About this product: Plot: After his friend Wang-Jae is murdered, police officer Tae-Su returns to his hometown to attend the funeral. But once there, he becomes suspicious that there's more to Wang-Jae's death than he's being told; and he sets out to seek his own justice. Overview: Smart, slick, and furiously paced, The City Of Violence is part detective story, part mayhem-packed thrill ride. Director Ryoo Seung-Wan, Korean cinema's answer to Quentin Tarantino (Johnny Vaughan, The Sun, UK), combines stylized camerawork, whirling tae kwon do moves, and an array of entertaining villains to create a classic revenge saga. The story follows a pair of high school friends who reunite to investigate the murder of one of their own, hurtling toward an epic two-against-the-world showdown where they will try to take vengeance at any cost.
Friend opens with an idyllic scene in which several children are seen chasing a truck spraying water; I think it is water at least, on a hot summer day. With peaceful music playing in the background it feels as if the film is in the same nostalgic realm as Rob Reiner's Stand By Me. This feeling is given even more of a jolt when the viewer is introduced to four young protagonists: Sang-taek, Joon-suk, Dong-su, and Joong-ho. Although from vastly different backgrounds, Sang-taek is upper-middleclass; Dong-su's father is a mortician; Joon-suk's father is a gangster, etc., the boys form a strong friendship and spend their days swimming, asking each other outlandish questions, buying "menstruation" pictures, menstruation being the word used by adults for female genitalia, and watching porn.
The friends are split up when they enter junior high school, but are reunited in high school. Enduring such individuals as their English teacher who not canes students on their bare feet when they cannot answer questions correctly but who also slaps and punches them, the boys feel the pangs of first love, Joong-ho for the keyboardist of the all girl band Rainbow and Dong-su and Sang-taek for Rainbow's lead singer Jin-sook. However, it is at this point a small breach forms in the relationship between Dong-su and Joon-suk. Joon-suk arranges for Sang-taek to go to a private room with Jin-sook while Dong-su is left out in the cold. After Dong-su asks Joon-suk if he is nothing more than a henchman, Joon-suk fails to give an answer.
After a major fight in a movie theater which pitted the four friends against what seemed to be an entire school, the gang of four is split and Joon-suk and Dong-su entrench themselves deeper into the criminal underworld while Sang-taek and Joong-ho pursue their own goals. Sang-taek and Joong-ho meet Joon-suk a few years later, but the once hard-as-nails gang leader has been reduced to a drug-addled wreck. However, after yet another long duration of time, the friends meet again and Joon-suk is at the top of his game. Dong-su is also at the top of his game as well as the second in a rival gang.
Threaded thickly with nostalgia, Friend will move anyone who reminisces about childhood friends. Although from completely different backgrounds, the friendship between Sang-taek and Joon-suk radiates deeply. Joon-suk's protective nature is almost frightening because of his almost dual personality of ruthless brute and a caring friend. While filled with violence and blood, in my humble opinion, the comedic interactions between the four men truly make Friend a good, if not outstanding, movie.
About this product: Working miracles with only a single set and a handful of characters, Korean director Kim Ki-Duk creates a wise little gem of a movie. As the title suggests, the action takes place in five distinct episodes, but sometimes many years separate the seasons. The setting is a floating monastery in a pristine mountain lake, where an elderly monk teaches a boy the lessons of life--although when the boy grows to manhood, he inevitably must learn a few hard lessons for himself. By the time the story reaches its final sections, you realize you have witnessed the arc of existence--not one person's life, but everyone's. It's as enchanting as a Buddhist fable, but it's not precious; Kim (maker of the notorious The Isle) consistently surprises you with a sex scene or an explosion of black comedy; he also vividly acts in the Winter segment, when the lake around the monastery eerily freezes. --Robert Horton
About this product: A 32-year woman has just been released from jail on charges of sex with a minor, who is one month away from being legal. She’s eager to write off his love as a youthful mistake. He’s eager to protect his newly-freed girlfriend from a world that doesn’t want to accept them. But does either one of them really know what they want? And more importantly, do they have anything in common besides sex?
About this product: Simple Steps To A Greener Home With lifestyle expert Danny Seo
Smart and stylish ideas for turning your home into an Earth-friendly oasis proving that green living can be gorgeous living too.
DVD INCLUDES Decorating tips for a Greener Home Tips from The Green Guide Danny Seo s Biography
NATURE S REMEDY FOR IN-HOME STYLE Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo shows that it really is easy being green and shares the creative ideas that have made him America s leading lifestyle authority on modern, eco-friendly living. From flooring to restoring, remodelling to recycling, Simple Steps to a Greener Home offers smart and stylish ideas for turning your home into an Earth-friendly oasis proving that green living can be gorgeous living too.
GET TO KNOW DANNY SEO Best-selling author and lifestyle expert Danny Seo has spun his Simply Green eco-friendly way of life into books praised by Food & Wine, Elle and Country Home; a LIME network TV show featuring stylish, eco-friendly tips for the home; and a weekly talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio. Danny brings his uniquely stylish vision to some of Hollywood s biggest celebrities as an eco-stylist, dressing them in environmentally-friendly fashion, consulting on home renovations and helping them raise money for their eco-charities.
About this product: Remarkable acting, striking visuals, and dead-on direction from Kim Ki-Duk (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring; The Isle) make BAD GUY an edgy tour de force. Kim submerges the audience in the underground world of Seoul's red-light district and takes them on a surrealistic, darkly romantic ride. It depicts the relationship between a young college girl forced into prostitution and the pimp who orchestrated her demise and silently watches from behind a false mirror.
About this product: What if Japan allied with the United States during WWII? What if nuclear bombs were dropped on Berlin instead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? What if the sovereign nation of Korea never existed? To J.B.I. agent Masayuki Sakamoto these questions aren't speculation-they're history. During a routine investigation, he uncovers a web of intrigue that will turn his world inside out.
About this product: Three of the most popular horror films in Korean history are now available in one box-set! Just in time for Halloween, these horrifying tales will be packaged in an eye-catching slipcase with a limited edition bonus disc containing over 2 hours of special features! Titles include: Whispering Corridors: Widely credited with starting the Asian horror explosion, it is the #3 highest-grossing Korean horror film of all-time! Memento Mori: The sequel to Whispering Corridors. "Frightening in the way The Others or The Sixth Sense should have been."eFilmCritic.com, Wishing Stairs: The third chapter in the trilogy is also the #5 highest-grossing Korean horror film all-time.
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