Part 55

Good morning everyone. It seems BYJ is fine now. BOF should take a good care for BYJ as some hard schedules are waiting for him. Some Japan family said the next shooting place for the new TV drama should be kept as a seceret. But you know, that place is already announced by Korean media.

Nihon Keizai Shinbun(the top business newspaper in Japan) selected this BYJ movie as one of the 5 big foreign movies among movies released from Sep to Feb. next year. Harry Porter and King Kong are selected among with April Snow as one of the "sure-hit" movies. So nice choice. Looking at the hit chart for this year(from Jan. till now), Cheon Ji Hyeon's movie Windstruck is rank 10(HK movie Kung Fu Hustle is rank 13). This is the only Korean movie in the rank this year. Then there will appear April Snow.

Now in Japan, some use the word Asian Wave rather than Korea Wave. As I indicated before Taiwan stars F4 and Thai movies are quite popular in Japan. Japanese newspapers in these days do not write about Korean Wave, for example, even if a Korean top star visits Japan, media do not report about this visit. Still, many Japanese experts said, "it is so surprising that BYJ boom is still hot in Japan". haha, not that surprising to me. BYJ's hospitalization and SYJ's visit to Japan are big show buiz news in Japan.

Talking about Korean Wave in Japan, it seems to me from Sep. TV drama Daejanggum will make a big hit in Japan. April Snow and this Daejanggum will lead Korean Wave in Japan for this year. OK, then let's talk about April Snow.

Firstly, I gave you a false information in 54. I said In Soo drives to Sam Cheok after the outdoor concert and there falls a heavy snow. This part was wrong. He drives to Sam Cheok after the car accident and there falls a heavy snow. The meaning of snow seems very important in this movie. In a sense, the title April Snow is the same with Christmas in August. Something that is out of season. To director Hur, love is something to be failed. Or I would say, to him, love that is not fulfilled is the most beautiful and precious memory to us.

I saw a new trailer for this movie. It is mentioned, "the sad love story begins in Sep this year", so this is surely a sad story and prepare sunglasses before you go to the theatre to see this movie. I am OK I already have one. In the new trailer, Shon YJ said,

At first(when I know about their love affirs), I wonder how they meet each other. At first I rather want him die(this part could mean, at first I rather want to die). Now(after I fall in love with In Soo) I knew they had a hard time to control their feelings.

It seems there is no miracle in this movie. But still I hope In Soo and Soyeong to be happy till the end. I will drink a lot if the movie is so sad.

Part 56

Good morning everyone, Lotte said every report about playing golf with BYJ is simply wrong and they had no plan like that. It seems to me that some agents related with Lotte planned this and there was some confusion whether this plan was made by Lotte or that agents.

I read an article saying the master in the caffe "Bycycle Thief" in Sam Cheock appeared in this movie to play himself(a master in a caffe). This is what director Hur liked to do. To make ordinary people play themselves in the movie, Hur's movie becomes more real. Hur loves reality in his movie. This is why he does not want actresses in his movie to be over-powdered, to be well-fashioned. He wants players to be REAL, to wear ordinary clothes, to say ordinary line of words.

Director Hur is a famous writer. He is so famous in writing a real love story. Man and woman in his story look like a man and woman living next door. This is a reason why some people become maniac to Hur's movies. In this new movie, we can see that Hur tried hard to make In Soo an ordinary person. But, it seems to me he failed in this and In Soo could not be an ordinary person.

Then, there appeared changes in plans, changes in stories and changes in the line of words they speak. I am very surprised to hear that line of words, that is,

I tried hard not to love you,

This is definetly not the line of words we can hear in Hur's movie. He always used the ordinary(often used) line of words. What is called Hur's magic is that he uses common words very brilliantly in his movie, make every word so real and so wonderful. Now the above words, I tried hard not to love you, is not usual expression, is not supposed to be the words used in Hur's movie. In Soo drives his car at top speed and heavy snows are falling - a spectacle scene but this is again not supposed to be a part of Hur's world.

I think everything is changed because Hur could not make In Soo an ordinary man. Dressing him like a construction laborer, giving him an ordinary glasses, ordinary hair styles but still In Soo was not an ordinary man. You can not make BYJ a man living next door. You can not make me a man without beers, cigarretes and PC.

So, in my view, Hur makes In Soo say something unusual like "I tried hard not to love you" . Hur gave In Soo an unusual situation like driving a car at the top speed under heavy snow. As you all say BYJ is special, he is special in his looks, voices and in his way of managing his works, his attitudes to fans and in several other aspects. Someone loves him and someone do not like him but everyone admit that BYJ is special. Even the most strong anti-BYJ I know said to me in a mail that, "BYJ becomes an ordinary man if without that glasses", which means that even this guy admits that BYJ is special.

This something special in BYJ induces some changes in Hur's movie. Unusual scenes, unusual line of words, unusual musics. Director Hur made wonderful images and movies using only usual words and musics etc. What would happen if he uses unusually wonderful situations, musics, words? We will see this in this new movie.

Part 57

Good morning everyone, here is the Korean movie hit ranking in Japan(personal memory, maybe I forgot one or two movies)

1. Windstruck(Cheon Ji Hyeon) roughly about 20 million $
2. Shuri about 17 million $
3. JSA about 13 million $
4. Brotherhood about 11 million $
5. Untold Scaldal, Phone(horror movie), My Sissy Girl about 8 to 9 million $

And this is this year's Korean movie ranking in Japan(calculated by myself)

1. Marathon, this will record about 7 to 8 million $
2. Sweet Life(Lee Byeong Hun) would about 5 to 6 million $
3. Bun Shin Sa Ba(horror movie) a little bit less than Sweet Life
4. Father in Love(Kwon Sang Woo) would record a little bit less than 5 million $

OK, then what is the expectation for April Snow? minimum is about 10 million $, there is no maximum(impossible to calculate, if fans of WLS all watch this movie, but I will say maimum will be about 50 million $). My expectation is somewhat pessimistic, I will say this will record about 15 million $ hit(somewhere between JSA and Shuri) in Japan. But do not worry I am always wrong when I make an expectation for BYJ movie.

Frankly speaking, I do not think this will make a Korean movie record in Japan. The reason is as follows.

At the same day when April Snow starts in Japan, there is another movie called NaNa. This NaNa is ultra-popular to Japanese girls aged 15 to 23. Lots of Japanese young girls will be crowded in the movie NaNa. At the same day, lots and lots of Japanese ladies aged over 30 will be crowded in the movie April Snow. I think Japanese media would say like this, "young girls around NaNa and ladies(or Obasan) around Yon Sama"

This phenomena will give a strong impression that this is Yon Sama movie, which I worry most. To say this is Yon Sama movie means that if you are not Yon Sama fans, you do not have to see this movie, this is a movie only for Yon Sama fans. If only Yon Sama fans see this movie, this will record about 15 million $.

Even if there is no promotion for this movie, Yon Sama fans would see this movie anyway. So I think promotion of this movie has better emphasize director Heo and Sohn YJ to make Korean movie record in Japan by this April Snow.