[HanCinema's News] Anticipation High for September Films

With the four major summer releases now out and only one of them even hinting at hitting the fabled ten million mark, speculation is already rampant as to which of the September releases have the best chance of turning into a sleeper hit. Much as with the summer films, there's a surprisingly great deal of genre variety.

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First up is "Tazza: One Eyed Jack", the latest film in the gambling franchise started by "Tazza: The High Rollers". This time around the game of choice is poker. The movie marks the first lead appearance of Ryoo Seung-bum in a mainstream film since "Suspect X" back in 2012. It will open on September 11th in time for the Korean Thanksgiving holiday.

"Tazza: One Eyed Jack" will face competition in the form of "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos"- an unusual title in the South Korean market, as it is explicitly based on the television drama "Bad Guys" which, while popularly acclaimed, also dates back to 2014. Interestingly, Ma Dong-seok is the main face of the marketing for the movie even though Kim Sang-joong actually played the lead character for the original drama version.

"By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture" will open on September 19th. Highly scientific title notwithstanding the movie deals with a narcotics investigation centered around major nightclubs in Seoul. The movie is being marketed more on strength of concept than strength of cast, as it's headlined by performers like Park Hae-soo and Seo Yea-ji who are generally well-regarded but not major stars.

Lastly there is "Cheer Up, Mr. Lee", a comedy about a mentally challenged man trying to take care of his daughter. The movie comes from Lee Gye-byeok, the director of the surprise 2016 hit "Luck.Key", and stars Cha Seung-won in the leading role - his first major presence since "A Korean Odyssey" in 2017. "Cheer Up, Mr. Lee" does not yet have a release date although it finished filming nearly a year ago.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Tazza: One Eyed Jack" is directed by Kwon Oh-kwang, and features Park Jung-min, Ryoo Seung-bum, Choi Yu-hwa, Woo Hyun, Yoon Je-moon, Lee Kwang-soo. Release date in Korea: 2019/09/11.

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"The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" is directed by Son Yong-ho, and features Ma Dong-seok, Kim Sang-joong, Kim Ah-joong, Jang Ki-yong, Kang Ye-won, Jae Ho. Release date in Korea: 2019/09/11.

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"By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture" is directed by Lee Seong-tae, and features Park Hae-soo, Seo Yea-ji, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Eung-soo, Byun Hee-bong, Kim Young-jae. Release date in Korea: 2019/09/19.

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"Cheer Up, Mr. Lee" is directed by Lee Gye-byeok, and features Cha Seung-won, Um Chae-young, Park Hae-joon, Kim Hye-ok, Ahn Kil-kang, Jeon Hye-bin. Release date in Korea: 2019/09.