Stuff like Tazza, I feel like I haven’t seen many good crime films recently. I enjoyed T.O.P's performance in this one. He really delivers a complete and stand-out lead role in The Hidden Card. Any other crime K-movie recommendations?

1. wow, what a great little monster movie, very grounded. I like this.
2. very clever of them not to show the monster, it's really building suspense
3. ok, they've shown the monster, CGI is kinda meh, sort of silly fight, but it's dead, we can relax. Wow it was tough to kill.
4. NO WAIT there's lots of them (setting up a climactic battle, maybe military involved?)
5. huh, they're going to fight them alone with M16s
6. hmm, they are aliens, from a spaceship
7. ok, we're fighting alien monsters, I guess this is acceptable
8. suddenly we can understand the aliens, they have subtitles?
9. and a political system?
10. the girl alien is a queen?
11. why is the emperor's ship crashing? there's an emperor?
12. what the fuck is going on?
13. ok, maybe there is another 2 hours of movie left
14. credits
15. fuck!

I’ve watched shows like sweet home, happiness, all of us are dead, omnicent reader: the prophecy. I would love some recommendations for end of the word or dystopian movies or shows people have seen and liked

As the title says, I just watched Hope and absolutely loved it. The plot is not that good, but I value cinematography more than the plot. It was the first Korean movie I saw. Can you recommend some Korean movies with good cinematography? If it has average cinematography, you can recommend it too.

“Sopyonje” opens up the pansori tradition to a whole new generation. This is perhaps its greatest achievement. It preserves Korean tradition, and its cultural impact is undeniable. The art of Pansori gets highlighted in a way most people probably had no idea was possible, nor were they interested in it. This movie is more than just a commercial for Korean folk music, though. Its true artistic value is in its storytelling, using pansori and film as a vehicle to bring this genuine treat your way. It feels very uncommercialized and is rather unique in its kind, giving anyone a reason to give it a try.

What are your thoughts on the film?

Click on the link to read our review: https://asianmoviepulse.com/2020/08/film-review-sopyonje-1993-by-im-kwon-taek/

🙋‍♂️ Na's characters are cannot died easily. The Yellow Sea. The Chaser. And HOPE. The villain and the protagonist fight against each other like zombies... After watching first time, I have a little complaint about it. "If the Sung-gi were a human, he died at least 3 times." Even more, in the HOPE, the villains are set as creatures (nearly)cannot be killed... I think the Director is a sadist. 💀

🙋‍♂️I saw interesting comments about the Monkey(the beagle) and Bazooka(Nakyeon found in the car). Where is the Monkey? Why they didn't use the Bazooka?

🙋‍♂️ Most amazing thing I love, that is about dialogue. There is not much meaningful conversation in the movie. I thought that can be changed the title of the movie as <Don't Shoot> or <Fuck>. However, that is a nice thing. So much fun without long, illustrative dialogues.

If you want a crash course on *recent* South Korean political history (specifically from 1979-1997), this movie list is for you!

Spanning a nearly thirty-year period, these movies capture real events that transformed South Korea—assassinations, coups, uprisings, its process of democratization, espionage, and other crises. You learn about key political figures, military leaders, and ordinary Koreans that end up doing extraordinary things that shape the nation. Many of these movies either overlap, share common threads, or involve the same political figures.

Of course, what transpires in these films aren’t the only notable things that happened over that time period. But if, like me, you're new to Korean political history, this list of movies is a good place to start. As I was watching them, I slowly realized how they're interconnected and got so excited about it.

I’ve listed the movies in the order that the events actually took place if you want to watch them chronologically, taking you sequentially through nearly thirty years of intense political and social change in South Korea. To keep the list fairly tight, I’ve only included films depicting real people and real events that follow each other closely. I can't claim this is a complete list. If I'm missing anything that you'd include, let me know! I’ve added a little summary about each of them and their critical reception below:

• The President’s Last Bang (1979)
• The Man Standing Next (1979)
• 12.12: The Day (1979)
• A Taxi Driver (1980)
• The Attorney (1981)
• The Hunt (1983)
• 1987: When the Day Comes (1987)
• A Spy Gone North (1990-1997)
• Default (1997)

The President’s Last Bang (1979)

A black comedy/political drama directed by Im Sang-soo and released in 2005. The film stars Song Jae-ho as President Park Chung-hee and Baek Yoon-sik as KCIA director Kim Jae-kyu, who assassinated Park in 1979. 

The film won several awards at the 2005 Grand Bell Awards (South Korea's major film awards), including Best Actor for Baek Yoon-sik. It was also screened at several international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and received critical acclaim for its controversial, dark but  quirky take on such a pivotal moment in Korean history.

The Man Standing Next (1979)

Released in 2020 and directed by Woo Min-ho. The film stars Lee Byung-hun as Kim Gyu-pyeong (based on the real-life KCIA director Kim Jae-kyu), Lee Sung-min as President Park (based on Park Chung-hee), and Kwak Do-won as Park Yong-gak. It also covers the assassination of President Park. While the The President's Last Bang was a dark, quirky comedy, The Man Standing Next is an emotionally-intense, slow burn drama.

The film won Best Film at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards. Lee Byung-hun also won numerous acting accolades for his performance, including Best Actor at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards.

12.12: The Day (1979)

Released in 2023 and directed by Kim Sung-su. The film stars Hwang Jung-min as Chun Doo-gwang (based on Chun Doo-hwan), Jung Woo-sung as Lee Tae-shin (based on Jang Tae-Wan), and Lee Sung-min as Park Chung-won. The film is about the military coup of December 12, 1979, that occurred shortly after and in direct response to President Park Chung-hee's assassination depicted in The President's Last Bang and The Man Standing Next. 

It performed well at the box office and received multiple film awards at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards, 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and 17th Asian Film Awards.  

A Taxi Driver (1980)

Released in 2017 and directed by Jang Hoon, the film stars Song Kang-ho as Kim Man-seob, the taxi driver, and Thomas Kretschmann as Jürgen "Peter" Hinzpeter, the German journalist. The film is based on the true story of a taxi driver who helped a foreign journalist cover the 1980 Gwangju Uprising against Chun Doo-hwan's repressive rule (the guy who grabbed power in 1979).

The film was a major success both critically and commercially. It won a number of awards at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards, 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and 1st Seoul Awards. It’s one of the top-grossing films in South Korean cinema history too! 

The Attorney (1981)

A 2013 legal drama directed by Yang Woo-suk. The film stars Song Kang-ho as Song Woo-seok, a character based on the late President Roh Moo-hyun during his days as a human rights lawyer. He investigates the torture of students to suppress political activism of any kind under Chun Doo-hwan's rule.

The film was both a critical and commercial success, rocking the box office and picking up awards from the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards and 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.

The Hunt (1983)

Released in 2022 and the directorial debut of Lee Jung-jae, who also stars in the film alongside Jung Woo-sung, and Hwang Jung-min. The film takes place in the 1980s during South Korea's military dictatorship era, focusing on the assassination attempt against South Korean dictator President Chun Doo-hwan (the bad guy in the last four movies on the list). 

It was well-received, nabbing the Technical Award at the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards, and receiving multiple nominations at various Korean film awards, including the Baeksang Arts Awards. 

1987: When the Day Comes (1987)

Released in 2017 and  directed by Jang Joon-hwan. The film features Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Tae-ri, and Park Hee-soon. It depicts the true events surrounding the death of student activist Park Jong-chul and the subsequent June Democratic Movement that led to the end of the military dictatorship in South Korea led by President Chun Doo-hwan.

It dominated the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards, and won awards at the 38th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.

A Spy Gone North (1990-1997)

Released in 2018 and directed by Yoon Jong-bin. The film stars Hwang Jung-min as Park Seok-young (based on real-life former spy Park Chae-seo), alongside Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong, and Ju Ji-hoon. The story follows a South Korean spy who infiltrates North Korea in the mid-1990s to gather intelligence on their nuclear program.

It is critically-acclaimed and won awards at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards, 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Asian Film Awards. 

Default (1997)

Released in 2018 and directed by Kook-Hee Choi. It stars Kim Hye-soo, Yoo Ah-in, Heo Jun-ho, Jo Woo-jin, and Vincent Cassel. The movie captures the intense final week leading up to South Korea's 1997 sovereign default and the emergency negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

It won several awards at the 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards, 10th KOFRA Film Awards, and the Korean Film Producers Association Awards.

That’s the list! Let me know if you've seen any of these or have favourites? Now, what am I missing? If there's something you know that should be on this list, tell me and I can add it in. Criteria is 1) real people 2) real events in and around this time period (1979-1990).

I recently watched the Korean movie Ditto and I quite liked it! Not spoiling much in case if you have not watched it.

It's not something I'd call my favourite K-movie, but it was a nice watch.

My favourite part was the phone calls between Mun-hee and Kim Yong. There was something so wholesome about their conversations...... I really enjoyed that aspect of the movie.

It's not a movie I'd go around calling a masterpiece, but if you just need a nice story that leaves you feeling good after watching it, you should give it a try

Has anyone else watched it? What did you think of it?

Recently watched A Dirty Carnival (2006), featuring Zo In-sung, Namgoong Min, and plenty of familiar faces in supporting roles. Like A Bittersweet Life, it’s more grounded and simple. It shows the sad, mundane side of gangster life. High risk, low-to-moderate reward (if at all). For me, it also captured the exploitative ecosystem that low-level gangsters exist in, which I think is layered and engages the audience in a pretty clever way. Here’s what I took from it (spoilers ahead): 

The title:
I’m not sure if the meaning changes in a Korean context. But I took “A Dirty Carnival” to mean an environment where the games have prizes, but they’re all rigged. There’s the promise of reward, but everyone’s cheating, everyone’s dishonest, and there are no real rules.

Early in the movie, Kim is convinced everything will improve if he can find a ‘sponsor’—a wealthy businessman who can legitimize him and launder his money so he can grow his wealth. It sounds like a simple next step in his gangster career ladder. But safety, security, legitimacy, and growth are lies in the underworld, propped up to keep a committed, hopeful criminal workforce. The cheat is making others believe these rules/systems exist, while recognizing for yourself that they do not.

A cycle of violence: 
An extension of the title, and a common staple in carnivals, is the Ferris wheel that goes round and round. The story too has a circular progression. Our protagonist is stuck; he wants to move up, so he does dirty work for a higher-up, eliminates his boss, and becomes the de facto leader of his gang. But he starts to slip, and his second-in-command kills him and replaces him. 

Gangsters as the victims:
I thought this angle was neat. Kim Byung-Doo’s life is not glamorous, he’s not wealthy, he’s not feared. He turned to a life of petty crime just to support his ailing mother, pay bills, and look after his siblings. He’s a loyal, committed employee who looks after his subordinates, and he does what’s expected of him. But he doesn’t want to be a gangster. He wants to be happy. 

Despite his job, he’s the one who gets exploited at every turn. His original boss underpays him and only favours those who kiss up to him. His second boss only needs him to eliminate specific obstacles and get a development project in motion. His aspiring movie director friend just needs insight into the gangster life—and ultimately betrays his trust to get it. Meanwhile, nobody likes him. His mother dies condemning him and his gangster life; the gangster movie film crew doesn’t like Kim on set; Hyun-ju doesn’t want to be with him so long as he’s a gangster, his second-in-command takes him out when he no longer feels useful. Society at large rejects gangsters and yet needs them. People at every turn use Kim for their own gain. 

I think it gets a little meta with the director’s gangster flick. It’s a major success and lauded for its realism by a society that rejects gangsters. That felt like the film critiquing the audience watching A Dirty Carnival. We also love the movie. We appreciate its realism. But do we see the humanity of gangsters when we come across them? When we see their mugshots, hear about their crimes, or their deaths? Or do we like gangsters just because they make good entertainment? 

That’s what I walked away with from this movie. I think it had great performances, it was well-paced, felt real, gave you plenty to think about—and it hits you in the feels. Anyone else watch the movie have any interesting takeaways?

Fun Fact:
A Tamil movie, Jigarthanda (2014) by Karthik Subbaraj, has a similar premise and I think takes its inspiration from this movie. It centers on a young, aspiring and ambitious director who pursues a dangerous, elusive gangster in order to make a once-in-a-lifetime gangster flick. But it explores the cutthroat South-Indian film industry, the brutality of crime, and the freedom found in art and self expression.

Here's the new poster for Hope 2 which is all about the power of love, connection, and most of all HOPE following the downfall of the Emperor's ship or whatever at the end of the first movie. Apparently there will actually be a cross-over with iconic characters from Transformers and Avatar to really build on the epic action and deep themes of not judging a book by its cover and not being so quick to shoot aliens.

This is a quote from a Korean movie called Kill Boksoon...

It is a 2023 film.

I highly recommend that you watch it.

I wish it had continued....
(I'm not counting the movie Mantis because it's a terrible movie especially the ending.)

The production team built the town twice. Because of presentation for time. The main roles act three different ages which are really impressive. Especially the head of village, Cheon. He put on heavy special make-up. I can find an interview and the make-up artist proud of his work. He said "It is a first time in Korean film history that such this heavy aged make-up."
... And those all fire scenes. I love them. No fake CG. The actual fire. The plot is feeling a little bit lough to nowadays, but overall mis-en-scene is still impressive. ...
🎞️
[from the DVD]
🎞️
"It was tough work for physically and mentally. During this project, I believed there is no one my side(in perspective of character and story)." (A protagonist actor said) ...
🎞️
"The production was intense. We did 100 cuts in a day. The Director is strong and charismatic." (An actress) ...
🎞️
"I did all I can do. No regrets." (Director) ...
🎞️
"We consumed 5 wigs for just only pre-production testing(for Cheon). It was almost a car price. During the filming, we threw it out after using two or three days of shooting. It was like the Hollywood filming. If you use the wig over 4 days, the quality will be apparently degraded." (Special make-up artist)

Hi everyone! I'm looking for movies that are genuinely hilarious, the kind that make you laugh out loud. I'm open to anything, whether it's pure comedy, dark comedy or action-comedy.

I've already watched Midnight Runners, Handsome Guys, Honest Candidate, and Husbands in Action.

Behind the education. 45 million dollars an exam. It is about the Korean education system(수능)... Hagwon... a little bit obvious and predictable story but still meaningful. I enjoyed that the behind the scene of making of a huge exam. The ensemble of cast is quite good. They show a circus toward completion of questions that is a most fun part of this movie. However, I thought that this kind of story will be much more stronger and extreme in where countries like China or India... South Korea does wild for their private education but... still smaller than...

I watched it 2 days ago with my fam and they said it was a stupid movie or it didn't make sense.

In my opinion, it's not a good movie but I didn't dislike it because it still kept me engaged and some parts were entertaining(to laugh at).

All the reviews, both good and bad said the action was amazing. I thought it was mid.

The CGI should be better but I wasn't too bothered it.

Jung Hoyeon is not a good actress and her character in the Movie does nothing but swear at the monster.

Zo insung's character feels like a gag character that just won't die, but that's just how a lot of movies work but this felt a bit more over the top.

There are some other very minor details I could nitpick on but yeah that's it 👍

Synopsis:

The movie follows two teenagers, Yohan and Jia, whose parents were having an affair. When Yohan’s father is murdered, a detective starts investigating the case. But when he goes to interrogate Jia’s mother, he finds her dead too. The case is eventually ruled a murder-suicide, but 15 years later, the detective is still haunted by what happened that night.

Review:

I watched this movie three times, and honestly, it was disturbing, but in a good way. All of these characters have a lot of problems. Like, they’re all mentally ill or need to see a therapist. 😭

First of all, our detective needed to go home. Like, my man needed to retire. I understand that this case has been eating him alive for 15 years, and I guess he wanted to save Yohan by the end, but it was already too late. And honestly, I think he needed to let it go because what did he really get out of all this? Yohan died, and Jia still got to live the life she wanted with her rich fiancé without facing the consequences of everything she did. She killed a person, did a bunch of fucked-up things, and still got away with it. The whole thing is just tragic because he spent all these years trying to get justice, and he never really got it.

And speaking of tragedy, Yohan and Jia are genuinely really tragic characters. Their childhood was horrific. Jia’s mother basically sold her to Yohan’s father, who sexually abused her and took pictures of her doing degrading things. Yohan witnessed all of that and eventually killed his father to save her. Jia then killed her mother to protect herself and Yohan, so they could finally be free from their abusers.

Of course, they’re still criminals. But these were two kids who went through some genuinely horrible shit, and I think that’s what makes their story so tragic. They agreed not to see each other for 15 years, even though they didn’t exactly respect that rule. 😭

To me, this movie feels like a crime movie mixed with a Shakespearean tragedy. You have these two people who trauma-bonded, fell in love, and basically became each other’s entire world, but they can never really be together. Jia loved Yohan, but she chose herself. She wanted a life outside of everything that happened to her, and I can’t even blame her for wanting that.

Yohan, on the other hand, spent his life trying to protect her. I genuinely believe that ever since he saw what his father did to Jia, all he wanted was to free her and give her the life she deserved. I also think he carries a lot of guilt because of what his father did to her, and the fact that Jia killed her own mother to protect them both must have weighed heavily on him. That’s probably why he was willing to do certain fucked-up things she asked him to do. He loved her, but I think he also felt responsible for her in a way.

Now, Jia is a highly manipulative character, but that’s what makes her so interesting to me. She uses her own story, sometimes modifying it a little, to get into people’s hearts. She knows how to read people and use their weaknesses to her advantage. That’s basically how she became Mido. The woman who adopted her had lost her own daughter, and Jia found a way into her heart.

I don’t think she necessarily did it to hurt that woman, though. I think she was trying to protect herself and secure a better future. And honestly, considering what she went through as a child, I understand why survival became her priority. That doesn’t excuse everything she did, but it makes her an interesting character to analyze.

Also, this movie confirmed something for me: Koreans CAN do dark romance. Because that’s basically what this is, in a way. Even though Yohan and Jia don’t share that many scenes together, you can still feel the tension between them. Their entire relationship is just so tragic, and there’s so much history between them that I wish the movie had explored more.

The parallels between them were also pretty obvious. Jia is always surrounded by light, wearing white, looking all pure and soft, at least in the image she presents to the world. Meanwhile, Yohan is associated with darkness and much rougher environments.

Even their sex scenes reflect that. Jia’s scenes with her fiancé are bright and fully lit, while Yohan’s scene with his partner, who is also his boss, is much darker and rougher. But what’s interesting is that neither of them seems particularly comfortable during sex. Both seem to be doing it to please their partners rather than because they’re actually enjoying themselves. Considering their trauma, I found that interesting.

One thing I really wish the movie had explored more was their relationship. I genuinely think this could have worked better as a 10-episode series because there was so much to unpack between these two. But then again, this was 2009 Korea, and I can imagine how difficult it would have been to make a whole series around such a dark story. And let’s be real, some K-drama fans would absolutely hate Jia. She’s genuinely fucked up. 😭

Actually, she reminds me of Lady Cho from The Scandal and Untold Scandal. That same kind of woman who’s manipulative, damaged, and willing to do whatever it takes to get the life she wants.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It’s disturbing, tragic, and leaves you with a lot to think about. I just wish we had gotten more of Yohan and Jia together because their relationship was probably the most interesting part of the whole thing.

7/10. Great performances from the entire cast, and definitely a movie that stayed with me after watching it.

“Girl on the Bulldozer” was a promising debut, but the improvement Park Ri-woong demonstrates in his second film is truly impressive. The movie won three awards at Busan (New Currents Award Best Prize, Audience Award in the same section, and the NETPAC Award) and recently took home the Golden Cyclo from FICA Vesoul. “Land of the Morning Calm” is an excellent film, competent in all aspects, both contextual and technical, by a director who seems ready to shoot a masterpiece next.

What are your thoughts on the film?

Click on the link to read our review: https://asianmoviepulse.com/2025/02/film-review-the-land-of-the-morning-calm-2024-by-park-ri-woong/

I just saw it ata festival yesterday (here’s my review: holy fucking shit) but I wasn’t clear how old the characters are supposed to be. Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu are in their 50s but they sure don’t look it and they have a young son. There was a flashback where the SKG character and his friends breakdance and do a rap/pop song but I didn’t catch what year it is

Today I watched "Hope" by Na-Hong Jin,  when I saw the trailer I knew this movie will have very very bad CGi and eventually it was true. There was one scene where alien was running and a tear fell from her eye, that scene's CGi was so worse it made me remember Indian TV serials. Na just pushed us into the scene without any context, In starting it was hard to grasp the emotions of characters, but gradually it settled. The movie was very inconsistent (up and down and up and down). I was expecting something like "The wailing" but it's ok if it's different. Performance were good, I liked the dialogues. I liked the Invincible guy(Chief's grandfather's brother's grandson -second cousin).It's a decent watch. The main problem was for me that I couldn't understand the bigger picture, what was this trying to say that both civilizations are on a verge and they're hoping to come out of this tragedy they're suffering from, or am I dumb or was there a big metaphorical meanings. If someone knows please explain or Na was trying to say something like Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut).........