My Brother (Movie - 2004)

Won Bin's 'Second Life' With 'Mother - 2009'

Source | 2009/05/18 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

South Korean heartthrob Won Bin, who made a comeback through Bong Joon-ho's "Mother - 2009", now showing at the Cannes festival, said the thriller marks a "new start" in his acting career.

"If it was round one until now, then `Mother - 2009' signals the start of round two in my life as an actor", the 31-year-old was quoted as telling Yonhap News, Sunday, in Cannes, France.

Won had been absent for four years due to mandatory military service and an injury. "Mother - 2009" is his first movie after five years since "My Brother". "I am very greedy about acting, and the beauty of acting is that it is a never-ending process", he said, adding, "That is why I can put all my eggs into one basket".

Praised by Variety magazine as "an engrossing portrait of a feisty Korean widow" that was "unjustly denied a competition berth at Cannes", the film is featured in the Un Certain Regard section of the 62nd edition of the prestigious film festival. Won stars as...| More

[ChanMi's movie news] Fans can't wait for Won Bin's return!

Source | 2009/04/09 | Permalink |

Won Bin is returning through a new film directed by the famous Bong Joon-ho director. The film, "Mother - 2009" has its teaser trailer released on the 7th and has been greatly anticipated since.

"Mother - 2009" is about a mentally challeged young man who is accused of a murder which his mother denies and fights to prove him innocent. This film is about a mother's unconditional love and passion to save his son. The mother character is acted by the talented actress, Kim Hye-ja.

Won Bin's last film "My Brother" in 2004 has been so long ago that the fans are waiting for the release of this new film with big hopes....| More

'Running Boy' Inspires Hong Kong Marathon Buddies

Source | 2008/10/27 | Permalink |

"We ran the Chuncheon Marathon after watching the Korean film 'Running Boy'," said accountant Lo Kwokchi, 34, from Hong Kong.

Lo and five of her friends flew over 2,000 km from Hong Kong just to participate in the marathon, which formed the background to the movie that she saw on DVD earlier this year. She enjoys Korean films and has seen more than 10, including "My Sassy Girl", "My Brother" and "Daisy" -- but was most taken with "Running Boy" ("Marathon"), the story of an autistic boy named Cho-won who overcomes his handicap by running the Chuncheon Marathon.

"The autumn leaves in the Lake Eui-am depicted in the movie were absolutely beautiful", said Lo, noting there is no autumn, with its striking colors, in Hong Kong.

As soon as she watched "Running Boy", she started planning to visit Chuncheon in fall with her jogging companions in Hong Kong. Luckily, her friends had also seen "Running Boy" ("Marathon"), and were more than willing to accompany Lo. Among them were Fung Szem...| More

'Eye' Spies Perfect Crime

Source | 2008/07/24 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Korea's favorite leading men Han Seok-kyu and Cha Seung-won team up in "Eye for an Eye", an urban action flick that slithers with speed, style and substance.

Perfect crimes unfold in the tradition of the "Ocean's 11" trilogy, launching a "Public Enemy"-style cat and mouse game. Han dyes his hair silver and wears a matching gray suit and shiny Hermes belt to play the role of a suave yet gum chewing, foulmouthed detective ― the film is worth watching just to see the "Shiri" (Swiri) (1998) star drive like a madman and mercilessly interrogate suspects.

Similar to the recent box office smash "Public Enemy Returns", veteran detective Baek is about to resign so he can set up his own business. But he has to postpone it when 1.8 billion won is stolen from a bank truck in broad daylight and then 600 kilograms of trafficked gold vanishes from an airport ― all under police surveillance. Someone had ingeniously impersonated Baek, and this proves ...| More

WON Bin to Star in BONG Joon-ho's Latest

Source | 2008/04/09 | Permalink |

Korean Wave star and household heartthrob WON Bin has been cast in director BONG Joon-ho's latest project 'Mother - 2009' alongside veteran actress KIM Hye-ja. This will mark actor WON Bin's first return to the screen since 2004's box office smash "Taegukgi" and the popular "My Brother", released the same year.

BONG, who is counted one of Korea's top directors, after his 2006 film "The Host" quickly became the highest grossing film of all time at the Korean box office, presented the new project last month at the HAF project mart in Hong Kong. Production house Barunson Film Division is managing the project with CHOI Jae-won and SEO Woo-sik producing. The film is expected to start shooting this Fall on a budget of US$5 million.

BONG and Park Eun-kyo penned the screenplay, which centers on a shy, awkward young man (played by WON Bin) framed as the perpetrator in a brutal slaying. His devoted and determined mother (KIM Hye-ja) pits herself against incompetence and corruption in...| More