Disney+ has unveiled Korean spy thriller Tempest for its 2025 slate, and revealed Japanese anime Code Geass Rozé of the Recapture will arrive on the platform on June 21.
Tempest, which will be available exclusively on Disney+ worldwide and on Hulu in the United States. Set in modern-day Korea, it follows Munju, a high-flying diplomat and former ambassador to the U.S., as well as Sanho, an international special agent. Together, they set out to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula.
Tempest stars A-listers Gianna Jun (also known as Jun Ji-hyun), who has headlined Kingdom, My Love from the Star and Legend of the Blue Sea, as Seo Munju, and Gang Dongwon as Sanho. Gang also carries an executive producer credit on the show.
Tempest is directed by Kim Heewon, who helmed Queen of Tears, Little Women and Vincenzo. Korea’s...
Tempest, which will be available exclusively on Disney+ worldwide and on Hulu in the United States. Set in modern-day Korea, it follows Munju, a high-flying diplomat and former ambassador to the U.S., as well as Sanho, an international special agent. Together, they set out to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula.
Tempest stars A-listers Gianna Jun (also known as Jun Ji-hyun), who has headlined Kingdom, My Love from the Star and Legend of the Blue Sea, as Seo Munju, and Gang Dongwon as Sanho. Gang also carries an executive producer credit on the show.
Tempest is directed by Kim Heewon, who helmed Queen of Tears, Little Women and Vincenzo. Korea’s...
- 5/29/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Two South Korean superstars Gianna Jun and Gang Dong-won head the cast of “Tempest,” an espionage action drama series being readied by streaming service Disney+ for release next year.
The contemporary Korea-set story sees Jun portray a highly-accomplished diplomat and former ambassador to the U.S. Gang portrays an international man of mystery, a former mercenary and special agent but of unknown nationality. Together, they race to uncover the truth behind a lethal attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula.
“Tempest” (previously known as “North Star”) is directed by Kim Heewon and co-directed by Korea’s leading martial arts director Heo Myunghaeng (“The Outlaws 4”). The screenplay is by Park Chan-wook’s regular partner Chung Seokyung, who has writing credits including “Decision to Leave,” “The Handmaiden” and “Little Women”.
Jun (real name Jeon Ji-hyun) has credits including “My Sassy Girl,” “My Love From the Star” and “Kingdom: Anshin of the North.
The contemporary Korea-set story sees Jun portray a highly-accomplished diplomat and former ambassador to the U.S. Gang portrays an international man of mystery, a former mercenary and special agent but of unknown nationality. Together, they race to uncover the truth behind a lethal attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula.
“Tempest” (previously known as “North Star”) is directed by Kim Heewon and co-directed by Korea’s leading martial arts director Heo Myunghaeng (“The Outlaws 4”). The screenplay is by Park Chan-wook’s regular partner Chung Seokyung, who has writing credits including “Decision to Leave,” “The Handmaiden” and “Little Women”.
Jun (real name Jeon Ji-hyun) has credits including “My Sassy Girl,” “My Love From the Star” and “Kingdom: Anshin of the North.
- 5/29/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Park Chan-wook is speaking out on the Academy’s decision to not include his 2022 noir film “Decision to Leave” on the Oscar ballot.
While fellow international filmmaker Justine Triet won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for “Anatomy of a Fall” and landed both Best International Feature, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Picture nominations, “Decision to Leave” was entirely iced out of the 2023 ceremony.
Now, Park is admitting that his career may have looked a little differently without that “Decision to Leave” Oscars snub. Park told The New Yorker that it would be hypocritical to deny the fact that awards are paramount to a filmmaker’s power trajectory in Hollywood.
“It would be hypocrisy to say that art is the only thing that matters,” Park said. “If you get an award, it might mean you have more power, more creative freedom, in your next project. It might mean you can have a bigger budget.
While fellow international filmmaker Justine Triet won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for “Anatomy of a Fall” and landed both Best International Feature, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Picture nominations, “Decision to Leave” was entirely iced out of the 2023 ceremony.
Now, Park is admitting that his career may have looked a little differently without that “Decision to Leave” Oscars snub. Park told The New Yorker that it would be hypocritical to deny the fact that awards are paramount to a filmmaker’s power trajectory in Hollywood.
“It would be hypocrisy to say that art is the only thing that matters,” Park said. “If you get an award, it might mean you have more power, more creative freedom, in your next project. It might mean you can have a bigger budget.
- 4/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Disney’s Korean superhero thriller Moving heads the nominations for this year’s Asia Content Awards at Busan International Film Festival with nods in six categories, followed by Tencent Video’s The Long Season with five nods.
Moving picked up nominations for best creative, best writer (Kang Full), three acting categories and best visual effects. Crime thriller The Long Season was also nominated for best creative, along with best director (Xin Shuang), two acting categories and best visual effects.
Netflix’s The Glory and Delete, from Thailand’s Gdh 559 Company, also scored highly, racking up four nominations apiece (see full list below).
Busan’s awards to recognise streaming and TV content, now known as the Asia Content Awards and Global Ott Awards, recently joined forces with the International Ott Festival, hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Science and Ict and Busan Metropolitan City, to open up its nominations to global content.
Moving picked up nominations for best creative, best writer (Kang Full), three acting categories and best visual effects. Crime thriller The Long Season was also nominated for best creative, along with best director (Xin Shuang), two acting categories and best visual effects.
Netflix’s The Glory and Delete, from Thailand’s Gdh 559 Company, also scored highly, racking up four nominations apiece (see full list below).
Busan’s awards to recognise streaming and TV content, now known as the Asia Content Awards and Global Ott Awards, recently joined forces with the International Ott Festival, hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Science and Ict and Busan Metropolitan City, to open up its nominations to global content.
- 9/12/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Those who accept will be only additions to Academy’s membership in 2023.
Vicky Krieps, Paul Mescal, Warner Bros Discovery head David Zaslav, Aftersun writer-director Charlotte Wells, She Said director Maria Schrader, and Kerry Condon are among 398 who have been invited to join the Academy.
Some 40% of the 2023 class identify as women, 34% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 52% are from 50 countries and territories outside the United States. There are 76 Oscar nominees including 22 winners among the invitees.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership. Should they all accept, the total number of members...
Vicky Krieps, Paul Mescal, Warner Bros Discovery head David Zaslav, Aftersun writer-director Charlotte Wells, She Said director Maria Schrader, and Kerry Condon are among 398 who have been invited to join the Academy.
Some 40% of the 2023 class identify as women, 34% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 52% are from 50 countries and territories outside the United States. There are 76 Oscar nominees including 22 winners among the invitees.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership. Should they all accept, the total number of members...
- 6/28/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was awarded best feature at this year’s Asian Film Awards (March 12), along with prizes for best editing and best original music. The multiple award-winning Japanese film premiered at Cannes film festival in 2021 and also won the Oscar for Best International Feature last year.
Another Japanese filmmaker, Hirokazu Kore-eda, took best director for Broker, the Korean-language film that has also been on an awards streak since premiering at Cannes film festival last year.
Best actress went to Chinese actress Tang Wei for her role in Korean director Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave, while Hong Kong’s Tony Leung Chiu-wai took best actor for Philip Yung’s Where The Wind Blows and was also presented with the Asian Film Contribution Award. Decision To Leave was also awarded best screenplay, for a script written by Park and Chung Seo-kyung, as well as best production design.
Another Japanese filmmaker, Hirokazu Kore-eda, took best director for Broker, the Korean-language film that has also been on an awards streak since premiering at Cannes film festival last year.
Best actress went to Chinese actress Tang Wei for her role in Korean director Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave, while Hong Kong’s Tony Leung Chiu-wai took best actor for Philip Yung’s Where The Wind Blows and was also presented with the Asian Film Contribution Award. Decision To Leave was also awarded best screenplay, for a script written by Park and Chung Seo-kyung, as well as best production design.
- 3/13/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Decision To Leave’ won three and Hirokazu Kore-eda named best director.
The Asian Film Awards (Afa) celebrated its comeback edition in Hong Kong tonight (March 12) and named Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car best film.
The Japanese film, which premiered at Cannes in 2021 and won best international feature at last year’s Oscars, won a further two awards at the AFAs: best editing for Azusa Yamazaki and best original music by Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave went into the night as the favourite, with a leading 10 nominations for the South Korean film,...
The Asian Film Awards (Afa) celebrated its comeback edition in Hong Kong tonight (March 12) and named Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car best film.
The Japanese film, which premiered at Cannes in 2021 and won best international feature at last year’s Oscars, won a further two awards at the AFAs: best editing for Azusa Yamazaki and best original music by Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave went into the night as the favourite, with a leading 10 nominations for the South Korean film,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The much-decorated Japanese drama “Drive My Car” was named the best film Sunday at the Asian Film Awards, defeating hot favorite “Decision to Leave.”
Other notable awards went to Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda whose “Broker” debuted at Cannes, but which was largely shunned in his home country.
“Decision to Leave,” which started the evening with ten nominations, was nevertheless rewarded with three awards, best screenplay, best production design and best actress for China’s Tang Wei.
While nominations were geographically diverse, the awards on Sunday skewed heavily towards North East Asia –Japan, Korea and Greater China – to the total exclusion of films from India, Indonesia and The Philippines. Snubs included the exclusion of Indonesia’s “Autobiography” and Happy Salma, both of which have been widely lauded on the festival circuit.
The awards ceremony returned to Hong Kong after detours to Macau and Busan and a Covid hiatus in previous years.
Other notable awards went to Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda whose “Broker” debuted at Cannes, but which was largely shunned in his home country.
“Decision to Leave,” which started the evening with ten nominations, was nevertheless rewarded with three awards, best screenplay, best production design and best actress for China’s Tang Wei.
While nominations were geographically diverse, the awards on Sunday skewed heavily towards North East Asia –Japan, Korea and Greater China – to the total exclusion of films from India, Indonesia and The Philippines. Snubs included the exclusion of Indonesia’s “Autobiography” and Happy Salma, both of which have been widely lauded on the festival circuit.
The awards ceremony returned to Hong Kong after detours to Macau and Busan and a Covid hiatus in previous years.
- 3/12/2023
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Today's Oscar nominations announcement brought an end to months of speculation among film fans and, of course, the start of an even more contentious period leading up to the actual ceremony itself. Naturally, that's all part of the fun surrounding this time of year, but one can't completely deny the reality that the Oscars truly mean something important ... even if its origins point toward a much different conclusion. Smaller movies that otherwise might've flown under the radar suddenly enjoy a much brighter spotlight. In a refreshing break from gatekeeping norms, casual audiences are invited to join in on the kinds of debates and celebrations that the average /Film reader seeks out on a daily basis. Look no further than the box office success that followed "Parasite" after winning Best Picture in 2020. And yet, just one glaring omission is enough to put a damper on things.
Although the overall results turned...
Although the overall results turned...
- 1/24/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
If you were to draft a list of the artists most responsible for the ever-expanding global popularity of Korean film and television, Park Chan-wook — the director of Oldboy and this year’s Oscar frontrunner Decision to Leave — would undoubtedly fall somewhere at the top. Far less known, however, is the name of the woman responsible for co-writing all of Park’s films since the early 2000s: Chung Seo-kyung. Park met Chung, then an aspiring writer, while serving on the jury of a Korean short-film competition in which she was competing sometime around 2001. After winning the Cannes Grand Prix in 2003 for Old Boy and deciding to that his next movie would be more female-centric, Park remembered Chung’s spark and peculiar sensibility and reached out to her to write a draft of a script.
That project became his sixth feature, 2005’s Lady Vengeance, and the duo have co-written every one of...
That project became his sixth feature, 2005’s Lady Vengeance, and the duo have co-written every one of...
- 1/13/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Much of the world knows Korean entertainment through superstar pop music performers like BTS and Black Pink. Then, with “Squid Game,” the world fell for Korean drama. And thanks to Bong Joon Ho and his “Parasite” Oscar-winner, more of the planet has learned of the powerhouse that is Korean cinema. ¶ The Korean film industry’s proficiency is scarcely new. Bong, together with the likes of Kim Jee-woon (“A Bittersweet Life”) and the multihyphenate Park Chan-wook are part of a cohort of leading directors who emerged at the beginning of the millennium and remain at the forefront. Over some two decades, they have given Korean cinema an impeccable reputation for combining style, substance and smart storytelling.
With his latest drama, “Decision to Leave,” on the Oscar international film shortlist after a glittering run on the festival circuit and a successful worldwide release, it is now Park’s turn in the spotlight.
With his latest drama, “Decision to Leave,” on the Oscar international film shortlist after a glittering run on the festival circuit and a successful worldwide release, it is now Park’s turn in the spotlight.
- 1/10/2023
- by Carole Horst and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Gold House and Cape (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) have released their third annual Gold List to guide voters ahead of the awards race by spotlighting and honoring outstanding work by Asian filmmakers and talent in the past year, as voted on by the community’s top creatives and leaders.
A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” tops the Gold List with five honors, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (Daniels aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Best Performance in a Leading Role (Michelle Yeoh), Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan) and several honorable mentions.
“It has been an incredible year for Aapi stories pushing the boundaries of expectations for what an Asian American story can be,” said honoree Daniel Kwan, writer-director of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” “Through films like ‘Turning Red,’ ‘After Yang,’ ‘Umma’ and many more, we are getting a taste...
A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” tops the Gold List with five honors, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (Daniels aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Best Performance in a Leading Role (Michelle Yeoh), Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan) and several honorable mentions.
“It has been an incredible year for Aapi stories pushing the boundaries of expectations for what an Asian American story can be,” said honoree Daniel Kwan, writer-director of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” “Through films like ‘Turning Red,’ ‘After Yang,’ ‘Umma’ and many more, we are getting a taste...
- 1/10/2023
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
Everything Everywhere All at Once continues to be everywhere on awards lists.
The genre-busting A24 record-grosser tops the third annual Gold List, an FYC guide from nonprofit organizations Gold House and Cape highlighting this year’s cinematic achievements by Asian filmmakers and artists.
“Since its inception just two years ago, 15 Gold List honorees have gone on to receive Academy Award wins or nominations,” Gold House executive director and COO Jeremy Tran said in a statement. “Chloé Zhao, Youn Yuh-jung and Riz Ahmed’s history-making wins, to name a few, underscore why vehicles like the Gold List that celebrate the most impactful achievements from and among the Asian community are essential signals that generate new creative development, production and distribution opportunities for traditionally unrecognized communities.”
Eeaao led six of the list’s 14 categories – which for the first time went gender-neutral in the acting races – including best picture, best director (Daniels), best...
The genre-busting A24 record-grosser tops the third annual Gold List, an FYC guide from nonprofit organizations Gold House and Cape highlighting this year’s cinematic achievements by Asian filmmakers and artists.
“Since its inception just two years ago, 15 Gold List honorees have gone on to receive Academy Award wins or nominations,” Gold House executive director and COO Jeremy Tran said in a statement. “Chloé Zhao, Youn Yuh-jung and Riz Ahmed’s history-making wins, to name a few, underscore why vehicles like the Gold List that celebrate the most impactful achievements from and among the Asian community are essential signals that generate new creative development, production and distribution opportunities for traditionally unrecognized communities.”
Eeaao led six of the list’s 14 categories – which for the first time went gender-neutral in the acting races – including best picture, best director (Daniels), best...
- 1/10/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cape (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) debuted the third annual Gold List to guide voters ahead of the awards race by spotlighting and honoring the work of Asian filmmakers and talent in the past year, as voted on by the community’s top creatives and leaders.
Everything Everywhere All At Once leads with wins for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (Daniels), Best Performance in a Leading Role (Michelle Yeoh), and Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan), with several honorable mentions.
Rrr and Decision to Leave garnered five honors each across the major categories, with Rrr winning Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu.” Pixar’s Turning Red earned Best Animated Film; David Siev’s Bad Axe leads for Best Documentary; Dolly De Leon and Stephanie Hsu won for Breakout Performance, and Joyland rounded out the list with Breakout Independent Film.
In a year where Asian-helmed...
Everything Everywhere All At Once leads with wins for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (Daniels), Best Performance in a Leading Role (Michelle Yeoh), and Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan), with several honorable mentions.
Rrr and Decision to Leave garnered five honors each across the major categories, with Rrr winning Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu.” Pixar’s Turning Red earned Best Animated Film; David Siev’s Bad Axe leads for Best Documentary; Dolly De Leon and Stephanie Hsu won for Breakout Performance, and Joyland rounded out the list with Breakout Independent Film.
In a year where Asian-helmed...
- 1/10/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s ‘Drive My Car’ secures eight nods.
Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards (Afa) with 10 nods including best film and best director.
Korean films have secured nominations in every category for the 16th edition of the awards, which will return to Hong Kong for the first time in three years, having been hosted in Busan for two years and not held in 2022.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Korean romantic noir Decision To Leave premiered in Competition at Cannes last May, where Park won best director. As...
Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards (Afa) with 10 nods including best film and best director.
Korean films have secured nominations in every category for the 16th edition of the awards, which will return to Hong Kong for the first time in three years, having been hosted in Busan for two years and not held in 2022.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Korean romantic noir Decision To Leave premiered in Competition at Cannes last May, where Park won best director. As...
- 1/6/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Park Chan-wook’s stylish crime drama Decision to Leave leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards with a sweeping 10 nods, including Best Director and Best Film.
The film’s impressive nominations haul also includes a Best Screenplay nod and acting nominations for leads Park Hae-il and Tang Wei, as well as below-the-line recognition for Cinematography, Editing, Music, and Production Design.
Decision to Leave follows a detective (Park Hae-il) investigating a man’s death in the mountains when he meets the dead man’s mysterious wife, a suspect in the case, and begins a tangled affair. The film debuted at Cannes where Park won the Best Director prize. Korea has also submitted the film as its entry for the international feature Oscar race.
Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s Drive My Car trails with eight nominations. The epic road movie also debuted at Cannes, but in 2021. Elsewhere, Hirokazu Koreeda...
The film’s impressive nominations haul also includes a Best Screenplay nod and acting nominations for leads Park Hae-il and Tang Wei, as well as below-the-line recognition for Cinematography, Editing, Music, and Production Design.
Decision to Leave follows a detective (Park Hae-il) investigating a man’s death in the mountains when he meets the dead man’s mysterious wife, a suspect in the case, and begins a tangled affair. The film debuted at Cannes where Park won the Best Director prize. Korea has also submitted the film as its entry for the international feature Oscar race.
Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s Drive My Car trails with eight nominations. The epic road movie also debuted at Cannes, but in 2021. Elsewhere, Hirokazu Koreeda...
- 1/6/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Park Chan-wook’s noirish romance “Decision to Leave” makes the running in the Asian Film Awards by collecting ten nominations, including best film and best director.
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Drive My Car,” another awards season favorite which also debuted at Cannes, albeit a year earlier, has eight nominations.
Zhang Yimou, the acclaimed mainland Chinese director of “One Second,” “Hero” and “Raise the Red Lantern,” will head a seven-person jury that sorts through the nominated films and decides the winners.
Organizers said that a total of 30 films from 22 countries or territories received 81 nominations in 16 categories.
The final awards will be presented at a ceremony that relocates to Hong Kong, after being held for two years in Busan and was omitted entirely in 2022. The event will take place at the new Hong Kong Palace Museum on March 12, the evening before film and TV rights market FilMart makes its in-person return for the...
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Drive My Car,” another awards season favorite which also debuted at Cannes, albeit a year earlier, has eight nominations.
Zhang Yimou, the acclaimed mainland Chinese director of “One Second,” “Hero” and “Raise the Red Lantern,” will head a seven-person jury that sorts through the nominated films and decides the winners.
Organizers said that a total of 30 films from 22 countries or territories received 81 nominations in 16 categories.
The final awards will be presented at a ceremony that relocates to Hong Kong, after being held for two years in Busan and was omitted entirely in 2022. The event will take place at the new Hong Kong Palace Museum on March 12, the evening before film and TV rights market FilMart makes its in-person return for the...
- 1/6/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
South Korean entertainment heavyweight Cj Enm has unveiled the 2023 recipients of its annual Visionary awards, which recognize talent across the Korean film and television landscape for their contributions to “leading trends and spearheading innovations.”
Cj Enm says the 10 Visionary honorees were selected via a process combining opinions from a panel of 60 entertainment “specialists” from within the company and a data analysis conducted by Endeavor Analytics. Endeavor Analytics developed and implemented a proprietary judging methodology, utilizing an array of data resources including celebrity tracking services and social media measurements.
The 2023 honorees range from filmmaker Park Chan-wook, whose latest thriller Decision to Leave is considered an Oscar frontrunner, to Squid Game star Lee Jung Jae, who premiered his directorial debut, Hunt, at Cannes last year. Other recipients include pop star turned actress Iu, star of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s acclaimed drama Broker, and leading man Don Lee, star of The Roundup, Korea’s...
Cj Enm says the 10 Visionary honorees were selected via a process combining opinions from a panel of 60 entertainment “specialists” from within the company and a data analysis conducted by Endeavor Analytics. Endeavor Analytics developed and implemented a proprietary judging methodology, utilizing an array of data resources including celebrity tracking services and social media measurements.
The 2023 honorees range from filmmaker Park Chan-wook, whose latest thriller Decision to Leave is considered an Oscar frontrunner, to Squid Game star Lee Jung Jae, who premiered his directorial debut, Hunt, at Cannes last year. Other recipients include pop star turned actress Iu, star of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s acclaimed drama Broker, and leading man Don Lee, star of The Roundup, Korea’s...
- 1/5/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products released each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Bones and All Blu-ray from Warner Bros.
A late contender for one of the most affecting horror films of the year, Bones and All will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 31 via Warner Bros. Unfortunately, no special features are listed for the cannibal drama.
Luca Guadagnino directs from a script by David Kajganich (Suspiria), based on Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel of the same name. Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet star with Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon Green, and Jessica Harper.
Terrifier 2 Shirt from Terror Threads
Art the Clown has cemented his place as a modern horror icon, so it’s to be expected that he’s the focal point of most merchandise,...
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Bones and All Blu-ray from Warner Bros.
A late contender for one of the most affecting horror films of the year, Bones and All will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 31 via Warner Bros. Unfortunately, no special features are listed for the cannibal drama.
Luca Guadagnino directs from a script by David Kajganich (Suspiria), based on Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel of the same name. Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet star with Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon Green, and Jessica Harper.
Terrifier 2 Shirt from Terror Threads
Art the Clown has cemented his place as a modern horror icon, so it’s to be expected that he’s the focal point of most merchandise,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
South Korea’s Oscar© 2023 Entry for Best International Feature: ‘Decision to Leave’ by Park Chan-wookSure to be on the top of many people’s list as one of the best films of the year (including my own along with ‘Eo’), at the very least it should be nominated for for best international feature Oscar. This melodrama keeps you in the tense suspense of ‘Double Indemnity’, ‘The Postman Rings Twice’ or ‘Gaslight’.
From a mountain peak in South Korea, a man plummets to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? When detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) arrives on the scene, he begins to suspect the dead man’s wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei). As he digs deeper into the investigation, he finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire. By falling in love with her, he commits worst crime he could commit as a police officer.
writer Jeong Seo-kyeong
Decision to Leave is co-written by Jeong Seo-kyeong with the director Park Chan-wook. It is shot in and around Busan. The romantic thriller premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is being released in select U.S. theaters by Mubi.
During the Hammer Museum- Moma Contender Series, the screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong spoke about her many collaboration with Park Chan-took.You can watch the 32 minute conversation here with film critic Katie Walsh. Or read below for the written version, slightly edited and abridged.
The music itself is exceptional. I wanted to go out immediately and buy it and could not stop singing it as I drove home from the movie. The original music was composed by his long time collaborator Cho Young-wuk (Oldboy, The Handmaiden, The Little Drummer Girl, Lady Vengeance, Thirst). The soundtrack is available to stream/download in most international markets and on Spotify. Watch the offical music video here for the theme song “Fog” or “Mist” (안개)” by Jung Hoon Hee(정훈희) & Song Chang Sick(송창식). Record label: Bertelsmann Music Group. Awards: Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Music, Grand Bell Award for Best Music, Korean Film Awards for Best Music.
Aside from the original mustic there is the recurring fourth movement of Mahler’s 5th Symphony thoughout the film. When asked her about the use of music this is what she answered.
When we were writing the script, the Mahler’s Fifth was actually the first score that we thought of. I needed a song that goes with someone in that lone space high up on the mountain, a music that speaks to how he feels separated from the rest of the world. That’s why I chose two songs by Mahler. And when Director Park saw the first draft, he called me up and he said, “Oh, it’s all good, but why did you have to use Mahler? Did you not watch Death in Venice? That song was perfectly used there already, so why would we have to use it again?”
But I never saw Death in Venice.
So he said, “Okay, I’ll try to work it out on my own.” And I think he did try his best to find something else, but he had to return to Mahler.
Have you seen Tar? They also use Mahler. No.
She conducts Mahler’s Fifth in Tar. So it’s a theme this year.
To return to her writing, Katie Walsh and Jeong Seo-kyeong’s conversation is below.
You started working with Director Park in 2005 with Lady Vengeance. So I’m so curious how you two connected and started working together on that film.
There was a short film competition and he was a jury member and he selected the film. And that’s how we got to know each other. From what I remember, the script of the short film was very weird and I think that’s exactly what he liked about it. So he said, I’ve got this idea. I’m working on this this vengeance trilogy and I want your sensibility on this.
At that point, just when we were about to start working together, he had just won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes [for Oldboy] and he became a worldwide director.
I thought to myself, wow, I’m going to be working with such a worldwide famous director. I was very stunned by that and he was busy at the time, so I had to start on the screenplay on my own at first.
He was on his promotional tour for the film and I was working on the first draft of the screenplay by myself. And from what I remember, it was a pathetic first draft.
But he was not taken aback by the draft at all. And instead he calmly said, “okay, let’s start revising it together”.
In Korea, there’s a method of working in which we share one hotel room and we stay there and work together for days. So the crew members were sitting around this large table in this hotel room. There are two monitors, two keyboards and one hard drive. And we were working together. When one person is writing, the other person can see it on the screen. Next to that table was a long couch where all the other crew members were sitting. It almost felt like writing that screenplay was a game of table tennis.
So he writes and then I write. I would see something that I ddin’t like and I would revise it. He would see something he didn’t like and he would revise it. So we would go back and forth like that. Instead of sharing conversations by mouth, we were seeing what was happening on the screen and that’s how we talked about the story.
At that time I was a first time writer and I was working on my first screenplay. So I really had to give it all my best to catch up with him. It really was an unfair game, if I may say. Whenever we would ask people which they liked better, they would always be on the director’s side.
But 20 years later, today, the crew member actually take my side more now.
So you still work like this?
No. Oh. After Thirst, I had my first child. And while we were working on Stoker I had my second child close. That’s why I couldn’t make a lot of time. And that’s why we can’t spend that much time together anymore.
So now I write the first draft of the screenplay and we revise it for three or four days or up to a week. Then he writes the final draft after a discussion with the crew members and the actors and myself.
Wow. That’s remarkable. I was going to ask how you guys work together, what you’re working process was like. So I’m I’m thrilled that it just came up naturally. And that is such a trial by fire. I mean, I’m sure that was like film school being in that hotel room, having to write against Park Chan-wook in a competitive manner.
I actually majored in screenwriting at school, but after graduation, I realized I actually don’t know anything about screenwriting. Like, really, like, genuinely. I was learning screenwriting from director Park Film School and I’m still learning today.
Park Chan-wook
And I’m sure director Park feels the same way.
Yeah. Yeah. So Decision to Leave is an original script.
You’ve worked on some adaptations before, but what was the spark of idea for this screenplay?
Director Park, while working on Little Drummer Girl in London, sent me an email. He suggested, “What about a story about a detective? And in his area, there are two husbands who are murdered by his wife.”
His idea at the time actually reminded me a lot of Thirst… a murder caused by adultery.
I told him, “I don’t think we can work on this one. First of all, neither of us can write a melodrama. But even more, I really can’t write a story about adultery.”
But Director Park answered, “What do you mean? I’m great at writing this stuff.”
I told him no. I don’t think we can work like this. So we had an argument about that, actually. During that argument, I realized I was already developing the characters for this story. And I found myself with a finished synopsis for the film. That’s how the film came to be.
It sounds like there’s some creative energy in the conflict or in the argument. Can you talk a little bit about that and how you’re sort of working against each other and then it’s generating ideas for you.
For this film and it’s so for most of the films that we work together on, I relate a lot to the female characters and director Park tends to relate to the male characters. And the reason I didn’t want to work on a melodrama is because I had a terrible memory from Thirst. I did not like the ending of Thirst. Why did the female character have to die when she did not want to. It would have been nice if she lived on as a vampire. So when the film was over I think I felt just like Tae-ju. She’s like, “I don’t want to die but since I love him, I guess there’s no other choice”. So I thought to myself, “Well, I don’t want it to be that way, but I guess I have no other choice.”
For Decision to Leave, I do like the ending but I did have to ask the question why the female character had to die. I had a lot of frustrations regarding that. Why Seo-rae seem to like Hae-jun more than he likes her. Why does Hae-jun seem like he can’t give up on his wife or Seo-rae.
Seo-rae says, “The moment you said you loved me, your love is over. The moment your love ends, my love begins.”
And Seo-rae has to give up give up her whole life for Hae-jun. But Hae-jun only gives up on his self-esteem.
But watching the finished film, I was struck with a realization that for some people, giving up on one’s self-esteem is the same as giving up one’s life.
There was some conflict while we were writing the film, but watching the finished film, I think I understood and connected with the overall ending.
I’m also curious about the casting of Tang Wei, who’s a Chinese actress, obviously living in Korea. And did you write the character of Seo-rae for Tang Wei or was it? Did you change that character to be Chinese once you knew she was going to be in the film?
I told director Park I didn’t want to write a melodrama because I was not confident I would do a good job. One exception was, that if the female character were played by Tang Wei, then I would write it. Because I was in love with Tang Wei.
That’s a good answer. Makes sense. I understand.
And that’s why the female character turned out to- turned out to be a Chinese person.
Well, she’s fabulous in the film. So we thank you for your instincts, for being in love with her.
One of the things I love about this film is the use of technology. It feels so honest as to how we use technology in our everyday lives, how we’re always texting and the way the characters communicate through technology. But also it becomes part of the mystery and how he solves the mystery and then also how he’s sort of driven mad at the end. So when you’re writing with director Park, how are you incorporating how the characters are using technology into the writing process? He makes it so cinematic, but I know that you must be putting that into the script as well.
If you consider authors like Agatha Christie at the time when she was writing her crime novel and compare them to those who are writing crime novels today, we have so much technology. Phones are always filming and are recording evidence. There’s not a lot that we can work with because anyone can take photos and have voice recordings and there are always CCTV cameras everywhere.
So I realized it’s impossible to have that romanticist classical crime story. Instead we must actively incorporate the use of modern technology. When Director Park first received a draft of the script. He asked me, “Why are there so many scenes with cell phones? I’ve never seen so many cell phones in a movie except in Searching.”
Director Park initially did not want to film any scenes with cell phones. But later he gave up on giving up on those cell phone scenes and instead filmed from the point of view of a cell phone. That is actually a very innovative, creative take on that. But I do feel that people took that in very well because we often feel that phones are looking at us.
As for me as a writer, the use of Apple Watches actually gave me a lot of creative freedom because it’s difficult to have scenes to incorporate the protagonist in a voiceover out of nowhere. But with the Apple Watch and the recording, it made that so much easier.
You have worked across so many genres with Director Park, vampire, vengeance, melodrama. The Handmaiden is a historical drama, romance. It’s an adaptation. Do you think there’s a consistent theme or tone that you and Director Park always come back to that spans your body of work?
The thing is, Director Park and I actually don’t agree on the themes most of the time. For instance, for Lady Vengeance, the theme was vengeance. But I don’t quite understand why people are so obsessed with vengeance.
So I actually called my friend and asked, “Why do people have to take revenge on each other instead of striving for peace?”
As for Thirst, the theme was guilt or salvation. But the thing is, I don’t feel a lot of guilt in my life. As long as I don’t do anything bad, there is no need for guit or salvation. That’s what I think.
If I were a vampire, I would think to myself, “Oh, this is how the mankind is going to evolve. So I should find a new method of life”.
So in those ways I don’t think the themes quite worked with me, but as we were working together, I didn’t realize we were working toward one common theme. I think it has to do with respect or the dignity of mankind.
In all of these different genres, the protagonists tend to be thrown into very extreme situations. And yet even in these extreme situations, these protagonists try not to lose their sense of dignity. I think when Hae-jun was talking about how Seo-rae had such upright posture, I think it really spoke to her sense of dignity.
That is a common theme throughout films like I’m a Cyborg But That’s Okayor The Handmaiden.
I was wondering, did you ever come up with that alternative finale or like, did you suggest an alternative finale?
The ending is actually something that makes logical sense. This is a story that begins very high up and then ends very low. We start on the mountain and close on the ocean. So conclusively it makes logical sense that it would end up with someone digging a hole.
I actually tend to think that an ending in which a woman dies for love is quite unnatural. But if a man dies, that’s a little more natural. But despite those personal frustrations, I cannot think of any other ending that would work better.
Director Park seems to write a lot of stories featuring female protagonists. What are the difficulties you face when you’re writing about a female protagonist while you’re working with a male director?
It is very easy. I’ve actually written a story in which it only features male protagonists. It’s called Believer. That story is filled with male characters. And I had such a hard time, I thought I was going to die.
I think one of the most difficult parts of being a writer is if a female writer is trying to write a good male character, and when a male writer is trying to write a good female character.
But despite all those difficulties, Director Park actually portrays the female characters very well. He writes characters in such a way that they don’t have to sacrifice their femininity in order to walk their path of life.
Over 20 years of working together, our collaboration has evolved so much that it’s actually difficult to tell which line is written by me and which line is written by Director Park.
In the movie The Handmaiden, one of the most feminine looking lines, was actually written by Director Park. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say that line out loud.
It’s a line by the character Sook-hee and she says, “If I could have milk from my breasts, I wish I could feed you, my lady.”
Can you imagine that?
Well, his female characters are so strong, I’m sure that is your influence, of course, in your writing, but also, in just the working relationship that he has with you.
I wish I could also have developed writing better male characters, but I think I’m a little behind if we have to make a comparison.
Keep writing women, we like it.
I wanted to ask about Seo-Rae’s mother-daughter relationship because I felt like that was such a pivotal moment in the story.
The relationship between Seo-rae and her mother was actually described in more lengthy terms. Because I think the entire story started the moment Seo-rae killed her mother. There is nothing more serious. She doesn’t commit a more serious crime than killing the mother that she loves so much.
So I think in some ways, Seo-rae has already died the moment she had to go through that.
I think she has taken a journey with her mother and her grandfather to the mountain that her mother said belonged to her, and then she starts her journey down. After she has placed the ashes of her mother and her grandfather at that mountain, she starts her own journey towards death down from the mountain. Because I think every animal, including mankind, wants to find death where they were born.
So that is why Seo-rae believed that her mother wanted to be buried in the mountains and Seo-rae goes towards the ocean because she belongs to the ocean.
I think the only way she might have found salvation from her ordeal could have been to leave and go somewhere else with Hae-jun, but that didn’t happen, so inevitably she had to go to the ocean.
And all of that began with the death of Seo-rae’s mother.
Well, thank you all so much for being here. Thank you so much. Thank you, Jiwon. Thank you, Chung Seo-kyung. And thank you for watching this film and talking to us about it.
The film’s producer, CJEnt is also the international sales agent as well as the So. Korean distributor of the film. Internationally it has licensed the film to Mubi for USA, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Latin America, Turkey, India, and Airlines and to Arna Media and Vesta for Russia, Bac Films for France, Cinobo for Greece, Cinéart for Benelux, Golden Village Pictures for Singapore, Happinet Phantom Studios for Japan, Lucky Red for Italy, Madman Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand, Movie Cloud for Taiwan, NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Plaion Pictures for Germany, Purple Plan (2022) (Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, The Filmbridge for Mongolia, Alambique Filmes for Portugal, Avalon for Spain
MoviesOscarsSouth KoreaThriller...
From a mountain peak in South Korea, a man plummets to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? When detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) arrives on the scene, he begins to suspect the dead man’s wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei). As he digs deeper into the investigation, he finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire. By falling in love with her, he commits worst crime he could commit as a police officer.
writer Jeong Seo-kyeong
Decision to Leave is co-written by Jeong Seo-kyeong with the director Park Chan-wook. It is shot in and around Busan. The romantic thriller premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is being released in select U.S. theaters by Mubi.
During the Hammer Museum- Moma Contender Series, the screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong spoke about her many collaboration with Park Chan-took.You can watch the 32 minute conversation here with film critic Katie Walsh. Or read below for the written version, slightly edited and abridged.
The music itself is exceptional. I wanted to go out immediately and buy it and could not stop singing it as I drove home from the movie. The original music was composed by his long time collaborator Cho Young-wuk (Oldboy, The Handmaiden, The Little Drummer Girl, Lady Vengeance, Thirst). The soundtrack is available to stream/download in most international markets and on Spotify. Watch the offical music video here for the theme song “Fog” or “Mist” (안개)” by Jung Hoon Hee(정훈희) & Song Chang Sick(송창식). Record label: Bertelsmann Music Group. Awards: Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Music, Grand Bell Award for Best Music, Korean Film Awards for Best Music.
Aside from the original mustic there is the recurring fourth movement of Mahler’s 5th Symphony thoughout the film. When asked her about the use of music this is what she answered.
When we were writing the script, the Mahler’s Fifth was actually the first score that we thought of. I needed a song that goes with someone in that lone space high up on the mountain, a music that speaks to how he feels separated from the rest of the world. That’s why I chose two songs by Mahler. And when Director Park saw the first draft, he called me up and he said, “Oh, it’s all good, but why did you have to use Mahler? Did you not watch Death in Venice? That song was perfectly used there already, so why would we have to use it again?”
But I never saw Death in Venice.
So he said, “Okay, I’ll try to work it out on my own.” And I think he did try his best to find something else, but he had to return to Mahler.
Have you seen Tar? They also use Mahler. No.
She conducts Mahler’s Fifth in Tar. So it’s a theme this year.
To return to her writing, Katie Walsh and Jeong Seo-kyeong’s conversation is below.
You started working with Director Park in 2005 with Lady Vengeance. So I’m so curious how you two connected and started working together on that film.
There was a short film competition and he was a jury member and he selected the film. And that’s how we got to know each other. From what I remember, the script of the short film was very weird and I think that’s exactly what he liked about it. So he said, I’ve got this idea. I’m working on this this vengeance trilogy and I want your sensibility on this.
At that point, just when we were about to start working together, he had just won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes [for Oldboy] and he became a worldwide director.
I thought to myself, wow, I’m going to be working with such a worldwide famous director. I was very stunned by that and he was busy at the time, so I had to start on the screenplay on my own at first.
He was on his promotional tour for the film and I was working on the first draft of the screenplay by myself. And from what I remember, it was a pathetic first draft.
But he was not taken aback by the draft at all. And instead he calmly said, “okay, let’s start revising it together”.
In Korea, there’s a method of working in which we share one hotel room and we stay there and work together for days. So the crew members were sitting around this large table in this hotel room. There are two monitors, two keyboards and one hard drive. And we were working together. When one person is writing, the other person can see it on the screen. Next to that table was a long couch where all the other crew members were sitting. It almost felt like writing that screenplay was a game of table tennis.
So he writes and then I write. I would see something that I ddin’t like and I would revise it. He would see something he didn’t like and he would revise it. So we would go back and forth like that. Instead of sharing conversations by mouth, we were seeing what was happening on the screen and that’s how we talked about the story.
At that time I was a first time writer and I was working on my first screenplay. So I really had to give it all my best to catch up with him. It really was an unfair game, if I may say. Whenever we would ask people which they liked better, they would always be on the director’s side.
But 20 years later, today, the crew member actually take my side more now.
So you still work like this?
No. Oh. After Thirst, I had my first child. And while we were working on Stoker I had my second child close. That’s why I couldn’t make a lot of time. And that’s why we can’t spend that much time together anymore.
So now I write the first draft of the screenplay and we revise it for three or four days or up to a week. Then he writes the final draft after a discussion with the crew members and the actors and myself.
Wow. That’s remarkable. I was going to ask how you guys work together, what you’re working process was like. So I’m I’m thrilled that it just came up naturally. And that is such a trial by fire. I mean, I’m sure that was like film school being in that hotel room, having to write against Park Chan-wook in a competitive manner.
I actually majored in screenwriting at school, but after graduation, I realized I actually don’t know anything about screenwriting. Like, really, like, genuinely. I was learning screenwriting from director Park Film School and I’m still learning today.
Park Chan-wook
And I’m sure director Park feels the same way.
Yeah. Yeah. So Decision to Leave is an original script.
You’ve worked on some adaptations before, but what was the spark of idea for this screenplay?
Director Park, while working on Little Drummer Girl in London, sent me an email. He suggested, “What about a story about a detective? And in his area, there are two husbands who are murdered by his wife.”
His idea at the time actually reminded me a lot of Thirst… a murder caused by adultery.
I told him, “I don’t think we can work on this one. First of all, neither of us can write a melodrama. But even more, I really can’t write a story about adultery.”
But Director Park answered, “What do you mean? I’m great at writing this stuff.”
I told him no. I don’t think we can work like this. So we had an argument about that, actually. During that argument, I realized I was already developing the characters for this story. And I found myself with a finished synopsis for the film. That’s how the film came to be.
It sounds like there’s some creative energy in the conflict or in the argument. Can you talk a little bit about that and how you’re sort of working against each other and then it’s generating ideas for you.
For this film and it’s so for most of the films that we work together on, I relate a lot to the female characters and director Park tends to relate to the male characters. And the reason I didn’t want to work on a melodrama is because I had a terrible memory from Thirst. I did not like the ending of Thirst. Why did the female character have to die when she did not want to. It would have been nice if she lived on as a vampire. So when the film was over I think I felt just like Tae-ju. She’s like, “I don’t want to die but since I love him, I guess there’s no other choice”. So I thought to myself, “Well, I don’t want it to be that way, but I guess I have no other choice.”
For Decision to Leave, I do like the ending but I did have to ask the question why the female character had to die. I had a lot of frustrations regarding that. Why Seo-rae seem to like Hae-jun more than he likes her. Why does Hae-jun seem like he can’t give up on his wife or Seo-rae.
Seo-rae says, “The moment you said you loved me, your love is over. The moment your love ends, my love begins.”
And Seo-rae has to give up give up her whole life for Hae-jun. But Hae-jun only gives up on his self-esteem.
But watching the finished film, I was struck with a realization that for some people, giving up on one’s self-esteem is the same as giving up one’s life.
There was some conflict while we were writing the film, but watching the finished film, I think I understood and connected with the overall ending.
I’m also curious about the casting of Tang Wei, who’s a Chinese actress, obviously living in Korea. And did you write the character of Seo-rae for Tang Wei or was it? Did you change that character to be Chinese once you knew she was going to be in the film?
I told director Park I didn’t want to write a melodrama because I was not confident I would do a good job. One exception was, that if the female character were played by Tang Wei, then I would write it. Because I was in love with Tang Wei.
That’s a good answer. Makes sense. I understand.
And that’s why the female character turned out to- turned out to be a Chinese person.
Well, she’s fabulous in the film. So we thank you for your instincts, for being in love with her.
One of the things I love about this film is the use of technology. It feels so honest as to how we use technology in our everyday lives, how we’re always texting and the way the characters communicate through technology. But also it becomes part of the mystery and how he solves the mystery and then also how he’s sort of driven mad at the end. So when you’re writing with director Park, how are you incorporating how the characters are using technology into the writing process? He makes it so cinematic, but I know that you must be putting that into the script as well.
If you consider authors like Agatha Christie at the time when she was writing her crime novel and compare them to those who are writing crime novels today, we have so much technology. Phones are always filming and are recording evidence. There’s not a lot that we can work with because anyone can take photos and have voice recordings and there are always CCTV cameras everywhere.
So I realized it’s impossible to have that romanticist classical crime story. Instead we must actively incorporate the use of modern technology. When Director Park first received a draft of the script. He asked me, “Why are there so many scenes with cell phones? I’ve never seen so many cell phones in a movie except in Searching.”
Director Park initially did not want to film any scenes with cell phones. But later he gave up on giving up on those cell phone scenes and instead filmed from the point of view of a cell phone. That is actually a very innovative, creative take on that. But I do feel that people took that in very well because we often feel that phones are looking at us.
As for me as a writer, the use of Apple Watches actually gave me a lot of creative freedom because it’s difficult to have scenes to incorporate the protagonist in a voiceover out of nowhere. But with the Apple Watch and the recording, it made that so much easier.
You have worked across so many genres with Director Park, vampire, vengeance, melodrama. The Handmaiden is a historical drama, romance. It’s an adaptation. Do you think there’s a consistent theme or tone that you and Director Park always come back to that spans your body of work?
The thing is, Director Park and I actually don’t agree on the themes most of the time. For instance, for Lady Vengeance, the theme was vengeance. But I don’t quite understand why people are so obsessed with vengeance.
So I actually called my friend and asked, “Why do people have to take revenge on each other instead of striving for peace?”
As for Thirst, the theme was guilt or salvation. But the thing is, I don’t feel a lot of guilt in my life. As long as I don’t do anything bad, there is no need for guit or salvation. That’s what I think.
If I were a vampire, I would think to myself, “Oh, this is how the mankind is going to evolve. So I should find a new method of life”.
So in those ways I don’t think the themes quite worked with me, but as we were working together, I didn’t realize we were working toward one common theme. I think it has to do with respect or the dignity of mankind.
In all of these different genres, the protagonists tend to be thrown into very extreme situations. And yet even in these extreme situations, these protagonists try not to lose their sense of dignity. I think when Hae-jun was talking about how Seo-rae had such upright posture, I think it really spoke to her sense of dignity.
That is a common theme throughout films like I’m a Cyborg But That’s Okayor The Handmaiden.
I was wondering, did you ever come up with that alternative finale or like, did you suggest an alternative finale?
The ending is actually something that makes logical sense. This is a story that begins very high up and then ends very low. We start on the mountain and close on the ocean. So conclusively it makes logical sense that it would end up with someone digging a hole.
I actually tend to think that an ending in which a woman dies for love is quite unnatural. But if a man dies, that’s a little more natural. But despite those personal frustrations, I cannot think of any other ending that would work better.
Director Park seems to write a lot of stories featuring female protagonists. What are the difficulties you face when you’re writing about a female protagonist while you’re working with a male director?
It is very easy. I’ve actually written a story in which it only features male protagonists. It’s called Believer. That story is filled with male characters. And I had such a hard time, I thought I was going to die.
I think one of the most difficult parts of being a writer is if a female writer is trying to write a good male character, and when a male writer is trying to write a good female character.
But despite all those difficulties, Director Park actually portrays the female characters very well. He writes characters in such a way that they don’t have to sacrifice their femininity in order to walk their path of life.
Over 20 years of working together, our collaboration has evolved so much that it’s actually difficult to tell which line is written by me and which line is written by Director Park.
In the movie The Handmaiden, one of the most feminine looking lines, was actually written by Director Park. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say that line out loud.
It’s a line by the character Sook-hee and she says, “If I could have milk from my breasts, I wish I could feed you, my lady.”
Can you imagine that?
Well, his female characters are so strong, I’m sure that is your influence, of course, in your writing, but also, in just the working relationship that he has with you.
I wish I could also have developed writing better male characters, but I think I’m a little behind if we have to make a comparison.
Keep writing women, we like it.
I wanted to ask about Seo-Rae’s mother-daughter relationship because I felt like that was such a pivotal moment in the story.
The relationship between Seo-rae and her mother was actually described in more lengthy terms. Because I think the entire story started the moment Seo-rae killed her mother. There is nothing more serious. She doesn’t commit a more serious crime than killing the mother that she loves so much.
So I think in some ways, Seo-rae has already died the moment she had to go through that.
I think she has taken a journey with her mother and her grandfather to the mountain that her mother said belonged to her, and then she starts her journey down. After she has placed the ashes of her mother and her grandfather at that mountain, she starts her own journey towards death down from the mountain. Because I think every animal, including mankind, wants to find death where they were born.
So that is why Seo-rae believed that her mother wanted to be buried in the mountains and Seo-rae goes towards the ocean because she belongs to the ocean.
I think the only way she might have found salvation from her ordeal could have been to leave and go somewhere else with Hae-jun, but that didn’t happen, so inevitably she had to go to the ocean.
And all of that began with the death of Seo-rae’s mother.
Well, thank you all so much for being here. Thank you so much. Thank you, Jiwon. Thank you, Chung Seo-kyung. And thank you for watching this film and talking to us about it.
The film’s producer, CJEnt is also the international sales agent as well as the So. Korean distributor of the film. Internationally it has licensed the film to Mubi for USA, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Latin America, Turkey, India, and Airlines and to Arna Media and Vesta for Russia, Bac Films for France, Cinobo for Greece, Cinéart for Benelux, Golden Village Pictures for Singapore, Happinet Phantom Studios for Japan, Lucky Red for Italy, Madman Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand, Movie Cloud for Taiwan, NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Plaion Pictures for Germany, Purple Plan (2022) (Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, The Filmbridge for Mongolia, Alambique Filmes for Portugal, Avalon for Spain
MoviesOscarsSouth KoreaThriller...
- 12/20/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave is exclusively showing on Mubi in many countries starting December 9, 2022 in the series Luminaries.It's a strange sort of intimacy that develops between a film and its translator. Entering into such close proximity to a work during the frenzied weeks in which the subtitles are made gives the translator a somewhat slanted perspective. In some ways, your ability to step back and objectively assess a film can be affected. Being so close to the work creates certain blind spots. On the other hand, translators must be so sensitive to the nuances of language, performance, and characterization that one starts to feel especially close to the characters and the ways in which they express themselves. It does seem that translators experience a film with different eyes and ears. It was just over a year ago, in late November and early December 2021, that I watched Park Chan-wook...
- 12/16/2022
- MUBI
Filmmaker Bong Joon Ho said it perfectly: “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
His golden quote had somewhat of a ripple effect on how major voting bodies approach films in awards contention that are not in the English language. These films reach across boundaries both physical and psychological, touching hearts and minds.
Looking at last year’s Academy Awards alone, we saw some Best International Feature nominees also secure nods in other categories – such as “Flee”, “The Worst Person in the World” (best original screenplay), and “Drive My Car”. This year, with all of its incredible international releases marketed to mainstream domestic audiences, has been gearing up for a potential repeat of cross-category nominees.
Germany’s submission, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” sports impeccable craftsmanship, from the magnificent debut of lead actor Felix Kammerer to its explosive sound design.
His golden quote had somewhat of a ripple effect on how major voting bodies approach films in awards contention that are not in the English language. These films reach across boundaries both physical and psychological, touching hearts and minds.
Looking at last year’s Academy Awards alone, we saw some Best International Feature nominees also secure nods in other categories – such as “Flee”, “The Worst Person in the World” (best original screenplay), and “Drive My Car”. This year, with all of its incredible international releases marketed to mainstream domestic audiences, has been gearing up for a potential repeat of cross-category nominees.
Germany’s submission, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” sports impeccable craftsmanship, from the magnificent debut of lead actor Felix Kammerer to its explosive sound design.
- 12/14/2022
- by Courtney Howard
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Park Chan-wook, the world-renowned South Korean auteur best known for the floridly violent films referred to as his “Vengeance Trilogy,” wanted to tell a gentler story. It was 2019 and Park was ruminating on ideas for what would become Decision to Leave, his 11th film and first feature in six years, following a period of television work and fine art creation. He began with two competing ideas.
“Over the years, I’ve watched lots of detective dramas and police procedurals, and I love these kinds of films,” he says. “But I’ve always thought the depiction of the protagonists is quite far from reality, because they’re either really tough and violent, or some kind of genius detective.” Examples in this genre are particularly prevalent in Korea, where the highest-grossing movie just this year is Lee Sang-yong’s The Roundup (101 million and counting), a...
Park Chan-wook, the world-renowned South Korean auteur best known for the floridly violent films referred to as his “Vengeance Trilogy,” wanted to tell a gentler story. It was 2019 and Park was ruminating on ideas for what would become Decision to Leave, his 11th film and first feature in six years, following a period of television work and fine art creation. He began with two competing ideas.
“Over the years, I’ve watched lots of detective dramas and police procedurals, and I love these kinds of films,” he says. “But I’ve always thought the depiction of the protagonists is quite far from reality, because they’re either really tough and violent, or some kind of genius detective.” Examples in this genre are particularly prevalent in Korea, where the highest-grossing movie just this year is Lee Sang-yong’s The Roundup (101 million and counting), a...
- 12/13/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Lady Vengeance"
Where You Can Stream It: Kanopy, Tubi
The Pitch: Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy is an unofficial, yet highly regarded series of neo-noir films centered around, you guessed it, protagonists seeking vengeance for something that has happened to them. With "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," he crafted a story about two men's intersecting desire for revenge, and with "Oldboy," he introduced a wronged man that ends up falling down a path of inner and outer destruction. "Lady Vengeance," his 2006 trilogy concluder, is similar to these movies in a lot of ways. Lee Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae) has been released from prison after 13 years for a crime she didn't commit. After becoming a darling in the public eye for her apparent dramatic reformation,...
The Movie: "Lady Vengeance"
Where You Can Stream It: Kanopy, Tubi
The Pitch: Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy is an unofficial, yet highly regarded series of neo-noir films centered around, you guessed it, protagonists seeking vengeance for something that has happened to them. With "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," he crafted a story about two men's intersecting desire for revenge, and with "Oldboy," he introduced a wronged man that ends up falling down a path of inner and outer destruction. "Lady Vengeance," his 2006 trilogy concluder, is similar to these movies in a lot of ways. Lee Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae) has been released from prison after 13 years for a crime she didn't commit. After becoming a darling in the public eye for her apparent dramatic reformation,...
- 11/12/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
“In any relationship between two people, there’s always misunderstanding and there’s always chaos created from those misunderstandings,” declares Korean actor Park Hae-il about some of the core themes explored in “Decision to Leave.” For our recent webchat he adds that the film essentially contemplates “the very pure and innate feelings that anyone would have, but also those instincts and feelings that they’re not always allowed to portray and really express. The internal wounds and internal traumas that one may have as an adult, but that our society doesn’t allow us to really be okay with expressing.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See ‘Decision to Leave’ rave reviews: Watch out for it at the Oscars
“Decision to Leave” is a genre-bending film noir mystery romance drama, produced, co-written (with Jeong Seo-kyeong) and directed by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (“The Handmaiden”). Park stars alongside Chinese actress...
See ‘Decision to Leave’ rave reviews: Watch out for it at the Oscars
“Decision to Leave” is a genre-bending film noir mystery romance drama, produced, co-written (with Jeong Seo-kyeong) and directed by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (“The Handmaiden”). Park stars alongside Chinese actress...
- 11/9/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
The British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) have revealed the nomination longlists for Best Feature Documentary and Best International Independent Film categories. In addition, BIFA’s Raindance Discovery Award longlist has also been unveiled.
Of the 15 films longlisted for Best Feature Documentary, eight are directed by women. The 17 films longlisted for Best International Independent Film have already won top prizes from this year’s premier international festivals.
The final five nominations in each category will be announced in early November and winners will be revealed at the 25th annual BIFA ceremony on Dec. 4.
Best International Independent Film Sponsored By Champagne Taittinger
“Alcarràs” – Carla Simón, María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz, Tono Folguera, Sergi Moreno
“All The Beauty And The Bloodshed” – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John S. Lyons
“Argentina, 1985” – Santiago Mitre, Mariano Llinás, Axel Kuschevatzky, Federico Posternak, Agustina Llambi Campbell, Ricardo Darín, Santiago Carabante, Chino Darín, Victoria Alonso
“Broker” – Kore-eda Hirokazu,...
Of the 15 films longlisted for Best Feature Documentary, eight are directed by women. The 17 films longlisted for Best International Independent Film have already won top prizes from this year’s premier international festivals.
The final five nominations in each category will be announced in early November and winners will be revealed at the 25th annual BIFA ceremony on Dec. 4.
Best International Independent Film Sponsored By Champagne Taittinger
“Alcarràs” – Carla Simón, María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz, Tono Folguera, Sergi Moreno
“All The Beauty And The Bloodshed” – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John S. Lyons
“Argentina, 1985” – Santiago Mitre, Mariano Llinás, Axel Kuschevatzky, Federico Posternak, Agustina Llambi Campbell, Ricardo Darín, Santiago Carabante, Chino Darín, Victoria Alonso
“Broker” – Kore-eda Hirokazu,...
- 10/21/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Decision to Leave Review — Decision to Leave (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Park Chan-wook, written by Seo-kyeong Jeong and Park Chan-wook and starring Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Go Kyung-Pyo, Jung Yi-seo, Jeong Min Park, Seo Hyun-woo, Teo Yoo, Lee Jung-hyun, Hak-joo Lee, Kim Shin-young and Yong-woo Park. Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Decision To Leave (2022): Two Solid Lead Performances Drive Park Chan-wook’s Latest Dramatic Film...
Continue reading: Film Review: Decision To Leave (2022): Two Solid Lead Performances Drive Park Chan-wook’s Latest Dramatic Film...
- 10/16/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Click here to read the full article.
The Asian Content Film Market (Acfm), the Busan International Film Festival’s industry platform, wrapped up this week with organizers and market participants voicing a mix of optimism and concern for the post-pandemic state of the movie market.
The event, which was held in the city’s massive Bexco convention center, attracted 1,059 companies and 2,185 industry participants from 48 countries over four days — the highest attendance rate since the market launched in 2006.
The European Pavilion, which was jointly established by the European Film Promotion (Efp) and Unifrance, was staffed by representatives from 39 companies, while major Korean distributors and streaming services, including Disney+ and Netflix, participated in the Busan Story Market, the venue for intellectual property (IP) pitches, which introduced new projects from the region.
A market insider who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Hollywood Reporter that Acfm could potentially become the primary platform...
The Asian Content Film Market (Acfm), the Busan International Film Festival’s industry platform, wrapped up this week with organizers and market participants voicing a mix of optimism and concern for the post-pandemic state of the movie market.
The event, which was held in the city’s massive Bexco convention center, attracted 1,059 companies and 2,185 industry participants from 48 countries over four days — the highest attendance rate since the market launched in 2006.
The European Pavilion, which was jointly established by the European Film Promotion (Efp) and Unifrance, was staffed by representatives from 39 companies, while major Korean distributors and streaming services, including Disney+ and Netflix, participated in the Busan Story Market, the venue for intellectual property (IP) pitches, which introduced new projects from the region.
A market insider who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Hollywood Reporter that Acfm could potentially become the primary platform...
- 10/13/2022
- by Soomee Park
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
With Korean films and dramas continuing to find mass success among the American mainstream — Squid Game, Parasite and Extracurricular to name just a few — veterans of the Seoul entertainment world gathered at the Busan International Film Festival on Sunday to discuss how their industry achieved such milestones, as well as strategies for even further future development.
Hosted by Busan’s Asia Contents and Film Market, industry experts debated the ongoing global trajectory of Korean entertainment at a panel session titled, “The Definition and Destination of K-Story.” The talk was moderated by Jaewon Choi, CEO of Anthology Studio, with participants including Keo Lee, Netflix Korea’s director of content, screenwriter Chung Seo-kyung and Hyejung Hwang, chief content officer at TVing, Cj Group’s growing streaming service.
“Korean content was well prepared [for this moment],” said Lee of Netflix. “I don’t believe that Korean content was globalized thanks to Netflix alone.
With Korean films and dramas continuing to find mass success among the American mainstream — Squid Game, Parasite and Extracurricular to name just a few — veterans of the Seoul entertainment world gathered at the Busan International Film Festival on Sunday to discuss how their industry achieved such milestones, as well as strategies for even further future development.
Hosted by Busan’s Asia Contents and Film Market, industry experts debated the ongoing global trajectory of Korean entertainment at a panel session titled, “The Definition and Destination of K-Story.” The talk was moderated by Jaewon Choi, CEO of Anthology Studio, with participants including Keo Lee, Netflix Korea’s director of content, screenwriter Chung Seo-kyung and Hyejung Hwang, chief content officer at TVing, Cj Group’s growing streaming service.
“Korean content was well prepared [for this moment],” said Lee of Netflix. “I don’t believe that Korean content was globalized thanks to Netflix alone.
- 10/10/2022
- by Soomee Park
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
The 27th Busan International Film Festival opened Wednesday night on a long overdue note of optimism with the premiere of Scent of Wind by Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh. Festival organizers have indicated that they view the 2022 festival as a full-scale comeback edition, following two hard years of pandemic restrictions and a sequence of prior political challenges.
“We believe that the seat occupancy rates have recovered to about 80 to 90 percent compared to 2019,” said Huh Moon-young, the festival’s director, on opening night.
The opening ceremony, which took place at the festival’s main venue, the Busan Cinema Center, was attended by Asian cinema luminaries and celebrities, including Hong Kong screen icon Tony Leung, Korean star Song Kang-ho, Korean-American actor Daniel Dae Kim, Thai actor-model Mario Maurer and Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Leung, who starred last year in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of...
The 27th Busan International Film Festival opened Wednesday night on a long overdue note of optimism with the premiere of Scent of Wind by Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh. Festival organizers have indicated that they view the 2022 festival as a full-scale comeback edition, following two hard years of pandemic restrictions and a sequence of prior political challenges.
“We believe that the seat occupancy rates have recovered to about 80 to 90 percent compared to 2019,” said Huh Moon-young, the festival’s director, on opening night.
The opening ceremony, which took place at the festival’s main venue, the Busan Cinema Center, was attended by Asian cinema luminaries and celebrities, including Hong Kong screen icon Tony Leung, Korean star Song Kang-ho, Korean-American actor Daniel Dae Kim, Thai actor-model Mario Maurer and Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Leung, who starred last year in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of...
- 10/6/2022
- by Soo-mee Park
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This article contains IndieWire’s preliminary Best Original Screenplay predictions for the 2023 Oscars. We regularly update our predictions throughout awards season, and republish previous versions (like this one) for readers to track changes in how the Oscar race has changed. For the latest update on the frontrunners for the 95th Academy Awards, see our 2023 Oscars predictions hub.
Nominations voting is from January 12-17, 2023, with official Oscar nominations announced January 24, 2023. Final voting is March 2-7, 2023. And finally, the 95th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 12 and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt. We update predictions through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2023 Oscar picks.
The State of the Race
While there is much to come, this year has already revealed several Best Original Screenplay contenders. Given that this specific Academy Awards category often celebrates narrative ingenuity, a film like “Everything Everywhere All at Once,...
Nominations voting is from January 12-17, 2023, with official Oscar nominations announced January 24, 2023. Final voting is March 2-7, 2023. And finally, the 95th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 12 and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt. We update predictions through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2023 Oscar picks.
The State of the Race
While there is much to come, this year has already revealed several Best Original Screenplay contenders. Given that this specific Academy Awards category often celebrates narrative ingenuity, a film like “Everything Everywhere All at Once,...
- 9/23/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Park Chan-Wook (“Oldboy”) has perfected the police procedural, with a twist.
Park’s Cannes award-winning noir film “Decision to Leave” has already topped critics’ lists following its festival premiere and is officially South Korea’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film. The love story stars Park Hae-Il as a detective investigating a man’s death in the mountains while being transfixed by his elusive widow, played by Tang Wei. The film opens in theaters October 14 from Mubi.
Park co-wrote the script along with Seo-kyeong Jeong, and won the Best Director award at Cannes. “Decision to Leave” was a Palme d’Or contender, before the prestigious honor went to Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness.”
Park, who has helmed “Stoker” and “The Handmaiden,” told Screen Daily that he “always wanted to do a different kind of police film,” and views his entire filmography as telling romance stories regardless of genre.
Park’s Cannes award-winning noir film “Decision to Leave” has already topped critics’ lists following its festival premiere and is officially South Korea’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film. The love story stars Park Hae-Il as a detective investigating a man’s death in the mountains while being transfixed by his elusive widow, played by Tang Wei. The film opens in theaters October 14 from Mubi.
Park co-wrote the script along with Seo-kyeong Jeong, and won the Best Director award at Cannes. “Decision to Leave” was a Palme d’Or contender, before the prestigious honor went to Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness.”
Park, who has helmed “Stoker” and “The Handmaiden,” told Screen Daily that he “always wanted to do a different kind of police film,” and views his entire filmography as telling romance stories regardless of genre.
- 9/15/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
With a steady catalog of media new and old, there is quite literally always something to watch on Netflix. The streamer is constantly producing, curating, and promoting a unique plethora of films and shows for our viewing pleasure. Whatever your tastes, you're guaranteed to find something bingeworthy on the platform. Netflix has even become a host for quality non-English television, especially after the smash success of shows like "Squid Game" and "All of Us Are Dead." But until series achieve ludicrous virality, like the aptly-named "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," it's difficult to keep up with the many, many K-dramas that Netflix churn out.
Fortunately, that might not be the case for another recent drama, the female-led mystery thriller "Little Women." Despite a quiet release on Netflix in early September, the series is already gaining a generous amount of buzz. With its impressive cast and crew and tantalizing storyline, "Little Women" could...
Fortunately, that might not be the case for another recent drama, the female-led mystery thriller "Little Women." Despite a quiet release on Netflix in early September, the series is already gaining a generous amount of buzz. With its impressive cast and crew and tantalizing storyline, "Little Women" could...
- 9/9/2022
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
12 – 17 July 2022, Louis Koo Cinema
New Waves, New Shores: Busan International Film Festival is back with three screenings and a masterclass! The moving image programme is presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre (Hkac), financially supported by the Film Development Fund, Create Hong Kong, and in festival partnership with the Busan International Film Festival (Biff). Through an integrated series of screenings, talks, workshops and a masterclass, the programme aims to introduce the cross currents in Hong Kong and Korean cinema, as well as the importance of Biff as one of the leading film festivals in Asia. The screenings comprise a Hong Kong showcase curated by Maggie Lee, and a Korean showcase co-curated by Lee and Nam Dong-chul.
Previously brought to a halt by the pandemic, the programme now brings back screenings of Too Many Ways to Be No. 1, Dumplings and Thirst, and Masterclass on Screen Adaptation: A Conversation Between Chung Seo-kyung and Fruit Chan,...
New Waves, New Shores: Busan International Film Festival is back with three screenings and a masterclass! The moving image programme is presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre (Hkac), financially supported by the Film Development Fund, Create Hong Kong, and in festival partnership with the Busan International Film Festival (Biff). Through an integrated series of screenings, talks, workshops and a masterclass, the programme aims to introduce the cross currents in Hong Kong and Korean cinema, as well as the importance of Biff as one of the leading film festivals in Asia. The screenings comprise a Hong Kong showcase curated by Maggie Lee, and a Korean showcase co-curated by Lee and Nam Dong-chul.
Previously brought to a halt by the pandemic, the programme now brings back screenings of Too Many Ways to Be No. 1, Dumplings and Thirst, and Masterclass on Screen Adaptation: A Conversation Between Chung Seo-kyung and Fruit Chan,...
- 6/21/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
While Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden dealt with a lot of sex and kink in its story of a handmaiden who gets into the good graces of her Japanese heiress, only to defraud her, the Korean filmmaker in his latest Decision to Leave, dotes on a detective Hae-Joon (Park Hae-il) who is head over heels with a very possible murder suspect, Seo-rae (Tang Wei).
Ya see, it looks like she threw her husband off a mountain.
And love being the motif between the two pics, Chan-wook was called to the carpet by the global press today at the Cannes Film Festival to field, “What is love for you?”
The refreshing query came in the wake of an immediate press conference for Crimes of the Future in which David Cronenberg slammed U.S. conservative tendencies, in particular Roe vs. Wade.
“My life isn’t part of my work,” answered the director,...
Ya see, it looks like she threw her husband off a mountain.
And love being the motif between the two pics, Chan-wook was called to the carpet by the global press today at the Cannes Film Festival to field, “What is love for you?”
The refreshing query came in the wake of an immediate press conference for Crimes of the Future in which David Cronenberg slammed U.S. conservative tendencies, in particular Roe vs. Wade.
“My life isn’t part of my work,” answered the director,...
- 5/24/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Decision to Leave Trailer — Park Chan-wook‘s Decision to Leave (2022) movie trailer has been released by Cj Entertainment. The Decision to Leave trailer stars Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Go Kyung-Pyo, and Lee Jung-Hyun. Crew Park Chan-wook and Seo-kyeong Jeong wrote the screenplay for Decision to Leave. Jahye Lee is the script editor for [...]
Continue reading: Decision To Leave (2022) Movie Trailer: Detective Park Hae-il investigates a Death in the Mountains in Park Chan-wook’s Thriller...
Continue reading: Decision To Leave (2022) Movie Trailer: Detective Park Hae-il investigates a Death in the Mountains in Park Chan-wook’s Thriller...
- 5/10/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
MaryAnn’s quick take… The intrigue, shifting alliances, and twisted revenge? Delicious, pulpy fun. The male-gazey soft-core porn that undermines the female protagonists? Not so much. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for stories about women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
In Japanese-occupied 1930s Korea, a Korean con man (Jung-woo Ha) and a Korean pickpocket (Tae-ri Kim) conspire to steal the fortune of sheltered Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Min-hee Kim). He will pose as “Count Fujiwara” and woo Hideko, while thief Sook-Hee will become Hideko’s shy new maid “Tamako” and convince the lady to run off with the handsome and romantic count instead of marrying her hideous widowed uncle-by-marriage Kouzuki (Jin-woong Jo), who of course is (also) only after his niece’s money. The plan is, after “Fujiwara” and Hideko are wed,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
In Japanese-occupied 1930s Korea, a Korean con man (Jung-woo Ha) and a Korean pickpocket (Tae-ri Kim) conspire to steal the fortune of sheltered Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Min-hee Kim). He will pose as “Count Fujiwara” and woo Hideko, while thief Sook-Hee will become Hideko’s shy new maid “Tamako” and convince the lady to run off with the handsome and romantic count instead of marrying her hideous widowed uncle-by-marriage Kouzuki (Jin-woong Jo), who of course is (also) only after his niece’s money. The plan is, after “Fujiwara” and Hideko are wed,...
- 4/14/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Best Picture: Moonlight Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Jackie Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea Best Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams, Manchester By The Sea Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali,...
- 12/16/2016
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
Chicago – The poignant journey of “Moonlight” topped the 2016 Chicago Film Critics Association nominations list with 11, as announced on Monday, December 12th. Other notable multi-category nominees included the biopic “Jackie,” the drama “Manchester by the Sea” and the musical “La La Land.” Janelle Monae (“Hidden Figures”), Lily Gladstone (“Certain Women”) and Lucas Hedges (“Manchester by the Sea”) scored double nominations in the Best Supporting Actress and Actor categories, as well as Most Promising Performer.
Scene from ‘Moonlight,’ Honored with 11 Nominations for 2016 from the Chicago Film Critics Association
Photo credit: A24
The Chicago Film Critics Association is an organization that oversees many events in the Chicagoland area, including the Chicago Film Critics Awards, the Chicago Critics Film Festival and various film discussions and events around the city and surrounding suburbs. The nominees for the Cfca best of 2016 films are…
Best Picture
The Handmaiden
Jackie
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight...
Scene from ‘Moonlight,’ Honored with 11 Nominations for 2016 from the Chicago Film Critics Association
Photo credit: A24
The Chicago Film Critics Association is an organization that oversees many events in the Chicagoland area, including the Chicago Film Critics Awards, the Chicago Critics Film Festival and various film discussions and events around the city and surrounding suburbs. The nominees for the Cfca best of 2016 films are…
Best Picture
The Handmaiden
Jackie
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight...
- 12/12/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
After a six-year absence, director Chan-wook Park comes back to Korean cinematic storytelling. The Oldboy filmaker began production on his latest, the lesbian drama Fingersmith, last week near Nagoya, Japan. This serves as the filmmaker's follow-up to his English-language debut Stoker, which earned fairly mixed reviews and didn't particularly wow me as much as I would have wanted it to either, and his first native-language feature since 2009's Thirst. A re-interpretation of Sarah Waters Victorian-era novel of the same name, Park's latest relocates the action to Korea and Japan within the 1930s, which looks at a time when Korea was under the strict gaze of Japan's occupation. Fingersmith returns the director with his long-time screenwriter Seo-Gyeong Jeong, whom previously penned Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok and the aforementioned Thirst with the filmmaker. Though it seems this adaptation is the writer's first solo writing credit. That's...
- 6/24/2015
- by Will Ashton
- Rope of Silicon
One part myth, one part vampire and one part over the top hilarity is a promising combination, but this story doesn.t add enough to the overused vampire genre to succeed Vampire Lovers: Now for something completely different. Unpredictable director / writer and Cannes darling Chan-wook Park (two time winner for this film and .Old Boy. (2003)) has teamed up with co-writer Seo-Gyeong Jeong to put a twist on the vampire genre that has to be seen to be believed. This movie is one part myth, one part vampire and one part over the top hilarity. But for viewers who think the vampire genre is dying from over-exposure to viewers, give this one a miss. It is, after all, yet...
- 7/31/2009
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
One part myth, one part vampire and one part over the top hilarity is a promising combination, but this story doesn.t add enough to the overused vampire genre to succeed Vampire Lovers: Now for something completely different. Unpredictable director / writer and Cannes darling Chan-wook Park (two time winner for this film and .Old Boy. (2003)) has teamed up with co-writer Seo-Gyeong Jeong to put a twist on the vampire genre that has to be seen to be believed. This movie is one part myth, one part vampire and one part over the top hilarity. But for viewers who think the vampire genre is dying from over-exposure to viewers, give this one a miss. It is, after all, yet...
- 7/31/2009
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
When a priest is accidentally turned into a blood-sucking vampire, he is forced to fight for his own humanity as seen in the brand new Korean teaser trailer of "Thirst". Opened with a shot of a man wandering around what seems to be a monastery, the video footage, which is lacking English subtitle, presents the background story of how Sang-hyun becomes a vampire.
Coming from the director of "I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok", "Thirst" tells the story about a priest named Sang-hyun who participates in a medical experiment to find a cure for a deadly disease with traumatic repercussions. But, when the experiment goes askew, he becomes a vampire. Tortured and depraved, he falls into an affair with a wife of his childhood friend. As things turn for worse, he struggles to maintain what's left of his humanity.
Starring Song Kang-ho as Sang-hyun, it is supported by Shin Ha-kyun,...
Coming from the director of "I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok", "Thirst" tells the story about a priest named Sang-hyun who participates in a medical experiment to find a cure for a deadly disease with traumatic repercussions. But, when the experiment goes askew, he becomes a vampire. Tortured and depraved, he falls into an affair with a wife of his childhood friend. As things turn for worse, he struggles to maintain what's left of his humanity.
Starring Song Kang-ho as Sang-hyun, it is supported by Shin Ha-kyun,...
- 3/16/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
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