Lee Cheon-hee (이천희)

"On Air", Excellent cameos are hot topic

2008/04/24 | Source | Permalink |

SBS drama "On Air" is winning the hearts of viewers as it continues, and it is becoming tense as the love lines were revealed in episode 13.

"On Air" has also given unexpected fun as famous stars, such as Lee Hyo-lee, Jeon Do-yeon, Kang Hye-jeong, Lee Seo-jin, and Kim Min-joon, appear as cameos. In episode 13, comedian Jeong Chan-woo starred as a 'comical fortune teller' and gave lots of laughs.

Director Sin Woo-cheol and writer Kim Eun-sook's personal relationships played a big role for the fun cameo appearances.

Park Si-yeon and Director Shin Woo-chul are very close, and Lee Cheon-hee and writer Kim Eun-sook went to the same school. Lee Seo-jin, who worked with them in SBS drama "Lovers", and Jeon Do-yeon agreed to appear as a cameo with no hesitation.

Kim Min-joon, who grew close to Lee Beom-soo in "Surgeon Bong Dal-hee", and Lee Hyo-lee, Kang Hye-jeong, and Eom Ji-won, who are all close to Song Yoon-ah, agreed to star in "On Air".

As the relationships of the cameo st...| More

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Excellent plot & story. Really different to other dramas. I really enjoy it. Bravo to the writer and director. Credits to Song Yoon Ah's acting. BTW, hair cut & style really suit for her Flora 2008-04-28 23:59:48

Deluge of foreign films drowning Korean releases

2008/03/05 | Source | Permalink |

One of the intriguing (or disturbing) signs about where Korean movies are headed is the near absence of press previews this month. For instance, except for a screening of Yoo Ji-tae's short titled "Out of My Intention" on Tuesday, there's nothing going on this week. No screenings yet either next week.

The declining number of domestic film releases is in sharp contrast to the surging demand for foreign films. According to the Korean Film Council, the Korean cinema imported 404 films from abroad in 2007, up from 289 in 2006 and 253 in 2005.

The rating agency handled as many as 72 foreign films in the first two months of this year, up 36.8 percent from the same period last year. The momentum comes not only from the major Hollywood distributors but also from small film importers, encouraged chiefly by the unexpectedly respectable box-office success of "Once" and "Lust, Caution".

The foreign movie boom is setting off alarms in the domestic film industry, which is already finding it...| More

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"Beautiful" Shows Ugly Side of Beauty

2008/02/14 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

While aesthetic standards vary over time, the desire for beauty and the power of its allure remain unchanged. Countless tales and myths across cultures speak about it, and director Jeon Jae-hong continues this tradition in his feature film debut, "Beautiful". He explores the dark side of this age-old human obsession in a haunting tale about how a woman's enrapturing beauty results in her downfall.

Currently showing at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival's out of competition section, "Beautiful" is based on an original story by distinguished director/producer Kim Ki-duk. The film reads like a stark fairytale for adults that is deeply rooted in reality. It takes flight with human desires and fantasies but keeps its feet on the ground with social messages.

The film is ridden with criticism of how rape victims are undermined and offers a disturbing glimpse into eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia nervosa. But it remains highly allegor...| More

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[MOVIE REVIEW] 'Beautiful' examines idea of beauty a la Kim Ki-duk mode

2008/02/04 | Source | Permalink |

Combine sex, obsession and extreme circumstances, and you'll have a perfect formula for a movie created and crafted by the award-winning filmmaker Kim Ki-duk. "Beautiful" (Areumdapda), however, is not Kim's movie -- officially, in the least.

The movie, to be released on Feb. 14, is Jeon Jae-hong's debut feature, but it has all the artistic and thematic trappings that are automatically identified with director Kim. After all, Jeon is Kim's new protege, who has a firm grip on what is called the "Kim Ki-duk style" of the big screen.

"Beautiful" is based on Kim's incomplete screenplay, and Juhn, eager to learn Kim's filmmaking techniques, has turned it into a feature-length movie. Kim, known for his uncontrollably sarcastic humor, says he "saw that it was good".

Kim is actually telling the truth to some extent. "Beautiful" has been invited to the Panorama section of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival, Germany, which will start on Thursday. This is also Kim's trademark: wh...| More

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Hong Sang-soo's Film to Compete in Berlinale

2008/01/21 | Source | Permalink |

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

"Night and Day", the latest work of movie director Hong Sang-soo, has been selected to screen at the 58th Berlinale International Film Festival of Berlin, Germany, Feb. 7-17.

The complete list for the Competition program of the 58th Berlinale was announced Friday.

Hong's "Night and Day" is the story about a painter who has fled to Paris. Kim Yeong-ho plays the runaway artist while Park Eun-hye plays an art student studying in France. Hwang Soo-jeong plays the wife of Kim and Lee Seon-gyoon, a student from North Korea.

The director debuted in 1996 with the movie "The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well". Another Hong movie, "Woman on the Beach", starring actress Ko Hyeon-jeong, was nominated for the Panorama section last year. He also made it to the Cannes Film Festival with "Woman Is the Future of Man" (2004) and "Tale of Cinema" (2005).

"Night and Day" will compete for the Golden and the Silver Bear Awards along with movies such as: "Elegy" by I...| More

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