Bong Joon-ho on the Controversy Surrounding 'Mother'

"Mother," the latest film by Bong Joon-ho, has drawn 2.19 viewers in 11 days since its release on May 28, and the film is getting more controversial the more viewers it attracts due to the room it leaves for different interpretations.

Bong said, "I wanted many mothers to watch 'Mother,' and I think my wish came true. There are many viewers during weekdays since most housewives have time on weekday afternoons. I think it will get a bigger audience than I expected."

The movie is about a mother with overbearing love for her son, who has been charged with murder. "I had a couple of chances to talk about the characters during press interviews and previews even before the release of the movie," says Bong. "The mother, the protagonist of the movie, appears to be unusual if you expect the stereotyped image of a mother you might have in mind. That seems to be a reason many viewers say it is terrifying."

He says the movie "is deeply focused on the nature of a mother who goes to any length to protect her mentally fragile son, so the movie deals with her moral dilemma through her extremism."

Bong says he doesn't like to use a lot of cinematic trickery that insinuates something behind the scene. "Hiding something is not the aesthetic that I pursue in my films. I think the manipulative use of mise en scene can make audiences miss other important elements of the film."

His last movie "The Host" was hugely popular, drawing 13 million viewers in Korea alone, and in France it was voted as one of the best three art house movies of 2006. "I'm still young and have made only four movies so far. Maybe 15 years from now, 'Mother' might be classified as one of my early works. I hope people enjoy the film itself and wait and see what great movies I will make in the future," he says.

Credit: englishnews@chosun.com

source: : Chosun

Tags:Bong Joon ho/korean movie/Mother/The Host

S. Korean movie emerges as cultural symbol after years of illegal screening in China

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- "My Sassy Girl," a romantic comedy from South Korea, emerged as one of the 10 most popular Korean cultural symbols among Chinese people due to the widespread circulation of pirate DVDs, its producer said Wednesday, citing a Chinese survey.
According to the survey of 15 million people in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the 2001 blockbuster was named among the 10 most representative Korean items along with TV dramas, plastic surgery, kimchi and music bands.
While the film, starring Jeon Ji-hyun and directed by Kwak Jae-yong, proved wildly successful in other Asian countries, it has never had an official release in China, said Shincine, the Seoul-based company that produced the film.
"It cannot be screened in China because Shincine has had no deals with Chinese companies to release it there, but we've heard from Chinese Culture Ministry officials that it was shown in some theaters and even aired on TV," said Kim So-yun, who works on the company's publicity staff.
The Chinese ministry officials said about 100 million pirated copies of the movie's DVD have circulated in China, Kim said. In 2004, South Korean media reported sales of some 70 million pirated DVDs of the movie.
With Jeon's enormous star power, "Sassy Girl" became a blockbuster in South Korea and also proved successful in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. Dreamworks Pictures in the United States bought its remake rights, which were resold to Gold Circle Film. The movie is about a male college student and a girl with eccentric and bullying behavior.
For other Korean cultural symbols, the survey named patriotism, "hangeul" (the Korean alphabet), "bulgogi" (marinated beef), Seoul and other Korean food.
The survey was conducted mostly online and also by mobile phone from June to August by the China-Korea Economic Development Association, a Beijing-based private organization, and the China Economy Newspaper, a Seoul-based journal on China, Shincine said.
hkim@yna.co.kr(END)
Source: KBS Global
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20061101/670000000020061101151924E1.htm
credit:rubie soompil

korean movie Hwang Jin-yi : Lastest posters

photo : chosun
Technorati tags : korean movie /Song hye kyo /Hwang Jin-yi /poster /korean actress

My Sassy Girl [ Korean Movie 2001 ]

Genre : Romantic comedy
Starring : Cha Tae-hyun, Jeon Ji-hyeon
Release date : July 27, 2001
Runtime :122 min.
Directed by : Kwak Jae-yong

Synopsis:

My Sassy Girl tells the amusing love story between an inexperienced student (Cha Tae-Hyun) and a quirky college girl (Jeon Ji-Hyun). He finds her collapsed on a late night subway car, drunk to the point of throwing up on an unfortunate passenger. Left without a choice, he takes her to the nearest inn, waiting for her to come to her senses. This is how their dates begin, with him falling in love with a girl that's hurting because of a previous love that's ended. Loving her, however, doesn't come easy. She shoves him into a pond, wanting to see how deep the water is. When her feet hurt, she steals his comfortable tennis shoes, leaving him to wear her pointy heels.
source: visitkorea.or.kr

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Tags: My Sassy Girl/korean movie/Cha Tae-hyun/Jeon Ji-hyeon/korean film

“Old Boy” Cited One of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time

Director Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed film “Old Boy” was cited one of the 500 greatest movies of all time compiled by the British film journal Empire. Among the illustrious list that includes “The Godfather,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and “Empire Strikes Back,” Park’s “Old Boy” came in 64th place in the list.

Empire polled 150 film directors, 50 critics and more than 10,000 members of the public for the top 500 picks. The only Korean film to make the list, “Old Boy” was applauded for tenaciously probing the lure of revenge and its futility. The most memorable scene in the award-winning thriller was when the main character played by famed actor Choi Min-shik ate a live octopus.

On the whole, the 500 greatest movies list leans on the pop culture side. The perennial number one, Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” ended up in the 28th place, while such commercial films as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or “Jaws” were placed in the top 10. In spite of some questionable rankings, Empire’s 500 list is rated as a good source of recommendations and for discovering the classics as well as some really good films made outside the U.S.

source:KBS WORLD

Tags:Old Boy/Park Chan wook/Choi Min shik/korean film

Secret Garden

Secret Garden starring Ha Ji-won, Hyun Bin, Yoon Sang Hyun, Kim Sa-rang, Lee Jong Suk and Yoo In-na. This series is a 2010 South Korean television drama. It was broadcasted on SBS from 13 November 2010 to 16 January 2011. It won a number of awards at both the SBS Drama Awards and 47th Paeksang Arts Awards in 2011. This drama is an idol drama version of Please Come Back, Soon-Ae. Actually in January 2011, SBS Content Hub announced that the drama has been purchased by a number of countries across Asia and the United Sates, namely Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia. Great this series was really popular, a good story and exciting twist for the lead characters. This series was one of the popular koreanovela here in Philippines...

I am Legend

I am Legend starring Kim Jung-eun, Lee Jun-hyeok, Kim Seung-su and Jang Yeong-nam. This korean drama  is a South Korean drama produced and broadcast by the SBS TV network. The series is shown in the Philippines and debuted on May 1, 2011 on ABS CBN On its Primetime block its tagline was "Kim Jung Eun is back to her home network ABS-CBN Primetime Asian Novela Home" the network mostly distributed all of South Korean Actress' TV series on its Primetime block which made her the Queen of Asianovelas in the Philippines. Another series for Kim Jung-eun that aired here in Philippines, this series its not all about the story of each characters but it combined music. Another Good thing that made this show beautiful...