Violent films raise alarms
Experts are concerned that recent releases could encourage copycat crimes
Films such as ‘Ajeossi’ (‘The Man from Nowhere’) and ‘I Saw the Devil’
have drawn criticism for their excessive depictions of violence.
Blades and guns are a thing of the past. Nail guns and guillotines are now the weapons of choice in the latest trend among local filmmakers, who are inventing characters that are increasingly cruel and producing films that are ever more bloody in nature. But this tendency has some experts worried that the excessive depictions of violence will encourage copycat crimes.
As of Wednesday, the film “Ajeossi” (“The Man from Nowhere”) has topped box office attendance records for four weeks, and “I Saw the Devil” has been at No. 3 for the first three weeks since its release Aug. 12, according to Korean Film Council, the nation’s film governing body.
Both films depict violent scenes that are extremely graphic and very realistic. In Ajeossi, traffickers extract human organs from people who are still alive and the protagonist uses a huge nail gun to kill the villain. But Ajeossi is less bloody than I Saw the Devil, which was rejected twice by the Korea Media Rating Board before its premiere because some scenes “undermine human dignity.”
I Saw the Devil received the green light from the board after producers agreed to delete 90 seconds from one of the more violent scenes, but the film has continued to be controversial. The main characters - a psychopath who derives sexual pleasure from killing women and a National Intelligence Service guard who tortures the psychopath to avenge the death of his fiancee who was killed by the man - exhibit all types of brutality. In one scene, the guard (played by Lee Byung-hun) pierces the cheek of the psychopath (played by Choi Min-sik) using a screwdriver, in another scene, the guard cuts off the psychopath’s Achilles tendon.
The film is so difficult to watch that many netizens have put posts on their blogs saying they couldn’t watch the whole thing. “I enjoy films like [the 2004 horror film] ‘Saw,’ but this film was way different from those,” said Kim Eun-jin, 26, who teaches at a private institute in Seoul. “After I saw it, it was hard for me to go out alone at night for about a week.”
At a recent press conference, the film’s director Kim Ji-woon and leading actors Choi Min-sik and Lee Byung-hun refuted concerns about the film’s brutality. “Films reflect our society,” said Kim when asked whether he thought the film would encourage copycat crimes. “On the contrary, I think film hasn’t yet caught up with the violence of today.”
Said Choi: “It’s good to talk openly about violence as long as it exists in our society.” Some experts, however, feel that such films have inspired people to commit crimes, though there is conflicting research on the subject.
Kim Kil-tae, who raped and murdered a middle school girl in Busan in April, sprinkled lime powder on her corpse in an attempt to destroy evidence. A similar scene appeared in the 2002 film “Public Enemy.” “Not everyone mimics the violence they’ve seen in films, but violent films certainly affect children, teenagers and people who don’t know the difference between right and wrong,” said Lee Su-jeong, a professor of criminal psychology at Kyonggi University. “Since children are educated to follow the example set by adults, these violent films provide bad role models.”
Sim Young-seop, a film critic who runs the Healing Cinema Center in Seoul, agrees.
“‘I Saw the Devil’ could traumatize even ordinary people,” Sim said. “One thing I can say for sure is that Korean films are becoming more violent and extreme.”
1. The Man from Nowhere 4,065,816,000
2. The Last Airbender 2,590,714,000
3. Piranha 3D 2,286,740,000
4. I Saw the Devil 1,271,465,000
5. Predators 1,155,348,500
Lee Byung Hun will not be cast in ‘IRIS 2′
by Luigi on August 31, 2010 at 5:23 am
With the premiere of the drama ‘Athena’ looming ahead, many have been wondering about the possibility of actor Lee Byung Hun being cast in ‘IRIS 2‘.
‘Athena: Goddess of War‘, is a spin-off of the highly popular and successful KBS2 drama series ‘IRIS’, in which Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Hee took main roles. Many netizens had been curious about whether these two actors will be re-cast in ‘IRIS 2′, and finally on the morning of the 31st, an associate of Lee Byung Hun stated that the actor did indeed receive an offer and was currently looking into the character role.
However, during a phone conversation between newspaper company OSEN and an associate of Lee Byung Hun’s entertainment company, they stated,
“We have never received a casting offer from the production company Taewon Entertainment, nor have we even read the synopsis of the drama.
In reality, we are not in a situation for Lee Byung Hun to be cast for this spinoff sequel. The filming for ‘GI Joe 2′ will start at the end of this year. Due to ‘GI Joe 2′, there will not be any plans for him to star in other dramas or movies for a while.”
A few weeks ago, I had received a call from a friend of mine-a former student who boarded in my house for about two years. He had watched both A Man From Nowhere and I Saw the Devil in theaters and asked me if I had seen them. While we were talking, he said that he preferred A Man From Nowhere because of Won Bin’s acting. “But,” he added, “I Saw the Devil is your style. You have to see it.” My style? I had of course been following the news and rumors surrounding the near non-release of the film. Censors had deemed it too offensive and violent and nearly gave it a rating that would have prevented the film’s screening within Korea. I wondered if I would like it. I remember writing in the spring of 2009 that I had walked out of the film Missing. I found it too cruel and annoying at the same time. The director of Missing had stated that he wanted to make a movie like Saw and I say he succeeded. I have never watched more than 10 minutes of any Saw film. How could I Saw the Devil be ‘my style’? I like films that make you think, not blood baths! Well, I watched it last night and I have to say that my friend seems to know me pretty well. I Saw the Devil is definitely my style.
I Saw the Devil is very different from Missing and Saw that I mentioned above. In those films, the torture of innocent people seems to comprise the entire reason for making the film. That is not the case here. The villain Kyeong-cheol is undeniably brutal.. however, torture is not his main motif. Judging from the amount of blood in some scenes, torture undoubtedly occurs, especially later in the film when he is seeking revenge on Soo-hyeon, but much of it happens off screen. Soo-hyeon engages in quite a bit of brutality himself and his methods are extremely questionable. But his dealings with Kyeong-cheol–who ranks up there as one of the most despicable cinematic characters that I have ever encountered–are oddly carthartic. Too often in movies and tv (Dexter anyone?), the killer is glorified. It was a welcomed change to see a killer get his comeuppance. Of course, if Soo-hyeon had just called the police when he found the killer instead of engaging in his own path of revenge, it would have been better for everyone and saved a half dozen lives or so-and the killer still would have been punished.
Soo-hyeon is given a very clear opportunity to break from the path of vengeance, but he willfully and conciously decides against it well aware that his actions may turn him into a monster. His promise to his murdered wife is binding and to break from that would be like betraying her and failing his duty to punish her killer. For his part, Kyeong-cheol sees Soo-hyeon’s dedication to punishing him as a kind of game, an extra challenge that he becomes determined to overcome even though the cards seemed stacked against him. Once he figures out the rules and realizes the identity of his pursuer, Kyeong-cheol is able to take control of the game and is free to seek his own path of revenge for all the pain Soo-hyeon has bought him and his associates.
I really did not see anything in this movie that would warrent such an outcry by the censor board. I had heard that there were concerns about a scene where a dog is fed a hand, however that did not appear in the theatrical version I saw. The amount of gore is no more than what we saw in Chaser or Black House a few years ago and the body count is less than in Bittersweet Life. If it was a problem with the protaganist acts in a morally questionable manner, then I would direct critics to Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. Actually, I found myself thinking that I Saw the Devil was the movie that Sympathy For Lady Vengeance should have been and Kim Ji-woon’s directing felt more like a style Park Chan-wook would use.
In brief, I was very pleased with this movie–even with the scenes I watched with one eye closed. There can be no complaint about the acting of the two leads. Lee Byeong-heon and Choi Min-shik are arguably the best actors in the Korean film industry at the moment. And it is a film that makes you think as Soo-heon’s choice become harder to justify even as we understand his reasons. It really was my style.
Weekend Box Office: August 27-29
Reporter: Lucia Hong luciahong @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia
South Korea's box office estimates for the weekend of August 27-29, 2010 [Korean Box Office Information System (KOBIS)]
"The Man From Nowhere" stays atop local box office
Reporter: Lucia Hong luciahong @ Editor: Jessica Kim jesskim @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia
Korean thriller "The Man From Nowhwere" maintained its month-long reign as the No. 1 movie in the country during the final week of August. According to the Korean Box Office System (KOBIS) on Thursday, the Won Bin starrer, which opened in local theaters on August 4, took the top place on the box office with 528,091 admissions for the weekend of August 27 to 29.
"Man" is about a reclusive man named Tae-shik (Won Bin), a former special agent who runs a pawn shop and befriends So-mi (child actress Kim Sae-ron), the young girl next door.
"The Last Airbender," helmed by famed director M. Night Shyamalan, stood in second place with 266,463 moviegoers and the newly released Hollywood thriller "Piranha 3D" entered Korea's box office at No. 3, selling 203,749 tickets.
Korean horror flick "I Saw the Devil" slipped a notch to fourth place with 163,092 admits and sci-fi flick "Predators" rounded out the top five slots with 160,433 viewers during its opening weekend.
Other films included in the top ten were "Inception," "Avatar-Special Edition," "Enemy at the Dead End," "Toy Story 3," and "The Expendables."
ohh ipoh dekat jerr la..... is kedah
ipoh erea mana? dulu is stady ipoh di airport....
...
ismaha Post at 27-8-2010 20:52
Is, thanks for the PM ya.. nanti kita sembang lagi lepas raya, Insya Allah. Sorry sebab lambat reply & dah lama tak update thread ni -- agak busy di soompi dan juga project baru for BH. *tunggu*
Anyway.. terima kasih ismaha dan juga kayla sebab sudi temankan katt di thread yang sunyi ni. Kalau ada salah dan silap, saya minta maaf semuanya.
IRIS star in Singapore
By Goh Shi Ting, Multimedia Journalist, RazorTV
MOVE over, pretty boys. The godfather of Korean heartthrobs, Lee Byung Hun, swept into Singapore on Friday evening, attracting a 100-odd strong crowd at Changi Airport.
The 40-year-old actor is here for a photoshoot for a bag brand, and also a vacation.
Lee managed to address the media in the pandemonium, saying 'I miss Singapore food and my fans.'
'I'm grateful to them and I will come back again,' he promised.
The easygoing charmer, who will be here for 3 to 5 days, is noted for his recent performance as an elite intelligence agent in the wildly popular political drama IRIS.
dah tgk IRIS? cter baru nyerr,,,baru x baru thn leps la
kalu blm try la tgk.. ...
ismaha Post at 11-10-2010 23:24
x kesah la apa coter pon.. asal my hero berlakun aku mesti nk tgk.. actually dulu x minat sngt citer korea ni.. penah layan citer GTO, All In ngan Devil Beside You je rasanya.. Adik pompuan aku la punya keja ni... nnt nk suruh dia sedut citer ni save dlm pc.. haha!! mmg x buat keja lain la pasni...
Actor Lee Byung-hun wins Seoul Tourism Award
By Bae Ji-sook bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
Movie star Lee Byung-hun
Top actor Lee Byung-hun was honored with the Seoul Tourism Award Thursday in recognition of his promotion of the capital city to both foreigners and locals. He is among five people and six organizations acknowledged by the award for their contribution to portraying and boosting the beauty and lively aspects of Seoul.
The Seoul Municipal Government said Lee, who appeared in the major Hollywood flick “G.I. Joe” and some other transnational films, was selected for promoting Seoul through his latest TV drama "IRIS" and due to his wide fan base ranging throughout Asia.
In order to attract more Japanese tourists to the country, the administration authorized the closing off of Gwanghwamun Plaza, one of the most crowded areas in central Seoul, for the filming of one of the major action scenes in the drama. A smart move as "IRIS" marked the highest rating for a Korean drama airing in Japan.
Kim Tae-ho, director of the MBC’s ever-popular entertainment program, “Muhandojeon (infinite challenge),” was awarded in the journalist category for featuring the Seoul Design Olympics, N Tower in Mt. Nam and other tourist spots in the program.
Other recipients are Robert Koehler, author of a comprehensive tour and living guidebook, Seoul Selection Guides and Ruby Shin, a Chinese actress who appeared in the sensational and highly-rated Chinese TV drama “The Emperor’s Daughter.”
Also “Jump”, a non-verbal performance that has attracted 30,000 foreign audiences last year; Incheon International Airport Corporation and KBS’s entertainment program “2 days, 1 night” have also received the distinction for their efforts to promote Seoul tourism.
Mayor Oh Se-hoon presented the awards in a ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mt. Nam.
Actor Lee Byung-hun to receive award from Japanese ministry
By Han Sang-hee, sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr
Lee Byung-hun, right, in a scene shot in Akita, Japan from the Korean TV drama "IRIS."
The actor will receive an award from the Japanese ministry of tourism for promoting
the region's attractions. / Courtesy of KBS
Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun will receive an award from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The ministry announced Wednesday the list of awardees, which included Lee among others. The award ceremony will take place on Oct. 20.
Lee was chosen for promoting local tourism through the popular Korean TV drama "IRIS," which introduced the charms and attractions of the Akita Prefecture.
In the series, Lee and his co-star Kim Tae-hee shared romantic moments amid the snow-covered mountains, springs and ski resorts of Akita. The area enjoyed an influx of visitors, particularly Japanese and Korean fans who paid visits to sites featured in the TV drama.
This is not the first time for a local drama to attract tourists to its locations. "Winter Sonata" (2002, KBS) had flocks of Japanese tourists visiting Chuncheon and Nami Island, Gangwon Province, while fans of "Boys Over Flowers" (2009, KBS) inspired Koreans to travel to Macao.
Author
Thanks to the fan-sharing at GBW cafe.daum 
Post time 27-8-2010 08:52 PM
Box Office 2010.08.27 ~ 2010.08.29 (won)
apa la cter tbaru,,,nk cari cni jerr...
