Hong Sangsoo

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#301 Post by Michael Kerpan » Wed Feb 26, 2020 5:15 pm

Very much looking forward to finally seeing Grass.

I find the "Hong makes the same film over and over" line as lazy and thought-free as the same claim aimed at Ozu and Rohmer. (Not saying Hong is beyond criticism -- just saying that an assertion that is manifestly factually incorrect is hardly the wy to go about it).

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#302 Post by DarkImbecile » Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:35 pm


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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#303 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:40 pm

This is actually a 2016 film that didn't get a U.S. distributor at the time. Very glad it's getting one now, and a physical release to boot—I held off on buying the Korean Blu out of laziness more than anything else, but I guess it paid off in the end!

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#304 Post by DarkImbecile » Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:45 pm

Thanks for the correction! He's prolific enough that I've lost track of which film is which...

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#305 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Apr 27, 2020 3:44 pm

The same article tells us that Cinema Guild has acquired Hong's new The Woman Who Ran.

I did spring for the Korean release of Yourself and Yours -- and am glad I did. I found this to be an especially enjoyable film. More light-hearted, but intriguing.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#306 Post by dadaistnun » Mon May 04, 2020 9:28 am

Grasshopper Film has acquired U.S. rights to Hill of Freedom and what's being billed as "a new digital restoration" of Woman On the Beach. The linked article mentions virtual cinema releases this summer, home video later in the year.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#307 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon May 04, 2020 10:02 am

Great news. WotB might well be my very favorite of all HSS's films.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#308 Post by knives » Mon May 04, 2020 1:02 pm

Yeah, that's a really good one and sold me on Hong after at first being on sure.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#309 Post by zedz » Mon May 04, 2020 4:14 pm

Woman on the Beach was one of my least favourite Hongs, but I've only seen it the once, and if we finally get a subtitled Hill of Freedom (which is a favourite), I'll be able to do a chronological rewatch / reevaluation of all his films.

(He's got enough films to do his own auteur list project, which domino will be scheduling some time after hell freezes over.)

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#310 Post by therewillbeblus » Mon May 04, 2020 5:07 pm

I've only seen the two in the Arrow dual release, but liked them enough to keep going.. still haven't taken that plunge though since finding a starting point is overwhelming

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knives
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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#311 Post by knives » Mon May 04, 2020 5:12 pm

Just go with whatever is available at the moment. He's a director greatly aided by just seeing a ton of stuff. If you need an organizing principle you can do it chronologically though that's not essential.

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domino harvey
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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#312 Post by domino harvey » Mon May 04, 2020 5:16 pm

zedz wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 4:14 pm
(He's got enough films to do his own auteur list project, which domino will be scheduling some time after hell freezes over.)
I may have hated the only one I’ve seen, but I am no more opposed to a list for him than I am any other director, as I don’t just put forward auteurs I like for voting. But you are the first to suggest it. I remain highly dubious of board interest to justify one in three years when the schedule opens up, but if that’s the way the wind blows, &c. Plus, I know he’s prolific, but I don’t think he has thirty films, does he?

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#313 Post by Glowingwabbit » Mon May 04, 2020 5:18 pm

therewillbeblus wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 5:07 pm
I've only seen the two in the Arrow dual release, but liked them enough to keep going.. still haven't taken that plunge though since finding a starting point is overwhelming
That's how I got introduced. Since then I've just been watching them whenever Grasshopper/Cinema Guild put them out. I don't think you need to worry about any kind of order. Strangely enough the only two I haven't cared for so far both had isabelle Huppert in them which is odd.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#314 Post by Glowingwabbit » Mon May 04, 2020 5:21 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 5:16 pm
zedz wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 4:14 pm
(He's got enough films to do his own auteur list project, which domino will be scheduling some time after hell freezes over.)
I may have hated the only one I’ve seen, but I am no more opposed to a list for him than I am any other director, as I don’t just put forward auteurs I like for voting. But you are the first to suggest it. I remain highly dubious of board interest to justify one in three years when the schedule opens up, but if that’s the way the wind blows, &c. Plus, I know he’s prolific, but I don’t think he has thirty films, does he?
He'll definitely have over 30 films 3 years from now if not already.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#315 Post by knives » Mon May 04, 2020 5:41 pm

He currently has 28 credits four of which are shorts so according to Domino math he needs just six more films to be eligible.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#316 Post by zedz » Mon May 04, 2020 6:00 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 5:16 pm
zedz wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 4:14 pm
(He's got enough films to do his own auteur list project, which domino will be scheduling some time after hell freezes over.)
I may have hated the only one I’ve seen, but I am no more opposed to a list for him than I am any other director, as I don’t just put forward auteurs I like for voting. But you are the first to suggest it. I remain highly dubious of board interest to justify one in three years when the schedule opens up, but if that’s the way the wind blows, &c. Plus, I know he’s prolific, but I don’t think he has thirty films, does he?
It was more a comment on your recent disenchantment with the level of involvement in the lists projects, and the fact that Hong would be a very hard sell for most of the board.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#317 Post by zedz » Mon May 04, 2020 6:01 pm

knives wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 5:41 pm
He currently has 28 credits four of which are shorts so according to Domino math he needs just six more films to be eligible.
One of those shorts is a double up, too ('Lost in the Mountains' / 'Visitors').

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#318 Post by therewillbeblus » Mon May 04, 2020 6:05 pm

zedz wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 6:00 pm
domino harvey wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 5:16 pm
zedz wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 4:14 pm
(He's got enough films to do his own auteur list project, which domino will be scheduling some time after hell freezes over.)
I may have hated the only one I’ve seen, but I am no more opposed to a list for him than I am any other director, as I don’t just put forward auteurs I like for voting. But you are the first to suggest it. I remain highly dubious of board interest to justify one in three years when the schedule opens up, but if that’s the way the wind blows, &c. Plus, I know he’s prolific, but I don’t think he has thirty films, does he?
It was more a comment on your recent disenchantment with the level of involvement in the lists projects, and the fact that Hong would be a very hard sell for most of the board.
If we ever reach a point of giving up hope and lighting this idea on fire I still say we do a Michel Deville list project and bank on enough people with backchannel access to pull ten lists. Not that I need an excuse to rewatch the whole filmography.

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zedz
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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#319 Post by zedz » Mon May 04, 2020 6:10 pm

therewillbeblus wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 6:05 pm
zedz wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 6:00 pm
domino harvey wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 5:16 pm

I may have hated the only one I’ve seen, but I am no more opposed to a list for him than I am any other director, as I don’t just put forward auteurs I like for voting. But you are the first to suggest it. I remain highly dubious of board interest to justify one in three years when the schedule opens up, but if that’s the way the wind blows, &c. Plus, I know he’s prolific, but I don’t think he has thirty films, does he?
It was more a comment on your recent disenchantment with the level of involvement in the lists projects, and the fact that Hong would be a very hard sell for most of the board.
If we’re really gonna part from hope and light this idea on fire I still say we do a Michel Deville list project and bank on enough people with backchannel access to pull ten lists. Not that I need an excuse to rewatch the whole filmography.
This kind of thing (and Hong) seems to me less like a list project and more like an orchestrated viewing project for a dedicated few (maybe in a dedicated thread, with a timetable or timeline.) But ranking films is generally the last thing I like to do with them.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#320 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon May 04, 2020 6:40 pm

I would not really be able to rank Hong's films. I have 2 sentimental favorites but love/like a lot all his films (and many of them pretty much equally). ;-)

domino -- which is the film you saw and hated? I would say that Hong is someone whose "wavelength" you need to tune into in order to enjoy -- and sometimes one just can never tune in to a director (Tsai, for me, for instance).

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domino harvey
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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#321 Post by domino harvey » Mon May 04, 2020 8:15 pm

On the Beach at Night Alone. To me this movie’s execution exhibited the same relationship to Rohmer that Mumblecore does. Which is to say, any lessons learned are the wrong ones. Perhaps I would love a different film from him, but quite honestly, I have no desire to continue down that road, at least right now

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#322 Post by knives » Mon May 04, 2020 8:40 pm

I thought that one was fairly garbage as well, but I enjoy all of his pre-adultery films so maybe you should give one of them a try.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#323 Post by swo17 » Mon May 04, 2020 8:42 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 8:15 pm
On the Beach at Night Alone. To me this movie’s execution exhibited the same relationship to Rohmer that Mumblecore does. Which is to say, any lessons learned are the wrong ones. Perhaps I would love a different film from him, but quite honestly, I have no desire to continue down that road, at least right now
I'm not the biggest Hong booster but if you change your mind I might suggest In Another Country (the one with Isabelle Huppert) or I think the one I've liked the most was Hill of Freedom

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#324 Post by knives » Mon May 04, 2020 8:48 pm

On the other hand I think In Another Country is one of the worst offenders of the mumblecorisms.

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Re: Hong Sangsoo

#325 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon May 04, 2020 9:02 pm

On the Beach at Night Alone is a film I have not yet (informally) ranked. I found it very different from his other films (especially in mood and tone). I would say this is one of his least Rohmer-ish films (though I think approaching his work through the filter of Rohmer is probably a mistake -- despite the fact that many critics seem to like doing so).

I'd say check out Power of Kangwon Province -- if that strikes out, then put Hong on your back burner.

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