info-2513 Reviews

Krrish (2006)

A runaway hit in India

[9/10 · 25 September 2006]

A runaway hit in India, where its homegrown title superhero "Krrish" will likely out-gross the much-touted "Superman Returns" import, Rakesh Roshan's sequel to his madly successful sci-fi extravaganza "Koi ... mil gaya" pilfers "ideas" from multiple Hollywood comicbook sagas with beaming insouciance. Not content to walk on water, swing through forests at supersonic speed, and demolish a cricket field with a single ball, Krishna (reigning heartthrob Hrithik Roshan) also sings and dances divinely as romance decidedly trumps deeds of derring-do for most of the pic's 172 minutes. Enjoyable, daffily improbable escapist romp further expands Bollywood's pop genre repertoire.

Fearing the discovery and exploitation of her very "special" young grandson Krishna, Sonia (Rekha) whisks the boy off to the hinterlands. There, the plump little geek develops into a gorgeous hunk who communes with animals and smiles contentedly at all creation. When a beautiful career woman named Priya (Priyanka Chopra) drops, Jane-like, into his life via a parachute, Krishna disappears into the trees to play childish tricks on her and her friends, occasioning numerous duets as the couple frolics through the jungle.

But Priya works for a media company, and, when her job is threatened, she lures Krishna to Singapore, ostensibly to meet her mother but in reality to peddle her newfound "superboy" discovery. Before he goes, however, Sonia tells Krishna that his father was betrayed by an evil scientist, triggering flashbacks to "Koi ... mil gaya" and to Krishna's dad, who looks exactly like him (not too surprisingly, since Hrithik played his progenitor in the previous film).

Krishna promises his grandmother that he'll hide his extraordinary lights under a bushel. Not until more than half-way through the film does Krishna's alter-ego, Krrish, finally materialize, his zigzag half-mask and shiny black coat disguising him even less effectively than Clark Kent's dorky homburg and glasses. After a big musical number, a three-ring Bombay circus showstopper, Krrish appears on cue to save children trapped in a burning tent -- performing a death-defying rescue that may be the only thing that could top the just-wrapped song.

Thesping is engaging, aside from Miss World 2000 Chopra's vapid posing (though, to be fair, it is hard to maintain any tonal continuity while changing costumes more frequently than one changes expressions). Rekha brings depth to her role as the nurturing grandmother, and Naseeruddin Shah, as the power-mad corporate scientist Dr. Arya, has great fun chewing up the futuristic scenery.

Seven Swords (2005)

action-packed epic about love, betrayal, and heroism

[10/10 · 7 September 2005]

Produced, directed, and written by Tsui Hark, SEVEN SWORDS is an action-packed epic about love, betrayal, and heroism. Starring Asia hottest stars, including award winning Hong Kong actor and singer Leon Lai (Three, Infernal Affairs 3), versatile actress Charlie Young (New Police Story, Fallen Angels), international action star Donnie Yen (Blade 3, Hero), award winning China actors Sun Hong-Lei (Zhou Yu's Train) and Lu Yi, and actress Kim So Yeon from Korea. With state of the art costume and set designs by Eddie Wong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and action direction by acclaimed martial arts choreographer, Lau Kar-Leung (Drunken Master 2).

Adapted from renowned writer Liang Yu-Shen timeless classic, SEVEN SWORDS tells the story of seven unlikely heroes gathered together to save a village from the massacre of a general that is seeking a fortune through killing. In the early 1600, the long ruling Ming Dynasty has been overthrown, and the Manchurian invaders from the north have taken over the sovereignty, beginning what is known as the Ching Dynasty, and a highly oppressive reign thus begins. In order to prevent rebels developing revolutionary plots, the newly set-up government immediately imposes a ruthless emergency martial law, ordering all martial art practitioners to turn in their weapons to district officials. Those who fail to do so will be considered committing a serious crime and would result to immediate execution. But soon enough, people would discover that even if they were to obey the law and turn in their weapon, their fate is equally in dire. Wind Fire, a surrendered military official from the previous dynasty, sees this as an opportunity to make a fortune for himself by helping to execute the new law. After endless massacres, Wind Fire next goal is to attack the final frontier, the village of Bowei Fortress.

"Seven Swords" is set in 17th century Western China, where the greedy Manchurian leader Fire-Wind is intent on increasing both his coffers and his power. Hence, he sends his vicious henchmen and women out to plunder and pillage any small town that they set foot in. The horses seem to snarl and heads roll, literally. Overseas fans of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "House Of Flying Daggers" will find much to enjoy here, for Hark's villains are clearly dangerous and compelling, reminiscent of bloodthirsty goth rockers. Cold weather and the real life settings of Turfan and Xianjing add to the gritty realism.

Yet when Fire-Wind's men threaten Martial Village, the last outpost in Northwestern China, retired executioner Fu Zingzhu decides that he must round up some people to stop their murderous ways. He then recruits villagers Wu Yuanyin (Charlie Young) and Han Zhibeng) to travel to the mythical Mount Heaven to seek help. Once there, Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yunchong, Mulang and Xin Longzi agree to help stop Fire-Wind, and use specially made swords in their attempt. But things aren't as easy as they seem. It's seven men against Fire-Wind's army of hundreds. There are more complications for the group as one of them falls in love with the doomed Green Pearl, a beautiful Korean woman who is Fire-Wind's mistress against her will. For male viewers, Hark offers plenty of well choreographed martial arts influenced fight scenes. Females will revel in the film's epic adventurism, hints of a love story and breathtaking settings. Critics overseas are likely to praise the film as well, likening it to visual poetry which spreads itself out for nearly three hours.

The casting of veteran local singer/actor Leon Lai has raised some eyebrows, as he is better known as of late for local phone commercials than he has been for his film choices. However, he fares well here as Yang Yunchong, a well intentioned but flawed hero who wishes to dethrone Fire-Wind. Equally baffling was the casting of his co-star Charlie Young, best known of late for her appearances in fitness ads. Yet as Wu Yuanyin, she too fares admirably. However, much of the film's most memorable star heat certainly belongs to Sun Hong Lei's Fire-Wind, as well as Donnie Yen and Korean actress Kim So Yuen. Collectively, the trio make the most of their conflicted personalities, and it's their actions, glances and deeds that viewers will remember long after the credits have run. High production values and beautiful mountainous settings will also warrant repeat viewings amongst particularly avid viewers.

"Seven Swords" is said to be based on Lian Yu Shen's classic book. With characters and conflicts of the time firmly entrenched by film's end, Hark has been quoted as saying that "Seven Swords" could be to this decade what the "Once Upon A Time In China" series could be to the 90s. Let's hope so. For this film is an extremely bright beacon for Hong Kong cinema in 2005.

Cheon gun (2005)

military-themed time travel adventure

[10/10 · 7 September 2005]

Did producers of the new South Korean film "Heaven's Soldiers" foresee that the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program would resume in late July? The plot of "Heaven's Soldiers" revolves around a group of South and North Korean soldiers who make an unexpected trip through time to the past, while their countries are in feud with the United States over their joint development of a nuclear warhead.

From director Min Jun Gi comes the 2005 film Heaven's Soldiers, a nationalistic, military-themed time travel adventure filled with equal parts action and comedy! The story centers on a group of North and South Korean soldiers who find themselves flung back in time just as their respective countries are locked in a tense standoff with the United States over the status of a jointly produced nuclear warhead. The film kicks off with stock footage of the historic meeting between the two Korean leaders in June 2000, using this real life moment as a springboard for the film's fictional premise that North and South Korea secretly formed an alliance, agreeing to co-produce their very own weapon of mass destruction! But when the two Koreas decide to hand over the warhead to the United States, North Korean military officer Kang Min Gil (Kim Seung Woo) decides to take matters into his own hands and not only steal the weapon with the help of a band of private soldiers but kidnap the female South Korean scientist (Kong Hyo Jin) who helped create it as well! Things get even more difficult for Kang as South Korean Navy Officer Park Jeong Woo (Hwang Jung Min) is sent by his superiors to capture the rogue soldier and reclaim the weapon. In the midst of a battle on the DMZ, the soldiers are suddenly transported through time thanks to the appearance of a mysterious comet.

In a blink of the eye, the soldiers find themselves trapped in the 16th century, a dark time in Korean history, which saw its countrymen spending most of their time battling off the advances of foreign invaders. After defeating a band of looters with their high-powered machine guns, the time displaced soldiers are hailed as conquering heroes by the locals. Dubbed "Heaven's Soldiers," the group ends up meeting Yi Sun Shin (Park Joong Hoon), the real life admiral who led Korea to victory against the Japanese.

However, the legendary Yi isn't quite what the soldiers expected. Rather than the mythical hero of legend he's thought to be in the present day, the Yi the soldiers encounter is actually a thief and a rascal, one who can't even pass the officer's exam! Shocked that their hero could be so lax in his studies, the soldiers give Yi a crash course in military education, all in the hopes he'll fulfill his destiny! But will Yi discover his true calling in time or will he doom both himself and his beloved country? Find out in Heaven's Soldiers, a crowd-pleasing time travel epic!

The Bow (2005)

A shot of the weapon that inspired the film's title

[10/10 · 6 September 2005]

The story centers around a man in his sixties who has been raising a young girl since childhood on a ship that floats unanchored off Korea's western coast. Though the borders of her world are obviously quite limited, she seems happy, and the old man plans to marry her the day she reaches legal age. The two make their living by hosting fishermen aboard the boat, and also tell fortunes in a rather bizarre and dangerous fashion, by shooting arrows whizzing past the girl's head into a Buddhist painting on the side of the boat. (This method of fortune-telling appears to have been invented by Kim, though possibly inspired by the common practice of dropping a dart onto a spinning disc)

The film opens in striking fashion with a shot of the weapon that inspired the film's title. When fitted with an additional piece, the bow becomes a stringed instrument. Sadly, however, the instrument doesn't fit into the film's plot beyond providing for occasional mood music. The bow is utilized more often as a means of fending off lecherous fisherman from the young girl, who braves the dead of winter in a flimsy dress, and who (like all the women in Kim's films) is pretty gorgeous. Soon, however, a sensitive male college student shows up on board, and the old man discovers he's going to need more than a bow if he wants to keep the delectable young thing for himself.

One of Kim's most common approaches to storytelling is to set up an isolated or marginalized world (usually a physical space, but sometimes a way of life like in 3-Iron) that operates by its own elaborate set of rules and customs. Examples include the red-light district in Bad Guy, the lake in The Isle, the motel in Birdcage Inn, or the floating temple in Spring, Summer, etc... Part of the pleasure in watching his films comes in exploring and coming to understand these worlds and how they operate. For example, in The Bow we are shown how the girl and the old man defend themselves in a series of repeated scenes. First we are shown the man's skill with the bow, then we see how the girl's spatial knowledge of the boat and archery skills can serve as a second layer of defense. These scenes don't really add much depth to the human characters, but they characterize the "society" of the boat itself.

This is compounded by the fact that the two main characters do not speak to each other. It's true that one of Kim's strengths is to be able to tell stories using very little dialogue. The lack of dialogue between the leads in The Isle and 3-Iron worked well because these couples could communicate with each other emotionally, and the absence of words only accentuated their strange bond. However, in The Bow the old man and the girl spend much of the film growing emotionally more detached. Since they don't talk, the only way left for them to communicate is to trade angry stares, which they do, over and over and over again. In this way, the lack of dialogue comes across feeling more like a gimmick than an integral part of the film.

Initial D (2005)

A David and Goliath race

[9/10 · 29 August 2005]

A thoroughly commercial enterprise from the word Go, "Initial D" stars untrained Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou, who gets able assist from Hong Kong cinema king Anthony Wong and a cast that will be familiar to Hong Kong cinephiles. The film has an impressive pedigree, being directed by the duo of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and written by Felix Chong, the trio having worked together previously on the mega hit (and soon to be Hollywood remade) "Infernal Affairs" trilogy.

Based on the Japanese manga by Shuichi Shigeno, "Initial D" follows the (literally) downhill adventures of tofu delivery teen Takumi (Chou), who spends his school days in a daze about the flirty Natsuki (Anne Suzuki, "Returner"), his afternoons working at the gas station of best bud Itsuki (Chapman To), and his nights delivering tofu for his hard drinking (and narcoleptic, one presumes) dad Bunta (Anthony Wong). After Takumi zips past a drift racer (Shawn Yue, "Jiang Hu") on a curvaceous hill one night, he becomes known as the racer god of that particular hill. His secret identity blown, Takumi becomes the target of challengers, including Edison Chen and, later, Jordan Chan.

For five years, 18-year-old Takumi has been delivering tofu in his father's obsolescent Toyota AE86 every morning. Not only has he become a good racer, but he has also unwillingly perfected the art of drifting. He was never an aficionado of hill racing until he is asked to drive this AE86 in a David and Goliath race against Night Kid's GTR. A glorious but unexpected victory awakens the competitive genes in his blood, while his overnight fame inevitably leads to hellraising races one after another, each one more perilous and exciting than the previous one.

A Bittersweet Life (2005)

face-dragged-across-the-cinderblock-wall

[10/10 · 8 July 2005]

For director Kim Jee-woon, humor is a basic element of films. And he says no matter how dark and moody it may seem, his new film ''A Bittersweet Life (Talkomhan Insaeng)¡¯¡¯ is no exception.

''This movie basically deals with relationship breakups resulting from small communication breakdowns,¡¯¡¯ Kim said during a news conference Monday after the preview screening of ''A Bittersweet Life.¡¯¡¯ Without calling it comedy exactly, sometimes audiences have to laugh at very serious or ironic situations, Kim said.

Kim has shown his unique morbid sense of humor in previous movies such as ''The Quiet Family,¡¯¡¯ a black comedy about a family who kill visitors to their cottage, ''The Foul King,¡¯¡¯ a comic drama about an amateur wrestler, and one horror contribution work for the omnibus film ''Three.¡¯¡¯ Kim is also behind ''A Tale of Two Sisters,¡¯¡¯ the psychological horror film that became a summer hit in 2003.

''A Bittersweet Life,¡¯¡¯ starring Lee Byung-hun from ''Everybody Has a Little Secret¡¯¡¯ and Shin Mina from ''Madeleine,¡¯¡¯ portrays the desperate and brutal revenge of Sun-woo (played by Lee) after he is expelled from his gang and comes close to being killed by his boss.

Lee Byung-hun is a hit-man who falls for the girlfriend of his boss in the stylishly violent ¡°A Bittersweet Life.¡± Conventional ideas of causation are put into doubt in director Kim Jee-woon's twist on film noire. ''A Bittersweet Life (Talkomhan Insaeng)'' is what Korean critics are describing as ''Action Noire.'' In it, he tweaks the traditional Korean gangster story line, presenting a work with film noire undertones and stylish cinematography.

Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun) is a revenging dark angel dressed in black. Gang leader Kang (Kim Young-cheol) assigns Sun-woo, his right-hand man, to watch after his nubile girlfriend/professional cellist Hee-soo (Shin Mina) while he is away and find out about the other guy with whom he suspects she is messing around.

The plot is complicated by Sun-woo's existential decision to stray from the explicit instructions with which he is charged. He is cryptically told time and again to make good on a promise, but he never exactly know what that is.

Much of the action occurs in the long shadows the sprawling megapolis Seoul casts. Here, the gangsters wish they were too cool to be killed. No friend can really be trusted as the good guys are not so good and the bad guys can be down right evil. Importantly, the motivation of his tormentors is shrouded in mystery.

But the movie has been labeled ''action noire'' for a good reason. The stylistic ultra-violence of director Kim is superb. The creepy fisherman killer represents a unique Korean twist on the classic film noire villain. Our hero is not a good, good guy either, and I loved that about him. He is not only tough, but also a stone-face killer _ a tribute to both the director and actor's character interpretation.

After all, gangsters should fight to kill, and that means sometimes going for the knees and other joints, hitting low and dirty to take the guy out quick. In general, the fight scenes were creative. Watch for the face-dragged-across-the-cinderblock-wall scene, perhaps a first for cinematic violence.

Another Public Enemy (2005)

Tougher than Ever !

[10/10 · 18 May 2005]

New Public Enemy¡¦ who laughs at Justice with his money and power

The new antagonist born out of " Another Public Enemy " is JUNG Joon-ho. Even the cinematographer was taken back by the actor¡¯s naturalism at playing such an evil character.Although many other members of the production crew were worried how JUNG Joon-ho will be playing the role of such a cold hearted, manipulating villain so well, the character was perfect for him to play. During the final showdown between the public enemy and the prosecutor, the cinematographer recalls that his acting was so intense and powerful that it actually shook the camera. And in order to give the actor the appearance of that of being a member of the aristocratic, bourgeois society, more than 20 designer suits and a luxurious hotel suite, which cost USD 5,000 a day to rent were used.

Tunnel Total Shut down¡¦ 5 Simultaneous Camera ¡¦ The Most complex and dangerous High-speed pursuit scene ever ! One of the highlights of the movie is the scene where KANG Chul-joong, the Prosecutor is in high-speed pursuit of bikers. Because of the complexity and amount of danger the scene possessed, it was necessary to block off the tunnel that was used for the scene. The tunnel was shut down with barricades provided by numerous patrol cars and police officers. More than 5 cameras were used in the scene in order to captivate the best scenes, including an unmanned camera that was set up on the road.

Another scene was when the motorcyclists run KANG Chul-joong¡¯s car off the road and onto the entrance of the tunnel, where a truck comes barreling out and crushes the car.The crew chose a suburban area near the InchonInternationalAirport. And since the scene was a very risky one, several ambulances and emergency personnel were on stand by.This scene also required the 5 camera set up.

Three Directors for One film¡¦ Each scene for the best directors¡¦ In "Another Public Enemy", director KIM Sang-jin of "Jail Breaker", "Ghost House" and "Attack the Gas Station" was placed in charge of the flashback scenes of KANG Chul-joong¡¯s youth, while CHANG Youn-hyun of "SOME", "Tell me Something" directed the chase scenes. Director KANG took charge of the films overall drama, and character development. Giving each director in charge of specific scenes was to make the best film with the best scenes which the two other directors are good at. Because the two directors already had experience working with director KANG in previous films, the outcome of the collaboration was perfect that created a synergy effect that added to the films overall success.

SYNOPSIS KANG Chul-joong (staring SOL Kyung-gu), a prosecutor for the Seoul District attorney¡¯s office, is a unique one. He prefers going directly to the crime scene to reading files, his intuition and guts to logic and reason, and using weapons of force to sitting back watching his men get stabbed by criminals. And now, once again, his gets one of his gut feelings about a particular case, and wastes no time in getting involved in the Myung-sun Foundation case, during which he opening declares war on HAN Sang-woo ( starring JUNG Joon-ho), the Public Enemy.

HAN Sang-woo( starring JUNG Joon-ho) assumed the position of Executive Director of the Myung-sun Foundation when his father died, and his successor, his elder son, suffered a car accident and fell into a coma. Soon, a director on the board of the Myung-sun Foundation becomes suspicious and files a case with the prosecutor¡¯s office.KANG Chul-joong has a hunch about the case and decides to pursue it.And coincidentally, HAN Sang-woo turns out to be an old friend of KANG Chul-joong from high school.

Red Eye (2004)

The best Horror movie from Korea Yet!!!

[10/10 · 26 April 2005]

In 1988, a train travelling from Seoul to Yeosu was involved in a myesterious accident that killed about 100 people. The cause of the accident was never discovered. Now, 16 years later, the train is making its final run. Not long after the trip begins, the passengers start to notice strange things as the ghosts of the victims of the 80's crash begin to make their presence felt.

After 16 years of the accident, the last train of the day is ready to take off at its platform as the rain is pouring. A train attendant Mi-sun is on board first time at work and the train leaves its platform as scheduled and rapidly gains the full speed. All of sudden, it stops for 10 minutes without any reason, and restarts. However, when it begins to run, everything is totally different from 10 minutes ago. All she can see is from the 80's and old newspaper with the date written July 16, 1988. Does she see an illusion, or reality? If this unbelievable scene is reality, where is she indeed? What happened during the 10 minutes when the train stopped and where are they headed to?

Butterfly (2004)

Alternates between the past and the present

[8/10 · 5 February 2005]

The second feature from Hong Kong independent director Yan Yan Mak has been one of the most talked about films of 2004. A small-scale film that sits on the border of independent and commercial film-making, Butterfly premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2004 as the Opening Film for the International Critics' Week. It has since been invited to many film festivals around the world, including Stockholm, Pusan, Tokyo, Bangkok, India, Brazil and Australia. It also received two nominations at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards in 2004: Best Screenplay Adaptation for Mak and Best New Performer for Tian Yuan.

Butterfly is adapted from Taiwanese author Chen Hsueh's short story "The Mark of the Butterfly". Starring Josie Ho, Eric Kot, Tian Yuan, Isabel Chan and Joman Chaing, it is about a woman's struggle to come to terms with her true self, the importance to break out from her cocoon and set herself free.

Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, Flavia finds her lesbian passion reawakened after a chance encounter with a carefree and spirited singer / songwriter. A shattering new film form award-winning director Yan Yan Mak (Gege, 2001), Butterfly alternates between the past and the present, juxtaposing a romance to a rebellious human rights activist in 1989 with her current struggles as a wife and mother. Fronted by a brave and sympathetic...

A World Without Thieves (2004)

Partners in crime and passion

[10/10 · 5 February 2005]

two professional thieves who find their consciences challenged. Long partners in love and crime, the two thieves meet a country farmer named Xa Gen (Wang Baoqiang) in a train station. The naive, honest Xa Gen is convinced that he lives in a "world without thieves", but the very train he's boarding is proof of the contrary! Besides Wang Bo and Wang Li, legendary thief Uncle Bill (Ge Yu of My Dog, Cala! and Big Shot's Funeral) is on board, and he and his men are ready to take Xa Gen's savings for themselves. Uncle Bill is also determined to outwit Wang Bo - and he just might have his chance! When Wang Li decides to protect Xa Gen from Uncle Bill's men, Wang Bo finds himself caught in the middle. Will he help Wang Li and oppose Uncle Bill? Or does he have something else up his sleeve? Wang Bo (Andy Lau) and Wang Li (Rene Liu) should have made the perfect Bonnie and Clyde: the former a seasoned con amn and master pickpocket from Hong Kong, the latter a frifter femme fatale from Taiwan. Partners in crime and passion, the couple swindle their way across China, until one fine day Li suddenly decides to call it quits, both to her egregious lifestyle and to her entanglement with Bo. It is at this crossroad in their lives and relationships that they run into Fu Gen in a train station, an encounter that will alter their fate forever.

China's mainland director Feng Xiaogang's latest "New Year" movie A World Without Thieves.

The leading stars Andy Lau, Rene Liu, Ge You and Li Bingbing reflected the theme of the movie by emerging from a "train" called A World Without Thieves.

The story unfolds during a train ride to western China. It's about two thieves who become conscience stricken when they meet an honest farmer who dreams of "a world without thieves". A World Without Thieves is a new style movie for Feng Xiaogang. It moves away from his usual black humor, grotesque and sometimes bizarre depictions of reality. This new film carries a more sentimental and idealistic story. Feng Xiaogang said, "This is a fresh try. Film producers and audiences will all get tired if we keep making films in the same way. It is something like a narcotic. Audiences may fulfill their dreams watching a movie. If audiences can accept new styles, it gives us more chances to make different movies."

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

This movie will blow you away!

[10/10 · 3 February 2005]

In the wildly imaginative and action-packed Kung Fu Hustle, petty thief Sing (Stephen Chow) aspires to be a ruthless gangster. Stumbling across a gang-controlled apartment to extort money from the locals who are actually kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions attracts the notorious Axe Gang, and set off a relentless chain of events that brings the clans together in an explosive battle.

From kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen martial arts action this outrageous! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yeun Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Kill Bill Vol.1 & 2 and The Matrix) Kung Fu Hustle will blow you away! Chow's movie is set in 1940s Guangdong Province, China. Chow plays Ah-xing, a street rascal who fools around constantly. He is good at talking glibly, but at the core he is feeble-minded and stuck in poverty with an unknown future. So, it doesn't look good for A-xing at the beginning of the movie.

It doesn't get any better, either a little later as we discover it is A-xing's goal is to become a member of the notorious Axe Gang, the fiercest, cruelest and most widespread gang of the city.

One day when A-xing goes into a slum, Pig Cage Town, to do his usual extortion, he witnesses a real clash between two gangs: the Axe Gang is clearing out a local gang that has not shown allegiance to the Axe. A-xing realizes the slum residents -- including the plump landlady and her skinny and wimpy-looking husband -- have each turned into kung-fu masters to fight against the large group of gangs.

A-xing then realizes this is a battle between good and evil and that he is called to choose one side.

Stephen Chow continues his unique comedy style, twisting the slapstick jokes and reinterpreting them with his composed face. In Kung Fu Hustle, Chow intensifies the self-torture sequences and creates more funny points in his suffering. For example, when Chow shows his characters practising kung-fu while faced by a middle-aged woman in the slum, he is quickly kicked in the groin. He is also stabbed by three flying daggers which were supposedly aimed at his enemy and is later bitten in the face by two poisonous snakes. Through all these trials he manages to survive for another day.

Apart from creativity, Kung Fu Hustle has also demonstrated a higher quality comedy than his early 1990s works such as Fight Back to School (1991) and King of Beggars (1992). The cinematography is more sophisticated, with an authentic 1930s aura. And like Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle heavily adopts computer graphics to present special effects such as the snake, daggers and flying axes.

R-Point (2004)

A new genre of horror film

[10/10 · 19 October 2004]

1972, what happened there?

'R-Point' - refers to a once strategically important region in an island 150 km south of HO Chi Minh city. French soldiers were fascinated by the beauty of the island, upon which a leisure facility and a military hospital were built. But the area has a secret past, a haunting curse untold for 30 years.

1st Vietnamese War -1949- 12 French soldiers who were in battle with communist guerrillas went mysteriously missing. A total of 650 people have been reported missing there without any explanation.

2nd Vietnamese War -1972- 9 Korean soldiers went missing in the area. There are accounts of unexplainable radio transmissions sent by the group for 6 months requesting to be rescued.

Are these freak occurrences real or not? The fact is that a gravestone which says 'No return' still stands, marking the entrance of the area. In addition, to this day, there are reported sightings by local people of the girl who was slaughtered mercilessly a long time ago.

The premise of this film is based on a story that has been passed on by oral tradition. Both French and Korean soldiers have gone missing in the area known as R-Point. In 1972, when American forces were being withdrawn from Vietnam, Korean troops eager to go home, dreaming of returning to their family and friends baring American made gifts and earned money from their service, were unexpectedly sent to R-Point on a mission which would prove fatal. Although their desire to return home was everything to them, once they entered the haunted jungles of R-Point, all hopes of coming back alive were lost. It was the living dead in the jungle that would not let them go. To this day, the cursed spirits of dead Korean soldiers roam R-Point, continuing to search for a way out.

House of Flying Daggers (2004)

Everything you will expect from this master

[10/10 · 19 October 2004]

Zhang Yimou, coming off "Hero", his most internationally acclaimed and successful film to date, now brings us another martial arts epic set in ancient China. "House of Flying Daggers" stars Andy Lau ("Infernal Affairs") and Takeshi Kaneshiro ("Returner") as Leo and Jin, respectively, two Imperial underlings ordered to bring down a rebel group called the House of Flying Daggers. The empire is on the verge of collapse, and the Daggers are helping to move things along. Not surprisingly, the Powers That Be are a tad ticked.

Chinese director Zhang Yimou fuses a martial arts action-drama with a tragic romance in this elegant period piece.

In the year 859 A.D., as the Tang dynasty is beset by rebellion, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are a pair of lawmen who have been given the task of ferreting out the leaders of a revolutionary faction known as the Flying Daggers. Working on a tip that members of the group are working out of a brothel called the Peony Pavilion, Jin arrives there in disguise and is introduced to a beautiful blind dancer named Mei (Zhang Ziyi).

After watching Mei's performance following several drinks, Jim drunkenly attempts to have his way with her, and Leo is forced to intervene. After gaining Mei's trust in a game of skill, Leo arrests her and informs her that she'll be tortured if she doesn't tell all she knows about the Flying Daggers. Jin responds by helping Mei break out of prison, but he has an ulterior motive ? by following her, Leo and Jin are certain she'll lead them to the Flying Daggers. However, as he helps the blind girl find her way back home, Jin finds himself falling in love with Mei, and isn't certain if he's willing to betray her again.

Be prepared for the latest martial arts epic from acclaimed director Zhang Yimou who has been stunning the world with Hero. How does love exist in a world where no one can be trusted and ambush is coming from all sides in House of Flying Daggers?

House of Flying Daggers has been accepted into prestigeous film festivals such as Cannes and Toronto to critical acclaim, as well as commercial success in Asia. The three actors, all acclaimed in the international arena, gives stunning performances as people torn between love and torn apart by betrayal. The fight choreography is staged by Ching Siu-Tung whose wonderful work is on Hero is now transferred here, with a stunning action sequence in a bamboo forest. Riding on the success of Hero in the United States, Zhang Yimou has created a wonder story from a Chinese director who has achieve both critical and mainstream success, and House of Flying Daggers will be everything you will expect from this master!

Fighter in the Wind (2004)

fighting masterpiece Korean style

[10/10 · 14 October 2004]

'Paramui Paito (Fighter in the Wind) is based on the events in the life of legendary Korean martial artist Choi Bae-dal. Or more precisely, the film is based on the comic book based on the martial artist's life _ a difference that can be felt throughout this entertaining but factually suspect movie.

The first of a handful of local films about famous Koreans who lived during the Japanese occupation period, ''Fighter in the Wind tells of the early part of Choi¡¯s life, how he sneaked into Japan in the late 1930s in hopes of becoming a pilot, joined the martial arts community there, and after training by himself in the mountains for 18 months, came down to become the top fighter of that country.

The film offers a seemingly sentimentalized version of the same story, especially playing up the outsider aspect of Choi's experiences, of his being a Korean in Japanese society. Given the story's xenophobic elements, which include evil yakuzas exploiting Koreans, it will be interesting to see how a Japanese audience responds to the film when it gets released there as planned.

''Fighter¡¯s best moments hint at the moral complexity of films like ''Raging Bull,¡¯¡¯ Martin Scorcese¡¯s boxing masterpiece. At first, Choi¡¯s motivation to become Japan¡¯s best seems to be connected to righting injustices felt by Koreans in Japan, but as he travels to martial arts schools enduring punishment after punishment, it becomes less clear as to what he is trying to prove.

But such insights are all too brief in the film, which is so heavy on the melodrama and action that it's difficult to take too seriously. By the end, the story resembles a kung fu film from Hong Kong, complete with a geisha girlfriend (Ara Hirayama), who tries to turn Choi into a lover not a fighter, and elder statesmen of the Japanese martial arts community who will go to any lengths to keep a Korean from becoming Japan's best. It's not the most inventive of plots, but the film keeps it entertaining throughout.

Singer and actor Bi (Rain) was initially cast for the lead role of Choi but had to pull out due to schedule conflicts. It¡¯s a good thing too, for the rail-thin pop singer wouldn¡¯t have been able to take the physical punishment the role required.

Instead, we get Yang Dong-geun, a burly actor who plays the part to near perfection. It¡¯s refreshing to see this young and talented actor take on a substantial role for a change, and he brings to ''Fighter the necessary savagery and physical presence to make it work.

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)

An extraordinary film

[10/10 · 16 September 2004]

Korean wartime epic "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War" belongs to that brand of sweeping, conflict-era drama epitomized by "Saving Private Ryan," "Gone with the Wind" and TV miniseries "North and South."

What makes "Tae Guk Gi" such an extraordinary film isn't its solid, family-based core or the choreographed chaos of its battle scenes--although both contribute. Instead, writer/director Kang Je-gyu dedicates himself to the human side of a grand tale, to people who've been uprooted by history.

When brothers Jin-tae (Jang Dong-gun) and Jin-seok (Won Bin) are forced into the South Korean army in 1950, an officer tells older sibling Jin-tae the only way to send his baby brother home is to win medals and fame. Thereafter, Jin-tae volunteers for the most brutal, dangerous missions (caught on film with hand-held "Saving Private Ryan"-style cinematography) with little regard for his life.

Throw Down (2004)

Johnnie To is back in action

[10/10 · 13 September 2004]

Award-winning director Johnnie To is back in action with his recent release Throw Down, which stars heart-throbs Aaron Kwok and Louis Koo in judo-flopping scenes.

Ex-judo champion Sze-to (Louis Koo) mysteriously retires from the sport and becomes a pub manager until "Leather Jacket" Tony (Aaron Kwok), a spirited judo fighter, revitalizes his fighting desires and challenges him to a match. But there's more to win than just the champion title; Mona, a Taiwanese girl (Cherrie Ying) working at Sze-to's pub, charms both fighters with her singing and dancing skills.

Pub manager/band leader Sae-To was once the greatest Judo fighter around until he unexpectedly gave up the sport for no apparent reason. Nowadays Sze-To lives the life of an alcoholic gambler with no hope for the futre, until cocky Judo enthusiast Tony shows up at the door and challenges Sze-To into a due; Old foe Kong demands finishing the match that never took place years ago; Sze-To's mentor Master Cheng ask him to man age his rundown Dojo...

Silmido (2003)

The most tragic & incredible event in Korean history

[10/10 · 8 July 2004]

January 1968, 31 members of North Korean Special Unit 124 infiltrated South Korea with the ultimate mission of attacking the Blue House (Presidential Palace in Korea) and assassinating President PARK Chung-hee. When KIM Shin-jo, the only member who was captured alive, was asked 'What was the purpose of infiltration?' on a live TV program, he shouted 'I came to slit the throat of President PARK Chung-hee!' and made the whole country's blood run cold.

At the same time, In-chan escapes the death penalty for being an accessory to a crime when he accepts an unexpected proposal from Jae-hyun , a general at Silmido H.I.D. Project and is transported to Silmido Special Unit. Silmido Special Unit is a unit composed of dysfunctional social outcasts and criminals under the death or life sentences. Sang-pil and Won-hee are also among the members of this unit. When they arrive at the island, Jae-hyun gives them the classified national duty, which is to explode the North Korean presidential palace and behead KIM Il-sung, the North Korean president. It is a retaliatory project. To its all 31 members, it is the ultimate patriotic mission with pride and loyalty; and it is the only chance they have to start a new life that is promised once the mission is successfully accomplished. With their hopes and promising vision, they survive through the most hellish inhumane 'killing' training and are reborn as human armories. They are the human killing machines, with strong comradeship and respect for each other.

Finally, the day arrives and they receive an order from the head office to carry out the mission. With their supreme confidence, they depart for the North. However, the project is suddenly revoked and they return to Silmido with much discouragement and stress. After then, the hellish training continues but, there is no more mission. The psychological frustration and physical tolerance start to reach their limits. And soon, the members start to lose their focus and unity. In order to regain complete control of the unit, the head office performs public executions of its own members. Meanwhile in 1970, with growing nationwide peacemaking movement between the North and the South, the government quickly decides to demolish Silmido Special Unit and executes all its members...

The Eye 2 (2004)

Overdose of sleeping pills after having her stomach pumped

[10/10 · 16 June 2004]

Spoiler Having won international acclaims with "The Eye" in 2002, director Pang Brothers joined forces with producer Peter Chan once again to deliver a mysterious ghost tale about pregnancy and suicide.

Joey recovers from an overdose of sleeping pills after having her stomach pumped. It was a close call; she had visions of dead people accompanying her during her darkest minutes. But just when she looks forward to a brand new life, she discovers that she is pregnant.

Being tortured by the thought of an abortion, Joey finds herself becoming delusional and emotionally unstable. She is frequently threatened by the sudden presence of strangers, and also feels stalked by a mysterious woman. The stalker actually confronts her on one occasion -- making eye contacts with her on a train platform, then, throwing herself at a running train! Joey breaks down at the sight of the suicide, only to discover later that 'no jumper' is found on the track

Majimak neukdae (2004)

Moowi police station is about to be closed down

[10/10 · 16 June 2004]

And that's exactly the problem police officer Choi has to face in the silver screen release "The Wolf Returns".

Hoping to leave the strenuous duty of handling criminal cases in the fast-paced metropolis Seoul, Choi applies for a transfer to the peaceful countryside town Moowi.

From that moment on he enjoys a merry life as crime is something completely unknown over there.

However, just when he gets totally used to his new heavenly surroundings, he is struck by a distressing message: Moowi police station is about to be closed down as it is deemed superfluous, which may result in a re-transfer to Choi's original post in Seoul

Mokponeun hangguda (2004)

A detective who goes undercover to infiltrate a possible drug ring

[9/10 · 16 June 2004]

A Korean comedy about a detective who goes undercover to infiltrate a possible drug ring has won the grand prize at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival 2004 in Hokkaido, Japan, on Sunday.

''Mokpo-nun Hanguda (Harbor Mokpo),' by first-time director Kim Ji-hun(a), received the Grand Prix of the Young Fantastic Competition section of the festival.

The youthful energy of the film best matches the spirit of Yubari, the festival committee announced. The committee also complimented the film for its interesting perspective and fine acting.

''It was enough for me to have had the opportunity to meet with the people of festival, and I am happy to be recognized by the festival,' Kim said. ''I will return to South Korea and make a better movie.'

The film stars Cho Jae-hyun as a detective who works his way up the hierarchy of a gang that is suspected of smuggling drugs in the port city of Mokpo. Cha In-pyo plays the gang leader who takes the detective under his wings.

Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (2004)

There's no doubt that this film will ring bells about school violence today

[10/10 · 16 June 2004]

To hell with school!

Education and the school system are a sensitive issue to tackle in our society. In Korea's film history, countless films have been made about schools believed to represent the characteristics of the times. For example the mellow dramas that poured out in the 70s, action flicks, or recently released light comedies targeting teenagers. However, all of them fail to express in a realistic, straightforward fashion teenags for unrealistic sitcom-like situations or violence. " Spirits of Jeet Kune : Do Once Upon a Time in High School " is a story that unfolds in the year 1978 at a school in a fast-developing area. At that time, under military regime, schools fell victim to violence that prevailed every corers' lives trapped inside the walls of Korean schools. It's true that, in Korean films, schools have been used as backdropner of our society. Teachers judged their students only by their academic achievements and family backgrounds and inflicted corporal punishment on those to their disliking. Over the past 50 years, Korea's national economic growth has been the main focus of our society. Therefore, our students have been forced to play a survival game, in which the winner is decided by power alone. " Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " successfully depicts the daily struggles and deviations of our teenagers in a realistic and passionate fashion. The director of the film, YOO Ha, mocked the twisted and discolored meaning of marriage in his second feature film, "Marriage is a Crazy Thing". Now his focus is on Korean schools!

1978~2003, A hero in the hearts of those who dream, Bruce Lee!

Hyun-soo (starred by KWON Sang-woo) transfers to a high school on Maljuk Street in 1978. He worships Bruce Lee, a hero to most students who spent their adolescence in times when the ruthless, oppressive military dictatorial government was in power. Bruce Lee's life blossomed and withered in a flash. The nunchakus that he worked symbolized power. The bizarre noise that he made against his enemies sounded almost like a magical chanting ritual. Through him, students could get away from the harsh, oppressive reality ruled by the military regime. 30 years have passes since he died a tragic death. Yet, his worshipers can still be found today. He's a true hero to many people of different generations. Many martial artists criticized his creation of Jeet Kune Do. They thought it was created only to win fights. But his fans thought differently. What they saw was a different form of martial art. It was modern and free, denying conventional styles of other martial arts. Furthermore, it emphasized a just cause against the wrong. Forced to do nothing but study, students admired the freedom and strength that Bruce Lee possessed. In short, Bruce Lee meant freedom and catharsis. As long as there are teenagers with aspirations to be free, his name will never be forgotten.

Nostalgia, A film that appeals to both the new and old!

" Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " is a drama set in the classroom of the late 1970s, but it isn't only for those who lived through those times. Despite the social changes, the classrooms of today don't appear to be much different. The film is based on the recognition that the true meaning of an institutional education is long lost. It carries the message that a reflection upon the present with a consideration for the past is the only way to build a brighter future for our students. The film will bring back memories and emotional sympathy for those who went to school in the 70s. It will also bring fun to today's students who will be given an opportunity to look into a classroom that isn't so different from those of today. In short, " Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " is a movie that everybody can relate to, regardless of age.

The first love is always the hardest.

Like everybody else, Hyun-soo and Eun-ju (starred by HAN Ka-in) experience the pain of first love. Hyun-soo falls in love with Eun-ju at first sight. Though she becomes his best friend's girl friend, nothing can stop his love for her. Eun-ju chooses Woo-sik (starred by LEE Jung-jin), a charismatic womanizer, over Hyun-soo who is kind and gentle. Their pure love provides them with a chance to experience unfamiliar, but ardent emotions of lovesickness, sympathy, secrecy, fury, and understanding. The film talks about a first love that is so pure everyone can relate. No one forgets his or her first love. The love between Hyun-soo and Eun-ju will remind the audience of his or her first love that they've long forgotten.

Characters that spice up the film!

The harmony between the leading and supporting characters couldn't be any better. The story is so realistic, in part because many parts of the film came from the director's personal experiences back in his high school days. When upset, Stabber (Starred by KIM In-kwon) stabs people on the head with a pen. Jong-hoon (starred by LEE Jong-hyuk) abuses his power as a student patrol captain. Hamburger (starred by PKAR Hyo-jun) sells pornographic magazines to pay the tuition. Teachers favor Sung-choon (starred by SEO Dong-won), simply because his father is a three-starred general. Woo-sik is a charismatic fighter. Hyun-soo falls from a model student to a delinquent who frequents a disco. These characters have a little bit of everyone's past in them. The film therefore allows the audience to relate to them easily. The supporting characters, along with other veteran actors and actresses, spice up the film with their marvelous delivery of the film.

KWON Sang-woo shows off his skills with nunchakus!

The best scene of the film picked by the crew is the action sequence on the rooftop. Though he had trained hard for this particular sequence for months, he and the crew couldn't help but become nervous. A team of stunt men was also on standby. However, once the cameras started rolling, he showed off marvelous techniques, impressing real martial artists on the set. He successfully pulled off a high-kick-in-midair technique, which takes years of training to accomplish. He also handled nunchakus so well that the crew felt as if they were watching Bruce Lee back in action. To maximize the reality, he actually fist-fought with a group of stunt men. Though he got hurt in the process, he successfully finished the scene.

A reviving legend of a school notorious for harsh corporal punishment!

It genuinely retells the story of high school life in the Revitalizing Reform Era of the 70s. The director wanted the corporal punishment scenes by teachers to be as real as possible. Accordingly, two male leading characters had no choice but to endure the pain of actually getting spanked with an aluminum baseball bat, getting down on their heads, and leapfrogging up and down the stairs. Of all the corporal punishment scenes, the highlight is when they get beaten up inside a cabinet. The teacher throws them into the cabinet and stamps on them, which will surely arouse fury in the minds of the audience. A film named "Whispering Corridors" (directed by PARK Ki-hyung 1999) described the school life of girls well and hit the box office hard. " Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " is full of scenes to which the male audience nod their heads in sympathy. It's time for men in Korea to go wild!

Innocence VS Passion, Two kissing scenes of different concepts!

Having admired her, Hyun-soo finally sees a chance to win her heart! Heart-broken from Woo-sik, Eun-ju leans toward Hyun-soo, who musters up the courage to suggest a train trip. Beside a beautiful lake, he kisses her. Her eyes closed, he moves slowly toward her and kisses her. Earlier in the film, Eun-ju kisses Woo-sik at a nightclub, celebrating Woo-sik's birthday. As the music flows slowly, Woo-sik takes her out onto the stage, where they kiss. Watching them kiss from a distance, Hyun-soo is emotionally hurt. The love triangle between Hyun-soo, Woo-sik, and Eun-ju… Hyun-soo is gentle and kind, and Woo-sik is tough and charismatic. Who will win her heart?

A model student transfers to a notorious Jungmoon High School!

In the spring of 1978, Hyun-soo transfers to Jungmoon High School in Kangnam where his mother thinks the land price will skyrocket due to the development of the area. Yet, Jungmoon High School is notorious for its severe corporal punishment by teachers and power struggles between school gangs. On the first day, he gets spanked with an aluminum baseball bat for violating the school's dress code. Then, one day, he plays basketball with his classmates and brings his team a victory, which allows him to become chummy with Woo-sik, a kingpin of the school. Before long, they find out that they both are huge fans of Bruce Lee and become best friends.

He got so easily what I had desired so badly.

After school, on the bus, Hyun-soo and Woo-sik see a girl who resembles Olivia Hussey, the most popular foreign actress in Korea at that time. Her name is Eun-ju, a senior at a nearby girls' high school. Both fall in love with her at first sight. Hyun-soo is gentle and kind, while Woo-sik is tough and charismatic. Knowing Woo-sik is so different from her, she can't help but becomes attracted to him.

To hell with the school!

Hyun-soo endures the pain of his secret love for Eun-ju. However, Eun-ju and Woo-sik begin to bicker over petty things. While she's in pain over Woo-sik cheating on her, Hyun-soo sees a chance to win her heart. In the meantime, Woo-sik and Jong-hoon, a student patrol captain, get into a fight. In the duel, Jong-hoon cheats and beats up Woo-sik, who leaves school in the aftermath of his defeat. With Woo-sik gone, Jong-hoon abuses his power as student patrol captain and bullies whoever gets in his way. Hyun-soo falls into an Inferior Class, and Jong-hoon keeps bullying him. The corporal punishment and favoritism by the teachers gradually become worse. To make matter worse, Eun-ju chooses Woo-sik over him. Driven to the wall, Hyun-soo explodes. With nunchakus tucked in the back of his pants, he goes up to the roof after Jong-hoon.

KWON Sang-woo / As Hyun-soo, a hot-blooded model student

To hell with the school! Hyun-soo is a huge fan of Bruce Lee and practices nunchakus every night. He's also romantic enough to send a postcard to the radio station with a flower on it, and learns how to play the guitar for the girl he loves. As he transfers to the notorious Jungmoon High School where teachers are cruel and authoritative, a rage is born in his heart. Losing both love and friendship, he grows up to be a man through rage toward his school and society.

'I'll break the image and prejudice that people have for me.' This is what KWON Sang-woo said when he was cast for the film after the huge success of "My Tutor Friend". In this film, he plays a character of a rather timid model student named Hyun-soo, quite different from other characters he's played. For his role, he went through 3 to 4 hours of martial art training at a gym and never went anywhere without carrying nunchakus. His effort and dedication led to a great action sequence on the roof. He also learned how to play the guitar to give himself a sense of romance. He never passed a moment without reminding himself that he's Hyun-soo, his character in the film. He says, of all the movies he's starred in, this film is the one that he's most proud of.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

This is not only a Buddhist idea but one of the facts of life.

[10/10 · 16 June 2004]

In "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring," Kim Ki-duk, a South Korean director whose past films were often fueled by violence, does a complete about-face.

This film is a pastoral poem about the changing seasons and a meditation on the cycle of life. In a tranquil and timeless setting of a temple floating atop a man-made lake in a forest, surrounded by mountain spires that cut the monastery off from worldly concerns, an old monk teaches his young disciple the wisdom of Buddha over the many seasons of their lives.

But don't let the movie's mysticism fool you: This South Korean/German production has created festival buzz here. Sony Pictures Classics snapped up the picture in the second week. As it is chosen to be South Korea's entry into the foreign-language film Oscar competition, "Spring" should become an art house hit in North America.

Set against the background of this floating monastery, the picture's only set, the film follows the lives of a child monk and his master through four different seasons of their lives. Kim infuses these episodes with Buddhist principles, which teach kindness toward all forms of life and the goal of inner peace. Yet the world does intrude into the serene hermitage, bringing with it life's pleasures and sufferings.

Under the watchful gaze of an old monk (Oh Young-su), a little boy (Seo Jae-kyung) learns what sorrows his own cruelty can cause. As a teen, the boy (Kim Young-min) experiences the power of love and of lust when a young woman (Ha Yeo-jin) enters his life. Turning his back on the hermitage, he joins the world of man only to return years later, in anger and terror, when his desperate need for possession has turned to murder. Before police can arrest him, his master sees that penitence has cleared his heart and soul of all hatred.

In winter, the old monk makes his funeral pyre. Then his disciple, now a mature man (played by the director himself), returns to the sanctuary of his youth. He seeks peace and quiet so he might fulfill his destiny. When a woman brings a male baby to the temple, the monk undertakes a journey of atonement to place a holy statue on a frozen mountaintop. Now he is ready to raise and instruct a new monk.

Much of the movie is steeped in Buddhist mysticism. Each of the five episodes features a different animal -- a dog, a rooster, a cat, a snake and finally a turtle. For each season, Kim Ki-duk observes the change of weather and the relationship of man with nature. The film emphasizes the power of meditation and, in the episode concerning the murderer who seeks enlightenment, the need to perform a sutra to cleanse the heart of all jealousy and anger.

Kim Ki-duk keeps dialogue to a minimum and actions simple in what is virtually a two-character piece. Humor arrives organically, often resulting in hearty laughs. Backed by a terrific South Korean/German production crew, Kim Ki-duk is in total control of his material, its rhythms and its tone.

Spring - Child Monk takes life of animals out of innocence

A child monk ties a stone to a back of fish. Same plight awaits a frog and a snake. The child monk roams the brook in search of the fish and the frog as his punishment allotted by the old monk.

Summer - Boy Monk in love learns obsession The monk is now 17 years old. To the lonely hermitage, a girl comes to convalesce. Before long, warm feelings towards the girl sprouts in the boy's heart. Their ripple in the water turns into an act of love.

Fall - Young Monk in agony of malice The boy returns to the hermitage in the mountains as a young man in his thirties after committing a murder. The old monk whips him finding the young man attempting suicide in front of the statue of Buddha. Old monk order him to etch the Pranja-parpamitasutra, meanwhile he finds peace in his heart.

Winter - Mature Monk in days of enlightenment The monk, now in his full maturity retraces his steps to the abandoned hermitage in the mountains. A woman wearing a veil visits the hermitage with a baby. She leaves her baby behind and runs away.

And then spring - Another child monk : cycle of four seasons The old monk living with another child monk is having a peaceful time in the hermitage...the circle of life keeps on.

Kim Gi-deok(b) has been known for making films that are involving but often difficult to watch. In his eight previous works, which include ''Som (The Isle),' ''Nappun Namja (Bad Guy)' and most recently ''Haeanson (The Coast Guard),' Kim has taken on such controversial and agonizing topics as the life of a prostitute, the love-hate relationship of a woman and a pimp who kidnaps her, and a soldier slowly going insane.

For his new film ''Bom Yorum Kaul Kyoul Kurigo Bom (Spring Summer Fall Winter... and Spring),' Kim says he tried to change the pace and outlook of his films and show a different side of himself.

''I feel like I've been living my life in a rush, so I wanted to slow down a little and make a movie like this,' Kim said after a press screening.

The film traces the life of a Buddhist monk as he goes from being a young orphan to an adult monk. Kim uses the passing of the seasons to parallel the monk's development and his experiences of desire, jealousy and rage.

With a small cast, all of ''Spring' takes place in and around a temple on Chusanji Lake located in Mt. Chuwang National Park, North Kyongsang Province. A 30-ton set built specifically for the film, the temple floats like a wayward raft on the lake, accessible only by a small boat.

With the construction of the temple and the logistics of filming on water, Kim says there were a lot of people behind the film that made it possible. ''They made something that it seemed could not be done work,' he says.

The floating temple was used to show ''the speed in which life can change, the way that one can wake up and find that East has become West and West has become East, that irony of life,' Kim said.

''Spring' also shows Kim making his debut as an actor. Kim portrays the older monk in the film's winter scenes, a role he originally conceived for the veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki or renowned scholar and philosopher Kim Yong-OK. Both were unavailable due to schedule conflicts.

After deciding to take on the part himself, Kim made the already physically demanding role, which included meditating in freezing temperatures, even more so. In one scene Kim climbs up a steep mountain with a large stone tied to his waist while carrying a stone statue of a Buddha with both arms, something he admits he wouldn't have asked another actor to do.

A devout Catholic _ Kim at one point in his life seriously considered priesthood _ the director says the film in part was driven by his relationship between his own religious values and the culture around him.

''All Koreans have lived surrounded by Buddhism and Buddhist culture is the foundation, which we acknowledge and accept,' he says.

And though the changing of the seasons in the film is to show the life of one monk, Kim says it reflects the cycle of life in general.

''If we were able to remember life's lesson from spring we wouldn't repeat them,' Kim says, ''but like winter which rots away the leaves and freezes over everything, like the seasons' patterns, our patterns in life will make us forget and repeat our past mistakes.

''This is not only a Buddhist idea but one of the facts of life.'

Oldboy (2003)

The truest motion picture, released in South Korea

[10/10 · 16 June 2004]

Spoiler Alert There's almost no doubt that Park Chan-wook's new film ''Oldboy' will be a commercial success. With the popularity of the two main actors and with many local critics already deeming it a classic, the film has become a hot commodity on Internet ticket reservation sites.

The film finds the director, who is most known for the DMZ drama ''Joint Security Area JSA,' returning to the theme of revenge and retribution he explored in last year's ''Poksunun Na-ui Kot (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance).' Contrasting the stark, almost barren quality of that film, Park pulls out all technical stops for ''Oldboy,' using scores of computer graphics and fight scenes to tell his tale.

The story comes from a Japanese comic book of the same name, in which an ordinary family man is suddenly kidnapped and placed in a cell dressed up as a hotel room. Given no explanation for his confinement or the murder of his wife, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) spends the next 15 years alone, weaving in and out of hallucinatory states with only a television to keep him company.

Dark and moody like a nightmare waiting to occur, these moments in the hotel room are some of the best in the film. The scenes, in which Park uses a collage of images to set the mood, play out like a Kafka story, with Oh unsuccessfully trying to come up with a rational reason for his plight. An expert on personifying tragedy, Choi is at his angst-filled best portraying a man on the edge of madness.

Oh is determined to one day find a way out of his cell and exact revenge on those responsible. Between bouts of madness, he trains himself in the art of fighting, punching the walls until thick calluses envelop his knuckles.

Unfortunately, when Oh finally escapes and begins tracking down his enemy (Yoo Ji-tae), the film gets to feel a bit muddled. Perhaps it's a matter of having too much of a good thing, because the combination of the various elements doesn't completely add up. Like different volumes in a comic book, there's something a bit stilted about the transitions and the resulting finale.

Still there are many things about the movie that do work. On their own, the scenes are visually strong, though some of the more repulsive moments do feel gratuitous. (Animal rights activists beware!) And the pathetic yet comical quality of having a half-insane man attempting to seek justice, as well as the overall elusiveness of Oh's quest, will keep audiences glued to the screen.

One day in 1988, an ordinary man named OH Dae-soo, who lives with his wife and adorable daughter, is kidnapped and later wakes up to find himself in a private makeshift prison. Dae-soo makes numerous attempts to escape and to commit suicide, but they all end up in failure. All the while Dae-soo asks himself what made a man hate him so much enough to imprison him without any reason. While suffering from his debacle, Dae-soo becomes shocked when he watches the news and hears that his beloved wife was brutally murdered. At this very moment, Dae-soo swears to take revenge on the man who destroyed his happy life. Fifteen years have passed and Dae-soo is released with a wallet filled with money and a mobile phone. An unknown man calls Dae-soo and asks him to figure out why he was imprisoned. In front of bewildered Dae-soo, a girl named Mido appears and she promises to help him seek vengeance after hearing about his 15 years in confinement. With Mido's help, Dae-soo begins to trace the guy and finally encounters the private prison where he discovers a cassette tape, which only says... "OH Dae-soo talks too much…' While Dae-soo and Mido's search goes on, Dae-soo finally runs face to face with his kidnapper. The culprit says there will be no way to find out the reason of his imprisonment if Dae-soo kills him now. Instead, he proposes a game. He tells Dae-soo that if he discovers the reason for his imprisonment in five days, then he will kill himself. If not, he will kill Mido. Only five days are given to Dae-soo to find out the reason behind the guy's grudge against Dae-soo. While doing so, hidden secrets about Dae-soo and Mido's relationship are revealed.

Full Metal gokudô (1997 Video)

The film is high on its gore level and so reminds pretty much of Ichi the Killer

[9/10 · 16 June 2004]

Japanese film maker talent and inventive genius Takashi Miike (born 1960) has done incredible amount of films in his not-even-so-long career so far. He has done made-for-video cheapies and big screen films that vary from unconventional and wonderful Yakuza tales to insane comic book adaptations to mind blowing satires, and the greater the themes in these films are, the more serious he is and uses his ideas and crazy creativity with restraint inside the otherwise serious world he's created: a bazooka torn from a guy's back isn't any funny moment in Dead or Alive (1999) but has its important meaning for the theme telling so much about the character(s) and their values in the violent world Miike depicts.

His Full Metal Yakuza aka Full Metal Gokudo (1997) belongs to the cheap and fastly made video films and it is easy to tell it is a very exploitation oriented market that wants simple, violent and graphic films without much more merits in them. Full Metal Yakuza tells the Robocop-like (1987, Paul Verhoeven) story of a killed Yakuza who gets back to life as he is turned into a robot/human by one crazy scientist. He wants to avenge the death of his friend as well as try to save his former love from the sadistic hands of the rival Yakuza. Ultra violence and gore ensues and all the potential that was used to wonderful perfection in Fudoh (1996), for example, is not there in this film.

There are some nice Japanese cinema elements like the silence that tells more than words. The scene in the beach after a refusal to kill one Yakuza boss is especially memorable and also close to the work of Takeshi Kitano. Still the revenge theme is not handled here as it was in Dead or Alive or Fudoh. In Full Metal Yakuza, violence and acts of revenge don't have any other meaning than to satisfy the gore audience and that is pretty sad for those who'd like to see Miike making more serious cinema all the time. In real world, violence and revenge is never as harmless and fun as in this film and Miike for sure would have talents to make real films from the subject matter, as he's done. Also the ending, showing how desperate the characters are for personal revenge and payback would be as wonderful as in those other films, but now it all is just mostly comical trash as Miike definitely wasn't doing this for anything else than money and to satisfy his huge need to work. It is hard to make any interpretations on single images and scenes while everything before and after them fights against any serious analyzes.

The film is high on its gore level and so reminds pretty much of Ichi the Killer, a film that is filled with cartoonish violence and blood plus sadism towards both females and males. Full Metal Yakuza has plenty of swordfights (!) and other bloody carnage that gives the makers an opportunity to throw in plenty of blood geysirs and splatter that satisfies some viewers but is not enough when the film is by talented director like Miike. Neither this or Ichi the Killer are to be taken seriously (hardly anyone takes, at least Full Metal Yakuza), and especially Ichi, despite its flaws and negative sides, tells something about the audience, that laughs looking like a bunch of monkeys and as sorry characters as those inside the film, when someone's being tortured and brutally murdered. Ichi the Killer has also some interesting elements in the form of Ichi himself, who is a traumatized boy with violent environment and society around him. This important theme is handled more carefully in Rainy Dog and also in Fudoh.

Ahobsal insaeng (2004)

The most amazing film of 2004 that will touch everyone's heart!

[10/10 · 14 June 2004]

When I Turned Nine" is a film based upon the bestselling novel of the same title by WE Kee-cheul.

The original novel, which tells a story of a nine year old boy and his journey through 'the first ninth year of his life,' received a rave review for its delightful and touching storytelling and became the national bestseller with over 1 million copies sold nation wide.

In 2002, "When I Turned Nine"'s sensation was revived when it was featured on a popular reading promotional program on television.

It again reached #1 on National Bestseller List and stayed for 7 weeks (July 10 ~ August 27, 2002), thus becoming the bestselling novel of 2002.

Since its first publication in 1991, "When I Turned Nine" steadily gained its popularity among teenage readers, as well as readers in their 40s and 50s.

In the motion picture of "When I Turned Nine", the filmmaker successfully captures the magic of this heartwarming emotional story and beautifully presents it on the silver screen. It is guaranteed to be the sensational masterpiece that will bring laughter and tears to the audience.