Country: South Korea

Though historical events tend to be notoriously difficult to translate to the screen and despite needless contrivances, ‘May 18’ is an unforgettable two hours that deserves many of the plaudits it has received.

With dashes of humour ably mixing with scenes of contemplative pathos, ‘Mayonnaise’ is another excellent Korean film that tackles everyday stresses in a way nearly all of its viewers empathise with.

A seemingly simple set-up is given verve, Hitchcockian tension, and extra depth via nerve shredding direction and having the two leads both deaf and mute.

Fresh, funny, exciting and full of snappy action, ‘Midnight Runners’ is a joyous ride, rarely missing a beat from first frame until last.

Despite going the exploitative route and therefore diluting some of the mystery, the film still grips thanks to the ever present sense of something horrible about to happen and a cast who give it their all.

‘Monster’ has a few elements that could make for a decent thriller, but the overall picture is sadly spoiled by a number of idiotic characters making even more idiotic decisions.

Good looking, slickly made, period-set monster action, ‘Monstrum’ lives up to its title, concept and cover art and delivers some rollicking giant creature action.

A beautifully and intricately crafted film that is given an emotional heart thanks to Kim Hye-ja and while it has lots more to say than just simply thrill, is still also an often gripping thriller.

It’s more than acceptable to use two hours to tell a rom-com if there’s enough plot to go around, but ‘My Girlfriend Is An Agent’ is another Korean film that uses flimsy material to achieve its goal.

A superb romantic drama that should delight the aficionados and squeeze a few tears out of even the hardiest soul.

‘My New Partner’ is a glossy and sharply packaged Korean production, but its attempts at emotional resonance are not entirely successful.

This isn’t a perfect film, but it’s got more imagination and energy than most of the rom-com genre efforts of recent years put together.