Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted July 31, 2013 Moderator Share Posted July 31, 2013 Hi guys I did a similar post to this last year when I worked at the 2012 festival, however due to my severe technical incompetency, I've been unable to figure out how to edit the existing thread title from 2012 to 2013....so, a new thread it is! The Korean Film Festival in Australia 2013 is coming very soon - in Brisbane from 14th - 18th August, Sydney from 21st - 29th August, & Melbourne from 5th - 11th September. Once again I'll be covering the festival through the blog site with a variety of posts ranging from actor biographies to movie reviews, and to kick things off, I wrote a brief biography of Jun Ji-hyeon of 'My Sassy Girl' & 'Blood: The Last Vampire' fame. The link is below, so please check it out if you have the chance - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/jun-ji-hyeon-sassiest-thief.html If any further motivation is required, a photo similar to this one is also included in the post. The official website for the festival can be found here - http://koffia.com.au/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 31, 2013 Administrator Share Posted July 31, 2013 Cool! I'm looking forward to your coverage this year. And... the photos certainly won't hurt either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bigrogie Posted July 31, 2013 Member Share Posted July 31, 2013 Cool stuff. Why limit to one picture? A dozen would be justified!!:tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 4, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 4, 2013 I originally saw the curious North Korean / UK / Belgian co-production 'Comrade Kim Goes Flying' back at the end of the Sydney Film Festival in June, however due to the sensitive North & South political issues....my review has sadly sat unpublished for the last six weeks while I've looked for excuses to get it out there. Thankfully, it's currently being shown at the Melbourne Film Festival, which just happens to be a partner of the Korean Film Festival...so with the angle of promoting one of the movies our partner is showing, bingo, it finally got the green light to appear on the official blog. Check it out here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/review-comrade-kim-goes-flying-2012.html J6VQbagojN0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 4, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 4, 2013 Once again I'll be covering the festival through the blog site with a variety of posts ranging from actor biographies to movie reviews, and to kick things off, I wrote a brief biography of Jun Ji-hyeon of 'My Sassy Girl' & 'Blood: The Last Vampire' fame. A question for you, in reference to this statement from your blog: "The scene is from the 2001 movie ‘My Sassy Girl / 엽기적인 그녀’, which not only became a hit in Korea, but became a sensation throughout the whole of Asia, particularly in China. The movie itself spawned an official Hong Kong movie sequel, as well as being re-made in Hollywood." I'm curious- what are the names of the Hong Kong movie sequel, and the Hollywood remake? You certainly filled in all the gaps for me about this actress. Your informative post is most appreciated brother. Strangely, I have yet to see her most famous performance in MY SASSY GIRL. I've owned the Korean DVD release of the film for over a decade. But it hasn't won out yet over the many action oriented films that I prefer watching. I did rent BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE. But I only watched about 15 minutes of it. I just was not feeling it at all. However, I really enjoyed her performances in both THE THIEVES and THE BERLIN FILE. Cool stuff. Why limit to one picture? A dozen would be justified!!:tongue: I have to agree! She is definitely a beautiful lady. I originally saw the curious North Korean / UK / Belgian co-production 'Comrade Kim Goes Flying' back at the end of the Sydney Film Festival in June, however due to the sensitive North & South political issues....my review has sadly sat unpublished for the last six weeks while I've looked for excuses to get it out there. Thankfully, it's currently being shown at the Melbourne Film Festival, which just happens to be a partner of the Korean Film Festival...so with the angle of promoting one of the movies our partner is showing, bingo, it finally got the green light to appear on the official blog. Check it out here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/review-comrade-kim-goes-flying-2012.html I'm glad your write-up didn't go to waste. I really enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Superfly Posted August 5, 2013 Member Share Posted August 5, 2013 A question for you, in reference to this statement from your blog: "The scene is from the 2001 movie ‘My Sassy Girl / 엽기적인 그녀’, which not only became a hit in Korea, but became a sensation throughout the whole of Asia, particularly in China. The movie itself spawned an official Hong Kong movie sequel, as well as being re-made in Hollywood." I'm curious- what are the names of the Hong Kong movie sequel, and the Hollywood remake? The American remake is also named My Sassy Girl. I believe it was a Direct To Video release. It stars the super sexy Elisha Cuthbert. (24, Girl Next Door.) Reviews were not very positive. My Sassy Girl 2 is believed by many to be a Korean sequel but its not, its actually a HK made sequel. If my memory serves. It was NOT a critical success either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 5, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2013 I'm curious- what are the names of the Hong Kong movie sequel, and the Hollywood remake? The American remake is also named My Sassy Girl. I believe it was a Direct To Video release. It stars the super sexy Elisha Cuthbert. (24, Girl Next Door.) Reviews were not very positive. My Sassy Girl 2 is believed by many to be a Korean sequel but its not, its actually a HK made sequel. If my memory serves. It was NOT a critical success either. Superfly has pretty much already hit the nail on the head....the Hollywood remake was originally planned for a theatrical release, but once the finished product came out it was decided to release it straight to DVD. Made in 2008 and directed by Yann Samuell, who had directed nothing notable before and nothing notable since, it has nothing but hate poured on it by fans of the original, and is generally considered an instantly forgettable effort by everyone else. The Chinese sequel from 2010 is directed by Hong Kong director Joe Ma, and has Singapore idol Leon Jay Williams and Lynn Xiong (Donnie Yen's wife in the 'Ip Man' movies) replacing the original Korean leads. Although an official sequel, the only real connections between the two are the tone, and the fact original writers Choi Seok-min & Kim Ho-sik also wrote the screenplay. It's worth noting it's also been re-made in other territories as well - Bollywood got in on the act with a re-make, and Japan ended up making a TV series out of it, with the Philippines also throwing their hat into the ring as well. But still, none can match the original in my humble opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 6, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 6, 2013 Another North Korean rarity being shown through our partner film festival in Melbourne, is the 1986 kung-fu movie 'Hong Kil Dong'. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy through forum member Jamal, and posted my thoughts here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/review-hong-gil-dong-1986.html GAHPPdov2Co Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted August 6, 2013 Member Share Posted August 6, 2013 Another North Korean rarity being shown through our partner film festival in Melbourne, is the 1986 kung-fu movie 'Hong Kil Dong'. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy through forum member Jamal, and posted my thoughts here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/review-hong-gil-dong-1986.html GAHPPdov2Co Man, if I had been told there were North Korean MA movies, I wouldn't have believed it... I wondered some time ago if/how MA movies were distributed in the Communist countries (did Filmark alter the CIA vs KGB movies to have the KGB win in the end ? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 7, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 7, 2013 My first review is up for a movie actually being shown at the festival...one of the best to come out of Korea last year, 'The Thieves', starring that girl in the pic from my first post! - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-thieves.html QDC9QS3MRCs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 10, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 10, 2013 THE THIEVES is a serious fun. The Well Go USA Blu-Ray is stunning too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 10, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 10, 2013 Another North Korean rarity being shown through our partner film festival in Melbourne, is the 1986 kung-fu movie 'Hong Kil Dong'. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy through forum member Jamal, and posted my thoughts here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/review-hong-gil-dong-1986.html Holy smokes! The story behind the North Korean's entry into film-making is incredible! I wonder, was there ever a film made about those real life events? It seems like there must have been, and I have no doubt that it would be epic! I've been sitting on HONG KIL-DONG (I'm sure it's quite warm now) for a long time. Your review definitely makes me want to see it. Thanks for another great blog entry One Armed Boxer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 10, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 10, 2013 The American remake is also named My Sassy Girl. I believe it was a Direct To Video release. It stars the super sexy Elisha Cuthbert. (24, Girl Next Door.) Reviews were not very positive. My Sassy Girl 2 is believed by many to be a Korean sequel but its not, its actually a HK made sequel. If my memory serves. It was NOT a critical success either. I appreciate the info Superfly. Superfly has pretty much already hit the nail on the head....the Hollywood remake was originally planned for a theatrical release, but once the finished product came out it was decided to release it straight to DVD. Made in 2008 and directed by Yann Samuell, who had directed nothing notable before and nothing notable since, it has nothing but hate poured on it by fans of the original, and is generally considered an instantly forgettable effort by everyone else. The Chinese sequel from 2010 is directed by Hong Kong director Joe Ma, and has Singapore idol Leon Jay Williams and Lynn Xiong (Donnie Yen's wife in the 'Ip Man' movies) replacing the original Korean leads. Although an official sequel, the only real connections between the two are the tone, and the fact original writers Choi Seok-min & Kim Ho-sik also wrote the screenplay. It's worth noting it's also been re-made in other territories as well - Bollywood got in on the act with a re-make, and Japan ended up making a TV series out of it, with the Philippines also throwing their hat into the ring as well. But still, none can match the original in my humble opinion. Thank you for the wealth of info brother. I definitely enjoyed learning all of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 12, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 12, 2013 Holy smokes! The story behind the North Korean's entry into film-making is incredible! I wonder, was there ever a film made about those real life events? It seems like there must have been, and I have no doubt that it would be epic! Yeah, it's a crazy story! Kidnapping Shing Sang-ok wasn't North Korea's entry into film-making though, they'd been making movies for many years before. However Kim Jong-il feared that their movie industry wasn't up to scratch, so arranged for the abduction to take place through his ex-wife. Sang-ok's most famous movie during his time spent in North Korea is the kaiju production 'Pulgasari', which is quite widely available through the likes of youtube etc. I doubt a movie would ever be made about the events that took place though, you have to bear in mind North & South Korea are still technically at war, a peace treaty was never signed. If a movie was made which accuses the North of kidnapping a South Korean director and actress, it would probably be seen as provocation and lead to another bout of nuclear threats! As ridiculous as it sounds, with the guys north of the border you can't be too careful! I've been sitting on HONG KIL-DONG (I'm sure it's quite warm now) for a long time. Your review definitely makes me want to see it. Thanks for another great blog entry One Armed Boxer Let me know your thoughts once you've checked it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 12, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 12, 2013 The Film Festival is kicking off in just a few more days, and in anticipation of the opening night I posted a trilogy of short biographies featuring three of the actors and actresses who are going to be appearing in some of this years movies! First off, Kim Yoon-seok - the main man from 'The Thieves', the grizzled North Korean gangster from 'The Yellow Sea', and of course the cop turned pimp from 'Chaser' - definitely one of Korea's top actors at the moment! http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com/2013/08/kim-yoon-seok-everyman-anti-hero.html Next up, Kim Kko-bbi, from playing bit parts in movies like 'City of Violence' to her breakthrough role in 'Breathless', she's one of Korea's most unique actresses, and will be attending this years festival in person to present her movie 'Pluto'! http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com/2013/08/kim-kko-bbi-breathless-flower.html Lastly, Ryoo Seung-ryong, possibly the busiest supporting actor in Korea's movie industry. If you've seen more than a handful of Korean movies, it's guaranteed you'll have seen him in at least one of them! Guys on here are most likely to have seen him in 'War of the Arrows' - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com/2013/08/ryoo-seung-ryong-miracles-masquerades.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 15, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 15, 2013 After Ha Jung-woo won the best actor award for two years consecutively at the Baeksang Arts Awards, he vowed that he'd trek across the length of Korea. Not only did he follow through on his promise, but he also dragged along a bunch of his actor friends and made a documentary about the journey along the way. The final result was 'Project 577', and I posted a review of it here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/review-project-577-577-2012.html 6G-P6sfzACU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted August 15, 2013 Member Share Posted August 15, 2013 A lot of nice-looking movies screened there. Korean cinema is (IMO) pretty underrated and really lacks exposure, which is a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 25, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted August 25, 2013 My second review is up for a movie screening at the festival, 'The Berlin File', Ryoo Seung-wan's latest. Plenty of impressive action sequences, and a gripping plot to boot...I posted my review here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-berlin-file.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 4, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted September 4, 2013 In what was a rather random series of events, I ended up spending last Tuesday night knocking back pints of Guinness in an Irish bar with special festival guests actress Kim Kko-bbi, directors Moon Byoung-gun & Shin Su-won, and producer Lim Chung-geum! Not how I'd expected to spend the night, but I certainly wasn't complaining! I wrote up a blog post about it here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/cinema-forums-four-leaf-clovers.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member QueMuchita Posted September 6, 2013 Member Share Posted September 6, 2013 Wow, sounds like a awesome night (except for the Guinness part). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 6, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted September 6, 2013 Wow, sounds like a awesome night (except for the Guinness part). What!? That was the best part! I just posted up a review of the movie 'Fists of Legend', which was actually a lot better than I expected it to be, with a surprisingly healthy amount of its run-time being dedicated to the action. Check out my review here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-fists-of-legend.html MBYZrsGBgXU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 8, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted September 8, 2013 I couldn't have asked for much of a more suitable choice to round off the movies I was asked to review for this years festival than Park Chan-wook's English language debut, 'Stoker'. A movie that I had my doubts about going into, I can safely say they were laid to rest within minutes. I posted a full review of this cinematic tour de force here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/koffia-2013-review-stoker.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted September 8, 2013 Administrator Share Posted September 8, 2013 Sounds like you had a great time at the festival brother. I'm happy that you got to see so many wonderful films. Though I wish they had picked a different title, I'm looking forward to seeing FISTS OF LEGEND. Your blog makes it sound very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Alexandra Posted September 13, 2013 Member Share Posted September 13, 2013 Great!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted November 19, 2013 Author Moderator Share Posted November 19, 2013 A little overdue, but my final post for the Korean Film Festival in Australia 2013 was recently published, which provided me the chance to reflect on a busy couple of weeks soaking in the goodness that is Korean cinema. Check it out here - http://koreanfilmfestivalinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/koffia-2013-my-experience-by-paul.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.