Director Kim Ji Woon: ‘It Is Like Eating Sushi with Less Wasabi’
"About one minute and thirty seconds of the movie was deleted. I tried my best not to ruin the flow of the movie as much as possible when I edited and deleted some parts. It is like eating sushi with less wasabi. I think that it lacks a pungent taste, but it still keeps the taste of the raw fish.” -Director Kim Ji Woon
Director Kim Ji Woon, who directed the movie “I Saw the Devil,” which had aroused controversy as it had been X-rated on the basis that some parts of the movie violate human dignity, explained on August 11 about the process of how the movie could ultimately be rated R by deleting some problematic scenes. He added, “I have produced many movies, but it is the first time that I am so happy simply to be allowed to release one.”
In the press conference held after the preview of the movie in the Megabox in Dongdaemun, he said, “When I deleted some scenes from the original, I worried, 'What if the atrocious revenge became a boring process of revenge?' But, I thought that the deleted scenes generally would not ruin the original composition about the relationship between the two protagonists.”
He continued, "I do not know why those scenes, which could be seen in other movies, suddenly became problematic scenes and were requested to be deleted, but I decided to regard it as a good sign. Maybe it was because two actors’ acting was too powerful and real, so those scenes were shown as more realistic. If I do not think that way, it might upset me.” Kim mentioned other movies such as “Sin City,” "Hannibal,” and “Watchmen,” which contains scenes with human flesh, but had not been rated X, and complained strongly about the evaluation by the Korea Media Rating Board.
The movie “I Saw the Devil” is a story about a special agent in the National Intelligence Service named Kim Soo Hyun (Lee Byung Hun), who lost his fiancée to a cruel murderer, who punishes wicked serial killer Jang Kyung Chul (Choi Min Sik) in horrible ways and at the time, destroys himself by taking revenge on him. As the violent scenes featuring copious amounts of blood continue from the beginning to the end, people with sensitive dispositions might not even be able to watch the movie until the end. Kim said, “I did not make the violence as something to watch, but I made those cruel scenes to express the emotion of a man who attempts revenge with atrocious methods.”
About the comment that the violence contained in a movie can be connected to a copycat crime, actor Choi Min Sik said, “A movie reflects reality. It is not too much to say that we are living in a flood of violence.” When he had recently visited a film festival overseas, he had seen a heated debate about violent movies and he said that it was very impressive. He added, “If horrible violence already exists in our society, I think that it is necessary to openly talk about the violence like this.”
Actor Lee Byung Hun said, “Many people asked me which character represents the devil, but the devil in this movie does not refer to a specific person -- it differs depending on the audience. Usually people feel delighted by watching a movie about vengeance, but this movie is different. Even by watching the movie, people might feel ambivalent about whether vengeance has to be carried out like that.”
The movie “I Saw the Devil” was released on August 12.
August 13, 2010 Remembering Andre Kim, 'the magician from fairyland'
Veteran fashion designer Andre Kim, who died of pneumonia Thursday, aged 74, left some unforgettable, significant traces in fashion history.
Born Kim Bong-nam in Gupabal-ri in Goyang city, which is now included in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, on Aug. 24, 1935, Kim started to show his extraordinary talents as a teen, when he enjoyed sketching women in graceful dresses. “There was no such word as ‘fashion’ or ‘designer’ at the time. I opened my eyes to clothes and art through movies,” Kim said in a TV interview in May 2006.
After graduating Hanyoung High School, Kim studied fashion at Kukje Fashion Design Academy and made his debute as a fashion designer in 1962, at the age of 27. He opened his boutique “Salon Andre” in Sogong-dong, the same year.
Kim was in the limelight from the very beginning of his career, being the first and only male designer for a long time. Kim carved his own path as a designer, proving how beautiful Western dresses created by a man could look on Korean women by dressing top actresses in the 1960s such as Eom Aeng-ran.
His glamorous gowns and wedding dresses were soon acknowledged around the world -- particularly after a successful fashion show in Paris in 1966. His creations were accorded rave reviews from French fashion editors, including one at Le Figaro who called him a “Magician from Fairyland.”
Korea at the time was still a “hermit kingdom” to many countries around the world. Andre Kim was one of the first Koreans to put the country on the world map. After that pioneering step, Kim held fashion shows at least a couple times every year in major cities around the globe, including Washington, D.C., New York, Honolulu, Singapore, Jakarta and Los Angeles.
Kim became more adventurous as the years passed and chose exotic locations for his fashion shows that were known for their elements of fantasy. He was the first fashion designer ever to stage a gala fashion parade in front of the Pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt, in 1996. The show was given the honor of the rare presence of Madam Susan Mubarak, the First Lady of the country.
He also held a show in front of another world-famous landmark, Ankor Wat in Cambodia, ten years later. The only cultural event held in Ankor Wat until then had been a performance by Jose Carreras in 2002.
Wherever the venue was, Kim mesmerized the audience with his stunning shows. They were known for featuring the top celebrities of the moment, including actresses Lee Young-ae, Kim Hee-seon, Han Chae-young, Kim Tae-hee, actors Jang Dong-gun, Song Seung-heon, Lee Byung-heon and even sports stars Lee Seung-yub and Lee Dong-guk. Showbiz insiders used to say that one finally gets approved as a star only after being featured as the main model at Andre Kim’s shows.
Andre Kim's beloved stars
“Professional models are chic but they have limits in expressing feelings. Actors and actresses, on the other hand, can touch the audience by offering a dramatic show,” Kim said.
Up until his last show held in Beijing in March, Kim scrupulously took care of every single detail. “A fashion show is a total art. It should move the audience’s hearts as if they were watching the highlight scenes of an opera or a musical. That is why I personally write the scenarios, mix the background music and direct all of my shows. At the final rehearsal, I teach the models how they should act and make their facial expressions,” Kim said in May 2005.
For his splendid works and efforts to promote fashion, Kim was honored by numerous organizations during his lifetime.
Kim was selected as the main designer for the Miss Universe Competition in 1980, designed the Korean national team’s uniforms for the 1988 Seoul Olympics and was invited by the International Olympic Committee to stage shows for the Olympics in Barcelona and Atlanta. He was awarded the Order of Cultural Merits by the government in 1977, received the Culture medal from the President of Italy in 1982, and the Art and Literature medal from the French government in 2000. The mayor of San Francisco even declared Nov. 16 and Oct. 18 as “Andre Kim Day,” in 1999 and 2003, respectively.
His name became more of a brand in his later days. Kim had cultivated the Andre Kim brand, associated with luxury and romanticism, by lending his name to a wide range of goods including golf wear, eye wear, jewelry, underwear, children’s clothing, bedding, home lighting, porcelain dishware, household appliances, wallpaper, and even credit cards. “The name is being used in various realms but I have a principle of collaborating with only the companies that fit into the image of my designs. Some private lenders and tobacco companies recently made some offers but I declined them,” he said in an interview with a local newspaper in May, 2009.
The designer Andre Kim was very thorough at work, reading 19 newspapers and watching news from five different channels every morning. But Andre Kim as a private person was rather artless and pure.
The lobby scandal in 1999 -- in which Lee Hyung-ja, wife of Sindonga Group president Choi Sun-young was alleged to have lobbied wives of high-profile figures with expensive garments -- unexpectedly reversed the public’s prejudices about the nation’s most famous designer that he must have made a fortune selling overpriced clothes to the wealthy.
At the hearings, which Kim had to go through because garments he designed were involved in the scandal, it was revealed that Kim only used fabrics made in Korea, was an honest tax payer and that he still worked in a rented boutique. “I learned a big lesson from the scandal, that there is always a good end if the person is honest. No matter how unfairly you are treated, or how much you suffer from misunderstanding, it will be turned into a blessing and truth will be revealed in the end if you hang in there, being honest,” Kim said, ten years after the scandal blew over.
Kim became more of a celebrity after the scandal, in a good way. The public felt closer to Kim -- partly because his rather rustic real name was revealed during the hearing -- and everything about him was the talk of town, from his makeup, hairstyle to the way he decks out in all-white, something he maintained since 1974. His unique way of speaking, especially, inspired many comedians.
“I found it a bit unpleasant at first, because I thought they were ridiculing me. But seeing people racing toward me to ask for my autograph whenever I went out, I feel like I am becoming a star. Now I consider it as a sort of popularity. Although I cannot find one who perfectly mimics me, yet,” he would say with a laugh.
He never married but adopted an 18-month-old boy in 1982. Kim Jung-do, his adopted son, was the designer’s treasure. Kim received attention for how hard he cried the day his son married in February 2004. Kim is survived by his son, two grand daughters, who are identical twins, and one grandson.
The fashion maestro still had more dreams to pursue and believed he would live longer, just as his fans had also hoped for. “Georgio Armani, who is one year older than me, still actively works without having named a successor. I think I can focus on creating my works for at least the next 10 years. And then I will think of naming a successor,” he said in an interview last year.
“Later on, I would like to make a documentary movie about ‘Andre Kim.’ It would be great to leave a record of my fashion world.”
WHAT DID IT COST FOR KIM JI-WOON'S I SAW THE DEVIL TO GAIN RELEASE? SEVEN MINUTES. NO.. SEVEN CUTS.
by Todd Brown, August 12, 2010
To those wondering whether the ratings troubles suffered by Kim Ji-Woon's I Saw The Devil - twice refused clearance for theatrical release in Korea - were a pre-meditated publicity move, consider this. If it was, it's a publicity move that ultimately cost the film seven minutes from director Kim's preferred cut of the film.
Given a rating that would only allow the film to screen in a class of theater that doesn't exist - despite the presence of megastars Choi Min-Sik and Lee Byung-hun in the leads - with only days before the announced release date, producers were given no choice but to perform radical surgery and the version of the film now released is a full seven minutes shorter than the version of the film submitted to be rated.
In an interview with the Korea Times director Kim described the released version of the film as "sushi with a little less wasabi. The savory texture of the fish is still there but with a little less tang." Reports indicate that scenes of cannibalism remain but images of body parts being handled have been removed. There is no indication yet which version of the film will be shown in international festivals.
7 cuts made, not 7 minutes cut from “I Saw the Devil”
August 12, 2010 @ 9:50 PM
While it was initially reported that Kim Ji-woon cut 7 minutes from his bloody thriller I Saw the Devil to secure a theatrical release, it’s been clarified that Kim in fact made 7 cuts totalling 80 to 90 seconds of footage. The correction was first made by Darcy Parquet and subsequently followed up by Film Business Asia, who first broke the news.
I Saw the Devil opened strong with 120,000 admissions on its first day and ranked second at the box office, behind Won Bin’s The Man from Nowhere.
Lee in ‘G.I. Joe’ sequel; Jang in ‘Warrior’s Way’
By JONATHAN M. HICAP
Lee Byung-hun (left) as 'Storm Shadow' in 'G.I. Joe' and Jang Dong-gun.
(Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures and KBS)
Two of Korea’s most popular actors will be in the Hollywood scene, one to shoot a sequel of a blockbuster movie while the other will debut in his first American film.
Actor Lee Byung-hun announced recently that the filming for the sequel of the Hollywood blockbuster action film “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” will start early next year. Byung-hun is expected to reprise his role as “Storm Shadow” in the sequel. Stephen Sommers is reportedly going back to direct the film.
“G.I. Joe” grossed $302 million in the United States and worldwide when it was released last year, according to site Box Office Mojo. It earned $54.71 million on its opening weekend and ranked No. 1.
On the other hand, hunk actor Jang Dong-gun will make his Hollywood debut through the film “Warrior’s Way” that will be shown in the US starting on Dec. 3. The fantasy action movie tells about the story of Yang (played by Jang Dong-gun), a warrior who goes to Western America to escape his past. Jang is joined in the movie by actress Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush and Danny Huston.
The $40-million film was produced by Barrie Osborne, producer of the “Lord of the Rings.”
Toronto invites five Korean films
by girlfriday | August 15, 2010
The 35th Toronto International Film Festival has invited five Korean films this year, and anticipation is high. Poetry, The Housemaid, I Saw the Devil, Oki’s Movie, and Late Autumn (Manchu) will be all be launching their North American premieres in Toronto.
Director Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid was invited as the gala film, and will capitalize on all the mixed reviews from Cannes, which has generated an interesting buzz for the film. Or perhaps it’s just the nudity. Either way, this is the one people will be talking about. The Housemaid is a dramatic thriller of an affair gone wrong, starring Jeon Do-yeon, Lee Jung-jae, and Seo Woo.
Poetry, which won the prize for Best Screenplay at Cannes, will be featured in the Master Section. Directed by Lee Chang-dong and starring Yoon Jung-hee, Poetry is a film about a woman who fights Alzheimer’s by learning to write her own poems. Both The Housemaid and Poetry are looking at Toronto as forays into the Oscars, and expectations are high for both productions to represent Korea in the foreign film category if things go their way.
I Saw the Devil, starring Lee Byung-heon and Choi Min-shik, was invited as a Special Presentation film. Directed by The Good, The Bad, The Weird‘s Kim Ji-woon, it’s a dark thriller about a secret service agent who goes after his wife’s killer.
Late Autumn and Oki’s Movie were both invited in the Contemporary World Cinema category, which showcases newer directors who are leading the pack in their respective countries. Late Autumn stars Hyun Bin and Tang Wei in a story about a man on the run and a woman on a leave from prison, and their brief love affair. The remake, directed by Kim Tae-yong, is being hailed as a global project, a successful multi-national co-production.
Oki’s Movie, directed by Hong Sang-soo and starring Lee Seon-kyun and Jung Yumi, is about film student and her quirky relationship with a classmate. This one looks adorable. And y’all know how I feel about Lee Seon-kyun. Swoon.
The 35th Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 9-19.
Weekend Box Office: August 13-15
Reporter: Lucia Hong
South Korea's box office estimates for the weekend of August 13-15, 2010 [Korean Box Office Information System (KOBIS)]
Reporter: Lucia Hong luciahong @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia
"The Man From Nowhere" tops local box office once again
Reporter: Lucia Hong Editor: Jessica Kim
Korean action film "The Man From Nowhere" maintained its title as the most-watched movie in the country during the weekend of August 13 to 15, scoring its second win on the local box office. According to the Korean Box Office System (KOBIS) on Monday, "Man," which opened in theaters in early August, attracted more moviegoers this weekend than the previous three-day period, selling 759,095 tickets which is an increase by 56,464 viewers.
"Man," starring Korean actor Won Bin and child actress Kim Sae-ron, is about a reclusive man named Tae-shik (Won Bin), a former special agent who runs a pawn shop and befriends So-mi (Kim), the young girl next door.
Meanwhile, new Korean thriller "I Saw the Devil," starring Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik, entered the movie charts at No. 2 with 518,142 admissions, while Leonardo DiCaprio starrer "Inception" slipped a notch from last week to third place with 434,600 viewers.
Pixar's animated film "Toy Story 3" held onto the No. 4 spot on the chart with 290,434 tickets sold and Hollywood action pic "Salt" dropped two spots to fifth with 239,719 admissions. Other movies on the top 10 included "Step Up 3-D," "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang," "Ocean World 3D," "The Experiment" and "Moss."
Reporter: Lucia Hong luciahong @ Editor: Jessica Kim jesskim @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved 10Asia
The Good The Bad The Weird
Directed by Ji-woon Kim
By Scott A. Gray
Some of South Korea's premier talent, both in front of and behind the camera, have pooled their abilities for a wildly fun take on the western genre that's equal parts homage and piss take. Director Ji-woon Kim (A Tale of Two Sisters) wrangled three of his country's top stars into the most ambitious comedic action adventure epic ever mounted by a South Korean production. Shot on location in China, the slight story follows a straight-laced bounty hunter, a psychotic assassin and a wacky thief through '30s Manchuria in pursuit of a stolen treasure map. To whom the titular character tags apply is obvious enough to forego any formal on screen introductions. Credit for the strength of characters with little to no background motivation is due almost entirely to the performers. Song Kang-ho (The Host, Thirst) is one of the world's most chameleonic working actors and his disappearance into the weird, playful shoes of Yoon Tae-goo dominates every frame he occupies. A boon, since he receives more screen time than his good and bad counterparts. Less familiar to North American audiences, Jung Woo-sung (The Warrior) plays bounty hunter Park Do-won cooler than an iced cucumber, with unflappable confidence spilling over into sheer cockiness. In a special feature interview (there's one for each lead and the director), Lee Byung-hun (Joint Security Area, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) expresses doubt in his ability to pull off the campy, rabid rattlesnake intensity required for badass assassin Park Chang-yi. Not to worry, he nailed it. The three divergent temperaments bounce off each other as well as the crazed camera manoeuvres employed to capture the elaborate and beautifully choreographed action sequences. Since the plot is relegated to an afterthought and surrounded by brittle side tangents, most of the features focus on the extraordinary difficulty involved in the shoot itself. Impressively, there were no stunt doubles employed — an insurance nightmare for a Hollywood film pulled off here with pride and gusto by the cast. A great look behind the scenes examines all manner of contraptions used to capture the film's unique camera work. Also included is a highlight reel from Cannes with a great deal of smiling and waving and two "Making Of" features, the second of which is more of a promo advertising the lack of CG or stunts. Whatever it lacks in plot mechanics, whether an intentional jab at the archetypes it's nodding to or simply emulation, The Good The Bad The Weird makes up for it in sheer unadulterated entertainment value. (E1)
Korean media highlight: news.nate.com 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7
August 17, 2010
Korea's tourism promotional video starring Lee Byunghun wins 2010 PATA Gold Award
The promotional travel video by Korean Tourism Organisation featuring South Korean actor Lee Byung Hun (40) and Japanese actress Chiaki Kuriyama (26) entitled 'A Trip to the Heart-Warming Country of Korea' is one of the 20 winners of PATA Gold Award 2010, as stated at the international Tourism Association website.
The awards ceremony takes place on September 17th during PATA Travel Mart 2010 at the Venetian® Macao~Resort~Hotel, Macau SAR.
Director: Kim Ji Woon
Starring: Lee Byung Hun, Choi Min Shik
Produced: 2010 Korea, 144 minutes
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Expressing my deepest respect for Lee Byung Hun and Choi Min Shik.
Objectively speaking, just watching the acting of Lee Byung Hun who’s working really hard
And Choi Min Shik acting creepily scary and cruel
Even with the long running time I didn’t get bored.
I’m sorry to say this but it’s cumbersome to add in someone between the two of them..
I watched Lee Byung Hun in ‘Addicted’ and thought ‘Wa~ This guy acts really well.’
This time too he has fully showed off his acting skills.
Action that’s simple and built up.
The kind of action that shows the intention to kill your opponent as you would in a real fight.
This kind of action is really worth watching.
Like Kitano Takeshi in ‘Blood and Bones’. Or the even more brutal Choi Min Shik
Who often makes us take the focus off Lee Byung Hun.
Because of morally questionable parts this seems to have been banned from general screening…
Is our society that moral?
The world won’t turn evil just because of a movie.
It’s just people who are expressing the ugly and evil world through movies.
Having to become a beast in order to capture a beast, this is a work that contains a good cautionary lesson.
AUGUST 18, 2010 Lee Byung Hun and Im Soo Jung Are “Cinema Angels”
Actors Lee Byung Hun and Im Soo Jung have been chosen as the new representatives in the yearly ”Cinema Angel” project for Bazaar Korea magazine. This project sets out to create a small-scale charity foundation which uses the money donated to it (in the actors’ and Bazaar Korea’s names) to help out the Korean film industry.
The two stars also took part in a photoshoot for Bazaar wearing Burberry, and reportedly were very professional and had a lot of fun, creating a great atmosphere on set. Lee recently acted in the Kim Ji Woon film I Saw The Devil, which is currently in theatres, while Im’s latest film, the romantic comedy Finding Kim Jong-wook, is set to hit theatres later this year. The photos, as well as an interview with the two stars, will be made available in Bazaar’s September issue.
These two look good together, don’t they? I can’t say that I like either of their hairstyles here, but seeing them together like this makes me wish they would do a film together or something. Also, I love that colour of purple on Im Soo Jung. Is it just me, or is she outshining Lee Byung Hun a wee bit here?
Author
Box Office 2010.08.13 ~ 2010.08.15 (won)
Captures from 
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !
August 15 Stage Greeting 
Post time 20-8-2010 01:17 PM
