03/06/2006 - A Short History of Korean Blockbusters
Many consider the movie Shiri to be the movie that started the trend of blockbuster films in South Korea. When Shiri was being produced, many professionals in the film industry were negative about its outcome. To spend so much on a genre film that Koreans were unfamiliar with was a huge risk for all involved. Instead, however, the film became the highest grossing film and was able to, for the first time, compete with Hollywood blockbusters. The impact Shiri had on South Korea was not just in its commercial success. It allowed the South Korean film industry to have first hand experience of what a blockbuster film can do for them and its audience.
09/21/2007 - Homebrew Dragon Wars
Dragon Wars is a personal movie for me. Some of you may already know that I'm Korean and that Dragon Wars too shares the same origin, so this may not come as a surprise. And let's be honest here: there's no way for me not to favor something Korean over something that isn't. Of course, oftentimes this may be so insignificant that it doesn't affect anything fundamental, but being minuscule shouldn't negate it.