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And one more Trailer Weekly – let’s get to all the filmic goodness right away:

  • 려수 (Ryeosu/Yeosu, South Korea, 2010) – Dir. by Jin Kwang-Kyo. Didn’t find a trailer for this one (sorry!), but I’m including it anyway. I like the black and white poster, which immediately gives the impression that this is a bleakie of sorts. The film synopsis reveals that the main characters are Chul-soo, a part-time delivery man that has to take the ashes of a dead homeless person somewhere, and Mi-jin, who flees with the child she agreed to carry for someone in exchange of money. I’m expecting minimal plot and a more reflective exploration of the emotional turmoil that each character experiences.
  • 「ホノカアボーイ」 (Honokaaboi/Honokaa Boy, Japan, 2009) – Dir. by Sanada Atsushi. After a break-up with his girlfriend, Leo (played by the lovely Okada Masaki) spends some time in Haiwaii, where he meets and builds an unconventional friendship with a much older Japanese-Caucasian woman. Described as a coming-of-age story (oh yeah), “Honokaa Boy is the kind of quiet, unobtrusive film that revels in introspective silences, hidden emotions, and extremely beautiful natural scenery” (quote). Me like, me wanna see!
  • 「チチを撮りに」(Chihi o Tori ni/Capturing Dad, Japan, 2013) – I thought I would have included this film in a previous Trailer Weekly already, but it doesn’t seem so. Koharu, her older sister Hazuki and their mother live in a rural town. Their father walked out on them to be with another woman some fourteen years ago, leaving the then three-year old Koharu with no memories of him. When learning that he has terminal cancer, their mother tells the girls to meet their father one last time before it is too late and sends them off with a camera so she too can see what happened to the man that once loved, but left them. It’s probably safe to say this one also falls into the coming-of-age category, but more so by challenging characters to face their past.
  • 사이코메트리 (Saikometeuri/The Gifted Hands, South Korea, 2013) – Dir. by Kwon Ho-Young. 꽃보다 남자 (Kkotboda Namja/Boys over Flowers, 2009, the K-drama interpretation of the manga 「花より男子」/Hana Yori Dango/Boys over Flowers), catapulted a number of young actors into limelight, including Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyung-joong and Kim Ki-bum. While Lee Min-ho scored bigger roles and quickly shot himself to A-list star power, to me it has always been Kim Ki-bum that has gone on to have the much more interesting career. He might not have yet played the lead in any of his dramas, but he has the most potential, including for the big screen – potential we’ll hopefully see play out in this thriller, in which he plays Kim Joon, an individual tortured by a special gift: he is able to see a person’s past by touching them with his hands. Detective Yang Choon-Dong discovers this truth when investigating the murder of a young girl and becomes interested in Kim Joon. (Side note: Kim Hyung-joong, meanwhile, is the K-equivalent of Yamapi to me: fairly pretty to look at but with acting skills of a wooden plank.)
  • 「脳男」 (No Otoko/Brain Man, Japan, 2013) – Dir. by Tomoyuki Takimoto. Crime thriller number two comes from Japan and also features a character with special abilities: Ichiro has a seemingly computer-like memory and the intelligence of a genius. After some bombings in a provincial town he is taken into custody by a detective and questioned by a psychiatrist, both finding themselves deeply unsettled by a man that displays no human emotions but has been trained as a robotic assassin to execute justice against criminals. The film is based on a bestselling novel. One more reason to watch: Ikuta Toma is Brain Man and his dead eyes are just killer.
Alternate Brain Man Poster.

Alternate No Otoko Poster.

Special Bonus:

xxxHolic preview (with thanks to Himono):