| Lee Min-ki revels in the art of acting (Source) |
2009/08/06 |
Actor Lee Min-ki, 24, who starred in the two recent Korean summer blockbusters "Haeundae" and "A Million", seems to be enjoying his newfound popularity.
Lee, who started out as a model and later ventured into acting, has been doing both for the past five years.
He has appeared in TV dramas such as "Dalja's Spring" and "Really Really Like You" and movies, including "Romantic Island" and "Oishi Man".
But it is through his two latest films that he has finally begun to gain a foothold as an actor.
In the Korean disaster film "Haeundae", Lee plays Hyung-sik, a Coast Guard who rescues a female college student and eventually falls in love with her. As Hyung-sik, Lee projects an air of innocence and self-sacrifice. In the film "A Million", however, Lee takes on the role of Cheol-hee, showing his gritty side as a hot-tempered Marine-turned-janitor who finds himself involved in a survival reality show where eight people are chosen to compete for $1 million in the Australian outback.
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| Summer Action Flicks Are Coming
(Source) |
2009/06/30 |
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
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| Love Story 'Oishi Man' (Source) |
2009/03/05 |
Youth, love, and growing pains. These three words are woven into a beautiful harmony in "Oishi Man". With an unforgettable love story, this film leaves the audience with a feeling of nostalgia for the passing winter. Monbetsu, Hokkaido. A town surrounded by vast snow-covered plains.
[Interview] "Could you lend me a light please[Interview : Cho Seong-gyu CEO of Oishi Man production company] "The language barriers between people are breaking down. Moreover, the cinema can serve as an intermediary for communication. I think this film reflects this kind of modern mode of exchange".
Once a hot shot musician, Hyeon-seok has now become a wounded animal after loosing his ears to tinnitus.
[Interview] "A few years off the job and you've lost it already[Interview : Moviegoer] "The beautiful scenes of nature and the love story brought tranquility to my mind".
[Interview : Moviegoer] "This was a film that reminded me of all the challenges of youth, and how beautiful it was".
"Oish... |More
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| 'Oishi Man': Magic of Love, Youth (Source) |
2009/02/19 |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Franz Kafka once said that "literature must be the axe for the frozen sea within us", and good movies, like books and other works of art, sometimes have such inspirational power. "Oishi Man" is yet another small jewel of a film by Kim Jeong-joong, and despite its prevalent imagery of the frozen sea, the youthful romance seethes with warmth.
Perhaps love and youth compliment each other like no other pair can. Kim broke hearts with "HERs", set in snow-covered Alaskan plains. This time, the director takes viewers to the ice floes of northern Japan. In "Oishi Man", two young starlets ― South Korean model-turned-actor Lee Min-ki and Japanese heroine Chizuru Ikewaki ― make music and magic.
Hyeon-seok (Lee), a once promising musician, suffers an ear problem and ends up teaching tone-deaf "ajummas" (aunties) at a local singing class. The film shines upon hidden talents of the pretty-faced actor, as he croons rock tunes and ballads effortless... |More
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| Korean World Premieres at PIFF 2008 (Source) |
2008/09/30 |
The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) is putting its weight behind local films this year, and, under the catch-phrase 'Way to Go, Korea!' will host the World Premier of 15 Korean features. Headlining is closing film "I am Happy" by YOON Jong-chan, a psychiatric drama based on a novel by Korean literary giant, the late LEE Chong-jun. The fest runs Oct 2 – 10 in the south-eastern port city of Busan.
PIFF's competition section, New Currents, will see the World Premieres of 3 Korean features. "Land of Scarecrows" is the sophomore effort by NOH Kyeong-tae ("The Last Dining Table"), a poetical cross-section of the lives of Korea's outsiders in pursuit of vanishing dreams. "Members of the Funeral" by BAEK Seung-bin is an HD feature about a family mourning the passing of relative and the memories it triggers, while KIM Tae-gon's "The Pot" focuses on the uncanny happenings surrounding a small family in their new apartment.
In the Korean Cinema Today – Panorama section are sev... |More
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