Member fiol Posted June 27, 2010 Member Share Posted June 27, 2010 Action Boys (2008) dir: Byoung-Gul Jung cast: Jong-cheol Jeong Sei-Jin Jeun Jin-Suk Kwag Gui-Duck Kweun Mun-cheol Kwon Seung-il Shin (and more...) trailer: a clip from the movie: http://video.nate.com/clip/view?video_seq=206373635 yesterday i watched this documentary about the life of some korean stuntmen a lot of interviews (a small interview with the stuntman who died (i dont recall his name now sorry)), training sessions,auditions,behind the scenes from some korean movies (including "The good,the bad and the weird") and tv-series. if u have the chance, give it a try.it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Rhythm-X Posted June 28, 2010 Member Share Posted June 28, 2010 Seconded - it's a must see for anyone interested in how martial arts or action films really get made, or for anyone who wants a peek into the world of the Seoul Action School. Also makes for an interesting double feature with Ryoo Seung-Wan's (fictional) online short TIMELESS (Link to zipped WMV file), which also prominently features the School. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted June 29, 2010 Moderator Share Posted June 29, 2010 Definitely a must-see, one of my favorite documentaries! It focuses as much on the human element of the people involved as it does the action. I would also say it makes a great companion piece to 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird', as it's featured prominently in the latter half. I've actually visited the Seoul Action School myself to check out these guys in action, back in late 2008. It's an impressive facility, and a real sign of how much Korea takes it's action industry seriously, I was really lucky to be able to visit such a great place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member fiol Posted June 29, 2010 Author Member Share Posted June 29, 2010 i just wish that we all these stuntmen korea's cinema will produce more martial arts movies than they do now... The last "martial arts movie" (kinda of) i watched was The city of violence (also featured in this documentary)..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted November 30, 2012 Moderator Share Posted November 30, 2012 This documentary was shown as part of a weekly Korean movie screening here in Sydney....I posted a more in-depth review of it here, please check it out! http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/action-month-review-action-boys-2008.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Sheng Posted June 9, 2013 Member Share Posted June 9, 2013 This documentary was shown as part of a weekly Korean movie screening here in Sydney....I posted a more in-depth review of it here, please check it out! http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/action-month-review-action-boys-2008.html Was this doc ever released on DVD ??? Been looking everywhere but couldn't find anything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted June 9, 2013 Moderator Share Posted June 9, 2013 It got a Korean DVD release back in 2009, which as far as I know is the only country that released it on home video format...and as with most Korean DVD's, it's now long been out of print. Here's a link containing details on it if you want to go hunting - http://www.yesasia.com/global/action-boys-dvd-first-press-edition-korea-version/1014335314-0-0-0-en/info.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Sheng Posted June 9, 2013 Member Share Posted June 9, 2013 It got a Korean DVD release back in 2009, which as far as I know is the only country that released it on home video format...and as with most Korean DVD's, it's now long been out of print. Here's a link containing details on it if you want to go hunting - http://www.yesasia.com/global/action-boys-dvd-first-press-edition-korea-version/1014335314-0-0-0-en/info.html Thanks, that's the one I'm looking for... Strange, didn't come up at YA when I was typing the title in...??? Anyone selling this, please let me know!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted June 9, 2013 Moderator Share Posted June 9, 2013 Strange, didn't come up at YA when I was typing the title in...??? You probably had the 'Include Out of Stock items in results' box unticked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted May 11, 2023 Member Share Posted May 11, 2023 (edited) Action Boys - Dir. Jeong Byeong-gil [2008] (Korea) A bio-documentary, although at times has the feel of mockumentary which follows hopefuls auditioning for a spot in Jung Doo-hong's Seoul Action School. The main focus early on is the director himself & his attempt from failed art school student/slacker who idolized Stephen Chow to becoming a top notch stunt/action director. But it shifts away to follow his fellow classmates from the same class which includes a motley crew consisting of an amateur boxer, ex-special forces soldier, a car mechanic, etc but mostly they are just dreamers & misfits. Actually, the two most interesting aspiring stunt men wannabes was the heavily in debt street seller who rides horses in Jeju and another guy who was actually quite a tumbler and acrobat but he suffered serious knee injuries which derailed his stunt career & instead turned his attention to becoming a pop idol singer. As you can imagine the funniest and most entertaining bits were the auditions. man, there was this one exchange (involving the guy with cauliflower ears) during an audition where I literally spit out my drink. Anyway, this documentary doesn't take itself too seriously and I really enjoyed the voice actress narration. I'm sure many here have watched human interest documentaries on KBS or SBS and would recognize that similar voice right away. It brought a serious tone to the documentary even when the onscreen stuff was bordering on hilarity which was a humorous juxtaposition. For those who recognize the director's name, yes his dreams did come true in the end as he hit big internationally with his female actioner, The Villainess. He also directed the frenetic Carter for Netlfix and is set to make his Hollywood debut with the live action adaptation of the comic Afterburn. Edited May 11, 2023 by Yihetuan 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted May 11, 2023 Moderator Share Posted May 11, 2023 4 hours ago, Yihetuan said: A bio-documentary, although at times has the feel of mockumentary which follows hopefuls auditioning for a spot in Jung Doo-hong's Seoul Action School. Still my favourite Korean documentary (I watched it at the time of its release in 2008), and one that inspired my own trip to the Seoul Action School in the same year (which I wrote about 4 years later for the long defunct Korean Film Festival in Australia blog). Jeez, 15 years ago! 4 hours ago, Yihetuan said: For those who recognize the director's name, yes his dreams did come true in the end as he hit big internationally with his female actioner, The Villainess. He also directed the frenetic Carter for Netlfix and is set to make his Hollywood debut with the live action adaptation of the comic Afterburn. Not forgetting his debut with 2012's 'Confession of Murder', which I'd still rank as probably his best all-round movie. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted May 11, 2023 Member Share Posted May 11, 2023 4 hours ago, Yihetuan said: Action Boys - Dir. Jeong Byeong-gil [2008] (Korea) A bio-documentary, although at times has the feel of mockumentary which follows hopefuls auditioning for a spot in Jung Doo-hong's Seoul Action School. The main focus early on is the director himself & his attempt from failed art school student/slacker who idolized Stephen Chow to becoming a top notch stunt/action director. But it shifts away to follow his fellow classmates from the same class which includes a motley crew consisting of an amateur boxer, ex-special forces soldier, a car mechanic, etc but mostly they are just dreamers & misfits. Actually, the two most interesting aspiring stunt men wannabes was the heavily in debt street seller who rides horses in Jeju and another guy who was actually quite a tumbler and acrobat but he suffered serious knee injuries which derailed his stunt career & instead turned his attention to becoming a pop idol singer. As you can imagine the funniest and most entertaining bits were the auditions. man, there was this one exchange (involving the guy with cauliflower ears) during an audition where I literally spit out my drink. Anyway, this documentary doesn't take itself too seriously and I really enjoyed the voice actress narration. I'm sure many here have watched human interest documentaries on KBS or SBS and would recognize that similar voice right away. It brought a serious tone to the documentary even when the onscreen stuff was bordering on hilarity which was a humorous juxtaposition. For those who recognize the director's name, yes his dreams did come true in the end as he hit big internationally with his female actioner, The Villainess. He also directed the frenetic Carter for Netlfix and is set to make his Hollywood debut with the live action adaptation of the comic Afterburn. Was left somewhat disappointed watching this, guess it just wasn't what I expected. I was kinda hoping for a more conventional documenatary that would introduce all SAS members, present their work and serve as a good starting point for further research. Perhaps even shed some light on who's who of Korean action cinema from the birth of hallyu onward, introduce AD's and stuntmen, portrait the rise of Korean action, compile highlights, talk about the style etc. If I decide to rewatch, I hope I'll learn to appreciate it more. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted May 11, 2023 Member Share Posted May 11, 2023 3 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: Not forgetting his debut with 2012's 'Confession of Murder', which I'd still rank as probably his best all-round movie. Agreed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted May 11, 2023 Member Share Posted May 11, 2023 7 hours ago, Super Ninja said: Was left somewhat disappointed watching this, guess it just wasn't what I expected. I was kinda hoping for a more conventional documenatary that would introduce all SAS members, present their work and serve as a good starting point for further research. Perhaps even shed some light on who's who of Korean action cinema from the birth of hallyu onward, introduce AD's and stuntmen, portrait the rise of Korean action, compile highlights, talk about the style etc. If I decide to rewatch, I hope I'll learn to appreciate it more. I also had the same feelings as well. On one hand, it would've been nice for it to have been a conventional documentary on a subject that no one outside of Korea really knows about and doesn't have the name recognition Sonny Chiba's JAC (now known as JAE) or the Jackie's stunt team. It would've been wonderful opportunity to spotlight Korea's unsung heroes behind the screen but on the other hand, it wouldn't have been as quirky & charming and dare I say meta, if it followed the more conventional style. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted May 11, 2023 Member Share Posted May 11, 2023 2 hours ago, Yihetuan said: I also had the same feelings as well. On one hand, it would've been nice for it to have been a conventional documentary on a subject that no one outside of Korea really knows about and doesn't have the name recognition Sonny Chiba's JAC (now known as JAE) or the Jackie's stunt team. It would've been wonderful opportunity to spotlight Korea's unsung heroes behind the screen but on the other hand, it wouldn't have been as quirky & charming and dare I say meta, if it followed the more conventional style. True. To make things worse, Korean films usually don't have credits in English so it's hard to find out which stunt teams worked on these movies and who choreographed the action. Guess we'll have to rely on @J.J. Hayden's detective work here. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted May 11, 2023 Member Share Posted May 11, 2023 17 minutes ago, Super Ninja said: Guess we'll have to rely on @J.J. Hayden's detective work here. Anytime mate. Feel free to drop a name of a film you're stuck with and I'll do what I can. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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