Jang Jin-yeong Movies

An aspiring Japanese aviator longing to take flight from Japanese-occupied Korea enrolls in Tachikawa Flight Academy in director Yoon Jong-chan's lavish look at the life of pre-World War II aviatrix Park Gyeong-weon. Raised in the Korean countryside but longing to embrace her Korean heritage, Park Gyeong-weon (Jang Jin-yeong) longs to take to the sky "like a swallow." Park is convinced that she has what it takes to soar through the clouds, and in 1925 she begins to pursue her dreams by enrolling in the Tachikawa Flight Academy. An amiable cab driver by day, the tomboyish aeronaut eventually strikes up a close friendship with fellow Koreans Kang Se-gi (Kim Tae-hyeok) and Lee Jeong-heui (Han ji-men) while entering into a tenuous romance with handsome student Han Ji-hyeok (Kim Ju-hyeok). High up in the sky Park attempt to hold her own against airborne Nipponese nemesis Masako Gibe (Yuko Fueki), and as tensions begin to heat up between Japan and Korea the skillful pilot plans a high-profile "friendship" flight to Manchuria in hopes of encouraging peaceful relations between the two countries. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Na-nan (Jang Jin-yeong of The Foul King) is nervously approaching 30, unhappy and uncertain about her future. Her boyfriend, realizing that they are just going through the motions, breaks up with her. Her patronizing boss takes credit for her excellent work and has her transferred to the corporation's restaurant division, where one of her responsibilities is to enthusiastically greet patrons at the local Chili's. Her friends, promiscuous playgirl Dong-mi (Eom Jeong-hwa of Marriage Is a Crazy Thing) and the shy, bookish Joon (Lee Beom-su) share an apartment, but there's no romance between them. Joon is seeing a younger woman who strings him along, and he resents Dong-mi's endless procession of lunkheaded boyfriends. Dong-mi has her own problems at work and is eventually driven to take drastic action against her lecherous boss. Na-nan, unhappy at her job, takes notice when Su-heon (Kim Ju-hyuk) begins frequenting the restaurant, always with a special request for her attention. But he doesn't make a move. One night, Na-nan's oafish boss stops by Chili's to "boost sales" and casually insults her, prompting Su-heon to defend her, making his feelings known. Their relationship develops slowly. Na-nan begins to fall for him, only to learn that he's being transferred to the United States and wants her to come with him. Meanwhile, Joon gets dumped and falls into the arms of Dong-mi. They spend a drunken night together that threatens to destroy their friendship. Singles, based on a novel, was directed by Kwon Chil-in, and was shown at the 2004 New York Korean Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

The sophomore effort of writer-director Kim Jee-woon, who had success on the festival circuit with his 1998 black comedy The Quiet Family, Banchik Wang opens by introducing us to harried office grunt Im Dae-ho (Song Kang-ho). Nagged by his father, hassled by his boss, and secretly in love with a female colleague, Dae-ho finds solace in wrestling and the so-called "foul kings," or take-no-prisoners championship wrestlers who will do anything to win a match. He decides to try his own hand at the sport and is eventually -- if reluctantly -- taken on as the pupil of a weathered coach (Jang Hang-seon). Training by the coach's daughter (Jang Jin-yeong) allows Dae-ho to develop self-confidence, and after becoming the accidental victor of his first fight, he prepares for a tag match against reigning champion Yubiho (Kim Su-ro), who wants an easy win to further his career in Japan. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi