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a home for forgotten and famous korean pulp, its heroes, its heroines, and its pulpeteers

Archive for historical

American Ninja The Magnificent 아라한 1986/1988 review

khsMaster Lee is pissed off. He really is. He just went into a well-known thugs den to pick a fight (well, not just one to be honest), beat a few thugs up, get rid of some frustration and cool down a bit. He was anticipating spending an evening at home, working out, felling some trees with his bare hands and watching a new DVD he just received: American Ninja The Magnificent. Read the rest of this entry »

Private Eye 그림자살인 2009 review

private eyeWhat is it about Korean soundtracks that makes them instantly recognizable? Is the ever-present accordion? The dramatic yet light-footed rhythm of the intro (think dancing bears), the canned strings? The Master isn’t sure (which as you know doesn’t happen very often), Read the rest of this entry »

Kill The Shogun 무장해제 1975 review

1killtheshogunzu0In 1592, the Japanese shogun Hideyoshi failed in his attempt to invade Korea (and later, China through Korea). This Hong Kong kung-fu thriller is loosely based on that historical incident. Since the real Hideyoshi is not an issue, and kung-fu is the star of the movie anyway, historical narration does not overpower the action. Basically, the movie shows the Koreans fighting the Japanese against all odds Read the rest of this entry »

Virgin Terrorist Mayumi’s Apocalypse 마유미 1991 review

Mayumi_(film)No, this is not a porn movie. It is as bad as a porn movie, though. Worse actually, because it trades the hanky panky for government rhetoric. It’s propaganda porno. It’s essentially what legendary director Shin Sang-ok 신상옥 had to do before being allowed back into South Korea after his forced stay in the North (no, don’t get the Master started on this). Read the rest of this entry »

Once Upon A Time 원스 어폰 어타임 2008 review

Movies about the colonial period in Korea are getting more and more popular. And they are looking real good as well. Master Lee was impressed with the production values of these movies: Radio Days, Epitaph and the movie he saw just now, Once Upon A Time.

The best way to describe Once Upon A Time 원스 어폰 어타임 Read the rest of this entry »

The Resurrection Of The Butterfly 그림자 2007 review

It’s been a while, but Master Lee is finally back from his secret assignment about which he cannot say a word to you. He suffered a lot lately and he is tired beyond imagination. So what’s better than a great sword movie about bad Japanese samurai and good Korean women? Yup, that’s exactly what Master Lee thought as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Vintage Korean film posters 2 한국영화 옛 포스터 2

the-stray-bullet.jpgHere are some more vintage Korean film posters. The first one is from what is commonly regarded as the best Korean film ever, The Stray Bullet 誤發彈 (1961). And Master Lee agrees. Although he doesn’t really think in terms of lists with at the top the best (except when it comes to himself, of course), Read the rest of this entry »

Vintage Korean film posters 한국영화 옛 포스터

blue-jeancheongbaji-1974.jpgThese posters make Master Lee feel nostalgic, longing back to his youth when he would watch these movies with his friends in the movie theaters of Chongno in Seoul. He had almost forgotten how beautiful the poster art was in those days. Read the rest of this entry »

Shadowless Sword 無影劍 2005 review

shadow1.jpgThis must be my favorite pulp movie or at least one of my favorites. Shadowless Sword 무영검/無影劍 is extremely well-made fun, loaded with historical and contemporary references and with those rare actors who under the right direction gracefully bear the load of impressive action scenes and tongue-in-cheek acting. Read the rest of this entry »

Hanbando 한반도 2006

hanbando.jpgThe man who brought us the reasonably enjoyable cop flicks Two Cops 투캅스 I, II, III, the overly nationalist action drama Shilmido 실미도 and the action blockbuster Public Enemy 공곡의적 is back. This time Kang Woo-suk tells a story set in the not-too-distant future in which North and South Korea are planning to reopen the Kyungui Railway that once connected the southern tip of the peninsula with its northern top. But alas, in an act worthy of Emperor Ming the Merciless (and about as plausible), Japan throws a spanner in the works Read the rest of this entry »

Sword In The Moon 청풍명월 2003

sword.jpgSometimes happiness (or contentment at least) is within easy reach. In this case it is Choi Min-su 최민수 and a sword that make for a great night. Sword In The Moon 청풍명월 is a historical epic of distinct Korean provenance, but filled to the brim with influences of and references to the wuxia 武狹 and chambara genres. Lacking the superhuman martial feats of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or the Korean Shadowless Sword 無影劍 and Bichunmoo 飛天舞, Read the rest of this entry »

Haan! 한길수 2005

HaanHaan. It’s Dutch for rooster or cock. It’s also the slightly unfortunate English title for the Korean version of Pearl Harbour: Han Kilsu 한길수. Based on honest-to-god true facts, this is the story of Han Kilsu, a Korean expatriot in 1940 in Hawai’i. As Korea had been colonized by Japan, Read the rest of this entry »