My Father (2007) - 마이 파더 (Ma-i Pa-deo)

2008/03/20 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

In the star-studded gangster film "Fate", friends become foes and "pretty" actors get rough. Actor-turned-director Kim Hae-gon casts hallyu TV stars Kwon Sang-woo ("Stairway to Heaven") and Song Seung-heon ("Autumn in my Heart") and other familiar faces to play unfamiliar roles.

"Fate" is a quintessential commercial flick that feeds on star power, provocative action and melodrama. While weak storytelling and exhausting running time wane the fun, the actors' engaging performances fill in the missing links.

In the dark criminal world of Seoul, U-min (Song), Cheol-jung (Kwon), Do-wan (Kim In-kwon) and Yeong-hwan (Ji Seong) are close friends in a gang. One day, with the help of an older member Gang-seop (Ahn Nae-seong), U-min, Cheol-jung and Do-wan attack the gang's casino so they can start new lives. But their plan goes awry when Cheol-jung betrays them, and U-min goes to prison. He becomes the scapegoat to save his friends' lives.

After serving...

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2008/03/18 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

"Fate" is the talk of the town as actor-turned director Kim Hae-gon brings together not just one but four of the hottest Korean actors in his second feature film: hallyu stars Kwon Sang-woo (2003 SBS drama "Stairway to Heaven") and Seung-heon ("Autumn in My Heart" 2000 KBS2), heartthrob Ji Seong ("All In", 2003 SBS) and bona-fide actor Kim In-kwon ("My Father", 2007).

"The Fate" tells the story of a group of close friends who rule the underworld of Seoul. One day they scheme to steal casino money, so they leave their mob. They almost succeed ― until Cheol-jung (Kwon) betrays them. While Wu-min (Song) is forced to go to prison on behalf of the gang, everyone's lives are torn apart by lustful desires and other mishaps. After serving his two-year term, Wu-min tries to rectify things, including reclaiming his beautiful girlfriend (Park Han-byeol). But unfortunate twists of fate set off one misunderstanding after another, and best friends become t...

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2008/02/24 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Hearthrob actor Daniel Henney, 28, will costar in the new X-men spin-off film "X-men Origins: Wolverine".

Henney will star as Agent Zero of the Mutant Weapon X program, a mutant who can control electricity and has specialized tracking abilities, according to Twentieth Century Fox Korea.

The Mutant Weapon X program aims to control mutants and transform them into living weapons.

The movie "Wolverine", directed by Gavin Hood, is a prequel to the X-men saga that traces Wolverine's past as he discovers the world of mutants. The audience will join Wolverine's journey as he finds out he's a mutant, gets tangled up in with Sabretooth and learns more about the Weapon X program.

Hugh Jackman, also the producer of the film, will once again play Wolverine, while Liev Schreiber will star as his nemesis, Sabretooth. Danny Huston will be the young William Stryker, who was originally played by Brian Cox in the previous X-men movies.

New mutant charact...

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I can't wait to see this movie! Good luck to you Daniel! Fighting! owendandan 2008-03-03 02:43:38

2007/12/24 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

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...

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2007/12/04 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

LEE Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine" took home four of the top awards at Korea's 6th annual Korean Film Awards, held in Seoul Dec 1st. LEE's fourth feature won best film, best director, best actor (SONG Kang-ho) and best actress for show-stealer JEON Do-yeon. JEON has won a total of seven acting honors since being awarded the Cannes best actress prize in May of this year.

Other winners included a best supporting actor prize to SEONG Ji-roo in "Paradise Murdered" ("Paradise 1986"), and KONG Hyo-jin for best supporting actress in "Happiness". The best new actor and actress prizes went to Daniel Henney ("My Father") and SONG Hye-kyo ("Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007"). KIM Mi-jeong won best new director for "Shadows in the Palace". LEE Myeong-Se's "M" picked up all three top visual awards for cinematography, lighting, and art direction.

Veteran director, YOO Hyeon-mok, known for the Korean cinema milestone "An Aimless Bullet" (1961) and many other classics, won an honorary achieveme...

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