한국 영화 (ENGLISH VERSION)

                       Today it´s time to talk about a big famous South Korean film director, Chan-Wook Park, who studied Philosophy at the university and (the story goes that) after watching the film: Vertigo (1958, Alfred Hitchcock) managed to be interested in cinema.

He was catapulted to fame after directing a box-office success of Korea´s history in 2001- Joint Security Area (Gongdong gyeongbi gu-yeok. 2000). This film is about the research done when two North-Korean soldiers are found dead in the Joint Security Area, which is between both Koreas (North and South), and because of that both Koreas blame each other for the crime.

As a matter of interest, in the 2007 political summit between both countries, the South Korean President, Roh Moo-Hyun, gave this DVD film as a present, to North Korean President, Kim Jong-il.

After the success of this film, Park started the Revenge Trilogy:

1- Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, 2002
2- Oldboy, 2003
3- Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, 2005


From all of them, Oldboy is my favourite one. It is a dramatic thriller which talks about how Oh Dae-su, a Korean business man, is kidnapped and kept locked over 15 years until one day is setted free. Oh Dae-su starts a timeless searching of his nemesis.

The North American remake is ready, directed by Spike Lee, to get to the big screen in 2014.

These are some Oldboy quotes I really like:

-Revenge is good for your health, but pain will fing you again.
-Be it a stone or a grain of sand, in water they both sink.
-Laugh and the world laugh with you. Weep and you weep alone.

The story comes from the Japanese Manga with the same name, written by Garon Tsuchiya and illustrated by Nobuaki Minegishi, which its last version has been published in 5 books, taking advantage of the next North American release.

From my point of view, I don´t think there´s need to film a remake, the film is perfect, and I believe will be very difficult to equalize (worst in trying to improve it). If what is want it´s to get Oh Dae-su story to more audience, I think the fame caused by the last Park film -Stoker, 2013-(with Hollywood actors) is achieveing this objective.

I went to the cinema to watch Stoker and I fell in love with India Stoker story, a teenager who after losing her father, starts living with anxiety the new home arrival, her uncle Charlie, who was unknown for her until then. It is a psychological thriller that mixes the sexual awake of teenagers with emotionless crimes, perfect shots with dark and ligh contrast and the excellent O.S.T. In my opinion, essential to see. (Trailer on the bottom).

Later on, once the last film is released, I will talk about the Revenge Trilogy about USA history , of Quentin Tarantino:

1- Inlorious Bastards (2009)
2-Django Unchained (2012)
3- Killer Crow (2015)