Everyone has heard the rumours around the sex industry in Korea, about the massage parlors and juicy bars, but no one I know has ever actually been to one, or at least wanted to admit it. As an insatiably curious person I was dying to know what exactly went on behind the barber pole.  I started asking around among both Koreans and foreigners and most of what I heard I already knew. Finally I heard of a friend of a friend who was an honest to goodness John. I tracked him down and he agreed to sit down for an interview on the subject.  MT (we’ll call him), a lanky, nonchalant guy wearing a white linen blazer and aviator sunglasses indoors, straight out of Miami Vice, stood to greet me when I arrived.

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I’m a bit behind in the times on this one, but I’ve recently discovered the Arthouse Momo cinema at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul (thanks to Jonathan Kelly for the heads up). The theatre has two cinemas and, as the title suggestions, features art house films, both Korean and international. The reason I had basically given up on art houses in Seoul generally (such as Sponghouse, etc) were the lack of subtitles on non-English language films, combined with the difficulty in obtaining screening information easily. With Arthouse Momo, the later problem is solved, as the website, although mostly in Korean, is easy to use and provides a timetable for screenings. Unfortunately, there still seems to be a general lack of subtitles. Currently, there are two Korean films playing that recently won at Cannes, Lee Chang-dong’s POETRY and Hong Sang-soo’s HAHAHA, but no subtitles. So unless your Korean and/or other languages are fluent, you are limited to the English language films. On Sunday, I saw Tom Ford’s 2009 films A SINGLE MAN, which had not gotten a significant theatrical release here. It is fine film with a great performance by Colin Firth, and very much worth seeking out. They are also showing the English language films WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER (2007) and Roman Polanksi’s latest THE GHOST WRITER (2010), along with the German film NORTHFACE (2008). So, while not perfect, it is a useful resource for those in Seoul. And on the positive side, the theatres are new and high quality. Admission is 9000 won.

Arthouse Momo is located in the Campus Complex of Ewha Women’s University, Line 2, Exit 2 or 3. Once you enter the main gate, the campus complex is up and then on your right. Enter through gate 3 of the complex and turn left, the theatre is down the hall. There are also maps at the gate to find the campus complex, and outside the campus complex in order to find the theatre. First time you may want to get there early, as it can take a few minutes to figure out.

Starting on Thursday, June 10th and continuing until July 4th, there will be a massive, nearly complete 22 film retrospective of the legendary Italian director Federico Fellini at the Seoul Cinematheque. The only missing items are TOBY DAMMIT, an episode in the omnibus film SPIRITS OF THE DEAD, and FELLINI: A DIRECTOR’S NOTEBOOK, a made for TV documentary in which Fellini discusses his work. All of Fellini’s features are included, as are two short films that are parts of anthologies. And, in even better news, it looks like all of the films will include English subtitles. Although I am not the biggest admirer of Fellini, there is no doubt that he is one of the giants of international art cinema. His work is certainly worth exploring, especially on the big screen, since Fellini is as much about spectacle as most Hollywood action directors, albeit spectacle of a very different kind. Fellini’s most famous and critically acclaimed work is 8 1/2, but I personally prefer his 1960 epic LA DOLCE VITA and his 1957 film NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, which features an amazing performance from his wife and muse Giuilietta Masina.  In fact, Masina is featured often in this retrospective as well, and she is consistently great (more consistent than Fellini, I would argue). The complete list of films, with links, is given below. The cinematheque website, which gives the dates and times of the screenings, is here. (more…)

Over the past two weeks I took in two works on Korean film history. The first was the newly released book “New Korean Cinema: Breaking the Waves” by Darcy Paquet, published as part of Wallflower Press’ Short Cuts series of introductory film texts. The second was the documentary/essay film by Jang Sun-woo, THE CINEMA ON THE ROAD (1995), which was made as part of the British Film Institute’s Century of Cinema celebration in which they chose numerous directors (such as Martin Scorsese, Jean-Luc Godard and Anne-Marie Mieville, Oshima Nagisa, Stephen Frears, and others) to make films about his or her respective national cinema. Coincidentally, Paquet’s book and Jang’s movie complement each other in very intriguing ways. In terms of their medium, their time period, and their method, the two are completely different, but yet both are worth seeking out if one is desires to understand Korean cinema and how it has developed. (more…)

This year’s Cannes film festival has announced its winners, and there are two Korean films taking home an award. Lee Chang-dong won the prize for “Best Screenplay” in the Official Competition section for POETRY. The lead actress of the film, Yoon Jung-hee, was a favorite for “Best Actress” but lost to Juliette Binoche in Abbas Kiarostami’s CERTIFIED COPY. This may be at least partly because Jeon Do-yeon won previously at Cannes in 2007 for Lee’s last work, SECRET SUNSHINE, and Cannes typically likes to spread the awards around. Also, within the “Un Certain Regard” section, Hong Sang-soo was awarded the top prize for HAHAHA, which has just opened here but, unfortunately, as far as I am aware, not yet with English subtitles. The “Un Certain Regard” category is parallel to the main Palme d’Or competition, meant to recognize young talent and encourage innovative and daring work.  Given that the French director Claire Denis was the jury head, and that she is one of Hong’s biggest supporters, this is hardly a surprise pick. Hong’s prize means HAHAHA will receive a grant to help its French distribution, and hopefully this will lead to a release, at least on DVD, in North America. Two of the films recognized in the “Un Certain Regard” category last year, DOGTOOTH and POLICE, ADJECTIVE, were among my favorite of the year, so this bodes well for Hong’s latest, which we should (fingers cross) see here soon.

The winner of the Palme d’Or was Thai independent filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, a controversial choice in that Weerasethakul is one of the most difficult filmmakers out there and will be nearly impossible to market even with the Palme d’Or name recognition. An admirable choice by the jury.

Complete winners can be found here.

While remakes of classic Korean cinema are by no means something unprecedented, Im Sang-soo’s reworking of Kim Ki-Young’s 1960 THE HOUSEMAID is probably the most publicized foray into Korean film history by a current auteur. Recently restored by Martin Scorsese’s World Film Foundation, Kim Ki-Young’s original film has become the most recognized classic of the country’s cinematic history (it is available free on-line here). Thus, Im Sang-soo took on a formidable task in trying to make a contemporary melodrama from a film firmly entrenched in its time and place (post-war Korea) and directed by a filmmaker with a distinctive flair. The result is, in my opinion, just as successful on its own terms while also being a highly watchable and superbly paced genre vehicle. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD) (more…)

Currently in competition at the 2010 Cannes film festival, the great Korean director Lee Chang-dong’s fifth feature POETRY is opening domestically here in Seoul and is available with English subtitles at the Yongsan CGV. I can confidently say that this film will be among my ten favorites when I put together my best films list of 2010, and it would not surprise me if it is number one. Quite simply, no other director today makes films like Lee, with a style that mixes convention with realism, understated simplicity with dramatic flourishes, combined with a great feel for the space of his characters. Moreover, Lee is one of the few directors today, and perhaps the only Korean director, dealing with social and moral issues in a fairly direct manner. In some ways he is hopelessly out of touch and old-fashioned. As Lee himself has mockingly said: “I take everything seriously. But who likes a stiff who only talks about serious stuff?” (Kim, 63) It is this very dated quality, however, that I most value in his films. In today’s film world, it is surprisingly refreshing to encounter a director who is as serious as Lee, and even more rare to find one with his mixture of stylistic skill and humanistic realism. (WARNING: some spoilers ahead) (more…)