Jeong Yong-ki (정용기)

Incredible 'Hong's' Offers Comedy, Action

Source | 2009/11/19 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

"Descendants of Hong Gil-dong" ("Hong's Family Business" - working title) by Jeong Yong-ki, who directed the second and third installments of the "Marrying the Mafia" series, brings yet another family slapstick that provides bona fide lighthearted entertainment.

Earlier this year, mid-budget films such as "Speedy Scandal" have shown that good old humor rooted in witty ideas can prevail. "Hong's" relies on classic formulas ― a cast of endearing actors playing quirky characters, B-movie humor that retains a certain uniformity in the internal logic of the film and an adeptly crafted mise-en-scene that shows that mind boggling spectacles aren't crucial to a fulfilling audiovisual experience.

The Hongs are the perfect model family ― Mu-hyeok (played by the popular Lee Beom-soo), a darling high school music teacher, and his cheerful student-cum-younger brother Chan-hyeok have a respected professor for a father and a mother who exemplifies ...| More

New York Korean Film Festival this August

Source | 2008/07/18 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The seventh edition of the New York Korean Film Festival is set to run August 22 – 31. Sponsored by KOFIC and The Korea Society, the event will screen more than 15 recent Korean features, of which 14 have been finalized for the line-up.

Highlights include one of the top-grossing Korean films of 2008, "Forever the Moment", a sports-redemption-themed film directed by LIM Soon-rye and starring MOON So-ri and KIM Jeong-eun. Other 2008 releases in the line-up are "Hellcats" by KWON Chil-in, "Once Upon a Time" by JEONG Yong-ki, "Open City" by LEE Sang-gi, "Spare" by LEE Seong-han, and the Korea-Japanese co-production "Virgin Snow" starring LEE Joon-ki and Aoi Miyazaki.

Films in the program from 2007 include such high-profile films as the Chosun-set popular tale, "Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007", starring SONG Hye-kyo, the Kwang-ju-set historical tragedy, May 18th, a Chosun-set tale of high stakes cooking, "Le Grand Chef", and Daniel Henney vehicle and tear-jerker, "My Father".

Othe...| More

Investigation Program to Boom on Cable TV

Source | 2008/05/20 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Investigation dramas are the trend on cable television screens. But instead of the ordinary cat-and-mouse plots, various headways are under way.

Korean fans have been loyal to these programs ― from "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", and "Cold Case" to "Without a Trace". MBC Dramanet's "Byeolsoongeom" also caught the eye of local and overseas fans with its distinctive investigation plots carried out in the Joseon era (1392-1910) last year. The program was recently nominated in the television drama section of the 48th Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

Now, more local productions are joining in. OCN's "Don't Ask of my Past" (working title), tvN's "My Cop" and Super Action's "KPSI (Korea Police Scientific Investigation): Season 2", are gearing up for a season of sexy, funny and serious investigation programs.

"Don't Ask of my Past" is a comical and sexy investigation drama, starring Kim Won-hee ("Marrying the Mafia 2", 2005). Kim will play Kw...| More

[DVD Review] Comedy spices up colonial past

Source | 2008/05/15 | 0 comments | Permalink |

For many Koreans, the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945) is remembered as one of the bleakest, most devastating times in history. Films about this era usually portray historical events that remind viewers of Korea's tragic past as a subordinate country.
"Once Upon a Time" dates to 1940s Korea under Japanese reign, but interestingly, it takes a rather humorous and easygoing tone.
The story begins as the Japanese governor-general orders a search for the legendary 20-carat diamond called the Holy Light of the East. The diamond has been placed in the forehead of the Great Buddha in Sukkuram Grotto to shine at sunrise.
Park Yong-woo stars as a shallow yet attractive master thief, Bong-gu, who will steal and sell any kind of Korean treasure to a pawnbroker to make dirty money. He is also interested in acquiring the diamond for himself.
Bong-gu's plan, however, is foiled when another secretive thief, who calls herself "Haedang hwa", or Rugosa Rose, jumps into the game to steal the diamo...| More

[Style] The 4 female actors "stepping out of their comfort zones"

Source | 2008/02/14 | 0 comments | Permalink |

"Stepping out of the comfort zones"
Literally, an actor makes their living through their outer image. Thus they undergo an endless changes and transformation in order to unfold their hidden charms. Recently, the female actors who had been hidden under the tag of being 'sexy' or 'innocent' took a critical counterattack to bring out their true charms.

Korea's No.1 sexy beauties Jeon Ji-hyeon and Kim Jeong-eun transformed themselves into free and easy-going characters without any make-ups; and the No. 1 innocent beauties, Son Ye-jin and Lee Bo-yeong brought out their strong femme fatale sexiness. The following is the stories of HOT ladies' transformations in their HOT movies.

■Sexy beauty → Innocent beauty

▶ "A Man Who Was Superman" : Jeon Ji-hyeon
In her film, "The man who was a superman" (CJ Entertainment Co., directed by Jeong Yoon-cheol) Jeon Ji-hyeon transformed into a TV station producer and took away her previous image of having the perfect 'S-line' b...| More