Ryoo Jang-ha (류장하)

CJ Presales "Thirst" and "Mother - 2009" at AFM

Source | 2008/11/12 | Permalink |

CJ Entertainment made two major deals at the American Film Market (AFM), signing presales on upcoming films by Korea's top directors PARK Chan-wook and BONG Joon-ho. AFM was held in Santa Monica, California, November 5 -12 and is one of the world's largest film trade events.

CJ Ent. sold PARK's "Thirst", starring SONG Kang-ho, to Palisades Tartan U.K. for release in Great Britain. The erotically charged thriller about a priest-turned-vampire, wrapped shooting last month and is scheduled for release next spring.

BONG's "Mother - 2009", starring heartthrob WON Bin, went to Diaphana for France. The film is a shift of pace for the director of monster-hit "The Host". WON plays awkward young man framed in a brutal slaying. His devoted mother (KIM Hye-ja) pits herself against a corrupt legal system as she sets out to prove his innocence. The film is also slated for a 2009 spring release.

CJ also sold a package-trio of 2008 features to Thailand's Rose Media for RYOO Jang-ha's...| More

YOO Ji-tae and LEE Yeon-hee in romantic film

Source | 2008/11/06 | Permalink |

Director RYOO Jang-ha is adapting the popular internet manwha (Korean equivalent of Japanese manga) Soonjeong Manwha by KANG Pool (real name: KANG Do-young), the English title will be "Hello Schoolgirl". The titular role will be played by LEE Yeon-hee and her love interest is a role by YOO Ji-tae.

The story is about a high school girl (LEE) who every morning sees a shy thirty-year-old businessman (YOO) at the elevator. The girl is not afraid to express her feelings for the man who is the first she feels romantic feelings for.

The young actress LEE is still mostly acting the roles of young women encountering their first love. She is currently also playing a similar assertive young woman in the television drama "East of Eden", and portrayed a headstrong young woman in the teenage drama "A Millionaire's First Love". In her previous film "M" (LEE Myeong-se), her character was a shy young woman whose love defied death.

YOO broke through internationally with his role opposite of ...| More

Filmmakers eye hit with stories from other genres

Source | 2008/11/03 | Permalink |

A good movie tends to have a good script. What if a director fails to get one? No need to worry, because Korean filmmakers are quick to borrow from other genres such as comics and novels.

A striking case in point is "My Wife Got Married", a provocative tale about bigamy adapted from the bestselling novel of the same title, written by Park Hyun-wook. The movie debuted on Oct. 23 and shot up to No. 1 at the box office here, demonstrating that good storytelling works across different platforms.

Other filmmakers with a similar cross-breeding approach seem to have taken heart from the positive performance of "My Wife Got Married".

"Antique", to be released Nov. 13, falls into the same category, though the original story comes from a bestselling Japanese comic series. Directed by Min Gyoo-dong, the film features Joo Ji-hoon, who surged to stardom through his stellar performance in the hit TV drama "Princess Hours". In the movie, which explicitly targets female audiences, Joo plays J...| More

RYOO Jang-ha's comeback stars YOO Ji-tae and LEE Yeon-hee

Source | 2008/04/21 | Permalink |

Director/writer RYOO Jang-ha makes his comeback after his 2004 "Springtime" (Kkotbineun Bomi Omyeon) featuring CHOI Min-sik, with the romantic drama Soonjeongmanwha (English translation: "pure comic strip") starring YOO Ji-tae and LEE Yeon-hee.

The film's about a thirty-year-old office employee and a female student who run into each other every morning at an elevator. Both are secretly in love with each other.

Filming commenced on the first day of April. The film is scheduled for a release in the fall. The romantic drama is produced by Let's Film.

YOO Ji-tae played CHOI Min-sik's character's nemesis in PARK Chan-wook's "Old Boy". He also starred in the period piece "Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007" and HONG Sang-soo's "Woman is the Future of Man" (Yojaneun Namjaui Miraeda). In addition, YOO directs short films.

LEE Yeon-hee is seen in LEE Myeong-se's "M" opposite of KANG Dong-won and the romantic teen film "A Millionaire's First Love" (Baekmanjangjaui Cheotsarang). She's one ...| More

Yoo Ji-tae juggles up two jobs as actor and filmmaker

Source | 2008/03/12 | Permalink |

Outside of Korea, Yoo Ji-tae is primarily known as a key actor in Park Chan-wook's award-winning flick "Old Boy". In the movie, Yoo's character shows off an extremely calm posturing; however, deep inside his heart is burning with an incontrollable emotion of revenge.

Back to the reality, Yoo does not want to limit his scope to the domain of acting. Although he's a much sought-after actor, he is not secretive about his burgeoning ambition as a filmmaker. Previously, he made two short films, which have not made it to the theaters.

This time, finally, Yoo's third short film, titled "Out of My Intention" (Nado moreugae), has achieved something bigger and more commercial. The 24-minute-long film will be screened from March 20 at Sponghouse in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. The screening period is limited to just a week given the film's brief running time and arthouse nature; nonetheless, the release clearly marks Yoo's formal debut as a director.

"Out of My Intention" starts off with a middle...| More