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[HanCinema's Digest] Cinema Snippets

KOBIZ tracks the historical characters actor Hwang Jung-min has brought to life over the years, Jason Bechervaise reviews the record-breaking "A Taxi Driver" for Screen Daily, see how urban legends are being realized on Korea's big screen, and America gets its first remake of a Korean drama.

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"HWANG "Forrest Gump" Jeong-min"
 
Starting with "The General's Son" back in 1990, actor Hwang Jung-min has appeared in 36 films, and many of his characters are from significant periods in Korea's history. In this infographic, KOBIZ looks are at Hwang's filmography and tracks the different periods in which his characters have appeared. "Hwang Jung-min's full body of work, one can see that, in history, his characters go as far back as 1,400", writes Cho Meanjune. From "Battlefield Heroes" to "Ode to My Father", Hwang, through the characters he plays, is a Forrest Gump figure of a cinematic sort…

…READ ON KOBIZ

""A Taxi Driver": Review"
 
Jang Hoon's latest film, "A Taxi Driver", starring Song Kang-ho and Thomas Kretschmann, was recently released in Korea and, as expected, rocketed to number one in the box office during its first weekend out. The film tells the story of a taxi driver (whose real identity is still unknown) who escorted a German journalist to the city of Gwangju in 1980 during the infamous massacre that took place there. Here, South Korean film critic and journalist Jason Bechervaise reviews the film for Screen Daily. "Front and centre is an excellent Song Kang-ho who repeatedly demonstrates how his presence can transform a film", writes Jason.

…READ ON SCREEN DAILY

"Is This For Real?"

"Urban legends which convey social fear in the form of narrative", writes Cho Meanjune, "have always been used as the perfect subject matter for horror films". In this fascinating feature article on KOBIZ, Cho recounts a number of Korean films that have used local legends to great cinematic effect; films like Huh Jung's "Hide and Seek" (2013) and "The Mimic" (2017), and Park Jeong-woo's "Deranged" (2012). Of course, "Whether you believe them or not is totally up to you".

…READ ON KOBIZ

"The First U.S. Remake Of A Korean Drama Debuts This Summer"

Last month the first episode of "Somewhere Between" aired in America. ABC's new drama about a mother trying to understand the murder of her daughter is based on Lee Dong-hun's 2014 drama "God's Gift - 14 Days" starring Lee Bo-young and Cho Seung-woo. It is the first U.S. remake of a Korean drama along with "Good Doctor" but certainly not the last…

…READ ON THE HUFFINGTON POST

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