`May 18' Vividly Paints History

More good news for the new Korean film "May 18". The Korea Times has written a very postive review of the movie.



``May 18'' demonstrates the power of cinema as it halts the inevitable passage of time with its clutch on the immortal spirit of its characters. Depicting the harrowing events of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, the film paints a colorful portrait of life during the fateful period and painfully evokes a fading scar in modern history. It pays homage to the unnamed men, women and children whose lives were forever altered by the turmoil.

MAY 17: Military top dog Chun Doo-hwan (who would shortly become president, 1980-88), enforces martial law.

MAY 18: Military troops suppress pro-democracy student uprisings, including that of Chonnam (Jeonnam) National University in Gwangju.

Orphaned taxi driver Min-wu (Kim Sang-kyung) had lived each day humbly and conscientiously, so that his studious younger brother Jin-wu (Lee Jun-ki) can enter college, while providing free rides for the lovely nurse Sin-ae (Lee Yo-won).

When mayhem breaks loose, Min-wu vengefully picks up a gun after losing Jin-wu while Sin-ae risks her life to treat the injured.

Headed by Sin-ae's father Heung-su (Ahn Sung-ki), a former military man, the local citizens form armed civil militias. The ``Citizen Army'' maintains control over the city.

But portrayed by the media as terrible Communist sympathizers, they soon realize the futility of their resistance. As the final showdown with government troops nears, young fathers, middle-aged teachers and even the elderly town priest unite to fight to the end, and to their death.

MAY 27: Some 200,000 airborne and ground troops defeat the militia in less than 90 minutes, under an ironic code name roughly translated as ``Lavish Holiday,'' the Korean title of the film. As of 2003, records tally 207 dead, 2,392 wounded and 987 ``miscellaneous victims,'' but exact figures remain undisclosed to this day.

Director Kim Ji-hoon (``Mokpo, Gangster's Paradise,'' 2004) offers an uncolored view of the 10-day tragedy. Only deep sympathy for victims resonates.

The film does not translate political messages, but shows that peaceful democracy has a price and speaks of the universal values of love and camaraderie: How, in the face of a force that threatens their loved ones, ordinary men and women fearlessly transform into epic heroes.

Soldiers and civilians, though bound by common patriotic values, are forced to stand on opposing sides. A chilling massacre unfolds while the national anthem blazes in the background. The soldiers are evil machines of a militant power, but not inherently diabolic: Dispatched just after hell camp, the hot-blooded men are hostile and irrational.

Devoid of illusive cinematographic effects or complicated narrative ploys, ``May 18'' is pure drama captured from a naked camera lens. Its core strengths derive from amiable characters, inspired by real-life victims and played by veteran actors, and cleverly crisscrossed relationships.

The film is melodramatic, but the fruits of its sappiness are ripe, not bursting. Sprinkles of good old humor keep it buoyant amid the heavy drama (otherwise it could have drowned). Particularly, two ``Dumb and Dumber'' buddies (Park Cheol-min and Park Won-sang) provide classic comic relief.

Other moments of joy, though extremely romanticized, bring smiles. Yet, the glimmering sketches of optimism intensify the heartbreak, for viewers are fully aware of the tragic finale.

``May 18'' is a breath of fresh air for dusty historical accounts and a soothing relief for the staggering domestic film industry. Having opened across some 520 screens across the country Wednesday, the historical drama is drawing crowds -- and tears -- by the lot.

The film will pull at your heartstring and shake up even those with the most unaffected sentimental chords. Don't forget your handkerchief.

Source : Korea Times

Epitaph ( Gi-dam )

Epitath (Gi-dam) released in South Korea, August 01, 2007.

“In a modern hospital in 1941, doctors witness weird events and learn DEATH is the sole healer.” In 1979, Dr. PARK receives an old photo album from his twenties in 1941 when mysterious things befell him and his colleagues. PARK was bound by his parents to marry a girl whom he never met, but fell in love with a dead woman who happened to be his arranged marriage. Meanwhile, a little girl who was apparently the only survivor a car accident was haunted by ghosts every night. After two doctors (a married couple) involved in these two stories return to their hospital from Tokyo, a series of serial murders occurs around them.

Director : JUNG Sik, JUNG Beom-sik

Cast : KIM Tae-woo, KIM Bo-kyung, LEE Dong-kyu, JIN Goo

Korean Films @ Edinburgh Internationl Film Festival

This year's Edinburgh International Film Festival will feature four Korean movies. The festival located in Edinburgh U.K., will run from August 15-26, 2007. This year's Korean movies would be :


Ki-Duk Kim's "Breath" : Bored Seoul wife Yeon (Zia) is gripped by a news story about Jang Jin (Chang Chen), a Death Row prisoner who has attempted suicide by stabbing himself with a sharpened toothbrush handle. Oddly drawn to him, Yeon heads to the prison to become his new best friend - and his unofficial interior decorator... As she brightens his cell with wallpaper and trinkets and his silent existence with song, a relationship develops that confounds observers. Driven by the same languidly offbeat romanticism that fuelled The Bow and 3-Iron, this is a beautifully unconventional love story.


Chan-Wook Park's "I'm A Cyborg But That's OK" : Young-goon (Lim Soo-jung) is a cyborg, and needs an electrical current to survive. It makes perfect sense to her, therefore, to cut open her wrist and plug herself into the mains; to eschew food in favour of licking batteries; and to only befriend other machines. The world at large seems to find her behaviour odd, however, and duly confines her to a mental hospital... There, she strikes up a touching bond with Il-sun (Jung Ji-hoon), who has an uncontrollable tendency to steal other people's souls. A musical romance unlike any other, with extraordinary visual ideas (hold on for the airborne Alpine yodeling sequence) and lovely performances from two of South Korea's most revered pop culture icons.


Gyeong-Tae Roh's "The Last Dining Table" : Taking as its themes the collapse of family values and the effects of global chaos, The Last Dining Table is a lyrical, meditative creation that fuses surreal imagery with a memorable soundtrack and a minimalist yet multi-layered narrative. The result is an enigmatic portrait of a seemingly unconnected group of characters in the outskirts and slums of Seoul - a grandmother who wants to divorce her dead husband, a mother who works in a mortuary, a father addicted to gambling and a teenage son who works as a cabaret singer. Employing sparse dialogue and stunning cinematography, director Roh Gyeong-tae allows his characters enough time to slowly divulge their stories, before finally uniting them in the film's shocking conclusion.

Sang-Soo Im's "The Old Garden" : Based upon a best-selling South Korean novel by Hwang Sok-yong, this absorbing drama follows the efforts of a former radical to reconcile his old beliefs with his new life. Imprisoned for seventeen years for his involvement in the anti-government riots of 1980, Oh Hyun-woo (Ji Jin-hee) emerges into a very different society. He retreats to the hiding place he once shared with his lover and fellow activist, Yoon-hee - but she's long gone, and only memories (in the form of vivid, beautifully-told flashbacks) remain. As vibrant and intense as it is thoughtful, this is a film in which to lose yourself.


About EIFF : Started in 1947, the EIFF is one of the true homes of innovative and exciting cinema. For over half-a-century, the Festival has presented some of cinema's most important and exciting moments and played host to the world's greatest filmmakers.

May 18

"May 18" released in South Korea, July 26, 2007.

"Min-woo leads a relatively peaceful life with his younger brother – until the day the soldiers go on the rampage against the citizens. The citizens form a militia determined to protect their loved ones, and Min-woo finds himself in the middle of it all."

Movie Review " ``May 18'' demonstrates the power of cinema as it halts the inevitable passage of time with its clutch on the immortal spirit of its characters. Depicting the harrowing events of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, the film paints a colorful portrait of life during the fateful period and painfully evokes a fading scar in modern history. It pays homage to the unnamed men, women and children whose lives were forever altered by the turmoil."

Son Ye-Jin turns over a new leaf

The charming Son Ye-Jin, last seen in 2005 The Art Of Romance, is set to turn a new leaf in her next movie Open City. In the film, as reported by KOFIC, she will play the role of a mob boss femme fatale. A Gritty My Wife Is A Gangster if you will.


SON Ye-jin has been cast in the action thriller Open City (Moobangbi Dosi). She will play a femme fatale who leads an international criminal organization. KIM Myeong-min will play opposite of SON and LEE Sang-gi is directing the film.

KIM will play an investigator who is assigned on SON’s case and things start to get complicated when SON’s character becomes attracted to KIM’s character. SON is a newcomer to the action genre and is preparing herself for the new physical challenges that await her from the end of July, when filming will commence. The film is scheduled for a release in December of this year.

SON was often cast as an innocent and sweet character in films like The Classic (2002). With her last film - the comedy The Art of Seduction (2005) - she already explored another kind of character, similar to her role in Open City, a confident woman who easily wraps men around her finger.