Lies

Lies (Gojitmal)

M18 : For Mature Audiences Only
Release Date : 1999
Director: Jang Sun Woo
Writer: Chang Jung Il (Novel), Jang Sun Woo (Adaptation)

Cast:
Lee Sang Hyun ... J
Kim Tae Yeon ... Y




Watch It Here

Sypnosis:

Jang Sun Woo's GOJITMAL (LIES) is a disturbing, sexually charged, highly erotic film based on a book by Jang Jung Il, TELL ME A LIE, that was banned in Korea for its pornographic content. The film tells the story of Y (Kim Tae Yeon), an 18-year-old girl ready to explore her sexuality, and J (Lee Sang Hyun), a married 38-year-old sculptor who is excited at the chance to deflower her. What starts out as a minor sexual tryst, however, soon turns into an obsessive relationship laden with guilt, lies, and sado-masochism--Y and J both need the pain of whipping in order to satisfied their naked desires. The film is shot in a documentary-like cinema verité style, using a handheld camera, and many scenes contain only the natural atmospheric sounds--as well as the sound of the camera humming in the background. The lead actors, both making their acting debut, sometimes talk to the camera as themselves, discussing their decisions to take on the challenging roles. Filled with disturbing images, full frontal male and female nudity, and experimental cinematic techniques, LIES is a compelling, difficult, fascinating film that the viewer must be prepared for.

**Trivia : Filmed on location in South Korea and Paris. Director Jang Sun Woo said about LIES, "I wanted the film to show the lives of the characters in graffiti-like terms to make the distinction between pornography and enlightenment disappear. The same goes for the distinction between the spectator's senses of empathy and isolation. I wanted the notions of good and evil to lose all meaning, but still have a film rich in a kind of pathos." Jang's 1994 film TO YOU FROM ME was also based on a novel by Jang Jung Il. A retrospective of Jang's films was shown at the 1997 Rotterdam Film Festival. LIES was shown at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival and was in competition for the Golden Lion at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. The film marked the feature-film debuts of Lee Sang Hyun and Kim Tae Yeon. Lee, who plays a sculptor, actually is a sculptor. Jang Jung Il, author of the novel the film was based on, was sentenced to six months in prison because TELL ME A LIE was considered pornography, which is against the law in Korea. He served two months. Nearly 10,000 copies of his novel were destroyed by the government. Jang was the first Korean writer to be so convicted. If the film was also judged to be pornographic, producer Shin Chul promised the director that he would take full responsibility and go to jail if necessary.

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net

Tell Me Something

Tell Me Something

Release Date : 1999
Director: Jang Yoon Hyeon
Writer: Kim Eun Jeong, Kong Soo Chang, In Eun Ah

Cast:
Han Seok Kyu ... Detective Cho
Shim Eun Ha ... Cha Su Yeon
Jang Hyeon Seong ... Detective Oh




WATCH IT HERE

Sypnosis:

An interesting thriller about a serial killer who is offing (and then dismembering) the ex-lovers of a beautiful young woman. Not satisfied with just cutting them to pieces while they're still alive, the killer delivers the bodyparts in black bags to different parts of the city to be discovered, and it's up to the cops, led by Cho (Suk-kyu Han) to, quite literally, piece together the evidences.

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net

Happy End

Happy End

*For Mature Audiences Only
Release Date : 1999
Director: Jeong Jiu
Writer:

Cast:
Choi Min Sik ... Seo Min Gi
Kim Il Beom ... Ju Jin Mo



Playlist URL

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 (end)


Sypnosis:

After working for a bank for more than six years, Seo Mingi (Choe Minsik) unexpectedly loses his job. Meanwhile, his wife Choe Bora, head of a private English language institute for children, maintains a secret relationship with Kim Ilbeom (Ju Jinmo), her college friend, although she still cherishes her husband and baby. Tension mounts after Seo discovers the extramarital affair between the two lovers. Although the three main characters are dreaming of the happy ending, the tragic love triangle leads them instead to catastrophe.

Like the case of "A Good Lawyer's Wife" (directed by Im Sangsu, 2003), this movie, produced four years earlier, satirizes the disintegrating family structure of today, questioning the time-honored law of morality and the existing concept of family. This movie also features the changing roles for men and women as well as a shift in consciousness by women, who live under the still-dominating patriarchal family structure.

Although she has achieved success in her career and fulfilled her desires, the female protagonist Choe is in utter confusion about choosing between her husband and her young, handsome lover. This movie is a portrait of a middle-income family suffering from domestic strife and also the post-IMF financial effects that hit Korea in the late' 90s.

Gallery:



photo credit : seoulselection.com

R Point

R Point

Release Date: 2004
Director: Kang Su Chang
Writer: Kang Su Chang

Cast:
Gam Woo Seong ... Liutenant Choi
Son Byung Ho ... Sergeant Jin
Mun Yeong Dong ... Private Byun




WATCH IT HERE

Sypnosis:

During the Vietnamese war a Korean military base receives a distress transmission from one of their units stationed at a strategically important location known as R-point. The grim message relays that the unit is under attack, soldiers are dying and assistance is desperately needed, but the base members just listen in shock and horror. This is because the unit in question went missing at R-point no less than six months ago and the one person who survived the ordeal was left horribly burned and screaming deliriously that his squadron was slaughtered by an unknown enemy, not the Viet Cong. If the soldier is telling the truth, then who is sending these distress signals?

To answer this question the military call in First Lieutenant Choi (Gam Wu-seong), a decorated soldier who has garnered a reputation that trouble follows him on whatever mission he takes. He is assigned a platoon of rag-tag soldiers, seemingly plucked from the local whorehouses and loaded with syphilis. Not exactly the kind of bunch you want to take into such a mysterious mission, but seeing as the official line is that they’re going to R-point merely to investigate the whereabouts of a missing unit, no-one suspects that the crew are deeply under prepared for what is about to face them. However, when they arrive at their destination, they uncover an old stone tablet with an inscription stating that many years ago, Chinese soldiers slaughtered innocent Vietnamese and built a temple above their graves. The tablet then reveals a harsh warning: If you enter this consecrated ground with blood on your hands then you will never be able to leave. Choi’s squad is about to discover that this is no idle threat….

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net

Oasis

Oasis

Release Date : 2002
Director: Lee Chang Dong
Writer: Lee Chang Dong

Cast:
Moon Soo Ri ... Han Gong Ju
Seol Kyung Gu ... Hong Jong Du





Playlist URL

Sypnosis:

Jong-du, who has three previous convictions, pays a visit to the family of the victim in the hit-and run accident for which he served time and meets Gong-ju, the daughter, who has cerebral palsy. Jong-du is fascinated by her at first sight and visits her again when he knows she is alone. Trying to reassure and pacify the terrified young woman, he loses control and tries to rape her, stopping only when she faints. But he has left his workshop phone number in her room, and Gong-ju knows where to find him. To Jong-du's amazement, she calls him and invites him to visit her again. Over a series of clandestine meetings, the handicapped young woman and the feckless young man come to fall in love with each other. However their love is not one that is understood by anyone else.

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net

Yesterday

Yesterday

Release Date : 2002
Director: Yeon Yun Su
Writer:

Cast:
Kim Sun Ah ... May
Kim Seung Woo ... Seok
Kim Yu Jin ... Hui Su
Choi Min Su ... Goliath


Playlist URL

Sypnosis:

By the year 2020, the unification of the Korean peninsula has finally occurred. Detectives from the South, and "Rangers" from the North have merged to form the Special Investigations unit. Equipped with the latest technology, their missions range from quelling terrorist cells to solving high profile murders.

Detective Suk has been assigned to solve the multiple homicides of several prominent members of the scientific community. The only common link is that all of them were found with a mysterious pendant, the same one found on his son whom Suk accidentally shot while trying to rescue him from a terrorist group.

When the police commissioner is kidnapped, and the same pendant is found at the crime scene, Seok is pulled back to Inner City to figure out what the connection is. He is also saddled with Hisu, a forensic profiler and daughter of the commissioner, who has a habit of not following orders.

At first it appears that it's just another case of domestic terrorism. The further Suk and Hisu investigates, the closer they come to a 30 year old conspiracy that could destroy their very lives!

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net

Gangster High

Gangster High (Pongryeok-sseokeul)

Release Date: 2006
Director: Park Ki Hyeong
Writer:

Cast:
Jung Kyung Ho ... Sang Ho
Lee Tae Sung
Jang Hee Jin
Kim Hye Sung

Playlist URL

Alternate Playlist URL


Sypnosis:

Sang-ho and his friends Jae-gu and Chang-bae create a boys soccer club called “Tigers”. Sang-ho, whose main passions are hitting the books and kicking a soccer ball, meets Su-hee through Jae-gu. Su-hee is polar opposite from Sang-ho. While he is the model student and athlete, Su-hee is a tough but pretty problem student. Their differences inevitably draw them together. But Su-hee belongs to Jong-suk, the leader of a teen gang calling themselves “T&T”. The Tigers soon find themselves engulfed in a battle with T&T. When Sang-ho’s friends become seriously injured during a fight with T&T, Sang-ho makes a choice he can’t go back on.

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net

Chihwaseon aka Strokes Of Fire aka Pale Fire

Chihwaseon aka Strokes Of Fire

Release Date : 2002
Director: Im Kwon Taek
Writer: Im Kwon Taek, Kim Yong Oak, Min Byung Sam

Cast:
Choi Min Sik ... Jang Seung Up
Yoo Ho Jeong ... Mae Hyang
Ahn Sung Ki ... Kim Byung Moon
Son Ye Jin ... So Woon



Playlist URL

Sypnosis:

During the 1850s, KIM Byung-moon saves young Seung-up from being beaten by a group of drifters. Seung-up draws him a picture to explain the reason of being beaten. KIM looks carefully at Seung-up's rough yet extraordinary talent... and years later, KIM encourages Seung-up to pursue the life of a true artist and gives him a pen name, Oh-won. Seung-up meets Mae-hyang, a daughter of a declined Yangban(nobility) who attracts him deeply. But, they part when she runs away from persecution of the catholic.

Seung-up leaves and wanders about in pursuit of the truth of art. Nobody can hold on to him. Only through pleasure can he eagerly stroke his paintbrush. He confirms the power of his brush stroke through his painting of a monkey with a liquor bottle in hand while mocking the world. As fame builds up, he yearns to change and stretch beyond his limits. Then one day, he experiences all his body's energy flowing into the paintbrush. Seung-up, in a misshaped bowl, discovers the state he has strived to attain and turns his back to the world and fades away...

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net

Marrying The Mafia (II)

Marrying The Mafia 2 : Enemy In Law

Release Date : 2005
Director: Jeong Yong Ki
Writer: Jeong Tae Won, Kim Yeong Chan

Cast:
Shin Hyeon Joon
Kim Won Hee
Kim Soo Mi


Playlist URL

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Alternate Playlist URL

Sypnosis:

Mrs. Hong, the big boss of a powerful mafia group gives a mission to her three sons to find an elite daughter-in-law for her first son, In-Jae. In-Jae finally crashes into a beautiful lady, Jin-Kyung, who looks to be his soul mate. In-Jae is head-over-heels for Jin-Kyung. However, he finds out that Jin-Kyung is a prosecutor and the family seems to be in big danger!

Gallery:



photo credit : hancinema.net