Na Hong-jin finally graduates to Cannes Main Competition with his hugely anticipated sci-fi epic HOPE!

Yeon Sang-ho back in Cannes Midnight Screenings with his new zombie film COLONY. #군체

Support Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Support Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

I am loath to do this, but I need your help. My 20+ year marriage has unexpectedly imploded. There's a kid involved. Aside from Lupus, Autism and a shitty 2009 Mazda, I have nothing. Things are fairly desperate right now, so if you can help out now in any way at all I'd be really grateful ❤️

Brad, chiming in here as I’ve also had trouble getting a response about a SUDDENLY IN THE DARK contributor copy.

Good news for the struggling Korean film industry? Not really. THE KING’s WARDEN accounts for almost 60% of Korean film box office this year (possibly 75% by end of March) and will match at least a quarter of 2025’s total Korean film revenue. This imbalance makes survival all the more difficult.

THE KING’S WARDEN is doing insane numbers. It crossed 10 million viewers Friday, but at this rate it’ll become the highest grossing domestic film in Korean box office history (record is ₩139.6B, ₩150B seems assured). 50/50 whether it unseats ROARING CURRENTS’ all-time admissions haul (17.6M).

First love 1993 | 108 MIN | Drama, RomanceDIRECTORLEE Myung-seCASTKIM Hye-soo, SONG Young-chang, CHO Min-kiRELEASE DATEJanuary 22, 1993CONTACTKorean Film ArchiveTel+82 2 3153 2001Fax+82 2 3153 2080Emailkofa@kore...

Stepping back into the K-Cinema Library column over on KoBiz with a dive into cinematic iconoclast Lee Myung-se's sumptuous reverie FIRST LOVE, a criminally underseen landmark of 90s Korean cinema starring Kim Hye-soo. #첫사랑 www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/inF...

These are all bangers. Now now, get your head out of the gutter, I'm being serious. This is a fascinating subgenre filled with genuinely great films, and, lucky for you, many are available to watch, subtitled and for free, on the Korean Film Archive's YouTube channel, the gift that keeps on giving.

Intrigued by Netflix’s Aema? The 13 best 1980s Korean erotic films ranked From Mulberry to Between the Knees to Woman of Fire ’82, we rank 13 of the best erotic films to come out in Korea during the 1980s.

Inspired by the recent release of AEMA, I felt it was high time that someone compiled the definitive ranking of the best Korean Erotic films of the 80s.

www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-...

AEMA dives into Korea’s ‘80s ero film industry and digs up more than a few surprises. #애마

Don't Talk / Beach Boys (unreleased chorus snippet) YouTube video by fagenfagen

In lieu of a minute of silence, my favourite Brian Wilson deep cut.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=scIn...

“If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me”

There are times when Brian Wilson’s music was the only thing that got me through the day. Today, as we say goodbye to my favourite 20th century composer, looks to be another one of those days.

Jeonju 2025 Review: THE DREAM, Gender Politics Take Center Stage in Dark Period Fable After tearing through the 1980s with a range of celebrated films such as People in the Slum, Whale Hunting and Deep Blue Night, all starring Ahn Sung-ki, director Bae Chang-ho kicked off the 1990s wit...

Well this was a lovely surprise. #JIFF2025

Review | When Life Gives You Tangerines: one of the best K-dramas ever made An emotionally rich script and a sensational cast make this series a gripping and rewarding watch from start to finish. Have tissues on hand.

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES explores Koreanness in a way that is rich, raw and profoundly moving. The series sets a lofty benchmark for homegrown K-drama that could guide the industry for years to come. #폭싹속았수다

Review: REAL Makes Korean Noir Gloriously Camp, Weird and Amazing The top resource for Korean film news, reviews and features.

"Love it or hate it, there's no denying that this future camp cult classic is the 'real' deal."

Well, it finally happened, but not at all how I expected it would.

When Life Gives You Tangerines midseason recap: moving period K-drama This touching story of Jeju islanders plays out over decades as urbanisation and modernisation change their worlds.

The phenomenal K-drama WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES continues. #폭싹속았수다

When Life Gives You Tangerines: IU, Park Bo-gum in period K-drama Richer and more ambitious than most K-dramas, Netflix tale of two characters struggling to find their place in the world is vividly realised.

Lim Sang-choon's WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES, with IU and Park Bo-gum, bridges the K-drama gap between bright romcoms and pricey genre tentpoles. This is a true prestige drama, rich, evocative, heartfelt and intrinsically Korean.
www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-...

Kim Sae-ron the latest in a long line of Korean stars bullied to death Korean celebrities may be loved by their fans, but make one slip-up and the online abuse starts, often fuelled by mass media.

Kim Sae-ron's tragic death has been a difficult one to process. Another bright light snuffed out by craven netizens and a cruel media hungry for scandal.

Lots of soul-searching in Korea this week, but is this society that repeatedly and senselessly pushes people to the brink ready to change?

Thank you for taking to read it, Peter!!

Berlinale 2025 Review: MICKEY 17, Bong Joon Ho Takes Us to the Stars in Angry and Amusing Sci-fi Comedy With his latest film, Bong Joon Ho reaches for the stars but what his characters discover in the far reaches of space is just another version of the messed-up world they left behind, a world Bong has ...

Got to see Bong Joon Ho’s MICKEY 17 yesterday and had many thoughts, only some of which made it into this unusually long review.

Sweet Home 2: hit Netflix monster show with Song Kang loses its way Netflix’s Sweet Home season 2 doesn’t hold a candle to the successful first season of the horror hit. It has lost the indoor setting that gave the monster action focus, and is swamped with new cha...

SWEET HOME 2 recipe

1. Place ingredients of SWEET HOME on work surface
2. Discard the ones that viewers liked
3. Double remaining ingredients
4. Frantically raid spice cabinet
5. Serve scalding hot over naked eyeball

My despairing review for SCMP www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-...

Hey yourself! Boy it's been a minute.

Film list: BIFF 2023 Ranked (28th Busan International Film Festival) All the Korean films I saw at the 28th Busan International Film Festival (not including retro titles). A slimmer but solid lineup this year that unearthed a number of impressive new indie voices.…

Back from a very enjoyable and productive 28th edition of the Busan International Film Festival.

Saw lots of great Korean films and dramas, my definitive ranking of which you can find below.

letterboxd.com/pierceconran...

Vigilante: Nam Joo-hyuk in Disney+’s engrossing revenge K-drama This Disney+ Korean drama stars Nam Joo-hyuk as a police recruit who goes after his mother’s killer, then starts a spree of revenge killings, which sees him dubbed the ‘Vigilante’.

Had great fun with the pulpy action-revenge drama VIGILANTE. Think Korean Batman with Nam Joo-hyuk as a very handsome and very angry police academy recruit going after the city's scum in the dead of night. #BIFF2023 #비질란테
www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-...

Song of the Bandits: Kim Nam-gil, Seohyun in Western K-drama on Netflix Song of the Bandits, a Netflix series starring Kim Nam-gil and Seohyun, mixes the violence of a Western with the melodrama of a Korean TV series. While promising, it ultimately sings a hollow tune.

The 'kimchi western' returns with SONG OF THE BANDITS starring Kim Nam-gil and Seohyun, a pale imitator of THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD which looks the part but sings a hollow tune. #도적칼의소리 www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-...

Was swept off my feet by the epic conclusion of MOVING. A sterling conclusion to a sweeping saga. #무빙 www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-...