By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The past year represented hope and revitalization for Korean cinema. While problems such as piracy linger on, the forecast for 2010 cinema appears promising with diverse projects in the making.
Cineastes are finding inspiration from the past and are bringing remakes of Korean classics as well as unique period movies. Big action flicks are gearing up for the 60th anniversary of the Korean War (1950-53) while much-anticipated sequels will cater to fans. Furthermore, a couple of Hollywood projects will head here for shoots.
2009 in Review
Both commercial blockbusters and unique indie films pulled the industry out of a three-year slump and cineastes made their mark near and far.
Kim Choung-ryoul's documentary
"Old Partner" rewrote box-office history for the genre, while
Yang Ik-joon's
"Breathless" made waves by sweeping almost two dozen prizes at international festivals.
Park Chan-ok's low-budget drama
"Paju" was well-received among critics and moviegoers and the micro-budget road movie "
Daytime Drinking" gained popularity near and far.
The positivity peaked in the summer. The success of the sports movie "Take-Off" fed directly into the big-time box office scores set by the tsunami blockbuster
"Haeundae", which drew over 10 million audience members in Korea for the first time in three years since
"The Host" in 2006.
Stars shined strongly through the big screen. Korean actors debuted in foreign works, most notably
Lee Byeong-Heon in "G.I. Joe" and
Rain in "
Ninja Assassin", while
Kim Myeong-min made headlines for shedding 20 kilograms for his role in "
Closer to Heaven".
Celebrity directors also made long-awaited returns.
Park Chan-wook revisited the Cannes Festival with his vampire flick
"Thirst" while
Bong Joon-ho made a splash with the thriller
"Mother - 2009".
On the flip side, illegal online distributions of
"Haeundae", before its release in Chinese theaters, and of
"Thirst", before DVD sales opened in the United States, led to big financial blows and signaled the red light on piracy. The country's top stars, including
Jang Dong-gun and
Kim Tae-hee, stepped up as representatives for the anti-piracy campaign: "Good Downloader".
Meanwhile, imported 3D movies tapped into the local theater market. While the number of theaters catering to the genre remains relatively small, there seems to be growing reception for 3D films. Animations such as "Monster vs. Aliens" and "Up" drew family audiences while "Avatar", new in theaters, has drawn over 1 million audiences in the shortest time...
MoreThe film industry is already preparing for next year. Many renowned filmmakers have returned to Korea to produce movies about war and sequels to hit movies.
Director
Im Kwon-taek will produce his 101st movie "Scooping Up The Moonlight". Directors
Kim Tae-yong and Im Sang-soo will produce remakes of "Late Autumn" by
Lee Man-hee and "The Housemaid" of Kim Ki-young, respectively. Films about war will also be introduced to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.
◇The return of maestros
"Scooping Up The Moonlight", which will be produced under the auspices of the Jeonju City government, is
Im Kwon-taek's first film to be shot with digital cameras. It is a story about seventh-grade public servant Jong-ho, who wants to become a fifth-grade official. To achieve his dream, he takes charge of the traditional Korean paper "hanji" at the municipal government and becomes completely mesmerized by it. Jong-ho is played by actor
Park Joong-hoon, who will appear in a Lim production for the first time. Actress
Kang Soo-yeon will work together with Lim for the first time since her appearance in the 1989 movie "Come Come Come Upward".
Actress Yoon Jung-hee, who was one of the top three actresses of the 1960s along with Moon Hee and Nam Jung-im, will make a comeback for the first time after her 1994 movie "Two Flags". She will appear in
Lee Chang-dong's new movie "Poem". It is a story about a 60-something woman who raises her teenage granddaughter and receives basic living subsidies. One day she signs up for a literature class and begins to write her own poems for the first time. The movie is slated to open in early May.
◇War movies
Four films about war will open next year. They will deal with diverse subjects, including student soldiers and maritime clashes between South and North Korea. The majority of them will be large-scale productions costing more than 10 billion won.
Director
Lee Jae-han's "Into The Gunfire", which is to open in June, is about a 12-hour battle that was held between 71 student soldiers and the North Korean Army at the end of the Nakdong River battle during the Korean war. Actors
kwon Sang-woo and T.O.P. (
Choi Seung-hyeon) of the music group Big Bang will play student soldiers. Actor Cha Weung-won will appear as a North Korean commander, while actor
Kim Seung-woo will play a South Korean commander. It is a blockbuster production that will cost 15 billion won to produce and market.
Director Lim Yeo-bin, who produced "Terrorist" in 1995, will this time produce "The Red Muffler 2", which will be a sequel to late Shin Sang-ok's movie "The Red Muffler". The grandson from the original production will appear as an Air Force pilot. The production cost have reached 8 billion won, and the movie is scheduled to open in October on National Army Day.
The second Yeonpyeong Clash of 2002 will be reenacted in the 3D film "We Are Beautiful" (tentative title) and "Yeonpyeong Maritime Clash". The former will be produced by director
Kwak Gyeong-taek, who produced ...
More
Actor
kwon Sang-woo held an opening ceremony in Myeongdong, central Seoul, Friday for the first outlet of his cosmetics brand "TEARS".
The opening of the shop came after Kwon recently established the cosmetics firm Natural Tears, which is completely owned by the hallyu star. Kwon is the CEO.
Kwon also became an inaugural advertising model for the brand. TEARS was named after his nickname "Mr. Tears", which was given to him by his fans in Japan and other Asian nations in recognition of his tear-jerking acting in...
MoreThe merger of two major talent agencies in America, William Morris and Endeavor, has brought Korean stars together under one roof. Contracted with William Morris are Singer
Rain, actress
Kim Yoon-jin of the American series "Lost",
Daniel Henney of Korean drama "...
MoreBy Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The 12th Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF) featured "Evangelion 1.0: Your Are (Not) Alone" Friday, closing what has grown to become Asia's largest film festival after nine days of fickle weather and ambivalent responses. This year's edition featured a diversified program and promising pan-Asian outlook -- but rapid progress is almost always marked by severe growing pains, and poor organization failed to help things run smoothly.
"Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone" was the 271st film ending PIFF's longest lineup of movies, though it was four less than the originally announced number. Representing 64 countries, the listing included 65 world premieres.
Online ticket sales for "Evangelion" had sold out in a matter of minutes, and the Japanese animation finally made its international debut in the packed outdoor theater on Haeundae beach. Written and directed by Hideaki Anno, it is the first of four films released in the "Rebuild of Evangelion" tetralogy based on the original TV cartoon "Neon Genesis Evangelion". In the movie, half of the human population has perished and the fate of the world rests in the hands of a 14-year-old boy.
"The new film version reinterprets the original series from 10 years ago", said Tsurumaki Kazuya, one of the co-directors of the movie during a press conference in Busan, Thursday. The ending is most likely to ...
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