The Scam (Movie - 2009)

46th Annual Daejong Film Awards Nominees

Source | 2009/10/23 | 0 comments | Permalink |

46th Annual Daejong Film Awards Nominees

- Best Movie: "Take Off", "Mother - 2009", "The Divine Weapon", "Sky and Sea", "Haeundae"

- Best Director : Kim Yong-hwa ("Take Off"), Yoon Je-kyoon ("Haeundae"), Jeon Yoon-soo ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Jeong Gi-hoon ("Ae-ja"), Bong Joon-ho ("Mother - 2009")

- Best Actor : Kim Myeong-min ("Closer to Heaven"), Kim Yoon-seok (Running Turtle), Seol Kyeong-gu ("Haeundae"), Jeong Jae-yeong ("The Divine Weapon"), Ha Jeong-woo ("Take Off")

- Best Actress : Kim Min-seon ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Kim Hye-ja ("Mother - 2009"), Soo-ae ("Sunny"), Jang Nara ("Sky and Sea"), Choi Kang-hee ("Ae-ja")

- Best Supporting Actor : Kim In-kwon ("Haeundae"), Jin Goo ("Mother - 2009"), Jeong Kyeong-ho ("Sunny"), Jang Geun-seok ("The Case of Itaewon Homicide"), Kim Nam-gil ("Modern Boy")

- Best Supporting Actress : Kim Bo-yeon ("Living Death"), Kim Hae-sook ("Thirst"), Kim Yeong-ae ("Ae-ja"), Choo Ja-hyeon ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Nam Neung-mi ("Clos...| More

Park Yong-ha to Hold Concert in Hawaii

Source | 2009/09/29 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Actor and singer Park Yong-ha, one of the top Korean wave (hallyu) stars, will hold a concert at the Hawaii Convention Center Oct. 17, his agency, Yona Entertainment said.

It will be the first time in three years ― since the 32-year-old appeared at a solo concert in Oct. 14, 2006 ― for him to perform in Hawaii. The state has appointed the day as "Yong-ha Day" ever since.

"I am excited to think that I will meet my Hawaiian fans for the first time in three years. I am rehearsing very hard to present a memorable performance", Park said.

Yona Entertainment added that they were promoting the concert in Hawaii, Los Angeles and Las Veges through KBFD TV, a Honolulu-based television channel that airs Korean programs including dramas and news.

"We are receiving calls from not only the United States, but also from Korea, Japan and Taiwan", an agency executive said.

SBS drama "On Air" (2008), which starred the actor as the strict yet ...| More

Dramas, Stars to Compete at Seoul Int'l Drama Awards

Source | 2009/08/25 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

The Seoul International Drama Awards 2009 will be held for 10 days starting from Sept. 4 at various venues around the city.

A total of 169 dramas from 37 countries will compete at this year's event under the slogan "Enjoy Star & Story".

"The purpose of the SDA 2009 is to raise the profile of Korean series in the international drama market and to expand cultural exchanges", an official from the organizing committee said.

Some of Korea's favorite programs will compete with some of the best works from around the world, including countries like Japan, Sweden, Italy and even Ecuador. The awards will be divided into two categories: The Best Drama Award and Individual Prizes. Popular Korean dramas "Beethoven Virus" (MBC), "Painter of the Wind" (SBS) and "The Slingshot" (KBS) will compete with England's "Doctor Who Season 4", China's "Memories of China" and Canada's "The Englishman's Boy", among others.

The three local works garnered fans last ye...| More

Summer Action Flicks Are Coming

Source | 2009/06/30 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Every summer, big budget Hollywood movies flow in, and many worry about the potential threat to homegrown films. Recent trends, however, suggest that competition is healthy.

"The fact that such a comparison (between national and international franchises) is even possible is unique; there aren't so many countries around the world where domestic films can compete with American ones", Han Seung-hee, researcher at the Korean Film Council, told The Korea Times.

After the turn of the new millennium, the Korean film industry enjoyed rapid growth, with blockbusters rewriting box office history each year. But the market plummeted for the first time last year, and investment and production hit an all time low. Moviegoers even criticized films that fared well at the box office as being formulaic.

So far, 2009 looks better. The success of "A Frozen Flower" and "Scandal Makers" ("Speedy Scandal") opened up a promising new year. Although February and March...| More

Korean Cinematography Booms on High-quality, Lucrative Productions

Source | 2009/05/21 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Korean cinematography has been thriving recently as more movies continue to draw scores of viewers to theaters, bringing in impressive revenues and receiving positive feedback both from domestic and foreign critics. As more viewers these days are attaching more importance to the uniqueness of movies rather than their scale, Korean movies are expected to continue to enjoy popularity for the time being. But some have voiced concerns that their success could be short-lived because many Hollywood blockbusters are set to open later this year.

The Korean film market remained stagnant in the first three months of the year despite the success of "Speedy Scandal" and "Old Partner", which opened this past December and January, respectively. The number of viewers during that period plummeted 19 percent from the same period a year ago, according to the Korean Film Council. Viewers began paying attention to domestic movies again around mid-April, when several hits including "Thirst" opened.

D...| More