Tuesday, May 1, 2012

May 2012 Korean Releases

This monthly features previews the coming month's attractions in Korean cinema.  All of these monthly posts are available in an archive on the Upcoming Releases page.


May 3

As One (aka Korea)
Just Friends

May 10

Du-re Sori Story
I Am
The Strangers

May 17

All About My Wife
Granny Is in 1st Grade
The Taste of Money

May 24

Children of Heaven
Hello!
U.F.O.

May 31

Don't Click
In Another Country
Runway Cop
Still Strange

May TBC

Rosa
Tummy


As One (aka Korea)


Director:  Moon Hyun-sung
Cast:  Ha Ji-won, Bae Doo-na
Synopsis:  As One chronicles the victory of the first inter-Korean team at the 1991 Chiba Worldwide Table Tennis Championships.
Release date:  May 3

There's a lot of buzz surrounding this project, especially with its two big female stars and theme of rapprochement of the divided Korean nations.  It the film clicks with audiences it may be one of the highest-grossing films of the year. 




Just Friends


Director:  Ahn Cheol-ho
Cast:  Oh Yeon-so, Lee Young-hoon
Synopsis:  Just Friends is a romance about an unemployed art school graduate who has recently been dumped but meets an aspiring musician at a concert
Release date:  May 3




I Am.


Director:  Choi Jin-sung
Synopsis:  A documentary of SM Entertainment's recent Madison Square Garden concert.
Release date:  May 10



Du-re Sori Story


Director:  Cho Jung-rae
Screenplay:  Baek Jong-min
Cast:  Kim Seul-gi, Jo Ah-reum, Ham Hyeong-sang, Choi Eun-yeong
Synopsis:  Two friends at the National High School of the Traditional Arts take a special class taught by a teacher with conflicting western influences. The class will compete as a chorus in contest.
Release date: May 10



The Strangers


Director:  Choi Yong-seok
Cast:  Yeo Hyeon-soo, Han Soo-yeon, Kim Joong-ki
Synopsis:  Yeon-hee returns to her hometown following the death of her mother in a fire and there she meets Seok who has lost in father in the same accident.  They bond and attempt to overcome their grief while Yeon-hee revisits the reason she left in the first place.
Release date:  May 10




All About My Wife


Director:  Min Gyoo-dong
Screenplay:  Min Gyoo-dong
Cast:  Im Soo-jeong, Lee Seon-gyoon, Ryoo Seung-yong
Synopsis:  A romantic comedy about a man who, in a bid to cleanly divorce his wife, hires a playboy to seduce his spouse.
Release date:  May 17




The Taste of Money


Director:  Im Sang-soo
Screenwriter:  Im Sang-soo
Cast:  Kim Kang-woo, Kim Hyo-jin, Baek Yoon-shik, Yoon Yeo-joong
Synopsis:  A woman divorces a salaryman and becomes wealthy.  A tale of greed and sex in the upper strata of Korean society
Release date:  May 17

Im Sang-soo's new film wrapped in January and looks to be another fascinating exposé of our darkest desires.  The film will have its world premier at Cannes where it is in the main competition vying for the Palm d'Or.  The Taste of Money will also feature a small role for the founder of koreanfilm.org and MKC contributor Darcy Paquet.




Granny Is in 1st Grade


Director:  Jin Kwang-gyo
Cast:  Kim Jin-goo, Shin Chae-yeon
Synopsis:  A 70-year-old woman loses her son but she can't read the final letter he sent her so her 7-year-old granddaughter teaches her how to read.
Release date:  May 17




Children of Heaven


Director:  Park Heung-shik
Cast:  You Da-in, Park Ji-bin, Kim Bo-ra
Synopsis:  A new teacher begins a three month stint at a school for troubled children.  She hopes to involve some of new students in a talent contest by staging a musical.
Release date:  May 24


U.F.O.


Director:  Kong Quee-hyun
Screenwriter:  Kong Quee-hyun
Cast:  Lee Joo-seung, Kim Chang-hwan, Kim Tae-yoon
Synopsis:  A group of students catch sight of an alien spacecraft and decide to travel to UFO mountain but on the way there they are warned to turn back.
Release date:  May 24

This sci-fi comedy opened last July at the Puchon International Film Festival and has since played at the Digital Seoul Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival.




Hello!


Director:  Lim Tae-hyeong
Cast:  Lee Sang-bong
Synopsis:  Documentary chronicling the lives of 14 blind schoolchildren
Release date:  May 24


In Another Country


Director:  Hong Sang-soo
Screenwriter:  Hong Sang-soo
Cast:  Isabelle Huppert, Yoo Joon-sang, Jeong Yu-mi, Yoon Yeo-jeong, Moon Seong-gun, Kwon Hae-hyo
Release date:  May 31

The new Hong Sang-soo film stars a major French actress and will be premiering in Cannes ahead of its Korean release, not to be missed.




Don't Click


Director:  Kim Tae-kyeong
Screenwriter:  Kim Tae-kyeong
Cast:  Park Bo-young, Joo Won, Kang Byul
Synopsis:  Bizarre events occur after a pair watch a mysterious video.
Release date:  May 31

This sounds like a blatant ripoff of The Ring (1998), given the poor quality of last summer's horrors, I'm not expecting much from this one.  Also, as you'll notice on the poster, Don't Click was scheduled for release last August but got pushed back, never a good sign.



Runway Cop


Director:  Sin Tae-ra
Cast:  Kang Ji-hwan, Sung Yu-ri, Kim Young-kwang, Lee Soo-hyuk
Synopsis:  In order to break a case, a determined detective goes undercover in the fashion world.
Release date:  May 31




Still Strange


Director:  Lee Hong-jae
Screenwriter:  Kim Tae-kyeong
Cast:  Jang Si-won, Kim Soo-woong, Lee So-hee
Synopsis:  An old couple and their grown up children gather during the first New Year's Day following their only son's death.
Release date:  May 31


Rosa


Director:  Maeng Gwan-pyo
Cast:  Ruzmetova Dayana, Jo Ha-seok
Synopsis:  16-year-old Uzbeki ballet dancer Diana loses her chance at a scholarship as the iron curtain rolls back.  She then goes to Korea with a stranger in the hope of following her dreams.
Release date:  May


Tummy


Director:  Park Bo-sang
Cast:  Cheon Ho-jin, Lee Mi-sook, Seo Yoon, Ye Hak-yeong
Synopsis:  A sex comedy about a family's romantic entanglements.
Release date:  May

This film was made in 2008 and is finally seeing the light of day.


Resources:

Asian Wiki
Daum
Han Cinema
KMDb
KOBIS


Reviews and features on Korean film appear regularly on Modern Korean Cinema.  For film news, external reviews, and box office analysis, take a look at the Korean Box Office UpdateKorean Cinema News and the Weekly Review Round-up, which appear weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings (GMT+1).

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