Blog Archives

A Werewolf Boy (2012)

(from , dir: )
Posted on August 25, 2013 by Justin

This year’s opening film for the Korean Film Festival in Australia, which I caught at the sold-out KOFFIA opening night in Sydney, is Jo Sung-hee’s A Werewolf Boy. It’s a great choice for an opening film — it’s a genre crossover (romantic melodrama with werewolves!) with stars in lead roles, it’s got a fresh new talent in the director’s chair, and it made serious bank back home: Werewolf Boy sold more than seven million tickets in South Korea, and … (read more)

Comments Off on A Werewolf Boy (2012)

Architecture 101 (2012)

(from , dir: )
Posted on August 18, 2013 by Samson

The popular Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA) is already underway in Brisbane, with Sydney and Melbourne soon to follow. So far already, our Editor has reviewed the period drama Masquerade, while fellow Team Heroic members have written about the thrillers Berlin File and The Tower. Screening this afternoon is the 2012 smash hit romance film Architecture 101, which I have had the pleasure of catching, and I am pleased to tell you that if you are … (read more)

Comments Off on Architecture 101 (2012)

Masquerade (2012)

(from , dir: )
Posted on August 14, 2013 by Justin

Superstar Lee Byung-hun (JSA, A Bittersweet Life, I Saw the Devil) gets to play the leading role twice over in Masquerade, a lavish South Korean costume drama set during the turbulent rule of King Gwang-hae of the Joseon Dynasty. (Wikipedia pegs this as 1608-1623, for those as ignorant of Korean history as I am.)

One role is that of young King Gwang-hae himself, maintaining his grip on his feuding court through political intrigue and … (read more)

Comments Off on Masquerade (2012)

The Tower (2012)

(from , dir: )
Posted on August 13, 2013 by John Snadden

The Tower is South Korea’s first attempt at a full-on disaster movie, and overall it’s pretty good but does bear a strong resemblance to the Hollywood pic The Towering Inferno, widely seen as the peak title in this 1970s movie subgenre.

It’s also the latest film from director Kim Ji-hoon, whose most recent pic was the underwater-monster feature Sector 7, which did big business at the box-office.

Christmas Eve in Seoul sees the public debut of the Tower … (read more)

Comments Off on The Tower (2012)

The Berlin File (2013)

(from , dir: )
Posted on August 13, 2013 by Eugene

Who knew?  North Korea, despite being the diplomatic Bogeyman of the western world still maintains an embassy in Berlin.  Admittedly, now that I’ve looked it up on Wikipedia, it does seem less impressive to have a Korean spy thriller set specifically in Berlin (which I was led to believe was somewhat unique).  Nonetheless the city still retains a residual cloak and dagger ambiance from years of the Cold War and films about the subterfuge that once went on in … (read more)

Comments Off on The Berlin File (2013)

The Front Line (2011)

(from , dir: )
Posted on June 3, 2013 by Justin

South Korean director Jang Hoon followed up his 2010 hit Secret Reunion (a fun spy-vs-spy thriller that sold 5.5 million tickets, coming in second for that year’s box office) with this, his third feature: a gigantic war film set during the 1953 ceasefire at the end of the Korean War.

Kang Eun-pyo (Shin Ha-kyun, who’s donned warpaint before in JSA and Welcome to Dongmakgol) and Kim Soo-hyeok (Go Soo) were soldiers together early in the war. Outgunned, they found … (read more)

Comments Off on The Front Line (2011)

The Thieves (2012)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 31, 2013 by John Snadden

One of the most enjoyable times I spent in the cinema last year was watching the big-budget, star-studded, South Korean caper flick, The Thieves — where the energy, humour and all-round film-making smarts were a joy to experience.

Sold nearly everywhere as an Asian version of Hollywood’s Oceans franchise – well, that’s called marketing. As I saw it, The Thieves was a surprisingly effective counterpoint to the lethargic, middle-aged preening of director Soderbergh and his precious stars.

A nifty theft … (read more)

Comments Off on The Thieves (2012)

Unbowed (2011)

(from , dir: )
Posted on October 13, 2012 by Elizabeth Kerr
A professor runs afoul of Korea’s intensely partisan and nepotistic judicial system when he’s accused of assaulting a judge. With the help of an alcoholic, partially washed-up labour lawyer, the professor unravels a conspiracy worthy of a John Grisham thriller.
Comments Off on Unbowed (2011)