Kim Ok-bin (김옥빈)

Five Would-be Horror Queens Introduced

Source | 2009/06/10 | Permalink |

Viewers will soon be able to see the fifth part of the movie series "Whispering Corridors" entitled "A Blood Pledge", which began in 1998. The series has gained popularity so far for producing many top actresses, such as Kim Gyoo-ri, Choi Kang-hee, Park Jin-hee, Kim Min-seon, Park Ye-jin, Lee Yeong-jin, Kong Hyo-jin, Song Ji-hyo, Park Han-byeol, Cho An, Kim Ok-bin, Seo Ji-hye, Chae Ye-rin and this time Jang Kyeong-ah, 22, Son Eun-seo, 23, Oh Yeon-seo, 22, Yoo Shin-ae, 21, and Song Min-jeong, 22.

We met with the five soon-to-be horror stars ahead of the movie's opening, expecting to see them nervous and excited. But their sassiness made them appear confident. Jang Kyeong-ah, who plays the ghost "Eonju", says part five of the series is the most frightening and entertaining to see, and that she looks forward to its premiere without feeling nervous whatsoever.

Son Eun-seo, the oldest among the five, said confidently that though it is inevitable for all five of them to feel great pres...| More

'Thirst' Wins Jury Prize

Source | 2009/05/25 | Permalink |

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

The dark vampire thriller "Thirst", directed by Park Chan-wook, won the Jury Prize at the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival in France, Sunday.

Park shared the festival's third place award with British director Andrea Arnold's teen drama "Fish Tank". The festival's top prize Palme d'Or was given to "The White Ribbon", a film about brutality in a 20th-century German town by Austrian director Michael Haneke.

"I think I still have a long way to go before I become a true artist. I must admit I have yet to experience the pangs of creation. All I have experienced is the joy of creation. When my first two films bombed at the box office, it was a long time before I could make this third feature. So this is an immense pleasure for me, from the conception of the film to its release ― except for the interviews. It's the last step for a film to be screened at the Cannes Festival", Park said after receiving his award.

The win was...| More

Cannes Film Festival 2009 'Thirst' wins the Jury Prize

2009/05/24 | Permalink |

'Thirst' by Park Chan-wook with Song Kang-ho and Kim Ok-bin wins the Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. That's Park Chan-wook second award in Cannes after the Grand Prix (Grand Prize) for "Old Boy" in 2004....| More

'Thirst' thrills, but can it conquer Cannes?

Source | 2009/05/22 | Permalink |

When director Park Chan-wook's latest movie, "Thirst", hit local theaters on April 30, reactions from the audience were clearly divided between those who thought Park had fulfilled the expectations that followed his previous films versus those who thought the movie's plot and images were too provocative.

Yet the movie, called "Bakjwi" in Korean, drew 170,000 viewers just on its opening day, a record among films released this year, and the number rose at breakneck speed to reach 2 million last weekend.

In fact, Thirst was the talk of the town even before its release because it is one of the 20 films in competition for the Palme d'Or, the top prize at Cannes, and was touted as another critical hit for the internationally-acclaimed director.

Those gathered at Cannes certainly seem to be enthralled. After its gala screening there, it was reported to have received an eight-minute standing ovation.

Thirst tells the story of Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho), a devout Catholic priest who b...| More

Korean Cinematography Booms on High-quality, Lucrative Productions

Source | 2009/05/21 | Permalink |

Korean cinematography has been thriving recently as more movies continue to draw scores of viewers to theaters, bringing in impressive revenues and receiving positive feedback both from domestic and foreign critics. As more viewers these days are attaching more importance to the uniqueness of movies rather than their scale, Korean movies are expected to continue to enjoy popularity for the time being. But some have voiced concerns that their success could be short-lived because many Hollywood blockbusters are set to open later this year.

The Korean film market remained stagnant in the first three months of the year despite the success of "Speedy Scandal" and "Old Partner", which opened this past December and January, respectively. The number of viewers during that period plummeted 19 percent from the same period a year ago, according to the Korean Film Council. Viewers began paying attention to domestic movies again around mid-April, when several hits including "Thirst" opened.

D...| More