South Korea deserves a little love at the 2010 Terracotta Far East Film Festival and Stoo did indeed take the chance to take IN the 2008 comedy/musical. More on it below: (continue reading…)

The latest two releases from UK DVD label Third Window Films include the acclaimed Lee Chang-Dong drama “Oasis” and the Before they were famous flick No.3 starring most of Koreas top actors before thier breakout roles!

Oasis: Korean director Lee Chang-dong’s drama begins on the day that Jong-du (Sol Kyung-gu), a mentally handicapped young man, is released from prison. He is immediately arrested again for being unable to pay a restaurant bill, and his brother bails him out and sets him up with a menial job and a place to live. The crime that originally landed Jong-du in prison was a hit-and-run accident that resulted in the death of an old man. One day he goes to visit the victim’s family, and meets Gong-ju (Moon So-ri), the man’s daughter, who has cerebral palsy. After a disastrous first meeting, the two begin an unlikely love affair that exposes the callousness and uncomfortable secrets of both of their families.

No. 3: Writer Song Neung-Han made his directorial debut with this South Korean crime drama about sharp-witted young gangster Tae-Ju (Han Suk-Kyu) whose bar-hostess wife (Lee Mi-Yun) takes both poetry lessons and love sessions from a local poet. Meanwhile, Tae-Ju realizes he’s only No. 3 in the pecking order of his urban gang, a situation that means competing with stupid tough Ashtray (named after his weapon of choice). Resentment re Japanese dominance, police corruption, and other serious themes surface as the industrial hip-hop music leads the storyline toward a conclusion set in the 21st Century. Shown at the 1998 Vancouver Film Festival.

You can purchase both here; Oasis and No. 3

Chu Eun-Jin (Shin Eun-Kyung) is the right hand women to one of Korea’s most deadly gangs is now getting married to a simple officer worker as wished by her dying sister, Chu Yu-Jin. Doesn’t sounds like your average film does it?

Eun-Jin aka The Mantis is filling her bosses place whilst he is away on business. She is currently dealing with another rival gang, “White Shark”.

Eun-Jin attempts to find a husband but strangely enough a civil servant finds her! Kang Soo-il (Park Sang-Myeon) throws his head into the firing line of a concrete block, saving Eun-Jin. Now you think Eun-Jin would have fallen in love with Soo-il after he saved her, don’t you? Well no, she just marries him and refuses to any further. Um….until Yu-Jin asks Eun-jin to bare her a child!

I’ll stop there. Yes I don’t want to give away the whole story. Eun-Jin isn’t the only character in the movie. She has her own set of muscle too. (continue reading…)

Gyeon-Woo is a hopeless student who has his world flipped upside down when he meets a young women one night. Gyeon-Woo had saved the girl from being struck by a train, the girls was standing to close to the edge and was obviously drunk. When boarding on the train, things go from bad to worse. From the girl throwing up over an old man to Gyeon-Woo being flung in jail with a group of bloody gangsters.

This is only really the start of his problems, when released from the cells, Gyeon-Woo receives a phone call from the girl ordering him to meet up with her at once. She turns out to be quite wicked girl, telling Gyeon-Woo what he shall eat and drink…if he disagrees with her, he dies. Well in her own words “You wanna die?”.

Gyeon-Woo begins dating this crazy girl, he mentions when she isn’t drunk she is his perfect type of woman. Although she insists that she must be kept happy at all times, if not she will become a rain of bad luck to him. (continue reading…)

Plot: Gang-Du is a middle aged father who spends his days sleeping in his food stall by the Han River, the stall is owned by his father. Despite his flaws his father believes that Gang-Du is a good son/father. Their lives are suddenly turned upside down when a giant mutated amphibian (It looks like a mixture of a Toad and cat fish and acrobatic skills of Tarzan rolled into one) emerges from the river. (continue reading…)

Plot: A group of diplomats sent out into Northern China, the group are soon led into a trap by the Mings. They have their weapons taken from them and were accused of betraying the Mings. They abandon the group in the middle of the desert ruled by Yuan troops and left for dead.

The group decide they have to fight their way back to Korea. As the Korean diplomats are killed in battle or by their travels. A determined yet stern leader, Choi Jung (Ji Jin-Mo), decides that the men must be pushed and they will get them back to Korea. He drives the men through the desert, each of them begin to group like flies, either die of exhaustion, dehydration and have fought to the death.

Among the Koreans is the dying Lee Jee-Hun, an elder who travels with his slave Yoh-Sol (Jung Woo-Sung), but the other Koreans still treat him as a slave although Yoh-Sol is highly skilled in the use of the spear…

Jinlip (Ahn Sung-Ki) another member of the diplomats. He seems to be the voice of reason between the General and the slaves. Jinlip also turns out to be a highly skilled archer, experienced in archery and in war. Ganam (Park Jeong-hak) is a loyal warrior of Choi Jung’s, equiped with a massive broad sword, he seems unstoppable.

The group comes across a troop of Yuans who have captured the Ming princess Pu Yong (Zhang Ziyi). The group saves the princess from the Yuan General, Rambulhua (Yu Rong-Guang). The Yuans retreat after a fierce battle for the princess. But the General makes a blood promise to return the princess to the Ming camp… (continue reading…)