and that someone had sewed a pair of guns to his hands the way mothers sew mittons to coats. Whenever he was standing in a scene, I would have to tilt my head, because he just didnt seem right unless he was on his back or flying sideways through the air, guns ablazin’. My cousin and I would reinact all the scenes where Chow and [the other guy] would point guns at each other’s head while spouting calm, witty dialogue; sometimes we would spin in circles to emulate the camera moving round and round the pair.
I stopped watching John Woo films when he started working with the whities. I didn’t want to see the man who had introduced me to guns, machetes and the brotherhood (all before I reached puberty) embarass himself. And time and Hollywood proved me right. There was that unfortunate Jean-Claude van Damme debut, and then one too many films starring Nicholas Cage… So I’ve only heard the rumours of how bad the others were, and I’m quite glad to have closed my eyes on the last 15 years of John Woo’s career.
But when I heard about Red Cliff, I just couldn’t resist. Woo’s first foray into the ancient China genre, armed with a historical epic and a bloated budget? And no Nicholas Cage? Happy day! Come back, my prodigal son, come back to the motherland. Here, take a timeless classic, and go forth…
Continue Reading "RED CLIFF Review"...
You know what I love about Twitch readers? They have great taste, by which I of course mean taste very similar to my own, and so I know that when I head away from home for a few days - as I just did, traveling to Fantasia - I can count on them to find all the good stuff that I don’t have the time to go looking for myself. Such as what happened right now, when I received an email from regular reader Raku pointing out the full theatrical trailer for Fumihiko Sori’s Ichi.
Sori, of course, is the much loved director of Ping Pong and Vexille and this film is his re-envisioning of the classic Zatoichi story with a young girl replacing the older man as the wandering, sword wielding, blind masseur. I had the chance to catch this in the market at Cannes and while it played things much closer to traditional chanbara traditions than I’d expected it’s a truly beautiful piece of work. Very tasty.
Check out the full trailer and original teaser below the break!
Continue Reading "Full Trailer For Fumihiko Sori’s ICHI!"...
