Hong Sangsoo

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

This customer review of Oki's Movie doesn't sound too promising:

"The DVD image is different from what I watched on Amazon Prime. It's been zoomed in and stretched and generally looks awful. I'm not sure why the image is so different but Asian Crush won't respond to any emails. The movie is good and deserves to be seen as intended. The Prime version is fine but avoid this DVD."

Maybe the disc isn't correctly flagged for 16:9 (an easy fix) and s/he was watching on a 4:3 set, in which case it would be stretched--but that wouldn't account for zooming.

[rockysds]

Korean blu-ray of On the Occasion Of Remembering The Turning Gate May 6th.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

$23.99 at KimchiDVD.

[chatterjees]

$23.99 at KimchiDVD.

I could never register at the site, it always says check your email and I keep checking!!! Does this site work for anybody? ](*,)

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

You need to click the "Redundancy Check" button before you submit. That's what they mean by "check your email." Yes, it's confusing.

[repeat]

What are their shipping costs like, roughly? Couldn't find any info on the website.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

AFAIK there's no way to tell until you get to checkout. I paid around $12 on shipping to the U.S. for all three Hong BDs (figured I might as well kill three birds with one stone). It looks like it's based on weight.

[perkizitore]

I think shipping starts at $7 for a single BD, so if you only order Turning Gate it will still cost you less than YesAsia (Not to mention you will be getting it a week earlier)

[repeat]

I paid around $12 on shipping to the U.S. for all three Hong BDs

Sounds very reasonable - might end up ordering the same lot

BTW was this listed just now? A limited Blu-ray edition of Night And Day

[perkizitore]

Yes, but better wait for reviews on that one, we don't know if it will have hard-coded Korean subtitles or not.

[chatterjees]

Thanks "The Fanciful Norwegian", the site works for me now. Was thinking about what else to order from them. I already got Malena. "Night and Day" is a great news \:D/ , definitely will order that and also thinking about Peppermint Candy, then I will not mind paying that amount for shipping

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Yes, but better wait for reviews on that one, we don't know if it will have hard-coded Korean subtitles or not.

There's hardly any non-Korean dialogue in Night and Day--it's seriously something like 1% of the movie. Different strokes and all that, but if you ask me, Korean hardsubs for the non-Korean parts shouldn't be a dealbreaker. It's a totally different situation with In Another Country, which is mostly in English.

Now I've got to cancel my previous order and add this on...

[zedz]

Hey, if you're ordering Hong from kimchi, Like You Know It All is only $7.99.

EDIT: And if you're ordering from the UK, note that you have the opportunity to tell them how you want your customs declaration filled out and for what amount.

[zedz]

Yes, but better wait for reviews on that one, we don't know if it will have hard-coded Korean subtitles or not.

There's hardly any non-Korean dialogue in Night and Day--it's seriously something like 1% of the movie.

That's one of the film's foundational jokes: the hero goes all the way to Paris but interacts almost exclusively with other expats.

[Applesauce]

Another Korean blu release Hong fans should be excited about: Woman is the Future of Man on May 30th

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I guess "excited" is one way to put it. I'm happy so much of Hong's filmography is coming out on Blu--a nice surprise given how weak Korean distributors are with catalog titles--but I'm getting a liiiiiittle sick of these slightly-staggered releases, which are a real pain for those of us who like consolidating orders to cut down on shipping costs and generally make things neater. Taking all bets on which one Content Zone will announce next week...or maybe DS Media will finally announce In Another Country.

[kai.ryn]

Anyone seen any of the BDs yet? Screenshots would be welcome, certainly -- as Blu-ray dot com and DVDBeaver don't review this series

Anyone have tech information for his recent films? I've read that Like You Know It All was shot on the Sony EX1. The Day He Arrives was clearly shot on video, and I'm guessing that's also the case for Hahaha, Night and Day, Oki's Movie (just judging by screenshots -- haven't seen those three). In Another Country was shot on 35mm, obviously. Interesting how he's gone back.

[AlexHansen]

Kimchi DVD certainly doesn't scrimp on the bubble wrap (much to their credit). It's so tempting to skip my first day of work and dive in on these Blu-rays. Damn my responsible nature.

[chatterjees]

Kimchi DVD certainly doesn't scrimp on the bubble wrap (much to their credit). It's so tempting to skip my first day of work and dive in on these Blu-rays. Damn my responsible nature.

Don't they pay for their supply of bubble wrap?

I am in the process of moving, but still managed to watch the Night and Day BD. I love this film, but almost rediscovered the film while watching the BD! Excellent PQ/SQ. I am not a technical person, but I can confirm It was shot on video. Unfortunately, can't watch the other 2 BDs before next week. I hate moving!!!

[chatterjees]

FYI, the cover art for Night and Day, which is shown @Kimchi DVD has been changed and the new one is the one which is displayed @YesAsia website. Just thought about sharing the info...

[AlexHansen]

I realized my error last night in a moment of clarity from the haze I've been in the last couple of days. I'll leave it as a badge of honor (or something).

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Anyone have tech information for his recent films? I've read that Like You Know It All was shot on the Sony EX1. The Day He Arrives was clearly shot on video, and I'm guessing that's also the case for Hahaha, Night and Day, Oki's Movie (just judging by screenshots -- haven't seen those three). In Another Country was shot on 35mm, obviously. Interesting how he's gone back.

I confess I'm not good at distinguishing the two, so I have to ask why you conclude In Another Country was obviously 35mm and not digital. There's a prominent XDCAM EX logo in the closing credits, and while there's also credits for Fujifilm and a "telecine," those same credits appear in all of Hong's recent films, including Hahaha (which was definitely shot on video, to judge from Yu Junsang's photo diary). There's also no credit I can find for a company that actually makes 35mm motion picture cameras.

[kai.ryn]

If anything, after rewatching the trailer in HD, it's clear that it was shot on video. (I blame a foggy memory of the trailer and a false memory of seeing 35mm on IMDB). The fact that Huppert is in it also jived with my sense that it might have better financing, allowing to shoot on film

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Its budget was only in the neighborhood of $200k, but that's at least twice what Hong's other recent films have cost, so you could say Huppert's involvement actually did bring more financing. Huppert herself apparently took a deferred salary, just like Hong's regular cast and crew.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Nobody's Daughter Haewon coming to DVD early next month. No BD yet, apparently, but based on what DS did with Oki's Movie and The Day He Arrives, it might come out in a few months, hopefully alongside In Another Country.