Starting Tuesday, November 30th and continuing until this Sunday, December 5th, the Seoul Cinematheque is playing a small, seven film retrospective of the Classic Hollywood director John Ford. The films range from his silent THE IRON HORSE in 1924 up through to a film widely thought to be his last true masterpiece, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, in 1962. Also included are: STEAMBOAT ROUND THE BEND (1935), DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (1939), THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), and MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946). A small but strong showcase of Ford’s work, missing his greatest achievement, THE SEARCHERS, but including many other highlights.

Last week I reviewed a film often considered as one of the first of the Korean New Wave, Park Kwang-su’s 1988 CHILSU AND MANSU. This week I want to discuss a film from the opposite end of the movement, Jang Sun-woo’s 1996 A PETAL, which is released as the Korean New Wave is ending and the less political New Korean Cinema is beginning. Like Park Kwang-su, Jang Sun-woo made his first feature in 1988 and was a director very prominent during the years of the Korean New Wave. He continued into the late 1990s, making provocative works like TIMELESS, BOTTOMLESS, BAD MOVIE (1997) and LIES (1999) which challenged the local censors, but in 2002 he produced a major box office flop, THE RESURRECTION OF THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL, and has retired from filmmaking ever since. In my opinion, this is one of the major losses for not only Korean cinema, but all of the film-loving world. I think that both A PETAL and LIES are among the great films of the 1990s, and while LIES is readily available on DVD both in Korea and in North America, A PETAL is still enormously difficult to find. The Korean Film Council has made a DVD available for scholars, but no commercial release is currently in print. This review is written partly with a desire to see the film rediscovered. (more…)

After a very long absence of over three months, I finally returned to a multiplex theatre on the weekend to catch one of the most critically acclaimed Hollywood films of the year, a practical shoo-in for multiple Oscar nominations and the early frontrunner to be the big winner: The David Fincher (SEVEN, FIGHT CLUB, ZODIAC) directed, Aaron Sorkin (THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, THE WEST WING) scripted THE SOCIAL NETWORK, aka “The Facebook Movie.” Based on the book THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES, the film tells the story of the founding of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and the resultant lawsuits brought against him by former best friend Eduardo Savern (Andrew Garfield) and the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer). The film was released a couple of months back in North America, thus quite a bit has already been said and written, most of it very positive. The praise has been particularly effusive for: (1) Sorkin’s script; (2) Fincher’s reserved direction; (3) the performance of Eisenberg, Garfield, Hammer, and Justin Timberlake (playing Napster founder Sean Parker); and (4) the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. I had a mixed if ultimately positive reaction overall, very much liking two of the above elements but finding two of the others very much not to my taste. (more…)

The South Korean filmmaker Park Kwang-su is generally unknown in world cinema culture. He has been largely inactive in the past decade, with only one feature, MR. DADDY (aka SHINE DAY) in 2007, as well as a segment (“Face Value”) in the anthology IF YOU WERE ME (2003) and a segment in the first Jeonju Digital Project in 2000 (“http://www.whitelover.com”). But for those with an interest in Korean film history, he is one of the key figures. Park studied art at Seoul National University and then film production in Paris. He returned to Seoul and made his debut film, CHILSU AND MANSU, which is usually regarded as one of the first movies in what would become known as the Korean New Wave. From 1988 to 1995, it can be argued that Park was the most important and respected director in the country, making such politically charged works as BLACK REPUBLIC (1990) and A SINGLE SPARK (1995). His fall from prominence coincided with the fall of the Korean New Wave and the rise of the more commercially viable New Korean Cinema. It is noteworthy that Lee Chang-dong began as a screenwriter for Park and eventually carried on the mantle of the Korean New Wave into the next decade with films such as PEPPERMINT CANDY (1999), OASIS (2002) and SECRET SUNSHINE (2007). Although now often forgotten, Park is a filmmaker deserving of rediscovery by those now interested in the great films and filmmakers that came after him. (more…)

Other than Lee Chang-dong’s POETRY, which I had seen earlier in the year, my favorite film at the recent Pusan International Film Festival was Hong Sang-soo’s HAHAHA. This is the tenth feature from Hong, and features a plot that is immediately recognizable to those familiar with his work. Two friends take turns telling about a recent trip they had to the small town of Pongyeong. Munkyung (played by Hong veteran Kim Sang Kyung), a filmmaker, visits his mother and ends up having a relationship with Seong-ok (the great Moon So-ri). His friend Jung-shik, who is married, tells a parallel story about his trip with his girlfriend Yeonjin in which he ends up interacting with a few of the same characters, including his friend, Jeongho, a poet who is also involved with Seong-ok. Both seem unaware that they are talking about many of the same people in both their stories. Although the plot is very much the same, Hong’s stylistic and narrative approach offers some new variations. (more…)

One of the more difficult aspects of living in Korea is a certain feeling of isolation, a fact only increased by the high turnaround of people leaving the country after a year or two. Finding like-minded people with similar interests is fairly rare, and thus seeking out discussion on the internet becomes a popular past-time. My favorite outlet tends to be podcasts, which make the various commuting most people have to do in Korea more enjoyable. Here are my five current favorites in the category of film.

1. IFC News Podcast: Hosted by Matt Singer and Alison Whitmore, this has become my favorite show. The title is somewhat deceptive: the content is rather “indy” most of the time, but certainly it is not about “news”. Each week, there is a discussion of a broad topic, which the hosts dissect and analyze over the course of an hour (examples include “Our Faithful Look at Infidelity Movies,” “Movie Medium, Game Logic,” and “Speaking Out About Voiceover Narration”). Some are more serious than others, but the discussion is consistently intelligent and entertaining. Only small complaint is the lack of back episodes, although apparently this is currently being corrected. Released every Monday.

2. Battleship Pretension: For a long time my favorite podcast, and very similar in format to the IFC News Podcast, with hosts David Bax and Tyler Smith discussing a different topic each week. They also include a number of guests, which is why the podcast’s quality is less consistent than that of IFC, since some guests are great and others not so much. And after a few years, it feels slightly less fresh. But overall still very fine, and I would especially encourage people to check out older episodes, especially the ones on their favorite films of all-time and their round-up of the last decade’s greatest. Usually released on Mondays.

3. Filmspotting: One of the longest running podcasts out there, and still one of the best. Hosted by Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson, it is a highly structured show, with a weekly review of a new film, a fun segment called Massacre Theatre, listener feedback, a film from their Marathons (a series of reviews in which they discuss films of the same director or genre), and a Top 5 list. A fun show, less deep than the others at the top of my list but well-informed and knowledgeable with great production values. Usually released on Fridays.

4. Slashfilmcast: A much more mainstream podcast, hosted by David Chen, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley, that is often criticized, rather unfairly, as being fanboyish. It is true that they concentrate on mainstream releases, with little interest in art cinema, but the show itself is quite entertaining, even if I do not have much interest in many of the movies they discuss. Although there is a main review, they also each discuss what they have been watching, which usually includes worthwhile recommendations, and they attract a good collection of weekly guests. Usually released on Mondays, with an “after dark” episode at the end of the week.

5. Criterion Cast: A podcast modeled somewhat on the slashfilmcast, but focusing on a film each week from the prestigious Criterion Collection DVD company. Hosted by Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, and James McCormick, it is fun hearing a discussion of these older films that rarely get any publicity. However, the hosts often don’t have much to say, and thus usually need a strong guest to carry them. Their taste also seems rather conventional for people focusing on art cinema. Still, worth exploring, especially if you like the film they are reviewing that week. Released on Mondays, with a “disc two” episode later in the week.

I just concluded three full days of screenings at this year’s Pusan film festival, seeing a total of ten films. Partly because of circumstance, partly because of the festival’s emphasis this year and partly because of my own interests, the majority of the films I saw were Korean. The only non-Korean film I saw was the Czech film KAWASAKI ROSE. Some of the Korean films were of the popular variety, making this a far more mainstream event for me than usual, with films such as THE ACTRESSES, I SAW THE DEVIL and THE MAN FROM NOWHERE. But there were also a fair share of art cinema (POETRY, HAHAHA) and retrospectives (PROMISE OF THE FLESH, KILSODEUM, TICKET), as well as a Korean cinema documentary that is, technically, an Italian production, directed by Korean cinema enthusiast Leonardo Cinieri Lombroso. Here are my general thoughts and some mini-reviews. (more…)

Here are some selections for a rainy Saturday at the Pusan International Film Festival. At Haeundae, there is Lee Chang-dong’s great POETRY at 11:00, Im Kwon-taek’s TICKET at 2:00, Kim Tae-yong’s LATE AUTUMN at 4:00 and the uncut version of Kim Jeewon’s I SAW THE DEVIL at 8:30. Over at Centum City, there is Carlos Saura’s THE HUNT at 1:00, the documentary THROUGH KOREAN CINEMA at 4:30, and Jia Zhang-ke’s I WISH I KNEW at 7:00. In Nampo-dong, there is a choice between Luis Bunuel’s VIRIDIANA at 8:00 and another Spanish classic, DEATH OF A CYCLIST, at 8:30.

For Sunday: at Haeundae I am curious about the Mexican sci-fi film BY DAY AND BY NIGHT at 11:00. I plan to see the Korean action-thriller THE MAN FROM NOWHERE at 2:00, Kim Ki-Young’s PROMISE OF THE FLESH at 5:00, and finally, my most anticipated film of the festival, Hong Sang-soo’s HAHAHA at 8:00. Over at Centum City, there is Takashi Miike’s THIRTEEN ASSASSINS at 12:30 and Carlos Saura’s CRIA at 5:30. Over in Nampo-dong, I’ve heard high priase for PLEASE DON’T DISTURB at 5:30, and I would also recommend THE HOUSEMAID at 5:30 if you haven’t yet seen it.