So's Reel Thoughts

daft punk + tron = EPPPPIIICCNESSSS!!!! cant stop bobbing my head to this beat!!!

love love love this trailer. ive watched almost all of inarritu's (amores perros, babel) films besides 21 grams and am even doing my final latin cinema project on amores perros. if that doesnt tell you how much i love this guy, i dont know what will! this trailer really is breathtaking.

imdb says: This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.

i honestly dont know what sounds more beauitful than that hence, the title (obviously intentionally mispelled) biutiful. it comes out dec 29!!!

yay! this is quite unexpected and different but here are the promo posters for darren aronofsky's black swan. black swan is out dec 3rd!!! be there!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i almost barfed from the epicness of it all!

firstshowing.net: There's a lot going on in Tron world at the moment, as Disney is kicking off its enormous marketing push for the last few months leading up to its opening. First, they've debuted the first photo of Daft Punk inside the world of Tron Legacy, as seen below. That reveal comes with a new sampler of their track "The Game Has Changed" from the soundtrack which can be heard on the official Facebook. There's also a partially revealed poster for Daft Punk'd Tron on the soundtrack website, but we'll post the entire thing once it's unveiled. Oh and lastly, you can reserve tickets for Tron Night now if you haven't already. Hope you're all getting excited!

go listen to it!! i just got mad chills.. apparently theyre having tron night on october 28 where they show 20+ minutes sneak peek of tron! so reserve your tickets if you simply cannot wait for the film to come out on dec 17!

ive talked about blue valentine since i first heard about it at sundance and even posted something about it. click here if you missed it. now here is the trailer that weve all been waiting for. even though i havent seen the film, it brings many nostalgic and bittersweet memories for me. there is also another clip that was released showing the couples magnetic chemistry.

Just watch. You wont be sorry.

it is out now!!!

the internet not only has become a source of information but a pool of mass communication and networking. so what happens when nev schulman, a new york photographer befriends abby pierce, an eight-year old art prodigy from rural michigan? surprisingly, unlike most online-based relationships, the innocent exchange goes past the facebook friend request. the relationship continuously grows as he befriends her mother, angela, angela's husband, and her hot older sister, meagan, the songwriter. nev's brother ariel and friend henry joost was just in the mist of everything when started to document where this odd relationship would lead.

it quickly unravels so i cannot tell you much more than what can be speculated by the trailer. as the suspicions and notions build up, the reveal is quite anti-climactic. but by no means, should you not be tuned in to the real tragic story behind it all. the vastness of the cyberspace world has built a new-age wave of online relationships that now allows such voluminous room for imagination that no other medium has been able to provide till now. A

i saw the man from nowhere (아저씨) in korea when it was released and didnt think twice about its potential to reach the states. it was just announced that it surpassed 5.7 million viewers and even attracted sixty thousand viewers just between september 17-19. and well, look what we have here, the man from nowhere has arrived to the united states! so if you are in the area, please go and watch it!

9/30: Los Angeles (CGV Cinemas)

10/8: Cerritos (Regal)

10/15: Torrance (AMC Rolling Hills 20), Garden Grove (Regal), Arcadia (AMC Santa Anita 16), Flushing (AMC Bay Terrace 6), Manhattan (AMC Empire 25), New Jersey (AMC Ridgefield Park 12), Maryland (AMC Rios 18), Seattle (Cinemark Century 16 & AMC Alderwood 16), San Jose (AMC Cupertino 16), Atlanta (AMC Discover Mills 18), Chicago (AMC Northbrook 14 & AMC Showplace Niles 12), Dallas (AMC Grapevine Mills 30), Austin (Alamo), Toronto (AMC Younge & Dundas 24)

10/29: Honolulu (Ward)

allkpop.com: In “The Man From Nowhere”, Won Bin stars as Taesik, a mysterious pawnshop owner who has secluded himself from the world after having lost his pregnant wife in a tragic accident. While the socially awkward pawnshop owner tries to live life avoiding as much human contact as possible, he is reluctantly encountered by the troubled little girl-next-door named Somi (played by child actress, Kim Sae Ron). As Somi makes her regular visits to bother Taesik, she becomes the one person in the world that can soften Taesik’s hardened heart.

this film really delivers to all audiences (& i mean 18+). for the girls, we get the irresistible won bin. for the guys, they get the heart-stopping and fast paced action. for everyone else, its the raw emotions and dark themes presented in the film. there isnt a moment of hesitation or boredom to be felt. rather than the story, i was more focused (naturally) on how it was shot. there were many camera techniques that gave it a voyeuristic feeling which lets the audience to wholly experience the action whether it is won bin shooting someone or jumping out of a window, we are all there with him. we are taken on a deeper ride into the story and unexpectedly takes a turn into a dark corner. and what we find there is something strangely haunting and unfamiliar. the camera moves with such fluidity that it is no wonder why we encounter uninhibited and boundless themes in the story. B+

check out the trailer!

The images alone should make you want to watch the film, never let me go. it unfolded like pure poetry--thoughtful, lengthy, and daunting. unlike other films, the characters already knew the futility in trying to escape their so called "destiny." B+

to be continued...

While I was in Korea, i fell in love with Miss A and their song Bad Girl, Good Girl. i wanted to create something with my reborn love of kpop and also incorporate time into it. After incessantly hearing and watching Miss A all over the airwaves and on the tube, i wondered what it was like for them to constantly sing and dance the same song and routine so many times that they eventually come to know it backwards and forwards. this is their different points of view...

firstshowing.net says: Even though we already thought South Korean filmmaker Kim Ji-Woon was planning his first US-set film with high profiles actors like Clive Owen and Sienna Miller (reported last year), apparently that won't be his first US feature after all. Latino Review is reporting that Lionsgate has hired Ji-Woon (of A Bittersweet Life, The Good, The Bad, The Weird and I Saw the Devil) to direct a project called The Last Stand. The script was featured on last year's screenplay Blacklist and is apparently an action thriller about a drug cartel with shades of Gone in 60 Seconds and High Noon. This could be a fairly awesome Hollywood debut for Ji-Woon.

if you didnt know already how obsessed i am about asian things in general, now you will know! to me, kim ji-woon is quickly becoming one of the most talented directors from korea right under park chan-wook and bong joon-ho. i saw 'i saw the devil' and let me tell you, its not for the weak! its intense, thrilling, and down-right unrestricted. it was the first korean film to have the restrictive rating 19+. after reediting it three more times, the korea media rating board finally gave it a 18+. then the production companies edited 7 more scenes in fear of inspiring crimes including kidnapping, murders, and possibly even cannabalism (as hinted in the film!) and even then, it was banned from some theaters. im so glad that this was the first kim ji-woon film ive seen and that i actually even got to see it! so, hopefully it comes to the states because even though it got the most restricted rating in korea, to americans, i think itll be ok. completely enthralled!

why i havent posted this up already is beyond me. but apparently monsters is the next big thing. (no pun intended) monsters is a british sci-fi film written and directed by gareth edwards. youve probably never even heard of him cause he is usually the special effects guy. (oh, and he doesnt even have his own wiki page, crazy!) but it is his first time writing and directing his own feature film, which is inspired by spielberg's jurassic park. and amazingly, the whole thing was shot with a crew of only two people using prosumer level equipement. he is possibly the most efficient filmmaker out there considering he wrote, directed, shot, and edited his own film.

firstshowing.net says: Monsters is written, produced and directed by Gareth Edwards, a big up-and-coming filmmaker who shot this on a shoestring budget in Mexico and did all of the visual effects on his own computer. The movie stars Scoot McNairy, who I've actually seen in commercials recently, and Whitney Able. Here's the basic concept: "Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion, a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border."

and heres their poster!

monsters comes out oct. 29!!

if youre a fan of haruki murakami like i am, you will very much appreciate this. my friend austin shin gave me the book norwegian wood for my birthday and i havent stopped reading it. (1. my birthdays in may. 2. im a very slow reader) and so to find out that a film will be coming out based on the book was very exciting for me. rinko kikuchi (brothers bloom, babel) will be playing naoko and ken'ichi matsuyama (nana, death note) will be playing toru watanabe. it is unknown at this point when the film will be released in the u.s. but im sure by 2011 it should be available via dvd or internet. but check out the trailer. there are no subtitles but i think its safe to say that the mood created in the trailer translates more than subtitles can ever say.

DONT WATCH THE EXPENDABLES.

(see how i wrote it in capital letters and bolded it in red, i mean serious business)

Beth accomando from kpbs.org wrote "the expendables is like dating a jock--no sparkling conversation or subtlety but great to have around when you need to blow shit up or kick some ass." well said beth accomando from kpbs. hahahaha fifteen minutes into the film, Sylvester was talking in his usual incoherent slurs and gestures and it got to a point where my friend and i looked at one another and said, "what the hell is going on?!" not only were we suppose to watch steroid injected men fight each other in hopes of recreating their glory years but now we were to sit and listen to these men talk about nonsense. uh no, not happening. thats probably why i fell asleep.

this was a real opportunity for the "greatest" action heroes of all time to come together and truly make a good action flick. but the ball was missed when the executives let stallone himself direct this film. where was the direction? wasnt there a producer holding his hand and guiding him through the process one second at a time? oh well, he blew his chance. now, lesson learned, dont bring action-flick icons together unless you are really going to make a kick-ass film that will throw the audience off their seat. D

scott pilgrim vs. the world opens exactly how a film should. instead of dullng and distracting our adhd mind by displaying different kinds of animation through the opening credit, it presents the crew front and center while psychedelic swirls are pressed against out eyeballs, already giving a preview of what kind of insanity we're all in for. and boy, were we left satisfied. even if i tried to imagine what great epicness the film was going to present, it did not compare or even parallel to what was experienced.

scott pilgrim is a slacker, a hero, and a bassist for his band 'the sex bom-omb" and basically everything you wouldnt want in a boyfriend. but behold, he falls madly in love with ramona flowers (played wonderfully by mary elizabeth winstead), but must defeat her 7 evil ex-boyfriends.

it is every comic-loving geek's fantasy. it has everything anyone could ever possibly want--hyper-active action. super hot complicated girls. japanese twins with slick gelled hair, nostalgically awesome sound effects from the 90's. it honestly doesnt get better than that. if you havent seen it yet, youre definitely missing out. and if you havent checked out the comic book, scott pilgrim by bryan lee o'malley, youre DEEEEEFINITELY missing out. there is only 6 volumes compared to those japanese manga that has 20+! A

danny boyle's new film starring james franco called the 127th hour! i really just want to wiki and see what happens to him at the end but i shall wait! it comes out nov. 5!

1. never let me go (sept. 17)

2. catfish (sept. 17)

3. the social network (oct. 1)

4. let me in (oct. 1)

5. the romantics (sept. 10)

6. 127 hours (nov. 5)

7. harry potter and the death hallows (part 1) (nov. 19)

8. BLACK SWAN (dec. 3)

9. somewhere (dec. 24)

10. blue valentine (dec. 31)

will go into full detail with those later...

the trailer for darren aronofsky's new film starring natalie portman and vincent cassel, black swan is here!! its completely not what i had expected and reveals a bit of a supernatural vibe. it does feel a bit kafka-esqe: she feels like a black swan therefore she becomes one. dun dun DDUUN! anyways, everything portman does is outstanding so i dont expect anything less than a phenomenal performance from her in this new film.

USA Today: "The dark tale with psychological twists stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a technically brilliant ballerina whose life takes some strange turns after being picked as the lead in a [NYC] production of Swan Lake. Pressures mount as her overbearing mother (Hershey) pushes her to succeed and her manipulative dance master commands her to be more seductive and loose in her performance. Complicating that is the arrival of Lily (Kunis), a sultry dancer who exhibits all the innate ease and sexuality that Nina lacks. Nina begins to fixate on the newcomer as the two forge an unusual relationship." Searchlight is bringing Black Swan to theaters December 1st.

natalie has been keeping herself quite busy. she already has 5 upcoming films including black swan, thor, and my favorite pride, prejudice, and zombies! i honestly cant wait!!! 2011 will be a great year for her.

i got chills. this is the highly praised and controversial film that debuted at this year's sundance.

firstshowing.net says: A reality thriller that's a shocking product of our times, Catfish is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue.

Catfish is directed by young up-and-coming filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (also seen in the doc), who are making their feature debut with this after working as dance filmographers in New York City for years. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was eventually picked up by Relativity Media and Rogue Pictures. Catfish arrives in limited theaters starting on September 17 this fall.

i probably shouldve posted this sooner but, this is the new trailer for the upcoming drama 'never let me go' from director mark romanek (one hour photo.) when i watched one hour photo in the 5th grade, i went in thinking it was going to another fun robin williams film. oh boy, was i wrong. if you havent watched it yet, please do. it erupted so many different kinds of emotions in me. it was really mind-blowing as a 5th grader.

filmfilia says: In his highly acclaimed novel Never Let Me Go, the British author Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains Of The Day) created a remarkable story of love, loss and hidden truths. In it he posed the fundamental question: What makes us human? Now director Mark Romanek, writer Alex Garland and DNA films bring Ishiguro’s hauntingly poignant and emotional story to the screen. Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield)

and Ruth (Keira Knightley) live in a world and a time that feel familiar to us, but are not quite like anything we know. They spend their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. When they leave the shelter of the school and the terrible truth of their fate is revealed to them, they must also confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.

heres the final poster--

it comes out september 15. be there.

damn these girls are hhhhhhhooot!! sucker punch comes out march 2011!

not gonna lie, the new poster for matt reeves' let me in is gorgeous and breathtaking. it also reminds me much of park chan-wook's thirst. riiiight?

after watching the first sequence of the trailer, all i said to myself was 'what the fuck is this.' i started to wonder what kind of marketing scheme the social network people were up to with their teaser and first trailer that was not much of a trailer at all. but as i fell deeper and deeper into the trailer, i started to get chills all over my body and realized that this is going to be a fucking good movie. it doesnt matter if it was directed by david fincher, the overall story has so much tension and drive that its a story worth telling. esp, to the whole world of what we've never known about our favorite social network.

here are stills from darren aronofsky's new film starring beautiful natalie portman in black swan!! the film is going to open for the venice film festival in september. as well as portman, black swan includes mila kunis as portman's rival dancer, winona ryder (girl, interrupted), sebastian stan, barbara hershey and vincent cassel (irreversible).

cant wait!!! and seriously, kunis? hahah from the book of eli to this. this is pretty big for her. we'll see if she can hold her acting abilities on the same screen as portman and cassel.

firstshowing.net says: As we mentioned yesterday in the Green Lantern costume reveal, there are going to be a lot of big first look reveals this weekend and all next week for Comic-Con. Another new first look has arrived, again found in the pages of the latest Entertainment Weekly, this time for Zack Snyder's new action-heavy movie Sucker Punch. Meet some badass chics (from L to R): Abbie Cornish as Sweetpea; Jena Malone as Rocket; Emily Browning as Baby Doll, our hero; Scott Glenn (in background); Vanessa Hudgens as Blondie; plus Jamie Chung as Amber. And ohh yes, all of these girls kick some serious ass in the movie.

Sucker Punch is Zack Snyder's first movie not based on previous material, but an original idea that he came up with and turned into a screenplay with co-writer Steve Shibuya. The story follows a girl (Emily Browning - Baby Doll) who is institutionalized by her stepfather. Retreating to an imaginative "alternative reality" as a coping method, she envisions a strategy which will help her, and a group of other girls, escape the mental hospital they're stuck in. The EW article says to "expect fantasy dreamscapes filled with dragons, zombie soldiers, steampunk sci-fi and monolithic mecha." Whoa! "Anything I thought was cool got put in the movie," Snyder says. I think this looks pretty awesome so far, can't wait to see more from it at Comic-Con.

anything women empowering as well as ass-kicking is a must in my book!!

omgomgomgomgomgomgomg. ive been waiting for this trailer for some time now. and the longer ive waited the longer this taste of bitterness and distaste for remakes has been left on my tongue. for those who havent seen let the right one in, the 2008 swedish film which left audiences across the globes in awe with its jaw-droppingly stunning cinematography and direction. so why the remake? but what can i say? the americans think that they can do it better. if you havent seen it yet, do it. you'll be doing yourself the biggest favor of your life.

as much as i love chloe moretz (kickass) and have deemed her as my long lost twin, i dont think she is very fitting for this part. as for kodi smit-mcphee (the road), i think he looks almost identical to the original that made him so fitting for the part. and his suberb acting skills isnt so bad either. but check out the trailer. for fans of the original, be cautious! the film comes out oct. 1 2010. and yes, ill be watching it for sure.

the last installment of the harry potter saga is finishing off with a two part finale! the trailer is too intense to ignore. nuff said.

for those in the u.s., go see cyrus!! its been out since june 18 and considering that i cant see it, i want you to! as a bit for promo, jonah hill and john c. reilly got together to make a mashup that contains sound bytes from the film. the tune is pretty catchy and funny.

the official teaser for david fincher's the social network has hit the web and even though its just a teaser with sound clips, it sounds INTENSE! i doubt fincher wouldve pursued anything if he didnt think the story was worth telling. the social networks comes out october 1!

and whats this i hear about fincher wanting to direct the american remake of the swedish film, the girl with the dragon tattoo! come on man, no more remakes!!

i missed fathers day by one day considering im half way around the world but i would like to dedicate this to daddy's little girls around the world, who have always looked up to their fathers. and considering it was fathers day, im posting up the infamous coppolas as a tribute. i ruv you daddy!!

ioncinema.com's Andrew Jarecki says: All Good Thing is written by Marcus Hinchey, Marc Smerling and Jarecki, this unlocks the mystery of a unique man who could have had it all. Set against the extravagance and excess of New York City in the 80s, David Marks (Gosling), the son of a powerful real estate tycoon marries a beautiful working class student, Katie (Dunst). Together they flee the city for idyllic country life in Vermont - only to be lured back by David’s father. Upon their return, Katie goes back to medical school and begins to make a life for herself. But as Katie becomes increasingly independent, David mysteriously turns more violent and controlling. Family secrets are slowly revealed, just as Katie disappears without a trace. Years later, when Katie’s best friend turns up dead, a struggling cop and eager reporter team together to reopen the unsolved case. With David the main suspect, the Marks family’s dark secrets pave the way to a disturbing truth.

intriguing pair. i love gosling with basically anyone! he's getting with all my favorite giiirls. michelle williams and now dunst! who's next!

david fincher's the social network, aka the facebook movie is coming out on october 1. and as much as i am anticipating it, there is nothing better than the first look of what the film could possibly be like. vvvveery interesting!! (btw, im in korea now!!)

!!!!!!!!! thank you patricia for posting this on your facebook!! i cant believe this trailer already came out!!! (btw, im going to korea tonight!!!!) check it out!

sam mendes, one of my favorite directors in life (american beauty, revolutionary road) directed the new iphone 4 commercial emphasizing the many features and perks of the iphone camera. i loved the sign language part. very nice.

guess who?

i thought it would be excessive and obsessive to post this up but im going to anyways!! cause its no secret that im lusting over scott pilgrim vs. the world. ramona's hair is freaking rooockin'. i think im going to have to go on a hair damaging spree and dye my hair every color of the spectrum. who's down?!

watch and be aaaaaaamazed. tehehe.

for those avid readers, you probably already knew this from my valentines post. but for those new readers, let me let you in on the news. derek cianfrance is coming out with a new drama with ryan gosling and michelle williams as married couple, whos undying love starts to dwindle as time passes.

time is essentially their enemy and this is no news for anyone. time can warp and twist anyone into someone completely different. in many ways, its an inevitable process. the love that we once thought was so real and passionate can be deemed as stagnant and bland just years later. love that is suppose to be so empowering and everlasting becomes fickle with its emotions. just the photographs alone make me want to see the film. not only is it passionate but real. these are real events that take place in everyone's lives. and like time, they are inevitable.

look how effing gorgeous they are. heres a first look clip of the film. supposedly it comes out dec 31, 2010!!!

for fellow sex and the city fanatics like myself, it is common knowledge that michael patrick king, who have written and directed most of the series' episodes, is an utter genius. and let me say that within the context of the series. but what should enthrall fanatics with the second installment of the franchise's widely successful first film, is a flop. the trailers continuously lowball audiences into thinking that a film will actually be good and that satc 2 would be no exception. it was too good to be true. aiden (john corbett) was back and gasps and shrills were heard across the nation by middle age women (like myself, tehehe). with the twist like that, what could possibly go wrong?

apparently everything. king knows what every girl wants and he usually delivers with the mind-blowing fashion, witty lines, deliciously handsome men, and gasp worthy plot twist that continuously leave hopeless romantics around the world salivating for more. only this time, he knew that with the dedicated fans he has accumulated from other the years that he can just half ass the sequel. as an avid fan, there are many things i would have changed. but that doesnt give away to the amount of dismay i have over the fashion, witty lines, or plot twists. indeed in every scene, the four women possessed immaculately hand-picked outfits complimenting their personality. but not for a moment were the hundreds of bug-eyed women i was sitting with truly impressed with their attire. yes they were on more conservative ground but nonetheless, it didnt command the scene like the pink number did in the first film. (you all know which pink dress im talking about!)

as the girls escape from their big city troubles. there is little to no sex or the city to be seen. as they shuffle their jimmy choos through the dunes of abu dhabi, i cant help but wonder, was it really necessary to emphasize the widening caste system between the americans and the arabs? i almost strayed away from the story as i was sympathizing more for their servant than their actual "problems." but enough ranting from your average satc fangirl, i guess those sayings are right: the worse the reviews, the more money the film makes. but im sure king knew that all along... :D C

the duplass bros of 2008's baghead is back with CYRUS! and JONAH HILL IS CYRUS. since superbad, michael cera have been getting roles left and right, and frankly were all sick of him. but his other half has been in just as many films, from forgetting sarah marshall to funny people to how to train your dragon and theyre all great!

hill has two movies coming out this summer and i want to see them both! sadly i wont be in the states when cyrus comes out on june 18. but hill's other film, get him to the greek comes out june 4th. im usually not for comedies, but hill really makes the movie worth seeing. (im not going to bother posting that trailer cause its in previews everywhere)

here it is!!! the audition was shot on 16mm. hope you enjoy!

an actress is on her way to an audition when she is thwarted by the torment of her inner fears.

The Audition from So Yun Um on Vimeo.

i posted this on my other blog considering it is related to football but when i found out that alejandro gonzalez inarritu, the director of bable, 21 grams, and amores perros directed this ad, i HAD to post it here. i dont know how many times ive watched this ad but its quite amazing. i feel like if i dont have it every morning, i cannot start my day right. click and be AMMMMAZED. (if you dont know these star players by now, know them cause they will be everywhere by the end of the world cup)

we had a little extra film after shooting the audition, so we had a dance off!

i love making lists so here we go. this is basically everything i want to do before i go to korea and japan. which is in three weeks.

1. sticker project

2. film another short

3. watch the world cup at the most asian bar ever

4. go to a baseball game

5. finish reading my a single man and existentialism is humanism

6. start writing more reviews for independent film quarterly

7. watch more films!!!

8. fully edit appetite and the audition

9. and do some good in the community

10. update my website.

11. and most importantly, become a better person.

ive had this short in my itunes for the past year from sundance 2009 and had not seen it till, well, today. and wow, was i missing out. it should be evident that a short couldnt have made it to sundance without it being outstanding. and it is OUTSTANDING.