Starving Hysterical Naked

This movie was on my list of movies I wanted to see at TIFF last month, but they didn't end up screening it virtually for critics who didn't travel to Toronto and so I had to shave it off my list, scratch "TBD" into its place -- well the "D" is here with the trailer for Wolf arriving yesterday! No not that "D" pervs -- although George Mackay did give an interview where he mentioned being naked a lot for this movie, so I guess we'll see -- I just mean the "determined" part of "to be determined." That's been determined. Oh god is this day over yet? My sentences are no longer making sense to me. 

Aaaanyway Wolf stars Mackay as a young man suffering from "Species Identity Disorder" (i.e. he believes himself a wolf), who gets sent to a clinic to be cured of his so-called delusions. But it looks like getting a bunch of similar-thinking people together might backfire? To be honest this trailer reminded me So Very Much of Park Chan-wook's oddly forgotten 2006 film I'm a Cyborg But That's OK, which had Lim Soo-jung as a young woman who believed herself to be a cyborg, who got sent to a clinic to be cured of her delusion, only to fall down the rabbit hole of delusions whilst around similarly-minded people (including pop star Rain, looking real good). Judging by this trailer Wolf could be the exact same movie, just with more naked George Mackay? I am okay with this.

Good Morning, World

.

.

I've really been wanting to re-watch Park Chan-wook's movie I'm a Cyborg But That's OK lately and this video that musician turned actor Rain posted on his Insta this past weekend was just that extra push I needed. Thanks, Rain!

.

Wolf Boy Becomes Wolf Man

.

1917 star George Mackay, aka the cream that rose to the top of this past awards season -- that works in the sense that he's a terrific actor finally getting some attention after several years of great work and in the sense that dude is real pasty -- has just lined up a new gig, and it sounds possibly pretty interesting. He's going to star in Wolf, playing a young man who has "species dysphoria" and actually thinks he's a wolf. (So basically he's playing Sheila the She-Wolf on GLOW.) His family sends him to a clinic for brain treatment, as one does, and there he meets a young lady (to be played by Lily-Rose Depp) who thinks herself a wildcat. One assumes an interspecies romance then ensues.

What this actually most reminds me of is Park Chan-wook's criminally under-rated 2006 romance I'm a Cyborg But That's OK, which had the singer Rain romancing Soo-jung Lim, who believes herself to be half-robot and has elaborate fantasies -- or are they? -- where her mechanics take over at great moments of stress and the like. The tension between one person's belief in another and how that feeds the increasingly dangerous fantasies becomes, in Park's hands, the perfect engine to explore What Love Means. Let's hope it's like that!

On an interesting side-note the original star of this movie was apparently supposed to be our favorite spritely lil' weirdo Barry Keoghan, making this the second project in the past month -- alongside the Y: The Last Man series -- that Barry's either dropped out of or been booted from, not sure which in either case. We're giving him the benefit of the doubt that his big Marvel movie Eternals has swallowed up his time, but if another project drops we might begin to worry. Funnily enough in a weird bit of overlap the director of Wolf is Nathalie Biancheri, whose last movie Nocturnal starred Cosmo Jarvis, aka Barry's co-star (and MNPP crush) in Calm With Horses, which we just posted a trailer for the other day.

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

I'm a Cyborg But That's OK (2006)

Cha Young-goon: Mom, I think I'm a cyborg.
Mother: What is that?
Cha Young-goon: I think it's kind of... like a robot?
Young-goon's mother: Have you missed your period?

A happy birthday to South Korean actress Soo-jung Lim!

I've really been meaning to re-watch this Park Chan-wook film;

I adored it when it came out, but then there was Rain...

Good Morning, Gratuitous Rain... Again

.

It's that annual time of year when we wonder what is up with the Korean superstar Rain, who once upon a time starred in Ninja Assassin and I'm a Cyborg But It's OK and then never in anything I ever saw again and yet here we are. Every year. On his birthday, like clockwork. (See here and here for just two previous examples.) I think I keep checking in because it keeps falling on a weekday and there's nobody else hot who shares his birthday? At this point it doesn't make much sense, but oh well. I think he might have gotten married? Bah I really don't care. Whatever. happy birthday, hot Rain! Hit the jump for nearly 50 more pictures...

I Am Link

.

--- Panther Man - Marvel did their big announcement yesterday with a lady superhero movie in Captain Marvel and a black superhero in Black Panther getting announced - Chadwick Boseman will be playing the latter. (Although I'd pay good money to see him play the former.) What I appreciate most though is this infographic here at Comics Alliance laying out when all these movies, Marvel and DC and so forth, are coming out via timeline - it's so ridiculously over-booked, you guys. We're going to be up to our eyeballs in spandex for the rest of our lives. (And hey if it's Chris Evans wearing that spandex, I am willing to make that sacrifice.)
.

--- Horror Revival - Didn't Stephen King say not too long ago that he was planning on slowing down or not writing any more horror or something? I swear I'd checked that box off in my mind and yet what's happened instead is he never stops and I've been unable to keep up with it. (I still haven't read Doctor Sleep, for goodness sake.) He's got a new book called Revival, which sounds like it's his take on Frankenstein (what was I just saying about everything being about Frankenstein right now?), coming out in a couple of weeks and Rolling Stone's got the first excerpt from it. They also apparently have an interview with him in the print magazine.

--- John Lives - I suppose it's Halloween-time so John Carpenter is bound to be in the air, but I feel as if it's been an especially Carpenter-ish few weeks - this piece at Rolling Stone on how underrated his 1988 flick They Live is is just one signifier of countless that I've received that he's in the air. Maybe he can make a new movie then?

--- And Speaking of horror directing legends, Wes Craven's not keeping himself cooped up - he is about to release a five-issue comic book series with Steve Niles called Coming of Rage, which was his answer to the joke starting "A Vampire, a Werewolf and a Zombie walk into a bar." Apparently he's planning on turning it into a TV series, too. You can buy it right now at Amazon!

--- And Speaking of Wes Craven and horror television, the Scream TV show is set to come out next year at this time, and I loved Manuel's take on the news at The Film Experience that we might not be seeing the ghostface mask because of rights issues.

--- Slip On Something Horrible - Also at The Film Experience Nathaniel's list of the ten best 2014 movie-related Halloween costumes is a pip - I don't know why a Boxtroll costume didn't occur to me while watching the movie but totally! That's a great idea.

--- 1313 Stud - You'd think what with the blending of horror and beefcake I'd have seen more David DeCoteau movies than I have... basically I have seen scenes from a few of his movies, and no more. (The Sean Faris scenes in The Brotherhood 2 come to mind often though.) I think it's terrific he's been so successful at gaying up horror and exploiting guy-parts in a genre formerly known for just the girl ones anyway, even if the movies themselves are, uh, tough go's. Here's a nice chat with him (thanks Mac) about his whole thing; have any of you seen his "stab at seriousness" called Leather Jacket Love Story?

--- Hamm Game - This interview with Lisa Kudrow at Vulture (thanks Mac) had me laughing so hard I teared up - it was the bit about Jon Hamm's character on Web Therapy that did it. The interview's mainly about The Comeback and I had to skip the paragraphs where they got into specifics on that since I'm trying to keep myself fresh for the November 9th premiere.

--- Cold Rain - The Playlist is giving away a copy of some movie called The Prince on Blu-ray; I hadn't heard of the film until I saw this post and I only took note of this post because hey look it stars Korean superstar and hot-cake-of-beef Rain. Although you wouldn't know it from any of the actual promotional materials - although you see his face all over the movie's trailer his name is never mentioned; Bruce Willis and Jason Patric get sold, and hell even 50 Cent gets his name in the trailer and it looks like he's all but a cameo. Fuck that noise, some of us will only see this crap for Rain, dummies!

Good Morning, More Gratuitous Daniel Henney

.

We did a really fine gratuitous post for Daniel Henney way back in 2010 when he was co-starring in the first Wolverine movie (I want to say that "co-starring" makes his role seem bigger than it actually was, but I still haven't actually sat down and watched the first Wolverine movie from start to finish because, dude, life is too short, I just looked up all the naked Hugh Jackman bits and moved on) but seeing as how Daniel Henney looks like he does, there's been more gratuity of him let out into the world since then, thank the stars.

The stars, and other things. (These shots are from a 2012 movie called Shanghai Calling, by the way; you can watch the scene over here.) Henney's done some TV work since then - he was on that Three Rivers doctor show opposite Alex O'Laughlin, and... he was on Hawaii Five-O, opposite, um, Alex O'Laughlin...

Well now they got me thinking dirty thoughts. (As if I weren't there already.) Alright anyway hit the jump for a bunch more, including several really rather amazing shots of Daniel and our favorite "Koren Justin Timberlake" Rain getting up close and personal...

Good Morning, Rain

.

It's the 31st birthday of the Korean performer Rain and so while we wait for him to get out of the Army - when I posted about him earlier this month on a lark commenter dk468 was kind enough to let us know he gets out on July 10th (just in time for my birthday!) so just two weeks to go! - here are a couple older pictures to appreciate. Oh plus a few more after the jump. What, you thought two was gonna be enough? When has two ever been enough? There are even a couple more shots of him by the pool that I found, to go along with these personal faves. Enjoy...
.

Rain Two Times

.

Has he finished his tour of duty yet or what? I miss him.

.

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 you can learn from:

I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)

Cha Young-goon: Mom, I think I'm a cyborg.
Young-goon's mother: ...What is that?
Cha Young-goon: I think it's kind of... like a robot?
Young-goon's mother: Have you missed your period?
Because you're a... 'sy-bor'?

A happy 49 to the director Park Chan-wook, currently preparing his English language debut Stoker with Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode, which will be out in March 2013. Can't wait.

.

Good Morning, Rain

.

Apparently having gone into the Korean Army has made my heart grow fonder because I haven't seen Rain in anything in a very long time yet here I am posting what my fourth fifth time on him in 2012? (See here and here for extensive examples.) Well today's his 30th birthday so we'll cut me a break. Also, apparently taking pictures of Rain laying in bed seems to be a thing, because there are lots of them. No complaints. 

Rain Three Times, Then More Times

.

It was only a couple of months ago that we last gawked at Korean superstar Rain for no reason (save the reason Rain is unto himself, of course). Nothing's happened between then and now to make us want to do it again... save the reason Rain is unto himself, of course. His vpl even more so!

Actually I do have a reason - I watched a video of him performing (when he's not being adorable in Park Chan-wook movies he's a singer, you know) for the first time via YouTube and holy hell, he is a drama queen. Watch:



A sexy drama queen, but a drama queen nonetheless. God, if he were American I would judge him for that (and his wacky pop fashion choices) a whole lot harder, so I'm glad I'm able to chalk a lot of it up to cultural differences and then just ogle his abs and assorted parts guilt-free. Anyway from there down the rabbit's hole we went... hit the jump for some more, is my point.

In The Army

.

Alright now I am really for real gone for the weekend. Y'all have a happy Memorial Day - don't forget to give pleasure to a service member (member), for patriotism's sake! I'll see you in a week!

When It Rains

..

As far as I can tell, the Korean answer to Justin Timberlake - only, you know, attractive in the face - called Rain, who we've had a crush on ever since we saw him in Park Chan-wook's robot-romance I'm Not A Cyborg But That's OK, is still enlisted in the South Korean Army, as seen above. But that doesn't mean we can't stare at some gratuitous pictures of him that we'd not seen before. Hit the jump for more.

Daniel Henney Three Times, Plus

.

I did an obscenely thorough gratuitous post on the actor Daniel Henney last year, but here are a couple shots I missed since it's his birthday today. Happy birthday, hot man! And here's a shot of him dancing with Rain, because yes please keep touching each other. Give this guy more work, Hollywood!

Rain Seven Times (Plus Four)

.

No, I don't know why he's wearing a wig in two of those shots, so don't ask me. Haven't checked in on Rain, aka Jung Ji-hoon, aka the Korean Justin Timberlake, in quite awhile. I'm sure he's been doing something since Ninja Assassin but I have no idea what. Besides wearing inexplicable wigs, obviously. (Inexplicable Wigs is my new band name of the day.)

Oh wait here's something, he lounged by a pool. Good enough.

Happy 28, Rain

.

If you click here you'll see that I blogged quite a bit about Ninja Assassin before it came out (and was met with fairly brutal reviews). Mostly it was just me ogling Rain, its star that I've had a crush on since I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, but I did think for awhile there a big budget ninja movie could be fun. Well I still haven't seen it. I've had a copy of the DVD for months upon months and still haven't bothered. But... well how is this a birthday wish, exactly? I'm not making any promises that I'm gonna go suffer through the movie just because its Rain's birthday. I'm just noting that fact, and then here separately wishing him a happy birthday. With some shots from behind-the-scenes of the movie that I haven't seen. I guess that's it. Happy birthday, Rain!

.