As many know, the end of the year is typically when the major Hollywood studios release their prestige films from their most noted auteurs, with the hopes of  getting Oscar notice. Thus it is a good time for movie fans not interested in the blockbuster action films that dominate the screens the rest of the time. In Korea, it seems like May is becoming a similar time period, where the most acclaimed Korean directors release their latest in theatres. Last year, we saw Hong Sang-soo’s LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL, Park Chan-wook’s THIRST, and Bong Joon-ho’s MOTHER all released at the same time in May, which coincides with the Cannes film festival, and this year we have two major releases: Lee Chang-dong’s SHI (POETRY) and Im Sang-soo’s remake of HANYO (THE HOUSEMAID). Both open today, and both are showing with English subtitles: POETRY at the CGV in Yongsan, and THE HOUSEMAID at the CGV in Kangnam. Hong Sang-soo’s latest, HAHAHA, is scheduled to be released this month as well. I’m hoping to see both films over the weekend and will post reviews shortly.

This week at the Seoul Cinematheque, Tuesday to Sunday, there are screenings with English subtitles of four films by Miklos Jansco. For those who missed these when they played at Jeonju last week, here is a chance to see one of the major if now somewhat forgotten figures of European modernist cinema. The four films are: MY WAY HOME (1964), THE ROUND-UP (1965), THE RED AND THE WHITE (1967), and THE CONFRONTATION (1969). The schedule can be found here.

The Jeonju film festival closed on Friday after another interesting and successful festival. Jeonju continues to screen many difficult and obscure films that cannot be found at other venues, and also attract large audiences for these films. All of the weekend screenings were well attended (most were sold out), as were showings on the Children’s Day holiday on Wednesday. Daytime screenings on Thursday were understandably more sparse, but the evening attendance remained high. By this time, audiences know what to expect when they come to Jeonju, and there are enough hard-core cinephiles plus the cinematically curious to keep the festival popular. There are more traditionally audience friendly films available as well, and this mixture of new and old, popular and experimental and everything in between has come to define the Jeonju formula. On Wednesday and Thursday I was able to take in seven more films. Here are my thoughts on those films and my overall impression of Jeonju 2010. (more…)

I have returned to Jeonju for the final days of the festival. Here are some recommendations:

Wednesday: 11:00 A GOOD RAIN KNOWS, the latest from Korean director Hur Jin-ho; 14:00 JEONJU DIGITAL PROJECT, featuring 3 short films  made exclusively for the festival (an annual Jeonju tradition that dates back to 2000); also at 14:00, Pedro Costa’s CASA DE LAVA, his second feature, a reimagining of Jacques Tourneur’s I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE; 17:00 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, the latest feature from the great Spike Jonze, a deeply personal film hiding inside a Hollywood children’s book adaptation; and at 20:00, the complete METROPOLIS, although it should be noted there are no English subtitles. Since it’s a silent film this isn’t a huge problem, since it is only intertitles, but for those unfamiliar with the film it may be a hindrance. Also, at 20:30, Kevin Brownlow’s 1975 film WINSTANLEY.

Thursday: 11:00 IN THE SHADOWS, a German thriller modeled after the French master Jean-Pierre Melville; 14:00 ANTONIO DAS MORTES, Glauber Rocha’s 1969 feature that was a key work in the Cinema Nuovo movement in Brazil; 17:00 NE CHANGE RIEN, the latest from Pedro Costa, a musical documentary about the singer Jeanne Balibar;  17:30 TETRO, the latest from Francis Ford Coppola featuring a great lead performance from Vincent Gallo; 20:30 LAND OF ANNIHILATION, a documentary about the Holocaust, directed by German political director Romuald Karmakar; also at 20:30 Pedro Costa’s epic COLOSSAL YOUTH, a film that features such beautiful images that a big screen is necessary for appreciation.

Friday has a reduced schedule, but at 11:00 there is a rare chance to see the Argentinian agitprop documentary THE HOUR OF THE FURNACES, directed by Getino and Solanas, the authors of the manifesto “Towards a Third Cinema”. At 11:30, the quirky comedy HERE AND THERE has been an audience favorite; and at 14:30 there is Sergei Eisenstein’s silent classic OCTOBER. The festival closes with TO THE SEA by Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio.

The complete shcedule is here.

The weekend at the Jeonju was everything that one comes to expect from the annual film festival: great weather, great food, and a comfortable, cinephile friendly atmosphere. The festival has become very well-run and organized, and the centralized location of all screenings enables one to relax and focus on the films. The only small problem this year was a few screenings lacking subtitles, especially since they were advertised as having them. This happened to me on Sunday with the film PRE-PARTISAN, and I heard it also occurred with Bruno Dumont’s HADEWIJCH. Mind you, this is not uncommon at even the larger festivals: Busan has had similar problems. But it is frustrating to miss screenings because of this. Thus, one should try to recheck the festival website for announcements if possible. Nevertheless, Jeonju remains one of the most unique festivals in the world for those truly interested in cinema. As Pedro Costa expressed before his masterclass lecture, such a festival does not really exist anywhere else in the world, even in Europe.

All told, I took in four films on the weekend and two masterclass lectures. (more…)

The Jeonju film festival is currently in full gear. I cannot attend the next two days, but here are a few recommendations for those who can.

Monday: 11:00 DANIELE HUILLET, JEAN-MARIE STRAUB, CINEASTES, Pedro Costa’s tribute to experimental filmmakers Straub and Huillet; 11;30 SHOULD’VE KISSED, the opening night film, if you are more in the mood for a popular movie; 14:30 IN THE SHADOWS, a German Jean Pierre Melville style thriller which I plan on seeing on Thursday; 17:00 POLICE, ADJECTIVE, a Romanian deconstruction of the cop procedural; 17:3o SWIMMING IN NEBRASKA, Jon Jost’s newest, a kind of essay film about life in and around the University of Nebraska; 20:00 IN VANDA’S ROOM, Pedro Costa’s typical blurring of fiction and documentary, telling the continuing story of Vanda, who he previously filmed in OSSOS.

Tuesday: 11:00 THE ROUND-UP, Miklos Jancso’s examination of colonialism and torture, made in 1965 but still very relevant today; 14:00 REC, a Korean feature about a gay couple recording themselves having sex for their 5th year anniversary; 17:30 AURORA, the controversial Filipino film based on a real-life kidnapping case; 20:00 THE COMPLETE METROPOLIS, Fritz Lang’s silent classic with new footage; I’ll be seeing this film on Wednesday, but if you can make it for Tuesday, there may be less crowds.

Complete schedule can be found here.

Here are some suggestions for this weekend at the Jeonju Film Festival, which begins its first full day of screenings today. This evening, there are a couple of lengthy political documentaries for those interested: the 1968 Argentinian film THE HOUR OF THE FURNACES (which is also a very important film historically) at 5:00 pm, and THE HIMMLER PROJECT at 8:00pm. For more mainstream fare, at 8:00 pm there are two Korean films with guest talks from their directors: Hur Jin-ho’s  A GOOD RAIN KNOWS and Bae Chang-ho’s THE TRIP. Both Hur and Bae are respected and established filmmakers, and Hur’s 1998 CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST is a truly great film. However, getting tickets to anything at this late date may be difficult. Thus, keep in mind the midnight screening, especially if you are arriving late.

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The Jeonju film festival opens this evening with the world premiere of Park Jin-oh’s SHOULD’VE KISSED, with the first full day of screening starting tomorrow and continuing until next Friday. Jeonju is my personal favorite of Korea’s film festivals, partly because of its focus on film aesthetics over commerce, and also because of the smaller scale of both the festival and city, which gives it a charm absent from the larger Busan festival. This will be my third year attending, and I will be able to take in 4 full days of screenings: Saturday and Sunday and then Wednesday and Thursday of next week. A note that if you are planning on attending this weekend, tickets will be difficult to come by if you haven’t already reserved. You can get rush tickets every morning, but they sell out fast. There are, however, screenings at the large auditorium at Chonbuk National University, which usually can accommodate last minute buyers, and if you’re a night owl you can check out the midnight screenings that run into the next morning. If you are attending during the week, tickets are easier to come by, although I imagine the Wednesday holiday (May 5th) will be busier. The ticket schedule can be viewed here. I won’t be able to attend everything I would like to see, but here is a preview of the programs and films that I’m most looking forward to. (more…)