ACF 658: Korean Movie Night free screenings continues Tuesday, August 24th

MY LITTLE EROTIC LOVER
South Korea, 2000, 110 minutes
Showtime: 7:00 PM

Doors open: 6:30pm

Seating: first-come, first served

Korean Cultural Service's Korean Movie Night Series Three: TV Party will continue this coming Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 with a double-feature provided by KBS-America. Originally My Little Erotic Lover, episode four of the romantic comedy series, was to be the solo feature. But recently The Scary One, The Ghost and I, the second episode of a comedic horror series, was added to the program. In fact, if I correctly read the recent email I received, The Scary One actually will be be screened first. Each feature is approximately 60 minutes long.

Where: Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, one block from the A, C, E and 1 train Canal Street stops

Price: Free.

My Little Erotic Lover is a TV movie that is one of powerhouse broadcaster KBS’ new “Drama Specials,” 60 minute made-for-TV movies that showcase their hottest talent. MY LITTLE EROTIC LOVER (aka OUR SLIGHTLY RISQUE RELATIONSHIP) is a typical meet-cute between a broadcaster and a reporter who can’t stand the sight of each other. Elevating this formula is the bawdy nature of the comedy (they meet cute when she spills hot soup on his crotch, sparking a medical emergency) and the fact that it stars Lee Seon-Gyun. Lee was relegated to second string and bit parts for years before he starred in the 2007 TV series, THE 1st SHOP OF THE COFFEE PRINCE, playing the owner of a run down coffee house. The show was a massive hit and he followed it up with the medical TV series, WHITE TOWER. Not only is he now the biggest male lead in Korean television, but last year he won an acting award for his role in the acclaimed feature film PAJU.


While I don't have any images from The Scary One, The Ghost and I, I do have the following description to share:

This comedic horror film reveals the story of Doo Sub Kang, a legendary mafia leader. Ironically, his smile just adds to his unattractiveness and scares everyone off. This time, it fails and he relies on a detective agency to get rid of the female ghost who keeps following him.

Actor Won Jong Lee plays the invincible gangster, who is too embarrassed to tell people about his fear. Will this remain as his little secret?

Come to the free screening Tuesday night and find out!

ACF 620: Korean Movie Night Series Three: TV Party starts Tuesday, July 13th

Korean Cultural Service NY's next KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT series will run from July 13, 2010 – August 24, 2010.

When: Every other Tuesday @ 7pm
Where: Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, one block from the A, C, E and 1 train Canal Street stops

Price? Free!
All seating is first come, first serve.
Doors open at 6:30pm.

Series Three: TV Party
In America, Korea is famous for its movies, but across most of the world it’s famous for its TV. Korean drama series have sparked what’s known as the Hallyu Wave, which has seen Korean television score everywhere in Asia, from China to Japan. Some Korean TV stars are even more popular overseas than they are at home. Korean television dramas have been so popular in Malaysia that kimchi imports to that country jumped 150% after the airing of several series, and Korean TV series are part of primetime programming both in Cambodia and Iran.

First up is:

TOKYO TAXI
South Korea, 2010, 76 minutes
New York Premiere
Tuesday, July 13 @ 7pm

Award-winning, arthouse darling, director Kim Tae-Sik (DRIVING WITH MY WIFE’S LOVER), made this TV movie that was so acclaimed it went on to do the film festival rounds. Ryo (Masashi Yamada) is going to ruin everything. His band has been invited to a play a concert in Seoul, but he’s terrified of flying and so he cowers in Tokyo. But in a burst of inspiration he hails a taxi and demands that it honor its pledge to take him to any destination, in this case, Seoul. And so begins an epic odyssey of passenger and driver across hundreds of miles and two countries in this wry, sharply-observed comedy. One of the best and most ambitious of the made-for-TV movies, it helped launch the career of Yu Hana, who plays an Asiana stewardess and Ryo’s unobtainable object of desire.

ACF 433: Two episodes of Korean Ghost Stories to screen at The Korea Society

The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street, 8th Floor
(Building entrance on SW corner of 3rd Ave. and 57th St.)

The second installment of The Korea Society's Korean Ghost Stories mini-series features two spine-tingling episodes. Haunted House and The Reincarnated Princess will be shown this Thursday, December 17, 2009, starting at 6:30 PM. Both were originally shown on the KBS television series Korean Ghost Stories, which was also known as Hometown of Legend. They will be presented in Korean with English subtitles.

This is the second of the two-part mini-series. The first, on November 19th, featured a fascinating and informative introduction by Heinz Insu Fenki, both an author and the director of Interstitial Studies Institute at Suny New Paltz. This was followed by a screening of Nine-Tailed Fox, a marvelous tale of a clan that uses the harshest means imaginable to hide a dark secret about some of its women.

Haunted House

In Haunted House (starring Lee Duck-hwa, Lee Min-woo, and Yoo Hye-jung), the ghost of a young woman haunts the family members who sold her into a life of corruption.

The Reincarnated Princess

Two sisters return from the grave to seduce and punish the men who killed them in The Reincarnated Princess (starring Lee Jin, Kang Sung-min, and Lee Ji-hyun).

For further information, click here.

Korean Ghost Stories is a presentation of The Korea Society with support from

ACF 202: Another Episode of KBS TV's "Hwang Jin Yi" @ The Korea Society

The Korea Society's Monthly Screening Series of select episode of KBS TV's lavish and epic blockbluster drama Hwang Jin Yi will continue on Wednesday, January 14, 2008. Here's what you need to know.

In an age when women were treated as if they were invisible, Hwang Jin Yi, the celebrated Korean courtesan-singer-poet of the 16th century, was larger than life. Her beauty, wit and intellect propelled her from obscurity into the company of Korea’s most powerful aristocrats. The defining romance of her life broke across Korea’s rigid class lines and was in turn shattered by tragedy. A symbol of art and individuality, the subject of countless novels, movies and operas, Hwang Jin Yi remains a powerful feminist figure in Korea to this day.

Directed by Kim Cheol-gyu (More Beautiful Than Flowers) and written by Yoon Sun-Ju (The Immortal Lee Soon Shin), the acclaimed KBS TV drama series Hwang Jin Yi retells the tumultuous life story of Korea’s most famous kisaeng (courtesan). Top actress Ha Ji-won’s portrayal of Hwang Jin Yi made the series an instant television event when the series first aired in Korea in 2006, causing a nationwide rediscovery of the role kisaeng played in Korean history.

Part Three: Grievance
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 6:30 PM

Hwang Jin Yi is learning dance from Yim Baek-moo, one of the best court dancers in the kingdom and a harsh and manipulative teacher. When Hwang Jin Yi's first love ends tragically, she sees Yim's scheming behind it. Jealousy and bitterness build between the two as they prepare for what turns out to be a fateful performance of the crane dance.

Special Screening Guest: Hwang Jin Yi writer Yoon Sun-ju will join the audience by video conference after the screening to talk about writing for the series and take questions.

Hwang Jin Yi at The Korea Society will continue through February, 11 when the final installment, Finale, will be shown at 6:30 PM.

All screenings presented in Korean with English subtitles.

Tickets: $5 for members, $10 for non-members

Order tickets online or call The Korea Society at 212.759.7525, ext. 323.

The Korea Society

950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street
New York, NY 10022

This Monthly Screening Series is co-sponsored by KBS

ACF 192: Hwang Jin Yi @ Korea Society

Just a brief reminder that The Korea Society's monthly presentation of select episodes of Korean KBS TV's hit drama Hwang Jin Yi continues tomorrow night, Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Part Two: The Birth of a Kisaeng will be shown 6:30 PM.

Synopsis:
Hwang Jin Yi's mother fears that her young daughter will follow in her footsteps and become a kisaeng: a singer, dancer and hostess who lives a life catering to the whims of the yangban elite. Determined that her daughter should become more than a mere plaything for men, she sends Hwang Jin Yi deep into the forest to be cared for by an old monk. But when Hwang Jin Yi slips away and glimpses the beauty of a kisaeng dance, she is drawn to her destiny.

Special Guest:

Actress Jeon Mi-seon (the mother) will appear from Korea through an exclusive video conference to discuss the making of Hwang Jin Yi and answer audience questions. This series continues through February 2009. Click here for the full schedule and photos from the series.

Buy tickets

The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10022
(map here)