Korean Cinema Thread [Personal favorites, Critically Acclaimed, Recommendations, etc] - Blu-ray Forum

A Tortured Duckling · 03-19-2013, 03:38 PM

Hey Guys,

I have been getting more and more attached to Korean films, and can't get enough of them. I am always looking for "Top 10-20" lists, "Best of ..." lists, reading reviews, checking blogs, etc to find new material that sounds like something i'd be interested in. However, this all feels rather impersonal to me, and i just don't feel confident following a poorly written blog post into actually purchasing a Korean Blu-ray. I'd much rather come here, read the individual threads, find opinions / ask questions, and base my final decision on your opinions, considering most of these films are blind buys for me.

Now, i am certain i'm not the only one in this situation, and i know for a fact there are several people on this forum whom i consider an authority on Korean film. These people have seen so much, know about the history, keep up with past, current and future releases, and always have valuable, informative and helpful input. Thus, i decided to create this thread, for the sake of myself and others whom are a lot less informed.

The idea is for everyone to start off with their favorites, or most watched / memorable, and even movies you hate, of which you know other people love. It'd be great to see some added personal impressions and opinions on said films, in terms of why you think it's great, or why you think it's horrible. Basically, i'd love for this thread to become the "Go to" for people like me, whom are consistently scrounging each individual film thread and outside source to find sufficient information on what's available, what to watch, and make a final purchase decision. Whether you have watched 150 Korean films, or 2 Korean films, please feel free to contribute and feed this thread with your input!

TheArcane · 03-19-2013, 03:56 PM

Well i'll do a short list of my top movies (the order is random)

1. Taegukgi
2. A Moment To Remember
3. The Classic
4. My Sassy Girl
5. Memories Of Murder
6. Oldboy
7. A Bitter Sweet Life
8. Welcome To Dongmakgol
9. Joint Security Area
10. Failan
11. The Good The Bad The Weird
12. Sunny
13. A Dirty Carnival
14. Save The Green Planet
15. When I Turned Nine
16. My Dear Desperado
17. The Man From Nowhere
18. I Saw The Devil
19. Il Mare
20. The Devils Game
21. Fighter In The Wind
22. Sympathy For Mr Vengeance
23. The Chaser
24. No Mercy

I'm sure i've forgotten some that should be in there.

DrewPa · 03-19-2013, 04:08 PM

Great idea! I'm in you same situation all the movies I've bought so far are Blind Buys

I know that maybe it wont help you because you already have the title from CJ Ent. But I could post two words regarding the movies I've already seen:

White Night: The way to better appreciate this movie is to watch it as a sort of an "Almodovar Melodrama" in Korean sauce more than a Thriller... anyway it's a rather average movie and imo it does not deserve all the good reviews it received from the press... anyway for being the director's first feature is not so bad.

Spellbound: A cute romantic comedy with ghosts... far from being flawless, I enjoyed it very much.

Bleak Night: the originality of this movie consists in the fact that the problem of teenagers bullying is view more from the side of the offender than of the victims. I really liked it.

Dancing Queen: a comedy that could be interesting for the non-korean audience in order to know how "modern" the country is now, especially regarding some subjet (women's right, for instance)... otherwise it's a light comedy acted and with some song performed by Uhm Jung-hwa, a very popular Pop-Star in her country, surnamed "Madonna of Korea".

Helpless: as White Night, another K-movie based on a Japanese Novel... good as a melodrama, with a better mistery plot on it... I've largely preferred this one.

Radio Star: a history of a male friendship narrated delicately... A rather funny and cute movie, not particulary original in any way.

Deranged: the first Korean Thriller about a killing mass disease... not bad, definitely better than contagion as a genre movie lol.

R2B: A sort of korean answer to Top Gun with 25 year of delay, starring the K-Pop superstar "Rain". I was impressed by the quality of action scenes (and a bit worried about how the North Korean are described... they still hate each other this much?

). But the plot, despite some funny moments, are the most predictable one can conceive.

Hope it will be of any help to someone.

logboy · 03-19-2013, 04:26 PM

http://www.koreafilm.org/feature/100.asp

http://www.koreanfilm.org/topten2000s.html

^ seen those?

anyway... i like lee chang-dong more than any other director from korea, i think. although there's some good straight-out entertainment (well, that's most of it) and lots of films that are quite long and twisty, some goes a little more substantial without being too hard to sit down and watch in a relatively light mood. would say that's where i place lee chang-dong. my favourite is 'peppermint candy', which gets a korean blu-ray release this week. it shows his roots as a writer, i'd say.

the one under-the-radar crime film which always springs to mind when i think of recent korean stuff would be 'no mercy'.

hancinema and kobiz are reliable for news. i'd also say that you can't go wrong trawling youtube for trailers from any particular year.

TheArcane · 03-19-2013, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by logboy

http://www.koreafilm.org/feature/100.asp

http://www.koreanfilm.org/topten2000s.html

^ seen those?

anyway... i like lee chang-dong more than any other director from korea, i think. although there's some good straight-out entertainment (well, that's most of it) and lots of films that are quite long and twisty, some goes a little more substantial without being too hard to sit down and watch in a relatively light mood. would say that's where i place lee chang-dong. my favourite is 'peppermint candy', which gets a korean blu-ray release this week. it shows his roots as a writer, i'd say.

the one under-the-radar crime film which always springs to mind when i think of recent korean stuff would be 'no mercy'.

No Mercy (2010) Korean Movie Trailer - YouTube

hancinema and kobiz are reliable for news. i'd also say that you can't go wrong trawling youtube for trailers from any particular year.

Ahhh No Mercy How did I forget

crystal_sun · 03-19-2013, 07:36 PM

nice thread...

I'm one of those Korean fanatics since 2005. Ever since then, Korean movies has been my favorite asian cinemas. I follow my favorite actress/actor, korean drama, movies, k-pop, etc. Our local station gets 24/7 Korean shows with English subtitle.

I think I have seen and own all my favorite movies and drama already.

It's very subjective as I might love something while you might find it mediocre.

My recommendation is for you to subscribe to Netflix for free the 1st month. It has tons of Korean movies and drama that you can preview for free. Check it out...

Keep in mind...A LOT of titles are still in DVD. Those are the ones that you should be watching...

FYI...most of the actors/actress start filming in Korean drama...and once they're popular, they move into movies.

Here is one that not too many people list...

Sunflower: - It's a very touching movie...the fight scene is very similar style to A Bittersweet Life and A Man From Nowhere.

PGW · 03-19-2013, 08:51 PM

Here's ten of my favorites (at least at the moment!), in alphabetical order.

The Bow (2005) - No list of this kind would be complete without a Kim Ki-Duk film on it. Some of his films are very difficult to watch due to their subject matter (and all of them are disturbing, to some degree), so do a little on-line research first. It was tough for me to choose between this one and "3-Iron" (which is probably a better film), but I tend to go back to this one more. There's a Taiwanese blu-ray, but I haven't seen it.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008) - Directed by Kim Jee-woon, who also did "A Tale Of Two Sisters" and "A Bittersweet Life," this is one huge entertaining kimchi Western starring some of the best male actors in Korea. If you don't enjoy this, I'm not sure you're breathing. The blu-ray from CJ Entertainment is flawless.

The Harmonium In My Memory (1998) - A relatively early film role for Byung-hun Lee (who went on to star in "A Bittersweet Life" and co-star in "The Good, The Bad, The Weird") and Jeon Do-Yeon, who's completely convincing as a schoolgirl smitten with her teacher (even though she was 25 at the time!).

Memories of Murder (2003) - A spell-binding police procedural and glimpse into Korean culture (or at least the culture that existed in the 1980's). Some people might be put off by the inconclusive ending, but I wasn't. Make sure you get the CJ blu-ray – it's a huge upgrade over the earlier DVD.

My Sassy Girl (2001) - It's hard to imagine a list of favorite Korean films without this crowd pleasing comedy on it. Of course, it's Gianna Jun's breakout role, and Cha Tae-hyun ("Speedy Scandal") is equally as impressive. It's a little over-long (particularly the director's cut), but certainly deserves a spot on the "must-see" list. If you like this, the pseudo-sequel "Windstruck" is a must. Unfortunately, neither of them have been issued on English-friendly blu-rays yet.

Saving My Hubby (2002) - Certainly no masterpiece, still (like "Speedy Scandal" and "My Wife Is A Gangster") I enjoyed this silly comedy for what it is – a popcorn movie. In it, Bae Du-na (or Doona, if you prefer) chases all over Seoul, with her baby in tow (if she hasn't lost it) in order to save her good-for-nothing husband from gamblers. Actually, I prefer her in "Linda, Linda, Linda" – but that's Japanese, not Korean.

Secret Sunshine (2007) - Another Jeon Do-yeon film, written and directed by master director Lee Chang-Dong. This one will put you through the emotional wringer, but the actress puts on one of the most intense performances I've ever seen in a film. Better yet, it's been issued by Criterion in a wonderful blu-ray edition. The same director's "Poetry" is a close runner-up.

Sunny (2001) - Only the second film from Kang Hyeong-Cheol, who did "Speedy Scandal," this has it all – laughs, tears, amazing acting, script and direction. What more could you ask out of a film?

Taegukgi (2004) - This high budget film about the Korean war will both amaze you and tear your heart out. I'm generally not drawn to war films, or films about the Korean conflict ("J.S.A." left me cold), but this one was very, very good.

A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003) - Kim Jee-woon directs this horror film which, I think, became a classic in the genre on the day of it's release. I think everyone's waiting for a decent blu-ray of it – the one that is available looks worse than the Korean DVD!

Also, if you're just starting out, don't ignore the television dramas, which they've got down to a fine art. When I first saw "Dae Jang Geum" some years ago, I came out on the other end of 54+ hours of drama saying: "I think this might just be the best thing I've ever seen... period." They're highly addictive, though, so beware!

A Tortured Duckling · 03-19-2013, 10:46 PM

Awesome! You guys are great. I appreciate all the replies so far, and i can see this thread was a good idea. It had been stewing in the back of my mind for a while, but i didn't want it to end up another generic "What's your top 10?" BS thread. So, thanks to all participators, so far

I actually watched the trailer for "No Mercy" before, and was rather intrigued by it. It's on my "to watch" list, along with "Sunflower" and some of the others mentioned by you guys, so far. I like the Netflix idea, as i actually have access to a full Netflix account. I just live in a small town, so my internet doesn't take too kindly to the streaming.

I own quite a bit of the CJ Entertainment Collection, as well as the entire Hommage Collection, so far. I ordered Arahan and Sunny, and Peppermint Candy should be shipping from KimchiDVD soon. Other than that, The Traffickers, A Company Man and Pieta will also be on their way this week, and i just received the original Korean 2-Disc release of "I Saw The Devil" with both Theatrical and International cuts. Sooo, i'm pretty up to date on these Blu-ray releases.

PGW, i like your list and information to each title. I am quite the gore hound, and i love the tremendously shocking and disturbing atmosphere of Kim Ki Duk's films. The consistent "darkness" in a lot of these films is what got me so hooked on it in the first place. I recently ordered The Coast Guard, Address Unknown, The Isle and Samaritan Girl on DVD, hehe. Feel free to look over my Korean film collection

As far as what i have actually watched so far, i still stand behind Oldboy as my definite favorite. Oddly, Castaway on the Moon is a close second in that list. A Bittersweet Life and The Man From Nowhere share a #3 spot, and I Saw The Devil sits at #4. A Dirty Carnival is #5, for now. From my CJ Entertainment Collection, i have yet to watch The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Memories of Murder, Mother, and pretty much everything up to Sunny, other than Thirst, A Dirty Carnival and The Man From Nowhere. I have a lot of watching to do, hehe. My main goal was to COLLECT them all first, and then watch them at a steady pace.

DJ Hilalo · 03-19-2013, 11:27 PM

Great thread bud, Korean Cinema is my favourite and been watching & collecting their flicks for years, I still think some of their best ones are the old ones back from 2000-2006, anyway I did compile a (kinda out-of-date now but great for old ones) list of Asian films (Drama & Comedy) here, have a look at the

ones, these are some of my personal favourite titles, I was going to create another one for the other genre but somehow I never got around doing it hehe, I probably end up doing that at some point as well as update the other one but at least you can get an idea of some of the old but gold ones

stobbart · 03-20-2013, 03:55 AM

Oh man, it feels like coming out of retirement posting on here, but here is a thread I can get behind.

I am just going to skip over all the CJ and Hommage titles, since those are pretty well covered elsewhere. And I am going to dip into the less known.

Barking Dogs Never Bite the first feature length film by Bong Joon-Ho. It is hilarious and one of the very first Korean films that I watched. Buy the DVD. Plus it has the always amazing Doona Bae.

Next up is Hong Sang-Soo. By far my favorite Korean director. See all his films, really, see them. They are pitch black comedies about relationships. People always say that Koreans are the king of the melodrama, but this guy wrote the book on serious, real relationship movies. You also get a really good sense of the Korean drinking culture, which if you are watching Korean films, you should really have some understanding about. My personal favorites of his are Night and Day, The Day He Arrives, Woman on the Beach, Woman is the Future of Man, Oki's Movie, Hahaha

In line with Korean drinking culture, check out the unknown gem, Daytime Drinking the directorial debut, and so far only film by, Noh Young-Seok. You can tell he was heavily influenced by Hong Sang-Soo but it stands its ground as its own film.

Fancy a documentary? Check out the wonderful Old Partner this is about an old farmer and his old cow. Plus its out on blu-ray.

And here is just a list of more popular titles that I sure others will mention, or have already been mentioned that I also give my approval on.

Secret Sunshine
Poetry
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring
Christmas in August
Take Off
The Housemaid (1960)
Sunny

madlost1 · 03-20-2013, 04:27 AM

Where's the cheapest place to pick up Korean blus? I assume yes asia, but is there anywhere cheaper?

Torrente · 03-20-2013, 04:43 AM

I'll add 3 more titles that no one mentioned already:

- Nowhere to Hide (1999) Myung-se Lee
- Shiri (1999) Je-kyu Kang
- Tell Me Something (1999) Youn-hyun Chang

A Tortured Duckling · 03-20-2013, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madlost1

Where's the cheapest place to pick up Korean blus? I assume yes asia, but is there anywhere cheaper?

KimchiDVD and K2DVD are both great online retailers, and their prices are excellent. Especially KimchiDVD, if you order a few of them at the same time...it'll really save you a lot of money. However...i get most of my Korean Blu-ray from ebay. WooriDVD is a great seller, and has been around for a long time. Waegein2's "Cacao-Store" is also very good. Last but not least, Kushaget11 is another ebay seller with very competitive prices and low shipping costs. I have purchased from all of these sellers, and have never experienced a problem.

timae · 03-20-2013, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stobbart

My personal favorites of his are Night and Day, The Day He Arrives, Woman on the Beach, Woman is the Future of Man, Oki's Movie, Hahaha

I just watched The Day He Arrives the other night and I can't stop thinking about it... a brilliant examination of human nature. Familiar and personal, I felt I was staring at myself at times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stobbart

In line with Korean drinking culture, check out the unknown gem, Daytime Drinking the directorial debut, and so far only film by, Noh Young-Seok. You can tell he was heavily influenced by Hong Sang-Soo but it stands its ground as its own film.

Some seriously funny stuff in this movie. I found myself laughing so hard... poor guy!

A few others:
Breathless
The Yellow Sea
Spider Forest
Tazza, and The Thieves - both immensely entertaining (looking forward to Tazza 2)
Watched Kick the Moon the other night, quite fun. Kim Hye-su is worth the price of admission

Beefbowl · 03-20-2013, 08:06 AM

I liked Secret Reunion along with others above.

jdgladw · 03-20-2013, 06:01 PM

If you are in the mood for naturalistic films or art house/classic fare, I'd recommend the following:

The Aimless Bullet (1960) by Yu Hyun-mok
The Housemaid (1960) and Iodo (1977) by Kim Ki-young
Chilsu and Mansu (1988) by Park Kwang-su
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989) by Bae Yong-kyun
Passage to Buddha (1993) Jang Sun-woo
The Day the Pig Fell into the Well (1996) (an early Hong Sang-soo film)
Peppermint Candy (2000) and Oasis (2002) (two earlier films by Lee Chang-dong)
Take Care of My Cat (2001) by Jeong Jae-eun
This Charming Girl (2005) by Lee Yoon-ki
Pruning the Grapevine (2006) by Min Byeong-hoon
The movies of Im Kwon-taek (Chunhyang, Chihwaseon, The Taebaek Mountains, Sopyonje, etc.)

If you are looking for more contemporary solid-to-great genre films, then look out for these:

Musa
The President's Last Bang
The Foul King
The Quiet Family
The Show Must Go On
Shadows in the Palace
Actresses
Black House

kashif · 03-20-2013, 10:35 PM

Guys how about mentioning only those movies which are out on BD. So, we can decide to buy a title. Otherwise we are not sure if a title is available on blu or not!

logboy · 03-20-2013, 10:41 PM

look at the retailer links. if its recommended and on blu, you'll see if its still available on blu. very few films are.

A Tortured Duckling · 03-20-2013, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kashif

Guys how about mentioning only those movies which are out on BD. So, we can decide to buy a title. Otherwise we are not sure if a title is available on blu or not!

Nah, this thread isn't about Blu-rays. This thread is about Korean Cinema. I purposely didn't mention anything about Blu-ray, because i still buy these on DVD when they're not out on Blu, yet. This thread was created to cover the Korean Cinema scene, and DVDs are a part of that.

black coffee · 03-21-2013, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crystal_sun

Here is one that not too many people list...

Sunflower: - It's a very touching movie...the fight scene is very similar style to A Bittersweet Life and A Man From Nowhere

Great choice. Sunflower is one of my absolute favorites, maybe even my favorite Korean film. I could die a happy man if this ever got a blu-ray release.

Some films I think are under-appreciated that haven't been mentioned:

Save the Green Planet - Crazy sci-fi, drama, comedy... this movie is really hard to describe, but man is it awesome.

A Family - Really touching drama about a father and daughter.

...ing - As far as tearjerkers go, I always preferred this film over A Moment to Remember. Sacrilege!

My Lovely Week - Really cute, funny, and sad. It's basically a bunch of stories all very loosely connected. I enjoyed this one a lot.

My Scary Girl - Very fun black comedy. It's like My Sassy Girl except darker. Definitely check out if you like rom-coms.

My Dear Desperado - Comedy/Drama about a mis-matched pair that fall in wuv. It looks cliche, but it's actually a pretty good little movie.

No Mercy for the Rude - Quirky little film. Haven't seen this in awhile, but I remember enjoying it.

My Mother is a Mermaid - Nice movie starring the always great, Do-yeon Jeon.

03-19-2013, 03:38 PM	#1
A Tortured Duckling Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 4K collection:506 Blu-ray collection:3350 DVD collection:17 Trading Score:51	Korean Cinema Thread [Personal favorites, Critically Acclaimed, Recommendations, etc] Hey Guys, I have been getting more and more attached to Korean films, and can't get enough of them. I am always looking for "Top 10-20" lists, "Best of ..." lists, reading reviews, checking blogs, etc to find new material that sounds like something i'd be interested in. However, this all feels rather impersonal to me, and i just don't feel confident following a poorly written blog post into actually purchasing a Korean Blu-ray. I'd much rather come here, read the individual threads, find opinions / ask questions, and base my final decision on your opinions, considering most of these films are blind buys for me. Now, i am certain i'm not the only one in this situation, and i know for a fact there are several people on this forum whom i consider an authority on Korean film. These people have seen so much, know about the history, keep up with past, current and future releases, and always have valuable, informative and helpful input. Thus, i decided to create this thread, for the sake of myself and others whom are a lot less informed. The idea is for everyone to start off with their favorites, or most watched / memorable, and even movies you hate, of which you know other people love. It'd be great to see some added personal impressions and opinions on said films, in terms of why you think it's great, or why you think it's horrible. Basically, i'd love for this thread to become the "Go to" for people like me, whom are consistently scrounging each individual film thread and outside source to find sufficient information on what's available, what to watch, and make a final purchase decision. Whether you have watched 150 Korean films, or 2 Korean films, please feel free to contribute and feed this thread with your input!

03-19-2013, 03:56 PM	#2
TheArcane Senior Member Member since:Jan 2011 Blu-ray collection:216	Well i'll do a short list of my top movies (the order is random) 1. Taegukgi 2. A Moment To Remember 3. The Classic 4. My Sassy Girl 5. Memories Of Murder 6. Oldboy 7. A Bitter Sweet Life 8. Welcome To Dongmakgol 9. Joint Security Area 10. Failan 11. The Good The Bad The Weird 12. Sunny 13. A Dirty Carnival 14. Save The Green Planet 15. When I Turned Nine 16. My Dear Desperado 17. The Man From Nowhere 18. I Saw The Devil 19. Il Mare 20. The Devils Game 21. Fighter In The Wind 22. Sympathy For Mr Vengeance 23. The Chaser 24. No Mercy I'm sure i've forgotten some that should be in there. Last edited by TheArcane; 03-19-2013 at 04:44 PM.

03-19-2013, 04:08 PM	#3
DrewPa Active Member Member since:Sep 2011 Location:Paris, France 4K collection:81 Blu-ray collection:1589 Blu-ray reviews:1	Great idea! I'm in you same situation all the movies I've bought so far are Blind Buys I know that maybe it wont help you because you already have the title from CJ Ent. But I could post two words regarding the movies I've already seen: White Night: The way to better appreciate this movie is to watch it as a sort of an "Almodovar Melodrama" in Korean sauce more than a Thriller... anyway it's a rather average movie and imo it does not deserve all the good reviews it received from the press... anyway for being the director's first feature is not so bad. Spellbound: A cute romantic comedy with ghosts... far from being flawless, I enjoyed it very much. Bleak Night: the originality of this movie consists in the fact that the problem of teenagers bullying is view more from the side of the offender than of the victims. I really liked it. Dancing Queen: a comedy that could be interesting for the non-korean audience in order to know how "modern" the country is now, especially regarding some subjet (women's right, for instance)... otherwise it's a light comedy acted and with some song performed by Uhm Jung-hwa, a very popular Pop-Star in her country, surnamed "Madonna of Korea". Helpless: as White Night, another K-movie based on a Japanese Novel... good as a melodrama, with a better mistery plot on it... I've largely preferred this one. Radio Star: a history of a male friendship narrated delicately... A rather funny and cute movie, not particulary original in any way. Deranged: the first Korean Thriller about a killing mass disease... not bad, definitely better than contagion as a genre movie lol. R2B: A sort of korean answer to Top Gun with 25 year of delay, starring the K-Pop superstar "Rain". I was impressed by the quality of action scenes (and a bit worried about how the North Korean are described... they still hate each other this much? ). But the plot, despite some funny moments, are the most predictable one can conceive. Hope it will be of any help to someone. Last edited by DrewPa; 03-19-2013 at 04:13 PM.

03-19-2013, 08:51 PM	#7
PGW Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Dec 2009 Location:United States Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:4	Here's ten of my favorites (at least at the moment!), in alphabetical order. The Bow (2005) - No list of this kind would be complete without a Kim Ki-Duk film on it. Some of his films are very difficult to watch due to their subject matter (and all of them are disturbing, to some degree), so do a little on-line research first. It was tough for me to choose between this one and "3-Iron" (which is probably a better film), but I tend to go back to this one more. There's a Taiwanese blu-ray, but I haven't seen it. The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008) - Directed by Kim Jee-woon, who also did "A Tale Of Two Sisters" and "A Bittersweet Life," this is one huge entertaining kimchi Western starring some of the best male actors in Korea. If you don't enjoy this, I'm not sure you're breathing. The blu-ray from CJ Entertainment is flawless. The Harmonium In My Memory (1998) - A relatively early film role for Byung-hun Lee (who went on to star in "A Bittersweet Life" and co-star in "The Good, The Bad, The Weird") and Jeon Do-Yeon, who's completely convincing as a schoolgirl smitten with her teacher (even though she was 25 at the time!). Memories of Murder (2003) - A spell-binding police procedural and glimpse into Korean culture (or at least the culture that existed in the 1980's). Some people might be put off by the inconclusive ending, but I wasn't. Make sure you get the CJ blu-ray – it's a huge upgrade over the earlier DVD. My Sassy Girl (2001) - It's hard to imagine a list of favorite Korean films without this crowd pleasing comedy on it. Of course, it's Gianna Jun's breakout role, and Cha Tae-hyun ("Speedy Scandal") is equally as impressive. It's a little over-long (particularly the director's cut), but certainly deserves a spot on the "must-see" list. If you like this, the pseudo-sequel "Windstruck" is a must. Unfortunately, neither of them have been issued on English-friendly blu-rays yet. Saving My Hubby (2002) - Certainly no masterpiece, still (like "Speedy Scandal" and "My Wife Is A Gangster") I enjoyed this silly comedy for what it is – a popcorn movie. In it, Bae Du-na (or Doona, if you prefer) chases all over Seoul, with her baby in tow (if she hasn't lost it) in order to save her good-for-nothing husband from gamblers. Actually, I prefer her in "Linda, Linda, Linda" – but that's Japanese, not Korean. Secret Sunshine (2007) - Another Jeon Do-yeon film, written and directed by master director Lee Chang-Dong. This one will put you through the emotional wringer, but the actress puts on one of the most intense performances I've ever seen in a film. Better yet, it's been issued by Criterion in a wonderful blu-ray edition. The same director's "Poetry" is a close runner-up. Sunny (2001) - Only the second film from Kang Hyeong-Cheol, who did "Speedy Scandal," this has it all – laughs, tears, amazing acting, script and direction. What more could you ask out of a film? Taegukgi (2004) - This high budget film about the Korean war will both amaze you and tear your heart out. I'm generally not drawn to war films, or films about the Korean conflict ("J.S.A." left me cold), but this one was very, very good. A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003) - Kim Jee-woon directs this horror film which, I think, became a classic in the genre on the day of it's release. I think everyone's waiting for a decent blu-ray of it – the one that is available looks worse than the Korean DVD! Also, if you're just starting out, don't ignore the television dramas, which they've got down to a fine art. When I first saw "Dae Jang Geum" some years ago, I came out on the other end of 54+ hours of drama saying: "I think this might just be the best thing I've ever seen... period." They're highly addictive, though, so beware!

03-19-2013, 10:46 PM	#8
A Tortured Duckling Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 4K collection:506 Blu-ray collection:3350 DVD collection:17 Trading Score:51	Awesome! You guys are great. I appreciate all the replies so far, and i can see this thread was a good idea. It had been stewing in the back of my mind for a while, but i didn't want it to end up another generic "What's your top 10?" BS thread. So, thanks to all participators, so far I actually watched the trailer for "No Mercy" before, and was rather intrigued by it. It's on my "to watch" list, along with "Sunflower" and some of the others mentioned by you guys, so far. I like the Netflix idea, as i actually have access to a full Netflix account. I just live in a small town, so my internet doesn't take too kindly to the streaming. I own quite a bit of the CJ Entertainment Collection, as well as the entire Hommage Collection, so far. I ordered Arahan and Sunny, and Peppermint Candy should be shipping from KimchiDVD soon. Other than that, The Traffickers, A Company Man and Pieta will also be on their way this week, and i just received the original Korean 2-Disc release of "I Saw The Devil" with both Theatrical and International cuts. Sooo, i'm pretty up to date on these Blu-ray releases. PGW, i like your list and information to each title. I am quite the gore hound, and i love the tremendously shocking and disturbing atmosphere of Kim Ki Duk's films. The consistent "darkness" in a lot of these films is what got me so hooked on it in the first place. I recently ordered The Coast Guard, Address Unknown, The Isle and Samaritan Girl on DVD, hehe. Feel free to look over my Korean film collection As far as what i have actually watched so far, i still stand behind Oldboy as my definite favorite. Oddly, Castaway on the Moon is a close second in that list. A Bittersweet Life and The Man From Nowhere share a #3 spot, and I Saw The Devil sits at #4. A Dirty Carnival is #5, for now. From my CJ Entertainment Collection, i have yet to watch The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Memories of Murder, Mother, and pretty much everything up to Sunny, other than Thirst, A Dirty Carnival and The Man From Nowhere. I have a lot of watching to do, hehe. My main goal was to COLLECT them all first, and then watch them at a steady pace.

03-19-2013, 11:27 PM	#9
DJ Hilalo Special Member Member since:Aug 2011 Location:UK Blu-ray collection:759 Trading Score:22	Great thread bud, Korean Cinema is my favourite and been watching & collecting their flicks for years, I still think some of their best ones are the old ones back from 2000-2006, anyway I did compile a (kinda out-of-date now but great for old ones) list of Asian films (Drama & Comedy) here, have a look at the ones, these are some of my personal favourite titles, I was going to create another one for the other genre but somehow I never got around doing it hehe, I probably end up doing that at some point as well as update the other one but at least you can get an idea of some of the old but gold ones

03-20-2013, 03:55 AM	#10
stobbart Power Member Top contributor Member since:Feb 2009 4K collection:142 Blu-ray collection:1196 Trading Score:6	Oh man, it feels like coming out of retirement posting on here, but here is a thread I can get behind. I am just going to skip over all the CJ and Hommage titles, since those are pretty well covered elsewhere. And I am going to dip into the less known. Barking Dogs Never Bite the first feature length film by Bong Joon-Ho. It is hilarious and one of the very first Korean films that I watched. Buy the DVD. Plus it has the always amazing Doona Bae. Next up is Hong Sang-Soo. By far my favorite Korean director. See all his films, really, see them. They are pitch black comedies about relationships. People always say that Koreans are the king of the melodrama, but this guy wrote the book on serious, real relationship movies. You also get a really good sense of the Korean drinking culture, which if you are watching Korean films, you should really have some understanding about. My personal favorites of his are Night and Day, The Day He Arrives, Woman on the Beach, Woman is the Future of Man, Oki's Movie, Hahaha In line with Korean drinking culture, check out the unknown gem, Daytime Drinking the directorial debut, and so far only film by, Noh Young-Seok. You can tell he was heavily influenced by Hong Sang-Soo but it stands its ground as its own film. Fancy a documentary? Check out the wonderful Old Partner this is about an old farmer and his old cow. Plus its out on blu-ray. And here is just a list of more popular titles that I sure others will mention, or have already been mentioned that I also give my approval on. Secret Sunshine Poetry Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring Christmas in August Take Off The Housemaid (1960) Sunny

03-20-2013, 04:27 AM	#11
madlost1 Blu-ray Knight Top contributor Member since:Oct 2009 Location:Hazle Township, PA Home Theater Gallery:9 Blu-ray collection:1258 DVD collection:341 Trading Score:42	Where's the cheapest place to pick up Korean blus? I assume yes asia, but is there anywhere cheaper?

03-20-2013, 04:43 AM	#12
Torrente Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Aug 2010 Location:France Blu-ray collection:325 Blu-ray reviews: 6 Trading Score:51	I'll add 3 more titles that no one mentioned already: - Nowhere to Hide (1999) Myung-se Lee - Shiri (1999) Je-kyu Kang - Tell Me Something (1999) Youn-hyun Chang

03-20-2013, 08:06 AM	#15
Beefbowl Blu-ray Count Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Guam Home Theater Gallery:20 Blu-ray collection:749 Trading Score:20	I liked Secret Reunion along with others above.

03-20-2013, 06:01 PM	#16
jdgladw Member Top contributor Member since:Oct 2010 4K collection:22 Blu-ray collection:3299 Trading Score:1	If you are in the mood for naturalistic films or art house/classic fare, I'd recommend the following: The Aimless Bullet (1960) by Yu Hyun-mok The Housemaid (1960) and Iodo (1977) by Kim Ki-young Chilsu and Mansu (1988) by Park Kwang-su Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989) by Bae Yong-kyun Passage to Buddha (1993) Jang Sun-woo The Day the Pig Fell into the Well (1996) (an early Hong Sang-soo film) Peppermint Candy (2000) and Oasis (2002) (two earlier films by Lee Chang-dong) Take Care of My Cat (2001) by Jeong Jae-eun This Charming Girl (2005) by Lee Yoon-ki Pruning the Grapevine (2006) by Min Byeong-hoon The movies of Im Kwon-taek (Chunhyang, Chihwaseon, The Taebaek Mountains, Sopyonje, etc.) If you are looking for more contemporary solid-to-great genre films, then look out for these: Musa The President's Last Bang The Foul King The Quiet Family The Show Must Go On Shadows in the Palace Actresses Black House

03-20-2013, 10:35 PM	#17
kashif Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Mar 2010 Location:Dubai 4K collection:407 Blu-ray collection:843 DVD collection:3 Blu-ray reviews: 14 Trading Score:61	Guys how about mentioning only those movies which are out on BD. So, we can decide to buy a title. Otherwise we are not sure if a title is available on blu or not!

03-20-2013, 10:41 PM	#18
logboy Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Mar 2009 Location:UK	look at the retailer links. if its recommended and on blu, you'll see if its still available on blu. very few films are.

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