Korean netizens are not happy.
Why, because CNN left out the classic cult film, “Old Boy,” (2003) directed by Park Chan-wook. Even the British film journal, Empire acknowledged the film’s greatness by citing it as one of the 500 greatest movies of all time. This puts the Korean film at the same level as “The Godfather”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, and “Empire Strikes Back”, which were also included in their list.
CNN has missed the boat. Their choice for Best Asian Film included 2 Korean films- the rightly deserved director Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host” (2006 괴물) and the older film, “Mandala,” (1981) directed by Im Kwon-taek‘.
“Arguably one of the greatest monster films ever made”, wrote the U.S.-based Cable News Network about The Host, noting that “a staggering 20 percent of the population of South Korea have watched this film”.
Sure, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but how could they skip out on one of Korean cinema’s darkest and twisted movies?
The Asian Best Film selection was released on CNN.com on September 18th.
Check out the trailer for “Old Boy”
And trailer for “The Host”
CNN prolly didn’t like OLDBOY. Big whoop! It was their opinion. Get over it,
America RULES!!!!!!!!!!
old boy was sooo twisted. even though i couldn’t stomach it, old boy was complex and unpredictable. however, i think “the chaser” was a much much better south korean film. and it should’ve been included on the list.
I agree with Lyn; the whole incest thing really turned me off of the movie. I think it still could have been fantastic if they had left that part out of the movie. Still, it has hadgreat reviews from around the world, so it’s surprising that CNN ignored it – or is it?
(Stupid CNN)
Oldboy was sick!
oh please! get over it! what a bunch of whiners! oh and don’t even play the racist card! what a bunch of losers!
Funny! As much as you people claim to hate America, you still play by American standards! You indulge yourself in American culture and products! What a bunch of pathetic people! If you’re going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk! And yes, get over it! Stop acting like a bunch of cry babies just because your movie didn’t make it on CNN’s list! Effing LOSERS!
Uh-oh the Anti-CNN chinese pple are here! Please don’t come here and bring that shiz.
I agree with Lyn.
Old Boy was great up until the end where it turned out to be some sick-ass weirdo incest snuff film that you were enjoying.
Very powerful. And definitely non-standard but probably not good for Western audiences.
I loved the corridor fight scene though. Where he basically fights his way through an entire gang and a half of young Korean gangsters.
You know what this reminds me of?
The smell of furniture polish. I love that stuff!
Also… you may carry on your discussion with my blessings.
old boy is a classic and should be one of the best.
i watched host, it was okay. i didnt see Old boy, but i saw the indian movie version of it. it was called Zinda. that movie cut out some things and change the plot a littel bit. so i was told.
horror films are a waste of time. period. I get angry when Sci Fi is equated with horror
Trust me, Americans can handle incest. We’ve seen way more disturbing stuff in American movies than all of the things in oldboy. Just because 1 cable news channel (don’t forget, we have so many other news channels)didn’t pick a korean movie, doesn’t mean we (everyone in America) can’t handle it. CNN, not America, didn’t pick it. Stop basing 1 groups opionin on a whole country. It’s like saying all Korean are bad because we had 1 (only 1 out of millions of Koreans in America)disturbed man shot 60+ ppl in Virgina Tech. College. We are a country that consist of so many different races, as well as different coultre, including Koreans. So stop being so narrow minded. This is just an opinion of a small unimportant group of ppl.
And by the way, I think “How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor” is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. I rather watch that than any of those movies listed. And I believe that every Titanic Movie should be destroyed. That was the Sh-teous movie ever made.
^ I meant every Titanic video or dvd should be destroyed. I’d burn them all.
OLD BOY was an OUTSTANDING film.
Twisted, scary, new, original, strange but amazing!!!!
LOL calm down Shar. No one is bashing Americans lol.
Trust me, i’m not hype, just not emotional like alot of these bloggers. And yes, Americans make the sh-teous films and shows anyway, so why should anyone care about our opinions. I just watched “The Host” and it was pretty good. I liked it.
what DOESN’T the netizens get worked up about?
CNN misses the boat all the time. I’m pretty sure it’s run by chimpanzees.
‘Old Boy’ leaves a after bittertaste and a headach…
What’s so good about an incest story?!! It’s just so disturbing and creepy!
Koreans’ (read filmakers’) inclination towards incest story lines in their dramas and movies are not only upsetting and disturbing but odd too…
And supposedly ‘Old Boy’ was one of the higest grossing film in Korea… Netizens’ odd choice?
There are far better Korean films I have seen…
waaaaaaah jinjja both movies look really great
i’m off to watch them
i can’t believe i did not yet!!
dae hanmin guk~~ lol ^^
Netizens are what? 14 year old girls with nothing else better to do. Who cares for their opinion?
CNN doesn’t have to agree to the netizens; declaring something as one of the greatest movies of all time is an opinionated action.
Idiots.
Korean Netizens have so much influence over the Korean culture. Korean Netizens are made up mostly of young adolescent students. You do the math.
personally, i wouldve loved CNN more if sympathy for lady vengeance to be on the list.. but yes, park chanwook is very deserving to be on that list.
as we all well informed that CNN is always suck. i guess Park Chan-wook’s film are all great that its difficult to choose one of the best. CNN is always missed/messed up things just because they wanted to create alittle chaos and of course they had prepared their lame feedback, to me ‘old boy’ deserved to be in the list. but popseoul, should there be a trailer for Mandala too so we can fairly compare it to Old Boy.
when did crazy Korean netizens watch CNN?! lol they’re going global.
“The host” a great movie ? All the people I know who watched this movie say that it’s a nonsense. It was catchy but not a great film. If they search a great korean movie they can take any Parl Chan Wook movie…
Well that just goes to show how pathetic CNN are. -_-;
Foreigners who truly dig Korean cinema know the greatness of Oldboy!
Their omission, their mistake. CNN FAILS. Park Chan Wook WINS.
Oldboy might be a story with incest but it’s way more than that, so I disagree with Kenri, who was obviously unable to grasp everything else emanating from this movie. It’s absolutely not constructive to bash a film over the most shocking theme appearing in it. When do you truly know that it’s incest? Are you going to say that during the majority of the film you felt this was the recurring theme?
But hey that’s simply my opinion. ^_~
While I honestly appreciate Old Boy. I think Failan is better than Old boy. That’s my two cents. I think they should have included 3-Iron or Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring.
That’s ridiculous, this movie may be dark, but the U.S. has the nerve to make the SAW series and avoids this movie because it’s dark? Makes no sense.
i thought Old Boy was really disturbing. it was a pretty good twisted movie about revenge and vengeance but nonetheless, DISTURBING
I watched the Host and it was not THAT great. Sure, it was good, but i wouldnt put it on any top movie list or nothing. Just another monster film. ??????
That’s brilliant when like “massacre” “Korea” come together, the “Virginia Tech incident” is the automatic conclusion, even though the person who wrote it don’t even know where it is or what it looks like or can even name the student who caused it without looking it up on wiki. Talk about logic fallacies in your arguments. Well done.