The Good, the Bad, the Weird (Movie - 2008)

Production Starts on John Woo Movie Starring Jeong Woo-seong

Source | 2009/11/05 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The shooting of John Woo's new movie "Rain of Swords", starring South Korean heartthrob Jeong Woo-seong, started Wednesday in Shanghai, Taurus Film announced Thursday.

The 36-year-old actor stars opposite Michelle Yeoh ("Memoirs of a Geisha") in the film which is being co-directed by Woo, the famous Hong Kong helmer of "Mission:Impossible II", and Taiwan's Su Chau-bin.

Renowned producer Terence Chang, who has partnered with Woo for big Hollywood projects such as "Face/Off", is taking part in the movie, which he calls "`Face/Off' meets `Mr. & Mrs. Smith' set in the Ming Dynasty", according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"Rain of Swords" is a "wuxia" or martial arts film that follows a love affair between a retiring assassin (Yeoh) and a messenger (Jeong) whose father was killed by the assassin's former associates.

The assassin is initially oblivious of her lover's history and the fact that he is well-trained in martial arts. Meanwhile a charact...| More

Nominees for Grand Bell Awards Stir Controversy

Source | 2009/10/26 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Grand Bell (Daejong) Awards, a prestigious film award in Korea, have stirred controversy yet again. The list of Best Leading Actress nominees that was announced October 21 includes Kim Min-seon ("Portrait Of A Beauty"), Soo-ae ("Sunny"), Kim Hye-ja ("Mother - 2009"), Choi Kang-hee ("Ae-ja") and Jang Nara ("Sky And Sea").

Nominees for the Best Picture award are "Mother", "Sky And Sea", "The Divine Weapon", "Haeundae" and "Take Off".

The controvery arose because actress Ha Ji-won of "Closer to Heaven" and "Haeundae", which drew more than 10 million vieiwers, and actress Kim Ha-neul of the hit movie "My Girlfriend is an Agent" were not included on the list. Morever, the movie "Thirst", which received the Jury Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and Kim Ji-woon's "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" also failed to be nominated for the Best Picture or the Best Director awards.

"Sky And Sea", which is to open on October 28 just a week before the awards ceremony, has been nomina...| More

46th Annual Daejong Film Awards Nominees

Source | 2009/10/23 | 0 comments | Permalink |

46th Annual Daejong Film Awards Nominees

- Best Movie: "Take Off", "Mother - 2009", "The Divine Weapon", "Sky and Sea", "Haeundae"

- Best Director : Kim Yong-hwa ("Take Off"), Yoon Je-kyoon ("Haeundae"), Jeon Yoon-soo ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Jeong Gi-hoon ("Ae-ja"), Bong Joon-ho ("Mother - 2009")

- Best Actor : Kim Myeong-min ("Closer to Heaven"), Kim Yoon-seok (Running Turtle), Seol Kyeong-gu ("Haeundae"), Jeong Jae-yeong ("The Divine Weapon"), Ha Jeong-woo ("Take Off")

- Best Actress : Kim Min-seon ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Kim Hye-ja ("Mother - 2009"), Soo-ae ("Sunny"), Jang Nara ("Sky and Sea"), Choi Kang-hee ("Ae-ja")

- Best Supporting Actor : Kim In-kwon ("Haeundae"), Jin Goo ("Mother - 2009"), Jeong Kyeong-ho ("Sunny"), Jang Geun-seok ("The Case of Itaewon Homicide"), Kim Nam-gil ("Modern Boy")

- Best Supporting Actress : Kim Bo-yeon ("Living Death"), Kim Hae-sook ("Thirst"), Kim Yeong-ae ("Ae-ja"), Choo Ja-hyeon ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Nam Neung-mi ("Clos...| More

'Haeundae' Director Set for International Shores

Source | 2009/10/16 | 0 comments | Permalink |

"Haeundae" writer and director Yoon Je-kyoon will direct an English language adventure comedy. The project will be produced by Youn's JK Film which also produced the mega-hit tsunami film that went on to screen at a number of territories around the world as well as pulling in 12 million admissions at home. To further guarantee a Western audience the film will come complete with an American cast and a (U.S) $10 million budget; big by Korean standards but hardly recognizable by Hollywood's.

The unique American/Korean story focuses on children who stay at a temple where ancient Korean ghosts come to visit and statues of Buddha come to life. This true, family film has been compared to other similar films such as Jumanji and the Night at the Museum franchise.

Director Yoon follows the footsteps of other Korean directors like KIM Ji-woon, who after the success of "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" has been recruited to direct an English version of Max et les Ferrailleurs in Philadelphi...| More

On heels of PIFF, festival featuring short films set to grab spotlight

Source | 2009/10/07 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Grab some popcorn and a soda, sit back and relax, as the season of film is upon us.

Fall is a great time for movie buffs in Korea, as the country plays host to the prestigious Pusan International Film Festival, one of the most influential movie events in all of Asia. Also known as PIFF, the event kicks off today in the southern port city of Busan, providing its biggest lineup ever.

While PIFF gets the lion's share of the attention, another film festival later in the fall is increasingly grabbing the spotlight as well.

This year's Asiana International Short Film Festival (AISFF), which runs from Nov. 5 to 10 at the Cinecube theater in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, will feature 79 films from 32 countries - an impressive tally by any measure.

"I urge moviegoers to turn their attention to AISFF as soon as PIFF ends", veteran actor Ahn Seong-gi, who is serving as director of the short film event for a fifth year, said in a press conference Tuesday.

The short film festival doe...| More