TBH even if the costs weren't already way too high for anything in cinema, there is absolutely nothing (running…
I absolutely understand your sense of frustration, which, to a large extent, is also mine, the future does not really look rosy in terms of innovation of content and quality of stories, we are at the level of disposable, ‘products’ rather than cinematic works.
Miyazaki arrived here but for very few days, a sort of ‘special projection’ made in very few theatres and without any ad campaign; it is incredible but his movies in Italy have (almost all) arrived decades (!) late ‘Kiki’ and ‘Totoro’ were for a long time only available on foreign DVDs or in bootleg versions with subtitles edited by first-hour fans...
I always go a little bit by authors, so I have a certain range of directors to whom I am very attached and at least I try to see their works in the theatres, but it's really a drop in the ocean, the cinemas in the city have disappeared or shrunk considerably and it's absolutely established that multiplexes just bombard you with Marvel movies and the endless ‘Mission: Impossible‘ or those “John Wick”-style things which, moreover, seem to me to be exaggeratedly violent, shoot-em-up videogame-style... Remaining with recent cases, films like Kaurismaki's “Fallen Leaves” or Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’ really are the exception that confirms the rule, even the small phenomenon of ‘Past Lives’ has stirred up a little attention here in my country, even if, who knows why they released it after Valentine's Day...
If the Americans are involved, it will be something related perhaps to migration problems, the Mexican border and these stuff here, replicating the extraordinary cinematographic script behind ‘Crash’ is absolutely impossible, imho
What is more worrying is the debate on costs (very high) and revenues (inadequate) in the Korean entertainment industry, they probably want to try to get more government funding (?), I think they have bitten off more than they can chew, and now there is an obvious reflux, dramas for example, too many, too many productions and, frankly, often the same ones
In Italy, too, there is an evident drop in the number of spectators in cinemas, where the focus is often on US blockbusters, leaving out the more authorial and experimental works; there is still some national phenomenon, but it is really too little to speak in positive terms
there are many problems here as well, with the rise of (very expensive!) streaming platforms. the Venice Film Festival itself has for some years now included productions and TV series linked to pay-TV, for me as a purist it is an abomination, but it is clear that the market has absolutely changed
For me, the fascination of Korean cinematography lies in presenting its popular culture abroad, I hope they don't end up bending it and adapting their stories to ‘Western’ demands, that would be really sad
How beautiful you are! Happy Birthday to you! 🎉 but when you come back!? I can't wait to see you in a nice new drama, I have so many fond memories of your works Come on, celebrate this important age and return to delight us Happy Birthday Eun Hye, and see you soon! 💖
Happy for ‘Queen Of Tears’ ,I had promoted it at the time in the reviews with some reservations, also related to the script but I hope it will be rewarded for the wonderful film direction of the whole drama, I also really like the soundtrack, some time ago I was notified about a nice vinyl edition but it's at scandalous prices and unfortunately it seems to be only imported from Asia and neighbouring areas (in the Euro zone in my usual record shops there's no mention, unfortunately) Certainly Kim Ji Won is really gorgeous, just stunning! Congratulations to QoT for the nominations!
Maggie Maggie, Happy Birthday! how I miss you, too long since the last movies I put on the OST of ‘Clean’ just the other day, every now and then a DVD to rekindle the love, I love you soo much Happy birthday Queen! 💖
Happy Birthday to our beautiful newly bride! ❤️ It's been a while since we've seen you acting, come back soon we miss you! Many Many Happy Birthday Wishes!
Happy Birthday gorgeous! 💖 And look, I am also a fan of ‘Oh my Ladylord’, really too under-rated You are so brilliant, see you soon with new projects! All The Best!
It was a truly dreadful historical period for Japanese-occupied Korea, which went from a simple protectorate to a full-force occupation that turned the country into a province with all the cultural, social, military, etc. consequences. Reading the History of Korea by an eminent Italian historian (Maurizio Riotto), the list of oppressive harassment, abuse, oppression, etc. is truly massive (for a fairly limited time frame) up to the disasters of World War II. On the pre-World War II years, there are also ‘Bridal Mask’ and ‘Chicago Typewriter’, which give an idea of the period, but this film is earlier and therefore decidedly interesting. Bravo to the Toronto Film Festival, which is decidedly more innovative in terms of language and research than the extremely rigid Venice Film Festival, which is now a branch of the most predictable Hollywood showbiz. Happy with the choice of Hyun Bin, a truly extraordinary actor!
He looks like the classic scapegoat used as an ‘exemplary punishment’ to be thrown in the face of the media and the Korean star system itself, they will come up with some special legal term like ‘Yoo Ah In Law’ to use in future cases... I feel so sorry for him, I hope he has the ability to come out of this sentence stronger and that he finds the right support from his family and his entourage; it is in these moments that you see the value of people who are close to you...
Truly excellent cast, besides Hyun Bin who is obviously pure class, there is also Cho Yeo Jung whom I personally adore to madness
Honestly, I don't know much about the historical time described in the plot, the 1970s and therefore later than ‘Uncle Samsick’ (coincidentally another Disney-distributed series), I understand, in addition to the authoritarian drifts and political upheavals that were widespread everywhere, so a lot of curiosity about this drama
Hyun Bin also has a film coming out, they are showing it at the Toronto Film Festival, ‘Harbin’, set during the Japanese occupation and here too, interesting perspectives, we await more news... Thank you!
Excellent, a really excellent actor Park Hee Soon, extremely versatile and in some cases decidedly indecipherable thanks to that look that's perfect for roles with diversified characters.
Curiously enough, I recently saw "Evasive Inquiry Agency" (which I really enjoyed) and even back then he had a nice part that was decidedly charismatic. Every time I happen to follow one of his works i always think of Park Ye Jin who has thinned out his work a lot in recent years; I'd like to see them act together, not necessarily as husband and wife...
Anyway, if all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, with Park Min Young, Joo Jong Hyuk and who knows who else, this is going to be a remarkable drama
Oh, absolutely in love with her! With the exception of ‘Love In Contract’ which didn't capture me in terms of story and dynamics, everything I've seen with PMY I've always enjoyed so much; I adore her and I won't miss this new project, sure she's a workaholic she doesn't take breaks, a temper of steel, outstanding! Great news!
What a cutie Kim Bo Ra is, such a pretty cinematic visage, her CV is also remarkable, despite her young age; this ‘Black Out’ seems very interesting indeed, I like stories with secrets hidden in seemingly quiet small town, a la ‘Twin Peaks’ or even the excellent ‘Achiara's Secret', which immediately came to mind when I read the plot of ‘Black Out’; I noticed in the excellent overall cast also includes Go Jun, who still makes me ‘irritated’ (in the cinematic sense!) by his (excellent) performance in ‘Cheat On Me, If You Can’ .. Let's hope for a proper broadcasting of the drama
Happy Birthday bellissima ❤️ I read that soon your family will be growing, wonderful news! in the meantime give some Italian language lessons to your husband (not just the curse words, eh!?), 😉 you never know there won't be a new chapter of ‘Vincenzo’ soon, ok!? Many Best Wishes again!
She is absolutely stunning, just as Jeon Do Yeon is always a certain choice, from an actor's point of view he never deludes, Kim Young Kwang is really talented, he has the right look for the role described...
The story is definitely interesting, very promising, with an ‘American’ cut, dare I say it... On romance I don't know; based on the brief plot, she seems to act out of a state of grief for her husband's terminal condition (and here, one can imagine the development...).
He, as a character, seems even more interesting; a sort of double life as a teacher by day and drug dealer by night, perhaps with some interaction with Kang Eun Soo daughter who -maybe- ends up using drugs herself (or some of her classmates)!?
In consideration of the ‘forced cooperation’ described above that would be a not bad scenario... Who knows the rest of the cast, but this is really a drama to consider...
On the love stories between mature characters you are absolutely right, ‘When My Love Blooms’, just to say one of my favourites...
Thanks Gastoski! Maybe I should check out other adaptations of JTTW.. The novel seems much harder to check out,…
Thanks to you and the other users for the beautiful personal memories, truly appreciated; as for the novel, I opted for the integral version, quite recent in the Italian translation (it's from 2014, 60 euros price, for the information, still today) but there are many versions, even shortened ones, I believe the beauty of this book lies in its capacity to reach the heart of all readers, at all ages...
"A Korean Odyssey" is always there looking at me on VIKI, as if saying "Hey, why don't you decide to look at me!"? I'm always delaying, by the way, Lee Seung Gi is a great actor, I appreciated him so much in "Vagabond", "King2Hearts" and I remember him hilariously in "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho" with the beautiful Shin Min Ah; speaking of which, "My Girlfriend" always reminded me of "Urusei Yatsura", at certain moments it looks like the live action version, he looks just like Ataru Moroboshi!
What's your favorite Journey to the West adaptation?
Eh...Good question indeed! I ‘ve seen several more or less arranged and necessarily not complete adaptations (practically every chapter of the novel can become a film in its own right!)
I grew up with Maestro Osamu Tezuka's 'The Monkey' and that is undoubtedly the beginning of it all; it has always accompanied me at various times in my youth, I didn't know so much about Wu Cheng'en's novel but those adventures on TV with that heterogeneous group of characters always fascinated me;
Certainly the first two "A Chinese Odyssey" of the 90s with Stephen Chow give me the nicest memories; the first time was more than 20 years ago at a retrospective with English subtitles, when the Internet was not yet diffused and people bought foreign imported VHSs (all of John Woo's movies on cheap VHSs that I still own...); a delirium!
For many passages it was quite confusing as a plot, not even that faithful to the novel, but I discovered this later, I saw it again years after with Italian subs and I appreciated it more;
Then I really like 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' from 2013, with Chow as director, although perhaps it should be considered as a prequel; I already liked Shu Qi as an actress (I love her especially for her work with Hou Hsiao Hsien) but after that picture I completely fell in love with her, a wonderful actress and woman! So maybe this movie is a good place to start
I own several books on Asian fantasy cinema and occasionally reread reviews on various adaptations of the novel, I remember different versions from the 1960s, certainly 'Monkey Go West' among the funniest and also 'The Cave of the Silken Web', but you really get lost in it, the mid-1990s series, as far as I remember has a somewhat naive and retro feel to it but is nevertheless well paced!
The very recent stuff, however, I honestly don't know about because I'm not a fanatic of digital special effects, CGI and the suchlike, to tell the truth, I like the vintage hand-made cut better; perhaps the Shaw Brothers movies of the 1960s ultimately do a better job of conveying the idea of the novel, but I can understand that for many people they represent a conception of cinema that is a little too old-fashioned...
Miyazaki arrived here but for very few days, a sort of ‘special projection’ made in very few theatres and without any ad campaign; it is incredible but his movies in Italy have (almost all) arrived decades (!) late
‘Kiki’ and ‘Totoro’ were for a long time only available on foreign DVDs or in bootleg versions with subtitles edited by first-hour fans...
I always go a little bit by authors, so I have a certain range of directors to whom I am very attached and at least I try to see their works in the theatres, but it's really a drop in the ocean, the cinemas in the city have disappeared or shrunk considerably and it's absolutely established that multiplexes just bombard you with Marvel movies and the endless ‘Mission: Impossible‘ or those “John Wick”-style things which, moreover, seem to me to be exaggeratedly violent, shoot-em-up videogame-style...
Remaining with recent cases, films like Kaurismaki's “Fallen Leaves” or Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’ really are the exception that confirms the rule, even the small phenomenon of ‘Past Lives’ has stirred up a little attention here in my country, even if, who knows why they released it after Valentine's Day...
What is more worrying is the debate on costs (very high) and revenues (inadequate) in the Korean entertainment industry, they probably want to try to get more government funding (?), I think they have bitten off more than they can chew, and now there is an obvious reflux,
dramas for example, too many, too many productions and, frankly, often the same ones
In Italy, too, there is an evident drop in the number of spectators in cinemas, where the focus is often on US blockbusters, leaving out the more authorial and experimental works; there is still some national phenomenon, but it is really too little to speak in positive terms
there are many problems here as well, with the rise of (very expensive!) streaming platforms.
the Venice Film Festival itself has for some years now included productions and TV series linked to pay-TV, for me as a purist it is an abomination, but it is clear that the market has absolutely changed
For me, the fascination of Korean cinematography lies in presenting its popular culture abroad, I hope they don't end up bending it and adapting their stories to ‘Western’ demands, that would be really sad
Happy Birthday to you! 🎉
but when you come back!? I can't wait to see you in a nice new drama,
I have so many fond memories of your works
Come on, celebrate this important age and return to delight us
Happy Birthday Eun Hye, and see you soon! 💖
Certainly Kim Ji Won is really gorgeous, just stunning!
Congratulations to QoT for the nominations!
One of the most talented not only in the Dramaverse 👍
Big respect to you!
All the best Hyun Bin! 🎉
how I miss you, too long since the last movies
I put on the OST of ‘Clean’ just the other day,
every now and then a DVD to rekindle the love, I love you soo much
Happy birthday Queen! 💖
It's been a while since we've seen you acting,
come back soon we miss you!
Many Many Happy Birthday Wishes!
And look, I am also a fan of ‘Oh my Ladylord’, really too under-rated
You are so brilliant, see you soon with new projects!
All The Best!
Reading the History of Korea by an eminent Italian historian (Maurizio Riotto), the list of oppressive harassment, abuse, oppression, etc. is truly massive (for a fairly limited time frame) up to the disasters of World War II.
On the pre-World War II years, there are also ‘Bridal Mask’ and ‘Chicago Typewriter’, which give an idea of the period, but this film is earlier and therefore decidedly interesting. Bravo to the Toronto Film Festival, which is decidedly more innovative in terms of language and research than the extremely rigid Venice Film Festival, which is now a branch of the most predictable Hollywood showbiz.
Happy with the choice of Hyun Bin, a truly extraordinary actor!
I feel so sorry for him, I hope he has the ability to come out of this sentence stronger and that he finds the right support from his family and his entourage; it is in these moments that you see the value of people who are close to you...
Honestly, I don't know much about the historical time described in the plot, the 1970s and therefore later than ‘Uncle Samsick’ (coincidentally another Disney-distributed series), I understand, in addition to the authoritarian drifts and political upheavals that were widespread everywhere, so a lot of curiosity about this drama
Hyun Bin also has a film coming out, they are showing it at the Toronto Film Festival, ‘Harbin’, set during the Japanese occupation and here too, interesting perspectives, we await more news...
Thank you!
Curiously enough, I recently saw "Evasive Inquiry Agency" (which I really enjoyed) and even back then he had a nice part that was decidedly charismatic.
Every time I happen to follow one of his works i always think of Park Ye Jin who has thinned out his work a lot in recent years; I'd like to see them act together, not necessarily as husband and wife...
Anyway, if all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, with Park Min Young, Joo Jong Hyuk and who knows who else, this is going to be a remarkable drama
With the exception of ‘Love In Contract’ which didn't capture me in terms of story and dynamics, everything I've seen with PMY I've always enjoyed so much;
I adore her and I won't miss this new project, sure she's a workaholic she doesn't take breaks, a temper of steel, outstanding!
Great news!
her CV is also remarkable, despite her young age;
this ‘Black Out’ seems very interesting indeed, I like stories with secrets hidden
in seemingly quiet small town, a la ‘Twin Peaks’ or even the excellent ‘Achiara's Secret',
which immediately came to mind when I read the plot of ‘Black Out’;
I noticed in the excellent overall cast also includes Go Jun, who still makes me ‘irritated’
(in the cinematic sense!) by his (excellent) performance in ‘Cheat On Me, If You Can’ ..
Let's hope for a proper broadcasting of the drama
I won't miss it
I read that soon your family will be growing, wonderful news!
in the meantime give some Italian language lessons to your husband
(not just the curse words, eh!?), 😉
you never know there won't be a new chapter of ‘Vincenzo’ soon, ok!?
Many Best Wishes again!
Kim Young Kwang is really talented, he has the right look for the role described...
The story is definitely interesting, very promising, with an ‘American’ cut, dare I say it...
On romance I don't know; based on the brief plot, she seems to act out of a state of grief for her husband's terminal condition (and here, one can imagine the development...).
He, as a character, seems even more interesting; a sort of double life as a teacher by day and drug dealer by night, perhaps with some interaction with Kang Eun Soo daughter who -maybe- ends up using drugs herself (or some of her classmates)!?
In consideration of the ‘forced cooperation’ described above that would be a not bad scenario...
Who knows the rest of the cast, but this is really a drama to consider...
On the love stories between mature characters you are absolutely right, ‘When My Love Blooms’, just to say one of my favourites...
from one of his devoted fans
"A Korean Odyssey" is always there looking at me on VIKI, as if saying "Hey, why don't you decide to look at me!"?
I'm always delaying, by the way, Lee Seung Gi is a great actor, I appreciated him so much in "Vagabond", "King2Hearts" and I remember him hilariously in "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho" with the beautiful Shin Min Ah; speaking of which, "My Girlfriend" always reminded me of "Urusei Yatsura", at certain moments it looks like the live action version, he looks just like Ataru Moroboshi!
I grew up with Maestro Osamu Tezuka's 'The Monkey' and that is undoubtedly the beginning of it all; it has always accompanied me at various times in my youth, I didn't know so much about Wu Cheng'en's novel but those adventures on TV with that heterogeneous group of characters always fascinated me;
Certainly the first two "A Chinese Odyssey" of the 90s with Stephen Chow give me the nicest memories; the first time was more than 20 years ago at a retrospective with English subtitles, when the Internet was not yet diffused and people bought foreign imported VHSs (all of John Woo's movies on cheap VHSs that I still own...); a delirium!
For many passages it was quite confusing as a plot, not even that faithful to the novel, but I discovered this later, I saw it again years after with Italian subs and I appreciated it more;
Then I really like 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' from 2013, with Chow as director, although perhaps it should be considered as a prequel;
I already liked Shu Qi as an actress (I love her especially for her work with Hou Hsiao Hsien) but after that picture I completely fell in love with her, a wonderful actress and woman! So maybe this movie is a good place to start
I own several books on Asian fantasy cinema and occasionally reread reviews on various adaptations of the novel, I remember different versions from the 1960s, certainly 'Monkey Go West' among the funniest and also 'The Cave of the Silken Web', but you really get lost in it, the mid-1990s series, as far as I remember has a somewhat naive and retro feel to it but is nevertheless well paced!
The very recent stuff, however, I honestly don't know about because I'm not a fanatic of digital special effects, CGI and the suchlike, to tell the truth, I like the vintage hand-made cut better; perhaps the Shaw Brothers movies of the 1960s ultimately do a better job of conveying the idea of the novel, but I can understand that for many people they represent a conception of cinema that is a little too old-fashioned...