The General's Son (1990) - 장군의 아들 (Jang-goon-eui A-deul)

Great filmmaker Im to get French Legion of Honor

2007/11/29 | Source | Permalink |

Korea's top filmmaker Im Kwon-taek will receive the Order of the Legion of Honor from the French government on Friday, in recognition of his decades of contributions to the field of visual arts.

The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. at the residence of the French ambassador in Hap-dong, Seoul.

"Im Kwon-Taek will be awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur by French Ambassador Philippe Thiebaud for his long and active career, and especially for his contribution to defending the movie industry and to promoting Korean movies in France", the French Embassy said in a press release.

Im has already won numerous awards, including the best director award at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival. The embassy said the decoration is also meant to honor Im's dedication to the celebration of the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea.

Created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honor is the highest award given by the French Republic, reg...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Hit movies revisit audiences as musicals

2007/06/18 | Source | Permalink |

Creating a new catch phrase "moviecal boom" in the country's entertainment industry, a number of musicals based on hit movies will be staged in the coming months. Smash-hit Korean movies, including "200 Pounds Beauty", "Singles", "Love So Divine", "My Love My Bride" and "The Parade of the Youth", are a few examples among many moviecals already announced for a rebirth on stage. The moviecal boom doesn't stop there. Older hit movies like "The Gingko Bed" (1995), which starred Han Seok-kyu and Shim Hye-jin, "The Harmonium In My Memory" (1999), featuring Lee Byeong-heon and Jeon Do-yeon, winner of this year's Canne Film Festival, and internationally acclaimed director Im Kwon-taek's "The General's Son (1990)" are also to be staged next year.

Among a number of moviecals, the musical adaptation of the movie "200 Pounds Beauty", is already grabbing media attention in and out of the country. The movie based on a transformation story of an extremely fat singer produced an impressive box-offi...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Director Ryoo Is Sole Presence at Venice

2006/09/05 | Source | Permalink |

By Paolo Bertolin
Contributing Writer

VENICE, Italy . Ryoo Seung-wan's "The City of Violence" (Chakpae) was the sole Korean film invited to this year's Venice Film Festival. Ryoo's fifth feature film was screened at the festival, one of the world's leading film events, as part of the midnight screenings on Sept. 1st.

In "The City of Violence", 'Action Kid' Ryoo has once again tracked the paths of genre filmmaking with film aptly reminiscent of the Oriental tradition of kung fu movies, blended with a zest of the peculiar brand of Western incepted by Italian master Sergio Leone, the spaghetti western.

It's a story of a Seoul cop who returns to his native town to investigate the suspicious murder of an old time friend, and uncovers a web of corruption revolving around the development of a casino in the city. Ryoo told us about the film in Venice.

Q: The original concept of "The City of Violence" came from main actor Jeong Doo-heong, a wellappreciated stunt and action choreogr...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Shin Hyeon-joon Redeems Himself in Another Intense Part

2006/04/25 | Source | Permalink |

"Public duty" and "faith" are keywords in an interview with the actor Shin Hyeon-joon ahead of the release of his film "Barefoot Ki-bong". The actor's mother reportedly prays nonstop for six hours a day, and his older sister is said to have the gift of prophecy. The actor himself is now in his third year of volunteering to help bathe and look after children with cerebral palsy.

In a recent meeting with the press in Japan, the actor got a little carried away while talking about missionary work, until finally the head of the company that sponsored the event and invited the actor said, "Could you please just talk about something else". The actor said, "If that's what you want, I'll return your money and leave". The company president apologized.

But maybe our feelings about Shin Hyeon-joon are a little narrow-minded, even if most of the fault for the misunderstanding lies with the actor himself. After getting his foot in the door in Chungmuro with the role of the Hayashi in the film ...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?