The Movie Doctor

I have always been a HUGE fan of Asian cinema. My attraction to Asian cinema started about a year ago and ever since I have been trying to watch as many Asian films as possible. Doing so I recently realized one type of Asian cinema that was constantly blowing me away and that would be Korean Cinema. When I figured this out I set myself on a goal to watch as many Korean films as possible. I picked up this GREAT book from the library A Field Guide to Asian Cinema that has helped me not only discover great Korean films but has also helped me gain a whole new level or appreciation for the cinema. 

Why I love it so much? I really can’t explain. There is just something special that I connect with when I am watching any Korean film. The way their films are crafted whether it be a thriller, a romantic comedy, or a crazy science fiction movie I end up getting the same feeling over and over again.

After reading so much about it I finally decided to make a list of Korean films that I need to watch. I picked the films from my Asian Cinema book and from koreanfilm.org (Thanks again to Bolond Kalapos for letting me know about the site.) When I have watched a film from the list I will be crossing it out.

Well, here it is the list:

Arirang (Na Un-kyu, 1926)

A Hometwon Heart (Yoon Yong-kyu, 1948)

A Flower In Hell (Shin Sang-ok, 1958)

The Housemaid (Kim Ki-young, 1960)

The Coachmen (Kang Dae-jin, 1961)

Aimless Bullet (Yu Hyone-mok, 1961)

The Houseguest and my Mother (Shin Sang-ok, 1961)

The Devil’s Stairway (Lee Man-hee, 1964)

Water Mill (Lee Man-hee, 1966)

Eunuch (Shin Sang-ok, 1968)

0400 - 1950 (Lee Man-hee, 1972)

The Deserted Widow (Im Kwon-taek, 1973)

Promise of the Flesh (Kim Ki-young, 1960)

March of Fools (Ha Kil-jong, 1975)

A Good Windy Day (Lee Jang-ho, 1980)

Pulgasari (Shin Sang-ok, 1985)

Chilsu and Mansu (Park Kwang-su, 1988)

General’s Son (Im Know-taek, 1990)

To The Starry Island (Park Kwang-su, 1993)

Sopyonje (Im Kwon-taek, 1993)

A Petal (Jang Sun-woo, 1996)

The Gingko Bed (Kang Je-gyu, 1996)

Whispering Corridors (Park Ki-hyung, 1998)

Memento Mori (Kim Tae-young & Min Kyu-dong, 1999)

Shiri (Kang Je-gyu, 1999)

Chunhyang (Im Know-taek, 2000)

Joint Security Area (Park Chan-wook, 2000)

Secret Tears (Park Ki-hyung, 2000)

Real Fiction (Kim Ki-duk, 2000)

The Isle (Kim Ki-duk, 2000)

Barking Dogs Never Bite (Bong Joon-ho, 2000)

Nabi (Moon Seung-wook, 2001)

Resurrection of the Little Match Girl (Jung Sun-woo, 2002)

Save the Green Planet (Jeong Jun-hwan, 2002)

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2002)

2009: Lost Memories (Lee Si-myung, 2002)

Please Teach Me English (Kim Sung-soo, 2003)

A Good Lawyer’s Wife (Im Sang-soo, 2003)

Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003)

Memories of Murder (Bong Joon-ho, 2003)

Untold Scandel (Lee Je-yong, 2003)

A Tale of Two Sisters (Kim Jee-woon, 2003)

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2005)

A Bittersweet Life (Kim Jee-woon, 2005)

Welcome to Dongmakgol (Park Kwang-hyun, 2005)

Crying Fist (Ryu Seung-wan, 2005)

Voice (Choi Equan, 2005)

The Bow (Kim Ki-duk, 2005)

The Host (Bong Joon-ho, 2006)

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (Kim Jee-woon, 2008)

Thirst (Park Chan-wook, 2009)

Mother (Bong Joon-ho, 2009)

Ajusshi (Won Bin, 2010)

I Saw The Devil (Kim Jee-woon, 2010)

Is anyone else a big fan of Korean cinema? If so would any of you have any suggestions on films to add onto this list?