Irag, I'll Scratch Your Back...

Speaking of presents--when to shop? 35 percent of Americans started their shopping last month; 6 percent were completely finisB as of Nov. 12 (National Retail Federation). But the big question is what to buy. Two surveys we don't believe: 41 percent of adults would be happy to receive a horse (American Quarter Horse Association); 53 percent would just be happy to get world peace (AvantGo).

Elise Soukup

Movies

Holiday Head-to-Head

South Korea's film industry has a gift for Hollywood this Christmas: a little competition. Tired of being run out of town by American movies during the holidays, studio execs in Seoul have scheduled the two biggest films in the country's history to open this season. Director Kang Woo-suk serves up "Silmido," based on the true story of a team of South Korean agents trained to assassinate North Korea's Kim Il Sung. (The training backfired. In 1971, the team tried to kill South Korea's president instead.) And director Kang Je-gyu premieres "Taegukgi," which chronicles two brothers fighting on opposing sides during the Korean War.

Although the budgets are modest by, say, Jerry Bruckheimer standards--"Silmido" cost $10 million and "Taegukgi" $15 million--they're a giant leap in an industry where the average budget is about $3 million. The studios are confident that these movies will hold their own, even when stacked against films like the $100 million "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." In fact, seven of the 10 biggest box-office successes in Korea have been made locally. And the two new films boast a cast of regional all-stars, which will help boost distribution across Asia. Add to that huge advertising campaigns, and Korea looks as if it may produce two international winners this winter--even if the story lines do appeal more to the peninsula than the rest of Middle-earth.