Yoon Jong-bin (윤종빈)

2008/05/15 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

The 61st Cannes Film Festival has kicked off with fanfare, spicing up the festive mood for moviegoers all around the world. The ebullient mood remains largely the same here in Korea, but one thing is palpably different: There's no chance for a Korean movie or actor grabbing an award in the competition section this year.

Last year was special for the Korean film industry. Jeon Do-yeon won the prestigious best actress award for her impassioned role in the heart-wrenching flick "Secret Sunshine". This year, however, such dramatic development is unlikely to occur because no Korean film has been invited to the competition section.

But it is too early to shift attention from Korean filmmakers toward Hollywood stars. After all, five Korean movies are to be screened in various sections at Cannes, and all of them have a potential to charm foreign filmmakers, critics and media in various ways.

At the forefront stands director Kim Ji-woon's big-budget flick "The Good, the Bad, the Weird"...

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

2008/04/29 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Actor Ha Jeong-woo has gone from cold-blooded murderer to a professional Casanova whom women pay to be with.

In his new movie, "The Moonlight of Seoul" ("Beastie Boys" in Korean), the actor plays a man who serves drinks and dances with women at a host bar.

The role is a substantial departure from the brutal killer he played in the hit thriller "The Chaser", which attracted five million viewers nationwide.

In "Moonlight", Ha plays Jae-hyeon, who lives for the day, talks big and tries to con people. While using his roommate/girlfriend to get 50 million won, he brings other women to their home. Instead of being driven away by his brazenness, plenty of women seem eager to vie for his affection.

To perfect his role, Ha said he read interviews of 200 men who worked at host bars and met some of them. He told the Dong-A Ilbo, "Some of these guys are real professionals. They know how to get their clients to open their wallets. They even have detailed manuals to win their hearts".

...

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

2008/04/24 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Young, stylish director Yoon Jong-bin is releasing "The Moonlight of Seoul" (aka. "Beastie Boys"), his second feature film starring Ha Jeong-woo. The gleaming cast also includes singer-turned-actor Yoon Kye-sang and up and upcoming actress Yoon Jin-seo.

Director Yoon and Ha reunite for another guy movie dealing with a provoking subject matter after their critically acclaimed homosexual soldier story "The Unforgiven" (2006), which made both of them landmarks on the cinematic map.

Away from army barracks, "Moonlight" takes us to the posh strip of Cheongdam-dong in the heart of downtown Seoul. When night falls, the glitzy Louis Vuitton road shop and high-end art galleries go into deep slumber and another world awakens.

But "Moonlight" goes beyond your idea of a thrilling nightlife. It's about excessive partying in all its capitalistic glory: rich but lonely ladies (mostly 30-something businesswomen) flock to an upscale "room salon" (bar with pri...

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

2008/04/22 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

In his debut feature "The Unforgiven" (2006), director YOON Jong-bin showed us a side of men and masculine codes in the Korean military with honesty and sensitivity. Now YOON is back with his sophomore effort, a film which shows another side of men, this time male hosts who serve female clients in discreet salons tucked into the affluent fashion districts of southern Seoul. Opening April 30, "The Moonlight of Seoul" (titled Beastie Boys in Korean) stars the talented and now famous HA Jeong-woo ("The Chaser") along with YOON Kye-sang ("Flying Boys").

The story centers around Seung-woo (played by YOON), who, was once quite wealthy but after a turn in fortunes, joins a 'host bar' to make ends meet, and Jae-hyeon (played by HA), a partner and manager at the host bar, living a reckless life. Seung-woo falls in love with a client (played by YOON Jin-seo), one of many females hostesses who frequent the place to let off steam from their own line of work and but the couple are plagued by...

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

2008/04/21 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Director Yoon Jong-bin created a favorable buzz in 2006 when he unveiled his thought-provoking debut feature "The Unforgiven", highlighting the hidden talent of actor Ha Jeong-woo. Yoon's casting choice turned out to be prescient. Ha is now the most sought-after film star following the runaway success of "The Chaser", a thriller that further showcases the actor's passionate acting spirit.

But it seems questionable whether Yoon has made a right casting choice for "The Moonlight of Seoul" (Korean title: "Beastie Boys"), a drama in which Ha is recruited to play a central character for the second time with the same director.

The film, to be released on April 30, loosely reflects filmmaker Yoon's continued interest in the painful social trap that puts a stifling screw upon the life of Korean men. Previously, Yoon brought to life the suffocating pain in his award-winning "The Unforgiven" in a way that impressed critics at film festivals. The trouble is that, unlike Yoon's first feature...

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?