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AFI Fest 2014: ‘Haemoo’ is a harrowing film with blockbuster conventions

Contemporary Korean films have made a reputation of being the most grim experiences out there, replete with unabashed violence, incest, social inequality, and crime – Haemoo has three of those things! Adapted from a play by Kim Min-jung, it’s about a real life incident that occurred when a Korean fishing crew got mixed up in a botched human trafficking operation. Screenwriter-turned-director Shim Sung-bo’s adaptation is a harrowing film riddled with nail-biting suspense and easily accessible blockbuster conventions.

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‘Snowpiercer’ and The Risk of Revolution

The premise to Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer (2013) is one of emancipation from a class system specifically designed for a superficial idea of balance – if there is no poor then there can be no elite. The elite in Snowpiercer enjoy showers and sushi, bright clothes and music; the poor freeloaders enjoy jelly protein bars and a ball that doesn’t bounce. This class system is deemed necessary for the insurance of humanity’s survival, perhaps because it is society’s longest lasting trait – the division of power, the subjugated and the subjugator. To lose this in 2034 is to lose humanity, at least that’s what the haves like to say to the “have nots”. So the impetus behind this revolt is to give equality to all the citizens of the train by taking over the engine – he who controls the engine controls the train and thus the system by which everyone lives.

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The Best of Korean Cinema #5 – Joon Ho-Bong (part two)

First things first, apologies for the delay with the latest iteration of this article detailing the best of the Korean New Wave. Let’s get back into this Korean article. In which we look at the Korean new wave, from the nastier and more misogynistic movies from Korea’s provocative director Kim Ki-Duk to musicals, Korean musicals are …

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FNC Fest Picks #2: Mother

Mother Directed by Bong Joon-ho Following the smash success of his previous films, Memories of Murder and The Host, Korean sensation Bong Joon-ho returns with a stylish thriller that is both detective story and psychological horror After an asocial loser is framed as the perpetrator of a horrific murder, his hard-headed mother goes on the …

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