| "Once upon a Time" shines bright (Source) |
2008/01/25 |
Director JEONG Yong-ki tried his hand again at comedy and selected a winning leading duo in PARK Yong-woo and LEE Bo-yeong, aptly complemented by a number of supporting roles. The film is situated during the final days of the Japanese colonization of Korea.
"Once upon a Time" is a well balanced heist comedy; including fast and dynamic action and fight scenes, glitter and glamour, and plenty of jokes. The humorous scenario is well handled by the director and the actors' fun during filming is apparent for anybody to see.
PARK transforms from the shy guy who never had a girlfriend in his breakthrough film "My Scary Girl" into a confident player. His eyes are set on the beautiful singer played by LEE, however, she is also pursued by a Korean officer in Japanese service.
PARK, LEE and Korean officers of the Japanese army become entangled in a struggle for a phenomenal diamond; while freedom fighters and pro-Japanese Koreans clash during the dying days of the Japanese occupation.... |More
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| Little Prince offers second chance (Source) |
2008/01/09 |
Debuting director CHOI Jong-hyeon's "Little Prince" is a drama with a feel-good factor which unfolds at a quiet pace. TAK Jae-hoon portrays an alcoholic who is traumatised by the loss of his wife and son, and he is ridden with guilt since he wasn't much of a father or husband.
Through circumstances, the man comes into the life of a chronic ill little boy who was abandoned at an orphanage by his mother when she started a relationship with a new man. The man is reluctant, but after a few meetings, the kind and brave boy melts the man's heart. The little boy is played by KANG Soo-han.
Actress Jo An features as an energetic young woman who works at the orphanage. She has a close relationship with the boy. Jo-an previously acted in "Muoi : The Legend of a Portrait" and "Makeover Project" ("Go Go Sister"). TAK played in "Marrying the Mafia 3: Family Hustle" (""Marrying the Mafia III"").
CHOI directed short films and worked as a scenario writer. His first feature film "Little Princ... |More
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| [MOVIE REVIEW] 'The Houseguest' overstays its welcome (Source) |
2007/08/02 |
Chu Yo-sup (1902-1972) wrote the memorable short story "Saranbang sonmin-gwa eomeoni (The Guest in My Mom's House)". Published in 1935, the creative tale portrays the subtle emotional tension between a widow and a house guest from the perspective of a six-year-old girl. Emotions are intentionally suppressed, reflecting the strict social norms placed on Koreans at the time.
"Sarangbang seonsuwa eomeoni" ("The Houseguest and My Mother"), directed by Lim Yeong-seong, borrows the title from the famous short story, but does not follow the original plot. In contrast to Chu's refined storytelling, "The Houseguest and My Mother" pursues a shamelessly trite Korean filmmaking format: Different cinematic elements are crammed onto the big screen not because they are essential but because the director wants to rescue a deplorable script.
In the film, Deok-gun (Jeong Joon-ho) is 100 million won in debt to gangsters thanks to his irresponsible father who is now behind bars. Desperate to pay bac... |More
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| Korean film industry has lost some sparkle (Source) |
2006/12/29 |
The Korean film industry seemed to be in full bloom in 2006 with hits such as "The Host" and "The Royal Jester (formerly "The King and the Clown")" attracting more than 10 million customers at the box office.
A total of 108 domestic films, including this week's "My Wife is a Gangster 3", have opened in theaters nationwide. The number has skyrocketed since 2005's 83 films and is the biggest number of films made since 1990. And in 2007 over 60 percent of the films shown here were Korean made.
Even with these record-breaking numbers, the reality in Chungmuro (the area where Korean film production companies have been concentrated, to such an extent that the word is now synonymous with the phrase "Korean film industry") is very different. Although there have been more movies, they have made less profit than in previous years. In short ― the industry is not making enough money.
Return on Investment is minus 30 percent
Based on theater profits alone, the return on investment thi... |More
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| Melodrama Queen Back as 10-Year-old Girl (Source) |
2006/12/25 |
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Can melodrama queen Son Ye-jin portray a 10-year-old girl? The answer is "yes", and you can see for yourself in her upcoming feature film.
She returns to the big screen after last spring's television mini-series "Alone in Love", only this time as a voice actor for an animation movie, "Yobi, The Five Tailed Fox".
"I was so worried, as my character is a teenage girl. But I dubbed while thinking about things for children", Son said Friday during a new conference at Seoul Plaza Hotel in Seoul.
Son is best known for her pure and innocent image in melodramas on both the big and small screen like movies "The Classic" (2003) and television drama "Summer Scent".
She said voice acting was a challenging job as it was so different from what she had done in the past.
"This is the first animation in which I worked as a voice actor. And I didn't know how to do it properly. When you shoot a film or TV drama, you can freely express what you feel from a ... |More
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