masterly master lee

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

Archive for korea

No time for watches? 시계위한 시간이 없나?

Master Lee has wondered why most of his opponents in Korea are seriously 빨리빨리 about most things — like hitting the canvas — and yet Korea does not have a watch culture. At least, it doesn’t any more. During the colonial period, both Japanese (Seiko) and American watch manufacturers like Waltham (in the first ad here transliterated in jolly Japanese as “wa-o-ru-sa-mu”) and Elgin (see second insert from Tonga ilbo [Tonga Daily] 21/12/1937) successfully marketed many of their products, primarily pocket watches, to the urban, corporate Korean and Japanese. Read the rest of this entry »

Manchurian Tiger 龍虎對鍊 (1974) review

A title like this sure gets the Master going. Manchurian Tiger… with Han Yongcheol 한용철 aka Charlie Han, the guy who packs a punch and a kick or two. And directed by the dean of Korean action Lee Doo Yong 이두용.  The movie starts out great with Han extorting money from a dubious-looking character. We know we’re in Manchuria because the dubious-looking character is dressed in Chinese-style clothes (let the Master rephrase: cinema Chinese-style clothes). Action then switches to the bad guys (same clothes, mixed with Japanese-style clothes to conveniently identify who’s bad) who are kicking, punching and whipping the bejeezus out of a Read the rest of this entry »

Sunny 님은 먼 곳에 (2008) review

This could not go wrong: here we have the story of a wimun (“consolation visit”) troupe of entertainers traveling to Vietnam, scenes of seedy bars in Korea and Vietnam, 1970s fashion, the veteran actor Chŏng Chinyŏng – who must be credited for one of the best police car pursuit scenes in cinema history (in Green Fish) – director Yi Jun-ik of former The King and the Clown fame, and Su Ae, an actress with a uniquely, stunning natural beauty. At the start of the movie we see Su Ae play a young woman by the name of Suni who finds herself in a very uncomfortable arranged marriage situation. Read the rest of this entry »

Pullip, Dal and Byul to the rescue!

Shopping for nunchucks in Hong Kong in June 2010, Master Lee noted some rather overdressed but cute birds (dare we say wannabe Thunderbirds?) at a shopping mall. Practically preceding the success of limited edition vinyl toys, back in 2003 the Cheonsang Cheonha company launched a line of more exclusive and therefore more collectable alternatives for doll-totin’ toddlers, girlies and geeks, the Pullip. Read the rest of this entry »

Ouip, Derby Cat, Dunny or Qee?

Vinyl/designer toys are limited edition collectible toys usually with humanoid shapes that are most commonly produced in sizes 2.5~3″ or 6~8″. They often constitute customized variations of a given standard, with a sense of pseudo-individualism that would make Adorno proud. In many ways all forms of art rely on conventions, of course, but one could argue that as with manga, in the realm of vinyl art creation through imitation is the rule.  Read the rest of this entry »

When Taekwondo Strikes 跆拳震九州 (1973)

Classic Taekwondo movie starring the great Jhoon Rhee (李俊九) and Angela Mao. Set during the colonial period, it tells of the tribulations Koreans went through at the hands of the merciless Japanese occupier. Some, however, fight back using Taekwondo. Now, for those who grew up watching Olympic Taekwondo, this may sound like a lost cause, but proper Taekwondo Read the rest of this entry »

The Jaws Of The Dragon aka The Fierce One (1976) review

Master Lee likes movies with James Nam because he’s such a good bad guy. So, what to think of a movie which he not only directed, but also stars in as the main good guy? Well, fortunately, the good guy here is a criminal, so James Nam can be as bad ass as he wants to be while staying in character. Read the rest of this entry »

The Kung Fu Fever 정무지보 (小師傳與大煞星) (1979)

the black dragon going at it

Another internationally coproduced product of prolific Korean martial arts flick director Kim Si-Hyun 김시현. This one stars Dragon Lee 거룡, sidekick staple Choi Min-Kyu 최민규 and the Black Dragon himself, Ron Van Clief (respect from Master Lee for the Black Dragon!). And quite rarely, Ron Van Clief is the bad guy in this movie about a lost book with the secret finger techniques of Bruce Lee (“So well-suited to a woman,” coos pretty female lead Amy Chun with what hopefully is irony). Read the rest of this entry »

The Korean Kittens’ miniskirt

The Kim Sisters never had any real competition, but one group that at least had a shot at emulating their success in the 1960s was that of the Korean Kittens. Master Lee always had a soft spot for lead singer Yun Pokhŭi, who was born in Seoul on 9 March 1946. Like Sue Kim of the Kim Sisters, Yun’s parents were famous entertainers. Read the rest of this entry »

Deadly Angels AKA The Bod Squad 俏探女嬌娃 1977 review

The Master was thoroughly entertained by this Charlie’s Angels rip off, that is much better than the original in all respects. Goofy effects (often unintended, but that’s what 30 years having floated by will do for you) are offset by the grim, gritty atmosphere. The 70s yellow plastic visors on the space helmets of the robbers during a jewelry heist dressed as security guards don’t look so funny anymore after they start killing people almost indiscriminately. Read the rest of this entry »

Run Away 런어웨이 1995 review

Oh yummy, a very early Kim Seongsu 김성수 movie! He’s the pulp master that brought us Musa (Musa: The Warrior) 무사, There Is No Sun 태양은 없다, and Beat 비트. And this one features as martial arts director the unsurpassed Jeong Duhong 정두홍.

Yi Donghui (Yi Byeongheon 이병헌), a handsome game designer, and Choe Miran (Kim Eunjeong 김은정), a pretty free-lance illustrator (who lives in an impossibly large loft), have a steamy one-night stand, Read the rest of this entry »

Girl Scouts 걸스카우트 2008 review

The Master just saw the movie Girl Scouts (2008) and he was impressed. No, boys and girls, despite the title, this is not a seedy movie about barely legal pretty girls strutting their stuff and doing naughty things with balding, fat males. This is an action comedy (a genre the  Master usually doesn’t have time for) about four women who get swindled out of significant amounts of money (needed among other things to pay for the surgery of a young son) and decide to chase the culprit (pretty hairdresser cum swindling femme fatale Im Ji-Eun 임지은 who looks suitably sexy-vulgar here, ready to do anything to get her way) Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

An Emperor Of The Underworld 암흑가의 황제 1994 review

dragonleeAn Emperor Of The Underworld, directed by Hwang Jang Lee 황정리 (who also convincingly plays the überbaddie here) is a very solid action vehicle for Dragon Lee 거룡, his chubby and funny sidekick Yi Jin-Yeong 이진영 and the very, very pretty and voluptuous Kim Mi-Yeong 김미영. Dragon and his chubby friend are ex-commando’s, forced by the police to take on evil crime lord Hwang Jang Lee. This they do. Read the rest of this entry »

Bloody Mafia 붉은 마피아 review

bloodymafiaThis is the last movie directed and starred in by  action legend Wang Ho 왕호 better known as Casanova Wong 卡萨伐 from his many, many, many Hong Kong action flicks. OK, OK, not his last movie, I mean, this ex-marine also helmed the South Korean Ministry of Defense propaganda flick Read the rest of this entry »

Action Boys 우린 액션배우다 2008 review

actionboys01Master Lee was thrilled to see this documentary about the daredevils who do the stunts and bodydoubles for Korea’s famous (action) stars (not for the Master of course! He invented action cinema). Action Boys follows the careers of the 36 young men who made it passed the 2004 auditions for the 8th class of the Seoul Action School 서울액션스쿨. Within a month 10 of them dropped out due to the extreme physical and mental demands made on them Read the rest of this entry »

Fate 숙명 2008 review

fate6Can you say ‘overacting’? Then you can say Fate. Violent glares, emotional outbursts, screaming contests, ten minute swearing sessions, extreme action, one man beating up tens of tough gangsters, overcooked romantic (?) liaisons, sentimental flashbacks… 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 »

Hera Purple: Devil Goddess 헤라버플 2001 review

hera1A great beginning for the movie publicized as ‘the sexiest and most shocking movie in Korean cinema history‘: a naked crucified body. Then a priest in a church, looking increasingly frightened by two books in front of him that are leaved through by an invisible force, stopping at a page with a picture of Greek goddess Hera. And it gets better. Very pretty ajumma Yi Hyerim Read the rest of this entry »

Bungee Jumping of their Own 번지점프를 하다 2001 review

‘Bungee Jumping of their Own’ is a most unusual story about true love, and one that has haunted Master Lee for quite some time. The movie introduces us to a student, Inu, played by heartthrob Lee Byung-hun, who falls madly in love with a beautiful girl, Taehŭi (played by Lee Eun-ju), who studies art at the same university. Read the rest of this entry »

Funny Luna Park DJ 웃기는 루나파크 DJ

Funny DJ at Incheon’s luna park…

Uri kangsan cha cha cha 우리 강산 차차차 1971 review

eab980eab8b0eb8d952Uri kangsan cha cha cha is a pretty forgettable comedy about two men who decide to come back from the dead to enjoy the cha cha cha fad. Although the actors do a pretty good job at hiding the lack of a proper scenario, towards the 45th minute it becomes painfully clear that concept took precedence over storyline from the start. Read the rest of this entry »

Shanghai Blues 샹하이 부르스 1969 review

eab980eab8b0eb8d952Shanghai Blues by director Kim Kidŏk (pictured; no, not the guy who hates women) is a colourful gem among Korea’s less serious features (and Master Lee wonders why it has not yet been brought out on DVD, whereas terribly forgettable movies such as 갯마을 have). Why? Read the rest of this entry »