If South Korea follows the Hollywood film release timeline, then Fall is the season when the darker fare comes out. Stuff that screams “awards consideration” over “box office candy”. After the early onslaught of Summer releases with corresponding big VIP list movie premieres, I fell off keeping track of movies but this one caught my eye because it stars the incomparable Kim Yun Seok. If you asked me to list the top-3 leading men in Korea film, he would be on that short list. For those not familiar with his long and critically acclaimed oeuvre, he was the male lead of the box office friendly The Thieves last year. Up next for him is director Bong Joon Ho‘s Sea Fog, but first comes this movie premiering this weekend. Co-starring teenage acting wunderkind Yeo Jin Gu as the titular Hwa Yi, the movie is about five contract killers who end up with a child hostage in their hands after a botched kidnapping attempt gone awry. They end up raising the child with the ringleader played by Kim Yun Seok being viewed as the father by the child who grows up to be Yeo Jin Gu. He goes to school and longs for an ordinary life, but he’s well aware of how dangerous his father and uncles are and pretty soon he’s asked to join in their next criminal scheme. Put a gun in this boy’s hands and clearly things will not end well. The VIP movie premiere was earlier this week and was comparatively a smaller affair but still with plenty of star friends in attendance. One particular big name was Yoochun, who got all the fans squeeing even if he looked like a hobo right off the street and seemed overly serious. Yoochun has been gearing up to start filming Sea Fog with Kim Yun Seok so it was nice to see him at this premiere. My adorable Yoon Si Yoon also showed up with a super short haircut that makes him look younger than 16 year old Yeo Jin Goo. Check out the walk of stars below and watch the gritty trailer for Hwa Yi. That Yeo Jin Gu sure can angst like no other in his age group. Continue reading →