Pre-Order M

Once in a while, along come a film that, in its sheer brilliance, reinstates the film geek inside you. For me, that most recent film is Lee Myung-Se’s M. Now yes, I know that the film has garnered less-than-favourable reviews, with most of them pulling the age-old “style over substance” card, but for me, the film is a perfect balance of said elements.

Therefore, I’m more than delighted to see that the R3K DVD is finally up for pre-order. The 3-disc set was pushed back from a mid-January release to an early February release (although the exact date is unsure, since DVDfromKorea cites it on the 5th while DVDAsian on the 11th) and raised in price by a few dollars. However, being an avid fan, a few dollars won’t detract from my joy. What will, however, and has, is the fact that waiting for the pre-order option has cost me a chance at the insanely underpriced 11-disc Takeshi Kitano boxset. However, the last time it went out of stock, it miraculously came back into stock, so hopefully such a miracle will befall me again.

Za Toichi, Ichi

Two films. Two names. One inspiration.

Coincidentally, Twitch is reporting on two upcoming Japanese films which both draw inspiration from the Zatoichi franchise. The first is Sonny Chiba’s directorial debut, Za Toichi, which will star Ginji Yoshikawa as a blind moneylender. Tokyo Graph adds that

The title can be read as “The Toichi,” where “toichi” is a common abbreviation of the phrase “tooka de ichiwari,” referring to illegal loans that charge 10% interest for every 10 days.

Chiba will be directing and writing under his newly created alias Rindo Wachinaga, although there is a possibility of him starring alongside Yoshikawa under his stage name (JJ Sonny Chiba). At a budget of approximately 200 million yen, the film is scheduled to begin shooting in April, with a target release date in fall.

The second film, Ichi, is a re-imagination of the original blind swordsman films and stars Haruka Ayase as the blind swordswoman. But aside from the eye appeal of Ayase, many are likely to be attracted by what, or rather who, is behind the camera: Fumihiko Sori of Ping Pong fame (although I enjoyed the 2002 film, I can’t quite understand all the commotion). Anyway, the official website for Ichi has gone live and with it, a teaser trailer (the teaser starts up automatically, but in case you miss it, just click the link to the right). It’ll be interesting to see how the two films compare. On one hand, you’ve got Sonny Chiba and on the other, a possibly very innovative recreation.

Must-See (Korean) Films in 2008

2008 has kicked off so naturally people are quick to make predictions for the upcoming year. Although this article from The Korea Times was picked up by KFCC’s Hitman a week ago, it nonetheless stands, although I don’t particularly agree the “must-see” status of some films. The first mentioned film is the high-profiled A Man Who Was Superman, starring the sassy girl herself Jeon Ji-Hyun (aka Gianna Jun) and the ever stellar Hwang Jung-Min. The film, which opens on January 31, is largely banking on the image of Jeon, and her newfound image at that — as a seedy, tomboyish producer. But however intriguing the film may sound, it still seems as if the film is garnering attention for all the wrong reasons and the added pressure on Jeon’s performance could prove to be detrimental.

Speaking of crossovers from the melodramatic/rom-com realm, Kwon Sang-Woo is set to take another stab at being a “serious” actor (after his failed attempt with 2006’s Running Wild) alongside real-life buddy Song Seung-Heon, who recently completed his mandatory military service. A Destiny, which chronicles a friendship gone sour and promises a different side to the two pretty boys, is likely to showcase painstakingly grown stubble, zealous overacting, and a continuous stream of swear words. I wonder if Japan’s Formula Entertainment was expecting this when they pre-bought the rights for $2 million.