ray

Have any of you seen either movie? I've been hearing great things about Taegukgi which is a film about two brothers who fight in the Korean War. Apparently it's being touted as the best Korean movie in recent years.

The other film is Silmido. The movie was just released on DVD as a 3-disc set but before I go and buy it I wanted to get some personal feedback from people.

Lastly, I know Taegukgi was just released in the theaters in Korea, but if any of you know where I can get the DVD (Korean w/english subtitles) please let me know!

ShawnLee

It was alright. Taegukgi that is. I think it was that. If it's about the two brothers, then I think it's that... Yeah, it was a little too ambivalent to the Commies for my taste. I mean, not too badly, but some things almost seemed to make the North Koreans the good guys. That, and its political message was skewed. As if the Koreans were doing all the work and making the decisions, and simultaneously were being subjected to imperialism from the US and China. Or did I read too much into it? Eh.

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speedracer120

Yeah, Taegukgi is alright. Like Shawn I thought the whole message got skewered by the director. I don't know where you can get a DVD of it at all, we only watched it on some crappy screenie that we rented from the usual video store culprits who pass it off as the real video release. Honestly I think Silmido will be another rehash of late from Korean movie makers with an ambivalent attempt to make you think about the "evils" of Communism/North Korea pitted against the fastidiuos yet incidious attempts of South Korean governments of the past (read ultra-conservatives) to kill the evil heads of state.

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kimchicowboy

i didn't have a chance to watch taegukgi in the theaters. a friend of mine (korean-american) cried when he watched it.

EVERY korean i know liked it a lot.

silmido: heck, i never heard of it. i guess there's just a lot more press about the romantic comedies. heheh. go figure.

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ArkiStan

Heck they both suck. Silmido just lacks any kind of style, and the only reason Taegukgi got so much press is because it was the most expensive Korean movie ever made. And everybody here knows that has nothing to do with the quality of a movie.

Now if you want to watch some "quality" Korean cinema, go watch Memories of Murder (2003), based on a true story of a serial killer. We shall talk again after that.

Old Boy, which won grand prix at Cannes this year, was also decent. Check it out if you have some time left over after Memories of Murder.