Marine Boy (Movie - 2008)

CGV, Lotte Cinema to show subtitled local movies this week

Source | 2009/10/13 | 0 comments | Permalink |

It's movie week for foreigners in Korea.

Enjoy Korean movies that you have missed on the big screen, complete with English and Japanese subtitles this week.

The event, which began early this week, is part of the Seoul Grand Sale 2009 (Sept. 26 to Nov. 25) that is attracting tourists through colorful shopping events, participated in by some 500 businesses and 800 stores spread out in the trendiest street in Seoul including Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, Namdaemun, Itaewon, Insadong, Hongdae, Yeouido and Gangnam.

The movies will be screened at a multiplex CGV theater and Lotte Cinema. It is 6,000 won per ticket, but in the case of Lotte Cinema, a person who purchases one ticket can bring one foreign friend along for free upon presentation of a coupon.

The CGV branches at Myeong-dong, Yongsan and Apugujeong-dong will be screening films like "Closer to Heaven" and "The Sword with No Name", which opened recently and are still playing in other Korean theaters.

The Lotte Cinema Avenue...| More

15 English-Subtitled Korean Films 'for Sale'

Source | 2009/10/13 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The Seoul government is offering foreign moviegoers a chance to enjoy the latest Korean films with foreign subtitles at a discounted price. Cinema Week continues through Saturday at major theater chains in the city as part of Seoul Grand Sale 2009.

CGV Myeongdong, Yongsan and Apgujeong will offer movies subtitled in English, Japanese and Chinese for a reduced rate of 6,000 won. Titles include the tearjerker "Closer to Heaven" starring Kim Myeong-min as a dying Lou Gehrig's disease patient and Ha Ji-won as his devoted wife, and "The Sword With No Name", a star-crossed romance between a queen (Soo-ae) and her bodyguard (Jo Seung-woo) during the late Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

Lotte Cinema Avenuel in Myeongdong will offer the following subtitled films: the espionage romantic comedy "My Girlfriend Is an Agent" (English, Japanese); teen ghost story "A Blood Pledge" ("Whispering Corridors 5" - English); "Mother - 2009" (English), Bong Joon-ho's drama...| More

5 Directors Explore Sensuality in 'Eros'

2009/07/02 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Amid the high tide of summer action movies, five star directors are bringing a modest omnibus project with a different sensibility.

"Five Senses of Eros", each depicting unique aspects of sensuality and sexuality, as well as featuring a host of high-profile actors, will provide moviegoers with a more colorful audiovisual experience.

Contrary to expectations, the five shorts don't deal with each of the five senses, nor are they pure erotica. Rather, participating filmmakers experiment with a distinct language and style, be it B-rate comedy or subtle melodrama, to deliver deliciously short episodes about human desire and its perceived complexities ― or basic simplicity.

Daniel H. Byun (Byeon Hyeok, "The Scarlet Letter") opens "Eros" with a stylish urban romance about the thrills of chance encounters and first dates. "His Concern" unfolds like a live journal ― or a guy's version of chick lit ― as it follows the stream of consci...| More

Summer Action Flicks Are Coming

Source | 2009/06/30 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Every summer, big budget Hollywood movies flow in, and many worry about the potential threat to homegrown films. Recent trends, however, suggest that competition is healthy.

"The fact that such a comparison (between national and international franchises) is even possible is unique; there aren't so many countries around the world where domestic films can compete with American ones", Han Seung-hee, researcher at the Korean Film Council, told The Korea Times.

After the turn of the new millennium, the Korean film industry enjoyed rapid growth, with blockbusters rewriting box office history each year. But the market plummeted for the first time last year, and investment and production hit an all time low. Moviegoers even criticized films that fared well at the box office as being formulaic.

So far, 2009 looks better. The success of "A Frozen Flower" and "Scandal Makers" ("Speedy Scandal") opened up a promising new year. Although February and March...| More

Korean Films to Return in April

Source | 2009/03/26 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

South Korean cinema offers only a handful of releases this month, but a big lineup of homegrown films awaits moviegoers in April.

Some 10 domestic titles are slated for release next month, of which a majority are mainstream franchises that will play in theaters nationwide.

Leading the pack is "Private Eye", coming to screens April 2, starring Hwang Jeong-min as a private detective and Ryoo Deok-hwan as a young medical trainee who try to solve a serial murder case during the Japanese colonial era (1910-45). A special preview of the film with English subtitles is taking place at 7 p.m. tonight at CINUS Myeongdong Theater. The subtitled film will be available on the official release date at the venue, as well as CINUS Gangnam.

A week later, Kang Hye-jeong, the charming heroine of "Welcome to Dongmakgol", will return to the big screen opposite Park Hee-soon ("Seven Days") in "Urijibe Wae Watni" ("Why Did You Come to My House - Movie"), a quirky t...| More