?You are a very sad person.? Davy Chou?s film Return to Seoul is a searching for identity and belonging. But what if the discoveries are less than satisfying? And whose fault is it for the failure to connect? Return to Seoul is Cambodia?s submission for Oscar consideration. It made the shortlist, but was not nominated….
Hunt is the directorial debut of actor Lee Jung-jae, the star of Netflix?s #1 show Squid Game. The film sees Lee take a stab at being a jack of all trades as the star, director, writer, and producer of this spy-action-thriller. Set in early 1980s Korea, the film reveals a country that is locked into…
I can understand the fear of flying. An airplane is cramped, filled with strangers, under the control of someone you don?t know, and if something goes wrong there are very few good outcomes. In a world with pandemics all of this takes on new levels of worry. All of that (and more) comes into play…
Welcome to Slamdance Film Festival. Slamdance is a festival that bills itself as ?by filmmakers, for filmmakers?. It focuses on emerging talent. The festival was started in 1995 by a group of filmmakers whose films weren?t accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. I usually think of Slamdance as Sundance?s pesky younger sibling?perhaps not as accomplished,…
?It takes some time to learn to like yourself.? Bora Kim?s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama House of Hummingbird takes us inside the struggle of a middle school girl as she keeps looking for something in her life that will bring emotional nurture and fulfilment. Eighth grader Eun-hee (Ji-hu Park) is seen by many of her classmates…
The intersection of the haves and have-nots is the world of Parasite, for which director Bong Joon-ho won the Palme d?Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Set in South Korea, where I?m told the difference of economic divisions is very real, the story also taps into a more universal understanding of the disdain…
Directed by Kim Sung-Hoon, Rampant?is an unexpectedly fascinating mashup of genres as classical Asian cinema meets horror film. After all, a period piece about a Korean prince who returns home amidst political turmoil hardly screams zombie apocalypse. Somewhat surprisingly, however, Rampant?proves itself to be a fun and engaging film that breathes fresh life into the…
When I arrived at Hollywood and Highland on Sunday morning, there were some people on the street organizing a march about sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry. News in recent weeks has been full of stories about the issue and social media filled up with ?me too? comments. It is indeed a serious…
The Handmaiden takes us on a twisting road of deceptions, double- (even triple-) crosses in a crime drama that straddles worlds.
