[HanCinema's Digest] Cinema Snippets

The Hollywood Reporter weighs in on Kim Hyun-seok's hit drama "I Can Speak", film journalist and critic Pierce Conran examines Korea's emphasis on fostering new talent, Asia Media reviews Jang Joon-hwan's timely political drama ("1987: When the Day Comes"), and KoBiz's latest infographic charts the depiction of the afterlife in fantasy flicks.

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""I Can Speak": Film Review"

Kim Hyun-seok made his directorial debut back in 2005 with the romantic comedy "When Romance Meets Destiny" (Kim Joo-hyuk and Bong Tae-gyu), which he also wrote the screenplay for. Since then, Kim has produced five other films, including the "critical and popular comedy-drama" "I Can Speak" starring veteran actress Na Moon-hee and actor Lee Je-hoon. "I Can Speak" had its premiere in Korea late September 2017 and scored 3.2 million admissions during its theatrical run. Here, Elizabeth Kerr reviews Kim's latest hit for The Hollywood Reporter, concluding that it's "An important and timely story that could use a bit more grace and nuance". Have you seen Kim's latest offering? Let us and others know your thoughts about it in the comment section below...

...READ ON THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"Today New Faces, Tomorrow's Stars"

"Compared to many other countries", writes K-film critic and journalist Pierce Conran, "Korea places a special emphasis on identifying and fostering new talent". In this feature article on KoBiz, Pierce puts a number of Korea's talented young actresses in the spotlight, including Kim Go-eun ("A Muse"), Park So-dam ("The Priests", "The Silenced"), and Kim Tae-ri ("The Handmaiden"). These and other notable female talents have been recognised by various film organisations and industry events (e.g. the Grand Bell Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics)-"all of whom we can expect great things from throughout this year and those to come".

...READ ON KOBIZ

"ILM REVIEW: "1987: When the Day Comes""

"This movie can function as a great crash course for younger Koreans who perhaps had only heard of the so-called June Democratic Uprising, and for non-Koreans to whom much of this will be news", writes Alexis Cruz in his review of Jang Joon-hwan's hit political drama "1987: When the Day Comes" on Asia Media. The film, which stars Kim Yun-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Yoo Hae-jin and Kim Tae-ri, was released in Korea two days after Christmas and, to date, has scored over 7 million admissions.

...READ ON ASIA MEDIA

"The Afterlife Fantasy"

Pixar's new film "Coco" has been a massive success; currently, it's grossed just under $700 million worldwide, and in March we will find out if it can come away with the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in America. The film deals with death and the afterlife inspired by the ideas celebrate on Mexico's Day of the Dead. In Korea, meanwhile, another fantasy film dealing with death has raced to become the second-highest grossing Korean film of all time. Kim Yong-hwa's "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" is the first of two films based on a webcomic by Joo Ho-min; "The story begins with the death of the main character. In the beginning of the movie, firefighter Ja-hong dies unexpectedly in order to save a kid and is taken to the afterlife by three guardians", writes Hwang Hee-yun on KoBiz, whose new infographic shows just how much death is revealing itself in the zeitgeist with great success.

...READ ON KOBIZ