Sunday, April 26, 2009
Notice
My regular blog is back up and running so I have been using that. It can be viewed here www.koreanfilm.ort/tom
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Champion Mabbagi (2007) and Gag Concert
It is funny how things work out. I initially watched Action Boys (2008) intent on writing a view of that truly excellent documentary. However, inside of that film, several other movies appear as projects the stuntmen are working on. The Good, The Bad and The Weird is the one that receives the most attention (especially since one of the stunt crew died in the course of production) and the other was a little known movie called Champion Mabbagi which was released in Korean theaters in 2007, seen by less than seven thousand people during its run in theaters and disappeared. It has not been released on DVD as of this writing. However, I was able to watch it on Hana TV (one of Korea’s ‘direct tv’ services) and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a good film for children but for full enjoyment, it requires a little bit of previous exposure to the television show Gag Concert.
The character of Mabbagi, played by Jeong Jong-cheol, originally appeared on Gag Concert as part of a 5-minute sketch. During the entire sketch, Jeong and three others, including co-stars Park Joon-hyeong (playing Mabbagi’s trainer) and Park Seong-ho (the sportscaster), hit themselves continually on the forehead. The ‘gag’ was a test of endurance and week after week the three would give monologues as they smacked their heads while their arms became more and more tired. As a regular viewer of Gag Concert, I remember thinking that the skit could not possibly continue for very long. It was pretty childish and, I thought, genuinely unfunny. However, I was wrong. The idea caught on and was imitated by everyone from kindergarteners to businessmen. Many people submitted videos of themselves hitting their foreheads in ever more creative manners. It was a strange fad that I, for one, was not sorry to see eventually fade away.
You might think that taking such a premise and making an 85-minute movie would result in a disaster. Normally you would be right. However, the movie minimizes that key aspect of the comedy sketch—the non-stop hitting of the forehead—and instead creates a story with a fairly logical reason of why someone would do that to themselves. And besides being (relatively) entertaining, the movie teaches children a lesson in the dangers of transfats and the importance of eating right although this lesson is done in a way that manages to be humorous while getting its point across. For adults, it offers little except for the frequent cameo appearances of actors who usually just appear on television.
Gag Concert has, in fact, often donated its talent for cameo appearances in film. For example, Kim Gi-soo appeared weekly as ‘Dancer Kim’ later had a cameo in Jeni, Juno as a taxi driver and had a supporting role in Innocent Steps. Actor Kim Byeong-man has been in Radio Dayz (along with fellow Gag Concert alumnus Ahn Sang-tae) and other movies including Kim vs. Kim vs. Kim and My Wife is a Gangster 3. Admittedly, none of these represent great movies, but the contributions of Gag Concert to the comedic acting pool are undeniable.
Furthermore, the cast of Gag Concert seems to have picked up where director Shim Hyeong-rae had left off. After Shim abandoned his Young-gu character there have been very little in the way of children’s movies made in Korea. Various comedians from Gag Concert, most notably Jeong and Park, have been responsible for such movies aimed at kids as Galgali Family and Dracula, Magic Cop, and Bari-Bari Zzang in addition to Champion Mabbagi. Speaking of Younggu, it is interesting how the Mabbagi character follows in the footsteps of that popular character by being an elementary student, clearly older than most of his classmates and put into situations that would normally be reserved for people older than he is meant to be (like a boxing contender).
While I have no intention of ever seeing a movie like this in the theater, I hope that they continue to be made. Children’s films are an important and often ignored genre of any nation’s national cinema. The chances of this movie getting released on DVD with English subtitles are slim to none (a Korean-only DVD does exist) but overall it is not a bad movie for children under between the ages of six and ten.
The character of Mabbagi, played by Jeong Jong-cheol, originally appeared on Gag Concert as part of a 5-minute sketch. During the entire sketch, Jeong and three others, including co-stars Park Joon-hyeong (playing Mabbagi’s trainer) and Park Seong-ho (the sportscaster), hit themselves continually on the forehead. The ‘gag’ was a test of endurance and week after week the three would give monologues as they smacked their heads while their arms became more and more tired. As a regular viewer of Gag Concert, I remember thinking that the skit could not possibly continue for very long. It was pretty childish and, I thought, genuinely unfunny. However, I was wrong. The idea caught on and was imitated by everyone from kindergarteners to businessmen. Many people submitted videos of themselves hitting their foreheads in ever more creative manners. It was a strange fad that I, for one, was not sorry to see eventually fade away.
You might think that taking such a premise and making an 85-minute movie would result in a disaster. Normally you would be right. However, the movie minimizes that key aspect of the comedy sketch—the non-stop hitting of the forehead—and instead creates a story with a fairly logical reason of why someone would do that to themselves. And besides being (relatively) entertaining, the movie teaches children a lesson in the dangers of transfats and the importance of eating right although this lesson is done in a way that manages to be humorous while getting its point across. For adults, it offers little except for the frequent cameo appearances of actors who usually just appear on television.
Gag Concert has, in fact, often donated its talent for cameo appearances in film. For example, Kim Gi-soo appeared weekly as ‘Dancer Kim’ later had a cameo in Jeni, Juno as a taxi driver and had a supporting role in Innocent Steps. Actor Kim Byeong-man has been in Radio Dayz (along with fellow Gag Concert alumnus Ahn Sang-tae) and other movies including Kim vs. Kim vs. Kim and My Wife is a Gangster 3. Admittedly, none of these represent great movies, but the contributions of Gag Concert to the comedic acting pool are undeniable.
Furthermore, the cast of Gag Concert seems to have picked up where director Shim Hyeong-rae had left off. After Shim abandoned his Young-gu character there have been very little in the way of children’s movies made in Korea. Various comedians from Gag Concert, most notably Jeong and Park, have been responsible for such movies aimed at kids as Galgali Family and Dracula, Magic Cop, and Bari-Bari Zzang in addition to Champion Mabbagi. Speaking of Younggu, it is interesting how the Mabbagi character follows in the footsteps of that popular character by being an elementary student, clearly older than most of his classmates and put into situations that would normally be reserved for people older than he is meant to be (like a boxing contender).
While I have no intention of ever seeing a movie like this in the theater, I hope that they continue to be made. Children’s films are an important and often ignored genre of any nation’s national cinema. The chances of this movie getting released on DVD with English subtitles are slim to none (a Korean-only DVD does exist) but overall it is not a bad movie for children under between the ages of six and ten.
Friday, March 20, 2009
DVD List
On the previous incarnation of Seen In Jeonju, I kept an frequently updated list of the Korean movies I own. I did that primarily for myself as I would sometimes forget whether or not I already had a movie in my collection and would order a second copy. I intend to recreate that list here with one major change. I no longer have a VHS player and decided to donate all my videos to the film department of Woosuk University. It was a hard decision, especially since some of the movies I had (like A Petal) have never been released in DVD format. However, without a means to watch them, videos tend to take up space and collect dust. In any case, I know where they are and can use video players at the university to watch them if I need to...
The below list will be updated as I acquire new DVDs.
Action Boys (2008), Address Unknown (2000), All For Love (2005), Angels on the Street (1941), Antarctic Journal (2004), Arahan (2006), Attack on the Pin-Up Boys (2007), Ball Shot By a Midget (1981), Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Barefoot Youth (1964), Beastie Boys (2008), Beat (1997), Beautiful Sunday (2007), Bet on My Disco (2002), Bewitching Attraction (2005), Bichunmoo (2000), Big Swindle (2004), Bittersweet Life (2004), Black House (2007), Blood Rain (2005), Bloodthirsty Killer (1965), Blue Seagull (1994), Boys of Tomorrow (2006), Breath (2007), Brother Heungbu and Nolbu (1967), Bungee Jumping of Their Own (2001), Bye Jun (1998), Camellia (2004), Clementine (2003), Charisma (1996), Chaser (2007), Chilsu and Mansu (1988), Chunhyang (1999), Circle (2003), Coachman (1961), Coma (2005), Conduct Zero (2002), Confessions of an Actress (1967), Cracked Eggs and Noodles (2005), Crying Fist (2005), Cut (2007), D-Day (2006), Dajjimawa Lee (2008), Dance With the Wind (2004), Dark Forest (2006), Dasepo Girls (2005), Dasepo Girls Series (2005), David and Goliath (1983), Day the Pig Fell in the Well (1996), Deaf Samryong (1964), Deep Blue Night (1984), Diary of June (2005), Dirty Carnival (2006), Don't Look Back (2006), Dolai (1984), Double Agent (2002), Epitaph (2007), Eternal Empire (1995), Everybody Has Secrets (2004), Evil Twin (2006), Face (2004), Family (2004), Fate (2007), Feathers in the Wind(2004), February 29th (2006), Femme Fatale (2007), Fighter in the Wind (2004), Fisherman's Fire (1939), Forbidden Quest (2005), Forever the Moment (2007), Foul King (2000), Galgali Family and Dracula(2003), Game (2007), Geochilmaru (2005), Ghost (2004), Ghost House (2004), Gingko Bed (1996), Goblin's Club (1986), GoGo 70s (2008), Good Lawyer's Wife (2003), Goryeojang (1963), Green Fish (1997), Guardpost (2007), Hand of Destiny (1954), Hansel and Gretel (2007), Happy Day of Jinsa Maeng (1962), Happy End (1999), Harmonium in My Memory (1998), Hers (2007), Hidden Floor (2006), Hole (1997), Holiday (2005), Host (2005), Hurrah For Freedom (1945), Hyperbole of Youth (1956), Hypnotized (2004), I Hate You Once Again (1968), I Hate You Once Again 2 (1968), I Hate You Once Again 3 (1970), I Hate You Once Again (1980), I Hate You Once Again 2 (1980), I Hate You Once Again (2002), I Really Really Like You (1978), Ieodo (1977), If You Were Me (2003), If You Were Me 3 (2006), Il Mare (2000), Insect Woman (1969), Inventors (1984) , King and the Clown (2005), Knee to Knee (1984), KNUA 2005 Collection of Student's Work (various years), La Belle (2000), La Vie En Rose (1994), Last Wolf (2004), Lies (1999), Little Bride (2004), Little Monk (2002), Loner (2008), Short Films Long Feelings (various years), Love in Magic (2005), Madam Aema (1982), Madame Freedom (1956), Marachi and Arachi (1977), Marathon (2005), Mayumi Virgin Terrorist (1990), Memento Mori (1999), Memory of Murder (2003), Men From Eight Provinces (1969), Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater (2006), Military Train (1938), Milky Way Liberation Front (2007), Mr. Butterfly (2002), Mr. Gam's Victory (2004), Mr. Handy (2003), Modern Boy (2008), Mokpo: Ganster's Paradise (2004), Mom's Way (2005), Mother and the Houseguest (1961), Musa (2000), Mudang (2001), My Beautiful Girl Mari (2001), My Beautiful Short Films II (various years), My Beautiful Short Films III (various years), My Generation (2004), My Name is Dokgotak (1984), Night on the Water (1998), Nightmare (2000), No Regret (2006), No. 3 (1997), Oasis (2002), Off Road (2006), Oldboy (2003), One Love (1981), One Million B.C. Ttoli (1981), One Thousand Year Old Fox (1969), Oseam (2003), Our Town (2007), Paradise Murdered (2006), Peppermint Candy (1999), Phone (2002), Piagol (1955), Please Teach Me English (2003), Plum Blossom (2000), Portrait of Fire (2001), Power of Kangwon Province (1997), President's Last Bang (2004), Promise of the Flesh (1975), Public Cemetery of Wolha (1967), R-Point (2005), Radio Dayz (2007), Red Shoes (2005), Road (2004), Road Movie (2002), Road Taken (2003), Robot Gundan and Meka 3 (1985), Robot Taekwon V (1976), Romance Papa (1960), Romantic Assassin (2003), Rough Cut (2008), Running Wild (2006), Save the Green Planet (2003), Scarlet Letter (2004), School Excursion (1969), Secret of Troupe 77 (1978), Secret Sunshine (2007), See You After School (2006), Seong Chunhyang (1961), Seopyeonje (1993), Seven Days (2007), Shadows in the Palace (2007), Shilmido (2003), Shin Sung-il Is Lost (2005), Shower (1978), Show Show Show (2002), Silent World (2006), Single Spark (1995), Solar 1-2-3 (1982), Sorum (2001), Spider Forest (2004), Spirit of Jeet-Geun-do (2004), Spring on the Korean Peninsula (1941), Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring (2003), Straits of Chosun (1943), Summertime (2001), Sunflower (2006), Sunny (2008), Super Hong Gil-dong (1987), Super Hong Gil-dong 2 (1988), Super Taekwon V (1982), Super Titan 15 (1983), Surrogate Womb (1986), Sweet Dream (1936), Sweet Sex and Love (2003), Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Taegeukgi (2003), Taekwon V (1984), Tale of Two Sisters (2003), Tazza (2006), Teacher Kim Bong-du (2003), 3 Extreme (2004), Three Guys (2006), 3 Iron (2004), Three Iron Musketeers (1983), Three Kingdoms (1980), Three Kingdoms2 (1980), 301/302 (1995), Time (2006), Time Between Dog and Wolf (2005), To Catch a Virgin Ghost (2004), Truck (2008), Ttoli: Special Investigator for the King (1980), Ttoli and the Zeta Robot (1985), Turning Gate (2002), Twentidentity (2004), 2003 Best 21 Korean Short Films (2003), Ulemae From Outer Space (1986), Untold Scandal (2003), Volcano High (2001), Volunteer (1941), Way Home (2002), Wedding Day (1956), Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005), Whispering Corridors (1998), Wishing Stairs (2003), With a Girl of Black Soil (2007), Yeongja's Heyday (1975), Yongary: Monster From the Deep (1967), Younggu and Ddaengchili (1989), Youth Sketch (1987)
The below list will be updated as I acquire new DVDs.
Action Boys (2008), Address Unknown (2000), All For Love (2005), Angels on the Street (1941), Antarctic Journal (2004), Arahan (2006), Attack on the Pin-Up Boys (2007), Ball Shot By a Midget (1981), Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Barefoot Youth (1964), Beastie Boys (2008), Beat (1997), Beautiful Sunday (2007), Bet on My Disco (2002), Bewitching Attraction (2005), Bichunmoo (2000), Big Swindle (2004), Bittersweet Life (2004), Black House (2007), Blood Rain (2005), Bloodthirsty Killer (1965), Blue Seagull (1994), Boys of Tomorrow (2006), Breath (2007), Brother Heungbu and Nolbu (1967), Bungee Jumping of Their Own (2001), Bye Jun (1998), Camellia (2004), Clementine (2003), Charisma (1996), Chaser (2007), Chilsu and Mansu (1988), Chunhyang (1999), Circle (2003), Coachman (1961), Coma (2005), Conduct Zero (2002), Confessions of an Actress (1967), Cracked Eggs and Noodles (2005), Crying Fist (2005), Cut (2007), D-Day (2006), Dajjimawa Lee (2008), Dance With the Wind (2004), Dark Forest (2006), Dasepo Girls (2005), Dasepo Girls Series (2005), David and Goliath (1983), Day the Pig Fell in the Well (1996), Deaf Samryong (1964), Deep Blue Night (1984), Diary of June (2005), Dirty Carnival (2006), Don't Look Back (2006), Dolai (1984), Double Agent (2002), Epitaph (2007), Eternal Empire (1995), Everybody Has Secrets (2004), Evil Twin (2006), Face (2004), Family (2004), Fate (2007), Feathers in the Wind(2004), February 29th (2006), Femme Fatale (2007), Fighter in the Wind (2004), Fisherman's Fire (1939), Forbidden Quest (2005), Forever the Moment (2007), Foul King (2000), Galgali Family and Dracula(2003), Game (2007), Geochilmaru (2005), Ghost (2004), Ghost House (2004), Gingko Bed (1996), Goblin's Club (1986), GoGo 70s (2008), Good Lawyer's Wife (2003), Goryeojang (1963), Green Fish (1997), Guardpost (2007), Hand of Destiny (1954), Hansel and Gretel (2007), Happy Day of Jinsa Maeng (1962), Happy End (1999), Harmonium in My Memory (1998), Hers (2007), Hidden Floor (2006), Hole (1997), Holiday (2005), Host (2005), Hurrah For Freedom (1945), Hyperbole of Youth (1956), Hypnotized (2004), I Hate You Once Again (1968), I Hate You Once Again 2 (1968), I Hate You Once Again 3 (1970), I Hate You Once Again (1980), I Hate You Once Again 2 (1980), I Hate You Once Again (2002), I Really Really Like You (1978), Ieodo (1977), If You Were Me (2003), If You Were Me 3 (2006), Il Mare (2000), Insect Woman (1969), Inventors (1984) , King and the Clown (2005), Knee to Knee (1984), KNUA 2005 Collection of Student's Work (various years), La Belle (2000), La Vie En Rose (1994), Last Wolf (2004), Lies (1999), Little Bride (2004), Little Monk (2002), Loner (2008), Short Films Long Feelings (various years), Love in Magic (2005), Madam Aema (1982), Madame Freedom (1956), Marachi and Arachi (1977), Marathon (2005), Mayumi Virgin Terrorist (1990), Memento Mori (1999), Memory of Murder (2003), Men From Eight Provinces (1969), Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater (2006), Military Train (1938), Milky Way Liberation Front (2007), Mr. Butterfly (2002), Mr. Gam's Victory (2004), Mr. Handy (2003), Modern Boy (2008), Mokpo: Ganster's Paradise (2004), Mom's Way (2005), Mother and the Houseguest (1961), Musa (2000), Mudang (2001), My Beautiful Girl Mari (2001), My Beautiful Short Films II (various years), My Beautiful Short Films III (various years), My Generation (2004), My Name is Dokgotak (1984), Night on the Water (1998), Nightmare (2000), No Regret (2006), No. 3 (1997), Oasis (2002), Off Road (2006), Oldboy (2003), One Love (1981), One Million B.C. Ttoli (1981), One Thousand Year Old Fox (1969), Oseam (2003), Our Town (2007), Paradise Murdered (2006), Peppermint Candy (1999), Phone (2002), Piagol (1955), Please Teach Me English (2003), Plum Blossom (2000), Portrait of Fire (2001), Power of Kangwon Province (1997), President's Last Bang (2004), Promise of the Flesh (1975), Public Cemetery of Wolha (1967), R-Point (2005), Radio Dayz (2007), Red Shoes (2005), Road (2004), Road Movie (2002), Road Taken (2003), Robot Gundan and Meka 3 (1985), Robot Taekwon V (1976), Romance Papa (1960), Romantic Assassin (2003), Rough Cut (2008), Running Wild (2006), Save the Green Planet (2003), Scarlet Letter (2004), School Excursion (1969), Secret of Troupe 77 (1978), Secret Sunshine (2007), See You After School (2006), Seong Chunhyang (1961), Seopyeonje (1993), Seven Days (2007), Shadows in the Palace (2007), Shilmido (2003), Shin Sung-il Is Lost (2005), Shower (1978), Show Show Show (2002), Silent World (2006), Single Spark (1995), Solar 1-2-3 (1982), Sorum (2001), Spider Forest (2004), Spirit of Jeet-Geun-do (2004), Spring on the Korean Peninsula (1941), Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring (2003), Straits of Chosun (1943), Summertime (2001), Sunflower (2006), Sunny (2008), Super Hong Gil-dong (1987), Super Hong Gil-dong 2 (1988), Super Taekwon V (1982), Super Titan 15 (1983), Surrogate Womb (1986), Sweet Dream (1936), Sweet Sex and Love (2003), Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Taegeukgi (2003), Taekwon V (1984), Tale of Two Sisters (2003), Tazza (2006), Teacher Kim Bong-du (2003), 3 Extreme (2004), Three Guys (2006), 3 Iron (2004), Three Iron Musketeers (1983), Three Kingdoms (1980), Three Kingdoms2 (1980), 301/302 (1995), Time (2006), Time Between Dog and Wolf (2005), To Catch a Virgin Ghost (2004), Truck (2008), Ttoli: Special Investigator for the King (1980), Ttoli and the Zeta Robot (1985), Turning Gate (2002), Twentidentity (2004), 2003 Best 21 Korean Short Films (2003), Ulemae From Outer Space (1986), Untold Scandal (2003), Volcano High (2001), Volunteer (1941), Way Home (2002), Wedding Day (1956), Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005), Whispering Corridors (1998), Wishing Stairs (2003), With a Girl of Black Soil (2007), Yeongja's Heyday (1975), Yongary: Monster From the Deep (1967), Younggu and Ddaengchili (1989), Youth Sketch (1987)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Korean Box Office: March 13-15
Well, since Seen In Jeonju hosted by the website Koreanfilm.org is currently down, I thought I should post these here so I will not be falling behind.
There were big changes in the box office this past week with several new films displacing the long reigning Old Partner. Watchmen, which opened at number one last week, slid rapidly down the chart. The new film Sad Love (which I just noticed I mistakenly called 'Sad Movie' on the Jeonju list) battled for the top spot with Dragonball with mixed success.
There were big changes in the box office this past week with several new films displacing the long reigning Old Partner. Watchmen, which opened at number one last week, slid rapidly down the chart. The new film Sad Love (which I just noticed I mistakenly called 'Sad Movie' on the Jeonju list) battled for the top spot with Dragonball with mixed success.
These movies in the black box are opening this week in Korean theaters. Their individual websites, when available, have beeen listed below.
Gran Torino: http://www.gran-torino.co.kr/
Grandmothers Flower: http://blog.naver.com/halmekkot
Missing: http://www.missing2009.co.kr/
Tokyo Sonata: http://tokosonata.com/index.html
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