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Oh Jae-gyeong is a rookie prison officer.
Everything here feels new to him. But the prisoners give Jae-gyeong an unfriendly welcome on his first day at work. Bae Jong-ho, a veteran officer, sits down with Jae-gyeong and gives him guidance. And then Jang Yong-du arrives on the scene. It turns out that he is a death row inmate who committed multiple murders. Another death row inmate Lee Seong-hwan, who has deeply repented his past crimes, builds a friendly relationship with senior officer Kim. But an unexpected order falls on their shoulders. An execution for the first time in 12 years. No one wants to get their hands dirty, but Jong-ho steps up to the plate. The rest of them decide to leave it up to luck and select the execution staff. Tension runs high among the officers. Death row inmate Seong-hwan is the first on the list and officer Kim feels a wave of mixed emotions. "The Executioner" is a film that will stir the hearts and minds of audiences. And are you ready to ...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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Simultaneous production of drama and its theatrical version increases efficiency
Generalization of digital shooting breaks down barriers of human resources & technology Respect of different ways of producing broadcast programs and movies brings higher efficiency Combination of movie & TV drama continues to evolve. Exchange between Chungmuro, Korean equivalent to Hollywood, and Yeo-ui-do, hub of broadcasting networks, was born as filmmakers produced TV dramas and drama PDs made movies. The exchange has brought the boom of 'Cross Over' such as 'TV Movie' and 'Theatrical Version'. Recently, there is an increasing number of works whose two versions as TV drama and movie were simultaneously made even in the stage of planning. The film and broadcasting industries expect this kind of 'format convergence' to be a chance to increase efficiency and quality in each genre and call for thorough preparedness based on understanding of features that each medium has. ◇'IRIS' ◆S...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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It was probably the biggest surprise since the secret wedding of actress Lee Young-ae this summer. Actor Jang Dong-gun and actress Ko So-young have confirmed that they're dating. There were rumors that linked the two celebrities in the past, but they have steadfastly maintained that they were just good friends, nothing more. The news has prompted such a flood of questions and congratulations that Jang's personal homepage went out of service late Thursday evening.
According to Jang's management agency, the two started off as good friends after starring in "Love Wind, Love Song" in 1998. The relationship grew serious two years ago when Ko comforted Jang through some rough times. Called the handsomest actor in Korea, Jang has mentioned that he's become lonelier as he grew older and is looking to settle down before he turns 40. That wish may come true as some people speculate that the two lovebirds will walk down the aisle early next year. It's also rumored that Ko is already shopping f...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Actor Jo Han-seon will be taking a trip down the aisle on Jan. 9. In a press conference at the Imperial Palace Hotel on Monday regarding his new wedding plans, Jo revealed that his future bride is now 13 weeks pregnant.He heard the news while in Busan on location for a film; when he finished shooting, he came back to Seoul and proposed. "I wanted to ask for her hand in marriage after I finished my military service", said Jo. He changed his plans after hearing the "wonderful news". Jo's girlfriend is an art major in graduate school whom he met through a friend two years ago. Jo's next film, "Attack the Gas Station 2", a sequel to the 1999 Korean blockbuster "Attack the Gas Station!" by the same name, is scheduled to premiere this year. By Hannah Kim, Contributing writer...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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When a bloodthirsty felon kills people in a horror movie, a spray of water attacks your face as blood spatters on the screen. When a building collapses and a dust fog arises in a disaster movie, smoke comes out to envelop you. When a helicopter takes a downward plunge in a war movie, you can feel the shock as your seat shakes as well.
The future is here, and it's four-dimensional. The examples mentioned above are just a few of the experiences you can expect when watching a 4-D film. These films are already popular at amusement parks worldwide, including Disneyland and Universal Studios in Hollywood. Not wanting to be left behind, the local cinema industry is now gearing up to provide moviegoers here with the same experience. Currently, the CGV Multiplex in Sangam-dong, western Seoul, is the only place in the city to see a 4-D film, but other CGV theaters in Yongsan, Yeongdeungpo and Gangbyeon also plan to add 4-D screens this year. There are about 20 different 4-D effects. ...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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Christine is having dinner with her boyfriend Clay and his parents at their home. On their plates are pieces of homemade cake that Christine brought as a gift for Clay's parents. Christine is uneasy because she has been suffering ominous hallucinations from time to time ever since she was cursed by an old gypsy woman. As she feared, strange noises begin to scratch Christine's ears again, and the middle of the piece of cake on her plate starts to pulse. She cautiously digs into the cake with her fork and discovers an eye of the gypsy woman staring back at her! Christine, stifling a scream, aggressively stabs the cake with her fork.
This is a scene from the American horror movie "Drag Me to Hell", which was released here this summer. The scene reminds me of the work of Sam Raimi, whose horror movies include the famous "Evil Dead" series and creatively combine both horror and black humor. But I also think the scene with the eye in the cake might have been influenced by a painting by Be...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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Park Jin-young: taking Korean talent to the West
"I wanted to form a group that was young but appealed to all ages with music and dance", says Park Jin-young, the man behind the stellar success of the Wonder Girls. Park debuted as a singer in 1994 and established JYP Entertainment in 1999. His company produced a list of K-pop stars like 'Rain', G.O.D, Byeol and Noel, and in 2007, Park launched his first group manufactured girl band, the Wonder Girls. "The concept of the Wonder Girls is similar to the one I had with G.O.D, who have sold over 6 million albums. As a producer, I want them to be trend leaders, and I want the singers to become the top Asian vocal group through hard training and long hours of practice", he says. Everything about the Wonder Girls, from writing lyrics and composing music to costumes and choreography is controlled by Park's magic hands. Not just for the Wonder Girls but for every choice he makes, Park claims personality matters most. "I don't just ch...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Kim Sisters were arguably the first girl group in the history of Korean popular music. They debuted in their teens in the early 1950s, and were extremely popular among U.S. soldiers stationed in Korea. They played many instruments and danced, and enjoyed substantial success in the United States when they debuted there in 1959. After returning to Korea in 1970, they released a number of hit songs.
Hoping to emulate the Kim Sisters' success, there were many new "sister" groups from the late 1950s. When did this transmute into the current manufactured girl band format of four or five girls singing cute songs and pleasing mainly the eyes of male fans? Renowned pop critic Im Jin-mo says, "Since girl groups are normally the product of an entertainment management agency in all aspects of the making -- from the appearance of each member of the groups to every song they sing, the first girl 'idol' group in Korea would have been S.E.S". S.E.S. enjoyed enormous popularity among men w...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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 By Lee Hyo-wonStaff Reporter The shooting of John Woo's new movie "Rain of Swords", starring South Korean heartthrob Jeong Woo-seong, started Wednesday in Shanghai, Taurus Film announced Thursday. The 36-year-old actor stars opposite Michelle Yeoh ("Memoirs of a Geisha") in the film which is being co-directed by Woo, the famous Hong Kong helmer of "Mission:Impossible II", and Taiwan's Su Chau-bin. Renowned producer Terence Chang, who has partnered with Woo for big Hollywood projects such as "Face/Off", is taking part in the movie, which he calls "`Face/Off' meets `Mr. & Mrs. Smith' set in the Ming Dynasty", according to the Hollywood Reporter. "Rain of Swords" is a "wuxia" or martial arts film that follows a love affair between a retiring assassin (Yeoh) and a messenger (Jeong) whose father was killed by the assassin's former associates. The assassin is initially oblivious of her lover's history and the fact that he is well-trained in martial arts. Meanwhile a charact...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter South Korean actor Hyeon Bin and Chinese screen beauty Tang Wei-wei are set to appear in "Manchu" (working title), which will go into production at the end of the month in the United States, Boram Entertainment and M&FC announced Friday. The "My Name is Kim Sam-soon" star will play the role of a man on the run who falls in love with a woman who is on special leave from prison, to be played by Tang, who is best-known as the heroine of Ang Lee's epic romance "Lust, Caution". The Korea-U.S. joint project ― Korea's Boram Entertainment and M&FC and the Unites States' North by Northwest ― is a remake of the 1966 masterpiece "Full Autumn" (Manchu) by Lee Man-hee. Kim Tae-yong, the award-winning director of "Family Ties" ("The Birth of a Family") will helm the project. The movie will be "a modern interpretation" of the classic movie and will be set in the United States, said the producers in a statement. It is slated for theatrical relea...| More | ||||||||||||||||||
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