Mark James Russell

Books, blog and other blather

Category: Random Stuff (Page 6 of 7)

Buena Hongdae Social Club

August 26, 2007 / / 1 Comment

You know that experience where you walk past some place (a sign or an entranceway or wherever) hundreds of times without giving the location a second thought, then one day, for no particular reason, you decide to go inside and discover an amazing place? Something really special was right under your nose the whole time, but you had no idea. Well, that happened to me on Thursday night.

The location in question was MOONGLOW, a jazz club kind of in Hongdae, kind of outside the usual Hongdae limits (somewhere between Hongdae proper and Hapjeong Subway Station).

Moonglow is owned and operated by Shin Kwan-Woong, one of Korea’s early jazz musicians. He’s apparently been playing professionally since 1966, and is an interesting character. He plays piano pretty much every night at the club, with the band accompanying him changing each night.


I have not been there every night of the week, but Thursday nights are pretty cool, as the band consists of all his old friends and bandmates from the 1960s. Some pretty solid names playing him, and they still can groove. Somewhat like the guys in BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (to use a rather uncreative comparison).

According to the Moonglow website, on drums is the amazing 76-year-old Choi Se-jin, who has been playing since 1947 (but last Thursday, I think someone else was playing… looked different from the photos of Choi).

Anyhow, I’ll try to write more about these guys some time soon.

If I have a complaint (and me being me, of course I do), it is how typical their repertoire was. If I could get through the rest of my life without hearing Chuck Mangione, I would not be unhappy (Feels So Bad). But I imagine they playlist reflects what people are always asking them to play. And at least the band played the hell out of those tunes, turning them into something special. That club is definitely a great find. Highly recommended.

(Sorry, could not find an English map).

  • This is kind of random. STARDUST had a pretty understated opening on Aug. 14 across Korea. I saw it at the local Art Reon theater, where it was playing on the smallest screen they had. Well today I checked out the Art Reon movie listings, and lo and behold, STARDUST is now playing on the second-biggest screen in the multiplex. Is this a sign the movie is getting really good word of mouth? Or is it just one of those inexplicable things?
  • I finally checked out SHIM”S TAPAS in Hongdae. Wow, their food is really first-rate. Coffee, too. Homemade bread, plenty of choices… The group I was with ordered about eight things (not including dessert), and seven of them were excellent (their pizza was okay, but not great). Another big recommendation — if you can get a seat. I will post a map if I can ever find one. It is located in Seogyo-dong, if that helps, not far from Sanulim Theater (even closer to the bar Stereo, if you know where that is).

    • Naver Say Naver Again…

    July 23, 2007 / / 1 Comment

    Hey, for the first time, the Korean Internet world seems to have noticed my presence. Very exciting. And rather unexpected.

    If I may explain… On Friday, I will be giving a presentation at Kyung Hee University, as part of some seminar and other things in a day of Hallyu (the Korean Wave). The university asked us presenters to write a little paper, basically going over what we will talk about at the seminar. No big deal, was happy to do it.

    But apparently the university gave out copies of our papers to the local press… trying to stir up interest in their event, I guess. In any event, this morning I started getting phone calls from some friends and acquaintances in the entertainment industry, asking about the mean things I had written.

    My first response was “Huh?”… partly because it takes a while for my brain to get moving in the morning, and partly because I had not expected the press to take an interest in my little paper. But mostly because I wrote a fairly positive story about the local entertainment biz.

    So I hit the Internet and found a couple of stories. The worst was definitely the Segye Ilbo, who totally misunderstood what I wrote. And (surprise, surprise) did not bother contacting me. Niiiice. Very professional. Granted, I gave my paper a cheeky little title (“The Zombie Wave”), but not for any special reason… because I could not think of a decent title and because I was just joking around.

    In any event, where there is news, there is a Naver discussion (Thanks to the Marmot for pointing it out to me). As of 11pm, there were over 1,200 comments… Rather remarkable, especially for little old me. It was mostly the usual Naver mix of complaining, joking and what not, but I was surprised how many people seemed sympathetic to what I said (even though much of it was taken out of context).

    FYI, for any Naver or Newsis or other folk dropping by, my presentation is mostly about how the Korean Wave and Korean pop culture has been perceived by the Western media. It is much more a critique of Western journalism in Korea than it is an analysis of Korean pop culture.

    FYI2, I am not American. I write for American magazines, but I am not American. Not that there is anything wrong with that…

    PS: Hi Mikstipe. Nice blog… and thanks for the kind words.

    Like Making Love in a Canoe

    June 15, 2007 / / 1 Comment

    JoongAng Daily writer Cho Jae-eun gives us an odd, brief history of Korean beer. I am tempted to fisk the article, but I fear I would be here all evening. The article has a little bit of useful information in it, but, sadly, it is obvious the writer does not know much about “real” beer, and so had to recycle a lot of OB and Hite PR material. I do not want to sound all mean and negative… Oh, who am I kidding? I am mean and negative.

    Suffice it to say, Korean beer is bad. Really, really bad. I do prefer Cass and Hite and Hite Prime/Max (whatever they are calling it this week) over Budweiser and Miller and mainstream American beers. But that is not saying much. Japanese beer is rarely much different, although there are a couple of brands that are marginally nicer.

    As for Canadians who love Labbats or Molsons — you need to be quiet. Contrary to popular opinion in Canuckland, mainstream beer there is nearly as bad as in America.

    The other Korean beers — Cafri, OB Blue, Cass Light — are pretty much undrinkable. And Cass Red is just nasty. It tastes like syrup, not beer. It is the Majuang Port Wine of beers. (I mean the Majuang stuff they used to sell at convenience stores for 1,800 won… count yourself lucky if it never passed your lips).

    I am slightly ambivalent about Hite Stout. It certainly is no stout. I can remember when it tasted a little bit like a dark mild, but (as they story states) it has been rejigged and watered down for local tastes since then.

    Whatever happened to Hite’s ExFeel? That was another terrible beer. The name was supposed to mean “Excellent Feeling,” but instead sounded like a way of referring to an former girlfriend.

    Korea’s brew houses are a little better, but not much. Very uneven. They often start out okay, then the brewmaster takes off and quality quickly goes down the toilet (Exhibit A: Platinum… such a sad decline and fall of a once good beer joint). I am told Big Rock in Gangnam is pretty good, but I do not get down to that part of town much.

    I wish I had a most useful way of ending this article, but I do not. Oh, yes I do. Watt’s on Tap in Shinchon has a decent pale ale on tap (from Canada). Good weather for sitting on the roof and drinking that.

    Anyhow, I hope someone comes up with the bright idea of offering well-made, natural, flavorful beers to the public. Bring in Sleeman’s or some German microbrewery or somesuch. It is just crazy enough an idea that it might work.

    Random Notes – Vol. 2, No. 8

    June 7, 2007 / / 1 Comment
  • Early word I am hearing about the box office on Song Hye-gyo’s costume feast HWANG JINYI is not good. It opened Wednesday, on the holiday, but its attendance so far is quite poor. Strangely, HWANG JINYI’s distributor, CJ Entertainment, also released SHREK 3 on the same day. Maybe they were thinking the two films had a totally different target market, so would not interfere with each other? Anyhow, victory goes to SHREK 3.
  • According to local media reports in Korea (and, of course, the thousands of obsessed fans over at Soompi.com), Rain’s North American tour has been canceled “postponed.” This Soompi account is basically correct. No big surprise there. Rain is a very nice young man, but his break from JYP Entertainment was one of the more spectacularly poor career moves I have seen in quite some time (imho). Anyhow, I hope he manages to straighten out his various troubles soon and gets back to making his fans happy.
  • Speaking of JYP… Look for a big media blitz coming out soon for the opening of the JYP Entertainment office in New York. Billboard will have Park Jin-young on the cover (with substantial stories inside), along with all the major media you would expect in New York. JYP may have lost Rain, but the company still has a lot of really interesting stuff in the works.

    • Korea Poop Wars

    May 18, 2007 / / 0 Comments

    As a member of the press (well, kind of), I find myself on all sorts of mailing and emailing lists. Some are quite helpful, some are less so, and some are just sort of odd.

    So I open my mailbox a few days ago, and what do I find? TOILET WORLD #1 (meaning the first issue, not an issue dedicated to number one-ing). They even have a website, handily available in Korean, Spanish, French and Arabic.


    The World Toilet Association, that newsletter tells me, grew out of the Korea Toilet Association, which was founded in 1999. The newsletter features a Q&A with toilet ambassador Jeffery D. Jones (on page 10, although the About Jones section at the end is nearly as large as the interview) and a related AP article by Burt Herman (page 11).

    Although the urge to make dumb jokes is high (toilet humor), the WTA points out the 2.6 billion people in the world are without access to adequate toilet facilities, which is a direct contributor to several nasty infectious diseases.

    (Coincidentally, Korea is also home to one of the more important groups tackling those very diseases, the International Vaccine Institute, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary later this year. A great group, that is really making a difference around the developing world. Believe me, you do NOT want to catch Shigella ever).

    Anyhow, if you would like to learn more about toilet culture, the WTA is having its inaugural general assembly meeting at the COEX Convention Center in Seoul on Nov. 21-25.

    Skarirang!

    March 31, 2007 / / 0 Comments

    So I checked out the Slacker show on Friday, and I must say it was really good. Not just Slacker, but Kingston Rudieska and Suck Stuff, too. And I am not a ska/punk fan, either. Good crowd, too… A very nice mix of Koreans and foreigners, old and young, cool and me. Hopefully Matt and the DGBD crew will have more shows like that in the future.

    Suck Stuff was the punk band… but either they have really gotten better since I last saw them, or else I am remembering a totally different band. Usually I quite dislike punk, but I thought they were solid.

    Kingston Rudieska, on the other hand, I outright enjoyed. Nice brass section, mellow, hipsters without being annoying. Very much in the mood of Asoto Union, although different genres. Their homepage is here, and their Cyworld page is here. Their CD was recorded at Cavare Studios, of course, where so much of Korea’s most interesting stuff is done (although they are not a Cavare band, I think, given their non-status on the Cavare website).

    And The Slackers were also very good. I do not know much about the band, but I gather they have quite a following. Really reminded me of the neo-hipster scene that used to hang out in swing circles a few years ago (not that I am intimately acquainted with either scene… but that was the impression I received).

    Will try to get some pics up from the show some time soon.

    UPDATE: Here is an image of Kingston Rudieska that their manager just sent me.

    Random Notes – Vol. 2, No. 5

    March 28, 2007 / / 5 Comments
  • THE HOST just topped $1 million in revenue in the United States, in just its 17th day of release there. Production company Chungeorahm is claiming this is the fastest that any Korean film has hit the $1 million mark in the United States… not that there is much competition. SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER … AND SPRING was the most successful Korean movie in the US, earning $2.4 million, but taking six months to do so. TAEGUKGI made $1.1 million in three months (most of that in the opening couple of weeks, but I guess it took a while to hit $1 million. OLDBOY never made it to $1 million, earning just $707,391.


    One good sign for THE HOST — the number of screens it is on has increased. It opened on 71 screens and has moved up to 94 now. In comparison, SSFW&S opened on just 6, but grew to 71 during its run. TAEGUKGI opened on 29 and made it to 34, but declined pretty quickly. OLDBOY grew from 5 to 28.

  • More interesting, imho, is how well THE HOST is doing in China. Chungeorahm says it has now made about $1.5 million on some 280 screens (the most ever for a Korean movie). The press release claimed this is the first time a Korean film has been the top movie in China for over a week (it kept the top spot for its first two weeks, but was overtaken last weekend).
  • American ska band The Slackers will be playing at DGBD on Friday night. Tickets are just 20,000 won. Sign claims the show starts at 8:30, but I have never seen a show start on time there.

  • Art Gallery Ssamzie Space (in the Hongik University area) has a new show by Global Alien opening on Friday (March 30). Titled “Freedom of Speech”, the show will run until April 14. I do not know much about Global Alien, but I feel like I should be talking about art shows more. Will try to mention them from time to time.
  • Chung Jiho asked me to mention the kickoff of the first Subtitle Film Festival from April 12 to 15 at the MPark 4 Theater in Los Angeles. Do I have (m)any readers in LA? Anyhow, it will feature nine Asian films, including AFTER THIS OUR EXILE, HANGING GARDEN and MEMORIES OF TOMORROW. Check out Subtitle Media‘s homepage for more information.

    • Random Notes – Vol 2, No. 2

    January 26, 2007 / / 1 Comment

    Some random notes from around the media about Korean pop culture:

    • 200 POUND BEAUTY is now officially the 10th-biggest Korean movie of all time, beating out JSA for the No. 10 spot. Does it have what it takes to surpass MY BOSS, MY TEACHER? 200 POUND is still selling around 45,000 tickets a day (during the weekdays), but starting yesterday, a lot of new competition hit the screens.
    • Boa is now five for five in Japan, as her latest album there has gone No. 1. Too bad she is not selling much in her homeland any more (her last album, in 2005, was just the 14th-biggest seller of the year). Also funny that the reporter called her the “Korean Britney Spears”. Too many inappropriate jokes there to even know where to start.
    • Singers Se7en and Rain both seem to be going through rough patches at the moment. Seven’s new TV drama, GUNG S (aka PRINCE WHO), has kicked off with less-than-stellar ratings (remember, you can always read the cached version of any Korea Herald article, even after the link turns into a for-pay archive story). And Rain apparently did not impress several journalists in his recent swing through Singapore and Hong Kong. I can echo those comments. Rain came to the press club here in Seoul back in October to talk about his tour, but he was so vague, evasive and inarticulate in this answers, he really annoyed most of the foreign journalists who showed up. Nice of him to take the time, but if he is going to take the trouble, he really should come prepared.
    • Bae Yong-joon paid the most taxes of any Korean entertainer in 2006. Last year he made over $15 million (it is unclear in the article if they meant overall or just in Japan), despite not appearing in any movies or TV shows. Not bad for a down year. Look for his taxes to soar in 2007 as he appears in LEGEND (or what the KT calls “The Four Guardian Gods of the King Taewangsasingi”), beginning around May-ish. LEGEND should be the most expensive TV show ever made in Korea (topping $40 million), and a good chunk of that will be for the cast (of course, a much bigger chunk will go to sets and special effects).
    • Incheon airport the world’s best? I think not. Nor do I put much faith in any survey that calls the desolate hole that is Narita the world’s No. 7 airport. Incheon Airport is certainly clean and modern, but it has a lousy selection of restaurants (compare it to, say, O’Hare, which has a Wolfgang Puck’s, Pizzeria Uno’s, Quiznos and more), and ridiculously bad immigration queues. Nothing like waiting in one of the three huge lines for foreigners while Koreans zip through in one of 20 empty rows. Certainly lets you know your place in a hurry. Extra-annoying because it is such an easily solvable problem.
    • Too much negativity in today’s post? Sorry about that. So do yourself a favor and check out the new Lee Sung-gang animated film, YOBI (or YEUWOOBI, depending on who you ask). It is a little childish, but, still, Lee Sung-gang does good stuff.

    No Box Office (yet). Instead, Random Notes and Whatnot 5

    December 25, 2006 / / 0 Comments

    With the holiday, this week’s box office report will be lately. Hopefully I will get it by late tomorrow evening, but no promises. Instead, I present random blather.

    Inspired by Japan Probe’s list of the year’s best commercials in Japan, I present you with CIS: Chamisul. Get it? CIS? CSI? CSI is huge in Korea… major ratings, all the time. Chamisul is the most popular brand of soju. Anyhow, I thought the ad was rather witty and well done.

    And, as an added bonus, if you go to that link, you can find links to some old soju ads, from 1975 and 1959. Very sweet.

    Also, there is that Boa Nike ad, which featured the Go Team song. (And the Japanese version here).

    Nice dancer. (And here he is in Japan).

    Nice, uh, mangoes.

    I think this Ha Ji-won ad was 2005, but I don’t care.

    In the holiday spirit, I present:
    1) Normail Mailer nearly biting off Rip Torn’s ear.

    2) Dorothy Parker’s “Resume“:

    Razors pain you;
    Rivers are damp;
    Acids stain you;
    And drugs cause cramp.
    Guns aren’t lawful;
    Nooses give;
    Gas smells awful;
    You might as well live.

    Merry Christmas.

    Random Notes and Whatnot 4

    December 19, 2006 / / 1 Comment

    The Chosun Ilbo takes a look at the top Korean pop acts this year. Not sure if I have anything to add. Not my kind of music, so I don’t really have any opinions.

    The Chosun also has an article about Chinese Triad gangs in Korea… coming just a week before MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER 3 makes its debut (GANGSTER 3 features Qi Shu as the daughter of a Chinese Triad gangster who comes to Korea to hide, and wacky hijinks ensue). Coincidence? Is the film driving the reporting? Or is the reporting an infomercial for the movie? You be the judge.


    (What a great looking poster, isn’t it?)

    MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER 3 hits the theaters on Dec. 28.

    Last night, I went to an advanced screening of the new Im Sang-soo film, THE OLD GARDEN. I am a huge fan of Im’s THE PRESIDENT’S LAST BANG, and rather like A GOOD LAWYER’S WIFE, but GARDEN left me cold. Boring. There are a few flashes of Im’s creativity behind the camera, but precious few.

    If I were to take a stab at what went wrong, I would guess that perhaps Im loved the original story too much. Hwang Sok-yong is one of Korea’s most recognized authors from the last 20 years or so, especially by the left (you can read a little about him at the end of this Korea Times story, also at the Wikipedia entry). The movie had the languid, meandering style that so many films do when the director is overly enthralled with the source material… so he gets more worried about presenting the book as accurately as possible instead of thinking about making a good movie. One of those dreaded “labors of love.” But that is just a theory.

    Variety review is here (since the movie made its world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival a couple of months ago.


    THE OLD GARDEN will be released in Korea on Jan. 4.

    Yonhap News also had an interesting article about the coming competition for screens over the holidays. It pointed out that THE RESTLESS will likely open on 450-500 screens, CASINO ROYALE should get around 400, and NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (the Ben Stiller comedy) should get around 350 screens. In addition, the opening of the animated film HAPPY FEET will have another 200 or so.

    Add all those up, and four new films should account for around 1,400 screens. All of Korea has just 1,700 screens these days. Now, do not forgot 200 POUND BEAUTY, which just opened last weekend and is going strong on over 400 screens and… well, you are out of screens. And that is not taking into account all the other films still showing. Competition is going to be pretty crazy, and it all kicks off in a few hours (an early Wednesday opening this week).

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