Best known in the US of A for THE HOST, Bong Joon-Ho is probably my favorite Korean director and he’s named Bong for Christ’s sake. From February 25 – March 1, BAM will be hosting a full retrospective of his films with him present. Here’s the line-up:

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MEMORIES OF MURDER (Feb. 25 @ 7:30pm) – I couldn’t like David Fincher’s ZODIAC after seeing BJH’s MEMORIES OF MURDER. Based on Korea’s first real-life serial killings that took place in the tiny town of Hwaseong back in the 80’s, Bong mixes cop thriller with a sense of slow-burning outrage and the kind of painful, immediate emotional intensity that I felt was missing from ZODIAC. Whereas ZODIAC is a superior account of what happened (This happened, then this, then this) it always felt to me like an assemblage of facts with a cool, detached directorial presence behind it. MEMORIES OF MURDER, on the other hand, is a story and it’s one where you can feel the director fumbling in the dark until he finds his voice and lets out a long, outraged howl. Starring Song Kang-Ho, this was a massive hit when it was released and it’s the one movie that’ll make you rethink all those cliched serial killer conventions. (read some reviews) (watch the trailer)

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MOTHER (Feb. 26 @ 7pm) – Bong’s latest is the story of a mother in a rural town whose mentally disabled son is accused of the murder of a local schoolgirl. Believing, despite all evidence to the contrary, that her son is innocent, the mother (played by Kim Hye-Ja) sets out to prove that her boy didn’t do it and in doing so she unravels a dark, gothic web of sin. Kim Hye-Ja is regarded as the face of motherhood in Korea, having played more mothers on TV and in movies than you would think is humanly possible and MOTHER is her finest hour, a tour de force for this 69-year-old actress. Magnolia will be releasing the film theatrically on March 12. (read a review) (watch the trailer) (see a list of theaters for the national release of MOTHER)

With director Bong Joon-Ho present.

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THE HOST (Feb. 27 @ 6:30pm & 9:30pm) – the movie that put Director Bong on the map overseas, THE HOST is the monster movie you always wanted to see: smart, funny and with a kick ass monster in the starring role. Song Kang-Ho, Bae Doo-Na and Byeon Hee-Bong star as the poor, lame, uninspired monster killers. They’re a dysfunctional family who has to get it together to rescue their daughter from the snorky beast. A monster-sized hit in Korea it’ll please everyone from genre enthusiasts to arthouse poseurs. (read a review) (watch the trailer)

With director Bong Joon-Ho present.

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BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE (Feb. 28 @ 6:50pm & 9:15pm) – this is it! The one movie in this series that you HAVE to see. Bong Joon-Ho’s first movie is virtually unseen and it’s his best film by a country mile. Bae Doo-Na stars as a maintenance worker in a suburban housing estate investigating the murders of a a bunch of yappy lap dogs. One of Korea’s best actors, Lee Seong-Jae, stars as an out-of-work college lecturer desperate to get back onto the lecture circuit by any means necessary. Deeply funny and acquiring a surprising depth towards the end, this may be your only chance to see this movie on the big screen and you should leap on it with both feet. (read more) (watch the trailer)

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BONG JOON-HO SHORTS (March 1 @ 7pm) – three short films by BJH will play: SINK AND RISE, INFLUENZA and SHAKING TOKYO.

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Tickets and showtimes.

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