The King and the Clown (Movie - 2005)

Lee Joon-ki to Take a Lighter Role as Reporter

Source | 2009/10/27 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Actor Lee Joon-ki is up to the task to star in the new drama "Hero - Drama", which starts next month.

The 27-year-old has portrayed various roles in recent years, from a court jester ("The King and the Clown", 2005), national security agent ("Time Between Dog and Wolf - Drama", MBC, 2007) to a mysterious thief during the Joseon Kingdom period ("Iljimae", SBS, 2008).

"The characters I portrayed in the past were either energetic with a lot of action scenes or emotionally complicated and so I wanted to offer something lighter and fun", he said during a press conference at Melon AX Hall, northern Seoul.

"There are various episodes and I think I'll be able to show more versatility. I'm more used to physically built characters, but I'm trying hard to portray a more humorous role".

"Hero - Drama" stars Lee as aspiring journalist Jin Do-hyeok, who finds himself working for the newspaper Monday Seoul, famous for its scandalous articles and ruthles...| More

Korea's Prolific Production of Gay Themed Cinema Continues

Source | 2009/10/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

A soon to be released feature is about to join the ranks of Korea's burgeoning cannon of queer cinema. "Hello My Love", KIM Aaron's debut feature, comes at an end of a decade that has seen a relative explosion of new queer cinema. In this short space of time highlighted by such films as "Bungee Jumping of Their Own" (2001), "The King and the Clown" (the number one box office hit of 2005) and even "No Regret" (2006) the first gay film directed by and out gay director, Korean audiences have embraced this relatively taboo topics at least on a cinematic level.

"Hello My Love", like a lot of other Korean gay themed films presents the thorny issue of homosexuality through the well worn romantic comedy genre with a generous amount of melodrama and acceptable, comic stereotypical characters. This typical trendy take on the familiar threesome happens when popular radio host Ho-jeong welcomes back her childhood sweet heart, Won-jae from a two year trip in France. In tow however, is Won-jae...| More

'Haeundae' Attracts 10 Mil. Audience

Source | 2009/08/24 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

More than 10 million viewers have now watched the big-budget disaster film "Haeundae" since its release on July 22, becoming the fifth South Korean movie to reach the milestone.

Featuring a tsunami that hits the nation's largest port city, Busan, the movie drew 220,000 and 200,000 viewers over the weekend, respectively, according to film distributor CJ Entertainment.

By reaching the landmark, the film joined the so-called "10 million club" which includes the other hit motion pictures "The Host" (2006), "The King and The Clown" (2005), "TaeGukGi: Brotherhood of War" (2004) and "Silmido" (2003). Thanks to its catchy storyline and effective CG techniques, the film has garnered fans that range from teens to middle-aged people, which has increased ticket sales.

Movie experts are considering the jump in viewers as a green light for further investment in local films, as the success of "Haeundae" came during a difficult time for local cinema.
Accor...| More

Disaster Movie 'Haeundae' Heads for 10-Million Mark

Source | 2009/08/17 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Korean disaster film "Haeundae" has attracted more than 9 million spectators in the 26 days since its release and is about to surpass the 10 million mark. Dstributor CJ Entertainment on Monday said the film drew a total of 9.07 million viewers by Sunday. And as of Saturday, with an accumulated number of 8.8 million spectators, it already surpassed "D-War" to take the fifth place in the all-time box office hit parade for Korean films.

"Haeundae" is also the second fastest of four Korean films that attracted over 10 million spectators, topped only by "The Host", which drew 9 million viewers in just 18 days. "Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War" took 31 days, "The King and the Clown" 38 and "Silmido" 45.

"Take Off", a story about ski jumpers, is enjoying growing popularity in its third week, topping the box-office chart in terms of the number of spectators per day for three days since Friday over "Haeundae".

According to statistics compiled by the Korean Film Council as of Sun...| More

'Haeundae' Hits 7-Million-Viewer Mark

Source | 2009/08/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Local summer blockbuster "Haeundae", directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, has been seen by 7 million viewers in 18 days since its premiere July 22.

The film is expected to break the 10-million-viewer mark soon with its present pace. Currently, only four domestic movies ― "Silmido" (2003), "TaeGukGi: The Brotherhood of War" (2004), "The King and the Clown" (2005) and "The Host" (2006) ― have drawn more than 10 million viewers.

"Haeundae" attracted 180,000 viewers on opening day and reached 1 million viewers July 25, four days after its release.

The film has continued to draw an average 300,000 viewers a day during the weekdays and 500,000 viewers a day on the weekends. If the film reaches the 10-million-viewer mark, it will be the fifth film to do so, three years after "The Host", the last film to do so.

The movie's popularity is attributed to the wide range of audience members it appeals to, from teens to the middle-aged, due to its co...| More