Oh, Hell(boy) Yeah

I was pleasantly surprised a couple of nights ago when I suddenly started to see a flurry of ads on TV for HELLBOY 2. I was getting worried the film might not be released in Korea.

Anyhow, here is a little list of some notable films coming out in the next couple of months:
Sept. 18
- Mad Detective

Sept. 25
- Hellboy 2
- My Dear Enemy (the new Jeon Do-yeon film)

Oct. 2
- Burn After Reading
- Gogo 70s
- Modern Boy

Oct. 8
- Dream (the new Kim Ki-duk film)

Oct. 16
- Sagwa (will the three-year-old film finally see the light of day?)

Oct. 23
- Body of Lies

Nov. 5
- Quantum of Solace

Btw, I am really curious about a lot of the coming Korean films. MY DEAR ENEMY is the latest by Lee Yoon-ki, who directed the much praised THIS CHARMING GIRL and the absolutely lousy LOVE TALK (and AD-LIB NIGHT, but I did not see that). So I consider MY DEAR ENEMY to be something of a tie-breaker. In ENEMY, Jeon Do-yeon plays a jobless, broke 30-year-old who tries to collect some money from an ex-boyfriend. But he is broke, too, so together they meet up with his various ex-girlfriends and try to get money from them. Intriguing set up and Jeon looks great in the trailer.

Why MODERN BOY and GO-GO 70'S are being released head-to-head, I have no idea. They are both looks back at Korea's past -- MODERN BOY at the 1930s and GO-GO 70'S at the 1970s (obviously).

I was really looking forward to MODERN BOY when I first saw some still images in the spring. Plus I quite like its director Song Hae-sung (FAILAN) Chung Ji-woo (HAPPY END). However, advanced word I heard from the film was not good, which is allegedly why the film's release was delayed five months. Regardless, I think the trailer for MODERN BOY looks pretty promising -- great cgi of Seoul from the 1930s, great clothes and production design. I still have hope for this film.

The trailer for GO-GO 70'S does not inspire confidence. The music sounds way more like Korea's 1980s music than 1970s. And the clothes and concert scene looks like a hyperactive cabaret. Very, very dubious.

As for SAGWA, I saw it at the Tokyo Filmex in 2005 and quite enjoyed it. Not a great film, but definitely worth a watch. Moon So-ri is great, as always. No idea why it took Chungeorahm so long to get it into the theaters.