Ha Jung-woo – FilmFest Salon

Film: “Take Point”

This is the first time I’ve ever written the words “you won’t be bored” and not meant it as total praise. In the case of “Take Point“, written and directed by South Korean Kim Byung-woo, the excitement comes at a cost. The excitement will likely be accompanied by a measure of confusion and frustration. In […]

Film: “The Handmaiden”

By filmfestsalonNovember 11, 2016Film Review BlogCannes Film Festival, Cho Jin-woong, Ha Jung-woo, Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Korean film, Marquis DeSade, Park Chan-wook, Ryu Seong-hie, Sarah Waters, The Handmaiden

Revenge, as the saying goes, is a dish best served cold. There is little warmth to be found in Park Chan-wook’s brilliant The Handmaiden, but the filmmaker makes sure to serve bunches of wit and sexy fun along with it. It is essentially a dark tale, however, that sits comfortably alongside Park’s other work, like Oldboy, […]