200 Pounds Beauty (2006) - 미녀는 괴로워 (Mi-nyeo-neun Goi-ro-wa)

Daejong Film Fest Showcases Trends

2008/06/29 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

South Korea's esteemed 45th Daejong (Grand Bell) Film Festival held in southern Seoul, showcased the latest local box office trends, with its stronghold of original thrillers, stylistic period pieces and experimental projects. While superstars grabbed the limelight as expected, hitherto overlooked veteran actors and young debutant directors shined the most, suggesting that blatant star power, be it a reputed director or ravishing screen beauty, don't always guarantee ticket sales or awards.

The red carpet event took place outside the COEX Convention Hall in a sea of blinding camera flashes as glamorous cineastes filed in. Screen beauties like Han Chae-young, Park Jin-hee and Sin-Ae were elegant in cleavage-bearing, long evening gowns while others such as Kim Yoon-jin and Ko Ah-ra chose mini-dresses to show off their figures.

Actress Kim Ah-joong, who won last year's award for Best Actress ("200 Pounds Beauty"), and popular announcer Choe Gi-hwan...| More

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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

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Kim Ah-joong, the best star that a matchmaking program produced

2008/06/19 | Source | Permalink |

Matchmaking programs are famous for being the birthplace of many stars. Entertainer hopefuls catch the eyes of viewers and management companies as they work with other stars and reveal their talents.

There are many stars who have used programs such as KBS "War of Roses", MBC "Kang Ho-dong's ChunSengYunBun", and SBS "X-Man" as stepping stones to debut as actors.

We picked the best five stars that matchmaking programs produced

#1 Kim Ah-joong

Kim Ah-joong, who became a star after "200 Pounds Beauty", first showed her face on a 2004 MBC show "Love Survival".

She charmed the male stars, such as Rain, Hyeon Bin, Seo Kyeong-Seok, and Yoon Jeong-soo, with her foreign looks and her intelligence. She became a couple with Rain and the center of attention. She also appeared in "Emperor of the Sea", "Bizarre Bunch", and "200 Pounds Beauty".

#2 Yoon Jeong-hee

Elegant and quite Yoon Jeong-hee doesn't seem to fit well with game shows, but she is also from a matchmaking progra...| More

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Top directors assemble for short film fest's jury

2008/06/13 | Source | Permalink |

The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival (MSFF) assigned a high profile jury consisting of Korea's leading mainstream and independent directors. PARK Jin-pyo heads a jury further comprised of: KIM Tae-yong, KIM Yong-hwa, JO Chang-ho, KIM Hyeon-seok, KIM Tae-sik, KIM Han-min, JEON Gye-soo, CHOI Dong-hoon, and NA Hong-jin.

The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival will open its doors on June 26 at Yongsan CGV in Seoul. The festival will finish on July 2. Among the upcoming directors, the festival also screens actor YOO Ji-tae's directorial short film effort "Out of My Intention" (Nado Moreuge) in the competition section.

PARK Jin-pyo directed "You Are My Sunshine" (Neoneun Nae Woonmyeong) and "Voice of Murderer" (Geu Nom Moksori). KIM Tae-yong received acclaim for his "Family Ties" ("The Birth of a Family", Gajokui Tansaeng). KIM Yong-hwa was the man behind the box office hit "200 Pounds Beauty" (Minyeoneun Gwereoweo). CJO Chang-ho competed at several international film festivals with "Th...| More

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KIM Yong-hwa directs HA Jeong-woo in sports drama

2008/06/13 | Source | Permalink |

Director KIM Yong-hwa –two years after his hit comedy "200 Pounds Beauty" – will direct Gookkadaepyo (English translation: "national representative") about a group of ski jumpers vying for the Korean national team. Next Hallyu star HA Jeong-woo has been cast in the leading role.

"Forever the Moment" showed the potential of Korean sport films earlier this yearand Koreans have a passion for their national representative athletes. Like LIM Soon-rye's "Forever the Moment", Gookkadaepyo also seems to concentrate on the emotional side of top sport and character development.

HA will play a Korean-American adoptee who returns to Korea in search of his roots. In the confusion of his visit to his unfamiliar birth country, he finds himself trying to make it into the Korean national ski jump team while in search of his identity.

The other main characters are competing athletes and are played by television actors KIM Dong-wuk – from the popular television series "Coffee Prince", and KIM Ji...| More

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