What's Korean Cinema? (Podcast on Fire Network)

The heartfelt story of how you escape the headlock of horror—the director of A Tale of Two Sisters and I Saw the Devil gives us Song Kang-ho as a bank clerk turned wrestler in The Foul King (2000). With Kenny B, joined by resident Korean cinema expert—perhaps even Korean wrestling expert—Paul Quinn. Running Times:  00m […]

(Previously published exclusively on the website, this episode is now available in the podcast feed). Extending the short movie-coverage in What’s Korean Cinema? 43, Kenny B and Paul Quinn review Kim Ji-woon’s Memories, Park Chan-wook’s Cut and Bong Joon-ho’s Shaking Tokyo. Only some of the biggest Korean directors ever.

Kenny B and Paul Quinn discuss a trio of recent Korean films that can be found on streaming or digital, on blu ray, and on the cinema screens: Badland Hunters, The Chaser and Exhuma. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Badland Hunters review. 21m 23s – The Chaser review. 38m 25s – Exhuma review. Contact the […]

The Korean war movie gets spooky, in 2004's R-Point. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/R-Point background. 49m 49s – R-Point review. Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on our Facebook page and Facebook group or X (@podcastonfire, @sogoodreviews) and SUBSCRIBE to our iTunes feed. What’s Korean Cinema? on Spotify Kenny B’s Letterboxd Hangul Celluloid. Error 4444 […]

Kenny B and Paul Quinn discuss a trio of recent Korean films that can be found on streaming or digital, on blu ray, and on the cinema screens: Project Wolf Hunting, Midnight and The Moon. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Project Wolf Hunting 25m 11s – Midnight 50m 46s – The Moon Contact the show […]

Before there was a sassy girl, the ever so luminous Jun Ji-hyun starred in Il Mare, about a mailbox that is a portal to two years earlier. Going back to Korean cinema in the year 2000, with Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/reception/on Jun Ji-hyun 28m 25s […]

Dressed up as Silence Of The Lambs and Se7en through grim findings of body parts and constant rain, Korean cinema of 1999 heads into the serial killer film with Tell Me Something. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/reception. 25m 30s – Director Chang Hoon-yun’s films. 28m […]

Multiple romance stories are being gradually told. One for us. One by and before the characters in 1998's Art Museum By The Zoo. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/reception/on director Lee Jeong-hyang. 26m 58s – Shum Eun-ha biography and discussion. 37m 39s – The remaining films […]

After a 11 year hiatus, the Whispering Corridors series is back with its 6th entry. Containing horror that leads into hints of great sadness and insanity connected to friendship and South Korea's turbulent history, we'll tell you all about it discussing Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running […]

The whispers in the corridor do not stop and the Ghost School Horror series out of Korea is on its fourth and fifth entry: 2005’s Voice and 2009’s A Blood Pledge. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/series box office, notes on the director 27m 17s – […]

The Monkey’s Paw and ballet collide in the third Ghost School Horror entry. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/literary background 22m 40s – Notes on the director, box office 37m 13s – Wishing Stairs review. Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on our Facebook page and Facebook group or Twitter (@podcastonfire, @sogoodreviews) […]

The Whispering Corridors-series had wind in its sails commercially but rather than do a year later in the same all-girls school follow-up, the makers decided to create a thread for the series based on similar setting and supernatural elements but not story. So for 1999's Memento Mori, spooky and heart-breaking stuff is back but also […]

New wave Korean cinema of the late 90s and onwards logged iconic imagery, settings and atmosphere. Whether through blockbuster action, exploration of vengeance, relationships between North and South Korea at the DMZ but in one of the film industries OG years, at the start of a re-birth we find spooky stuff set in a school […]

Korean cinema throws their hat into the J-horror ring… by making a Ring of their own. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/background on the novel, Japanese film adaptations, reception of The Ring Virus and director 48m 44s – The Ring Virus review. Contact the show via email […]

The director of Volcano High goes back to school but throws out the fighty fighty stuff in favour of the psychological, teachers shouldn’t get romantically involved with students, erotic thriller stuff in Innocent Thing from 2014. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Innocent Thing production notes, reception, […]

Korean cinema could probably do a violence in school exposé with the best of them but here priorities were a little bit different. Putting actors and stuntmen on wires to depict their martial arts powers as conflicts between teachers and students is brewing, in this episode we take a look at 2001’s Volcano High. With […]

Welcome to Haeundae. It’s going to be a wet vacation. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Haeundae reception, discussion of director and cast. 43m 49s – Haeundae review. Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on our Facebook page and Facebook group or Twitter (@podcastonfire, @sogoodreviews) and SUBSCRIBE to our iTunes feed. Show Links: […]

Outbreak or Contagion… Korean style. 2013’s Flu that’s up for review this episode. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Flu director Kim Sung-su discussion, production notes, reception. 32m 25s – Flu review. Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on our Facebook page and Facebook group or Twitter (@podcastonfire, @sogoodreviews) and SUBSCRIBE to our […]

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite has opened in UK cinemas so Kenny B and Paul Quinn sit down to discuss the record breaking 2019 South Korean movie. The main discussion contains mild to medium spoilers and the chat after the outro music contain major spoilers. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro 20m 30s – Parasite review. 67m […]

Possibly your favourite actor out of Train To Busan takes on awfully stabby gangs in The Outlaws from 2017. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – The Outlaws true life background, release, director Kang Yoon-Sung and actor Ma Dong-Seok discussion. 32m 17s – The Outlaws review. Contact the show via […]

Let’s review Attack The Gas Station. Why? Just because. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Cellulouid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Attack The Gas Station background, production, cast and crew, release. 29m 08s – Attack The Gas Station review. Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on our Facebook page and Facebook group or Twitter (@podcastonfire, @sogoodreviews) and SUBSCRIBE to our […]

The unluckiest but most effecient woman in the world enters debt and when the world screws her over, she enters revenge-mode. It’s very funny but you should feel a bit ashamed if you do. This all takes place in the 2015 black comedy Alice In Earnestland from 2015. With Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn. […]

Kim Jee-woon bursts onto Korean cinema screens and leaves a funny trail of dead people behind him. We watch Song Kang-ho, Choi Min-sik and company trying to run a lodge and dispose of bodies effectively in the black comedy The Quiet Family from 1998. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Cellulouid. Running Times:  […]

Korean cinema creativity also goes on in the short movie community, whether the big profiles are experimenting with the format or your lesser known directors. So in this episode we’ll be looking at six different ones using a variety of techniques, going back as far as 2003’s Doggy Poo and up to 2018’s Polaroid. With […]

The Action Kid Ryoo Seung-wan plants a plethora of characters in the same arena, with the central piece being money, to see how they connect, interact and just how much they are able to beat the crap out of each other in No Blood No Tears from 2002. With Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn. […]

Criminal shoots himself in front of his twin brother who’s a cop. Cop goes back to his old gang in the village and may or may not be acting as his dead twin brother. Violence and a quirky tone ensues in Kilimanjaro from 2000. With Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn. Running Times:  00m 00s […]

Korean urban legend wrapped in a horror package with some emotional oomph to it, which means we’ll examine if Huh Jung’s The Mimic strikes a balance between approachable local and international horror. With Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn. The Mimic is out now on dvd and digital HD from Arrow Films and we thank […]

The sassy girl Jun Ji-hyun takes a left turn from out of control girl in romantic comedies to playing a woman with narcolepsy who sees her babies die in front of her. Nothing is cheery, melodramatic or quirky anymore in the psychological horror movie The Uninvited from 2003. With Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn. Running […]

You can take a far more gentle approach to North Korean infiltration into South Korea, as opposed to the animalistic, head chopping ways in Shiri, and when you’re a screenwriter making your directorial debut, it makes sense it is less noisy and more story driven. This is what you’ll face in Kim Hyeon-jeong’s Double Agent from […]

The characters try and prevent South Korea from going boom but 1999’s Shiri went boom commercially and perhaps without the spark it set off commercially, Korean cinema would look a lot different today. The new Korean cinema wave starts here. With Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Shiri production background. 33m […]

Choi Min-sik may say he’s a bad guy in Springtime but this is as far removed from any scenes involving hammers or eating live animals on screen. No, Choi Min-sik gets taken down a notch, brought into warmth in Ryu Jang-ha’s 2004 drama. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s […]

Director Bae Chang-ho does picture esque slice of village life of a hundred years ago or so in a rather unremarkable remarkable film called My Heart from 1999. Featuring the adventures of Bag lady and Pot Boy. Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid break it all down for you. Includes the story of Paul meeting […]

The director of The Chaser and The Yellow Sea is back, this time with a long, horror movie that was one of the big hitters of Korean cinema in 2016. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Na Hong-jin’s career so far 34m 21s – The Wailing review Contact the […]

The black and white mindbender of 1965? Lee Yong-min’s career may be hard to research but his nightmare fuel in the form A Bloodthirsty Killer was thankfully discovered and now Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid review it as well talk of the career of the director. Running Times:  00m 00s – Lee Yong-min biography […]

How do you get good critical notices and audience-appeal working the crowded zombie genre? Well, you make a good one. That’s what Yeon Sang-ho did with 2016’s Train To Busan. With Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid. Running Times:  00m 00s – Yeon Sang-ho biography & discussion 33m 25s – Train To Busan review Contact the […]

We talk of a director and his last movie before passing away at a young age. But we also talk of a director that was so revered and still is so we’ll have a meaty bio and discussion about what made Lee Man-hee so admired as well as reviewing his last movie The Road To […]

For the 30th episode of What’s Korean Cinema, we return to reviewing something from the cannon of one of the key figures out of the early millenium new wave Korean cinema: Park Chan-wook. But he has proven to be of value to the scene even today and we’ll be looking at is his 2016 erotic […]

From Shin Sang-ok, our legendary man that would end up in North Korea making movies has made low budget crime films, enticing horror and now from 1961, we get a black and white romance called Mother And A Guest. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Shin Sang-ok biography & discussion 27m 14s – Mother And A Guest […]

Want to be kicked in the balls, experience complex psychology and be filled with positivity? Korea made one such movie for ya and it’s 2008’s A Man Who Was Superman. Starring the sassy girl, we’ll tell you all about it. With Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid‘s Paul Quinn. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Jeong Yoon-cheol biography […]

On this episode, we go back to 1983’s Declaration Of Idiot, directed by Lee Jang-ho. A silly, little art film from a director who didn’t want anyone to like it. It’s now considered a classic. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Production-background 28m 32s – Lee Jang-ho biography & discussion 41m 40s – Declaration Of Idiot review Contact […]

Based on the true story of Korean’s first serial killer, Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn look back on Bong Joon-ho’s critically acclaimed and audience juggernaut Memories Of Murder. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Production-background 12m 30s – Bong Joon-ho biography & discussion 37m 50s – Memories Of Murder review Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at […]

Kenny B and Korean cinema expert Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid share their views on 1960’s The Aimless Bullet (considered the best Korean movie ever made), its director and legacy. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Production-background 20m 05s – Yu Hyun-mok biography & discussion 36m 04s – The Aimless Bullet review Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, […]

Your hosts take you back to the controversy the little film Lies, about S & M, caused in 1999. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Lies-novel and author Jang Jung-il discussion 10m 57s – Jang Sun-woo biography & discussion/Lies-controversy 33m 17s – Lies review Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on our Facebook page and Facebook group or Twitter (@podcastonfire, @sogoodreviews) and SUBSCRIBE to our iTunes […]

Sexual awakening after a lifeless marriage… excuse for T & A or an attempt to deconstruct in a mature AND adult way? We’ll see what 1982’s Madam Aema holds as we review and discuss it. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Movie-series and censorship background 24m 48s – Jeong In-yeob biography & discussion 28m 49s – Madam […]

Bringing the unsettling, elegant, focused and dramatic, Kim Ji-woon’s A Tale Of Two Sisters is up for discussion. Does it hold a grip on audiences still or has rampant horror clichés outside of it diminished its power? Find out with Kenny B and Hangul Celluloid’s Paul Quinn. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Movie- and production […]

Way before his kidnapping by Kim Jong-il or possible defection to North Korea, Shin Sang-ok honed his important voice in South Korean cinema and creating diverse work. Ranging from the gritty, documentary style thriller Flower In Hell to this widescreen period horror about a familiar trope and content within Korean film and TV. The fox […]

From a director who makes the most out of his sporadic filmmaking, we find Lee Chang-dong directing a lead performance with enough acting for 3 movies. So is his 140 minute drama Secret Sunshine from 2007, about grief, belief and emotional trauma worth the investment. Or do we need to watch vidoes of puppies to […]

For episode 19, we cover the oldest Korean movie with recorded sound in existence that also is the shortest Korean movie discussed on this show. And hence maybe the shortest episode we’re ever likely to record. Brevity is an art not practised today, in Korea and elsewhere but anyway, the movie is Sweet Dream from […]

Eeeeeevil Korean woman, reprehensible humans beings, in black and white, through the eyes of director Kim Ki-young. this means, What’s Korean Cinema? takes you back to 1960 and The Housemaid. Cue lightning. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/Kim Ki-young bio & discussion 40m 30s – The Housemaid review Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at […]

Screaming and singing her heart out, set to a rhythm, a drum and a family drama underneath… it’s what’s depicted by legendary director Im Kwon-taek in Sopyonje from 1993. Running Times:  00m 00s – Intro/production background/Im Kwon-taek bio 30m 02s – Pansori background 33m 00s – Sopyonje review Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on […]

For this episode, we give Korea’s seemingly rare venture into fairy tale horror and fantasy in the form of Yim Pil-sung’s Hansel And Gretel from 2007 a look. A title brought to the UK through Terracotta Distribution so with Kenny B and Paul Quinn of Hangul Celluloid  is also Joey Leung of Terracotta. Running Times:  00m 00s – […]