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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Is Corean (Korean) Cinema the New HK Cinema?
t the peak of its Golden Era between the mid-80s and early-90s Hong Kong cinema was defending nearly half its domestic box office turf against Hollywood imports, thanks to an unusual concentration of mega-talents like John Woo, Chow Yun-Fat, Jackie Chan and Tsui Hark. No other film industry in the world had been able to claim that for a half century. What's more, some HK kung-fu and gangster flicks outdrew Hollywood thrillers in many international markets.
Corean heartthrob Won Bin
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Hollywood's strategy for coping with the HK threat? Simple and devastatingly effective -- buy up the biggest box-office draws. The result has been an epic shift: the top HK talents have been reduced mostly to coolie-ing on Hollywood formulaics while HK cinema has become a parched gulch with bounding tumbleweeds and half-hinged screen doors banging forlornly with every hot gust.
Corean American Shiri star Kim Yoon-jin
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But just as Asian Americans resigned themselves to having screen images hijacked by a remarkably Asian-unfriendly Hollywood, Corean cinema began throwing off heat. Beginning in the early 90s a hardy new generation of Corean filmmakers made themselves fixtures at the award ceremonies of Cannes, Venice and other international film festivals. By the turn of the century Corea's Pusan Film Festival emerged as Asia's premiere celluloid bazaar. But that was small potatoes, not enough to catch the notice of an industry whose real lifeblood is box office.
Then came Shiri (1999), Kang Jae-gyu's lovingly-wrought, haunting thriller about a deadly North Corean female terrorist who falls in love with exactly the wrong guy. It became the first domestic film in history to break the 2 million ticket mark for the Seoul metropolitan area (which accounts for about 25% of the Corean market), and went on to outgross Hollywood blockbusters like The Mummy, The Matrix, Titanic, Star Wars Episode One and Toy Story. Its $5 million budget is less than a tenth of what Hollywood spends at the drop of a dime but was considered a daring gamble. It paid off. Domestic box office receipts ultimately spiked past $60 million, ensuring an unexpected profit for the film's backer Samsung Entertainment -- and more importantly, whetting the appetites of investors for more "big-budget" projects.
Director Kang took pains to point out that Shiri's success was founded on a painstakingly crafted screenplay -- something few Corean directors had bothered with before then.
In 2000 and 2001 alone, two Corean films surpassed Shiri's box office benchmarks: Joint Security Area (DMZ military mystery/drama, 2000) and Friend (male-bonding, 2001). These blockbusters have stimulated a general upsurge of interest in domestic films. Films like Friend and My Sassy Girl (romantic comedy) outgrossed Hollywood megapics like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. They helped make Corea the only market in which domestic films captured over 50% of box office receipts, with Hollywood fare attracting 40%.
As the saga of Hong Kong cinema has shown, nothing yanks Hollywood's chain like being kicked at the box office. Major studios have begun importing Shiri, Musa (co-starring Zhang Zhiyi as a Ming princess rescued by Corean swordsmen) and other Corean films for limited U.S. theatrical release and video distribution. More significantly -- or ominously, depending on your perspective -- they have begun signing Corean talent. One is actress Shin Eun-kyung who starred in the popular comedy My Wife Is a Gangster (2001) which outgrossed Lord of the Rings. Shin will play the female lead opposite Andy Garcia. Miramax even paid $1.1 million for the remake rights to My Wife Is a Gangster.
Is Corean cinema the new Hong Kong cinema? Or will an Asian version of Hollywood ultimately emerge in Corea?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:07:24 PM)
TAKESHI is HOT!,
Takeshi Fujimori , HA! So you mean Takeshi Kaneshiro eh? Takeshi Kaneshiro has a Han taiwanese mother, and a Japanese father. He is just one of the many many hot people from his area~~~
Ms.Kwan
Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 07:51:31 (PST)
I think Korea has alot to offer ( you know... making american media mad haha)! Koreans are so beautiful! If I ever thought of having a lesbian relationship, I'd do it with park ji yoon. I am surprised that Won Bin, or any Korean male celeb has not raped her yet!
Ms.Kwan
Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 07:47:10 (PST)
there are many hansome and hot guy in South Korea
comment
Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 07:10:36 (PST)
I've seen 1 Japanese Star that looks good.
Takenouchi Yutaka!!!!!!!!!!!
Everybody go see his picture please...
he looks good...really really!!
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http://beststar.com/cc/1/29355,3.shtml
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His looks are on the right track:)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beijing Angelique
Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 01:59:00 (PST)
Won Bin looks like this Korean guy from my school...
I like Won Bin's hair style...
looks good....
...because he's HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
0_~
Beijing Angelique
Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 01:42:53 (PST)
"This should play out very interesting in the next few years. I would definitely like to see some Korean movie make it big state side. Hope they don't fall into the Kung-Fu master, bad-ass gangster pit HK stars sometime fall into."
What's wrong with that? When you find a niche, stick with it. That's why HK has such a cult following among white America. Even if HK never made a single movie ever again, their back catalog is enough to have a large following for years to come. Movies as old as The Five Deadly Venoms (now immortalized by hip hop) from the late 70's have a huge fanbase. Nowadays,HK movies are recruiting more international talent (and more dialogue in foreign languages) as seen in recent blockbusters, Tokyo Raiders, Time and Tide, and China Strike Force.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Friday, March 15, 2002 at 16:44:53 (PST)
Ms. Kwan: You are so funny! Please don't stop.
A Fan of Ms. Kwan
Friday, March 15, 2002 at 15:47:36 (PST)
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