ACF 602: Secret Reunion at NYAFF

Secret Reunion / Ui-hyeong-je
Directed by Hun Jang
South Korea, 2010, 116 minutes
Starring Song Kang-Ho and Gang Dong-Won
In Korean with English Subtitles

At the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater:
- Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 7:30 PM
- Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 2:10 PM

Song Kang Ho (Thirst, The Host, Secret Sunshine, J.S.A.: Joint Security Area) is probably the Korean actor most familiar to American audiences. Here he plays Lee Han-kyu, a South Korean National Intelligence Service agent. Gang Dong-Won portrays Song Ji-won, a North Korean agent who's part of a three-man assassination team.

Lee decides not to call in back-up when an opportunity arises to bust the spy ring, and things go all to hell. The leader and Song get away and only the third member of the team is captured. Lee is forced into ignominious retirement, and Song is left all on his own.

The film flashes forward a few years to find Lee leading a motley crew that locates young women from other Asian countries who have fled the Korean husbands they were made to marry. Song is happily working construction, hoping to one day reunite with his wife and child in the North. They recognize one another, but neither one gives the other the slightest hint of this. Lee, hoping to finally bust the spy ring and redeem himself, gets Song to become his partner, replacing two incompetent employees Lee has let go.

Song Kang Ho is always a delight to watch. He strikes me as a contemporary Korean version of the kind of everyman character associated with many roles played by Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, and Tom Hanks. Here, once again, he raises the level of the material just by virtue of his likeability.

Not that the material in any way is shabby, quite the contrary. Secret Reunion is a captivating tale with many humorous elements. It's enjoyable throughout and concludes with a sweet and satisfying ending.

ACF Rating: 3 out of 4 stars, highly recommended.

ACF 501: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - free screening in New York on March 23rd

Song Kang-Ho gets wet in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance
Directed by Park Chan-Wook
South Korea, 2002, 129 min

Sympathy For Mr Vengeance was the first film in Director Park's "Vengeance Trilogy." It was followed by Oldboy (2003) and then Lady Vengeance (2005). It's a kick-ass movie with a fantastic cast, a definite must-see.

It's the next film to be shown in Korean Cultural Service's Korean Movie Night Series 2: The Remakes, which focuses on recent Korean films set to be -- surprise! -- remade by Hollywood.

And it'll be shown next Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 at Tribeca Cinema, 54 Varick Street on Canal, New York, NY. Admission is free and on a first-come, first-serve policy. Theater doors will open at 6:30 PM and showtimes will be at 7:00.

Remake rights were purchased by Warner Bros in January, 2010. The Hollywood version is being produced by the people who brought audiences GI Joe, Transformers, and Doom. Based on that info, the remake does not seem even remotely promising. But the original is not to be missed. So don't!

ACF 355: THIRST opens today in three cities

Kim Ok-vin left and behind Song Kang-ho

Just a quick reminder that THIRST opens today, Friday, July 31st, 2009 in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. See the link below for the subsequent theater times and locations in other cities.

THIRST is another fantastic film from Korean director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and should not be missed. It just may be the best vampire film ever made, at least that's what I've been thinking ever since I saw it at a pre-release screening. (For my earlier full review, click here.)

THIRST OPENING DAY SCHEDULE:
New York
Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema (143 East Houston Street, near 2nd Avenue)

Los Angeles
Laemmle’s Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Boulevard, at Crescent Heights)

San Francisco
Landmark’s Bridge Theatre (3010 Geary Boulevard, near Blake Street)

Additional theater times and locations for THIRST.

New THIRST clip: Shoes.

The THIRST official site is www.thirstmovie.com.

For a podcast interview of Director Park by The Korea Society, click here.

THIRST is a Focus Features release.

ACF 351: THIRST to open in NY, LA & SF on August 31, 2009 with more cities to follow

Plan to do three things with regard to Park Chan-wook's THIRST:

1. See it
2. Savor it
3. Spread the word

I got to see it a few nights ago at a pre-release screening in New York, and really cannot say enough good things about the film. It's the story of Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) a priest who volunteers for a medical experiment seeking a cure for a virus. The only survivor out of 500 volunteers, his efforts do not lead to a cure, but instead turn him into a vampire. He finds himself irresistibly drawn to sensual pleasures, particularly those offered by the delectable flesh of Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin) the wife of one of his childhood friends. And, of course, he has a powerful thirst for human blood.

Entertaining, with wonderful comic moments, it's not at all pandering or low-brow. Thoughtful and intelligent, neither is it pretentious. Thirst is quite simply a perfect synthesis, simultaneously both a genre and an art-house film, but one that transcends the faults that often mar both.

There are no traditional vampire teeth and no transformations into bats to be found here. On the other hand there are, in addition to the great comic relief moments I've already alluded to, scenes of magnificent sensuality as well as others that are truly terrifying. And the special effects are perfect, somewhat low-key so they're really effective.

Kim Ok-vin (left) & Shin Ha-kyun (right)

Both leads actors are outstanding, but Ms. Kim is particularly impressive, probably because her role calls for greater range and transformation than . The supporting cast also is stellar. Kim Hae-sook plays Madame Ra, Tae-ju's mother-in law, who has a tendency to overindulge in alcohol. Shin Ha-kyun is Kang-woo, her son and Tae-ju's poor excuse for a husband. Oh Dai-soo (who starred in Park's Oldboy) is a member of the mahjong group that includes the other characters.

Director Park Chan-wook

Park Chan-wook has done it again: Thirst is nothing less than a transcendant masterwork. I predict that this film will be very successful in the U.S. and that it'll find a broader audience than one might normally expect. It most definitely deserves both. (It wasn't for nothing that the film won the Jury Prize award at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival.)

After opening in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, it will go into wider release in many other cities. Check your local listings, or use the link to the film's official website provided below to find out when and where it'll be playing near you.

DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!!!!!

OPENING DAY SCHEDULE: Friday, July 31st, 2009

New York

Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema (143 East Houston Street, near 2^nd Avenue)

Los Angeles

Laemmle’s Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Boulevard, at Crescent Heights)

San Francisco

Landmark’s Bridge Theatre (3010 Geary Boulevard, near Blake Street)

THIRST Official Site

THIRST Clip: “VAMPIRES ARE CUTER THAN I THOUGHT”

THIRST Clip: “I’M NOT CATHOLIC”

THIRST Stills

THIRST Production Notes

THIRST Facebook Page

Thirst is A Focus Features Release

ACF332: Focus Features Announces Opening Day Schedule for "Thirst"

More news about the upcoming theatrical release of Thirst / Bakjwi:

Focus Features has officially announced the opening day schedule for the highly anticipated vampire thriller, Thirst, directed by award-winning auteur, Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance). Thirst will open in NY, LA, and San Francisco on July 31st. See below for further theater details.

OPENING DAY SCHEDULE: Friday, July 31st, 2009
New York

Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema (143 East Houston Street, near 2nd Avenue)

Los Angeles
Laemmle’s Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Boulevard, at Crescent Heights)

San Francisco
Landmark’s Bridge Theatre (3010 Geary Boulevard, near Blake Street)

Synopsis:
A priest becomes a vampire…another man’s wife is coveted…a deadly seduction triggers murder. Already a boxoffice smash in Korea, Thirst was honored with the Prix du Jury [Jury Prize] at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival.

Continuing his explorations of human existence in extreme circumstances, director Park spins a tale that he conceived and then developed over several years with co-screenwriter Chung Seo-kyung.

Sang-hyun (played by top Korean star Song Kang-ho, of The Host) is a priest who cherishes life; so much so, that he selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project meant to eradicate a deadly virus. But the virus takes the priest, and a blood transfusion is urgently ordered up for him. The blood he receives is infected, so Sang-hyun lives – but now exists as a vampire.

Struggling with his newfound carnal desire for blood, Sang-hyun’s faith is further strained when a childhood friend’s wife, Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), comes to him asking for his help in escaping her life. Sang-hyun soon plunges into a world of sensual pleasures, finding himself on intimate terms with the Seven Deadly Sins.

The THIRST official site is http://www.thirstmovie.com/.

THIRST Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thirst/116919515201?ref=ts

Focus Twitter Page:
http://twitter.com/focusmovies

RED BAND TRAILER:
http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/14349986/thirst/videos/thirst_trl_1_051709.html

ACF 109: Lee Chang-dong Retrospective - Secret Sunshine

Jeon Do-yeon (left) and Song Kang-ho (right)

The Asia Society's Lee Chang-dong retrospective continues tomorrow night with a screening of Secret Sunshine, his fourth and most recent film, made after he served as Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2002 until 2004.

Lee Shin-ae ( actress Jeon Do-yeon) and her young son move to Miryang, the rural Korean city which her deceased husband was from and which gives the film its name. There she hopes to start a new life giving piano lessons. When their car breaks down, Kim Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho), who owns a garage, brings them and their car into town.

It's immediately obvious that he's attracted to her and that she is indifferent to his interest. Perhaps because I'm so accustomed to what Hollywood would do with such a situation, the film seemed to be starting out as a romantic comedy. You know, the guy keeps after the woman until she finally realizes that he's her "Mister Right."

Then a crime takes place. My initial reaction was that perhaps this was an incident that was gong to play into the thwarted romance. But it soon turned out to be for real, and to have dire consequences for Lee Shin-ae. The remainder of the film is an incredibly powerful exploration of human suffering, as Shin-ae searches for spiritual peace in the face of one of the worst tragedies that can befall a person. Throughout it all, Jong-chan continues to be there for her.


Like all of Lee Chang-dong's films, Secret Sunshine has won numerous festival awards. Last year at Cannes, Jeon Do-yeon received the award for best actress. Her performance, like Moon So-ri's in Oasis, is one of those rare, magnificent thespian tour-de-forces that I can only term "beyond incredible."

At the inaugural Asian Film Awards earlier this year, the movie won for best film, best director, and best actress. And Song Kang-ho has not come away empty handed. He won the prize for best actor at the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Complete info about the film's wins and nominations can be found at this link to imdb.com.


Secret Sunshine further solidifies Lee Chang-dong's place in my list of great film directors. Though an emotionally demanding film to watch, it deserves to be seen by anyone who appreciates magnificent film making and story telling.

Screenings for it and the two other remaining films in this retrospective are at Asia Society, 725 Park Ave (at 70th Street), Manhattan. The schedule for the three remaining films, each of which will be shown at 7:00 pm, is:

Secret Sunshine
2007, 142 min
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
- This screening is co-sponsored by The School of Visual Arts
- Director Lee is scheduled to be present

Peppermint Candy
2000, 127 min
Thursday, May 8, 2008

Green Fish
1997, 111 min
Monday, May 12, 2008

For more information or to order tickets, click here.