Kim Chun-gi Movies
- 2008
Director Yoo Ha helms the period saga A Frozen Flower as a plunge into the intrigues and machinations of the Korean dynastic era. The period is the late 14th century, and the last waning gasp of the centuries-old Goryeo Dynasty. As that regime comes to a bitter end thanks to the machinations of the Yuan Dynasty, The Goryeo king responds by organizing a military force known as Kunryongwe, led by the daunting commander Hong Lim. The leader captivates the king to an alarming degree - to such an extent, in fact, that he almost completely diverts the regent's attention away from his queen, leaving her with tremendous feelings of reluctance and hesitancy about this relationship. Meanwhile, the manipulativeness of the Yuan doubles: they unsuccessfully attempt to subvert the king by placing a threatening ruler in a high position, but the king - sensing this Machiavellian scheme - adamantly refuses, much to the consternation of the top-tiered Goryeo officials. The ruler also devises a complex and wickedly clever scheme to protect the Goryeo line for future generations by appointing Hong Lim to impregnate the queen and father a new ruler with her. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jo In-Seong, Joo Jin Mo, (more)
- 2007
After wrapping-up his critically-acclaimed "Vengeance Trilogy" with the award-winning 2005 thriller Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, South Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park shifts gears for this gently comic romantic drama concerning a delusional young mental patient who believes herself to be a cyborg. Convinced that she is not entirely human but in fact part android, Young-goon (Lim Su-jeong)'s health begins to deteriorate as she gives up eating food and instead decides to "charge her batteries" by administering electric shocks to herself via a small transistor radio. As her mental state continues to deteriorate, the troubled young woman takes to donning her grandmother's dentures and carrying on extended conversations with various machines around the mental health facility. Of course Young-goon isn't the only person suffering from a mental malady in this hospital, and it's not long before Il-soon (Rain), a young man with a penchant for wearing masks and a reputation for being anti-social, is admitted as well. A good-looking young man who sets about convincing his fellow patients that he has the power to absorb their personality traits, Il-soon gradually begins to develop a tender romance with the troubled Young-goon. Later, when hospital officials determine that the only way to save Young-goon is to administer electro-shock therapy, the treatment has the unusual side-effect of convincing the would-be android that she has been fully recharged and possesses the ability to fire bullets from her fingers. In reality, Young-goon's physical deterioration has become truly alarming. With little time to lose before the love of his life slides beyond the point of no return, Il-soon enlists the aid of his concerned fellow patients in getting Young-goon back on the path to good health. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lim Su-jung, Rain, (more)
A woman looks for both revenge and redemption after spending 13 years in prison in this offbeat thriller from South Korea. Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae) was in her early twenties when she was found guilty of kidnapping and killing a young boy, and though she confessed to the crime under duress, while behind bars she dreamed of one day being able to clear her name -- and even the score with the people who railroaded her, including the police officer who brought her in (Nam Il-woo) and Mr. Baek (Choi Min-Sik), a teacher who wronged her in a number of ways. Lee Geun-ja teams up with a number of friends she made during her time in lock-up, including Woo So-yeong (Kim Bu-seon), a thief with a gunsmith for a husband; Oh Su-heui (Ra Mi-ran), who was saved from assault at the hands fellow inmates by Lee; and Preacher Jeon (Kim Byeong-ok), an eccentric man of the cloth who was struck by her gentle nature in jail. As Preacher Jeon helps Lee seek salvation for all she had to do while in prison, her other friends stand by her side as she gets even with her rivals and searches for the daughter she was forced to leave behind when she was convicted. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (aka Chinjeolhan Geum-ja-ssi) was the third film in a series, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Old Boy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Yeong-ae, Kim Shi-hu, (more)
