BIFFology 101

          Why BIFF 2015?
                                                        Well why not I say!
          Not enough you say?
                                                       OK then, well try this on for size.
First up, 3 X the usual suspects.

Hong Sang Soo presents his latest Right Now Wrong Then.
Professor, pretty girl, time warps, a palace & drinking. Same old, same old? Apparently not!
By all accounts it's a cracker, winning awards at Lorcarno (Golden Leopard & Best Actor)

this is not a trailer, just a still

Kim Ki Duk has a new one called Stop. Inspired by Fukoshima and set in Tokyo.
Looking forward to an improvement on last years One on One.

• Tsubasa Nakae  & Natsuko Hori 

Sion Sono has The Virgin Psychics, this will be the third new Sono film I have seen this year!!!!
Looks like a blend of Love & Peace & Tag??? But that's just a wild guess from the trailer.
Lookk forward to more tough school girls and his high kicking, up skirt signature shots.

ohhhh Sono!!!!

One summer blockbuster
Last year there were a few of these shown, this year it is Assassination by Choi Dong-Hoon, the man who bought us The Thieves. One of the big summer hits (over 10 millionat the box office) but they haven't shown it with subtitles yet.
Set in the Japanese occupation, it's all about an assassination squad in the Korean resistance.

Movie Poster

One from China (at least)
The Assassin by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, I now everyone saw it at MIFF but I was stuck here in Seoul.
Ethereal, period murder? One to watch according to the grapevine.

movie poster

A couple of classics
Seven Samurai, from Akira Kurosawa, the film that became The Magnificent Seven

the gang

The Housemaid by Kim Ki Young (original) 1960. Loved the remake so looking forward to the original in lucious Black & White.

tension?

And lastly for now.
Brillante Mendoza brings his latest, Taklub. Always interested in his work, a legend of the Philippines. This is another of his films with Nora Aunor, another legend.

movie poster

I'll be heading down for the first six days (I know but logistics & commitments) and am planning to see all these and fill in the gaps with a smattering of new Korean cinema.
Such a great festival and always lots of fun in between the movies. See you there?

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?

Tokyo FILMEX 2012

Okay, so now I wanna go to Japan!

A wee bit late, may have missed the boat but still could fly there.

What a program, What a festival. Tokyo FILMEX 2012

The creme de la creme of Asian Cinema but only nine films in competition?

Ahha but 14 films in special screenings!

Here's a little run down on some of the South Korean & Japanese gems

Hong Sang soo's In Another Country is the opening film and he was a there for a Q&A. This is an extraordinarily witty film with the addition of English dialogue from Isabelle Huppert presence making for some fantastic cross conversations and quite awkward situations. For me it was evidence of evolution of filmmaker and thus I see it totally as fitting to be an opening film for a good look'n festival.

Moon Sori, Hong Sangsoo, French actress Isabelle Huppert,  Yu Jun Sang                                                                             and Youn Yuh-jung arrive for the screening of "In Another Country." at Canne 2012

Also in Japan.
Hong Sang soo has four films touring the country, described as a 'roadshow'. Sounds like the surf movie exhibition route of traveling the coast of Australia during summer? Hahaha, Like You Know It All, Oki‘s Movie and The Day He Arrives. The roadshow started at Cinemart Shinjuku, Tokyo on November 18th. After 6 weeks in Tokyo, the roadshow will move to Osaka and continue for 3 weeks. Then it will progress to other cities including Nagoya, Kyoto and Fukuoka.

But back to Filmex, here's a bit of a coup, Sion Sono's Bad Film is getting it's premier.
Shot in 1995 on Hi8 it was never finished! That is until this year, 17 years later and apparently sourced from 150hrs of footage, this is one that I would love to see.
Stunning, awe-inspiring, masterwork are some of the adjectives used to describe this film.

161min of pure experimental Sion Sono

I'm excited. It's political, it's activism, it's about China and Japan. It stars Tokyo GAGAGA
It's a good year when they release Bad Film.

Ok and now back to Korea, the one that roared at Venice this year, with some controversy but hell I still wanna see it that's for sure.
Kim Ki Duk's - Pieta
The first South Korean film to win the ol' Golden Lion. It's a film about mum and son but that's really under selling it.

Two of his other films are on my to see list. The auto biographical doco Arirang and one I almost saw at KOFFIA this year Spring Summer Autumn  Winter...and Spring

 

No doubt I've missed some beauties in this years line up but hey if you just saw these three in a week it'd be a pretty darn good one. eh? just another good reason to visit Japan. but hurry!