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Busan Cinematheque to Screen Ecletic Mix of Classics


 

“FILMS IN OUR MEMORIES” FILM SERIES

Where: Busan Cinematheque

When: November 17 – December 20

This month’s lineup at the Busan cinematheque is supposed to have something to do with memory, but I don’t buy it, and I can’t for the life of me see what links these movies together. The selection is super eclectic, sprawling from the 30s to the 90s, and drawing from the works of filmmakers from different movements. There’s nothing wrong with variety, but the lack of a common thread makes writing an introduction for the film series a more difficult task. So I’ll just present you with the list of movies being screened and let you know that I’m stoked to see more by Lubitsch, Demy, and Carne, and perhaps revisit “Fargo” and “Last Tango in Paris.” But what I’m looking forward to most is catching Lean’s 3 hour epic about the Bolshevik Revolution, “Doctor Zhivago,” on the big screen.

Films in English or with English Subtitles:

The Merry Widow (Ernst Lubitsch, 1934)

Therese Raquin (Marcel Carné, 1953)

Twenty-Four Eyes (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1954)

Doctor Zhivago (David Lean, 1965)

The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)

Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)

Last Tango in Paris (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1972)

A Chinese Ghost Story (Siu-Tung Ching, 1987)

Thelma and Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)

Fargo (The Coen Bros, 1996)

Films Without English Subtitles:

The Young Girls of Rochefort (Jacques Demy, 1967)

Cesar and Rosalie (Claude Sautet, 1972)

Our Sweet Days of Youth (Bae Chang-Ho, 1987)

Time of the Gypsies (Emir Kusturica, 1989)

Every Morning of the World (Alain Corneau, 1991)

Korean Movie Review #2: A Good Lawyer’s Wife (2003)


A Good Lawyer's Wife Cast( Source )

Like last week’s choice of movie, A Good Lawyer’s Wife defies easy description.

Heavily marketed on the basis of its explicit sexual content, and with probably no longer than 10 minutes between one sex scene and the next, on the surface it is simply pornography masquerading as art-house cinema. Or so I thought when I first saw it at the cinema in August 2003, my – let’s be honest – appreciation of Moon So-ri’s (문소리) nude body tempered by the knowledge that the object of her affections was Bong Tae-gyu (봉태규), then regularly appearing in numerous childish and annoying television commercials. Hardly lacking for access to pornography, I saw no reason to watch it again in the next 6 years.

But the movie was my first introduction to Hwang Jung-min (황정민), whom after seeing his transformation into a bumbling, possibly slightly mentally-handicapped idiot in You Are My Sunshine (너는 내 운명; 2005) a little later, instantly became one of my favorite actors. And then seeing So-ri’s brief but stellar performance in Peppermint Candy (박하사탕; 2000) last week too, I thought I’d give it another chance. After all, my tastes are a little more mature and more discerning now, and far from being put off by depictions of relationships between 30-something women and (often) childish younger men, if all goes to plan I’ll be formally writing a dissertation on precisely that by next March.

Watching it (again) myself over several nights originally then, I was very surprised at how much I liked it this time, and how much of the plot I’d either overlooked or simply gotten completely wrong 6 years ago. Struggling to determine why my opinion had changed so dramatically on a second viewing, I decided to watch it with my wife to see if she liked it also, and more importantly why. Unfortunately, she too thought it was largely pornography masquerading as art-house cinema(!), but she did at least confirm what I’d relearned about the plot. And watching her reactions out of the corner of my eye while ironing shirts (as one does when seeing a highly pornographic movie for the third time), finally it came to me.

A Good Lawyer's Wife Movie Poster

The first thing of note is that its English title is an extremely poor choice. Although it’s true that So-ri’s sexual frustrations with lawyer-husband Jung-min are the catalyst for her having an affair with her teenage neighbor (not actually consummated until close to the end, but – rather than maintaining the suspense – the DVD introduction helpfully shows that scene!), she is by no means a “society wife” smiling inanely at his shoulder at numerous dinner parties and so forth; in fact, she literally has no involvement in his working life and relationships whatsoever. There’s no evidence to suggest that she “gave up her dancing career in order to be a good lawyer’s wife” either, despite what the appalling Wikipedia article on the movie suggests, and one suspects that – like many English-speaking viewers – the writer was misled by the title.

Instead, a much better translation of “바람난 가족” would have been “A Family Having Affairs,” and accordingly it is quickly revealed in the first few minutes that with the exception of Jung-min’s dying father (competently played by Kim In-moon {김인문}) all main adult characters are or will have illicit sexual relationships: Jung-min a long-standing one with Baek Jeong-rim (백정림), a very complex character difficult to get to grips with in just one sitting; his mother Yoon Yeo-jeong (윤여정) with a minor character; and of course So-ri with Tae-gyu. And therein lies the source(s) of the continual sex scenes, which apparently attracted Korean viewers in droves (it was #1 at the box office).

But what, amongst all the sex, were the other points of this movie? What, indeed, was its “moral,” which – as I stressed in my last review – I believe a movie has to have in order to be worthwhile?

Well, without wanting to give any of the plot away, by virtue of all the affairs this is clearly a family with problems (even an adopted son is aware that Jung-min is lying when he says he’s working late). Jung-min’s reasons for his are unfortunately never elaborated, but his mother’s are: like Moon So-ri, she was sexually frustrated.

And how, in a marriage, might one become so?

A Good Lawyer's Wife 2003

Well, while I’m not naive or intellectually shallow enough to attribute all married couples’ sexual problems to a lack of communication, nor arguing that communicating with one’s spouse (or partner for that matter) automatically solves them, I would wager that – if you’ll forgive the pun – a lack of communication is at the root of the vast majority of them. But whereas So-ri may not have been able to resolve her own sexual frustration with Jung-min given that he was already secretly having an affair, tellingly she doesn’t even try. Instead, as one would expect from a fucked-up family, she seems to have her heart set on fucking Tae-gyu literally the morning after Jung-min fails to satisfy her (the poster on the right is rather misleading).

Granted, to a large extent I’d simply be projecting in seeing meaning in that. After all, after 9 years together as a couple (5 married), my wife and I have naturally had our own sexual issues, especially after the birth of 2 children, but – with the knowledge that not doing so would have grave consequences for our marriage – all happily resolved by simply discussing things. Hence, despite all the attention on them, I do personally see all the affairs and the sex in the movie as natural consequences of and/or metaphors  for something deeper. As I think was the deliberate intention of director Im Sang-soo (임상수).

For instance, as Darcy Paquet in his excellent review at Koreanfilm.org points out, this is not the first time he has presented frank sexuality and nonconformist heroes in his movies. And in particular, bear in mind that with: the longest working hours in the world (albeit many of which are not actually spent working); the lowest women’s workforce participation rate in the OECD; and prostitution accounting for 4.1% of GDP also, then as this Japanese author (and personal experience) suggests, there are a lot of virtually sexless marriages in this part of the world.

Ergo, there may be more to the popularity of this movie than mere voyeurism, particularly as it was the enthusiastic response to finally having such frustrations articulated in popular culture in the mid-1990s that is what made movies like this possible in the first place.

True, I’ve yet to look for confirmation from Korean-language sources of that (watch this space). But as a response to potential accusations of overanalysis and projection then, let me offer this challenge: at the behest of their relatives and descendants, Jung-min’s main legal case in the movie – presented in the very first scene in fact – involves the unearthing of victims of an atrocity, which presumably took place during the Korean War or just before. There are also references to Jung-min’s own extended family being separated by the Korean War. While I have yet to come across any reviewer that interprets the former as any more than merely establishing his character as a lawyer though, and hence easily interchangeable with any other legal case, what purpose could both serve other than as metaphors for the broken family at the heart of this movie?

Likewise, gratuitous sex  is not what this movie is all about. And so compelling are all main characters’ stories, that despite yourself you may be wishing that one or two sex scenes had been removed in favor of further character development by the end of the movie. Indeed, the only criticism of the movie I have personally is that even after 3 viewings, Jung-min’s motivations for his affairs remain a frustrating enigma.

Baek Jeong-rim Hwang Jung-min

Next week, if I can find it: My Wife is a Gangster (조폭 마느라; 2001) Samaritan Girl (사마리아; 2004).

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Posted in Korean Movie Reviews, Korean Movies, Korean Sexuality Tagged: A Good Lawyer's Wife, Bong Tae-gyu, 문소리, 바람난 가족, 봉태규, 김인문, Im Sang-soo, 윤여정, 임상수, Kim In-moon, Moon So-Ri, Yoon Yeo-jeong
  

 

Question from a reader: Pros and cons of coming to Korea

A reader writes in:

I hope you don’t mind me emailing you? I came across your blog whilst surfing online and would appreciate any advice from you with regard to teaching English in South Korea.

I’m South African and would be coming across in March 2010, I’ve been offered work in the province Chungcheongnamdo School District, can you please tell me more about it?

As you can imagine I’m a bit nervous as this is my first time working abroad in a foreign country so I’d like a bit more information i.e. advantages/disadvantages/pro’s/con’s with working and living in South Korea.

Any advice would be so much appreciated.

As far as accepting work in Korea, take a look at where Chungcheongnamdo is (the light green province):


Depending on where you are in the province, you may be somewhat far away from major cities, but that can be both a plus or minus. Chungcheongnam-do does have a few subway stations on line 1 that connect to Cheonan and terminate at Sinchang; Daejeon is connected to Seoul via KTX, which takes only an hour to traverse the distance between the two cities.

As for pros and cons, that's the sort of list you'd have to sit down and make for yourself, based on your own research and feelings. There are plenty of reasons to come to Korea, or to try your luck with another country as I've recently written about. My personal pros and cons list is below - again, make your own.

PROS:
  • Relatively nice standard of living, even higher than in the US in some areas
  • Easy-to-use public transportation
  • Relatively clean and comfortable lifestyle
  • Plenty of places to travel / plenty of things to do (even after 19 months of seeing one new place a week, there's plenty more to go).
  • Plenty of community if you know where to look
CONS:
  • Some discrimination against foreigners
  • Getting more difficult to find a quality job
  • Very few career options - you need to break out of teaching unless you like making the same salary with little chance of raises
  • The language barrier can limit contact with the locals
Basically, the decision comes down to whether you WANT to move (choice, perceived lifestyle improvement, etc) or NEED to move (have to find a job or place to live). If you NEED to move, Korea probably isn't for you - it can be too unpredictable at times.

If you WANT to move, proceed to step 2 - what do you WANT to do? There are teaching jobs of all age levels and all over the country - some are just a little harder to get. In general, teaching kids is the easiest job to get, but teaching adults is also a job that's easier to get. Teaching at university is far more competitive and usually requires a Master's degree.

Later on, move to step 3 - review your personal reasons to traveling / wanting to leave your home country. Do you just want to do it for a year? Do you have responsibilities to take care while away from home (bills to pay, houses / cars to take care)? What might you get into after the first year?

Since you've already been offered a job, I'd be inclined to learn more about the job, and accept it if it's what you're looking for. What are the hours like? How much is the salary? What other responsibilities will you have outside of teaching? Bear in mind that other jobs will be available - and you have plenty of time to find them. Good luck.

If you have a question of your own, write to me at chrisinsouthkorea AT gmail DOT com.

Readers, what are your pros and cons of living in Korea?


Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2009

 

Korean Music is Not Compatible With Ecstasy

This has been the best Monday ever, and it's not even 2 pm yet. I almost want to go to bed and call it a day. It can only go downhill from here. There have been at least three great moments of quality what-the-Hell-just-happened for me so far today. This was just one. We were discussing anti-smoking regulations in one of my favourite classes this morning. It went something like this:


Barbie: Does anybody have any vocabulary questions from the article?

Sober Student: I just want to know... have you ever had marijuana.

Barbie: That's not... okay, yes. Yes, I have. Before coming to Korea. I quit a few months before arriving. This is less of a big deal where I come from.

Sober Student: What does marijuana feel like?

Not Sober Student: Marijuana is too soft! Like cigarettes.

Barbie: Like cigarettes?

Not Sober Student: Yes. Too soft.

Barbie: You're clearly not getting the right stuff.

Not Sober Student: Ecstasy is better. Marijuana, cigarettes, too soft. But ecstasy is good.

Sober Student: Barbie, have you...

Barbie: No. I haven't. I -

Not Sober Student: Ecstasy is good, but no good with Korean music. Korean music, too slow. Korean music and ecstasy are not compatible.


The class just moved on with the lesson at that point, because really, what more was there to say?



Jangsan Homesan

Sometimes the best place to explore is your own backyard.











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Having Watched You Fall Over, I am Now Titillated

I was out and about on the weekend. I've been doing more of that lately, now that my face has mostly healed up. It's never going to entirely, which is probably just as well; I can make amazing pissy faces now that my left eyebrow doesn't have quite the range that the right does.

 
Late Saturday, the group I was with insisted on going to a bar which I have declared too gross to enter. It's not, really. I'm being completely irrational. It's like my fear of gigantic stuffed animals (they're creepy), except that I actually used to go to the bar in question, and even had a good time there once;I have absolutely not ever spent time with gigantic stuffed animals.
 
Not wanting to make a fuss, I said something to the friends about being tired anyways, and they set off on their way. A good time had already been had, and I was not itching to stay out all night. I was content to have an out.
 
Going home without two wraps from the kebab guy seemed like a bad idea. As I was deciding which kebab guy to go to, a very one-sided fight stumbled into one of the stands. So far as I could tell, words were quickly exchanged, then one guy hit the other, who bounced off the stand before falling into a car. The victor walked off, presumably because his statement had been made and he was now bored. Understandable.
 
As I waited for my wonderfully delicious food, the guy who had just bounced off the car approached me at the stand. He wanted advice on whether or not to pursue the guy who had hit him. By virtue of being in a fantastic place at the wrong time, I was the go-to person for these things.
 
Me: Did he have a reason to hit you?
Car Bouncer: Uh.. yeah. But..
Me: Can you take him down, or are you just looking to get your ass kicked?
CB: I probably can't...
Me: Then why would you?
CB: That's a good point.
Me: Isn't it? Running after guys that can and will crush you like a bug is never a good plan.
 
CB then introduced himself to me all proper-like, told me that I was very wise (true) and asked me to join him for a drink. I politely declined, and wished him luck with the whole not-getting-his-ass-kicked thing. As I walked off, he took his cause to the kebab guy, in search of a second opinion as to whether or not he should be a completely self destructive disaster.
 
I did not stay to see the result.
 
 
 
 

Honeymoon: The Casinos of Macau

A couple of hundred years before the British colonised Hong Kong, the Portugese were already in Macau under a slightly more amicable agreement. Macau was once a major trading portal for South East Asia, but declined in that role and has since become more famous for its casinos.

The best way to get from Hong Kong to Macau is by ferry. There are a few different services, but they're all around the same price. The trip takes about an hour and if you have a Hong Kong tourist visa, it's very simple to go to Macau.

You don't need to reserve tickets beforehand, because there are ferries departing every 30 minutes. You just pay for the ticket (around US$50) and an hour later you can board with your luggage.

Macau does have an international airport, but it's only popular with the richer crowd. Departing by ferry also gives you some better sights of both harbours.

As soon as we got on the ferry, Heather spotted a packet of dried squid for sale behind a counter. But they wouldn't let us buy it until the ferry left the port, so Heather sat down and did a good job pretending that she was thinking about other things, beside the squid. But I know Heather pretty well. Some people get dollar signs in their eyes when they think of money, but Heather gets little squid silhouettes when she wants to eat dried squid.

As soon as the ferry left port, she had the squid in her hands and was munching gleefully. Late at night, squid parents tell their squid children about the Heather Monster.

The first thing I noticed about Macau was the blueness of the twilight sky. I was so used to the grey skies of Seoul that I had forgotten about its usual pleasant tones.

Hotels and casinos are big business in Macau and shuttle buses constantly arrive at the ferry terminal to transport new guests to their destinations. At the bus station you can roughly gauge how popular your hotel is, just by seeing how frequently the shuttle buses arrive. For the Venetian Hotel, buses come every couple of minutes. We had to wait around 45 minutes for ours.

We stayed at the Casa Real Hotel, which was pretty good in the end. A nice room with breakfast will put you back around US$130 per night.

I usually don't like to spend a lot on hotels, because we're normally out for most of the day anyway. But I spent a little more on the honeymoon just because.

As soon as we dropped off our luggage, we went out to have a look around. Macau itself is smaller than Hong Kong, and it similarly has both a peninsula and an island.

The first thing you notice about the city is an abundance of neon that one may previously have believed could only be found in Seoul.

What do we think of Macau? Small and dazzling.

Macau has historically been a gambling destination, as the Portugese government introduced relaxed gaming laws centuries ago. There are about 11 major casinos in the city and probably around 40 other smaller ones.

This hotel is called the L'Arc New World. It opened on the week we arrived and is currently the tallest hotel in Macau.

Coincidentally, the general manager of the L'Arc is my old Casuarina boss from Adelaide, Peter Ng. If you look back through the archives of this blog to 2007, you can see his old hotel where I used to teach, which was at The Seacloud in Busan. If we had come on any other week except opening week, we probably would have stayed here.

This is the lobby of the hotel. We'll come back here in a later blog post.

All the big name hotels from Las Vegas are now in Macau, including the MGM Grand. In terms of gambling quantity and number of tables, Macau has already overtaken Vegas and continues to grow. I would attribute that to a more ingrained gambling culture in the Chinese tourists who make up the majority of visitors. Luck is a prominent part of Chinese culture, with all sorts of symbolic things considered lucky. And when you have enough people believing in luck, there's money to be made.

But one good thing about lots of people spending money is that the casinos have reinvested a small portion of that into free attractions. In the lobby of the MGM Grand is this display on the ceiling, representing the heavens. It's much larger than it looks in the photo.

Directly underneath it is the Earth. The whole display starts moving at 9pm every night and people crowd around to watch the show.

The ceiling opens up to reveal an enormous LED display, and from the ground emerges the Money Tree. On some nights, the tree comes out, and on other nights a large golden dragon comes out instead.

It rotates slowly in its dazzling glory and people throw coins at it for good luck.


Here's a slightly long video of part of the show. Love them or hate them, the casinos of Macau know how to impress people with a good show.

More of that coming later. See you soon!

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

DAY TRIP!
We took a quick little trip over to Gyeongju for the day.
Tory got her geek on while I tried to keep my hangover in check.


We rented bikes.
They were amazing.









Klaus came along too, but I think he was a little disappointed that everything "historical" we saw were replicas.






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