Song Kang-ho (송강호)

The Good, the Bad, the Weird

2008/08/13 | Source | Permalink |

"The Good, the Bad, the Weird", Kim Ji-woon's slickly made 'Manchurian western' hobbles a bit

Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

Before you start reading, please note that this review is based on the general release version of the film rather than the so-called "international version" shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Chang-yi (Lee Byeong-heon), a dandy hit man with a perpetually bemused, go-ahead-call-me-a-psycho grin on his face, is hired to retrieve a certain map in the hands of a Japanese banker. Unbeknownst to him, meanwhile, bounty hunter Do-won (Jeong Woo-seong) is sent by the Korean independence army for the same mission. To their irritation, however, the map is snatched by the train robber Tae-gu (Song Kang-ho), who is convinced that it leads to the fabled treasures of the fallen Qing dynasty.

Kim Ji-woon, who has an impressive track record of having successfully tackled a wide range of genres, from sports comedy ("The Foul King") to horror ("A Tale of Two Sisters") and Euro...| More

[ChanMi's star news] Lee Na-young, first actress to be on the cover of magazine 'Bazaar'

2008/08/12 | Source | Permalink |

Actress Lee Na-young is the first female actress to be on the cover of the international fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar Korean version.

Cinema Angels Project has supported this photoshoot and will be donating all the profits to the independent films developments....| More

'Mummy' has Korean box office all wrapped up

2008/08/05 | Source | Permalink |

"The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor", one of Hollywood's summer blockbusters, sold 2 million tickets in the five days since its release, its local distributor UIPKorea said yesterday.

The strong performance of "Mummy 3" knocked "The Good, The Bad, the Weird" out of the top spot, signaling that the Korean blockbuster is losing momentum after a two-week reign at the box office.

The Korean flick, directed by Kim Ji-woon, has sold more than 5 million tickets, emerging as the biggest Korean movie of the year, on the strength of its star-studded cast featuring Song Kang-ho, Lee Byeong-heon and Jeong Woo-seong. Previously, the record holder among Korean films was "The Chaser".

UIPKorea said "Mummy 3" dominated the weekend box office by taking 43.6 percent of the total audiences while "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" attracted just 19.8 percent.

In the U.S. market, "The Dark Knight" has taken in $395 million in 17 days since its release, looking to surpass the previous record ...| More

Divers quartet rule the box office

2008/08/01 | Source | Permalink |

After LIM Soon-rye's "Forever the Moment", NA Hong-jin's "The Chaser", and KANG Woo-seok's "Public Enemy Returns" KIM Ji-woon's "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" is the fourth Korean film this year to surpass the 4 million spectators landmark.

CJ Entertainment announced that the kimchi western accumulated 4.13 million admissions in just eleven days. "Public Enemy Returns" was in 2008 the second fastest to reach the 4 million mark in 25 days.

2008 started with two unexpected block busters. In the sports drama "Forever the Moment", the Korean women handball team dramatically lost the final at the 2004 Athens Olympics; however they won the number one spot at the box office in early 2008. Korea had not much of a film history in sports dramas before.

An even bigger surprise was the sleeper hit "The Chaser". However, acclaim from critics and viewers for this dark thriller spread around and resulted in so far the most popular film in the running yearwith over 5 million admissions; an im...| More

Kim Ji-woon on a Loving Homage to the Masters

2008/08/01 | Source | Permalink |

"The Good, the Bad, the Weird" by director Kim Ji-woon has drawn more than 4.5 million viewers in just two weeks after it hit local theaters on July 17. The Chosun Ilbo spoke to the director of this most talked-about Korean film of the year.

Rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival in May will have boosted his confidence. Appearing in sunglasses against the strong sunshine, Kim stressed the aesthetics of "handmade" filmmaking. He said sincerity is needed not only in the film's theme or attitude. "I work as though making the movie by hand. I give all I have in filming". He offers the example of a bowl. "Some potters exert the utmost effort not only in the function but also in color and pattern. I'd be happy if viewers question how the film was made rather than why, and if it's dubbed 'the Korean film with the best action sequence' rather than a perfect entertainment".

The unlikely combination of entertainment and dedicated craftsmanship makes sense after watching the film. "The Go...| More