Seen in Jeonju

Archive for October, 2010

DVD Releases: Oct. 31- Nov. 6

31st October 2010

bad guys

This week, the new releases consist of just one movie that is getting a second DVD release as a single disc as opposed to the two-disc version earlier this year and the third volume of a drama. Why are there three releases shown above? Because Bad Guys appeared mid-week as being released last Friday and releases of Bakery King and Gumiho were delayed until November 16 and November 25 respectively. 

BAD GUYS– An SBS TV drama starring Oh Yeon-soo, Kim Nam-gil and Han Ga-in. Number of discs (6)/ Subtitles: English/ Rating: ages 15+/ Format: 16:9 widescreen/ Audio: Dolby 2.0/ Recommended Price: 88,000 KRW/ Available: October 29

CLOSER TO HEAVEN– Starring Han Jin-won, Kim Myeong-min.  The two-disc set was released earlier this year in July. Number of discs: (1)/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: ages 12+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby 5.1/ Region Code: 3/ Recommended Price: 22,000 KRW/ Available: November 3

DONGYI, vol. 3– This is a very long-running MBC drama. Vol. 1 was released back on July 24 and Vol. 2 followed on September 3. This set contains the Number of discs: (5)/ Format: 16:9 widescreen/ Audio: Dolby 2.0/ Region Code: 3/ Recommended Price: 69,300 KRW/ Available: November 3

Posted in DVDs: New Releases | Comments Off

Haunted House (2010)

30th October 2010

haunted houseI looked up from work the other day and noticed that October was ending. That means that it must be Halloween.  Now, I had not celebrated in more than two decades.  It is not an holiday here, even a minor one though I am led to believe that some academies in Seoul have their kids dress up in costumes or carve pumpkins with them, it is not done here.  That’s fine with me. The only thing I really used to like about Halloween was the fact that there would be a wide selection of horror movies on television at night. Checking with in with Hana-TV, my internet tv provider, I saw that that among the new movies listed for this week was the summer horror film Haunted House. I had wanted to see this when it had opened, but it wasn’t in theaters long enough for me to catch then. I knew of course that the film was made in the shaky handicam style that became somewhat popular after The Blair Witch Project, a movie which scared the beejeezus out of me. I loved it. I also liked Cloverfield and the Spanish zombie/demon film REC. I was far less thrilled Paranormal Activity, the sequel of which is doing quite well in theaters even as I write this… I wonder if I should give it a chance.  I like the feeling that the hand camera effect gives, like events are really happening and you are filming them yourself. I was anxious to see how this Korean contribution would pan out.

The story setup is simple enough. A camera crew, making a television show about paranormal investigators, decide to spend the night in a building rumored to be haunted due to a number of disappearances, unexplained deaths and murders. Of course, this setup is familiar to anyone who has seen shows like The Ghost Hunters. I have watched that program a handful of times when I have been in the USA and I maintain a healthy skepticism about it. What they do is enter supposedly haunted buildings in search of the paranormal, but what they show and say is so easy to fabricate. Somebody exclaiming “I feel an icy hand!” or “I sense pure evil in this room!”should hold as much validity as my writing “There’s a werewolf outside my house!” on the internet. In other words, none. This is something that director Lee Cheol-ha gets right in Haunted House.

The film crew in Lee’s movie know perfectly well that they are going to have fake and stage certain things in order to make their show more interesting. The coach their trio of ‘professional’ paranormal investigators on walking in and out of rooms. Kudos to actors Shin Kyeong-seon and Yoon Yi-na who play the ghost hunters Wan-soo and Mi-jin respectively. Shin does an excellent job in bringing an earnest sincerity to Wan-soo, the leader of the trio–none of whom have actually encountered a ghost. Mi-jin is played with a natural awkwardness and a hint of, for lack of a better word, foolishness. Not slapstick style; she just does not seem very bright and it is painful to watch the producer and director of the film crew trying to coax an expression from her as she searches through the building.

As the night gets later, creepy things begin to happen..a mirror breaks, a toy moves across the floor… but no concrete sign of a ghost for the most part. Actually, the flashes of the ghost face that appear rarely on the camera should have been left on the cutting room floor. The deep shadows and the unknown are far more frightening and effective. Though had they been cut, I suspect there would have been a portion of the audience who would have been bored. The story steadily builds a heavy atmosphere and expectation that something is going to happen without, for the most part, showing the phantom.

Even when all hell starts to break loose somewhere around the 80 minute mark, we do not see much of the ghost. That is because the ghost is handled as a ‘real’ spirit. If you are familiar with Korean shamans or have seen the Korean cable tv show The Exorcist, then you know what this means— Possessions. Shamans have an associated spirit whom they allow to enter their bodies when they need to commune with the dead, perform rites or predict fortunes. In The Exorcist, a team of ‘professional’  paranormal investigators travel to homes where the families claim a member has been possessed by a ghost. As with the Ghost Hunters, I thouroughly dislike this show. It is either faked, the family members are lying or the victim is mentally disturbed and in need of real help. Even though we see no long-haired horror crawling through the ruins of the building, what happens in the last few minutes of the movie is terrifying.

The director made some good choices. I will long remember the sound recording specialist and what she does. And a tip of the hat to a scene in Paranormal Activities is actually done better in Haunted House. But Lee also makes a mistake. We spend a lot of time learning about the characters through their actions and interactions, but all of that goes out the window in the ensuing panic when the haunting truely begins. I expected more than simply running from Wan-soo and the producer.

Haunted House is a fun movie. No deep thoughts required or hidden meanings to find. In this sense, it is the perfect Halloween film.

Posted in 2010s, Review | Comments Off

Index of 1972: 31-45

30th October 2010

Here are the next 15 films produced in Korea in 1972. Click the thumbnail to see a full-sized image. You can access the complete list of Korean films of the 70s by clicking the tab at the top of the page marked ‘Movies of the 70s’.

72-031, 72-032, 72-033, 72-034, 72-035, 72-036, 72-037, 72-038, 72-039, 72-040, 72-041, 72-042, 72-043, 72-044, 72-045

Posted in K-Movie Index | Comments Off

Korean Box Office: Oct. 22-24

25th October 2010

102210242010

Midnight FM spent a well-deserved second weekend at the top of the box office charts, although the total number of viewers is relatively light. This may be a combination of fantastic fall weather which is set to end this week with the threat of first frost and the fact that most universities are starting midterm exams this week. However, the low total notwithstanding, the film handily beat out the second tier film, Paranormal Activity 2. Frankly I am surprised that Paranormal Activity did so well.  I will wait until I hear from someone who has seen it before I decide if I will take a chance with the sequel.  Chameul Soo Eobta did wind up with the official English title Loveholic and Dwenjang was given the name The Recipe.  This week, there is one film currently lacking an official English title, but I expect one to be assigned any day now. That film is the new Ryu Seung-wan film, Boodang Georae starring the director’s brother Ryu Seung-Beom as well as Hwang Jeong-min. More info is below on that and other films being released this coming Thursday.

10292010

1. Acustic (kr)– d. Yoo Sang-heon, starring Shin Se-kyeong, Im Seul-woong

2. Boodang Georae (kr)– d. Ryu Seung-wan, starring Hwang Jeong-min, Ryu Seung-beom www.baddeal2010.co.kr

3. Come Closer (kr)– d. Kim Jong-gwan, starring Yoong Gye-sang, Jeong Yoo-mi

4. Last Chance Harvey (us)– d. Joel Hopkins, starring Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson

5. Legend of the Guardians (us)– d. Zack Snyder, voiced by Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess www.legend3d.co.kr

6. Natalie (kr)– d. Joo Kyeong-joong, starring Lee seong-jae, Kim Ji-hoon http://natalie.co.ke

7. Second Half (kr)– d. Jo Seong-gyu, starring Ryu Seung-joo, Lee Som

8. Sky Crawlers (jp)– d. Mamoru Oshii, voiced by Ryo Kase, Rinko Kikuchi

9. Stool Pigeon (hk)– d. Danse Lam, starring Nicholas Tse, Lunnei Kwai

Posted in Box Office | Comments Off

Midnight FM (2010)

24th October 2010

lposter041715-k2It may have taken Kim Sang-man a long time to become a movie director, but he has crafted an excellent thriller in Midnight FM, his second feature film.  Kim started out in films designing posters starting with The Contract back in 1997. He designed posters for about 30 films when he was given the opportunity to be the art director on If the Sun Rose in the West in 1998.  The highlight of his career as an art director came two years after that when he worked on the now classic JSA.  Sometime afterwards, Kim joined a band as a bassist and recorded under an independent label. Because of this, the next film he worked on, Bloody Ties in 2006, he held two positions; art director and composer. In 2008, he directed his first film, the crime/comedy Girl Scouts which was fairly well received. His latest project, Midnight FM was also written by Kim. It was at the top of the box office charts last week and seems likely to retain that position this weekend as well. The showing I went to early Sunday afternoon was packed with viewers.

Kim’s screenplay and direction manage to build tension throughout. After watching the film, I realized that my whole body ached slightly because my muscles were tensed. I barely moved in my seat during the 100+ minute running time. The story is simple yet gripping. An insane man is obsessed with a late-night radio disc jockey and attacks her family on the night of the dj’s last broadcast.  From then on, it’s a race against time as she tries to outwit the killer and save her daughter.

Soo Ae does an excellent job as the disc jockey, Ko Seon-yeong and Yoo Ji-tae extremely creepy as the psychotic fan. If I could change one thing however, it would be the way Yoo had his character speak.  I get a little tired of movie psychos all speaking in the same low, monotone voices. But that’s a minor point. 

There were a couple of other points, not problems, but things I was curious about. These things mainly concern Ko Seon-yeong’s daughter Ko Eun-soo (wonderfully played by Lee Joon-ha and her neice, Ko Hyeon-ji (Choi Hee-won).  Children in Korea always take the father’s name, but there was no evidence whatsoever of any fathers in either case and no mention of any backstory. Also, Eun-soo cannot speak. We know that there was surgery involved and she has a scar on her neck, but..why? These questions are not essential to the plot, but I wanted to know more.

Perhaps though, the director wanted it that way. The film featured two stalkers and at one point in the film, broadcast is stopped and it directly effects the movie-viewer by having the screen go blank. I think that director Kim was making a comment on the nature of the relationship of fans and celebrities, which the radio DJ is in this film.  Fans can never know everything about a celebrity’s personal life–no matter how much the tabloid press tries to prove otherwise. What we see as fans is often a superficial image. Trying to learn facts of a more personal nature in depth takes us out of the realm of fan and into the world of the stalker. We, the viewers, know nothing about the daughter though both stalkers in the movie (yes, there are two, but very different in nature from each other) know all about her. And when Ko says “shut it off” while in the ambulance, the viewers are left completely in the dark. It clearly shows the limits of fan/celebrity relationship and the point at which this particular celebrity is no longer willing to publicly share her life.

I strongly recommend watching this film, but not if you are just looking to sit back and relax. This movie is anything but relaxing…

Posted in 2010s, Review | Comments Off

DVD Releases: Oct. 24-30

23rd October 2010

Three movies and three dramas make their way to DVD while one slightly older film is given the Blu-ray treatment.  I strongly recommend people checking out the movies HaHaHa and The Servant. These are two that I have pre-ordered. I’m putting off ordering Magic for now, but will consider getting it later.

hahaha

HaHaHa– Hong Sang-soo’s film made it to Cannes in 2010 along with The Housemaid. Unlike the latter film, it won an award there–Un Certain Regard. It is the story of two filmmakers who remember their time together working on their first film together.  Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: English & Korean/ Rating: ages 19+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: 5.1 Dolby digital/ Region Code: all regions/ Special Features: Trailer/ Recommended Price: 25,300 KRW/Availble: October 26

Magic–I don’t knowvery much about this movie other than it is a romance among members of an orchestra. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: English & Korean/ Rating: ages 15+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: 5.1  Dolby digital/ Special Features: Trailers/ Recommended Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available: October 28

servant

Bakery King, Kim Tak-gu–KBS-TV drama starring Yoon Shi-yoon, Lee Yeong-ah, Yoo Jin, Joo Won.   Number of discs: 12 (6 each in volumes 1 & 2)/ Subtitles: English/ Rating: ages 15+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital Surround/ Region Code: 3/ Recommended Price: Vol. 1 & 2– 154,000 KRW. Each volume can be purchased separately for 77,000 KRW/ Available: October 28

Servant: Lovers of Korean film have no doubt seen or at least her references to the Legend of Chunhyang which has been made into movies made several times over the decades. However, never has it been quite like this as a sexy new twist is added to the story. Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: English & Korean/ Rating: ages 19+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Special Features: commentary by director Kim Dae-woo and actors Kim Ju-hyeok, Jo Yeo-jeong, Ryu Hyeon-kyeong, Making, Set, Deleted Scene, Trailers/ Recommended Price: 25,300 KRW/ Available: October 28

ohmylady

Oh My Lady–SBS -TV drama starring Choi Shi-won, Chae Rim, Park Han-byeol.  Number of discs: 6/ Subtitles: English/ Rating: Ages 15+/ Format: 16:9 widescreen/ Audio: Dobly 2.0/ Region Code: 1,3,4,5/ Recommended Price: 77,000 KRW/ Available: October 28

Gumiho–KBS -TV drama starring Han Eun-jeong, Jang Hyeon-seong, Kim Yoon-jeong, Seo Shin-ae. Usually, I don’t spend much time watching dramas, but I gave this one a chance this summer as I thought it was an interesting idea. But, I didn’t watch much of it. The terrible CG on the tigers in the first episode destroyed my interest and the horrible acting ensured I would not watch more than fifteen minures of any episodes after the first. But if you still want to buy it, the dvd stats are as follows:  Number of discs: 6/ Subtitles: English/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Special Features: Deleted Scenes/ Recommended Price: 77,000 KRW/ Available: October 29

arahan

Arahan (Blu-Ray)– This 2004 film is being released on Blu-Ray on October 28 (which is surprising–Korean films usually are released on just DVD. I think this only the third or fourth time this year that I’ve had to mention Blue-Ray. That technology never took off here)   This disc will go for a recommended price of 33,000 KRW

Posted in DVDs: New Releases | Comments Off

Index of 1972: 16-30

23rd October 2010

Here are the next 15 films produced in Korea in 1972.  Just click the thumbnail to view a full-sized image.  These can also be accessed through the tab at the top of this page labeled Movies of the 70s. 

72-016, 72-017, 72-018, 72-019, 72-020, 72-021, 72-022, 72-023, 72-024, 72-025, 72-026, 72-027, 72-028, 72-029, 72-030

Posted in K-Movie Index | Comments Off

Interview with Guy “Bill” Grafius

18th October 2010

guy grafiusSeveral years ago, maybe back in 2003 or 2004, I was able to see the horror film Dracula in a Coffin at a special screening at the Korean Film Archives (KOFA–then in their easier-for-me-to-reach location) and I wrote a review for it for the site that hosts this blog, Koreanfilm.org.  This past week, I received an email from Mr. Guy Grafius. He had appeared as an extra in that movie and wanted to know if it was available to see as he never had the chance to watch it. Unfortunately, he wrote a bit too late. It was possible to watch Dracula in a Coffin this summer as part of the KOFA;s free online viewing, but it has since been rotated out. I could only advise that he keep checking in with KOFA. It is likely Dracula will be featured again, probably in summer when horror movies are more popular. The correspondence could have ended there, but I was curious about his experiences here in Korea in the early eighties and how he came to be an extra in this film. I asked Guy if I could ask him a few questions and post his answers here and he graciously agreed.

When did you arrive in Korea?  I went to Korea with my parents at the end of the school year in 1980 and lived there with them until the fall of 1982. I was 18 when I first arrived. We lived on the Yongsan Base where my dad was stationed.

 How did you come to be an extra in Dracula in a Coffin?  There was a talent agent who worked with several of the teens on the base. She sometimes approached me about work. For example, I was also on the Min Byung-Cheol Practical English TV show and did a couple of modeling gigs. It paid well for a college kid but I said ‘no’ to a lot of things because I didn’t like being in front of the camera. I don’t remember much about the agent except that she spoke English well and seemed well connected in the industry. She was always nice to me but she didn’t like it when I talked to people on the set. I think she used to tell people I was some big model in the USA.

min byungcheolProfessor Min Byung-Cheol is still quite famous today. Tell me about working with him on the television program. I only worked on Practical English for a week. It was a fluke. I was supposed to go into the TV station and do just one sketch, but the main American actor didn’t show up or couldn’t make it so they asked me to fill in. We shot all five shows in one day. It was a long, hard day. I was nervous and I didn’t enjoy it. It had a live television audience. The sketches all came from his books and the audience followed along and every time I missed a line you could hear this hushed “oooowwww.”  I was recognized on the street quite a bit after the show aired. One time I was walking and there was a group of college students across the street. They were staring which wasn’t unusual, but I heard them say something about Min Byung-Cheol Practical English. Right after that, I tripped and fell on my face. I’m sure that was a big laugh for them!

That’s embarrassing. You also mentioned modeling…? Yes. I forgot what my first modeling job was. Probably a still shoot for an ad. I was young with blond hair and that was all they really cared about. Needless to say, I stood out in a crowd there.  I really didn’t like being in front of the camera mostly because I knew I was BAD actor and I was a little self-conscious. Really, I was bad. But like I said, they only cared that I was blond-haired and blue-eyed.

dracula in a coffinWell, it helped you get the role in Dracula. They needed young foreign-looking men for the disco scenes. Did you meet director Lee Hyeong-pyo?   I met the director on the Dracula shoot, but I didn’t talk to him much. I was given direction through translation, by my agent, I think. (Think of the movie Lost in Translation). All I had to do was dance on the disco floor. No lines, no talking. I did speak to Ken Christopher a little. He had the role of Dracula. All that I remember is that he was complaining a lot! He hated the red contacts he had to wear as he said they were very painful. I think I was only there for one day.

 

Did you appear in any other movies?  I did a scene for a ‘kung-fu’ movie. I’m not sure what they did with that or if maybe it was more of a reel footage for the actor. He was not Korean—maybe from Hong Kong, I forget, but he looked like Bruce Lee, very muscular and knew what he was doing. The scene was myself and another American were supposed to have killed his sister and he had come for revenge. What’s funny is that myself and the other American had total baby faces. Not much of a bad guy image. But we had to do a few fight scenes with no stunt doubles. I remember missing a cue and getting hit in the nose and it started bleeding bad. I wasn’t really hurt, but the actor’s sensei grabbed the back of my neck on some pressure point and the blood stopped. But they told me once he lets go, it will bleed again. It was at the end of the day and they needed to finish the shot. So they got me all set up with the sensei still holding my neck till they said ‘action.’  I could feel the blood start to come out, but we got the shot done before it really started to flow. Oh! One other think I remember is when my agent called for the job, she said they wanted me to wear street clothes, which to me meant a nice shirt and pants…but what they wanted was more of a tee shirt/bad guy image, like a street gang type.

 Wow. It sounds like you had some interesting experiences in Korea.  Yeah, it was a really good experience living there for two years. I had three big modeling jobs there before I started to say ‘no’ and I had two full time jobs as well as going to college at night. I was a busy camper.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

dragon leeAlthough Dracula in a Coffin is not available at this time, I wondered if I could find the Kung-Fu sequence that Mr. Grafius mentioned. He had already given me a clue that might aid in searching for the film if it had been made for a movie. He said the main actor looked like Bruce Lee. Although lots of people wanted to imitate Bruce Lee, only one really looked like him, Geo Ryong.  In Hong Kong movies he has been called Dragon Lee, Dragon Bruce Lee or simply Bruce Lei.  He was raised in Russia and then moved to South Korea as a teen. He was spotted by an agent because of his resemblance to Bruce Lee and was trained and taken to Hong Kong where he began a movie career. Geo made about a dozen films in South Korea.  Mr. Grafius confirmed that an image I sent him looked like the main actor of his Kung-Fu shoot. Looking through his filmography and the movies he made in the early 80s, there is only 1 that really stands out as possibly containing the fight sequence mentioned in the interview. It is called Golden Dragon, Silver Snake (KOFA’s website calls it Fight at Hong Kong Ranch but, through searching for ads in newspapers published at the time for the movie index I am building on this site, I have learned that KOFA had never checked original promotional material when assigning names to films). The plot of this movie mentions that Drong Lee is out to avenge the death of his younger brother. Mr. Grafius stated that his kung-fu background was revenge for the death of his sister. However, since the word for younger sibling in Korean is the same for male or female unless specifically modified, his translator may not have known the gender and just picked ‘sister’.  I decided I needed to see the film—even though the genre is really not one I enjoy. This movie is not available on DVD in Korea, but I discovered this weekend that they are available in Hong Kong through a site called HKDvds. I ordered Golden Dragon, Silver Snake and saw that two other films from director Kim Shi-hyeon were available there so I bought them as well (Dragon Lee VS the Five Brothers and Enter the Invincible Hero). It will take a couple of weeks for the films to arrive, but I will let you know what I find out after watching them.

Posted in Interviews | 1 Comment »

Box Office: October 15-17

18th October 2010

101510172010

Midnight FM opened strong and took the top spot away from Cyrano Agency which had been first ranked for the past three weeks.  I expect it will probably remain there for another week as well. The only unexpected change in the box office is the appearance of Don’t Cry for Me Sudan which opened on September 9th.   This coming week, two new Korean films will open, but they have not yet been officially assigned English names so their romanized Korean names appear here. Hopefully, this will change by next week.  In pre-production, Chameul Soo Eobtda was being called ‘Loveholic‘.   A sequel to what I found to be THE most disappointing horror movie ever opens this week as well– Paranormal Activity 2.  However, I don’t think I will be tricked into paying to see it after the first film.  I’ll wait until its on tv…  These and other movies opening this week are listed below.

10212010

1. Chameul Soo Eobtda (kr)– d. Kwon Cheol-in, starring Jeong Chan, Choo Ja-hyeon www.secretromance2010.co.kr

2. Dwenjang (kr)– d. Lee Seo-goon, starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Yo-won

3. Nora’s Will (mx)– d. Mariana Chenillo, starring Fernando Luian, Silvia Mariscal

4. Paranormal Activity 2 (us)– d. Tod Williams, starring Katie Featherstone, Gabriel Liotta www.paranormalactivity2.co.kr

5. Planet 51 (sp/uk/us)– d. Jorge Blanco, voiced by Dwayne Johnson www.planet51.co.kr

6. Silence Before Bach (sp)– d. Pere Portabella, Feodor Atkine, Alex Brendemuhl

7. Skate or Die (fr)- Miguel Courtois, starring Mickey Mahut, Idriss Diop www.skateordie.co.kr

8. Wall Street 2 (us)– d. Oliver Stone, starring Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf www.foxkorea.co.kr/wallstreet/

Posted in Box Office | 3 Comments »

DVD Releases: Oct.17-23

16th October 2010

Two movies that are definitely worth owning are being released this week, 71: Into the Fire and Poetry along with a minor MBC TV Drama that may be of interest to fans of Korean pop music as it stars Jeong Yoon-ho. He more more widely known as U-Know of the singing group DongbangShingi  (The band is more active in Japan these days where the name of the group is often written in English as Tohoshinki).  I will be purchasing both of these films this week.

71 into the fire dvd

71: Into the Fire–I wound up reviewing this film a couple of times. Once on this blog back in June  and then for the October issue of Asiana Entertainment.  Even though I have seen it twice in a four-month period, I am happy to own this movie as well. This two-disc set comes with four charachter cards, a film leaflet and T.O.P’s autograph on a face shot. Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean & English/ Rating: ages 12+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround + DTS 5.1/ Special Features: pre-production, production design, the Korean War, making documentary, behind the scenes, poster shoot, trailers, etc/ Recommended Price: 23,500 KRW/ Available: October 20

poetry

Maenddange Heading:  This tv-drama ran from June to November 2009. In it a former pro-soccer player on the national team has given up the game and lost sight of his dream. It stars Jeong Yoon-ho, Ko Ah-ra, Lee Yoon-ji and Lee Sang-yoon. Number of discs: 6 (episodes 1-17)/ Subtitles: English/ Rating: Ages 15+/ Format: 16.9 full screen/Audio: Dolby 2.0/ Region Code: 1 & 3/ Special Features: Deleted Scenes, Yoon-ho Interview, making, NGs, etc/ Recommended Price: 77,000 KRW/ Available: October 20.

Poetry: This is one I have been waiting to see for a long time. It played at Cannes but we heard very little of that at the time because the high-profile film The Housemaid was also screening there. It is a quiet story of an older woman who decides to take a poetry class and asked to write a poem that expresses her life. Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean & English/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Region Code: all regions/ Special Features: making, the actress, trailers, audio commentary on disc 2 with director Lee Chang-dong  film critic Kim Yeong-jin/ Recommended Price: 23,700 KRW/ Available: October 21

Posted in DVDs: New Releases | Comments Off