Park Jin-pyo (박진표)

Top directors assemble for short film fest's jury

2008/06/13 | Source | Permalink |

The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival (MSFF) assigned a high profile jury consisting of Korea's leading mainstream and independent directors. PARK Jin-pyo heads a jury further comprised of: KIM Tae-yong, KIM Yong-hwa, JO Chang-ho, KIM Hyeon-seok, KIM Tae-sik, KIM Han-min, JEON Gye-soo, CHOI Dong-hoon, and NA Hong-jin.

The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival will open its doors on June 26 at Yongsan CGV in Seoul. The festival will finish on July 2. Among the upcoming directors, the festival also screens actor YOO Ji-tae's directorial short film effort "Out of My Intention" (Nado Moreuge) in the competition section.

PARK Jin-pyo directed "You Are My Sunshine" (Neoneun Nae Woonmyeong) and "Voice of Murderer" (Geu Nom Moksori). KIM Tae-yong received acclaim for his "Family Ties" ("The Birth of a Family", Gajokui Tansaeng). KIM Yong-hwa was the man behind the box office hit "200 Pounds Beauty" (Minyeoneun Gwereoweo). CJO Chang-ho competed at several international film festivals with "Th...| More

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[Year-end Review : Movies] 'Sunshine' offers hope to Korean cinema in 2007

2007/12/24 | Source | Permalink |

The Korean movie industry got off to a shaky start this year, due to the weakened market position of local flicks versus Hollywood blockbusters, but it received a big shining ray of hope from director Lee Chang-dong's thought-provoking drama, "Secret Sunshine".

Jeon Do-yeon, the heroine of "Secret Sunshine", grabbed the prestigious Best Actress award at the 60th Cannes Film Festival in May, setting the upbeat tone for the domestic film industry.

The 34-year-old actress won international acclaim for her brave and inspiring depiction of a grieving Korean woman struggling to rebuild her life in a new city in "Secret Sunshine", the first picture in four years by Lee Chang-dong, a former Korean culture minister.

Despite the positive turn on the filmfest front, the local movie market faced increasing pressure this year. Although the market volume of the Korean film industry remains relatively solid, with 104 films released between January and November this year, the number of movieg...| More

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[DVD review] 'Voice of Murderer' misses mark

2007/05/28 | Source | Permalink |

It takes a working knowledge of Latin to fully understand the English subtitles of a recent Korean DVD release, "Voice of Murderer", about the tormenting and ultimately unsuccessful attempts of two parents to bring their kidnapped child back home. About halfway through the film, amid the hassles of reading the subtitles while digesting what was happening on the screen, a line magically appeared which read, "Ut sementem feceris ita metes".
This reviewer had to pause the DVD and do some Googling to find out that it was a Cicero quote, meaning, "You reap what you sow". Thank you, DVD producers, for expecting that every single viewer of the film would be knowledgeable enough to read and understand a Latin sentence in less than five seconds.
Other than the Latin part, the film is not especially challenging to understand. It's mostly the howling and blubbering of a father and mother who have lost their precious only son. Based on the true story of a kidnapped child found dead in 1991, the ...| More

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'Secret Sunshine' Steals Limelight in Cannes

2007/05/27 | Source | Permalink |

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon is reaping critical acclaim from foreign critics, for her role in "Secret Sunshine" (Miryang) which was screened at the prestigious 60th Cannes Film Festival.

Since it was screened last week, "Secret Sunshine" has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the top prize, the Palme d'Or. Winners will be announced when the event ends on Sunday evening in France.

A New York Times article heaped praises on the film directed by Lee Chang-dong, a former culture minister.

Jeon was singled out for her depiction of a young widow who moves to her late husband's hometown. The article said Jeon gave one of the strongest female performances in the festival, hinting she may even win the best female performance award. "Jeon's portrayal of a meek soul in torment is a tour de force", the New York Times said.

Film industry journal Variety described Jeon's performance as "finely detailed". "Jeon's convinced playing, a tr...| More

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Korea movies dominate box office in Feb.

2007/03/08 | Source | Permalink |

Korean films dominated the box office in February, led by Park Jin-pyo's kidnapping drama "Voice of Murderer" that sold 3.1 million tickets, the major multiplex cinema operator CGV said. Six films in the top 10 box office rankings were Korean.

"Voice of Murderer" appealed to local audiences by laying bare the painful experience of the parents who lost their son to a kidnapper, a story based on a real incident in which the real culprit is still at large.

On the ticket sales chart, the No. 2 slot went to "Miracle on 1st Street", with 1.9 million viewers. Other Korean films which made it to the top 10 list were "A Good Day to Have an Affair" (1.74 million), "Highway Star" (1.23 million), "Three Kims" (1 million) and "The Best Romance" (610,000).

The combined share of ticket sales by Korean films reached 67.4 percent last month, slightly up from January but still lower than the 68.9 percent recorded a year earlier.

By Yang Sung-jin ...| More

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