Kim Young-nam (김영남)

[Talk of the town] "Kung Fu Panda" kicks his way into the spotlight

2008/06/25 | Source | Permalink |

Po (Jack Black), the obese and lazy panda in Mark Osborne and John Stevenson's animated film, "Kung Fu Panda", is now a star.

According to the Korean Film Council, the film attracted some 3.31 million Korean viewers as of last weekend, since its release on June 5.

Past animated films that attracted as many viewers were "Shrek 2" (2006), with some 3.3 million, and "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004), with 3 million.

While Kung Fu Panda ranked second at the box office last week, Kang Woo-seok's action-thriller "Public Enemy Returns", released last Thursday, ranked first. It attracted 1.3 million viewers in three days, according to the council.

Meanwhile, for those moviegoers hoping to see more Korean films on the big screen among Hollywood blockbusters like "Incredible Hulk" and "Sex and the City", wait till next month.

These films are on standby director Kim Ji-woon's "The Good, the Bad, the Weird", Lee Joon-ik's "Sunny" and Gwak Gyeong-taek's "Eye for an Eye, Tooth for a Tooth...| More

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KIM Yong-hwa directs HA Jeong-woo in sports drama

2008/06/13 | Source | Permalink |

Director KIM Yong-hwa –two years after his hit comedy "200 Pounds Beauty" – will direct Gookkadaepyo (English translation: "national representative") about a group of ski jumpers vying for the Korean national team. Next Hallyu star HA Jeong-woo has been cast in the leading role.

"Forever the Moment" showed the potential of Korean sport films earlier this yearand Koreans have a passion for their national representative athletes. Like LIM Soon-rye's "Forever the Moment", Gookkadaepyo also seems to concentrate on the emotional side of top sport and character development.

HA will play a Korean-American adoptee who returns to Korea in search of his roots. In the confusion of his visit to his unfamiliar birth country, he finds himself trying to make it into the Korean national ski jump team while in search of his identity.

The other main characters are competing athletes and are played by television actors KIM Dong-wuk – from the popular television series "Coffee Prince", and KIM Ji...| More

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HA Jeong-woo in Korea-Japan co-production

2008/06/05 | Source | Permalink |

HA Jeong-woo will star together with the Japanese actor Satoshi Tsumabuki in a film tentatively titled House. KIM Young-nam is at the helm of the project and Aya Watanabe writes the scenario.

HA and Tsumabuki will portray smugglers who work together while they are based at each side of the East Sea. Complications arise when they receive the order to kidnap a Korean woman together.

HA commanded attention with his role in YOON Jong-bin's "The Unforgiven" (Yongseo Batji Mothan Ja). He extended his name internationally with Gina KIM's "Never Forever" (Doobeonjjae Sarang). With his latest film "The Chaser" (Choogyeokja) he also scored a major box office hit.

KIM directed the film "Don't Look Back" (Nae Cheongchunaegae Goham) which was invited by the Locarno International Film Festival for its 2006 international competition section where it received the FIPRESCI and NETPAC awards. His debut film Outcry of Youth was selected for KOFIC's 2005 Production Support Program for Internatio...| More

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Korean, Japanese Actors to Star in Joint Movie

2008/06/03 | Source | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Two top actors, Korean Ha Jeong-woo and Japanese Satoshi Tsumabuki, will join forces to star in a joint Korean-Japanese movie "Boat" (working title).

The Korean movie production company Kraze Pictures announced that the movie will start filming June 28 with Japanese production IMJ Entertainment in Niigata, Japan.

"The movie will be filmed completely in Japan but Ha will speak Korean (in the film). It is scheduled to be in theaters next year", Byun Bong-hyun, the film manager at Kraze Pictures told The Korea Times.

"Boat" depicts the story of two young Korean and Japanese smugglers who try to kidnap a Korean woman. The Korean actress has not been confirmed yet.

Korean director Kim Young-nam, who won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award for "Don't Look Back" (2006) at the 59th Locarno International Film Festival, will produce the film, while Japanese w...| More

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HAN Hyo-joo and Like a Virgin Win at Singapore Fest

2007/05/07 | Source | Permalink |

Upcoming actress HAN Hyo-joo received the Best Actress award at the 20th Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) for her role in "Ad-Lib Night" (Ajoo Teukbyeolhan Sonnim). "Like a Virgin" (Cheonhajangsa Madonna) shares the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award with "Crossing the Dust".

"Ad-Lib Night" tells the story of a girl who agrees to pretend to be the daughter of a dying man. The film is directed by the acclaimed LEE Yoon-ki. LEE's two previous films are "This Charming Girl" (Yeoja, Jeonghye) and "Love Talk". "This Charming Girl"'s KIM Ji-soo previously received the Best Actress award at SIFF in 2005.

In "Like a Virgin" a boy joins a wrestling team. His aim is to win a wrestling competition and to use the prize money for a transsexual operation. The film is the directorial debut of LEE Hae-yeong and LEE Hae-joon. Like "Ad-Lib Night" for the promising HAN Hyo-joo, "Like a Virgin" has been a platform for the talented young actor RYOO Deok-hwan.

Th...| More

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