Soo-ae (수애)

Watch Sun-heui Become 'Sunny'

2008/07/17 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

"Sunny", a love story set amid the Vietnam War, epitomizes South Korean director Lee Joon-ik's cinematic endeavors by bringing together the period detail of "The King and the Clown" (2005) and musical inspirations of "The Happy Life" (2007).

This is the country's first movie directly depicting the sweat of some 320,000 Korean soldiers that fought with American forces. At the time, veteran singers like Patty Kim and Hyun Mi, who were pin-up girls back then, traveled to the war-torn land to cheer up soldiers. According to the director, a black and white photograph of a beautiful "consolatory band" singer gave birth to the film.

Lee brings a tale that seeps into the heart with the wistful tunes of Kim Chu-ja's "My Love Is Faraway", the Korean title of the movie. The story is basically about an average rural housewife who, with the sole aim of tracking down her husband, becomes a singer. But the film grazes upon a broader sense of love and humanitar...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

'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

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

[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 "Sunny".

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

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Kim Ha-neul, Son Ye-jin, Soo-ae, Transformations of three 'pure ladies'

2008/06/26 | Source | Permalink |

Kim Ha-neul, Son Ye-jin, and Soo-ae, who received love for their elegant and innocent images, are attempting at transformations on television and the screen.

Kim Ha-neul, who mainly kept a pure image with movies "Bye June" and "Ditto", has been trying to change her image with wild and comical characters. Last May, she gained popularity by acting as an arrogant top star in SBS "On Air"....| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Romance missing from Korean films

2008/06/25 | Source | Permalink |

Two genres - the melodrama and the romantic comedy - used to do very well at the box office.

"200 Pounds Beauty" is a case in point. It deals with plastic surgery, but it is deeply rooted in the romantic comedy tradition in which love ultimately conquers all.

But Korean theaters in recent months have had few, if any, offerings that stir people to talk about the triumph of romance. The summer lineup continues the paucity of romantic flicks.

What happened?

Last week, "Public Enemy Returns", directed by Kang Woo-seok, rose to the No. 1 slot, offering a much-anticipated reprieve to the protracted slump in the local film industry. But the film, starring Seol Kyeong-gu and Jeong Jin-yeong, does not have any elements that can be categorized as romantic.

"Crossing", a film about North Korean defectors which is also getting a lot of attention, is about to hit theaters this week, but there is no room in that story for romance.

"The Good, The Bad, The Weird", a big-budget Korean...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?