Gwangandaegyo Bridge, Busan

   

Connecting the left hemisphere with the right or just bypassing the grey matter in between

where the Suyoung River meets the sea

Just one of many spectacular links in the city of Busan

Korean Tourism Organisation

Especially at night!

Gwangandaegyo Bridge, Busan.   부산 광안대교

BIFF Bucket List

3 days out and counting
Here's my El - Biffo Bucket List,
I fuck'n never make bucket lists, own a bucket list or use the expression.
What's going on?
Anyway I've been watching the fish jumping for joy in the SuYeong River and I'm pretty excited too!
Here we go.

Thurs:
Paradise in Service (Taiwan). Opening night film. Very lucky to get ticket so will attend.

Fri:
Hill of Freedom 자유의 언덕 (Korea). This is Hong Sangsoo's latest, plus it's so short (70min) it mus be sweet and there is a guest visit!!!! Say no more.   

Hong Sangsoo

A Hard Night 끝까지 간다 (Korea). This is a text book case study in genre mechanics and a cracker of a ride. I wanna see it again to break it down a bit plus it has a guest visit.

Love Never Fails 사랑이 이긴다 (Korea) An overachieving high school girl and her overbearing mother. Hmmmm OK!

Kundo: Age of the Rampant 군도:민란의 시대 (Korea). One of this summer's period blockbusters that sent the domestic box office in a spin (in a good way). Must see to experience the fuss and maybe learn some history? It too has a guest visit.

Sat:
The Fatal Encounter 역린 (Korea). A historical piece about a king dodging too many assassins. A debut feature film for a established TV director.

One on One 일대일 (Korea). A Kim Ki-duk film is always worth the investment of some time. Happy to see the progression from Pieta and Mobius plus hear from the boss himself in a guest visit.

Timing 타이밍 (Korea) Superpowers of time control used to solve mysteries! With a guest event to explain. Sounds good to me.

Mother 마더 (Korea) A Bong Joon Hoclassic that needs to be seen on the big screen + guest visit.

Sun:
Roaring Currents 명량 (Korea) Another box office smashing, period, summer blockbuster staring Mr. Old boy himself, Choi Min-sik. Oh yeah it's including a guest visit.

Sion Sono

Tokyo Tribe (Japan). Sion Sono's latest and it sounds like a cracker. If anyone is going to switch me onto Hip Hop it's going to be the Master. Unfortunately amidst unsubstantiated rumours of unreliability and high jinx revelry he will not be in attendance this year. Boo!

Haemoo 해무 (Korea). debut feature and all about people smugglers/fisherman/boat people/illegal immigrants. Sounds kinda close to home?

Venus Talk 관능의 법칙 (Korea). I  dont think this is sex in the city but it might be. I apologise if I'm right off the mark.

Mon: Doco Monday!
The Truth Shall not Sink with Sewol 다이빙벨 (Korea). A doco looking into the disaster of the Sewol ferry sinking and the consequent Government inaction and silence ever since. Controversial and with guest visit. This one will get close to the bone.

The Target 표적 (Korea). A remake of Point Blank! Interesting. Chases & Twists Assassins and a doctor's kidnapped wife. Recipe for goodness maybe?

Southeast Asian Cinema, When the Rooster Crows. (Italian) A documentary featuring four directors from the region, the one that pricked my interest was Brillante Mendoza from the Philippines. This director also made a doco on South Korean cinema a few years back which was met with acclaim.
Tue:
Over your Dead Body (Japan). A ghost story from Takashi Miike, ahhh, OK!

Kill Me Three Times (Australia). Maybe a not so cute follow up to Red Dog.

Socialphobia  소셜포비아 (Korea) Internet bullies, provocative comments online, suicide or maybe murder. If it be too confusing a guest event might help.

Nick & Chai (Philippines). Doco on the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan and how one couple cope.

Wim Wenders

Wed: 
Salt of the Earth (Germany) Interesting doco from Wim Wenders. Track record impeccable, will always check out his work.

Bwaya (Philippines) Crocodile attack in swamps, guest event, Philippines.

Thur:
Han River 한강블루스 (Korea) Suicide, homeless, priesthood and that famous river.

Live TV 라이브TV (Korea) Suitably coocky story of a live internet broadcast of a threesome where they are stalked by a crazed killer. OK I'm there!

The Pirates 해적: 바다로 간 산적 (Korea). Another summer, period blockbuster, this time with those that say arrrggghh!

Asian Short Films program 3. A collection of shorts that are in competition this year.

Fri:
Korean Shorts Prog 1. A collection of shorts that are in competition this year.

Coming Home (China) cause it came highly recommended and has a star studded cast

Pasolini (France/Italy/Belgium). Reconstructing the last days of Pasolini's life. If this is half as good as the short on the same subject "Ostia - La Notte Finale" it will be a cracker.

Lars Von Trier

Nymphomaniac Lars Von Trier at midnight and uncut. Yes Please!

Sat:
Still the Water (Japan) Life, Death & First Love uh huh.



So that's it so far, busy schedule but it still has room for more.....but do I?

Deconstructing the Luncheon for Two

What follows is my unashamed foray into the dark world of food porn.
I have flirted on the side in the past with certain posts dedicated to certain dishes or foods but this time I'm going in deep. I will attempt to breakdown the spread that appeared on the table whilst dining at midday on the outskirts of JeonJu.
It was a journey of almost four hours from Busan to reach this meal and via a city famous for its Bibimbap and chocolate cakes. So what was so good about this food, why forgo famous dishes and travel so far? Well let me try to explain through a detailed deconstruction of what appeared on the table.

훈제오리 정식 (full meal of Smoked Duck) lunch for two

OK so that's the spread!
actually there are a few items missing.
There was an appetizer of warm pumpkin soup and just outside the frame is a plate of pancake (3 different colours/flavours). Also only one of the three different teas presented is visible in the photo.

Legend

 

1.              The hero of the dish, Smoked Duck (훈제오리), thinly sliced about the size of a fifty cent piece

2.              Fried Mackerel pike (꽁치)

3.              Lettuce leaves

4.              Sweet Mustard Sauce

5.              Bean paste

6.              Roast pumpkin with rice on the inside. The rice is a purplish colour and has dark grains and beans in it.

7.              Leek Salad, thinly sliced leek leaves, plus some other salad leaves, quite spicy.

8.         Crab legs

9.         Coleslaw

10.       Leafy Salad with some sliced beef

11.       Fried Glass Noodle & vegetables with soy sauce (잡채)

12.       Kimchi

13.       Beanpaste Pottage Soup (된장국)

14.       Tea

15.       Garlic (raw & sliced)

16.       Eggplant side

17.       Kimchi, V2

18.       Salted Spicy Octopus with garlic

19.       Spinach Salad

20.       Mushrooms in Ground Perilla Seeds Sauce

21.       Dried Anchovy with Peanuts

Essentially the way to eat this was to grab a lettuce leaf and put a dollop of rice, a piece of duck, some paste, one or two or maybe three of the sides, roll it up into a package and plop it into your mouth. Yum!
So as far as full meals go, this one was pretty intense and just so delicious in so many ways, it seriously played all the palette notes with precision and gusto. Just delightful!
Now to really blow you away for those concerned more with the wallet than taste.
₩30 000 for two!! that's a bit over AUD$34.00. WOW. cheap cheap & exquisite.

19th BIFF, 2014. Build it and they will come

Yes I'm back in Southern South Korea, Busan to be exact.
and I'm back to attend the 19th Busan International Film Festival.
and yup I'm pretty excited again!

the cinema centre before the crowds

I've been writing about BIFF for the last four years and this is my second time attending.
There has always been a common theme for me and if you run through the blog archive (right hand side) each year around October you will read what I mean.
Sion Sono, Hong Sangsoo and Kim Ki Duk are three favourites who regularly deliver to this festival and this year is no exception.

 Tokyo Tribe is Sono's foray into the world of Hip Hop!!!! or is that just a gross misrepresentation?? Who cares? because anything Mr. Prolific does is guaranteed to be quite fucked up even if it be a journey closer to the mainstream

Hill of Freedom is Hong's shortest feature to date but still promises a lot of loop de loops with his fantastic narrative style with lashings of wry sense of humour.

One on One is Kim Ki-duk's brutal commentary on life today in Korea, though of course done in his own abstract kinda way....aparently. They say not his best work to date but hey, I'll watch his films anyday cause he's a fascinating story teller and a fascinating filmmaker.

 For me seeing these three films is enough and only Sion Sono is not in town for Q&A's but I secretly think he will jet in at the last minute, cause it's only just around the corner for him eh?

This is just the start, there is so much more going on at this festival but more on that later.

The 19th BIFF, 2014 is happening early October for about 10 days and one of the pleasures of being here a little bit early is that I see the stage get built, little bit by little bit.

Haeundae Beach

Videos that are a Gas! #11

Listen to this one loud and large.
A message from the future.
Two concepts that I have always embraced.
Thoughts can be instantly manifested, we can do this now but thank god we don't cause we haven't the discipline needed to avoid annihilation.
Plants are so much more than most of us can comprehend, or even imagine. They are masters at work.
Let There Be Light!!!!

See You There.