Korean movie news

2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

The Barcelona Asian Film Festival's (BAFF) jury awarded "Secret Sunshine" (Miryang) the Cinematik prize. The winner of Cinematik is also secured of a release in Spain. "Secret Sunshine" is directed by LEE Chang-dong and stars JEON Do-yeon and SONG Kang-ho in a tale about a single mother's mental struggle after losing her young son.

Director JEON Soo-il is also successful at BAFF, his "With a Girl of Black Soil" won the Golden Durian, an award for emerging talents. The panel in charge of selecting the Golden Durian winner included Pusan International Film Festival director KIM Dong-ho.

Both "With a Girl of Black Soil" and "Secret Sunshine were selected" for the Official Competition section. The audience voted Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om (India) as the most popular film with KIM Ki-duk's "Breath" a close second, according to BAFF's website. BAFF celebrated this year its tenth anniversary and the festival highlighted that BAFF is Barcelona's fastest growing film festival. Barcelona h...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

CHOI Dong-hoon, the director of the major hit films "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War of Flower") and "The Big Swindle" is preparing his next project with the assistance of IM Soo-jeong and KANG Dong-won.

KANG is set to play an undisciplined womanising Taoist from the Joseon era (the name of Korea previous to the Japanese occupation) who ends up in present day Korea, causing mayhem with his knack for magic. IM will play a double role, portraying a Joseon woman and an aspiring actress in contemporary times.

KIM Yoon-seok will reunite with CHOI after their collaboration on "Tazza:The High Rollers" ("The War of Flower"), KIM will be fighting against KANG's character. KIM is currently highly successful with his leading role in NA Hong-jin's The Chaser.

CHOI is also responsible for the scenario and will start directing from August. The film will enter cinemas in 2009.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Major Hollywood star Charlize Theron said that her project to remake PARK Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (Chinjeorhan Geumjassi) has sparked a great interest in Korea and Korean culture.

She is discussing the possibility to visit Korea during her promotion tour for her upcoming film Hancock, an action comedy with Will Smith as a fallen action hero who receives counselling to win the public's affection back. If possible, her first visit to Korea would take place in June prior to a July 2 release of Hancock.

PARK's original "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" stars LEE Young-ae. Her character has been framed. After her release from prison, she is out to take revenge. The film is the final instalment of PARK's renowned 'revenge trilogy' which also includes Sympathy for Mr. vengeance and Cannes' Grand Prix winner Old Boy. Theron will produce and take the lead role in the Hollywood remake. Theron won an Academy Award for her role in Monster.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

One of Korea's most influential directors BAE Chang-ho will be honoured with a retrospective of his entire body of films at the arthouse cinema Cinematheque in Seoul. The showcase will open on May 20 and close on the first of June.

BAE is one of the most successful directors of the 80s. In addition, his social dramas are critically acclaimed. Among his classics are "Whale Hunting" and "Our Happy Days of Youth" which was rereleased on DVD by Taehung Pictures Collection in 2006.

BAE continued his career in the 90s and "My Heart" (1999) is among his internationally better known films which garnered acclaim at international film festivals.

BAE is a prolific director and his latest film "Road" (Gil) was released in 2004. The film chronicles two troubled souls who encounter each other on a rural road. Road toured several international film festivals and won the major award at the 2005 Philadelphia International Film Festival.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

"Hellcats" is not as provocative as its trailer implies. What audiences bring home, instead, are the problems that befall each character in the story.
Based on Kang Mo-rim's comic strip "10, 20, and 30", Hellcats presents various aspects of life and relationship struggles through the three main characters in different age groups.
Ah-mi (Kim Min-hee) could be the typical leading character for any chick flick. She is a 27-year-old scenario writer struggling in her career and love life. If Hellcats were only about the life of a 20-something single woman, it would have been no different from Kwon's previous hit movie, "Singles" (2003).
But "Hellcats" features two other leading ladies, Young-mi (Lee Mi-sook), a 41-year-old single mom, and her daughter Kang-ae (An So-hee), a curious teenage girl, which makes the story more intriguing to viewers in various age groups.
Young-mi, Ah-mi's older sister, is devastated after learning about her early menopause. Middle-aged women viewers worried ...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

When I told my colleagues about which movie I'd review this week, one editor at this paper fondly recalled how he'd loved the original anime cartoon version of "Speed Racer" as a 4-year-old.
But the Speed Racer in theaters now is hardly the cutely clunky cartoon of the 1960s. This version, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, transfers the antiquated anime into slick, futuristic live action against a whole lot of computer-generated imagery.
The result is a psychedelic swirl of neon, probably most appealing to children of the video game generation or stoners, but still enjoyable for the hoi polloi. No other flick is so firmly committed to the dayglo palette.
Stylistic retro details, such as the flip of Mom Racer's hairdo, also nicely reflect the film's cartoon origins while contrasting with "The Fifth Element"-style race track scenes. The result is a future strangely similar to that of "The Jetsons", only in oversaturated Technicolor.
Faithful fans of the film's anime pre...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Cult cartoon gets a big screen wedgie
Brian Orndorf (briano)

The Wachowski Brothers have proven their skill with visual gymnastics and their affinity for high-octane action, but an ability to assemble a suitable family film will most likely always elude them. "Speed Racer" is an ocular slap, but it's strictly empty calories; a joyless, over-plotted nostalgia machine that barely limps out of the starting gate.

Ever since he was a child, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) has always wanted to join the family business and become a car-racing competitor. When the death of elder brother Rex pushes Speed into the driver's seat, he shows amazing ability on the track, making his family proud. When the ruthless owner of Royalton Industries (Roger Allam) makes Speed an offer to join his aggressive driving squad, Speed refuses, putting him in the crosshairs of corporate thugs. With the help of the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox), Speed partakes in several hazardous contests, hoping with each opp...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Singer and actor "Rain" finally met the popular U.S. comedian Stephen Colbert, the same man who lampooned him on national TV.

"Rain" was in L.A. for the premiere of his Hollywood debut in "Speed Racer", and on the night of the 5th, he showed off his dance skills on the nationwide TV program, "The Colbert Report". The program had been pre-recorded on the 28th at the New York City studio for cable TV's "Comedy Central" channel.

"The Colbert Report" is one of the most popular comedy shows in the U.S. and its guests include entertainers and athletes as well as political figures such as Hillary Clinton.

"Rain"'s agency, J. Tune Entertainment, announced that after the recording of the show, "Colbert became a great fan of "Rain"'s. He even went to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York to watch "Rain"'s performance in 'Speed Racer'." The agency also reported Colbert as having said, ""Rain"'s scenes in 'Speed Racer' were incredibly thrilling"....

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

"D-War", a sci-fi flick directed by former comedian Shim Hyung-rae, will be released in China on May 11 at more than 500 theaters in about 100 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenchen.

The movie was a commercial success in Korea last year, drawing more than 7 million people. It also earned over $11 million in the United States, despite being panned by critics.

The Korean producers of "D-War", as well as the Chinese media, expect the movie to be a huge hit, possibly surpassing the success of "The Host", the most successful Korean movie yet in China.

Yonggu Art, the production company behind "D-War", said the movie was likely to appeal to the Chinese, since it deals with dragons, which are important in Chinese culture, along with other sentiments shared by Asians. The company also said the movie's computer graphics and film technology match those of Hollywood. ...

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2008/05/08 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

In tune with Family Month comes a heartwarming tale about cherished childhood memories, "Unforgettable". Set in an obscure village during the 1970s, the film captures the beauty of simplicity and signals a return to an age of innocence. The old becomes new ― the retro story will be like a breath of fresh air to computer game-addicted urbanites.

It's a small jewel of a film, where director Song Dong-yoon uses analog film rather than digital to immortalize the breathtaking natural scenery of Sindo. Mellow piano tunes compliment the visuals, though some of the overly dramatic soundtracks for touching moments are a bit cliche. Nevertheless, it shows how computer-generated imagery, no matter how glitzy or high-tech, cannot rival the sight of glistening, rolling hills on a sunny day or a golden sunset by the beach.

Korea's favorite child actor Yoo Seung-ho was much loved as the bratty city boy who learns to appreciate country life and his grandm...

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