Hong Sangsoo
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Hong Sangsoo
barbarella -- Thanks for that lovely appreciation of Night and Day -- a film that has always been on the low end of my HSS heap. I now mainly remember it as feeling really really long. I guess I will need to give it another chance some day.
- barbarella satyricon
- Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:45 am
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Thanks, Michael. My reactions to most of the Hongs I’ve seen have been pretty cut-and-dried. I’ve either liked or admired them to varying degrees or not very much at all. This one was a little different, and maybe more memorable for that reason. There are only about three or four Hongs (including a short) I haven’t seen yet, and I’m thinking to save those for a rainy day, and maybe revisit some of the ones I’ve been meh on. Always enjoy and appreciate your responses on this thread and others.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Any word yet as to a possible bluray for Woman Who Ran? This never screened any closer to Boston than Amherst, MA....
- barbarella satyricon
- Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:45 am
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Still no sign of a blu ray for The Woman Who Ran, but maybe we can hope for a thematically paired release somewhere down the line along with Hong’s latest, In Front of Your Face, which could also be read as the story of a woman who ran, and who is still running, journeying or stumbling towards some form of resolution or release.
It also shares with the preceding film an overall visual strategy of minimalist domestic interiors and other artfully appointed meeting spaces (cafés, neighborhood wine bars), and these scenes interspersed with fleetingly transcendent moments (often signaled on the soundtrack by music composed and recorded by Hong) in which the camera takes in natural landscapes and the signs of human life and development that they accommodate (the couples’ idyllic yard in The Woman Who Ran; the picturesque view of the railway bridge in this film).
As what might broadly be categorized as a “woman’s picture” with themes of travel and self-discovery, I’m tempted to call this one Hong’s “Drink Pray Smoke”, with the alcohol consumption dialed back a bit (no familiar green bottles of soju here – just a lot of coffee, assorted beverages in paper cups, and, in the extended wine bar scene in the film’s third act, some imported soju-equivalent to go with the Chinese takeaway) and the voiceover prayers, addressed to some unnamed deity or listener, which are more frequent here than in The Day After, where Kim Min-Hee’s prayer in the taxi cab first introduced this novel element into Hong’s narrative repertoire.
The cigarette breaks may be incidental, but they do punctuate the film like accents or markers within longer sequences, in moments that come together like photographic mementos: an extended stop under a footbridge; a contemplative pause with an accommodating new acquaintance who receives an offered cigarette; and, in what looked and felt to me like an understated masterstroke of mise-en-scène and tonal modulation in the film’s drama, Lee Hye-Young and Kwon Hae-Hyo, looking rumpled and drained after the extended conversation and other revelations indoors, lean on an outside wall and share a wordless smokers’ exchange, looking for all the world like an accidental Antonioni couple.
Lee Hye-Young is an actress whose work I am not familiar with, but she does things here, as a performer, that I imagine audiences in another time would have found quietly astonishing in, say, a Liv Ullmann performance. (Bergman came to mind, for various incidental reasons, several times while watching this one.) I can’t recall seeing in another recent film, at least without the use of make-up and/or other practical effects, a performer’s face take on so many subtly different casts from moment to moment: pinched and tense in the early scenes in her sister’s apartment and at the café where the two have an al fresco brunch and a brief quarrel; then, at different points thereafter, an expression that softens and opens up before tightening again in some apparently troubled rumination. Indeed, it is easy to imagine, from different views of her face in various moments, how Lee’s character could have once been an actress with a promising career in Korea, and then an immigrant to the United States, managing a liquor store to eke out a stable if mundane existence there.
And not to oversell the long conversation scene that takes place in the aforementioned wine bar, but the shifting tones and moods here, most clearly signaled by and reflected in Lee’s face (an actress playing an aging former actress), had me frequently gripped, not merely involved, in what often felt like the testing – the making or breaking – of an individual’s most dearly but also delicately held convictions and hopes. Moving rather haphazardly between matters of art, faith, and philosophy, and all of these tangents returning to a pressing sense of mortality, the scene feels discovered and created in the moment, but also somehow less off-the-cuff and wanton than other inebriated bull sessions in earlier Hong films. The overall tone achieved here is serious and sincere in a way that I think is unique and unprecedented in Hong’s ouevre.
There’s a certain “star power” missing in this one with the absence of Kim Min-Hee, and it’s a film that seems almost certain to be overlooked and under-appreciated, even within the limited marketing draw of Hong films beyond festivals and the arthouse. That said, this one’s already been picked up by Cinema Guild, and I think it does reflect another new direction in Hong’s filmmaking and his narrative concerns, so maybe it’ll be the one to invite as many new viewers in as it might potentially miss. It doesn’t look to be as compulsively rewatchable as my other Hong favorites, but I also can’t think of another of his films that left as many deep impressions from scene to scene and moment to moment. It might just be another major work, even as Hong seems to be scaling back and stripping down his production style to ever more minimalist modes.
It also shares with the preceding film an overall visual strategy of minimalist domestic interiors and other artfully appointed meeting spaces (cafés, neighborhood wine bars), and these scenes interspersed with fleetingly transcendent moments (often signaled on the soundtrack by music composed and recorded by Hong) in which the camera takes in natural landscapes and the signs of human life and development that they accommodate (the couples’ idyllic yard in The Woman Who Ran; the picturesque view of the railway bridge in this film).
As what might broadly be categorized as a “woman’s picture” with themes of travel and self-discovery, I’m tempted to call this one Hong’s “Drink Pray Smoke”, with the alcohol consumption dialed back a bit (no familiar green bottles of soju here – just a lot of coffee, assorted beverages in paper cups, and, in the extended wine bar scene in the film’s third act, some imported soju-equivalent to go with the Chinese takeaway) and the voiceover prayers, addressed to some unnamed deity or listener, which are more frequent here than in The Day After, where Kim Min-Hee’s prayer in the taxi cab first introduced this novel element into Hong’s narrative repertoire.
The cigarette breaks may be incidental, but they do punctuate the film like accents or markers within longer sequences, in moments that come together like photographic mementos: an extended stop under a footbridge; a contemplative pause with an accommodating new acquaintance who receives an offered cigarette; and, in what looked and felt to me like an understated masterstroke of mise-en-scène and tonal modulation in the film’s drama, Lee Hye-Young and Kwon Hae-Hyo, looking rumpled and drained after the extended conversation and other revelations indoors, lean on an outside wall and share a wordless smokers’ exchange, looking for all the world like an accidental Antonioni couple.
Lee Hye-Young is an actress whose work I am not familiar with, but she does things here, as a performer, that I imagine audiences in another time would have found quietly astonishing in, say, a Liv Ullmann performance. (Bergman came to mind, for various incidental reasons, several times while watching this one.) I can’t recall seeing in another recent film, at least without the use of make-up and/or other practical effects, a performer’s face take on so many subtly different casts from moment to moment: pinched and tense in the early scenes in her sister’s apartment and at the café where the two have an al fresco brunch and a brief quarrel; then, at different points thereafter, an expression that softens and opens up before tightening again in some apparently troubled rumination. Indeed, it is easy to imagine, from different views of her face in various moments, how Lee’s character could have once been an actress with a promising career in Korea, and then an immigrant to the United States, managing a liquor store to eke out a stable if mundane existence there.
And not to oversell the long conversation scene that takes place in the aforementioned wine bar, but the shifting tones and moods here, most clearly signaled by and reflected in Lee’s face (an actress playing an aging former actress), had me frequently gripped, not merely involved, in what often felt like the testing – the making or breaking – of an individual’s most dearly but also delicately held convictions and hopes. Moving rather haphazardly between matters of art, faith, and philosophy, and all of these tangents returning to a pressing sense of mortality, the scene feels discovered and created in the moment, but also somehow less off-the-cuff and wanton than other inebriated bull sessions in earlier Hong films. The overall tone achieved here is serious and sincere in a way that I think is unique and unprecedented in Hong’s ouevre.
There’s a certain “star power” missing in this one with the absence of Kim Min-Hee, and it’s a film that seems almost certain to be overlooked and under-appreciated, even within the limited marketing draw of Hong films beyond festivals and the arthouse. That said, this one’s already been picked up by Cinema Guild, and I think it does reflect another new direction in Hong’s filmmaking and his narrative concerns, so maybe it’ll be the one to invite as many new viewers in as it might potentially miss. It doesn’t look to be as compulsively rewatchable as my other Hong favorites, but I also can’t think of another of his films that left as many deep impressions from scene to scene and moment to moment. It might just be another major work, even as Hong seems to be scaling back and stripping down his production style to ever more minimalist modes.
- DandyDancing
- Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:27 am
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Speak of the devil.https://twitter.com/CinemaGuild/status/ ... 63/photo/1
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Introduction continued the frustrating trend of recent vapid Hongs, but I liked In Front of Your Face slightly more, at least in its first half. I particularly appreciated how Hong subverted expectations of 'mystery' to unveil an appropriately banal and subdued, yet authentic relationship dynamic. The central duo's interactions begin with reserved social niceties and superficial conversations, and over the course of the film they gradually shed inhibitions and convey a singular energy existent in any relationship with a rich history.
The film isn't a heavy meditation on loneliness, but it is a study on self-consciousness, blending exhibitions of inherent isolation with gratitude and serenity, all of this occurring around other people or in nature. Hong admirably allows the depth of the psychologies and shared histories under study to permeate the elisions rather than erupt to dominate tangible communication, which would be fraudulent exposition. I think he's always allowed some grace in this respect, but perhaps he's more comfortable with the omissions here- which could be an argument for the sincerity claim I suppose. The male director's impotence to be an actionable support is far more reserved, and his empathy not dissected in a self-serving, pathetic, or celebrated fashion, which in restraint does not detract from the lead actress' value (...at least not until the end).
Some of his other, older films gravitate towards this end, self-reflexively with self-inserts, Hong unable to evade his own ego, even when hypervigilantly skewering it. I still find those films far more complex and rich artworks, but it's heartening to view these recent films in that context, for how self-actualization may have actually allowed Hong salvation from himself, and consequentially more lucid and genuine empathy towards listening attentively to the women in his life.
I don't agree with this, as Hong has demonstrated this kind of sober sincerity many times before. I would even argue that he's always approaching his films with both seriousness and sincerity, even when he's exposing himself as having defective traits or portraying maladaptive behavior he acknowledges as ridiculous with hindsight, because he also understands and refuses to dismiss the value of myopic narcissism and emotionally-charged flawed engagement in the moment for the character experiencing it. I would be interested in hearing more of why you think so, in comparison to his other works (perhaps by saying what they lack that's present here?) but he even has the emasculated stand-in director saying he wants to make a film with the lead because of her "soul," briefly gaining a sense of power in the dynamic before losing it again, lost to respond to the news she lays on him. However, Hong's gradual movement away from centralizing a version of his 'self' and ruminating on his own qualities with less and less focus could be a signal of growth, and I do agree that In Front of Your Face is a very mature and deep work, with your keen observations regarding the silent scenes of subtle exchanges enlightening why I feel this way:barbarella satyricon wrote: ↑Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:28 pmThe overall tone achieved here is serious and sincere in a way that I think is unique and unprecedented in Hong’s ouevre.
These moments lend typical enigmatic significance in multiple dimensions: regarding the processing of enigmas by the characters, and refusing to offer a simplified packaged of meaning from the state of 'being'. I appreciated how there are moments where these characters break to outright state that they don't really 'know' each other very well despite their long friendship rooted in childhood, and then meditate on this separately within the same shot in silence, before reverting back to casual conversations. There is also the implicit mistrust of sharing a dream that isn't met with animosity, but hints of longing to be trusted, and glimmers of embarrassment for the dream and for not feeling trust to share it (the same goes for the 'secret', with its ultimate release earnestly presented as anticathartic).barbarella satyricon wrote: ↑Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:28 pmThe cigarette breaks may be incidental, but they do punctuate the film like accents or markers within longer sequences, in moments that come together like photographic mementos: an extended stop under a footbridge; a contemplative pause with an accommodating new acquaintance who receives an offered cigarette; and, in what looked and felt to me like an understated masterstroke of mise-en-scène and tonal modulation in the film’s drama, Lee Hye-Young and Kwon Hae-Hyo, looking rumpled and drained after the extended conversation and other revelations indoors, lean on an outside wall and share a wordless smokers’ exchange, looking for all the world like an accidental Antonioni couple.
The film isn't a heavy meditation on loneliness, but it is a study on self-consciousness, blending exhibitions of inherent isolation with gratitude and serenity, all of this occurring around other people or in nature. Hong admirably allows the depth of the psychologies and shared histories under study to permeate the elisions rather than erupt to dominate tangible communication, which would be fraudulent exposition. I think he's always allowed some grace in this respect, but perhaps he's more comfortable with the omissions here- which could be an argument for the sincerity claim I suppose. The male director's impotence to be an actionable support is far more reserved, and his empathy not dissected in a self-serving, pathetic, or celebrated fashion, which in restraint does not detract from the lead actress' value (...at least not until the end).
Some of his other, older films gravitate towards this end, self-reflexively with self-inserts, Hong unable to evade his own ego, even when hypervigilantly skewering it. I still find those films far more complex and rich artworks, but it's heartening to view these recent films in that context, for how self-actualization may have actually allowed Hong salvation from himself, and consequentially more lucid and genuine empathy towards listening attentively to the women in his life.
SpoilerShow
That is- until the end- where he eviscerates himself completely, but from the perspective of the protagonist in the privacy of her own space. The use of physical space and pointed curiosity of only her experience minimizes his worth completely (or of men like him/his past self), banished from the existence of the film and hiding away in his own pitiful cave of narcissism out of the frames that dictate what matters.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Hong Sangsoo
So -- Woman Who Ran is finally out from Cinmema Guild (along with a new JIA Zhangke film I have yet to watch). First thought is that I'll need to watch this at least one more time to begin to process this more fully, Second thought -- this is one of the nicest looking Hong films in a while. The autumnal colors are really quite lovely. I did wonder why she told essentially the same story to three different friends on three different days (are they even consecutive days -- or not -- no way to tell). I found it amusing that we scarcely got to see the faces of the male interlopers into this story (unless the featured cat was a male). More thoughts to come, perhaps.
I guess there are 2 more films (at least) since this one came out -- I wonder when if ever I'll get a chance to see these...
I guess there are 2 more films (at least) since this one came out -- I wonder when if ever I'll get a chance to see these...
- The Fanciful Norwegian
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Teegeeack
Re: Hong Sangsoo
The NFL's Super Bowl team poster for the Los Angeles Rams bears just a teensy resemblance resemblance to Cinema Guild's poster for a certain recent Hong film, which the league claims (without actually naming the film in question) is deliberate as part of its recent string of movie-themed posters—though none of them come anywhere close to so directly borrowing from an actual movie poster. (Also whoever wrote the copy for the Twitter post clearly wasn't on the same wavelength as the designer.) Truly bizarre.
- ryannichols7
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:26 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
for fun, since there's been a lot of Hong talk due to the theatrical release of Introduction (which I enjoyed), the NFL poster thing above, and him winning a Silver Bear, I've been on a "kick" so to say and decided to update the filmography on the main page for the Blu-ray era a little bit. 2022 should bring 3, potentially 4 (highly doubt Novelist's Film makes it to disc hopefully next year but hopefully an older title or two get a rescue) new HSS titles on Bluray. thanks to Cinema Guild for keeping these coming, and Grasshopper for rescuing the older ones. hopefully Arrow or someone can help out as well, the Korean releases are cool but are not consistent at all and go OOP here and there. the US labels are very stable with their output of them...and for the guide below I stuck to English friendly Blurays only, no DVDs.
no offense to Fanciful Norwegian but I do format my posts a little differently, hope some don't mind. I know obviously this is an all English language forum, but I find having native titles available (in both native and transliterated form) helps in searching for available discs.
돼지가 우물에 빠진 날 (The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well / Dwaejiga umul-e ppajin nal) [1996] | MIA (all editions OOP)
강원도의 힘 (The Power of Kangwon Province / Gangwon-do-ui him) [1998] | Grasshopper Films
오! 수정 (Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors / O! Sujeong) [2000] | Grasshopper Films
생활의 발견 (On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate / Saenghwal-ui balgyeon) [2002] | Contents Zone Korea (OOP; no in print edition)
여자는 남자의 미래다 (Woman Is the Future of Man / Yeojaneun namja-ui miraeda) [2004] | Arrow (w/ Tale of Cinema)
극장전 (Tale of Cinema / Geukjangjeon) [2005] | Arrow (w/ Woman is the Future of Man)
해변의 여인 (Woman on the Beach / Haebyeon-ui yeoin) [2006] | Grasshopper Films (w/ Hill of Freedom)
밤과 낮 (Night and Day / Bamgwa nat) [2008] | Contents Zone Korea (OOP; no in print edition)
잘 알지도 못하면서 (Like You Know It All / Jal aljido mothamyeonseo) [2009] | MIA (all editions OOP) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild]
첩첩산정 (Lost in the Mountains / Cheob cheob san jeong) [2009] | Grasshopper Film (included on BD with Right Now, Wrong Then)
하하하 (Hahaha) [2010] | MIA (all editions OOP) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild]
옥희의 영화 (Oki's Movie / Okhui-ui yeonghwa) [2010] | DS Media Korea (OOP; no in print edition) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild]
북촌 방향 (The Day He Arrives / Bukchon banghyang) [2011] | Cinema Guild (DVD only; Bluray confirmed as forthcoming in 2022)
리스트(List / Lisuto) [2011] | Cinema Guild (included on BD with Grass)
다른 나라에서 (In Another Country / Dareun naraeseo) [2012] | DS Media Korea (w/ Nobody's Daughter Haewon) [update 12 Jul 2022: Kino supposedly not interested in rereleasing film]
누구의 딸도 아닌 해원 (Nobody's Daughter Haewon / Nagu-ui ttaldo anin Haewon) [2013] | DS Media Korea (w/ In Another Country) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild in US]
우리 선희 (Our Sunhi / Uri Seonhui) [2013] | DS Media Korea
자유의 언덕 (Hill of Freedom / Jayuui Eondeok) [2014] | Grasshopper Films (w/ Woman on the Beach)
지금은맞고그때는틀리다 (Right Now, Wrong Then / Jigeumeun-matgo-geuttaeneun-teullida) [2015] | Grasshopper Films
당신자신과 당신의 것 (Yourself and Yours / Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot) [2016] | Cinema Guild
밤의 해변에서 혼자 (On the Beach at Night Alone / Bamui Haebyeoneseo Honja) [2017] | Cinema Guild
클레어의 카메라 (Claire's Camera / La caméra de Claire) [2017] | Cinema Guild
그 후 (The Day After / Geu-hu) [2017] | Cinema Guild
풀잎들 (Grass / Pul-ip-deul) [2018] | Cinema Guild
강변 호텔 (Hotel by the River / Gangbyeon hotel) [2018] | Cinema Guild
도망친 여자 (The Woman Who Ran / Domangchin yeoja) [2020] | Cinema Guild
인트로덕션 (Introduction / Inteurodeoksyeon) [2021] | Cinema Guild
당신 얼굴 앞에서 (In Front of Your Face / dangsin eolgul ap-eseo) [2021] | Cinema Guild (available 25 October 2022)
소설가의 영화 (The Novelist's Film / Soseolgaui Yeonghwa) [2022] | Cinema Guild (coming soon; currently open in some countries, NA "debut" at NYFF)
워크 업 (Walk Up / wokeu-eob) [2022] | Cinema Guild (coming soon; world debut at TIFF/NYFF)
no offense to Fanciful Norwegian but I do format my posts a little differently, hope some don't mind. I know obviously this is an all English language forum, but I find having native titles available (in both native and transliterated form) helps in searching for available discs.
돼지가 우물에 빠진 날 (The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well / Dwaejiga umul-e ppajin nal) [1996] | MIA (all editions OOP)
강원도의 힘 (The Power of Kangwon Province / Gangwon-do-ui him) [1998] | Grasshopper Films
오! 수정 (Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors / O! Sujeong) [2000] | Grasshopper Films
생활의 발견 (On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate / Saenghwal-ui balgyeon) [2002] | Contents Zone Korea (OOP; no in print edition)
여자는 남자의 미래다 (Woman Is the Future of Man / Yeojaneun namja-ui miraeda) [2004] | Arrow (w/ Tale of Cinema)
극장전 (Tale of Cinema / Geukjangjeon) [2005] | Arrow (w/ Woman is the Future of Man)
해변의 여인 (Woman on the Beach / Haebyeon-ui yeoin) [2006] | Grasshopper Films (w/ Hill of Freedom)
밤과 낮 (Night and Day / Bamgwa nat) [2008] | Contents Zone Korea (OOP; no in print edition)
잘 알지도 못하면서 (Like You Know It All / Jal aljido mothamyeonseo) [2009] | MIA (all editions OOP) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild]
첩첩산정 (Lost in the Mountains / Cheob cheob san jeong) [2009] | Grasshopper Film (included on BD with Right Now, Wrong Then)
하하하 (Hahaha) [2010] | MIA (all editions OOP) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild]
옥희의 영화 (Oki's Movie / Okhui-ui yeonghwa) [2010] | DS Media Korea (OOP; no in print edition) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild]
북촌 방향 (The Day He Arrives / Bukchon banghyang) [2011] | Cinema Guild (DVD only; Bluray confirmed as forthcoming in 2022)
리스트(List / Lisuto) [2011] | Cinema Guild (included on BD with Grass)
다른 나라에서 (In Another Country / Dareun naraeseo) [2012] | DS Media Korea (w/ Nobody's Daughter Haewon) [update 12 Jul 2022: Kino supposedly not interested in rereleasing film]
누구의 딸도 아닌 해원 (Nobody's Daughter Haewon / Nagu-ui ttaldo anin Haewon) [2013] | DS Media Korea (w/ In Another Country) [update 12 Jul 2022: potentially held by Cinema Guild in US]
우리 선희 (Our Sunhi / Uri Seonhui) [2013] | DS Media Korea
자유의 언덕 (Hill of Freedom / Jayuui Eondeok) [2014] | Grasshopper Films (w/ Woman on the Beach)
지금은맞고그때는틀리다 (Right Now, Wrong Then / Jigeumeun-matgo-geuttaeneun-teullida) [2015] | Grasshopper Films
당신자신과 당신의 것 (Yourself and Yours / Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot) [2016] | Cinema Guild
밤의 해변에서 혼자 (On the Beach at Night Alone / Bamui Haebyeoneseo Honja) [2017] | Cinema Guild
클레어의 카메라 (Claire's Camera / La caméra de Claire) [2017] | Cinema Guild
그 후 (The Day After / Geu-hu) [2017] | Cinema Guild
풀잎들 (Grass / Pul-ip-deul) [2018] | Cinema Guild
강변 호텔 (Hotel by the River / Gangbyeon hotel) [2018] | Cinema Guild
도망친 여자 (The Woman Who Ran / Domangchin yeoja) [2020] | Cinema Guild
인트로덕션 (Introduction / Inteurodeoksyeon) [2021] | Cinema Guild
당신 얼굴 앞에서 (In Front of Your Face / dangsin eolgul ap-eseo) [2021] | Cinema Guild (available 25 October 2022)
소설가의 영화 (The Novelist's Film / Soseolgaui Yeonghwa) [2022] | Cinema Guild (coming soon; currently open in some countries, NA "debut" at NYFF)
워크 업 (Walk Up / wokeu-eob) [2022] | Cinema Guild (coming soon; world debut at TIFF/NYFF)
Last edited by ryannichols7 on Sat Sep 17, 2022 5:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- furbicide
- Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:52 am
Re: Hong Sangsoo
This is exceptional work – thanks for putting that list together!
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Many thanks, Ryan!
Hoping (for thiose latest 3 films) that "soon" means really soon.
Hoping (for thiose latest 3 films) that "soon" means really soon.
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Hong Sangsoo fans in New York may already know about this, but Lincoln Center is launching a two-part retrospective that begins next weekend. After ten days of programming, it picks up again in May.
The best part - it's all double features, so two films for the price of one.
Also a free discussion with Dennis Lim starts off the proceedings, which I imagine will be a good primer for those completely new to his work and may help anyone navigate what they are about to see.
The best part - it's all double features, so two films for the price of one.
Also a free discussion with Dennis Lim starts off the proceedings, which I imagine will be a good primer for those completely new to his work and may help anyone navigate what they are about to see.
- barbarella satyricon
- Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:45 am
Re: Hong Sangsoo
A nice photo of Hong and Kim Min-Hee, credited to Dennis Lim, whose monograph on Tale of Cinema the couple is seen to be holding.
The Novelist’s Film is in its first run here in Korea. I liked it for the most part, but there are moments where it feels a bit like an exercise, with a certain inelegance in the way accumulating characters incidentally cross paths, millIng around in an overcrowded shot or two. Some of the ironic, satirical points seem a little too pat as well, feeling kind of warmed-over at this point.
But it might be seen as a more substantial work than the recent Introduction, and maybe more accessible than In Front of Your Face. And while I felt it was the first case of diminishing returns I’d had with Hong in a while, others’ rankings of individual films seem to vary all over the place, so it might be someone’s new favorite, who knows.
And as far as Kim Min-Hee goes, Hong and his camera seem to be as much in love as ever? And if I wasn’t misreading,
The Novelist’s Film is in its first run here in Korea. I liked it for the most part, but there are moments where it feels a bit like an exercise, with a certain inelegance in the way accumulating characters incidentally cross paths, millIng around in an overcrowded shot or two. Some of the ironic, satirical points seem a little too pat as well, feeling kind of warmed-over at this point.
But it might be seen as a more substantial work than the recent Introduction, and maybe more accessible than In Front of Your Face. And while I felt it was the first case of diminishing returns I’d had with Hong in a while, others’ rankings of individual films seem to vary all over the place, so it might be someone’s new favorite, who knows.
And as far as Kim Min-Hee goes, Hong and his camera seem to be as much in love as ever? And if I wasn’t misreading,
SpoilerShow
does the embedded film at the end seem to give away the secret of a central relationship, in how the character behind the camera regards the one in front of it, and vice versa? It may be an incidental detail that I am misreading completely, but is it the cameraman (the nephew of Kim Min-Hee’s unseen husband in the film) who says, off-camera, that he loves her and to whom she responds in kind? Is this at least one of the reasons why the characters seem so cagey and conflicted by film’s end?
- zedz
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Fantastic work, ryannichols. Hong's two significant short films are also available on BluRay:
Lost in the Mountains (2009) - on Right Now, Wrong Then
List (2011) - on Grass
And his cute Berlin acceptance video is included on Introduction.
That only leaves a tiny snippet he contributed to the 70th anniversary of the Venice Film Festival missing, unless somebody's aware of it creeping onto a disc somewhere.
This is it.
Lost in the Mountains (2009) - on Right Now, Wrong Then
List (2011) - on Grass
And his cute Berlin acceptance video is included on Introduction.
That only leaves a tiny snippet he contributed to the 70th anniversary of the Venice Film Festival missing, unless somebody's aware of it creeping onto a disc somewhere.
This is it.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
These are two of my favorite things he's ever done- List being his very best workzedz wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 4:39 pmList (2011) - on Grass
That only leaves a tiny snippet he contributed to the 70th anniversary of the Venice Film Festival missing, unless somebody's aware of it creeping onto a disc somewhere.
This is it.
- ryannichols7
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:26 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
fittingly, Introduction was announced today from Cinema Guild, I'll update my post accordingly. great price on it too
good week for Hong fans as The Novelist's Film was the secret screening in New York to close their series. hopefully In Front of Your Face starts showing up around the country soon!
also believe I didn't get around to adding the Grasshopper Virgin Stripped Bare link too
good week for Hong fans as The Novelist's Film was the secret screening in New York to close their series. hopefully In Front of Your Face starts showing up around the country soon!
also believe I didn't get around to adding the Grasshopper Virgin Stripped Bare link too
- barbarella satyricon
- Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:45 am
Re: Hong Sangsoo
Quite forgot that that one was an extra on the Grass disc. I didn’t get too much out of the feature itself when I saw it, but am more motivated now to pick it up. Cinema Guild seems to be doing right by Hong at every turn. Happy to support them in whatever way, and sale prices on the site don’t look half bad right now.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Hong Sangsoo
My copy of Introduction arrived -- and I've watched it once. On first viewing I liked it a lot. I can most fit the three parts together -- but perhaps it will be even clearer when I rewatch. Funny seeing KIM Minhee in just a small part here. Intteresting that in just 66 minutes we go from urban Korea to Berlin and the to rural (coastal) Korea.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
I thought The Novelist’s Film was easily Hong's worst film in ten years, and definitely less accessible than his last few. While some conversations retain a sense of quiet withholding and icebergs signaling value underneath, there are a few long chunks that are like watching strangers engage in small talk for thirty minutes longer than they would in real life, and I wanted to tape my eyes and ears closed (and I like to think I have a very high tolerance for low-substance talky mumblecore fare). I really like your thoughts on the end though- none of that occurred to me, but to be fair it was such an aesthetically sublime departure from the monotonous drag preceding it that I didn't take any time deciphering meaning or intent behind its inclusion- I'm just grateful it was there!barbarella satyricon wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 9:30 amThe Novelist’s Film is in its first run here in Korea. I liked it for the most part, but there are moments where it feels a bit like an exercise, with a certain inelegance in the way accumulating characters incidentally cross paths, millIng around in an overcrowded shot or two. Some of the ironic, satirical points seem a little too pat as well, feeling kind of warmed-over at this point.
But it might be seen as a more substantial work than the recent Introduction, and maybe more accessible than In Front of Your Face. And while I felt it was the first case of diminishing returns I’d had with Hong in a while, others’ rankings of individual films seem to vary all over the place, so it might be someone’s new favorite, who knows.
And as far as Kim Min-Hee goes, Hong and his camera seem to be as much in love as ever? And if I wasn’t misreading,
SpoilerShowdoes the embedded film at the end seem to give away the secret of a central relationship, in how the character behind the camera regards the one in front of it, and vice versa? It may be an incidental detail that I am misreading completely, but is it the cameraman (the nephew of Kim Min-Hee’s unseen husband in the film) who says, off-camera, that he loves her and to whom she responds in kind? Is this at least one of the reasons why the characters seem so cagey and conflicted by film’s end?
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Hong Sangsoo
An interesting article on HSS in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/cultu ... ook_offers
- ryannichols7
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:26 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
okay I updated my above reference post finally, with very nice releases of Virgin Stripped Bare and Introduction added, as well as some exciting (and not so) stuff I'll cover here:
the bad:
-my local arthouse theatres are refusing to play In Front of Your Face, something I am holding against them. hopefully some of you folk are able to see it here stateside!
-Kino continue to hold In Another Country hostage in the US - apologies if linking to the other forum isn't allowed but I figured it would be okay since that's a direct source. I personally find this to be ludicrous as Cinema Guild or Grasshopper would be very obviously pleased and would get the films out almost immediately. yes, the Korean edition is available, but it is higher priced and again, it should only be right to come out over here. this is a not-insignificant film since it literally stars Isabelle Huppert, something you'd think Kino would be interested on capitalizing on, but they're playing mini Disney over here.
the good:
-some Film Twitter enthusiast hosted a "Hong bracket" and The Day He Arrives won (which I strongly disagree with, but I'm keeping this strictly as a news post..), leading Cinema Guild to confirm a new Bluray of the film, which came out in the early era of Bluray and is why it didn't make it to BD the first time apparently.
-yesterday, someone asked Cinema Guild and got an answer about Like You Know It All, Hahaha, Oki’s Movie, Nobody’s Daughter Haewon, and Our Sunhi, all of which apparently CG hold. I did some digging and this was confirmed last year, and I only just now found out. so CG seems to have a lot forthcoming when you consider the IFOYF disc release and The Novelist's Film theatrical run.
-there are many Hong enthusiasts out there interested in all of these films, something I appreciate. it appears to be two different people to ask Kino and also CG, none of which were big "film twitter" names very involved with that bracket. pleased there's tons of interest - both for Hong films old and new.
if this all holds true, only The Day a Pig Fell into the Well, On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate, and Night and Day will remain unreleased in region A. Grasshopper (and I owe you an email back!!) - I hope you guys can pull these three off. I'm pulling for you!
the bad:
-my local arthouse theatres are refusing to play In Front of Your Face, something I am holding against them. hopefully some of you folk are able to see it here stateside!
-Kino continue to hold In Another Country hostage in the US - apologies if linking to the other forum isn't allowed but I figured it would be okay since that's a direct source. I personally find this to be ludicrous as Cinema Guild or Grasshopper would be very obviously pleased and would get the films out almost immediately. yes, the Korean edition is available, but it is higher priced and again, it should only be right to come out over here. this is a not-insignificant film since it literally stars Isabelle Huppert, something you'd think Kino would be interested on capitalizing on, but they're playing mini Disney over here.
the good:
-some Film Twitter enthusiast hosted a "Hong bracket" and The Day He Arrives won (which I strongly disagree with, but I'm keeping this strictly as a news post..), leading Cinema Guild to confirm a new Bluray of the film, which came out in the early era of Bluray and is why it didn't make it to BD the first time apparently.
-yesterday, someone asked Cinema Guild and got an answer about Like You Know It All, Hahaha, Oki’s Movie, Nobody’s Daughter Haewon, and Our Sunhi, all of which apparently CG hold. I did some digging and this was confirmed last year, and I only just now found out. so CG seems to have a lot forthcoming when you consider the IFOYF disc release and The Novelist's Film theatrical run.
-there are many Hong enthusiasts out there interested in all of these films, something I appreciate. it appears to be two different people to ask Kino and also CG, none of which were big "film twitter" names very involved with that bracket. pleased there's tons of interest - both for Hong films old and new.
if this all holds true, only The Day a Pig Fell into the Well, On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate, and Night and Day will remain unreleased in region A. Grasshopper (and I owe you an email back!!) - I hope you guys can pull these three off. I'm pulling for you!
- furbicide
- Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:52 am
Re: Hong Sangsoo
I'm trying to plan my Melbourne International Film Festival schedule and deciding between seeing In Front of Your Face or The Novelist's Film – which one should I prioritise? I can see there's already a strong vote for the first from twbb.
- dekadetia
- was Born Innocent
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:57 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Re: Hong Sangsoo
I second the In Front of Your Face recommendation, would say it's the stronger of the two.
- ryannichols7
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:26 pm
Re: Hong Sangsoo
if you can see both please do so, but yes IFOYF seems pretty regarded as one of the better Hongs lately