Coming Attractions: Keep Your Friends Close But Keep Your INTIMATE ENEMIES Closer

By Rex Baylon

It's been awhile since we've heard from Im Sang-Soo. Having made big waves in the early aughts with critically acclaimed films like A Good Lawyer's Wife (2003) and The President's Last Bang (2005), it's been three years since one of his films was released, and sadly a lot of his latter work leaves much to be desired. Intimate Enemies, with a projected release date of June 25th, seems to be yet another meditation on the ways money and power corrupt the human animal. Though instead of the dour oppressive atmosphere that was present in works like The Housemaid (2010) and The Taste of Money (2012), Im has Ryoo Seung-Bum to inject his picture with Ryoo's trademark rakish charm. I love the conman subgenre and from the trailer it looks as if Intimate Enemies has the requisite colorful characters, sex appeal, and elaborate grifts that are the hallmarks of the genre.

Click to read more»

Coming Attractions: THE SILENCED Is Not Keeping Quiet Anymore

By Rex Baylon

What the hell is it about boarding schools that make it such prime real estate for horror films? I doubt Lee Hae-young is keen on trying to answer that question, but his new picture The Silence, reaching theaters this June, seems to be in no short supply of the requisite scares that this unique sub-genre is well-known for. Starring Park Bo-young, of A Werewolf Boy (2012) fame, as a young girl named Joo-ran who is transferred to an all girls boarding school that is suffering an epidemic of vanishing students. Why are they vanishing? Are they being kidnapped by some demonic force? Or just the typical human villains? I guess you'll have to wait a few more weeks to find out.

Click to read more»

New Korean Films: First Steps (2015 Week 12)

Twenty

(스물)

By Fabien Schneider

Three friends are spending together the most confusing period of their lives, when they enter their twenties and are confronted with many opportunities but also struggles. Chi-ho is a popular guy who wishes he could live a life of excess without doing much. Dong-wu is a lively and strong man who never stops practicing to become a cartoonist. Gyeong-jae is an excellent student who has all the best qualifications to be employed by a major company but has a problem with alcohol.

Click to read more»

Coming Attractions: GRANNY'S GOT TALENT's Schtick Ain't Ready For Television

By Rex Baylon

Bawdy Korean comedies more often than not fall on deaf ears when they reach foreign audiences and Shin Han-sol's new film Granny's Got Talent is no different. Structured on the thinnest of premises, a swearing contest that has drawn various foul-mouthed individuals to compete for the title of master of cursing.

Click to read more»

Coming Attractions: THE AVIAN KIND is a Brooding Kind of Film Fowl

By Rex Baylon

Shin Youn-sik is back with a new film in February titled The Avian Kind. Over the last few years, Shin got quite a bit of attention for a pair of films that both premiered at the Busan Film Festival, the contemplative mystery drama The Russian Novel (2012) and the art-meets-life gangster picture Rough Play (2013).

Click to read more»

New Korean Films: Love is Overdue (2015 Week 2)

Love Forecast

(오늘의 연애)

Jun-su was once a young man who had just fallen in love with Hyeon-wu. They started to date, but he couldn’t work up the nerve to confess his love. His feelings have been stuck in his mind for a long time… Like, for a very long time. Eighteen years later, Jun-su now has a job as an elementary school teacher, but he still cannot make his relationships last longer than a few months. Part of the reason is that he still sees Hyeon-wu every day; they have meals together, go to the movies, hold hands, always rely on each other and even know the door codes of each other’s apartment. While Hyeon-wu’s rising popularity as a weathercaster makes her surrounded with suitors, Jun-su wishes to get out of the so-called “friend zone” and make his move.

Click to read more»

23 Most Anticipated Korean Films of 2015

By Pierce Conran

Last year was a rough one for Korea's mainstream industry, at least creatively speaking. There were some big hits but not a lot of memorable fare, though the independent sector thrived. Thankfully, 2015 has a much more exciting lineup right off the bat. Major filmmakers like Park Chan-wook, Na Hong-jin, Ryoo Seung-wan, Im Sang-soo and Choi Dong-hoon are set to return and though period films and thrillers once again dominate, many upcoming projects feature promising combinations of talent and content.

Click to read more»

New Korean Films: Platonic Romance or Edonist Pleasure? (2015 Week 1)

by Fabien Schneider

After an excessively long break, I am pleased to announce that I am once again ready to make you discover every week the latest productions that find their way to South Korean theaters. Let me remind you the principle of this section: for each film I will briefly present the synopsis, then I will share my own commentary on the expectations that these films generate, the response of the public and critics, the way the film is promoted, and anything that might be relevant to assess the value (or lack thereof) of the film. It goes without saying that these comments are based solely on the information available at the time of writing. Of course, for the vast majority of these films, I would have not seen them before their theatrical release. Do not be surprised then if a movie that I would have viciously criticized turns out to be a wonder. So let's start this week with two very different movies.

Casa Amor: Exclusive for Ladies

(워킹걸)

Bo-hee is a business woman who places her career as the marketer of a toys’ brand before her family. Her husband is sexually frustrated, and his son feels abandoned. But following an unfortunate mistake during a presentation, she finds herself unemployed. As if it wasn’t enough to spoil her day, she comes back home only to find a note from her husband announcing their separation. Hopefully, she’ll attempt to retrieve her fortune by taking an unexpected job. Nan-hee owns a sex shop, and has become a true reference in matters of sex. According to her, the world is divided between women who take pleasure and those who don’t. But despite all her knowledge and experience, she still fails at selling her products. She decides to hire Bo-hee to promote her new line of “toys”.

Click to read more»