SXSW 2024 Review: Smugglers, Korea's King of Action Ryoo Seung-Wan Delivers A '70s Set Crowd-Pleaser
Two women’s lives transform when their diving careers move from harvesting shellfish to high stakes smuggling in Ryoo Seung-n’s ‘70s set comedic action thriller, Smugglers. After a healthy theatrical run in South Korea and a North American premiere at TIFF, Ryoo’s latest actioner made American landfall at SXSW Film last week to rapturous audiences, and with good reason. It’s great. Choon-ja (Kim Hye-soo) and Jin-sook (Yum Jung-ah) are haenyeo, female divers who hunt for shellfish off the coast of their small town. When new factories poison the water and threaten their livelihood, the pair and their team reluctantly take on a job bringing up booty from the sea floor left by smuggling ships to make ends meet. As the take gets bigger and the smuggling...
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- 3/19/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Two-part extravaganzas have always been huge gambles for their creative teams. Hollywood is no stranger to shooting back-to-back sequels, from “The Matrix” to “The Hobbit” to Netflix's recent “Rebel Moon” saga, and Asian cinema has followed a similar path. John Woo split his expansive Han Dynasty battle epic “Red Cliff” in two for much of its worldwide distribution, while Bollywood's “Gangs of Wasseypur”(with its initial 319 minute runtime) has seen many iterations, first as two films, then as eight much shorter episodes for its Netflix distribution. In all of these cases, there is a gravitas that comes with the filmmaker's vision, bursting with ideas and flourishes that cannot be contained in the average one-off cinema experience. Yet with that comes a crucial hope for the goodwill of the audience, that they're willing to come back, buy another ticket and sit back down to see the conclusion of the story.
- 1/17/2024
- by Simon Ramshaw
- AsianMoviePulse
Hwang Jung-min. Yum Jung-ah. Both together for the first time in careers spanning over three decades. Need I say more to entice you about Lee Myung-hoon's debut feature “Mission Cross”?
Synopsis
A man leaving his past behind and living as a househusband is chased by his wife for his secret life!
A hardworking househusband and a former special forces officer Kang-moo is hiding his past from his wife Mi-seon who is a violent crime detective. One day, a mysterious woman, Hee-joo appears to Kang-moo and Mi-seon assumes that his husband is having an affair. Mi-seon is after Kang-moo and Kang-moo is after something else. It eventually leads both of them to unexpected situations!
Kang-moo can no longer be a peaceful househusband after all…!
Hwang Jung-min plays Kang-moo whereas Yum Jung-ah takes on the role of Mi-seon. They are joined by Jeon Hye-jin, who plays Hee-joo. Additionally, everybody's favourite Jung Man-sik...
Synopsis
A man leaving his past behind and living as a househusband is chased by his wife for his secret life!
A hardworking househusband and a former special forces officer Kang-moo is hiding his past from his wife Mi-seon who is a violent crime detective. One day, a mysterious woman, Hee-joo appears to Kang-moo and Mi-seon assumes that his husband is having an affair. Mi-seon is after Kang-moo and Kang-moo is after something else. It eventually leads both of them to unexpected situations!
Kang-moo can no longer be a peaceful househusband after all…!
Hwang Jung-min plays Kang-moo whereas Yum Jung-ah takes on the role of Mi-seon. They are joined by Jeon Hye-jin, who plays Hee-joo. Additionally, everybody's favourite Jung Man-sik...
- 12/27/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Originally titled Milsu, Seung-Wan Ryu’s 2023 Korean film, Smugglers, sheds light on the lives of haenyeos, who turned to illegal means to earn their livelihood. The film chronicled the lives of two female haenyeos, Choon-Ja (Kim Hye-su) and Jin-Sook (Yum Jung-ah), who earned their daily bread by scouring the deep sea for seafood and selling it on the open market. Most of the time, their luck delivered, and they earned enough to get by, but there were also days when they didn’t earn even a single penny. However, lately, luck hasn’t been on their side, as a nearby chemical factory is directly threatening their livelihoods.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did The Haenyeos Start Smuggling Illegal Goods?
The factory dumped its chemical waste directly into the sea, resulting in dead fauna. The sight of dead fish, with their bellies facing up, had become commonplace. Thus, left with no choice, the...
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did The Haenyeos Start Smuggling Illegal Goods?
The factory dumped its chemical waste directly into the sea, resulting in dead fauna. The sight of dead fish, with their bellies facing up, had become commonplace. Thus, left with no choice, the...
- 12/5/2023
- by Rishabh Shandilya
- Film Fugitives
Choi Dong-hoon unleashed his vision for the future last year with “Alienoid”, a sci-fi time-jumping epic that was his dream project, told in both the present time and the Joseon era. Though the multi-starrer large-scale production, starring Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol and Kim Woo-bin, failed to light up the box-office, Choi did manage to set up his expansive world with the first part of a tale that he shot simultaneously as a two-parter and the second part, now titled “Alienoid: The Return to the Future” is gearing up for release.
Synopsis
Ean and Thunder have become trapped in the distant past while trying to prevent the escape of alien prisoners who are locked up in the human brains. She eventually locates the Divine Blade. which can open a door through time. Meanwhile Moo-reuk who helps Ean escape is unnerved when he begins sensing the presence of a strange being in his body.
Synopsis
Ean and Thunder have become trapped in the distant past while trying to prevent the escape of alien prisoners who are locked up in the human brains. She eventually locates the Divine Blade. which can open a door through time. Meanwhile Moo-reuk who helps Ean escape is unnerved when he begins sensing the presence of a strange being in his body.
- 11/3/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Back in the 1970s, when Korea was closed to the outside world, locals relied on black market dealers to get their hands on everything from American cigarettes to Ritz crackers. Though this illicit import racket was run mostly by men, it wouldn’t have been possible without half a dozen uniquely talented women — skilled divers known as haenyeo who fished the loot from the sea. At least, that’s the fresh girl-power premise floated by action maven Ryoo Seung-wan (“The Battleship Island”) in his snappy, retro-styled crime saga, “Smugglers.”
Featuring a funky Lalo Schifrin-esque score (from composer Chang Ki-ha) and more wide-collared polyester pantsuits than a “Charlie’s Angels” costume contest, the movie presents itself as a lost relic of less enlightened times, but boasts gender dynamics that are very much of this moment. In early scenes, the divers earn their living fetching oysters off the ocean floor — or at...
Featuring a funky Lalo Schifrin-esque score (from composer Chang Ki-ha) and more wide-collared polyester pantsuits than a “Charlie’s Angels” costume contest, the movie presents itself as a lost relic of less enlightened times, but boasts gender dynamics that are very much of this moment. In early scenes, the divers earn their living fetching oysters off the ocean floor — or at...
- 8/11/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
When a chemical factory is built in the peaceful seaside town of Guncheon, the women lose their jobs overnight. While looking for a way to make ends meet, Jo Choon-Ja (Kim Hye-Soo) learns that you can make money simply by picking up the objects thrown into the sea, and makes an enticing proposal to Eom Jin-Sook (Yum Jung-Ah), the leader of the Haenyeos (women divers who are able to dive without equipment). And so Jin-Sook got involved in a smuggling operation that grew in earnest when she met Master Sergeant Kwon (Zo In-Sung), a smuggling king in the national district. One day, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune arrives, and the loyalties of the group are about to be severely tested…...
- 6/29/2023
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
“Hit-and-Run-Squad” is a 2019 police procedural film which managed to generate a huge buzz before its release due to a stellar cast of popular actors.
“Hit-and-Run Squad” is available from Echelon Studios
Released back in January, 2019 in South Korea, the movie tells the story of a police officer, Eun Shi-Yeon (Gong Hyo-jin), who is transferred to a hit-and-run team after a failed investigation involving police corruption. Eun Shi-Yeon joins forces with officer Seo Min-Jae (Ryu Jun-yeol) and team-leader Woo Sun-Young (Jeon Hye-jin) in order to catch Jung Jae-Cheol (Jo Jung-suk), a racing maniac who also happens to be a business tycoon. However, catching the culprit proves to be an arduous undertaking.
Even though the title of the film clearly implies car action, you have to be aware that the it is primarily a crime thriller with racing elements rather than the other way round. All in all, not everything car-related has...
“Hit-and-Run Squad” is available from Echelon Studios
Released back in January, 2019 in South Korea, the movie tells the story of a police officer, Eun Shi-Yeon (Gong Hyo-jin), who is transferred to a hit-and-run team after a failed investigation involving police corruption. Eun Shi-Yeon joins forces with officer Seo Min-Jae (Ryu Jun-yeol) and team-leader Woo Sun-Young (Jeon Hye-jin) in order to catch Jung Jae-Cheol (Jo Jung-suk), a racing maniac who also happens to be a business tycoon. However, catching the culprit proves to be an arduous undertaking.
Even though the title of the film clearly implies car action, you have to be aware that the it is primarily a crime thriller with racing elements rather than the other way round. All in all, not everything car-related has...
- 3/29/2023
- by Oliver Ebisuno
- AsianMoviePulse
Ryoo Seung-wan likes to keep busy. Even as his film “Escape from Mogadishu” was still ruling the box office in 2021, he was already busy shooting his next, “Smugglers”. His third period film in a row, “Smugglers” is a change of sorts for him. Where all his films are sometimes labelled as too macho, with female characters and actresses serving a secondary, almost throwaway part, “Smugglers” is the first time a Ryoo Seung-wan production is centred around female characters.
Synopsis
In 1970s, at Guncheon (a small village near sea), there were Haenyeos (women divers who are able to dive w/o equipments), including two best friends Chun-ja and Jin-sook, Jin-sook`s brother and Jangdori. They always collected seafood under water for living. But, as few factories started to be built near beach, Haenyeos started to have trouble with what they were doing for living. Without any choice, the ship crews decided...
Synopsis
In 1970s, at Guncheon (a small village near sea), there were Haenyeos (women divers who are able to dive w/o equipments), including two best friends Chun-ja and Jin-sook, Jin-sook`s brother and Jangdori. They always collected seafood under water for living. But, as few factories started to be built near beach, Haenyeos started to have trouble with what they were doing for living. Without any choice, the ship crews decided...
- 1/27/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Both upcoming films are by first-time feature directors produced by South Korean powerhouse Sanai Pictures.
South Korea’s Plus M is launching sales on action comedy Cross (working title), starring Hwang Jung-min of Netflix’s Narco-Saints, and noir drama Hwa-ran (working title) at the American Film Market (AFM).
Both upcoming films are from first-time feature directors and produced by Sanai Pictures, the Seoul-based company behind Cannes titles such as Lee Jung-jae’s Hunt and Yoon Jong-bin’s The Spy Gone North as well as the local box office hit A Violent Prosecutor, which took more than 9.7 million admissions and 54.5m in 2016.
Directed by Lee Myeong-hoon,...
South Korea’s Plus M is launching sales on action comedy Cross (working title), starring Hwang Jung-min of Netflix’s Narco-Saints, and noir drama Hwa-ran (working title) at the American Film Market (AFM).
Both upcoming films are from first-time feature directors and produced by Sanai Pictures, the Seoul-based company behind Cannes titles such as Lee Jung-jae’s Hunt and Yoon Jong-bin’s The Spy Gone North as well as the local box office hit A Violent Prosecutor, which took more than 9.7 million admissions and 54.5m in 2016.
Directed by Lee Myeong-hoon,...
- 11/3/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Premiering in the City to City: Seoul sidebar of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, before it screened in Busan and Hawaii, “Cart” takes a rather thorough, if a bit melodramatic look at the lives of supermarket workers. I also have to admit that, since I had this type of job for almost 7 years, the movie hit a personal cord by highlighting the hardships these kinds of workers have to face.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
One thing that has always been the case in this line of business is that, despite the difficulties it presents, particularly since it frequently involves heavy-lifting, it is being done mostly by women, particularly since the rule wants women to man the cashiers, while working the selves on the side. Furthermore, the managerial positions, particularly on the secondary, office level, are almost always taken up by men, creating an...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
One thing that has always been the case in this line of business is that, despite the difficulties it presents, particularly since it frequently involves heavy-lifting, it is being done mostly by women, particularly since the rule wants women to man the cashiers, while working the selves on the side. Furthermore, the managerial positions, particularly on the secondary, office level, are almost always taken up by men, creating an...
- 8/31/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
"The great Controller is locked inside you. Ready to break free?" One last look! Well Go USA has revealed a final official US trailer for the Korean epic action sci-fi movie Alienoid, opening in US theaters this week (starting August 26th). We already posted three other trailers for this movie before, but they keep hyping it up with more more more. A tale of two eras, Alienoid follows two Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) gurus seeking a legendary, time-bending blade as they unexpectedly cross paths with modern-era people hunting down a dangerous alien concealed inside a human's body. This sounds and looks awesome. The sci-fi action fantasy features a cast including Ryu Jun-yeol as the master swordsman, Kim Tae-ri as "a woman who shoots thunder", Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung, Lee Ha-nee, and Jo Woo-jin. I totally want to bring everyone I know to the theater to watch this when it plays this week.
- 8/24/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Alienoid International Trailer 2 — Well Go USA Entertainment has released the second movie trailer for Alienoid / Oegye+in 1bu (2022). View here the first Alienoid international movie trailer. Cast and crew Choi Dong-hoon‘s Alienoid stars Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung, Lee Ha-nee, and Jo Woo-jin. Choi Dong-hoon [...]
Continue reading: Alienoid (2022) International Movie Trailer 2: Aliens Place Prisoners in Human Bodies in Choi Dong-hoon’s Sci-Fi Film...
Continue reading: Alienoid (2022) International Movie Trailer 2: Aliens Place Prisoners in Human Bodies in Choi Dong-hoon’s Sci-Fi Film...
- 8/3/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"That blade can wake up prisoners, and it can move you through time." Sounds like one powerful blade! Korea's Cj Entertainment has revealed another official trailer for the epic sci-fi Alienoid, which is finally set for a US release. Well Go USA will drop this one in US theaters at the end of August. We already posted two other trailers for this movie before, but there's always more footage to see. During the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), Taoists try to take a mysterious holy sword. Meanwhile in present day (in 2022), aliens appear on Earth. A time door soon connects the late Goryeo period and the present day. The two parties cross paths when a time-traveling portal opens, causing chaos and confusion. The science fiction action fantasy features a cast including Ryu Jun-yeol as the master swordsman, Kim Tae-ri as "a woman who shoots thunder", Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung,...
- 8/2/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"For many years, aliens have kept their prisoners locked inside human bodies." Cj Entertainment in Korea has debuted another new "teaser" trailer for an epic sci-fi movie titled Alienoid. We posted a trailer for this a few weeks ago, but this teaser has even better footage. During the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), Taoists try to take a mysterious holy sword. Meanwhile in present day (in 2022), aliens appear on Earth. A time door soon connects the late Goryeo period and the present day. The two parties cross paths when a time-traveling portal opens, causing chaos and confusion. The science fiction action fantasy features a cast including Ryu Jun-yeol as a master swordsman, Kim Tae-ri as "a woman who shoots thunder", Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung, Lee Ha-nee, and Jo Woo-jin. It was shot all together but will be released in two sequential parts, instead of one big movie, which...
- 6/24/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Alienoid Trailer — Choi Dong-hoon‘s Alienoid / Oegye+in 1bu (2022) international movie trailer has been released by Cj Entertainment and Media. The Alienoid trailer stars Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung, Lee Ha-nee, and Jo Woo-jin. Crew Choi Dong-hoon wrote the screenplay for Alienoid. Caper Film produced this film. Plot Synopsis Alienoid‘s [...]
Continue reading: Alienoid (2022) International Movie Trailer: Swordsmen vs. Space Aliens in Choi Dong-hoon’s Scifi Film...
Continue reading: Alienoid (2022) International Movie Trailer: Swordsmen vs. Space Aliens in Choi Dong-hoon’s Scifi Film...
- 6/13/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"How long do we have to stay on Earth?" Cj Entertainment in Korea has revealed the first international trailer for an epic sci-fi movie called Alienoid. Actually it's two movies! This "Part 1" will be out in July in Korea, though no US date is set yet. During the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), Taoists try to take a mysterious holy sword. Meanwhile in present day (in 2022), aliens appear on Earth. A time door soon connects the late Goryeo period and the present day. The two parties cross paths when a time-traveling portal opens, causing chaos and confusion. The science fiction action fantasy features a cast including Ryu Jun-yeol as a master swordsman, Kim Tae-ri as "a woman who shoots thunder", Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung, Lee Ha-nee, and Jo Woo-jin. It was shot as one but will be released in two sequential parts; Ryu Jun-yeol & Kim Tae-ri star in...
- 6/13/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The first teaser trailer for the Korean horror film The Mimic has just come out. The creature feature stars Yum Jung-ah (A Tale of Two Sisters), Park Hyuk-kwon and Shin Rin-ah, and is directed by Huh Jung (Hide and Seek).
The movie is about a family affected by the unknown titular creature that mimics human voice to enchant people. Yum Jung-ah plays Hee-yeon, a mother who has lost her child. She comes across a young girl in the forest, and takes her in. Soon, the girl starts to mimic Hee-yeon’s lost child, other strange things begin happening around them, and it looks like the film is creeping towards a potentially tragic finale.
(Source: Hancinema.net)
The story has been inspired by the South Korean urban legend of the Jangsan Tiger, or Jangsanbum, named for the Jangsan Mountain near Busan. The man-eating creature with sharp teeth and beautiful white fur...
The movie is about a family affected by the unknown titular creature that mimics human voice to enchant people. Yum Jung-ah plays Hee-yeon, a mother who has lost her child. She comes across a young girl in the forest, and takes her in. Soon, the girl starts to mimic Hee-yeon’s lost child, other strange things begin happening around them, and it looks like the film is creeping towards a potentially tragic finale.
(Source: Hancinema.net)
The story has been inspired by the South Korean urban legend of the Jangsan Tiger, or Jangsanbum, named for the Jangsan Mountain near Busan. The man-eating creature with sharp teeth and beautiful white fur...
- 6/23/2017
- by Arnav Sinha
- AsianMoviePulse
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
- 1/8/2015
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline
A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...
- 1/8/2015
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
Special Mention: The Fake Trailers from Grindhouse (2007, USA): The four fake trailers featured in the otherwise disappointing Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double-feature: Machete by Robert Rodriguez, Werewolf Women of the SS by Rob Zombie, Thanksgiving by Eli Roth and Don’t by Edgar Wright-are all very entertaining trips down horror/exploitation film memory lane and are easily the best part of the film.
****
2) Other Notable Horror Films Of The 2000’s:
This list focuses on films that are partially successful and even touch on brilliance at times but ultimately don’t pull everything together to fully deliver on their promise.
Intacto (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2001, Spain):
This film about a group of people blessed with supernatural good luck has a great premise, several great scenes-the revelation of the plane crash early in the film, the blindfolded race through the trees and the Russian roulette climax-plus the welcome presence of...
****
2) Other Notable Horror Films Of The 2000’s:
This list focuses on films that are partially successful and even touch on brilliance at times but ultimately don’t pull everything together to fully deliver on their promise.
Intacto (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2001, Spain):
This film about a group of people blessed with supernatural good luck has a great premise, several great scenes-the revelation of the plane crash early in the film, the blindfolded race through the trees and the Russian roulette climax-plus the welcome presence of...
- 11/4/2012
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
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