Eom Tae-woong (엄태웅)

Summer Action Flicks Are Coming

Source | 2009/06/30 | 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

Make way for a mutant boar with a bad attitude

Source | 2009/06/26 | Permalink |

The ultimate fight between five hunters and a bloodthirsty boar is set to hit screens on July 16.

"Chaw", which means "trap" in the Gyeonggi and North Chungcheong dialects, and seems to aspire to "chow" in English, is an action comedy that tells the tale of a wild boar gone bad that has developed a taste for human flesh.

The story begins in the tranquil town of Sammae, which has managed to stay crime-free for the last 10 years.

Things start to go horribly wrong after the townspeople find a body that has been ripped to shreds.

When it is discovered that the perpetrator of this horribly ferocious crime is none other than a mutant man-eating boar, the town is torn apart, with all of the bloodcurdling screams, wild running and general chaos that could be expected after such a calamitous event. But the idea that a single creature could destroy the town's peace and quiet also serves to unite the townsfolk, and they band together to hunt it down.

Why anyone would want to go aft...| More

The true Queen has arrived! Welcome

Source | 2009/05/25 | Permalink |

What would happen if the first queen of our history, "Queen Seondeok" (Lee Yo-won) were to be the rival of the seductive, cunning and charismatic "Misil" (Ko Hyeon-jeong)? MBC's 48th Founding Anniversary Special drama "Queen Seon-deok" held a press conference on May 14th in the town of Kyung-Joo, the ancient capital city of Silla. This new drama is to restore the fascinating culture of Silla on screen, as well as to portray the bitter power rivalry between the ladies. Many of the cast including Ko Hyeon-jeong, Lee Yo-won, Park Ye-jin, Jo Min-ki, Eom Tae-woong, Kim Nam-gil, Dok-go Yeong-jae, Jeon No-min, Jeong Woong-in, and Yoo Seung-ho appeared at the conference. The short footage screened on this day revealed scenes of grand-scale shots, brilliant colors, and fierce rivalry between the characters, stirring up great expectations for the new drama.

Ko Hyeon-jeong stated "Since the title itself is "Queen Seondeok", the focus may easily be on that main character, so I am going to despe...| More

Caught up in a world of suffering and despair

Source | 2009/04/23 | Permalink |

On Nov. 11, 1977, a massive explosion ripped through the railyard at Iri Station in North Jeolla, a major junction for trains heading up and down the west coast of the peninsula.

It was an accident. Dynamite being carried on a train from Incheon south to Gwangju somehow caught on fire. Fifty-seven people were killed.

Chinese director Zhang Lu's "Iri" is set during the 30th anniversary of the catastrophe, and in Jin-seo's (Yoon Jin-seo) 30th year.

She and her brother are live-in caretakers at an old folks' home. He drives a cab during the day; she works at a Chinese hagwon where she eavesdrops on classes and picks up words. The male teacher regularly rapes her, and she's gained a reputation as the "town wacko".

Her brother Tae-woong (Eom Tae-woong) occasionally attempts to protect Jin-seo, but ultimately she's on a path of perpetual despair.

And there is no shortage of desperate and lonely people waiting to take advantage of her: the Vietnam veterans' society, a local ill...| More

Harsh Yet Hopeful Future in Show Biz

Source | 2009/03/24 | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Moon Da-bin, 15, is a middle-school student at Chungshin Girls' Middle School in Seoul. Among 36 of her classmates, half wish to enter show business to become singers, musical stars or television drama actors. Students have shifted from doctors, lawyers and teachers, traditionally respected career choices, and have set their dreams right into the spotlight.

The number of aspiring celebrities is increasing every year, but the dark side of the entertainment business, albeit spread through rumors, has never been as revealed as it is today.

The death of actress Jang Ja-yeon, from the hit television series "Boys Over Flowers", and the so-called note that describes how she was beaten and forced to entertain and have sex with several program directors, CEOs and media executives, catapulted the revelation. In its wake, some have become skeptical about jumping into the glamorous industry, but others are still pursuing their dreams to become future stars...| More