Pop some corn and head for the nearest couch

Greetings

Because of its small population in relation to China and Japan, the success and shear size of Korea's film industry is rather shocking. To demonstrate just how big the domestic film industry is over here I'll share with you this little piece of trivia: By 2005 Korea became one of only three nations to watch more domestic than imported films in theatres.

Using my own rudimentary math skills I've figured that the average Canadian watches one actual Canadian film in the theatre for every 3,768 American films that he/she watches. So the Korean stat is truly staggering.

Korea's currently in a tight race with China and India to be the cinematic power house of Asia, and Jo and I tried to help it as much as possible this year. We watched a decent number of Korean films this year and remarkably only one was a true dud. Thus, with only 7 days to go I thought it was time to give you a quick briefing of my five favorite Korean films.

Number 5: Tae Guk Gi

What IMDB.COM says:

"In 1950, in South Korea, the shoe-shiner Jin-tae Lee and his eighteen years old student brother Jin-seok Lee form a poor but happy family with their mother, Jin-tae's fiancé Young-shin Kim and her young sisters. Jin-tae and his mother are tough workers, who sacrifice themselves to send Jin-seok to the university. When North Korea invades the South, the family escapes to a relative's house in the country, but along their journey, Jin-seok is forced to join the army to fight in the front, and Jin-tae enlists too to protect his young brother. The commander promises Jin-tae that if he gets a medal he would release his brother, and Jin-tae becomes the braver soldier in the company. Along the bloody war between brothers, the relationship of Jin-seok with his older brother deteriorates leading to a dramatic and tragic end."

What I say:

A good war flick that loses it's focus once or twice but still manages to give the viewer a good kick in the butt. B-Minus



Number 4: City of Violence

What IMDB.COM says:

"Tae-su, a detective fighting organized crime, returns to his hometown for his high school friend Wang-jae's funeral. At the funeral, he meets his old friends Pil-ho, Dong-hwan and Seok-hwan and they reminisce. Suspecting something fishy about Wang-jae's death, Tae-su and Seok-hwan start investigating it each in his own way. Both of their investigations lead to a land development project that Pil-ho is directing and the two embark on a difficult battle."

What I say:

One of the sexiest films ever made. It's the kind of film Tarrantino should be making. Its homage to The Warriors made it even cooler. A



Number 3: Welcome to Dongmakgol

What IMDB.COM says:

"Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war"

What I say:

Hmmm... they didn't really say a lot, did they? The film's about soldiers from the North and the South (plus an American for comedy's sake) forced to live together in a small village during the war, and their relationship with each other and the villagers. I highly recommend this film as it manages to combine the brutality of war with comedy in a manner that comes across as both believable and respectful. Solid A



Number 2: The King and the Clown


What IMDB.COM says:

"Two clowns living in the Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution, but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh."

What I say:

This is the most critically acclaimed movie on the list and it's supposedly a good glimpse into the Chosun period of Korean history. One of the film's main characters is a very effeminate homosexual male who has a special relationship with the King, which is a rather surprising topic given Korea's overall denial that homosexuality even exists. The best part of the film is its actors, who do a great job with a tricky subject matter. Easy A Plus



Number 1: Gwoemul (or The Host)


What IMD.COM says:

"The film revolves around Park Hee-bong, a man in his late 60s. Park runs a small snack bar on the banks of the Seoul's Han River and lives with his two sons, one daughter and one granddaughter. The Parks seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life, or maybe a tad bit poorer than the average Seoulite. Hee-bong's elder son Gang-du is an immature and incompetent man in his 40s, whose wife left home long ago. Nam-il is the youngest son, an unemployed grumbler, and daughter Nam-joo is an archery medalist and member of the national team. One day, an unidentified mutant suddenly appears from the depths of the Han River and spreads panic and death, and Gang-du's daughter Hyun-seo is carried off by the monster and disappears. All the family members are in a great agony as they have lost someone dearest to them. But as they find out she is still alive, they resolve to save her"

What I say:

Ok, what doesn't this film have? From goofy characters to sea monsters to evil American soldiers, this baby has it all. This will easily join my collection and sit somewhere on the shelf between Return of the Living Dead and Jaws. It's funny, creepy, scary, and very, very stupid. If you love action movies or horrors, you just can't go wrong here. It takes the typical western formula for a science fiction film and combines it with enough Korean humour and creativity to easily beat anything that we've produced in the genre since The Matrix. A Plus

Well, there you have it, five films to help get you started with Korean cinema. Hopefully you'll be able to see at least one or two of them. Quite a few are readily available at your local Video Update or Futureshop.

One last note. I should warn you that Korean humour is a little different than its western cousin and can take a little while to get used to. Most of the films on this list (even the deadly serious ones) contain wacky scenes that might just leave you scratching your head. But hey, if it was the same as back home, what would be the point?

Cheers

Shayne