The 5 Most Anticipated Korean Movies in Second Half of 2011

* This post is written by David Teszar, one of the Korea Blog's Worldwide Korea Bloggers.

"Sector 7" (7광구)

Korea's first 3D feature film has been already pre-sold to 46 different countries and is widely expected to be the ultimate box office hit this summer. It is pretty understandable if you consider that "Sector 7"′s producer is Yoon Je-kyoon (aka. JK Youn) whose latest directorial project ("Haeundae", 2009) surpassed the all-important 10 million viewer mark. Starring domestic superstars like Ha Ji-won, Ahn Seong-gi and Oh Ji-ho, the movie is about a crew of an oil prospecting ship who fight for their lives against a giant underwater creature.

Release date: 2011/08/04

Director: Kim Ji-hoon (May 18, 2007)

Trailer:

"My Way" (마이 웨이)

Now how can I describe the new film of Kang Je-gyu if I said that "Sector 7" is going to be BIG? Kang is always thinking big: "Shiri" (1999) was the prototype of the new Korean blockbusters, and 5 years later "Taegukgi" (2004) became the second movie (after "Silmido") that managed to cross the 10 million admissions mark in Korea. Being a large-scale, ambitious pan-Asian collaboration based on a true story, My Way is already the most expensive Korean movie to date (with an estimated budget of 28 million USD). Jang Dong-gun (Korea) meets Joe Odagiri (Japan) meets Fan Bingbing (China): My Way is set during World War II and tells a story of a Korean soldier who is drafted by the Japanese army to fight in the Battle of Normandy.

Release date: 2011/12

Director: Kang Je-gyu

Trailer:

"Always" (오직 그대) (aka. "Always")

What happens when a talented, however lesser-known arthouse director goes mainstream? We'll see the result as Song Il-gon's new melodrama, "Always" centers around an ex-boxer (So Ji-sub) and a woman (Han Hyo-joo) who is losing her sight slowly after an accident. Among Song's memorable works we can mention a mysterious, Lynch-esque thriller ("Spider Forest", 2004), a simple yet nuanced, almost unknown romantic gem ("Feathers in the Wind", 2005), an impressive one-take movie ("The Magicians", 2005) and a lovely documentary about the Korean diaspora living in Cuba ("Dance of Time", 2009). In light of his unique filmography, expect a non-conventional, heartbreaking love-story.

Release date: 2011/11

Director: Song Il-gon

Fan Video:

Fan Video

"The Front Line" (고지전)

Yet another Korean war epic? You could say that, but hey, the director is Jang Hoon, a more than promising guy who debuted 3 years ago with the surprisingly strong "Rough Cut" (2008) and then made Secret Reunion, a clever and entertaining spy movie that became the second most watched Korean film in 2010. Now he got the chance to direct "The Front Line", with a budget of 10 million dollars, a tale about two old friends (Sin Ha-gyoon and Ko Soo) who meet accidentally during the final year of the Korean War. Jang Hoon has a special talent when it comes to character dynamics (see the duality of the leads in his first two films), so don't be surprised if "The Front Line" happens to be a highly intelligent, character-driven war drama.

Release date: 2011/07/21

Director: Jang Hoon

Trailer:

"A Reason to Live" (오늘)

The return of Lee Jeong-hyang! If you care about that little circle of contemporary Korean female directors [like Jeong Jae-eun ("Take Care of My Cat", 2001) and Lim Soon-rye ("Waikiki Brothers", 2001)], this is a happening, since Lee directed her last movie ("The Way Home") exactly 9 years ago. "A Reason to Live" stars the ever-gorgeous Song Hye-kyo as a film producer who loses her fiancé in a hit and run accident. An intimate drama about friendship and love, Lee's return can easily be a sleeper hit just like her charming The Way Home.

Release date: 2011/second half

Director: Lee Jeong-hyang

/Source: Korean Cinema Today vol. 10., hancinema.net, asianmediawiki.com

* The original piece can be read at HERE