Tag: Korea

ALIENOID – Review

A scene from the Korean fantasy/science fiction film ALIENOID. Courtesy of Well Go Entertainment

ALIENOID is a fairly light-hearted Korean fantasy about an alien race using Earth to house its evil-doers. The movie is a mixed blessing. The CGI effects are superb but the plot may strike many, myself included, as being far more complicated than needed.

In the 1300s, aliens unwilling to kill or confine their criminals in situ, instead send them to Korea where they plant them in unwitting humans’ brains, where they are trapped until they die along with their host. A couple of versatile, sentient robots, capable of morphing into many forms, are stationed there to recapture any criminals who manage to escape and try jumping into another body. That gives us a second epoch of action – the present, along with a child they rescued from the past and raised for a decade in our future. Actually, make that three time-frames, since we also get to bounce around with a bunch of their flashbacks.

But wait. There’s more. We have sorcerers in the past vying over an object they don’t understand that contains all sorts of powers, making it a Holy Grail for humans and The Others. A number of characters provide comic relief, while others tear through the Koreas of then and now with no regard for casualties or devastation. Many of the scenes play out as live-action Manga, full of rapid-fire, colorful and often large-scale mayhem on top of some fanciful martial arts encounters.

Tired yet? Well, the capper is that this 144-minute opus is only Part One. The concluding installment is due for release in 2023. Those who groove on action-packed video games will probably follow the time switches, flashbacks and logical underpinnings of what the characters are able to do more easily than others. Since I’m not of that demographic, joystick jockeys should factor that into the weight they give this analysis. Their mileage will almost certainly vary.

ALIENOID, in Korean with English subtitles, opens in select theaters Friday, Aug. 26.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

MINARI – Review

Over the last couple of national election cycles, a topic of much discussion and often heated debate has been immigration. In light of the impassionate rhetoric, many have neglected the human, personal side of the issue. it’s sometimes called the “immigrant experience”, the old “planting roots in rich new soil” idea that’s been around since our country (and a big reason the USA began in the first place) started. The movies have mined this topic many times during its century or so, from AMERICA AMERICA to MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON. Now audiences will be treated to another family’s fable, told from an often neglected culture’s perspective, and set in the fairly recent past for just a seasoning of nostalgia. And it’s mainly told from a child’s perspective as he adjusts to his new home while trying to cling to his own land, part of which is another arrival, the “wonderful, wonderful” plant called MINARI.

The time is somewhere in the middle 1980s. The place, a dirt road in rural Arkansas. The Yi family, split between a rental moving truck and the family station wagon, are about to see their new house. In between a big grassy field and the forest sit a mobile trailer home, its wheels held in place by big blocks of wood and concrete. Thirty-something father Jacob (Steven Yeun) is full of hope. His wife Monica (Yari Han)…not so much. For their two kids, pre-teen Anne (Noel Cho) and especially seven-year-old David (Alan Kim), it’s their new locale for adventure. Monica and Jacob met and married in their native South Korea, and after having Anne they emigrated to California. There they amassed a “nest egg” via Jacob’s skills as a “sexer” (separating the male and female baby chicks) at a factory-style hatchery. Now with little David, papa Yi plans to farm out the property by planting the vegetables for Korean foods and selling them to major markets (Dallas, Oklahoma City, Memphis) with big Korean immigrant populations. But to make ends meet the parents find “sexing” work at the local hatchery, as Jacob devotes all of the weekends and spare hours to his farming efforts. Luckily he soon acquires a “hired hand” after purchasing a tractor/tiller from an eccentric (lots of “talking in tongues”) named Paul (Will Patton). Mama Monica though continues to pressure Jacob to move them into a home in town, mainly to be closer to the hospital as she frets over David’s heart condition (a “murmur” that tires him quickly). His compromise, bringing in her mother Soonja (Yuh-Jung Youn). The idea of sharing his room with her upsets David, who has never met his “Grandma”. Slowly they begin to form a bond (mainly a love of mischief, TV wrestling, and Mountain Dew soda pop) as Jacob works hard to achieve his dream. Unfortunately, this adds to the tension between him and his wife. Can the two resolve their many issues and provide a stable prosperous home for the kids and their “Granny”?

A very talented and mostly unknown (to film audiences) acting ensemble breathes life into this 20th-century family fable. TV audiences will recall Yeun as the much-missed Glenn Rhee of AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. Here he gets to truly stretch his formidable dramatic skills (plus he’s an executive producer) as the patriarch struggling to hold his marriage together even as he faces daunting challenges in going for his version of “the American dream”. Through his weary eyes, Jacob looks at his bride with longing and regret, wanting to ease her sadness and reignite the passion they had shared so long ago. Han is a superb sparring partner to him, making her concerns and complaints clear right from the very start (with the mobile home, it’s disgust at first sight), unable to grasp her mate’s optimism, while trying to control her growing anxiety over her little angel’s health (“Don’t run, David” is her main mantra). That sweet smiling guy, David is played with a natural innocence by Alan Kim, still possess an infectious child-like wonder, as the world is still shiny and new full of new places to explore. He’s still a lovable rascal as he pushes for his independence while still often hiding behind his parents when faced with a friendly stranger. Cho as big sister Anne is more tempered as she enters young adulthood, trying to help in supervising her lil’ bro while still joining him in play. However David’s true “partner-in-crime’ maybe be his “grandma” a role that fits Youn like a glove as she steals nearly every scene. Though she hasn’t met her grandson and endures his taunts (“You’re not a real grandma! You don’t bake cookies”) and pranks ( a special cup of “water from the mountains”), she’s his defender and buffer to Jacob’s harch disciplines. But she’s also tough with her own daughter (“Why you make the kid do this crap?’) all while teaching the kids to play cards (and curse) behind her back. Youn’s a delight but she also breaks our heart as her fate instigates a final act tragedy. Also notable is the quirky performance of Patton as the fervent “true believer” Paul, whose odd behavior (his Sunday church service is toting a big wooden cross along the country roads) baffles Jacob, though he’s a big help and even a cheerleader for the farm dream.

Director/screenwriter Lee Isaac Chung brings a warm autobiographical feel to the film, as the events could have happened to any family of any origin. Putting the camera at David’s level, Chung really conveys the child’s eye view of this weird, but wondrous new world. The small patch of woods nearby is another planet, while the Yi family’s visit to a local church seems as though they’ve entered another dimension. This is especially true as the locals innocently offend while trying to be welcoming (“Why is your face so flat?” “Tell me if I’m speaking Korean…ching, chong, choom…”). While the kids have fun, they also must deal with new fears. The first night of tornado-producing storms is true nightmare fuel as is overhearing a loud parental argument (they do respond by inscribing “don’t fight” on paper airplanes they toss into the living room). We can almost feel the baking heat of those sizzling summer days with insects providing a smothering chirping bed of noise. Chung has served up a true slice of life saga, full of triumphs and setbacks, of new friendships and love that is lost and regained through tragedy and unexpected acts of brave generosity. In a word, just like the plant, MINARI makes the mundane magical.

3.5 out of 4

MINARI opens in theatres everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac cinemas and at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. It can also be screened virtually through cinemastlouis.org. via the A24 screening room.

Fantastic Fest Announces RED DAWN World Premiere as the Closing Night Film

Fantastic Fest recently announced that FilmDistrict’s RED DAWN will have it’s world premiere as the closing night film on Thursday, September 27 to be followed by Korean-invasion-themed party to close out Fantastic Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse. RED DAWN hits theaters nationwide on November 21, 2012.

RED DAWN stars CHRIS HEMSWORTH (Thor, The Avengers, Snow White & The Huntsman), JOSH PECK (Drake & Josh, The Wackness), JOSH HUTCHERSON (The Hunger Games), ADRIANNE PALICKI (Friday Night Lights, upcoming GI Joe: Retaliation), ISABEL LUCAS (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Immortals), CONNOR CRUISE (Seven Pounds) and JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN (Watchmen).

Synopsis: In RED DAWN, a city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fightback, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.

Netflix Nuggets: October 2011

Netflix has revolutionized the home viewing market for movies with their instant streaming service. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about films of all genres worth holding a spot on your instant viewing queue. (Release dates are subject to change.) Continue reading Netflix Nuggets: October 2011

I SAW THE DEVIL – The Review

An eye for an eye is just the beginning…

Not only are we experiencing the emergence of the Korean cinema like never before, we’re also fortunately experiencing this rise in a time when foreign film is increasingly more accessible to American audiences. Sure, foreign film fare is still far from mainstream in the United States, but I hope films such as I SAW THE DEVIL — primarily a genre film for the sake of introduction, but is really much more – encourages adventurous viewers to seek out other gems.

One of the most fascinating things about the theatre-going experience here in the U.S. is that we have relatively relaxed censorship. I SAW THE DEVIL was cut-down and censored into a shorter version in its home of Korea, but here we get to enjoy the full, uncut 141-minute version. The cuts were clearly due to the film’s graphic nature, but I caution viewers from falling victim to the film’s graphic violence being called excessive.

I SAW THE DEVIL was written by Hoon-jung Park (his first) and directed by Jee-woon Kim (THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD). Jee-woon Kim is just one of a group of Korean filmmakers – including Bong Joon-ho, THE HOST; and Park-Chan wook, OLDBOY — versed in the horror genre creating a phenomenal international wave of attention for the fresh and creative visions.

I SAW THE DEVIL begins by taking the viewer on a snowy winter drive down an isolated rural road. The driver is an attractive, young woman. That woman happens to be the daughter of the police chief and the wife of secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon, played by Byung-hun Lee. Most Americans have seen this physically talented actor portray Storm Shadow in G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, but for a better taste of his overall talent, refer to THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD or THREE… EXTREMES, in which he directed the segment titled CUT.

This young woman is brutally murdered by a stranger named Kyung-Chul, posing as a school bus driver. Creepy. Unfortunately for her, she’s not his first and certainly not his last. Unfortunately for him, this would be the murder that begins his end. Once Kim Soo-hyeon finds out, every ounce of his highly-trained being becomes hell-bent on making Kyung-Chul suffer. What results is a brutal and cunning cat-and-mouse chase that shifts between the two, from hunter to the hunted, and vice-versa.

Kyung-Chul is played by Min-sik Choi, best known here by his unforgettable performance as Dae-su Oh in OLDBOY. Choi is cinematically magnetic, an onscreen presence similar to what Roy Orbison did for music… not very pretty to look at, but his talent more than makes up for his lack of the typical star look. Choi displays one of the most convincingly evil and intelligent characters since Anthony Hopkins first dawned the Hannibal Lector mythos. Choi’s appearance in I SAW THE DEVIL may best be described as a stockier, Korean Benicio del Toro, the actor whom I would cast in the American remake, if I were willing to support such a thing… which I do not.

Some may feel the film is too long. I understand this, but disagree. Those who find difficulty in watching the graphic violence contained in I SAW THE DEVIL may be so inclined to call it long, and in some respects there are a handful of spots in which the pace could have quickened slightly. Even cutting a bit of the torture in spots would be possible, but ultimately this would have little overall effect on the film’s length. I SAW THE DEVIL makes a point of dwelling on the nature of revenge and its potentially endless circular nature. You wronged me, so I’ll wrong you, vice-versa, so on, and so on again.

Yes, the violence is graphic, difficult to watch in places, but its not gory so much as being unflinchingly realistic and brutal. Many filmmakers would choose to cutaway just before impact, or to imply the severity of the torture, but Jee-woon Kim refuses to skirt around the reality of violence. This makes many of us uncomfortable, which is actually the point.

But it’s not just America. After so many centuries of violence and cruelty, the human species has become desensitized so that it’s a constant uphill battle to make the viewer feel pain and fear in the cinema. Therefore, filmmakers telling these stories – just as crucial and significant as the peaceful, pleasant ones – must be increasingly creative, even to the point of excess, in order to convey a message or an emotion once accomplished with mere innuendo.

I SAW THE DEVIL combines the calculated suspense of Alfred Hitchcock with the gritty appeal of the film noir. The story does not succumb to the shallow notion of a purely good hero and a purely evil villain, instead showing both sides of both men. In the end, revenge is served, but not without great cost to both men. It’s a bittersweet conclusion, enhanced by powerful performances and the director’s keen eye for exhilarating visual choices.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

WAMG First Look: Park Chan-wook’s ‘Thirst’

Park Chan-wook returns (FINALLY) with his first feature film since 2006 when he made ‘I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK’. Chan-wook is probably best known for his revenge trilogy that includes ‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’Â  (2002) and most famously ‘Oldboy’Â  (2003) which is allegedly being remade by Steven Spielberg and Will Smith. In 2005, Chan-wook would wrap the trilogy up with ‘Lady Vengeance’.

I predict ‘Thirst’ could end up being the next big foreign vampire flick in what would absolutely make me giddy to find this becoming a new trend in re”vamping” (pun intended) the vampire genre. You may have noticed my unabashed love for ‘Let the Right One In’, a Swedish vampire flick of a different nature that came out in 2008. While the video clip below doesn’t show much, it is nice to see some really early footage. It looks to have Chan-wook’s usual visual style. Also, the fact the the clip is part of a Korean news segment is actually kind of neat to watch!

Synopsis: Sang-hyun, a small town beloved and admired priest who serves devotedly at a hospital, volunteers for the new infectious disease, F.I.V.’s, vaccine development experiment and goes to Africa. The experiment fails and Sang-hyun gets infected by F.I.V. but he ends up being miraculously cured and returns home. News of Sang-hyun’s cure from F.I.V. spreads and people start believing he has the gift of healing and flock to receive his blessing. From those who come to him, Sang-hyun meets a childhood friend named Kang-woo and his wife Tae-ju. Sang-hyun is immediately drawn to Tae-ju. One day, Sang-hyun coughs up blood, dies, and comes back to life the next day as a vampire. Tae-ju is strangely drawn to Sang-hyun, turned vampire, and they have a secret love affair. Sang-hyun asks Tae-ju to run away with him but she turns him down. Instead, they plot to murder Kang-woo… [source: 24fps]

Found footage of ‘Thirst’ courtesy of 24framespersecond.net, via shocktillyoudrop.com