While night vision is something people typically wouldn’t mind having, for Kyeong-Soo (Ryoo Joon-Yeol), the term couldn’t have taken a worse turn. In the period drama The Night Owl, he is an acupuncturist with the said ability; except in his case, it renders him blind during the day, and attaining only somewhat of a normal…
Tag: korean film
URBAN MYTHS (FILM REVIEW)
There’s no getting away from folklore even in a contemporary setting. No matter which continent we might be on, each urban environment – crowded with people and traffic – will always birth stories that people whisper about or discover online. Given how pervasive urban myths are, it’s funny how they are not recognised as a…
GUIMOON: THE LIGHTLESS DOOR (FILM REVIEW)
For all the modernity that surrounds Singapore, there’s always something about Asian rituals and ghosts that unnerve even the most disbelieving of us. In the case of Guimoon: The Lightless Door, director Shim Duck-geun leads us down a rabbit hole of hereditary spiritual work, trapped souls and superstitious lore, filled with a core of vengeance….
SEOBOK (FILM REVIEW)
Mention of this film locally has quickly drawn reference to crispy pork belly (even from my editor), given how similar the two are when spelled out. But this is a film review and not a food review so all jokes aside… On the name, director Lee Yong Zoo explained, “Emperor Qin of China was a…
THE BOX (FILM REVIEW)
With some members beginning their enlistment, SM Entertainment has officially announced that EXO’s future will be moving towards more solo projects. It is a timely balm then for fans of the 9-member boy band, that The Box stars one of the two prominent rappers in the group – Chanyeol. While the band was known for…
MINARI – FILM REVIEW
Two months into the new year and we may very well have another Parasite on our hands. Minari is Lee Isaac Chung’s feathery opus, chronicling an immigrant family trying to take root in a new motherland while earning their own particular version of success. It’s a gentle story held aloft by deceptively easy story-telling, yet…
THE CURSED LESSON – MOVIE REVIEW
With all the societal pressure to look good in South Korea, especially when set against such demanding standards, it’s always heartening to see the media tackling the topic. And what better way to exemplify obsession than with the horror genre? Similar to this year’s earlier Beauty Water, the chase for attractiveness leads only to gory…
SAMJIN COMPANY ENGLISH CLASS – A REVIEW
The title seems to suggest a language-centric comedy, but Samjin Company English Class holds a lot more sass in class than playing up botched English deliveries. There’s a great deal of messaging here, from hierarchical ceilings to gender discrimination, but most of all, that doing the right thing might be tough, but always worth it…
OKAY! MADAM – A REVIEW
With leisure travel not returning anytime this year, a movie about flying will either seem like unnecessary torture, or a wonderful temporary escape. Thankfully, with its wacky ensemble and riotous plot, Okay! Madam is likely the latter for its audiences. Mi-Young (Uhm Jung-hwa) is your gregarious stallowner, hawking donut twists and effusive compliments. She’s well-liked…
BEAUTY WATER (FILM REVIEW)
The beauty industry, at last count, was a 532 billion dollar industry. And with Korean skincare and cosmetics trends leading the way for growth in the male sector, one can only imagine how important looking groomed is turning out to be. Let’s admit it – we are swayed by attractive people. There’s even a psychological…
EXTREME JOB (FILM REVIEW)
It felt like somebody’s birthday party. Plus there’s fried chicken. Between the snacks crackling and the people chuckling, the atmosphere at the premiere was buzzing with cheer. I haven’t witnessed such an easy sense of mirth at a screening for years now, no doubt helped by the continuous rain of laughter at the antics onscreen….
ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS (FILM REVIEW)
By now, you would have probably heard of this unexpected hit of a South-Korean title. Yes, it already had all the makings of a blockbuster, but it exceeded even projections by pundits. Surpassing 10 million viewers in only 15 days, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds tripled returns of the US$36 million investment on…
THE PRINCESS AND THE MATCHMAKER (FILM REVIEW)
A cursed princess holds the key to reversing a drought situation for her country in the Joseon era. Or so the royal diviner says. Using the Korean art of forecasting from the “4 pillars” created by a person’s birthdate – not unlike the Chinese bazi – introducing a marriage will alter the elements and return…
KEYS TO THE HEART (FILM REVIEW)
Lee Byung-Hun has carved a name for himself inhabiting steely characters with tortured pasts. In Keys to the Heart, he reprises this formula as a down-and-out boxer, who rediscovers family relations with his estranged mum and autistic brother. South Korea’s heartwarming version of Rain Man takes the same cues from the iconic classic, featuring tropes…
ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE TWO WORLDS
This movie will make you want to be a better person. And entertain you while it’s at it. Most religious tenets include one of judgment in the afterlife. Along with the Gods brings a noble firefighter Kim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun) into Korean purgatory, having died on duty while saving a girl. For having led an…
MORGAN AWYONG 