Category Archives: Uncategorized

Anyone who has read this blog with any consistency will know my opinion of hit man (or woman) movies: There’s way too many considering the profession itself is essentially a fantasy. And because of the sheer volume of films represented … Continue reading →

I spoke to two people yesterday who have been working with and within the Korean film industry for a number of years, and both pretty much thought the new Competition Section of the festival is not going to achieve what … Continue reading →

Fairly smooth trip from Narita to Busan yesterday—except when I got to Korean immigration, which was packed. I’ve never waited that long before, and consequently, I wasn’t able to get to the Cinema Center before the badge desk closed to … Continue reading →

Movie distributor Kadokawa just announced that the Korean movie Harbin, which topped the South Korean box office for several weeks after it opened on Christmas Day, will be released theatrically in Japan on July 4, which is great news for … Continue reading →

The biopic, especially those about musicians, was rendered a cliche when John C. Reilly cosplayed as a Johnny Cash-like character in Walk Hard, but that movie did nothing to slow the continuing onslaught of “based on true” recreations of the … Continue reading →

Here’s our latest article for the FCCJ, which is about the Korean response to Japan’s newest World Cultural Heritage site.

Yesterday I helped two women from Vietnam work the subway ticket machine and we rode the train together to Haeundae. They work for a Vietnamese film production company and were going to the Westin Hotel to help set up the … Continue reading →

One immediate observation after one full day at the festival: Chanel and Netflix seem to have taken over. As I mentioned yesterday, Chanel, in addition to sponsoring the Asian Film Academy, now gives out an award to a vital female … Continue reading →

My very slight favored status as a reliable press participant at the Busan International Film Festival—I’ve attended every edition since 2001, except for two years during the pandemic—has not been recognized this year. No free accommodations, no advance ticket bookings, … Continue reading →