Lee Joon-ik (이준익)

'Sunny' offers a woman's Vietnam War

2008/07/02 | Source | Permalink |

Director Lee Joon-ik built up a lofty reputation with "The King and the Clown", a surprise hit which sold more than 10 million tickets in 2005.

Naturally, expectations are high for his latest project, entitled "Sunny" (Nim-eun meongose)".

But Lee has expressed displeasure at the current film industry trend in which the public judges a film only in terms of ticket sales.

"Making films is not a record-setting competition", he told reporters on Monday at a news conference in Seoul to promote his new film, which cost a hefty 7.1 billion won ($7 million) to produce.

Lee's terse remark came in response to a reporter's question about his conjecture regarding the number of viewers.

"Nobody knows how many people will watch my film", he said. "Even though the film industry is now going through a drastic change, we should try to strike a balance between cultural value and economic value".

Set in 1971, when the Vietnam War was underway, the movie features Sun-i (played by Soo-ae)...| More

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[ChanMi's movie news] Every man's first love, Soo-ae

2008/06/30 | Source | Permalink |

Lee Joon-ik, Director of "The King and the Clown" casted Soo-ae for his new movie "You So Far Away".

His reasons for choosing Soo-ae is that the young ladies of 1971 are now old enough to be our mothers, so an actress who best fits the image of a first love who becomes a mother through time's progression is Soo-ae....| More

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[Talk of the town] "Kung Fu Panda" kicks his way into the spotlight

2008/06/25 | Source | Permalink |

Po (Jack Black), the obese and lazy panda in Mark Osborne and John Stevenson's animated film, "Kung Fu Panda", is now a star.

According to the Korean Film Council, the film attracted some 3.31 million Korean viewers as of last weekend, since its release on June 5.

Past animated films that attracted as many viewers were "Shrek 2" (2006), with some 3.3 million, and "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004), with 3 million.

While Kung Fu Panda ranked second at the box office last week, Kang Woo-seok's action-thriller "Public Enemy Returns", released last Thursday, ranked first. It attracted 1.3 million viewers in three days, according to the council.

Meanwhile, for those moviegoers hoping to see more Korean films on the big screen among Hollywood blockbusters like "Incredible Hulk" and "Sex and the City", wait till next month.

These films are on standby director Kim Jee-woon's "The Good, the Bad and the Weird", Lee Joon-ik's "You Are Far Away" and Gwak Kyung-taek's "Eye for an Eye, Too...| More

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Complex thrillers lead the pack in annual film awards

2008/06/11 | Source | Permalink |

The biggest event in the Korean film industry is back.

On June 27, the 45th Daejong Film Awards will take place at COEX, southern Seoul. This year one of the Korean films under the spotlight is "The Chaser", a film about a serial murderer.

The film drew audiences of more than 5 million, and as of April it is the most successful Korean film of 2008, according to the Korean Film Council.

"Forever the Moment" trailed behind "The Chaser" with over 4 million viewers.

"The Chaser" currently is nominated in 11 categories, hoping to win the hearts of film critics as well.

This year thrillers are garnering the most interest in Chungmuro, Korea's Hollywood.

Currently the top three films on the most nominated lists are from this genre.

"Seven Days", a thriller about a child who gets kidnapped, is second in the number of nominations.

The film is nominated in all 10 categories. "Shadows in the Palace", a thriller that takes place within the palace of the Joseon Dynasty, is n...| More

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Korean Film Festival 2008 at the Smithsonian

2008/05/28 | Source | Permalink |

The Smithsonian Institution's Korean Film Festival DC 2008, organized through the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries and made possible by the Korea Foundation, the Korean Film Council, and the US-Korea Business Council, continues into June. The remaining film showings fall into two categories: New Korean Cinema and "Love is a Crazy Thing". More information available is at http://www.asia.si.edu/koreanfilm2008/

"Empress Chung": Korean Folktale through Animated Film
Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
Meyer Auditorium in the Freer Gallery of Art
Independence Avenue at 12th Street, SW, Washington D.C.
For more information: 202 633 1000
Free with a ticket

Join Dr. Heinz Insu Fenkl, Associate Professor of English at SUNY New Paltz, for a stimulating discussion of Nelson Shin's rarely screened animated film "Empress Chung". Explore the way this film, based on the folktale Shimchong, the Blindman's Daughter, reflects central Korean values. 200...| More

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