sain11's Reviews

Marriage is a Crazy Thing (2002)

10/10

13 November 2005

Marriage is a Crazy Thing is a fantastic twist on the classic love story.

Jun-young (Kam Woo-seong) is a man in his early thirties who has seen his friends and younger brother get married but has yet to open himself to a serious relationship. Rather he is happy floating through life with little direction or ambition.

Yeon-hee (Eom Jeong-hwa) is girl approaching thirty who is desperate to find a suitable husband, but is looking for a match based on social and economic suitability rather than love.

They meet on a blind date and quickly find that they are incompatible intellectually, but have an instant physical and emotional connection. Both are extremely practically minded, and as such decide to explore each other by starting a casual physical relationship, while she continues looking for more suitable husband and he avoids commitment.

This is a very modern tale, which is romantic, dramatic, smart, sexy and realistic. Turning the romance genre on it's head, and showing what dating is really like for modern thirty-somethings, who have emotional baggage, preconceived ideals and expectations, and too much self-interest to open themselves up to the possibility of a deeper kind of love.

Brilliantly written, excellently performed, smartly directed. If you think that Marriage really is a Crazy Thing then you will more than likely find a lot to love within this film.

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The Hypnotized (2004)

10/10

Stunning, original, psychological thriller

13 November 2005

Faceless Beauty (aka Hypnotised) is a stunning masterpiece in the psychological thriller genre. While it has been marketed as a supernatural horror there are only small elements of the traditional horror style in the film.

The real horror of this film is based largely in the characters and their psychology. The film follows the story of an emotionally damaged psychiatrist who develops an unhealthy (and unprofessional) relationship with a seriously unstable female patient. As the two get more involved both patient and doctor quickly unravel in mutual self-destructive downward spirals.

What sets this film apart though is the stunning direction by Kim In-shik. The film is visually stunning, with gorgeous and unique set designs, interesting locations, fantastic use of CG, and great cinematography. The performances are outstanding, particularly Kim Hye-su, whose portrayal of the disturbed, fragile, emotionally crippled Ji-su is captivating.

Highly recommended for fans of intellectual, emotionally based horror/thrillers.

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The Uninvited (2003)

10/10

Great Emotional Horror.

13 November 2005

The recent New Wave of Asian Horror has seen quite a few mediocre films released, however there have also been some true masterpieces amongst them, and The Uninvited is definitely one of the masterpieces.This is a genuinely dark, violent, disturbing, artistic horror film.

The key ingredient missing from most horror films these days is an emotionally charged story with characters that you can relate to and care for. In the case of the Univited, the true horror is based in human behaviour and the realities the characters have to deal with. While there is a supernatural element, the real nastiness is based in the humanity and psychology of the characters.

The Univited has possibly been mis-represented by it's own marketing, as they have promoted it as a supernatural horror, when in reality the film is more art-house and intellectual than it is horror. This probably accounts for some of the negative reviews, particularly in relation to the films slow pacing.

This is not a film that will make you jump in your seat a few times and leave the theatre laughing, but rather one that will chill you to the bone and leave you thinking.

I highly recommended The Univited if you have a darkly artistic streak, and are looking for a character driven film that abounds with atmosphere and chills.

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The Scarlet Letter (2004)

10/10

Outstanding, Unique, Tragic, Thriller.

13 November 2005

The Scarlet Letter is an excellent film for fans of unique cinema. Part erotic thriller, part murder mystery, part police procedure, part extreme cinema, but somehow masterfully pieced together into a single cohesive, disturbing, tragic, emotional and intellectually stimulating film experience.

The cinematography, sound, music, acting, direction and script are all first rate. Although special mention must go to Lee Eun-ju, who steals every scene in a breathtaking performance, which was tragically her last as she committed suicide shortly after completing this project. Obviously she was in some serious emotional pain in her personal life at the time of filming, which she has used to add a raw and real emotional depth to her character.

The storyline is deceptively simple, at first appearing to be a routine murder investigation plot, based on a fairly mundane murder, however as we get deeper into the film this plot takes a back seat to the real story which is a dissection of the investigating officer's (Han Suk-kyu)complicated personal life and his relationships with his wife and his girlfriend (Lee Eun-ju).

It is in the complexities of this love triangle that the films true power and force really take place as the characters try to manage their lives as they slowly unravel. This leads to a climax that is emotionally overpowering and disturbing, and totally unique.

This is very intelligent, artistic, mature, dark, thriller.

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Feathers in the Wind (2004)

9/10

Subtle, quiet, superb film-making

23 September 2005

Git is a very quiet, subtle film, superbly made and very well acted.

The simple premise of the story is one of film-maker struggling with writers-block who goes on a last-minute trip to fulfill an almost forgotten promise.

The film explores love, loss, memory and the resolution of emotions. This a great little film for anyone who has ever held onto the emotional memories of a relationship for longer than they should have.

Beautifully shot on the picturesque Udo Island, and subtly directed by Song Il-Gon, this film has all the traits we have come to expect from the Korean Film Industry - great production values, honest and realistic performances, and an interesting perspective on it's subject matter.

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The Bow (2005)

7/10

Old School Kim Ki-Duk

15 September 2005

I must confess I am a huge Kim Ki-Duk fan, and have loved every one of his films. In my opinion Ki-Duk has directed 4 absolute masterpieces of modern cinema, Bad Guy, 3 Iron, The Isle, and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. Each of these films has gone some way to changing the shape, scope, style or accepted boundaries of modern cinema.

The Bow, however does not go to these lengths, but instead falls into the category of Ki-Duk's more eclectic and arguably more mainstream works like the Birdcage Inn or Samaria. This is by no means a bad thing as these are also great films in their own right.

Much like 3 Iron, the Bow has very little dialog, and much of the emotion is conveyed solely by glances, gestures or actions. This makes the film both more and less commercially acceptable to western audiences.

The Bow has re-confirmed Kim Ki-Duk as a modern cinematic maverick, an uncompromisingly original and visionary director.

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Say Yes (2001)

9/10

Slick and sick little thriller

15 September 2005

Say Yes is a taut, slick, thriller that deserves to be seen. Well made, well acted, well directed. It is fast paced, twisted and sick, as a good thriller should be.

This is a film that balances nicely between gritty realism, and heightened-realism, without falling into the realms of "hollywood-realism". For example, there are car chases and crashes, but nothing explodes, and the cars stay crashed! While the story of a couple picking up a hitcher who then terrorises them has obviously been done before, this movie has enough originality and realism to make the simple premise fresh and entertaining.

There are some quite gruesome and bloody moments to keep you squirming, and plenty of tension. This is a great little thriller and well worth a watch.

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...ing (2003)

10/10

Simple, subtle, quiet, but extremely effective.

19 July 2005

Korea has a long tradition in the romantic melodrama, and the concept of a young woman with a serious illness has been done countless times. However, rarely has this topic been covered as delicately and emotionally as it is in "...ing".

The cast is superb all around. Su-jeong Lim and Rae-won Kim have great chemistry as Min-a and Yeong Jae, but the show stopper is Mi-suk Lee as the mother. Her quiet desperation and struggle for her daughter to enjoy "quality of life" rather than "quantity of life" is just heart breaking.

The director, Eon-hie Lee, does an excellent job of engaging the audience with what is a very simple love story, but then as the third act gets going you slowly realise that there is much more going on than you first thought. This is not to say there are any real shocks or surprises, but this film takes the viewer to new emotional depths very subtly and unexpectedly.

Well worth seeing if you are in a quiet and contemplative mood, or if you need to exercises your heart-stings or tear-ducts.

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Yok mang (2002)

8/10

Fantastic study of the loveless

12 July 2005

Desire is a fantastic and artistic film. This is not a film for the average multi-plex masses. It is deliberate, ambiguous, thought-provoking, dark, and emotionally-bleak.

The plot revolves around a married couple who seem to have nothing to offer each other, no love, and only inter-dependence based on habit. Both the husband and wife are seeking sex elsewhere, however neither seem to be looking for love, romance or companionship.

The characters are almost exclusively self-obsessed, egotistic, self-destructive, emotional shells. Obviously this makes it difficult for the viewer to connect emotionally with the characters, however, if you look closely you will see parts of yourself in these characters, and you will then find yourself sympathising with them as they unravel.

The production qualities are very high, the acting and direction is superb. This is a film that will stay with you and raise many questions for you to consider about selfishness, life, love, dependence, self-destruction.

I think the most amazing accomplishment by the director Eung-su Kim is that although none of the characters are very likable (even to each other) I found myself drawn to their plight. These are loveless people trapped in their own loveless worlds, and they seem to do everything they can to keep themselves in that state.

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A Moment to Remember (2004)

10/10

Totally Enchanting Romance

29 June 2005

This review is based on the Directors Cut of A Moment to Remember so I am not sure how different this may be from the theatrical release. However, this is by far the best drama/romance I have seen in recent years. The concept, story, and script are original, subtle and very thought provoking.

The cast is superb, lead by a devastating performance by leads SOHN Je-jin and JUNG Woo-sung, who capture the extreme emotional ranges of their characters amazingly.

Director John H Lee has certainly got a lot of talent. Every shot in this film is beautiful and rich, the cinematography is great. This visual flair (which is unusual for a romance film) enables the viewer to easily get absorbed into the film.

It takes a lot to get an emotional response from me, but this film sure did. If you are looking for a great romantic drama that is uplifting and heartbreaking in equal measures then this is the film for you.

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Spider Forest (2004)

9/10

Excellent

27 May 2005

Spider Forest is one of those films that not everyone is going to like, but I for one thought it was excellent. Unfortunately it is difficult to describe the plot more than it already has been in other comments as knowing too much about this film will spoil it's magic.

This is a dark, intricate, intelligent, atmospheric and somewhat spiritual movie in my opinion. Certainly worth seeing for anyone who likes to walk out of a cinema with questions floating around their heads.

Great performances, characters, cinematography, direction, and one of the most interesting scripts I have seen in a while. This has probably been billed as some kind of horror or thriller genre film, but to me it is more human drama or art-house film. Korea is becoming the best place to find films that weave intricate human stories into other genres of film to elevate the stories above the competition.

Spider Forest is definitely a great piece of cinema that will make you think and will stay with you well after the credits roll.

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Casshern (2004)

9/10

The Future of CGI in Cinema

23 May 2005

Casshern is possibly the most original film to come along in a decade or more. It transcends genres, flirting with many of them along the way. Often classed (wrongly) as an experiment in Live-Action-Anime, it is probably better described as extremely high-concept sci-fi.

Casshern is a complex, intricate, humane, film that investigates many lofty and ambitious themes, such as war, life, death, love, civilisation, the list is almost endless. This is a film steeped in layer upon layer of subtext, which is what many critics seem to have attacked it for.

However, what most people recognise Casshern for is it's stunning visuals, which are absolutely amazing. Almost every single shot has been enhanced using CGI, some subtly, but more often completely. However, unlike many of the new generation of digital films (like Sky Captain or Immortel) Casshern is utterly flawless, and every shot is rich, deep and literally bursts off the screen.

To be honest, I am not a huge fan of CGI, especially as it seems to have taken the place of plots, characters, and performance, but after seeing Casshern the future is once again looking bright. Clearly director Kazuaki Kiriya and his design team are obviously from ART backgrounds, rather than Film backgrounds, which is why their colour palette is so much richer and more vibrant than your usual SFX film.

Casshern may well be seen as the starting point of cinemas future. One in which CGI/SFX can be combined artistically to enhance a story-line rather than just just trying to look big and expensive and impressive.

Believe me, this film will be referenced by future directors for years to come.

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Oasis (2002)

10/10

Oustanding

22 May 2005

Oasis is a love story of truly unique proportions. It is simply unlike any movie you are likely to see.

Confronting, unusual, at times violent, but also heartbreakingly honest.

Lead by a stunning performance by So-ri Moon, and ably assisted by Kyung-gu Sol. The two bring amazing humanity to two very difficult and unusual character. So-ri in particular is brilliant, flawless and complex in her portrayal of the disabled Gong-ju Han. Her performance should be watched by any aspiring actor or actress as it is astonishingly good.

The plot is difficult to describe without it sounding bizarre and unrealistic, but the direction and script transcend any difficulties the subject matter brings up, and ultimately deliver the viewer with an unrivaled experience in what cinema was meant to do. That is, show us life, in all it's intricate forms, to inspire us, challenge us and help us grow.

Oasis is a power-house of modern cinema. An instant classic. It shows difficult characters, going through difficult situations, and the director has refused to water-down any aspect of the film, making it very confronting for the viewer.

Yet another in a growing list of Korean films that have blown me away. Their industry is the best around in my opinion, combining the technical abilities of the big-budget Hollywood films, with the personal, human stories that you would see in European cinema, but doing this with an obviously Asian aesthetic. If you like Kong Kong or Japanese films, I recommend stepping up to Korean films, they are generally more personal, and shot with as much visual gloss as anything from the US.

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Peppermint Candy (1999)

9/10

Perfect

22 May 2005

Warning: Spoilers

Well, this was not easy to track down on DVD but I finally found a copy of this via the Korean Lee Chang-Dong box set, which also includes the outstanding Oasis and brilliant Greenfish. All three movies are spectacularly good, in fact, I rated all three 10/10 but Peppermint Candy deserves 11/10 on that scale.

Technically the acting, direction, script, music, cinematography, etc were all exceptional, but the story itself was simply devastating.

Starting at the end with Yongho's suicide, the film then plays backwards over the last 20 years of his life showing how he got to the point of taking his life. It unravels the secrets of all aspects of his life, from career, family, relationships, his mistakes, his misfortunes. And it dies so in a shockingly ordinary way. There is no single incident that pushes him over the edge, but a build up of tensions and unresolved issues that gradually wear him down. Just like real life.

Quite simply this film is going straight into my all-time top ten, after one viewing. It is that good. If you get a chance to see this film - do so. It is simply Perfect!

I read that Lee Chang-dong is now the Cultural Minister for Sth Korea, which I'm sure is a great thing, but let's hope he goes back to directing at some point, as his 3 films so far are all exceptional, and a rare talent like his would be sorely missed if he does not come back to film making in the future.

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A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

10/10

Outstanding

18 April 2005

Warning: Spoilers

A Tale of Two Sisters is one of the best films I have seen in many years. I had heard some fairly good reviews, but I was not prepared for just how spectacular and original this film turned out to be.

I will not try to make comparisons as this is a film that defies classification, however, it should be said this is no standard horror film, in fact it is probably better described as Psychological thriller than a horror film. It does however hold appeal to fans of the horror, thriller or even straight drama genres, as this film is so sublime, intelligent, subtle, dramatic, and even scary that anyone with an open mind should find something to enjoy in it.

The acting is excellent, the cinematography is breathe-taking, the direction is spectacular, everything about this movie is at the highest end of the quality scale. But the true star of the film is the story. This is a fantastic and original script, that is at once complex and simple, you just have to wait for the final twist/reveal to fully understand just how simple and complex this film is.

I hate spoilers and you won't get one here, but I can say that like the better twist films out there (think Fight Club or Sixth Sense) this film gets better with repeat viewing. Once you have seen this once you will be rushing back to see how it all held together. And it really holds up! Unlike many genre films, A Tale of Two Sisters relies more on great writing, directing and visual style to generate it's creepy atmosphere and scares, rather than cheap shock tactics or flashy editing. Having said that, there are a few great shocks and the editing is fantastic. In fact I don't think I have seen another Asian film that is as technically brilliant as this film.

I highly recommend this film to anyone and everyone, but be warned, it is rumoured that Hollywood is well on the way to remaking this, so get out and see the original while you have a chance, because this film will be very difficult to transfer successfully to a western setting. The Korean culture, aesthetic, style and presence is what make this film so special.

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Bad Guy (2001)

10/10

Extremely good film

18 April 2005

This is an extremely good film - highly recommended. It will not be to everyone's taste, but if you are not afraid of thinking during a film then you should find plenty to take away from this one.

Bad Guy is a film based on the central premise of a relationship built between what is effectively a hostage-taker and his hostage. What transpires is a stream of abuses, power-shifts, emotional turmoil, love, hate, violence, sex, and almost every other aspect of life. This is an extremely original story, well told, with fascinating characters that are extremely human... both the good and bad sides of humanity.

The production values are very high, great acting, direction, cinematography, script, music, everything is top notch.

Typically, Korean films are very much based in real characters, social issues, and have an earthy approach that humanises their films beyond those of most countries. Bad Guy is no exception... while it is violent, confrontational, and decidedly dark, it bristles with underlying emotion and shows life without the rose coloured glasses.

The characters are at times extremely emotional, and at others almost entirely emotionally void as they struggle constantly to keep their balance in circumstances that are spiraling around them.

This is not an 'easy' film, in that it does not hand feed the viewer, there are no 'Jaws' style music queues to let you know when to be scared. You will need to work out how to feel for yourself with this one, which is fairly rare in this day and age.

As said earlier, this movie is not for everyone, however if the concept sounds like something that interests you, then you should enjoy this film. If on the other hand you don't like the idea of watching a film based on the idea of a man forcing a woman into a life of sexual servitude, then stay well away from this film.

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