Although I would consider myself a huge fan of Korean cinema, the breadth of my taste is not very broad. There are a handful of directors I admire, but I do not really see, let alone appreciate, much of mainstream Korean film. The major Korean blockbuster films, from SHIRI back in 1999 to last year’s megahit THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, usually leave me uninterested, and I simply end up avoiding most of the popular genre work. One exception to this is melodrama (THE HOUSEMAID, SECRET SUNSHINE); the other is horror, of which there have been a recent few I have admired, such of 2009′s POSSESSED and last year’s controversial I SAW THE DEVIL. But the best of these is Jang Cheol-soo’s BEDEVILLED, released in theatres here last September and just recently on DVD. I first heard of this film through some festival screenings in the US, such as the Fantastic Film Festival in Austin, where it was very well received. Part of what makes it such an effective horror thriller is that, for over the first hour of its running time, it really isn’t one. The full slasher genre trope does not really kick in until the later half. In this way, it is something of a throwback, recalling the golden age of 70s horror in the US, and matching many of the best in the genre in its social critique and progressive politics. (SPOILERS AHEAD) (more…)

Before closing out the year in 2010 movies, I thought I would write briefly about my favorite American film of last year, Derek Cianfrance’s BLUE VALENTINE, a small independent drama about the coming together and breaking apart of a couple, played by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. It is not my overall #1 (which right now is Lee Chang-dong’s POETRY), which continues an interesting trend of the last couple of decades, where only two American films since 1992 have topped my year end lists (2004′s ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and 2001′s THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS). This is in marked contrast to the 1970s and especially, going further back, to the 1950s and 1940s, where American cinema seemed to dominate. While of course this is simply my taste distinction, I don’t think I’m alone among cinephiles in this opinion. Part of this decline is in the studio system itself, but it also applies to American indie film, which seems far less stylistically adventurous than not only the global art cinema, but even popular cinemas from abroad as well (to cite our local example, Korean cinema pop auteurs like Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, and Lee Chang-dong). (more…)

One of my favorite podcasts is Colin Marshall’s “The Marketplace of Ideas,” a roughly weekly interview show featuring cultural figures of various kinds, mostly authors and academics. Marshall is an excellent interviewer, always well prepared and full of curiosity about his subjects, and he has featured many great guests over the years. I have personally been led to many different books I would never have encountered because of the show. Last week, Marshall interviewed the Korean film critic Darcy Paquet about his new book, “New Korean Cinema: Breaking the Waves” (my own review of that book is here). Marshall proved himself to be very well versed in Korean film, and the nearly hour long conversation is a great place to start for those new to Korean film as well as being in-depth enough for those already with a background. The link to the interview is available here. Also be sure to at least check out some other episodes as well; unlike many podcasts, it is well worth the time.

Although I wrote my “best of 2010″ list a couple of weeks back, I have still been catching up with last year’s releases, and my Top Ten in a month from now will probably feature at least 50% new films. One of these will definitely be Hong Sang-soo’s OKI’S MOVIE, his second feature film released last year (following HAHAHA). It is Hong’s eleventh feature, and while I think it works well on its own, it is probably best appreciated in the context of Hong’s career. Like many of Hong’s recent films, it is strongly connected to his past work as well as suggesting new directions and approaches to narrative and stylistic form. Yes, the subject matter is again familiar, but anyone claiming Hong is only repeating himself is not watching carefully enough. (more…)

Starting next Tuesday at the Seoul Cinematheque is the annual Friends of the Cinematheque program at the Seoul Cinematheque, a massive and eclectic 50 film selection that features many choices from various Korean directors, actors and critics. Not all of the films have English subtitles, but 25 of the films have either subtitles or are in English. This is always one of the better programs every year, and this year is no exception, with a number of truly great films on the schedule. Some of the highlights: Howard Hawks’ RIO BRAVO, Max Ophuls’ LOLA MONTES, Jean-Luc Godard’s PIERROT LE FOU, Eric Rohmer’s MY NIGHT AT MAUD’S, Bernardo Bertolucci’s LAST TANGO IN PARIS, and Francis Ford Coppola’s APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX. The complete schedule of the English and subtitled films is listed below. And it may be useful to check the website in case any of the films have subtitles added at a later date. (more…)

Over the past month, many Top Ten lists have been published by various critics as a summation of the year in film. So I thought I’d offer a review of the best of 2010 from my perspective here in Korea. So far this year, I have seen 52 films/TV seasons, many more than I had in past years at this time. There are still a number of acclaimed films I haven’t had a chance to screen, such as BLUE VALENTINE, TRUE GRIT, THE KING’S SPEECH, and 127 HOURS, but there are also many films I had the chance to see by being here in Korea. My problem with many of the lists coming out of America is the limitations they place, confining themselves to films released theatrically in the US in 2010. While I can understand this, I feel it is giving away too much power to distributors. Thus my list includes films which debuted in 2010, whether in theatres, DVD, at a festival, or on television. I have also decided to rank full seasons of television alongside feature films, since the distinction between these seems to be breaking down. If you want to count the 5 1/2 hour CARLOS, made in three parts for French TV, why not include seasons of TV? Here are some thoughts on the best of the year, as well as the complete list of films/tv, ranked in order of preference. (more…)

Starting on Tuesday, December 28th and continuing until Wednesday, January 12th, the Seoul Cinematheque is showing an eclectic mix of eight films under the “Winter Classic” label. While there is a lack of any kind of unifying theme in these films (although perhaps unintentionally there are a lot of exiled filmmakers and themes around those at the cultural margins), it is still an impressive roster with a number of masterpieces. My personal favorites would be Ernst Lubitsch’s THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940), Jules Dassin’s RIFIFI (1954), and Luchino Visconti’s THE LEOPARD (1963). Also included is a film I’ve always wanted to see but never got the chance, Italian modernist auteur Michelangelo Antonioni’s only film made in America, ZABRISKIE POINT (1970). Rounding out the program are Sergio Leone’s 4 hour epic ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984) (loved by many but one I think is overrated), the spaghetti western MY NAME IS TRINITY (Enzo Barboni, 1970), and two epic, big budget musicals, MY FAIR LADY (George Cukor, 1964) and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Norman Jewison, 1971).

Starting today and continuing until Sunday, December 26th, the Seoul Cinematheque is presenting an 8 film retrospective of the late French New Wave auteur Claude Chabrol, a director dubbed the French Hitchcock who often made thrillers dissecting the French middle class. Unfortunately, the two early New Wave films that are showing, LE BEAU SERGE (1958) and LES COUSINS (1959), are not listed as including subtitles. Chabrol reached his peak in the late 60s/early 70s, but all of the other films are from Chabrol’s later period (1987-2003) and are not as critically acclaimed. However, it does include two films from the mid-1990s that are often held to be among Chabrol’s best: L’ENFER (1994) and LA CEREMONIE (1995). The other films are: MASKS (1987), THE COLOR OF LIES (1999), NIGHTCAP (2000), and THE FLOWER OF EVIL (2003).