Twinblade★ 3,892 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Figured i'd join in on these top lists. These movies are in no particular order, and i've mentioned most of them on this forum at some point so if you weren't paying attention then nows your chance to watch them Burning Yeah, thats Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead. He does a great job in the movie but isn't the only reason to watch it, the rest of the cast (which is actually pretty small) does a great job of keeping you engaged in the overarching mystery (which many may find to be a slow burn...hahah im hilarious ). Its longer than it probably needs to be, but the 2nd half really keeps you on your toes and the ending is bittersweet but fitting. The Villainess This is basically Korea's version of The Raid, and it'll give you your fix if you're locking for ultra violent action scenes mixing in guns and hand to hand combat. Theres a scene involving a bus in particular (you'll know when you watch it) that has some of the best directed action i've seen in recent memory. Castaway on the Moon I can't for the life of me remember what prompted me to watch this movie, but im glad I did. By all accounts its not remotely my type of film, but boy does it pack an emotional punch. Its basically about some crazy homeless dude who forms a relationship with a reclusive woman who has agoraphobia and just as the concept implies, the story unfolds in a very bizarre but charming way. I don't think theres a movie out there thats anything like this. The Chaser This is one of my favorite Korean thrillers and I wish it got as much attention as similar movies like Oldboy and I Saw The Devil. It easily rivals them when it comes to crazy twists and tension. The Yellow Sea The next movie from the director of The Chaser, this one opts for a much different tone as it exchanges thrills for a slower paced story that focuses on just one character who crosses The Yellow Sea in an attempt to pay off a debt that goes very wrong. I remember this being a very slow moving film, but it definitely pays off in the end. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance While the stories are unrelated this is actually thematically a follow up to Oldboy. A woman spends years in jail for a murder she didn't commit, so naturally once shes released her only focus is on going fuckin nuts and trying to get revenge on the real murderer. As you've probably already guessed, its violent as fuck and is very well put together overall. War of the Arrows War of the Arrows is just a lot of fun. Its melodrama can be a bit much at times but the period centric sets and bow & arrow focused battle scenes are both gorgeous and fun to watch. There's also scale to the overarching conflict that not many movies of this type can replicate. Joint Security Area Exactly how many movies have covered the militaristic and political aspect of the DMZ separating both Koreas? Not only is its story unique, is also manages to be unbiased and treats the South Korean and North Korean soldiers at the center equally. Its a very entertaining drama, but you'll also learn a lot by the end of it. Time to Hunt The newest movie on my list (it literally came out on netflix a few days ago) Time To Hunt is definitely NOT what you might expect after watching the trailers for it. Its much darker, and you'll be surprised by how tense it can get. The start isn't great but then it turns into a crazy hybrid of I Saw the Devil and Heat. The decrepit, run down dystopian setting is cool too and makes for come great cinematic shots. A Bittersweet Life Not the most creative crime drama around, but has some great scenes (especially the below one) https://youtu.be/w3EWhDcl-Yg Honorable mentions: The Terror Live - A guilty pleasure. A bomb is set in a news office and a reporter is basically stuck trying to meet the bomber's demands without him detonating it and bringing down the entire office building. The story is contrived and has more holes than swiss cheese, but I do have a soft spot for this type of movie so I was able to overlook them. Thirst - vampire movie from the director of Oldboy. I remember it actually being incredibly erotic for some reason, but it does tell a unique story (though it is very much a romance story so it might not be your cup of tea) My Way - Overly melodramatic but this is one of the most lavish war movies i've seen. In fact, it might have the best battle scenes i've seen in a foreign war movie. A lot of shit explodes and it explodes well in this flick. New World - Korea's attempt at Goodfellas/Godfather. Nothing too crazy, but its well made and gives you some insight into the Korean criminal underworld. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Delita 698 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Seen a bittersweet life, lady vengeance and JSA. I was actually going to watch time to hunt today Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DynamiteCop 2,085 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Never seen any Korean movies but I'm a fan of some older Jet Li and Jackie Chan chinese films. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bhytre 2,753 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) Seen them all except Burning and the Villainess but I already had them downloaded to watch when I'm in the mood, good list I'd still pick the Chaser as my favorite of the bunch but it's still fairly popular in being recommended to newcomers to K films. Would recommend M (2007) for a lesser known Korean film that I've recently seen. I have seen over 170 Korean films that I've tracked on my IMDB list and was pleasantly surprised to how unique and different it was,. Though kinda cryptic in its story-telling there's nothing quite like it and not the kind of film Koreans usually dare to create. Edited April 25, 2020 by bhytre Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. House 3,371 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 I never seen any of them. Ill get on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmaltese★ 2,550 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Best movie makers in the world by a long shot. I'll add another, very different from the usual thriller/action genre that most Korean movies are known for: Miracle in Cell No.7 The only movie ever that I've cried in. Can't even imagine what it would do to me now I actually have a daughter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmaltese★ 2,550 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Oh and I'm not sure if this wasn't on the list because you thought it was too popular, but imo it's much less known than The Chaser so I'll add it anyway: Bong Joon Ho's (director of Parasite) best work: Mother: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twinblade★ 3,892 Posted April 25, 2020 Author Share Posted April 25, 2020 ^I had to be selective to keep it to 10 but Mother is definitely very good, probably should have added it to the honorable mentions list at least. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Newmanspwn 52 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 The only yellow sea i seen is the sea of movies you just shown me. Jap trash Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pat McCrotch 55 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Park Chan-Wook is the best Korean director of all time, don't @ me. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaz 2,439 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 thanks, i have seen 2 movies from that list, gonna watch the others. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaz 2,439 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 48 minutes ago, Pat McCrotch said: Park Chan-Wook is the best Korean director of all time, don't @ me. @Pat McCrotch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SheepKilla 473 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 No memories of murder. thread fail. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twinblade★ 3,892 Posted April 25, 2020 Author Share Posted April 25, 2020 8 minutes ago, SheepKilla said: No memories of murder. thread fail. Learn to read, my OP is about less popular movies. Memories of Murder is well known and widely regarded as one of the best korean movies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-GD-X★ 7,729 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Excellent list! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-GD-X★ 7,729 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 My personal favorites are I Saw The Devil and The Man From Nowhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SheepKilla 473 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 7 hours ago, Twinblade said: Learn to read, my OP is about less popular movies. Memories of Murder is well known and widely regarded as one of the best korean movies. the "you" in the title makes me think of SW, and SW probably has never heard of it. lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pat McCrotch 55 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Burning is good but Secret Sunshine or Poetry is much better from Lee Chang-Dong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaz 2,439 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 4 hours ago, -GD- said: The Man From Nowhere. the fight scenes at the end are godlike 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-GD-X★ 7,729 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 13 minutes ago, kaz said: the fight scenes at the end are godlike I know Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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