VETERAN at MoMI this evening

Hwang Jung-min as Detective Seo Do-cheol

Veteran

Directed by RYOO Seung-wan

South Korea, 2015, 123 minutes

When: Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 7:45 PM

Where: Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)

36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens, NY
U.S. Festival Premiere

Veteran is the latest offering from the highly talented South Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan (The City of Violence, The Berlin File). It's a policier with plenty of action that also has a lot of deft comic touches.

Hwang Jung-min (New World, Ode to My Father) stars as Seo Do-cheol, a veteran detective who works out of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. He's about as straight an arrow of a law enforcement officer as you'll ever come across. He also moonlights as a consultant for a detective drama on television.

We first meet him as he brings down an auto theft ring, in an action scene somewhat reminiscent of the premiere episode of Sammo Hung's American television series Marshal Law. Do-cheol is quite adept at dealing out a fistful of whoop-ass. But he also has a serious and tender side, especially when it comes to friends, such as Bae, a truck driver who assisted in bringing down the higher ups in the auto theft operation.

Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in), seated, gets advice from his main advisor

After Bae is victimized by a sub-contractor of a huge corporation, Do-cheol comes up against Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in, Tough as Iron). Tae-oh is the son of the chairman of the corporation (Song Yung-chang, The Attorney and The Good, the Bad, the Weird). With daddy under investigation, Tae-oh is likely to take over the business. His only problem is that he's a violence-prone psychopathic drug user! But having well-connected friends in politics and the upper echelons of the police force, he seems all but immune to arrest and prosecution.

The confrontation between the irresistible force of detective Seo Do-cheol's righteousness and Cho Tae-oh's immovable object of a protected, crazed corporate maniac makes for great viewing. And the numerous comic touches really make the mix all the more enjoyable.

Hwang Jung-min gives a wonderfully modulated performance. He's tough in the action scenes, funny when called for, and touching when need be. He's supported by a wonderful cast that includes: Oh Dal-su (Oldboy, A Bloody Aria, Hindsight) as Team Leader Oh; Jang Yoon-ju, who makes her film debut as Miss Bong, a high-flying police officer; and Yoo Hae-jin (Tazza: The High Rollers, The Pirates) as Choi Sang-moo, Tae-oh's cousin and chief adviser.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very, very, very highly recommended.

This screening of Veteran is part of The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival. 

(Note: This is a revised version of my September 14, 2015 review here at AsianCineFest that was also cross-posted at VCinema on September 15th.)

ASSASSINATION reviewed; showing tonight at NY Korean Film Festival

Assassination

Directed by CHOI Dong-hoon

South Korea, 2015, 140 minutes

When: Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 8:55 PM

Where: Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)

36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens, NY 

Set primarily in 1933, when Korea was a colony of Japan, Assassination tells the tale of three Koreans tasked by the Korean Provisional Government with a deadly mission. The three are sharpshooter Ahn Okyun (actress Gianna Jun, a.k.a. JUN Ji-hyun, Blood: The Last Vampire, The Thieves), Chu Sang-ok  (also known as "Big Gun"), and Hwang Duk-am (CHOI Deok-moon, The Admiral). Their targets are Japanese general Kawaguchi Mamoru, who led the massacre of over 3,000 Koreans in Manchuria, and Kang In-guk, the leading pro-Japanese lapdog.

Ahn expects the operation to take five minutes and for the three to come back alive. Unfortunately, the plan goes awry because there is a traitor within the ranks of the Korean Provisional government. He has arranged for a team of hit men, "Hawaii Pistol (HA Jung-woo, Kundo: Age of the Rampant) and his partner (played by OH Dal-soo, Oldboy, The Attorney).

Director CHOI Dong-hoon's is perhaps best know in the West for his 2012 hit The Thieves, which was Korea’s biggest box office hit of that year. His other films are The Big Swindle (2004), Tazza: The High Rollers (2006) and Woochi (2009). Gianna Jun and LEE Jung-jae, who stars as resistance fighter Captain Yem in Assassination, both starred in The Thieves.

Assassination is a beautiful period piece with great acting, opulent sets and terrific action sequences, especially a lengthy shoot-out at a wedding. It has exciting plot twists and makes for great entertainment.

AsianCineFest Rating: 4 out of 4 stars; most highly recommended.

This screening of Assassination is part of The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival.

South Korean thriller OFFICE reviewed; opens NYKFF tonight

Sales Team 2 intern Mirae (actress KO Ah-sung)

Office / O piseu

Adapted and directed by HONG Won-chan

Screenplay by CHOI Yun-jin

South Korea, 2015, 111 minutes

When: Friday, November 6, 2015 at 6:30 PM

Where: Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)

36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens, NY 

New York Premiere

Office politics turns deadly in this terrific thriller from first time director Director Hong Won-chan. This evening at 6:30 PM, the film will be the opening night presentation of The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival. Director Hong and star Ko Ah-sung will be present, and the screening will be followed by a reception in the Museum lobby and cafe.

After leaving work one evening, a member of Sales Team 2 at Cheil F&B commits a heinous crime, is captured on CCTV returning to the office, but is not seen leaving it. In the following days other members of the team die and the police are hard pressed to find the culprit.

Mirae (actress KO Ah-sung) is an intern assigned to the team and the only member of it who had a good relationship with the murderer. However, the same office politics that led one person to commit murder also weighs heavily on her as she desperately seeks to obtain a permanent position at the company.

Tension mounts as the killer continues to elude capture and the body count rises higher and higher.

Director HONG was the screenwriter for Confession of Murder (2012), The Yellow Sea (2010), The Scam (2009), and The Chaser (2007—a selection at Cannes). Office marks his most auspicious directorial debut.

Born on August 10, 1992, KO Ah-sung started acting at an early age and played the memorable role of the daughter in BONG Joon-ho’s The Host (2006). Her film credits include The Beauty Inside (2015), Thread of Lies (2014), Snowpiercer (2013, also directed by BONG), Duet (2012), After the Banquet (2009), A Brand New Life (2009), Radio Dayz (2008), and The Happy Life (2007). Her performance in Office is nothing less than spectacular.

The film is part murder mystery, part office drama, part horror story and 100% thrilling. Not to be missed.

AsianCineFest Rating: 4 out of 4 stars; highest recommendation.
 

13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival to run November 6-11, 2015

The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival Announces Upcoming Program

for November 6th to November 11th, 2015 at the Museum of the Moving Image

Festival highlights award-winning films of love, crime, and erotica.

More premieres, filmmakers, and celebrity guests than ever

The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival showcases Korea doing what it does best: the crime thriller, the romantic fantasy, and feverish erotica. The Peninsula’s filmmakers bend genre cinema to a uniquely Korean pulse and purpose, making the country’s national film industry the most vibrant in East Asia. The thrilling complications of love and crime steal the show in this year’s lineup, as partnerships go south and fickle passions lead to betrayal. Resistance fighters navigate the intrigue of colonial-era Korea, love affairs are smothered as quickly as they are kindled, and hard-boiled cops dig at the ugly truth in a collection of both massive blockbusters and favorites from the international festival circuit, with five New York premieres and one international premiere.

The 13th Annual New York Korean Festival will run from November 6-November 11, 2015, at the Museum of the Moving Image. This will be the first year Museum of the Moving Image will serve as a partner and the venue for the New York Korean Film Festival, building on past collaborations with the Korea Society and Subway Cinema.

The Korea Society has also invited an exceptional group of Korean guests, including star director Ryoo Seung-Wan and producers Kang Hye-jung and Park Jung (Veteran); directors Shin Suwon (Madonna), Lee Do-yun (Confession), Kang Hyo-jin (Wonderful Nightmare), Oh Seung-uk (The Shameless), and Hong Won-chan (Office); and actress Koh Ah-Sung. The New York Korean Film Festival is a program of The Korea Society, the Museum of the Moving Image, and Subway Cinema. Major support is provided by the Korea Foundation.

Read about the nine film lineup here.

All screenings will be held at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), which is located at 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, Queens, NY, 11106. Map

Opening Night tickets: $20 ($12 for TKS members, MOMI Film Lover and Dual members / free for Silver Screen members and above).

All other NYKFF tickets are $12 ($7 for TKS members, MOMI Film Lover and Dual members / free for Silver Screen members and above).

Advance tickets will be available online at movingimage.us beginning today, October 21.

ACF 1811: Park Chan­-wook Retrospective @ MoMI

Park Chan­-wook Retrospective @ MoMI 

Friday, March 1 ­through Sunday, March 3

The Museum of Moving Image

3601 35th Avenue, Astoria

Travel directions here

Park Chan­-wook, a director, screenwriter, and producer, is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers on the international film circuit. To celebrate the release of Stoker, his major directorial debut in Hollywood, The Korea Society and MoMI will be co­presenting a retrospective of his work. He debuted with Moon is the Sun's Dream in 1992, but started to gain international recognition from the sensational movie J.S.A.: Joint Security Area in 2000, which The Guardian praised as “airy, subtle and playful, and showcases the best elements of modern Asian cinema.” In addition, the Vengeance trilogy garnered praise from the New York Times: “so much talent on display.” But ‘Old Boy’ would be his most famous and acclaimed film ever, achieving the Grand Jury Award at Cannes. Director Park is well­known for the flamboyant colors and glitzy cinematography throughout his films.

Stoker

Thursday, February 28 @ 7:00 PM

2013, 98 min.

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.

With Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode. 

The eagerly awaited new film by director Park Chan­-wook is an English ­language thriller rife with the sort of style and atmosphere that makes his other movies nothing short of modern classics of the genre. This special screening, followed by a discussion with Park Chan-wook.

Oldboy

Friday, March 1@ 7:00 PM

2003, 120 min.

Old Boy tells the story of a man who is locked in a room for over decade without knowing the reason. After he gets out of the cell, he tries to find the answer. Since it won the "Grand Jury" award a Cannes in 2004, it has been selected one of the best movies ever made by numerous prestigious film magazines and critics.

Shorts Program:

Saturday, March 2 @ 3:00 PM

Never Ending Peace and Love

2003, 28 min.

An illegal foreign worker is subject to peoples’ ignorance and indifference.

Cut (from Three Extremes)

2004, 30 min.

Young and rich, with a beautiful wife, he lacks nothing until an intruder appears in the night.

Night Fishing

2011, 33min.

Winner of the Best Short Film­Golden Bear Award at Berlin International Film Festival 2011. Park Chan-­wook shot this film with an iPhone 4 with his brother/co­director Park Chan­k-young.

J.S.A.: Joint Security Area

Saturday, March 2 @ 6:00 PM

Based on the novel by Park Sang-­yeon, Joint Security Area is considered one of the best­made films describing the political and military tension between North and South Korea.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Saturday, March 3 @ 3:00 PM

2002, 121 min.

Desperate to pay for his sister’s kidney operation. Ryu kidnaps his wealthy boss’ daughter. The kidnapping goes away, Ryu and his girlfriend struggle to run away from a father bent on vengeance.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

Sunday, March 3 @ 6:00 PM

2005, 112 min.

Geum­ja is imprisoned for thirteen years for allegedly murdering a six­year­old boy. In prison, she wins over hell cell mates’ sympathies. When she’s released, she begins a meticulous plan for vengeance.

More information is available at www.koreasociety.org/arts/film/ & http://www.movingimage.us/films/

Schedule

Friday, March 1

Old Boy, 7:00 PM

Saturday, March 2

Park Chan­wook Shorts Program, 3:00 PM

- Never Ending Peace and Love

- Cut (from Three Extremes)

- Night Fishing

J.S.A.:Joint Security Area, 6:00 PM

Sunday, March 3

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, 3:00 PM

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, 6:00 PM

And don't forget the 11th New York Korean Film Festival (NYKFF), co-presented by The Korea SOciety and Bamcinematek, which starts tomorrow, Friday, February 22 and runs through Sunday the 24th.

ACF 1769: SLEEPLESS NIGHT at MoMI on Sunday, January 13th

 The Korea Society and the

Museum of the Moving Image present

  Sleepless Night / Jam-mot deun-eun bam

Directed by Jang Kun-jae

Starring: Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Joo-ryeong
South Korea, 2012, 65 min.
When: Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 5:00 pm

Where: The Museum of the Moving Image

35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria
Map and Directions
Film free with museum admission

The winner of both the Audience and Best Korean Film prizes at the Jeonju International Film Festival, this second feature from young director Jang (Eighteen) is an intimate portrait of a working-middle-class married couple in their early thirties struggling through daily trials and facing the decision of whether to start a family. Finely directed with deceptively simple performances, this short feature is an intense pleasure to experience.

Sleepless Night will be preceded by As the Flames Rose, a short directed by João Rui Guerra da Mata, (Portugal, 2012, 26 min.). On the phone in his dark bedroom, a man relives the end of a turbulent affair, while across town, the city burns.

ACF 1753: BARBIE showing at MoMI tomorrow afternoon

 Barbie

Directed by LEE Sang-woo

South Korea, 2011, 97 minutes

With KIM Sae-ron, KIM Ah-ron, LEE Chun-hee

When: Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 5:00 PM

Where: The Museum of the Moving Image

35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria, Queens, NYC

Travel directions here

Film free with museum admission at MoMI

Barbie, the next co-presentation of The Korea Society and The Museum of the Moving Image's "Korean Cinema Now" series, will be shown tomorrow afternoon at MoMI in Queens, NY.

Synopsis: Soon-young lives with her mentally handicapped father, unscrupulous uncle, and Soon-Ja, her younger sister. When an uncle arranges Soon-young’s adoption to American family for money, the younger sister, who adores her Barbie doll and dreams of one day living in America, decides not to let the adoption happen.

"Korean Cinema Now" will be presented at the newly renovated Museum of the Moving Image, home to New York City’s finest, state-of-the-art screen. Films are free with museum admission. This tribute is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Taxi 10 minutes from The Korea Society or NQ Train Outbound to 36th Ave., 36th Street and 35th Avenue, Astoria.

ACF 1594: Free outdoor screening of Kim Ki-duk's SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... and SPRING

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

Directed by Kim Ki-duk

Starring: Oh Yeong-su, Kim Jong-ho, Seo Jae-Kyung

South Korea, 2003, 106 minutes

When: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 7 PM

Film begins at sunset

Where: The Museum of the Moving Image/Outdoor Cinema 2012

Socrates Sculpture Park, Vernon Boulevard at Broadway, Long Island City

Map and directions

Admission: Free!!!

The Korea Society and the Museum of The Moving Image co-present Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring—a gorgeously shot feature film that has grossed more in box office receipts than any Korean movie released in United States to date. Directed by phenom Kim Ki-duk (The Isle, Samaritan Girl), the film is a pastoral poem about the changing seasons and a meditation on the cycle of life.

In a tranquil and timeless setting of a temple floating on a lake in a forest, surrounded by mountain spires that cut the monastery off from worldly concerns, an old monk teaches his young disciple the wisdom of Buddha over the many seasons of their lives. In Korean with English subtitles.

ACF 1467: CHOI Min-Shik Tribute

The Korea Society, as part of its ongoing "Korean Cinema Now" program with the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), will be presenting a three film tribute to Korean actor CHOI Min-Shik (also spelled CHOI Min-sik or anglicized as Min-sik CHOI).

The films to be shown are:
Failan - Sunday, May 20th, 2012 at 3:00 PM
Stroke of Fire / Chiwaseon, Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 at 3:00 PM
Old Boy, Sunday, July 1st, 2012 at 4:00 PM

Choi Min-shik had numerous television roles, but his big break came in 1999 when he played a cold-blooded North Korean soldier in Swiri (directed by Kang Je-gyu) and suddenly gained a reputation as one of Korea’s finest actors. His acting dominates the silver screen, but his characters have more than charisma. In Failan, he played a thug, married to a Chinese woman out of convenience, but who sheds tears of regret when his “fake” wife dies. In Strokes of Fire, which won the Best Director Prize at the 55th Cannes Film Festival, he played the famous nineteenth-century Korean painter Jang Seung-up. In 2004, Choi returned to Cannes when director Park Chan-woo’s bloody revenge epic, Old Boy, won the Grand Prix-award. Choi's impassioned and robust acting can seize an audience's heart, and he is now known to film buffs worldwide.

This Choi Min-shik tribute will be presented at the newly renovated Museum of the Moving Image, home to New York City’s finest, state-of-the-art screen. MoMi is located at 36-01 35th Avenue (at 37 Street), Astoria, NY. Travel directions here. Films are free with museum admission.

This tribute is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

In related news, the 11th New York Asian Film Festival (June 29 - July 15) will be bringing CHOI to New York as a guest and will be screening his latest film, Nameless Gangster. NYAFF will also be showing a fistful of his classics, including Oldboy, and his underseen and heartbreaking boxing film, Crying Fist.