Jo Han-seon (조한선)

2008/04/03 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

It seems we will meet "Friend", which premiered in 2001 and drew 8 million viewers, on television.

The production company is planning to produce "Friend" as a drama, and director Kwak Kyung-taek will hold the megaphone once more. "Friend" drew a lot of popularity from the start, left many catchphrases, and allowed Jang Dong-gun to officially rise up in stardom.

Jang Dong-gun and Yoo Oh-seong starred with strong Pusan accents and captivated audiences with their acting. The drama will cast stars with other styles but the list, of course, includes top stars.

Who will be the actors who receive judgment for following in Jang Dong-gun and Yoo Oh-seong's footsteps?

We cannot exclude Jang Dong-gun, who has worked with Director Kwak Gyeong-tae in "Typhoon" and "Friend". However, it doesn't seem likely that Jang Dong-gun will star in the drama after starring in the movie.

Because many directors work with actors they've already worked with, there is a possibility of Joo Jin-mo, who...

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2008/04/03 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Actors who starred in movies written by Guiyeoni have become top stars in the movie industry. These stars are Kang Dong-won, Jo Han-seon, Song Seung-heon, and Jang Geun-seok.

"Temptation of Wolves" helped Kang Dong-won and Jo Han-seon, who were new actors then, to rise to the top. They played high school students. Kang Dong-won captured the hearts of high school girls with his perfect looks, and Jo Han-seon captured audiences with his tough, rebel image. After this movie, they have been cast in various movies and have become top actors.

Song Seung-heon was in "The Guy Was Cool" as a rebellious high school student and acted with Jeong Da-bin, who is now deceased. He played a trustworthy boyfriend who always helped his girlfriend to get out of trouble. Although he was rough to other friends, he was affectionate toward his girlfriend. He plays a charismatic character in "Fate", which is playing now.

The movie "Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do", released on April 3, is up to Jang Geun-seo...

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2008/03/13 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Veteran actor Ahn Seong-gi returns with another leading role in comedy-caper "My New Partner", opening March 6 across Korea. AHN is a face familiar to audiences of all ages, with a screen career that spans some 50 years. By the mid-80's he was Korea's most bankable lead, starring in many of the decade's top films.

In "My New Partner", AHN plays Min-ho, a veteran police detective who winds up teaming with his estranged son Yeong-joon (played by JO Han-seon), a cold-hearted cop fresh on the job. The pair have a chance to mend their damaged relationship as they try to crack a big drug case in Busan.

Actor AHN has appeared in over 100 films, winning numerous awards and working with top directors such as IM Kwon-taek, BAE Chang-ho, LEE Chang-ho, PARK Kwang-su and LEE Myeong-se. His most recent films include "May 18" (2007), "Radio Star" (2006), "Hanbando" (2006), "Duelist" (2005) and "Silmido" (2003).

My New Parnter has already drawn positive reviews from the local press f...

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2008/03/05 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

One of the intriguing (or disturbing) signs about where Korean movies are headed is the near absence of press previews this month. For instance, except for a screening of Yoo Ji-tae's short titled "Out of My Intention" on Tuesday, there's nothing going on this week. No screenings yet either next week.

The declining number of domestic film releases is in sharp contrast to the surging demand for foreign films. According to the Korean Film Council, the Korean cinema imported 404 films from abroad in 2007, up from 289 in 2006 and 253 in 2005.

The rating agency handled as many as 72 foreign films in the first two months of this year, up 36.8 percent from the same period last year. The momentum comes not only from the major Hollywood distributors but also from small film importers, encouraged chiefly by the unexpectedly respectable box-office success of "Once" and "Lust, Caution".

The foreign movie boom is setting off alarms in the domestic film industry, which is already finding it...

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2008/02/26 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

In a frighteningly complex web of movie scenarios, a straightforward plot often works better, especially when the cast is wisely chosen and actors perform to their full potential.

And no Korean film actor is more capable than Ahn Seong-gi, who debuted, as a child, 50 years ago, and is still doing superb work. Ahn is one of the icons of Korean cinema, and his skills honed over the decades, and reflected in his gracefully shaped wrinkles, shine in "My New Partner".

The movie, directed by Kim Jong-hyeon, involves two cops -- old and new -- and Ahn plays the experienced one who knows how to strike a compromise with the mundane world. This set-up inevitably reminds viewers of Ahn's role in "Two Cops", a 1993 comedy in which he played a slightly corrupt yet likable cop in conflict with his new partner, a young and justice-obsessed newbie.

"My New Partner" follows a similar track. Ahn's Kang Min-ho got entangled in a corruption scandal and was demoted. In the process, he also deeply ...

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