Thought Leaders' Corner: Remakes of Korean films

This months edition of the Thought Leader's Corner concerns remakes of Korean films. An increasing trend as Korean cinema emerges on the world stage, there are some varying opinions on how this could benefit or negatively effect the local Korean industry. Read on below to read my thoughts on this trend. You can read the full April thoughts here from a variety of Korean film experts worldwide.

MKC Thought Leaders' Corner: April 2013

How do you feel about remakes of Korean films?

Thought Leaders' Corner: Trends in Korean film

The dialogue around Korean cinema continues to grow worldwide, and I was happy to participate in another edition of Modern Korean Cinema's Though Leaders' Corner. This months edition concerned emerging trends from the industry, and garnered a range of responses from experts around the world. 

This was probably the most interesting entry as it brought to the attention many trends that different people have noticed about the Korean film industry of late, from the style of the films to new forms of marketing, to cultural adjustments and emerging stars. Read on below and thanks again to Pierce Conran at MKR for coordinating it. You can read the full March thoughts here, or my personal mumbling are following the image below.

MKC Thought Leaders' Corner: March 2013

Are you noticing any tends in Korean films these days?

Thought Leaders' Corner: The value of Stars

Another month, another thought leaders corner thanks to the team over at Modern Korean Cinema. The contributors has expanded this month which is great to see, having so many people involved in a discussion around Korean film. 

You can read the full February thoughts here, or my personal mumbling are following the image below. Once again  I invite anyone that has an opinion on the question posed to contribute in the comments section. This also marks the 50th blog post on Tully's Recall, so thanks for reading and I will try and keep the content coming. 

MKC Thought Leaders' Corner: February 2013

How valuable are stars in the Korean film industry?

Thought Leader's Corner: Streamlined Productions

I recently took part in a new initiative set up by Pierce Conran over at Modern Korean Cinema. It's a great monthly piece that asks those in the know about Korean film some thought provoking questions that cover trends, developments or concerns facing the industry today. 

I was very happy to be included as one of the thought leaders, who trace their origins from all around the world to give a well rounded opinion. I think they are all worth a read, and you can see the full January entry here. Below I have posted my personal response to the question that was posed. Hope you find it interesting and if you have any thoughts of your own feel free to reply in the comments section!

 MKC Thought Leaders' Corner: January 2013

Given the enormous success of Korean cinema in 2012, is there any cause for concern over a rise in streamlined productions as quality gives way to financial interests?

Korean Film Log: October

Well the yearly film log has almost hit the century of Korean films, with this months intake boosted by my trip to the Busan International Film Festival. Hopefully I haven't left any out as there were quite a few i saw. Some of the newer films dont have posters yet but when they become available I will edit this blog and update them. Enjoy!

Korean Film Log 2012
31 films in January (#1-31)
3 films in February (#32-34)
7 films in March (#35-41)
16 films in April (#42-57)
5 films in May (#58-62)
7 films in June (#63-69)
4 films in August (#70-73)
3 films in September (#74-76)
19 films in October (#77-95)

October

77. Beyond School (학교너머)

 
78. Sunshine Boys (1999, 면회)

The History of Korean Cinema .... on screen

The fact of the matter is, outside of Korea, Korean cinema is still a very 'new' thing. Generally most people may have seen your Oldboy's and My Sassy Girl's but outside of that the earliest film that those in the West will have likely seen would probably be JSA (2000) or Shiri (1999). This puts Korean cinema in an interesting position of only being around 14 years old (15 using the Korean birthday system!). For a national cinema so young, it really has come along leaps and bounds, but the more interesting thing to me is what was it like before this point.

Does anyone know who the fuck this chick is and what she 

has to do with Shiri? I still can't figure it out!

We produced a video montage in the lead up to the film festival last year (KOFFIA), which covered a short history of Korean cinema. It proved to be very popular upon release, both with local and international audiences. It was rare to see coverage of films prior to this BH date (BH: Before Hallyuwood). It was beautifully edited by Kevin Park and with an equally delightful score by Samuel Choi, both who were just beginning to ply their trades. I thought I would reproduce it here on the blog as it really deserves to get as much exposure as possible. And yes, even it reflects the state of Korean cinema exposure, given only 6 films featured were released before the BH point, and 10 after it. But it gives a short glimpse into the history and progress the Korean industry has made, and maybe one day an extrapolated version would be produced by others fans around the world. Check it out below!

'The History of Korean Cinema', Thanks Kevin and Sam

Jopok Week: 90's Korean Gangster Flicks

This entry was originally posted over at Modern Korean Cinema as part of the 2011 JOPOK blogathon week. I've replicated it here in case you missed it. Thanks again to Pierce Conran.

See other Jopok week reviews from various contributors:
Beat (1997)
The General's Son (1990)
The General's Son 2 (1991)
The General's Son 3 (1992)
No. 3 (1997)

Jopok Week: Born to Kill (1996)

I must admit, I probably approached Born to Kill (1996) in the wrong manner, one in which I thought it would be a good companion piece to Beat (1997) given their similarities.  After all, both films star Jung Woo-sung as an unstoppable fighting machine; are about gangsters; feature a leading love interest; are from the late 80’s and possess the style, music, and colour associated with the 80’s; and have titles beginning with the letter B.  At the end of the day, that is all they share in common.  Maybe it wasn’t fair to come in expecting something similar in quality to Beat.  Ultimately, Born to Kill is not as good a film and on a week celebrating Jopok, I recommend you stick to something else.