On Joo-wan (온주완)

'Princess' Flies High, Dips Low

2008/06/26 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The higher you climb, the more it hurts if you fall. After much time and anticipation ― two years since its completion ― "My Mighty Princess" opens across theaters. Director Kwak Jae-yong, reaches for the sky by adding martial arts moves to a love story in the tradition of "My Sassy Girl" (1999). But he falls flat on his face in this contrived, cliched drama about a love struck martial artist.

So-hwi (Sin Min-ah) is a martial arts child prodigy-turned-college student, and in tune with her rainbow-hued outfits and pigtails, she bounces over rooftops when she's late for class. She's literally a "mighty princess" who makes use of her superhuman strength to dress up as Snow White to pull stunts in a freak martial arts gig.

One day, she realizes that openly displaying her monster stamina will never get her a boyfriend, let alone catch the attention of the handsome hockey jock Jun-mo (Yoo Geon). To the dismay of her father and the rest of ...| More

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Kim Ah-joong, the best star that a matchmaking program produced

2008/06/19 | Source | Permalink |

Matchmaking programs are famous for being the birthplace of many stars. Entertainer hopefuls catch the eyes of viewers and management companies as they work with other stars and reveal their talents.

There are many stars who have used programs such as KBS "War of Roses", MBC "Kang Ho-dong's ChunSengYunBun", and SBS "X-Man" as stepping stones to debut as actors.

We picked the best five stars that matchmaking programs produced

#1 Kim Ah-joong

Kim Ah-joong, who became a star after "200 Pounds Beauty", first showed her face on a 2004 MBC show "Love Survival".

She charmed the male stars, such as Rain, Hyeon Bin, Seo Kyeong-Seok, and Yoon Jeong-soo, with her foreign looks and her intelligence. She became a couple with Rain and the center of attention. She also appeared in "Emperor of the Sea", "Bizarre Bunch", and "200 Pounds Beauty".

#2 Yoon Jeong-hee

Elegant and quite Yoon Jeong-hee doesn't seem to fit well with game shows, but she is also from a matchmaking progra...| More

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'My Mighty Princess' is bland, cliche

2008/06/18 | Source | Permalink |

"My Mighty Princess", directed by Kwak Jae-yong, revolves around a mighty female character who can beat up powerful martial art professionals -- if she wants to. The problem is that she does not bother to show off her awesome power even though the fate of the secret marital art community in Korea hangs in the balance. After all, she's a college student and she's busy chasing after handsome guys.

Director Kwak's new romantic comedy, which relies heavily on the visual effects of wire actions, starts from a cartoonistic assumption that a host of ancient martial art practitioners are living in the city of Seoul without revealing their true identity.

The movie's heroine So-hui (played y Sin Min-ah) not only belongs to this secret community but also comes with a special privilege. Her father was one of the four masters who once flexed their martial muscles in the secret community and her mother, who died when So-hui was young, was a top-rated swordswoman.

Despite the glorious herita...| More

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[MOVIE REVIEW] 'My Mighty Princess' overcomes 2-year delay

2008/06/05 | Source | Permalink |

"My Mighty Princess", a new romantic comedy directed by Kwak Jae-yong, is finally hitting theaters this month after a delay of more than two years, raising hopes among fans who still remember the filmmaker's hit, "My Sassy Girl".

The delay illustrates the deepening problems plaguing Korean cinema, when even work by a widely recognized filmmaker such as Kwak has to overcome a slew of hurdles.

Director Kwak, however, seemed relieved about the prospect at a press conference held in Apgujeong-dong on Tuesday.

"All the cast members signed on to the project because they counted on me, but they have been deceived. When I showed my screenplay to them, I told them all the wire action scenes would be done by doubles or stunts, but in fact the actors had to do all the wire actions themselves", Kwak joked.

The new movie follows Kwak's trademark format: a romantic comedy where a powerful female character gets involved with a weaker male. In "My Sassy Girl", Jeon Ji-hyeon played the quir...| More

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Korean shows picked at 'European Emmies'

2008/05/22 | Source | Permalink |

Five Korean programs have been nominated for awards at the 48th Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

Slated to run from June 8 to 12, the festival -- regarded as the European Emmies -- has been selecting the best of worldwide television programming since 1961, after it was founded by Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

This year, Korea is making its mark at this international event, receiving nominations for five out of eight programming categories.

Among the five nominations, MBC managed to nab three, with its cable series "BSG Police" (ByeolSunGeom) and drama "Coffee Prince" as strong contenders for the best TV series categories. Four "BSG Police" cast members -- Ryoo Seung-yong, On Joo-wan, Ahn Nae-sang and Park Hyo-joo -- are also up for the best outstanding actor and actress awards.

Cable series "BSG Police", a Korean take on CSI set in the Joseon Dynasty, was nominated for best drama, while the hit series "Coffee Prince", starring celebrities Yoon Eun-hye and Gong Yoo, nabbed a...| More

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