Korean Weekly News - January 31
NEWS
Now that we know who will star in Kim Ki-Duk's upcoming film 타임 (Time), a few more details about the production are starting to emerge. Kim will return to one of his most successful shooting locations, an island. He previously used the setting for his 2000 film 섬 (The Isle), which in many ways introduced him to the International audience, and you could say the boat in 활 (The Bow) was an island itself, at least psychologically. Kim almost completed shooting at a small island near Jindo in South Jeolla Province, and recently cast Sung Hyun-Ah and Ha Jung-Woo in the leading roles. Release is set for this Spring.
Thought Im Kwon-Taek's problems with 천년학 (Thousand Year Crane) were over, after he found new investors? Think again. Kim Young-Min, who was supposed to play the lead in Im's 100th film, was dropped out at the last minute. He might be unknown to movie fans, but Kim is actually a famous theater actor, who impressed Im with his work in 에쿠우스 (Equus), enough to get the lead. Kim even rejected offers for other theater plays, and was preparing for his role in the film, but when Taeheung Pictures took its hand off the project, the new producers Kino2 wanted to change the cast once again. Lee Hee-Won commented they'll have to complete casting by February if they want to start shooting in March, and although he will definitely not play the lead, Kim Young-Min hasn't been completely excluded from the project. He also said when they signed the contract, there was a clause allowing them to change the cast.
The major reasons why Lotte Entertainment dropped out of the project (which almost forced Taeheung to give up as well) was the lack of stars, but it seems Kino2 wasn't exactly going to forget about Chungmuro's star system either, and spend money on a film without stars. Nothing surprising given how important the drawing power of stars has become in Korea, but after the success of 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown), you'd think producers would be a little more willing to 'risk', even if we're talking about a fraction of a blockbuster's cost.
What would you do, if after risking collapse because of huge debts (over 3 Billion Won), your latest film hit the jackpot, and sold over 8 Million tickets? Organize a huge gala with big stars and all the Media reporters in town, TV and all the hoopla? Go on a trip around the world for two months, turning off mobile phones, laptops, pda and whatnot? Well... Lee Joon-Ik's Cineworld found itself in this exact situation, and to celebrate their 'rebirth', what did they do? They went out for a 삼겹살 (roasted pork ribs) party. Their film 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown) put them out of trouble, becoming the third most successful of all time in Korea, and they ate pork. All they needed were 2 Million tickets, but the film already did four times better, and it keeps going and going. The fact these hard working people are taking all this in such a humble way makes you think. Lee and Cineworld showed Chungmuro you don't necessarily need a lot of money and big stars to make a memorable film, and more than anything else happening in 2005, their achievement needs to be celebrated.
The power of netizens in Korea has become an incredible force, often ruining box office runs, or saving films thanks to word of mouth. They recently brought back Lee Myung-Se's 형사 (Duelist) even if only on a few theaters, and a few years ago the 'Waranago' movement -- taken from the Korean titles of four excellent films which screened again thanks to netizen's protests, all from 2001: 와이키키 브라더스 (Waikiki Brothers), 라이방 (Raybang), 나비 (Nabi: The Butterfly), 고양이를 부탁해 (Take Care of My Cat) -- helped a few quality films with no stars make a little more money. Now it seems the latest film to benefit from such 'power' might end up being Yoon Jong-Chan's 쳥연 (Blue Swallow). Not exactly a 'little' film, as the 10 Billion blockbuster starring Jang Jin-Young and Kim Ju-Hyeok was one of the most awaited films of 2005. But, despite enjoying rave reviews, because of several protests which had very little to do with the film (mostly about protagonist Park Kyung-Won, accused of being Pro-Japanese), Yoon's film collapsed after just two weeks on release, losing a lot of money in the process. A few message boards and Internet Cafe in Korea started a movement to bring back the film to theaters. Whether this happens or not, or on what scale if it does is still up in the air, but it's just nice to hear not all people are swayed by petty propaganda. And for something as good looking as 'Blue Swallow', it feels even better. We can always hope, can't we?
After debuting in Kim Sang-Jin's 귀신이 산다 (Ghost House), and last year's 새드무비 (Sad Movie), former Miss Korea finalist Son Tae-Young has decided her next project, which will be Park Heung-Shik's 경의선 (Gyeongeuiseon). The title refers to a double railroad which once connected Seoul and Shineuiju in North Korea, where our heroine Lee Hanna (Son) will meet the love of her life by accident. The film, which will start shooting on February 10, is directed by Park Heung-Shik -- this is the director of 역전에 명수 (The Twins), not Park Heung-Shik of 사랑해, 말순씨 (Bravo, My Life) -- and produced by Min Films.
Pyo Min-Soo has become one of the most famous PDs in Korea, after finding success with his previous work 풀하우스 (Full House), so anticipation of the fans (not mine) was high for his next TV Drama. One of Noh Hee-Kyung's regulars, Pyo worked with the acclaimed writer in shows like 고독 (Solitude) and 거짓말 (Lie), but it seems his new writer of choice has become Jung Yoo-Kyung. The writer of 현정아 사랑해 (I Love You, Hyun-Jung) will in fact work with Pyo for their upcoming Drama 공주님 (Princess), which will air on MBC after the end of 늑대 (Wolf). Producers Kim Jong-Hak Production are putting the finishing touches on contract negotiations with the leads, which will be Kim Rae-Won and Jung Ryeo-Won.
Kim will play a film director who still can't get over the death of his girlfriend, but then he magically meets a country girl who looks exactly like her (played by Jung). Awww... never seen that before, right? This show will mark Kim's return on the small screen after last year's 러브스토리 인 하버드 (Lovestory in Harvard), and sure enough, 'Princess' will go overseas too, with shoots planned in Brisbane. Also, Jung returns after the incredible success of 내 이름은 김삼순 (My Lovely Sam-Soon) (50+% ratings), and the equally incredible flop of 가을 소나기 (Autumn Shower) (even 2-3% ratings sometimes). Shooting will start in early February, and if all goes well with 'Wolf' we'll see this show from mid March.
That 'if' is important though, because things seem to get bleaker by the moment for the latest MBC Drama. We reported about Moon Jung-Hyuk and Han Ji-Min's accident last week, and while they're slowly recovering, things might take a little longer than expected. Moon has been wearing a cast on his right ankle for over a week now, but he still has problems with his back, which obviously take time to recover from. Although he wants to return to the shoot as soon as possible, his particular condition doesn't really allow much in the way of mobility, and doctors are trying to discourage him from coming back, at least for the four weeks of treatment. But how can you take off a cast after a month of treatment and start running up and down stairs, move as if nothing happened and do everything his role requires? It's impossible, and the more he'll try to hide the fact he was injured, the more people watching will feel uncomfortable. Chorok Media and MBC still have to make a decision on the future of the show, which was supposed to come back next Monday and Tuesday, but it looks very unlikely now.
Two possible scenarios could happen now: MBC waits another few days to check Moon and Han's condition, and probably push the broadcast of the 4th and following episodes another couple of weeks. In the last two weeks they've been showing documentaries and films in the show's place, and the Lunar New Year holidays helped things a little, as viewership went down for all three stations anyway, so they didn't have to worry about ratings and competition, at least for now. But Moon's management say -- rightfully -- that they're not going to risk his health, and will wait the full four weeks before making a decision. Han will take a few other tests tomorrow, and then it will be decided if her condition can allow her to continue. The situation has become complicated, because Wolf still has 11 Episodes to go, and the planned follow-up Drama 'Princess' hasn't even started shooting, so they can't just drop the show and air replacements for 6 weeks. Some people on message boards argued they could use one of the few completed Dramas they have in the can and show 'Wolf' from the beginning later in the Spring, when Moon and Han will be free from any risk. But that's wishful thinking at best. We'll continue to follow the situation in the coming weeks, but it certainly doesn't look good for MBC and 'Wolf'.
Again MBC news, as the casting for one of their upcoming Miniseries has been finalized. 하늘 땅 별땅 (The Land of Sky and Stars) [Working Title... thankfully] will star Han Ye-Seul, Namgoong Min and Kong Hyung-Joo, and is written by 러빙유 (Loving You)'s Kim Jong-Hyun. Oh mama... that casting scares me even more than the 'only $2.99, call now!' title. Han Ye-Seul is one of the worst actresses in Korea, Namgoong Min did well in 장밋빛 인생 (Life in Pink) only because he was working around great veterans, and Kong Hyung-Joo... well, let's not the begin the new (lunar) year with insults, shall we? But if the story is great, it still will be worth watching, right? The show tells the story of Mari (Han), who works for a third rate tabloid, and Geon (Namgoong Min), who once was a country boy in the 지방 (area outside Seoul) but now enjoys the life of a road manager. And of course we have Kong Hyung-Joo, who plays career woman and former teen idol Hye-Ra. The fourth and final part of this love rectangle is a top star (still not cast), reluctant to open himself to other people's attention because of wounds from the past. Han commented she'll show 'acting completely different from the past', which might just mean she'll stop mugging the camera, and perhaps emote a little? This will be the last Drama before Namgoong Min leaves for his 2 years of military, but based on casting and storyline, the beatings he might get there might be less painful than watching this. We'll see...
TV DRAMA WRAPUP
"사람이니까요...나는 사람이니까요. 나는 수술실의 흰쥐가 아니잖아요. 수술시켜놓구 맘대루 이리저리 연구하구 실험하구 이렇게 해라, 저렇게 해라, 이것도 해봐라, 저것도 해봐라, 그렇게 생각 없는 물건마냥 함부로 취급하지 마세요, 나는 내꺼에요. (Because I'm a person... I'm a person, not a lab mouse. Making me go through surgery and researching this and that, doing experiments, telling me to do this and that... stop trying to manipulate me, I'm mine.)"
- From 안녕하세요 하느님 (Flowers for Algernon)
Ahhh... finally the holidays are over. If you survived the onslaught of various Lunar/Chinese New Year dinner parties, visits et all, you're probably as eager to get back into the mix as I am. Just a three day vacation, and I already missed writing. I missed watching TV Dramas, substituted on TV by films I had already seen, TV specials I cared very little about, and a complete absence of news. The situation in the world of TV Dramas, at the end of this first month of 2006, is a little chaotic. A few things are raising a few eyebrows (at least mine): 궁 (Princess Hours) is starting to look more and more like a potential big hit, and a few Mania Dramas are in the making.
We talked a little about 'Princess Hours' in the past, and the fact it was adapted from a popular manhwa, but it seems teenagers (who make up the major demographics target of the show) are pushing the show's rating, now comfortably in the Top 5. This is the first 'hit' for MBC in months, and despite my reservations about the (putrid) acting of the young leads, it's actually not that horrible, once you get used to its strange rhythms and excesses (especially in terms of art direction. This thing looks incredible). But frankly, my attention is going somewhere else. Lee Byung-Hoon's 서동요 (The Ballad of Seo Dong) looked like a scaredy cat in his first two months, but is becoming more and more a roaring tiger, with the storyline becoming increasingly intriguing, and the acting of the three unexperienced leads (Lee Bo-Young, Jo Hyun-Jae and Ryu Jin) is growing on me, I suppose because the supporting cast is doing such a good job. Also, despite falling into a few traps, 마이걸 (My Girl) is heading for its conclusion, and all in all it's been one of the most entertaining little Dramas of the past few months, with Lee Da-Hae's explosive energy and the other main stars (Lee Dong-Wook and Lee Joon-Gi) doing a good job. Yet... two Dramas airing right now simply kill their competition: 안녕하세요 하느님 (Flowers for Algernon) [a.k.a. Hello God] and 신돈 (Shin Don).
The first thing which marks the beginning of 'cult status' for Dramas doing badly in the ratings is 명대사 (famous lines) starting to make their appearance, and the last few episodes of 'Flowers for Algernon' are full of that. It's strange, because I'd usually lose interest pretty fast in Dramas with a similar setup, but there's something at the core of this show which keeps attracting my attention. The acting is not particularly great, although Kim Ok-Bin, Yoo Geon and Lee Jong-Hyuk are doing a good job (no need to praise people like Kang Shin-Il, he's always great), but this is a tremendously 'sweet' show. Now, when you say 'sweet' in TV Dramas it usually means saccharine, syrupy crap like the works of Yoon Seok-Ho, but I'm thinking sweet like 너는 내 운명 (You're My Sunshine), that mix of sincerity, emotional power and good writing which keeps you tied to the screen, even if something inside your head is telling you 이게 완전 신파잖아 (this is a total tearjerker). And yes, the writing is good. I don't know if it will follow the original novel (Flowers for Algernon), but it's using the surgery and the main character's newfound intelligence as a tool to criticize the way people judge others.
When Haru (Yoo Geon) confronts the doctor, telling him: "잊으셨나 본데요. 나는 수술 전에도 인간이었습니다 (I think you're forgetting something, I was a person even before the surgery)", I was telling myself this is not exactly what I expected from a Trendy Drama on TV. But 'Flowers' does what the majority fail to: touch viewers without becoming a sentimental overload; intrigue viewers without jerking their leg with ridiculous cliffhangers; using the cliches and stereotypes of its outline to escape from them, slowly forming a really solid storytelling structure. Whether things will continue on this track or not, I can't possibly know. The show is not doing well in the ratings, averaging around the 10 to 13%, but this raises the possibility of a DVD release, as the show is making a lot of noise on the net for its fresh ideas and strong emotional power.
Finally, let me ventilate a little... why is 신돈 (Shin Don) receiving such little attention? This is the best, most powerful, intriguing, well written Historical Drama of the last 2-3 years, and it's quickly flying up my favorites of the last few years, next to 부활 (Rebirth), 네 멋대로 해라 (Ruler of Your Own World) and 불멸의 이순신 (The Immortal Lee Soon-Shin). Why is this Drama recording ratings around the 12 to 15 percent, instead of showing the kind of numbers of 대장금 (Dae Jang Geum) and 해신 (Emperor of the Sea) (shows 'Shin Don' tramples, at least up to the 30th episode)? If Bitwin plans a DVD release out of this, I'll forever be thankful to them. Hell, I might even forgive them for dropping the 여명의 눈동자 (Eyes of Dawn) release... maybe. Writer Jung Ha-Yeon stikes again, and as of right now, this is the best thing on TV. I'm feeling excited waiting for the new episodes coming in every Weekend, just as much as I were when 허준 (Hur Joon), 상도 (Sang Do), 홍국영 (Hong Guk-Young), 태조왕건 (Wang Gun) and other landmark Historical Dramas aired, and I haven't felt like this in a long time for any Historical Drama, even great ones like 'The Immortal Lee Soon-Shin'. Such a glorious example of what MBC's art department can do, with a wonderful script, great acting from Son Chang-Min, Jung Bo-Seok and the rest of the cast, and the kind of intensity only the best Historical Dramas can show.
TV DRAMA RATINGS
01/24~01/30
01. 35.4% 별난여자 별난남자 (The Bizarre Bunch)
Daily Drama - KBS1 [Cast: Jung Joon, Kim Ah-Joong, Go Ju-Won]
02. 24.1% 서동요 (The Ballad of Seo Dong)
Historical Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Bo-Young, Jo Hyun-Jae, Ryu Jin]
03. 22.8% 마이걸 (My Girl)
Wed/Thu Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Da-Hae, Lee Dong-Wook, Park Shi-Yeon]
04. 19.7% 궁 (Princess Hours)
Wed/Thu Drama - MBC [Cast: Yoon Eun-Hye, Song Ji-Hyo, Joo Ji-Hoon]
05. 19.2% 하늘이시여 (Dear Heaven)
Weekend Drama - SBS [Cast: Yoon Jung-Hee, Lee Tae-Gon, Jo Yeon-Woo]
06. 19.1% 그여자 (That Woman)
Friday Drama - SBS [Cast: Shim Hye-Jin, Jang Dong-Jik, Oh Yoon-Ah]
07. 17.4% 들꽃 (Wild Flower)
Daily Morning Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Ah-Hyun, Seonwoo Jae-Deok, Kim Jung-Hak]
08. 16.6% 고향역 (A Place Called Home)
Daily Drama - KBS1 [Cast: Song Ok-Sook, Park Hyung-Jae, Kim Cheol-Gi]
09. 15.7% 황금 사과 (Golden Apple)
Wed/Thu Drama - KBS2 [Cast: Park Sol-Mi, Park Ji-Bin, Jung Chan]
10. 14.0% 결혼합시다 (Let's Get Married)
Weekend Drama - MBC [Cast: Yoon Da-Hoon, Kang Sung-Yeon, Ju Hyeon] NEW!
TOP RATED DRAMAS OF 2006
01/01~01/30
01. 36.1% 별난여자 별난남자 (The Bizarre Bunch) - KBS
02. 31.9% 슬픔이여 안녕 (Goodbye To Sadness) - KBS
03. 29.9% 하늘이시여 (Dear Heaven) - SBS
04. 24.3% 마이걸 (My Girl) - SBS
05. 24.1% 서동요 (The Ballad of Seo Dong) - SBS
06. 23.0% 황금사과 (Golden Apple) - KBS
07. 22.3% 인생이여 고마워요 (Thank You Life) - KBS
08. 20.6% 그여자 (That Woman) - SBS
09. 19.7% 궁 (Princess Hours) - MBC
10. 18.0% 들꽃 (Wild Flower) - SBS
