Korean Job Discussion Forums

Rand Al Thor · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Locked in an epic struggle

So far my favorite is JSA, I saw it in the theatre. I saw one other that was crap.

Next month I am buying a DVD player and will start to rent them so I can watch with subtitles (I checked every dvd has english subs)

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I have a cheapee Chinese-made DVD Player by Newcon, and for the money, I'm happy. It has a lot of options on it I'll never use (Karoke). I bought it in Yongsan for 170,000. I'm not sure what the store was called, but it is located on the bottom floor of that building where the subway exits into at Yongsan. It's not the most exact perfect image, but 90% of the people out there wouldn't be able to tell the difference between it and something more expensive. The issue I'm speaking of is when there is a fast pan on an image in the movie, you can see some jaggies on the moving part of the image, but they're minor enough not to bother me. Plays mp3's too.

My only gripe is that there aren't a lot of DVD's for rent around my area... tends to be the same titles everywhere. They all have English/Korean subtitles, and sometimes Chinese or Thai subs too.

Just remember that a lot of the "DVDs" out there for sale on the street are actually VCDs. They might even have the DVD logo on the box, but they're not. Quality is lower than VHS on those, but they're cheap. Your player will play them, but they aren't worth buying to me. You have to pay 10,000 and up (and on average above 15,000) for an actual DVD. Rental shops have the real DVDs though.

simulated stereo · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2003 5:26 am Post subject:

Waikiki Brothers. One of my all time favorite movies ever.

Brian B · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2003 5:29 am Post subject:

I just watched Green Fish last weekend. it's considered a classic of Korean cinema, and it was pretty good in fact. The first third or so seemed an accurate depiction of everyday life in Korea. I can't vouch for all the gangster stuff though.

Before I came here I rented a movie about disaffected youth in Seoul. It was from like 1987 or 89 or around there. I can't remember the title for the life of me though. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Brian

Homer · Guest

Its a top five for me...

1- Chin Gu
2- JSA
3- Barking Dogs never bite (Sunjarul ahshimnika)
4- The Way Home (Jiburo)
5- Green Fish (Chorok mulgogi)

All good movies...

There was of course Shiri. This was more a "blockbuster" style flick..not bad nevertheless.
Other good Korean movies are Tell me Something, Attack the Gas Station, The Foul King and a Japanese-Korean movie called "Go"....

sillywilly · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Canada.

I think the movie is called "Bad Guy"... It was pretty good. Very little dialogue so that helps.

Harpeau · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Coquitlam, BC

My favorites are Chunhyangdion and Chuihwason. I also like "Bad".

Thanks,
Harpeau

chiquita · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

I thought 'Kick the Moon' was really good. Check it out.

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

I like the mvie with Lee Byung Hyun,where one of his students falls for him. He already has a fiancee. She dumps him and he winds up with this much younger student of his. I can't remember the name.

Guy Incognito · Guest

That Crazy Girl movie and the Matchgirl one

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

"섬"/"The Isle"

kiwifruit · Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Location: my apartment

I have seen about 10 Korean movies I guess. Mainly in DVD rooms with my Korean girlfriend (no we do actually watch the movies!). I have liked pretty much every one of them. While they may not be going down in world cinema legend they are quite novel and make a nice change from the absolute rubbish that Hollywood turns out.

I have bought several Korean DVDs and have been playing them to my sisters in New Zealand so they get a small idea of what Korea is like.

These are what I have and how I rate them out of 5.
My Sassy Girl **** (that chick looks a lot like my girlfriend (many Koreans have told her while I have been with her) and behaves like her too. Kind of scary actually.)

Shiri *** (not a bad film, you can kind of pick the plot twist pretty early though)

JSA *** (Korean classic, only thing that I don't like is the typical Korean...well I won't spoil it)

Lighter ** (same old same old, Korean gangster crazy flick, the train scenes get annoyingly repetitive though and probably the least liked Korean film by yours truly)

Christmas in Autumn *** (kind of slow going and soppy, definately a girls flick, but very sweet)

Chingu **** (sad, violent, well shot, Korean, need I say more)

Gun's and Talk *** (gangsta film, with some funny moments along the way, slightly better than lighter)

Kick the Moon *** (good film, funny moments, good guy v bad guy , highschool rivalry lives on kind of thing)

Public Enemy **** (no it isn't the hip hop group from LA. This is Korean black comedy at its best in my opinion. It is best described as a Korean Christian Bale from American Psycho meats Mel Gibson from Lethal Weapon, and I will leave the description at that because there is no way I can properly describe this one and do it justice)

kf

PootyTang · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Valley of the sun

The Letter.

Zyzyfer · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2003 8:00 pm Post subject:

Tied between Gangster Wife and Musa(��).

Yea, the DVD thing is a blessing, as soon as I discovered the possibility of watching Korean movies with English subtitles I was filled with glee, though I've only watched 4 movies so far.

It's still better if you have a Korean with you who can explain certain things to you in English. Because a lot of the "humor" or other things are lost in translation.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

I like 'The Weird Girl' and I also liked 'The power of Kangwondo'