[quote name='Gatsby']And only for $40 a pop. D:[/QUOTE]
The problem is majority of the importers overcharge for the korean flicks. Also, even in Korea the average DVD price is usually around $25 or higher. It trips me out when I'm over there and they want $30 for a American DVD that I could get here for $15 or less. Also, tracking down some of these movies is a pain. Especially older releases.
Sometimes it is absolutely worth it to pay the extra and import. Usually they put great care into their DVD releases and special editions. More so then their US counterparts.
With the high rate of digital piracy over there movie prices don't seem to look to go down anytime soon.
[quote name='Vulgarism']You and I are the only two people I know who prefer Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance above the rest. I loved Oldboy, and it's hard to hate any in the trilogy, but I just think that Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was the grittiest of the three... The most realistic (in a weird way... Organ harvesting isn't too big of a problem over here) but the end in the river is insane.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sympathy-for-Mr...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2eaa60f946
I want that poster, but I wish they had a larger size... Even like a subway poster...
The domestic trailer for Mother just came out today and I still would kill to see it. Korea has had a flux of amazing directors the past few years.[/QUOTE]
My only problem with that poster is that it seems to be the Japanese posters. At least from look at the characters written on it. It sure as heck isn't Korean.
My preference for Mr Vengeance is the lack of real good or evil. A chain of events are started and before long it all spirals out of control.
I'd have to say Chungmro (Korea's Hollywood) has seen better days. There are less then a handful of directors that consistently put out good work. Lots of movies are churned out but the glory days seemed to have passed. Sure they get a couple good flicks that win international award but most are big duds. Majority of the productions place the usual stars in whatever is the trend of the year. A couple years ago everyone was putting out gangster flicks.
I don't know if people got the subtle messages inserted into The Host. I think that is a part of the reason that a vast majority of the people I know seem to hate it. Director Bong Jun Ho's first big hit Memories of Murder was good. It hit all the right notes for a good old fashion murder mystery.
Memories of Murder is based on real life serial killing that occurred in Korea for about a decade leading up to the 1988 Olympics.
The best Korean movie I've seen in the last year or two would be Breathless. This little independent movie kicks the crap out of the big productions by a mile. The director stars in the movie which is partly based on his life.
Take Off which is the story of Korea's first Olympic Ski jump team was formulaics but entertaining. It could have fallen into all the typical pitfalls of the usual underdog story but it entertains while keeping the viewer engaged.
The Good, The Bad, and the Weird just didn't work for me. It felt like it lacked something. I admire the courage to tackle a genre that is not normally associated with or seen in Korean cinema.