Not having seen all of the films cited, I will restrict my comments to a couple that no lover of Korean film can afford to miss:The President's Last Bang and Rules of Dating. Im Sang-soo's film recieved a lot of attention this yr. for all the wrong reasons. His black comedy about the dictator's final hours and aftermath is: a)one of the most remarkable scripts I have encountered recently concerning a historical event, b) some of the best acting I have seen from a strong cast of principals, which I take to be the result of the passion the director communicated to his talented crew, c)the cinematography was outstanding, powerful without ever drawing attention to itself, with some remarkable overhead shots, the long CG-assisted take of the compound minutes before the bloodshed...I could go on & on, but aside from the many aesthetic pleasures in the film which, thanks to the miracle of DVD, the film-lover is free to return to again and again, there is another overlooked aspect to the project. Is it just me, or does the film not mark a quantum leap in virtuosity for this director, over and above anything he has attempted before? Also, has anyone noted the affinities with the work masterful Japanese director Masato Harada? I am thinking of The Choice of Hercules, another film surrounding an event which marked an entire nation.
Concerning Rules of Dating, I just wanted to note that my pleasure in watching the film, aside from the performances of the two central caracters, without which the film would not have succeeded, was the added enjoyment of the excellent set design and photography everywhere in evidence. I particularly appreciated the scene where the couple is enjoying a meal in the small private dining area. The soundtrack also deserves special notice: the jazzy score had a quirkiness that contributed greatly to the overall effect of the strange comedy.

Lee has a lot of fans amongst Korean critics, so it was likely.

I'll probably review it around mid January (if it comes out as expected, before Christmas), but even though I can't predict my reaction, I can tell you what I felt watching the 20 Minutes or so of clips between TV and Online: my eyes were shining, I was completely thrilled. Doesn't happen too often, but when it does, it almost automatically means 'great film' for me, even if it might be flawed. I was a mess after watching Antarctic Journal, I was still staring at the screen for 15 seconds after the credits were over.

Don't know, I might be crazy, but all I've read and seen about this film makes something click inside me. We'll see pretty soon if that's actually the case or not.