Archive for the 'DVDs: New Releases' Category

The following selection of indie films are being released this week onto DVD.

Pictured left is BOY directed by No Hong-jin and starring Yeon Joon-seok and Ahn Jae-sang. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 18+/ Format: 16:9 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time: 113 min./ Suggested Retail Price: 22,000 KRW/ Available: October 19th.  Chance I will buy this now: 100%– I want to see it.

Pictured center is SECOND HALF directed by Jo Seong-gyu and starring Ryu Seung-soo and Lee Som.  Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 15+/ Format: 16:9 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time: 96 min/ Available: October 19th/ Chance I will buy this now: 30%.  I don’t know very much about this film, but the promo material is not really selling it to me. 

Pictured right is THE STORY OF MY LIFE directed by Shin Choon-soo and starring Lee Seok-joon and Lee Chang-yong.  Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 12+/ Format: 16:9 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time: 100 min./ Available/ October 19th. Chance I will buy this: 100%.. the websites I buy on neglect to mention that this is a musical as well as a drama but it is in fact a musical. I am always anxious to see Korean musicals as it is the rarest of the film genres (though you would think I would have learned my lesson with Fox Family…)

I was not slacking off with blogging! But Wordpress went changed the site admin pages making it much more difficult to navigate (to me anyway). But the worst is that I cannot figure out how to attach pictures to posts! The icon to do that does not seem to work… I will have to go back and add images after that is straightened out. Anyway,

This week, just one Korean film is being released onto DVD, an independent movie entitled A Time To Love, co-directed by Joo Ji-yeong and Yang Ik-joon. Number of discs: 1// Subtitles: Korean and English// Rating: ages 15+// Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen// Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0// Running Time: 80 min// Suggested Retail Price: 25,300 KRW// Available: Oct. 13

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Update:  After a week a staring blankly at the changes to Wordpress– it is now back to normal.  I can post again!!!

Well, there are no Korean movies being released on DVD this week.  But that’s ok. As compensation we have the Busan International Film Festival opening on the 6th!  BIFF (formerly PIFF– the festival finally caught up with the change made to the spelling of the city’s name, a change made more than a decade ago) runs for 9 days from the 6th of October to the 9th. It is one of the premiere film festivals in all of Asia.. and one of the best attended.  If you are in Korea you have no excuse not to head down there and check it out..and when not watching movies or movie stars, you can hang out on the beautiful Haeundae Beach not far from the screening venues.  But plan ahead and buy your tickets early! Movies have a tendency to sell out quickly there.

October already?  That was fast… But if it is that time of year, you may be interested in the first of the two films being released onto DVD this week for your Halloween collection. The better- than-average horror film The Cat will be released mid-week.  The Cat is directed by Byeon Seung-wook and stars Park Min-yeong and Kim Dong-wook.  No. of discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean & English/ Rating: for ages 15+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running time: 106 minutes + 43 minutes of extras on the second disc/ Suggested Retail Price: 23,100 KRW/ Available: September 28. 

Also possibly being released is the comedy Meet the In-Laws, directed by Kim Jin-yeong and starring Song Se-byeok and Lee Shi-yeong.  No. of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean & English/ Rating: for ages 12+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running time: 118 min./ Suggested Retail Price: 22,000 KRW/ Available: September 29.  The reason I added that it may possibly be released this week is that it appears on the list of dvds for the week, but the image given is the poster, not the dvd. When this happens it often means that there is a slight delay.  I guess we will see later in the week…

Sea & Sky– directed by Oh Dal-gyun, starring Jang Na-ra and Yoo Ah-in.  Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 12+/ Format: 16:9 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time:  145 minutes (which includes 40 minutes of extras)/ Region Code:  All Region/ Suggested Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available: September 20th.

Poongsangae– directed by Jeon Jae-hong, starring Yoon Gye-seong, Kim Gyu-ri. Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 19+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby digital 5.1/ Running time: 121 min (disc 1)/ Suggested Price: 23,100 KRW/Available: September 21st.

White– directed by Kim Gok and Kim Seon, starring Ham Eun-jeong, Hanwoo Seul-hae.  Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 19+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ / Running time: 106 min/ Suggested Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available: September 22nd.

I slacked off a little with blogging this past week. With the start of the new semester, preparations for the Chuseok holiday, and a new project I am working on for the Study Abroad Programs– I had to design an English brochure– I really had no time.  But I will get all caught up tomorrow and the next day as there are no classes until Wednesday.

Two Korean films are coming to DVD this week. Head and Enlightenment Film.

HEAD– Directed by Jo Woon, starring Park Ye-jin, Baek Yoon-shik and Ryu Deok-hwan. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean & English/ Rating: ages 19+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 100 minutes/ Suggested Retail Price: 21,900 KRW/ Available: September 15.

ENLIGHTENMENT FILM– Directed by Park Dong-hoon, starring Jeong Seung-gil, Kim Ji-in, Oh Woo-jeong.  Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean & English/ Rating: ages 15+/ Format: 16:9 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time: Total 143min including a 23 minute short film entitled War Film/ Region Code: All region/ Suggested Retail Price: 22,000 KRW/ Available: September 16.

Well, the new semester started this week which was why my posting went down from nearly daily to just once last week.  But once I get into the flow of the classes, I will be back to posting more.  This week there are several dramas and three Korean films being released onto DVD this week. I will deal just with the films:

MOBY DICK: Directed by Park In-je, starring Hwang Jeong-min and Kim Min-hee.  Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: English and Korean/ Rating: ages 15+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running time: 112 min + 63 minutes of extras on disc 2/ Suggest retail price: 23,100 KRW/ Available from September 7.

IN LOVE IN THE WAR: Directed by Park Geon-yong, starring Kim Ju-hyeok, Yoo Hae-jin. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 12+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 135 min/ Suggested retail price: 25,300 KRW/ Availabe from September 7.

MAMA: Directed by Choi Ik-hwan, starring Uhm Jeong-hwa, Im Hae-sook.  Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 12+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Ditigal 5.1/ Running time: 110 minuntes+ 68 minutes of extras on disc 2/ Suggested Retail Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available from September 8.

There are no Korean movies being released in DVD format this week…. BUT, I did see something interesting on the list of movies becoming available as rentals.  There on the list was Song Il-gon’s 2006 one-cut full-length film The Magicians.  The short version of this movie is available as part of the Jeonju Digital Project Box Set– but this is the theatrical release- the full 96 minute version and when I had seen it years ago, I thought it was far superior to the short version. Usually there is just a few weeks between a film appearing on the rental lists and becoming available for purchase. But looking ahead, I could not see The Magicians on the ‘for purchase’ list.. I am hopeful, however, that it will be added soon.

There are two films being released on DVD this week. The first up is a movie that was made in 2009 and screened at film festivals around the world before finally being allowed to have a limited release in Korea. The difficulty My Mother is a Whore had in securing a distributor in Korea is no doubt due to the subject matter accurately reflected in the title. It is about a man living on the edge of poverty. The man’s father had given up on the little family and left his wife and son to fend for himself, so the son begins lending his 60-year old mother out to the men in the neighborhood in order to get money to live. However, the guilt over what he is doing and the bitterness he feels on his father begins to take a toll on the man’s sanity.  The film is directed by Lee Sang-woo who is also the lead actor and co-stars Lee Yong-nyeo as his mother. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: 19+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running time: 96 min./ Suggested Retail Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available: August 25.

The second movie coming out on dvd this week is Officer of the Year that I already reviewed here.  It was directed by Om Chan-ik and stars Park Joong-hoon and Lee Seon-gyun. Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 15+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 117 min./ Suggested Retail Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available: August 25.

Sin of a Family– Only one new Korean DVD is being released in this coming week.  It is Min Byeong-jin’s independent film Sin of the Family which originally screened at the 2010 Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. It had received a general theatrical release this past spring, but it was seen by less than 5000 people nationwide. The movie stars Shin Heon-joon, Jeon o-min and Wang Hui-ji.  Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 98 min./ Suggested Retail Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available: August 18