Korean Films Inbound...
K-Films Coming Soon:
★★★★ "Anti Gas Skin": A mysterious gasmask-wearing serial killer is sort by four people for different reasons. (08/22)
★★★"Fatal": It has been ten years since Sung-gong was forced to rape Jang-min by a band of bullies, now he's seeking forgiveness from her while tracking down those responsible.(08/22)
Title:"Anti Gas Skin"
Genre:Action, Thriller
Length:123min
Release Date:2013/08/22
Stars:Park Ji-hwan,Jang Liu,Jo Yeong-jin
The Short and Sweet:A mysterious gasmask-wearing serial killer is sort after by four individuals for different and troubling reasons.
Believe it or not but "Anti Gas Skin" had its world premiere back in 2010 at the Venice Film Festival. The film's 're-release' rolls in next week alongsideLee Don-ku's debut film and a heavy spread of foreign films both old and new. The Kim brothers frequently work on projects together, and in "Anti Gas Skin" we see this duo credited for both the directing and writing roles. One of the more popular movies in their collective filmographies includes the 2001 pop-horror film "White: The Melody of the Curse" (which claimed 791,133 admissions at the box office), the brothers also produced one of the segments in last year's omnibus film"Horror Stories"(it claimed 329,800 as well as sequel shot). The film's trailer looks rather frantic and contains a number of surreal and uncanny images and sequences (a bearded young lady anyone?). It is definitely not your typical commercial release, and I am pretty sure it wont be getting the thousand plus screens that "Snowpiercer" was honoured with. Still, I think the poster alone would draw me into if I was standing at the ticket counter pounder my options.
★★★★
Title:"Fatal"
Genre:Thriller
Length:103min
Release Date:2013/08/22
Director:Lee Don-ku
Screenplay:Lee Don-ku
Stars:Nam Yeon-woo,Yang Jo-a,Hong Jeong-ho,Kang Gi-doong
The Short and Sweet:It has been ten years since Sung-gong was forced to rape a Jang-min by a band of bullies. Now he is seeking forgiveness from her while tracking down those responsible.
"Fatal"is Lee's first feature film after having trained as an actor himself. The film was screened at the 2012 Busan International Film Festival, and this year it was invited to prestigious Berlin International Film Festival within its 'Panorama' section. The film showcases the darker pressures of youth and the long-lasting consequences of those formative years. Sung-gong is burdened with his role in Jang-min's raping, and later (after ten years) when he sees just how much the traumatic event affected her, he pulls open his old school book and starts the hunt. The film's trailer looks intense and suggests a disturbing drama with perhaps a fatalistic favouring. Lee's acting background has given him enough confidence to open his directing account with some heavy material here, but it's a film he has reportedly been developing for two years now. It is always positive to see young directors telling their own stories, and hopefully for Lee his first will continue to turn heads and raise questions.
★★★
The Upcoming Foreign Releases:
"The Paris Opera Ballet" (2009), "R.I.P.D" (2013), "Lesson of the Evil" (2012), "The Casserole Club" (2012), "Vive Le France" (2013), "CJ7: The Cartoon" (2010)",Drfit" (2013), "Karas: The Prophecy" (2005), "Fairytale" (2012), "Broken Blade" (2011), "Now You See Me" (2013), "The Grandmaster" (2012), "Foxfire" (2013), "The Adventure of Panda and Friends" (1972), "Adore"
- C.J. Wheeler (@KoreaOnTheCouch)