Enter South Korea! South Korea?!

By Kenneth Quan

For the film aficionados amongst us, who does not lament the decline of Hong Kong Cinema's golden decade of the 80s? Who does not long for the days when morally ambiguous good/bad guys, dressed in the requisite trench coat, walk slow-mo cool as they unload their 9mm Berettas? Who does not yearn for the ostentatiously choreographed fight scenes waltzing across the screen in any number of John Woo's "bullet ballet" films?

Those days unfortunately are gone. Attribute the fall from grace to what you will; the over-abundance of black market VCDs, the huge regional economic downtown, the 1997 British Handover, the mid-90s talent drain exodus to Hollywood.
What little faith remains in the Hong Kong film industry lie in the few names (Wong Kar-Wai and Johnnie To) who have gained an international following; but as to whether Hong Kong will ever again be Asia's cinema juggernaut remains in doubt.

In the meantime, another wave of regional cinema has gripped the Asian continent and has begun titillating international cinema buffs with thematically challenging and highly entertaining productions. Enter South Korea. Strange as it may sound, with a combination of an exponentially growing economy and an increasingly relaxed draconian censor board, South Korea has quietly become the hub of Asian cinema since the late nineties. Yet with sparse literature done on this new movement, filmmaker and online film critic Anthony C.Y. Leong has taken the initiative in writing a highly entertaining book devoted to the film industry entitled "Korean Cinema: The New Hong Kong."

In the book, Leong gives a brief but thorough analysis as to how the small country, perched between two formerly formidable filmmaking powerhouses (Japan and Hong Kong), has been able to usurp the formers' position. From that point forward, Leong gleefully dives into compiling and reviewing nearly every South Korean film of note released in the last half decade. If one expects dry academic analysis - don't, because Leong makes the guidebook an entertaining and fun read without the stuffiness of texts used in far too many university film classes. Leong doesn't claim to have written a comprehensive guidebook, instead he matter-of-factly states that it is to act as a guide for the novice film fan who wants to be introduced to the wide range of works being churned out.

Leong conveniently gives "a small taste and flavor of the cinematic powerhouse" by categorizing and ranking his reviewed films by their respective genres (action, comedy, drama, horror, romance) into separate chapters. It should be noted that Leong does not write fluffy glowing reviews with 5 star must see suggestions; what he offers is an honest introduction to the great, good, bad and ugly. And as a pleasant and unique surprise, he also devoted a section on the rising stars of the industry. Leong includes a brief bio and filmography of each and every star and starlet.

Perhaps the one chapter that is able to showcase the best that South Korea has to offer is the self explanatory, "Ten Films Korean Films Everyone Should See." The ever requisite mention of classics such as the politically charged actioner "Shiri"(1999), the heart wrenching Roshomon-like tale of "JSA" (Gongdong Gyeonbi Guyeok JSA) (2000), and the brotherhood themed "Friends" (Chingu) (2001) are present, but Leong also places a few surprises to those less initiated. Among the list, Leong includes the quirky and hilarious comedies "My Wife is a Gangster" (Jopog Manura) (2001) and "My Sassy Girl" (Yeopgijeogin geunyeo) (2001) to thematically complex and technically challenging fare like "Peppermint Candy" (Bakha Satang) (2000).

If the films in Leong's guide are indicative of what's to come out of South Korea in the next decade, then expect its film industry to be as influential and highly regarded as Hong Kong's once was. Once again, Leong writes that his guide isn't comprehensive, but for anyone who's only peripherally touched upon this compelling new brand of film, he provides more than enough titles and suggestions to keep one occupied for a year (which is how long it took Leong from being a novice to Korean film expert). As a Korean friend exclaimed when perusing the book, "God, he's got every freakin' film in here!"

Leong's "Korean Cinema: The New Hong Kong" can be ordered directly through the publisher, Trafford, or any major online retailer. To find out more on Anthony Leong or about his book, please visit his website at www.mediacircus.com.

October 24, 2003