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7th Korea Film Awards

You know how at the prom, everyone goes for uber-glitz and black-tie formal, only it’s done through the filter of a 17-year-old fashion sense — or rather, what a 17-year-old would think was formal black-tie fashion sense? So the end result is a really weird mix of over-the-top gaudiness that may have been expensive but looks cheap?

That’s kind of the feel I get from looking at pictures from the 7th Annual Korea Film Awards.

Of course there are some standouts — Han Ye-seul glammed it up with the appropriate touch of class and sexiness — but there were also a lot of beautiful women in ugly dresses that looked more off-the-rack Jessica McClintock (hey, it’s fake prom!) than red-carpet awards ceremony.

So if we’re talking red-carpet wow factor, it was a decided step down from, say, last month’s lovely Blue Dragon Awards.

As for the awards themselves, no surprises if you’ve been watching the accolades accumulate all year long. The Chaser was the overwhelming winner, with The Good, The Bad, The Weird taking up (a distant) second place. A few notable exceptions from the rule were Kang Ji-hwan (A Movie Is a Movie) and Gong Hyo-jin (Crush and Blush), but you can check out the full list (and, of course, the fashions!) below the jump.


The winners

WINNERS LIST

Best Picture: The Chaser
Best Director: Na Hong-jin (The Chaser)
Best Actor: Kim Yoon-seok (The Chaser)
Best Actress: Gong Hyo-jin (Crush and Blush)
Best Supporting Actor: Park Hee-soon (Seven Days)
Best Supporting Actress: Kim Ji-young (Forever the Moment)
Best New Actor: Kang Ji-hwan (A Movie Is a Movie)
Best New Actress: Seo Woo (Crush and Blush)
Best New Director: Na Hong-jin (The Chaser
Best Screenplay: Na Hong-jin (The Chaser)
Art: Jo Hwa-sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Cinematography: Lee Mo-gae (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Lighting: Lee Chul-ho (The Chaser)
Editing: Kim Sun-min (The Chaser)
Visual Effects: Jung Doo-hong, Ji Joong-hyun, Heo Myung-haeng (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Sound: Kim Kyung-tae, Choi Tae-young (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Music: Bang Joon-seok (Go Go 70)
Short Film: Kim Gun, The Pig and Shakespeare
Special Achievement: Shin Young-kyun


Winners Seo Woo, Kang Ji-hwan, Gong Hyo-jin, Kim Yoon-seok, Park Hee-soon

 
There were a few slips, both figurative and literal…


(That’s Han Ye-seul, Kim Min-hee, Yoon Se-ah)

 

…and then there was Kang Ji-hwan (A Movie Is a Movie).

Talk about old-world glamour! Kang Ji-hwan’s been on a fairly steady rise over the past several years, but 2008 has been good to him, as he came off Capital Scandal right into Hong Gil Dong, then made his move toward the next tier in A Movie Is a Movie opposite So Ji-sub. I’d say he’s graduated to the big time, and we’ll be seeing him in more movies. But I hope he never gives up on dramas, because when we’re talking Kang Ji-hwan, MOAR MOAR MOAR.


 

Of course everyone will have their own opinion, but I think Han Ye-seul (Tazza) had the look of the night. Yes, the dress is a plain black, but there’s something about the cut and flow (and the interesting back) that gives her a Cinderella aura, ascending the stairs to her ball. She owns the look and carries herself well — tall and proud, but also smiling and happy. Yeah, she stumbled on the stairs, but then again, so did Cinderella.


 

Sohn Ye-jin (My Wife Got Married) always looks great and I enjoy watching her flash that famous smile of hers. Too bad she ruined the look with purple shoes. (Really, they take the ensemble from classy to tarty.) Still, I give her a pass because I love the red draped number. Sohn (despite always being styled well) sometimes veers safe (read: yawn), and at least this isn’t boring.

 

Song Yoon-ah (On Air) acted as MC for the event. While I think she looks nice, I’m a little ho-hum about the overall effect. I think she got one-upped by Han Ye-seul, frankly. I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing.

 

Trust Gong Hyo-jin (Thank You) to depart from the trend (long, flowy) by going the other way (structured, short). A knee-length dress is a little casual for the event — perfect for a wedding, maybe, or a press conference? — but it’s Gong Hyo-jin, and she looks cute. Ha Jung-woo (My Dear Enemy) strikes me as one of those guys who are a leetle uncomfortable at formal affairs (even when he’s looking good, as he is here), but that awkwardness makes me like him more.

 

Oy vey! Joo Ji-hoon (Antique Bakery), what are you thinking? Shiny tux, smirky smirk. (And is his hair… greasy? Did he forget to shower?) It’s like he hopped on over after a three-day bender.

 

This shade of pink/fuschia on Han Ji-hye (East of Eden) looked horrid against the red “photo time” backdrop, but does well against the black night. (And that red backdrop did nobody any favors.) I would like her blue clutch, plz. She’s still looking too thin, though.

 

Speaking of thin… The moment I saw Lee Soo-kyung (Lawyers of Korea), it made me hum, “Here comes the bride…” Lee is beeyootiful, but I don’t love that she essentially looks like a bride on wedding day. (By which I mean: Brides always look beautiful. But they are brides and they have special bride aura. Wearing bridal gowns without that bridal aura just makes you look… wedding catalog, not wedding day.)

 

Kim Min-sun (Portrait of a Beauty) reminds me of a Barbie doll. And also like Kim Ah-joong. Perhaps what a Barbie version of Kim Ah-joong would look like. Nothing on its own is that offensive, but the overall impression is bland, and dress is blah — kind of pageanty, if you ask me, particularly with that helmet hair (see: third photo). If you’re going to do black, it had better be something interesting (see: Han Ye-seul). This, not so much. And no, feathered boobs aren’t interesting. Not in the way I meant, at least.

 

Park Eun-hye (Yi San) is what I mean by tacky prom gone wild. She’s a gorgeous woman, but that dress is all kinds of 1980s Dynasty, with the rhinestones and the messy front pleating. It also ages her about a decade, which effectively turns her in Tacky Mom Chaperone at an ‘80s prom. Eek!

 

Kim Min-hee (Love & Marriage). At first, I was all set to sigh with a resigned tone, “Oh Kim Min-hee, you rule-breaking fashionista,” because her shoes are a bit too much (glittery-gaudy) and she’s a little disheveled looking. But the more I look at it (and see it in motion), I totally get it. Yeah, it kinda looks like she’s wearing a lion’s mane for a necklace, but the concept is (deconstructed?) Greek goddess done a little literally — i.e., “Persephone goes to the ball” — and I LOVE IT.

 

Yoon Se-ah (Love & Marriage) is a lovely woman with a fantastic figure. This dress does not flatter her. In fact, if you tilt your head 90 degrees to the left, it totally looks like a fish is swallowing her from the feet up. (I do not think that is what people mean by “mermaid dress.”) Also, if you take a closer look, you will see just how awkward it is to have purple (rhine)stones stuck onto a red chiffon bodice. Huh?

 

Shin Mina (Go Go 70). Again with this fish-eating silhouette. But at least Shin’s dress fits perfectly, unlike Yoon Se-ah’s, and there is some interesting detailwork at the bodice and the ruffled hem. It’s pretty despite the drab navy color.

 

Uhm Tae-woong (Devil), yum! He’s here with Park Yong-woo (Once Upon a Time). I know they’re a little matchy-matchy, but they both look so sleek. I love it when men’s tuxes actually fit right, since so many tend to wear ill-tailored suits that hang wrong, giving off a sloppy image. It’s not a perfect fit, but better than most. (Although if it were Shin Hyun-joon, that jacket would be plastered to his torso.)

 

Go Jun-hee (General Hospital 2) wears a dress that would not look good on anyone but one with her figure. I think the dress is clean, sophisticated, and a little boring — but then I saw it from the side and I could see why Go Jun-hee chose it. The draping is really quite elegant. (But doesn’t picture 3 make her seem a total Stepford Bot? Deer.. in.. head… lights…)

 

Jo Eun-ji (Forever the Moment) always looks way older than her age — can you believe she’s only 27? She’s showing yet more 1980s Dynasty glitz — and yet, a secret, shameful part of me kind of thinks Jo is rocking it. Maybe it’s because Park Eun-hye looks like a soccer mom reluctantly dragged to the prom, whereas Jo is all like, “PEOPLE. I AM HERE. I AM GAUDY AND IT IS AWESOME.”

 

Kim Mi-sook (Seven Days) proves that what looks nice through one camera lens (and with strategic backlighting) looks hideous in most others. (When I saw the middle picture, I immediately thought, “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” You’ve gotta add the husky tone that comes with delusions of grandeur, though.) All she needs is a feathered headdress and she’s ready to Viva Las Vegas.

 

Kim Yoon-seok (The Chaser) was a big winner of the night, but chooses to go a bit casual for the red carpet without a tie. Can’t really criticize the serious actor for opting out of the fashion hubbub, though. Meanwhile, New Actress winner Seo Woo (Crush and Blush) kinda freaks me out in face close-ups (she’s bordering on Uhm Jung-hwa-level fish lips); she arrives with Lee Young-hoon (GP506).

 

I just love that Moon Sori (Forever the Moment) is checkin’ out her own cleavage. Yes, Moon Sori, you have pretty boobs. The dress looks so much better in full-length shots — the dots look kind of strange in the upper-torso shots, like those dustballs in Totoro. But she’s styled well with the glam hair and clean, understated makeup.

 

Best Supporting Actor Park Hee-soon arrives with his Seven Days co-star Kim Yun-jin. They look good, but fall into the “not much to comment on” category. Nice belt?

 

Oh Man-seok (King and I) and Eom Ki-joon (The World They Live In) look remarkably similar when dressed alike and put next to one another, don’t they?

 

Seo Young-hee (The Chaser) wears a pretty midnight blue, but I don’t think she really makes a statement. On the other hand, Chu Ja-hyun (Portrait of a Beauty) does, and it says, “More cheap prom.” I can’t decide if the gold Y front makes her dress look like a shriveled-up moth (from a distance) or if it looks like amoebas splitting on her torso.

 

Im Sung-min (Catch a Kangnam Mother) also wears a black mermaidy dress, but it’s neither interestingly detailed like Shin Mina’s nor horribly fitted like Yoon Se-ah’s, so I have no further comment. Jang Hee-jin (A Movie Is a Movie) wears more boring black, though hers is cut in the “five-year-old li’l princess” mold.

 

Park Ha-sun (Rivals) isn’t so bad. Maybe a step up from cheap prom to cheap bridesmaid? I just think the stones on the bodices look cheap and the washed-out color doesn’t do much for her.

 

Ahn Sung-ki (May 18); Gong Hyung-jin (Dal Ja’s Spring); Song Kang-ho (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) comes with “Korea’s Mom” and his co-star in the vampire-priest movie Bat aka Thirst, Kim Hae-sook (White Lies).

Via Hankyung.com

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fisrt

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too many awards for The Chaser xDD!!! good 4 them!

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Han Ye-Seul is gorgeous. Maybe it's because she had the advantage of having the best pictures of the bunch (beautiful lighting, framing...) but it's so glamorous and sexy without aging her. I love the way it fits and hangs all at the right spots, and the back is beautiful and interesting.

The rest are meh.

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I like all the dresses--especially the white one that Chu Ja-hyun is wearing. It's nice to see some embroidery on the dresses.

I don't agree that the women are wearing clothes that seem more off the rack prom-ish. If anything, stylists in Korea seem to be very much tuned into latest fashion trends and they do a great job of capturing the latest from the catwalks.

But then, all these red carpet dresses from Hollywood and Korean industries are pretty much the same. They are fun to look at, but really, do any of the women on the carpets wear anything striking really? There are only so many ways you can bare your skinny shoulders and reveal a daring back. Evening wear is evening wear.

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Love these hugely long fashion posts with all your comments, thanks for all your hard work! :]] (And please don't stop them anytime soon.)

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IMO, the men owned the night. Between Uhm Tae-woong and Kang Ji-hwan, Im in full swoon (well except for Joo Ji-hoon - really? a shiny tux? - and Kim Yoon-seok who looks a little...rough). However, I'd disagree with you about Sohn Ye-jin's dress - with all the draping and flowing and pinning going on, I feel impelled to reach out and just ...straighten stuff. And Im not feeling Kim Min-hee's look either - lucky lady definately has the legs to show off, but the necklace and shoes..not so much. I covet Han Ye-seul's entire outfit; simple, classy and oh so gorgeous.

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yes i agree with you on most but i actually like park ha-sun's dress...if it had been a different color... ^_^

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I think Han Ye-seul looks great, but she would have looked about twice as good if she had a little more meat on her. Just a tad too skinny.

Yoon Se-ah's dress looks about 2 sizes too big for her in the bottom half.

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no way if SYA and HYS have the same thinking
But HYS look better , cute and beauty than SYA
HYS should win the award last night so sad.
hope she will win the next ceremony

SYA look always tried, have no aura from her dress at all
she tries so hard to look young but it's not succeed SYA plz stop it
your age and face are not young at all.

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"...like amoebas splitting on her torso. "

ouch! is that something you catch somewhere in the jungles of south america?
i agree many of them invested more for blue dragon. one year i wish we could just get an entire red carpet of tooth-aching bad fashion, proudly trashy faux-pas. more entertainment!

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@ ed

err...amoebas are single cell animals...

anyhow, the boring fashion I've been seeing sways me towards more daring fashion so my pick of the night would be Kim Min-hee. It's awkward on the first glance but it looks good actually.

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@ cosmopolite
point taken, tho the violence in that description combined with visual effect of her dress reminded me of the "famous condition".

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Yoon Se-ah (Love & Marriage)

isn't she from Gourmet?

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"like those dustballs in Totoro" - that's just so hilarious!!! *ROFL*

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and you put 8 pics of KJH !!!. MOAR MOAR MOAR over him too...hehehe

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i love reading your comments on red carpet fashiion! :)

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thanks for the recap Javabeans...Congrats to Ji Hwan for winning best new actor again...3 out of 3 so far...looking forwards to more awards in the future...ji hwan looks great , as always.

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I LOVE KIM MIN HEE
woah shit that dress is so beautiful on her, its diff and lovely
i love shin mina just because i love shin min ah
and kang ji hwannnnnnnn *sigh*
wait...oh right awards XP

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lol, yes amoebas are single-celled organisms, but they do reproduce by splitting.

Yoon Se-ah was Hwa-young (the ex-wife) in Love & Marriage and also in Smile Again and Shadows in the Palace, but she was not in Gourmet. Are you thinking Kim So-yeon in Gourmet, perhaps?

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KIM MIN HEE.

totally dig her look! she HAS to be the best dressed for the night!

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Ooooh Kang Ji Hwan....! *faints*

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Kang Ji Hwan, Kang Ji hwan forever!
He is the best, I like him very much!!!

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Javabeans,

You are funny, funny, funny!!! I really enjoyed this post. I love how you describe these fashions and praise or gently poke fun at them, as warranted (but you never get "mean" with your comments.)

I also appreciate the fact that your commentary includes such diverse references, from Greek mythology to reproduction of single celled organisms to '80's American prime time soaps! LOL

BTW, Chu Ja-hyun's dress definitely resembles a "shriveled-up moth", but as you said, only "from a distance".

Have a wonderful day! You really brightened up mine. Thanks.

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ARRRGH!!!
Kang Ji Hwan, YOU'RE KILLING ME WITH YOUR AWESOME-NESS!!!!!
STOP being SO cool!!!!!
I LOVE YOU!

BTW...I'm SO happy that Kim Min Hee looks like she gained a little bit of weight, cuz she looked like a starved stick insect in Love & Marriage....she still looks like a stick insect but maybe one that's been fed now and again....=)

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I absolutely adored Han Ye-Seul's dress - I feel that keeping it black kept it classy. If it had been a brighter color, the sheer amount of fabric swirling around her would have been a little too much. Plus, the cut of it and the back definately kept it from being a boring black number.

I was torn when I first saw Kim Min-Hee's dress. Normally I'm a fan of the more classic silhouettes, but I think she pulled this dress off quite well. Even though her necklace and shoes are gaudy, I think it actually worked well because she kept the rest of it relatively simple - the sheerness of the material and how she was free of any other jewelry. I also like how her hair wasn't too made up - it went with the 'deconstructed' look. Totally the opposite of Han Ye-Seul's Cinderella dressed and I loved it :o)

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None of the dresses were eye-catching for me, but my, Kang Ji-Hwan is looking suave.

Chaser did win a lot of awards; the actors really acted well, but I don't get why it got best picture. In my opinion, it wasn't even THAT good... It was a dark, almost gory movie with a desperate, broody main character and a strange twisted antagonist, and then the ending was even more depressing. When I finished the movie, it left me with a... not good feeling. Darn my lack of vocabulary. But anyway, I prefer movies with a refreshing feeling at the end or a "oh my gosh what a twist!" ending, and it was neither.

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I don't care much for the way all these celebs look during the ceremony - I am here for Javabeans' comments :-)
I cannot stop appreciating her witty style. Really Good Job!
For me, that's the only reason to go through all this fashion saga.

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the dust balls from totoro!! hahahaha

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Was it just me or most of the dresses were a disaster... Kim Min-hee what the duddely du was she wearing... The hair style and the big tree or something around hear neck... Ahhh LOLLL

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moon sori's dress looks wondrous on her boobs. i don't even understand how they look so great. purely in a jealous, awed sense.

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Kang Ji-hwan looks hot...

Waaahhhh...can't wait to see his next project :)

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Okay, I actually read through all the commentary and I have to say, AHAHA. I don't know how many times I actually caught myself thinking the same things that you had written down. x)

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I died at the fish part about Yoon Se Ah. And Shin Min Ah. Sarah, you're hilarious. Don't wan't fishies ingesting our pretty dramaland ladies! ;)

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