kdrama and kpop

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- Out of South Korea's ultra-wired population of 49 million, about 4 million are seen as "alien," not because they hail from outer space or are social dropouts, but because they don't have a mobile phone.

Inspired by the country's growing addiction to the pocket-sized devices, the movie "Handphone" revolves around the consequences of cell-phone obsession and the gruesome outcome that losing it can lead to.



Nearly four years in the making, director Kim Han-min said his film is based on the real-life stories of people who experienced the agony of losing their cell phones, an average of 1.5 million people a year.

Seung-min (Eom Tae-woong) is an ambitious celebrity agent who sleeps with his mobile next to his pillow. The phone contains the numbers of 328 people who hold the promise of money and fame for his aspiring clients, 118 photographs and one video clip that no one is supposed to see -- an actress just beginning to rise in popularity for her "pure and innocent" image engaged in a compromising act.

One day, Seung-min accidentally leaves his mobile at a cafe. The phone is then picked up by Ee-gyu (Park Yong-woo), a typical youngster who discovers his darker side when he begins to play a cruel game with the desperate phone owner.

Ee-gyu, like many of his real life counterparts, has two very different sides. The kind, hardworking employee and devoted son is also a cruel and sadistic man who blackmails Seung-min into committing crimes to get his phone back.

The film's climax leaves audiences questioning the nature of the film's anti-hero, avoiding a simple contrast between who is good and who is bad, instead confronting viewers with their own potential for both good and evil.

"The movie is not just about losing one's phone," Park, who played Ee-gyu, told audiences at the preview Wednesday. "Losing the phone is just the premise that leads to the anger, fear and anxiety that many people will relate to. It is not the story itself, but the realistic aspects that audiences will be shocked by."

Initially unaware of his darker side, Ee-gyu soon becomes engrossed in a twisted game of his own making, believing he is safely hidden behind a mask of anonymity.

Seung-min, meanwhile, runs into massive debt buying expensive drinks for big names in the film and television industry to gain a leg up in the intensely competitive entertainment market.

He and his wife live in a wealthy Seoul neighborhood, driving posh cars as their lives drift farther apart and into their own private realities.

"Handphone," the second thriller by Kim after his debut in 2007 with the widely acclaimed "Paradise Murdered," has been long awaited by fans of the filmmaker.

The film does stumble towards the end, with an abrupt shift in focus and a lengthy running time of 150 minutes, leaving audiences slightly confused and wondering where the suspense went.

"Handphone" hits local theaters Feb. 19.

Credits : Shin Hae-in ( hayney@yna.co.kr )

Source : Yonhap News

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmm there aren't any good korean movies out now it seems. The last one that I saw was "The Game". Was pretty alright, didn't like the ending however. Do you have any movies to suggest? Thanks and have a great weekend everyone. HAPPY VALENTINE!<3

The film "Antique" by Min Kyu-dong has been invited to this year's 59th Berlin International Film Festival. Based on a bestselling manga of the same title, the film will be shown out of competition in a themed section named Culinary Cinema. "My Dear Enemy" by Lee Yoon-ki, "Land of Scarecrows" by Roh Gyeong-tae, "Members of the Funeral" by Baek Seung-bin, "The Day After" by Lee Suk-gyung and "Treeless Mountain" by Kim So-yong have been invited to the festival’s Forum section. "Antique," stars Ju Ji-hun, Kim Jae-wook, Andy Gillet, Yu Ain, and Choi Ji-ho. Credits: englishnews@chosun.com

The Korean horror movie Voices (2007) has been selected as one of this year's "8 Films to Die For III," a list annually issued by the After Dark Horrorfest, which runs this year from January 9 to 15, across 31 states, including Washington DC, New York, and Maryland.

"Voices" is a supernatural thriller that revolves around a young girl who fears her family may want her dead. The film has been highly praised for its realistic portrayal of a family with a dark secret, especially in the agonizing moments when the girl discovers that she will be sacrificed to relieve her family of its curse. The film was directed by Oh Gi-hwan, who is known for directing such Korean blockbusters as "Last Present" (2000) and "Art of Seduction" (2005). This is Oh's first attempt at the horror genre.

The After Dark Horrorfest is an annual celebration for the horror genre that showcases eight films that run the spectrum of horror, thriller, gore and supernatural. The festival generally features movies that have been deemed too graphic or disturbing for general audiences.

Other thrillers featured at the festival include, "Autopsy," "The Broken," "Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations," "Dying Breed," "From Within," "Slaughter," and "Perkins 14."

Washington, DC Area Screening Locations:
Washington: 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE. (202)842-4455
Baltimore: 7000 Arundel Mills Cir. Hanover, MD (443)755-8992

Credits : Minhae Choi

Source : Dynamic Korea

Reports of remakes of PARK Chan-wook’s vengeance trilogy films have been headline news in the entertainment industry over the past year. The latest comes from the mouth of director Danny Boyle (Golden Globe winner for Slum Dog Millionaire) who told Empire Online that he has been asked to direct the remake of PARK’s Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.

The film, PARK’s final installment in the revenge trilogy, made news earlier last year when actress Charlize Theron announced she would produce the project and take the lead role (play by LEE Young-ae in the original).

Boyle, who has won numerous awards for hits such as Trainspotting, The Beach, and 28 Days Later, was expected to direct The Bromeliad trilogy for Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks, but announced that the project had fallen through, making Lady Vengeance a serious possibility. Boyle added that he had just bought a DVD of PARK’s first installment, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.

The news follows on reports late last year that Spielberg and Will Smith were considering a remake of PARK's 2004 Cannes Grand Prize winner Old Boy. An exciting surmise would be that Spielberg may back Lady Vengeance with Theron starring and producing and Boyle directing.

Credits: Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)

SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- Ticket sales for the South Korean movie "Ssanghwajeom (A Frozen Flower)" topped 2 million as of Friday, making the film the first to pass the mark this year, movie distributors said Friday.

The fictional tale of homosexual romance between King Kongmin and his bodyguard during Korea's ancient Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) drew an audience of 1.96 million as of Thursday, the film's 10th day of screening, movie distribution company Showbox said.

Domestic filmmakers have been striving to fight the ongoing economic slump and a deluge of Hollywood blockbusters to be released this year.

South Korean movies saw their worst sales figures in eight years in 2008, which fell by more than 20 percent from the previous year.

Just eight films last year saw ticket sales top 2 million compared to 16 films in 2006 and 10 in 2007.

Credits: hayney@yna.co.kr

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturespo...005200315F.HTML

SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- Five South Korean movies including "My Dear Enemy," starring award-winning actress Jeon Do-youn, have been invited to the Forum section of this year's Berlin International Film Festival, the event's organizers said Friday. The Forum is the festival's non-competition section which screens works of emerging filmmakers around the world noted for their potentials. The five South Korean movies include "Treeless Mountain," "Members of the Funeral," "The Day After" and "Land of Scarecrows." "My Dear Enemy," directed by Lee Yoon-ki, caught moviegoers' attention with Jeon, winner of the best actress award at Cannes film festival in 2007, playing the starring role of a woman who spends a bittersweet day with her playboy of an ex-boyfriend. "Treeless Mountain," directed by Kim So-young, is a story of two orphaned sisters, who at a very early age are confronted with a world that does not welcome them. The movie has also been invited to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. "Korean cinema, which many skeptics have already seen as entering a crisis, has pulled out all the stops in these films," festival organizers said in a press release. "Korea, the United States, Romania, and the Netherlands contribute films that delight in telling stories from close to home in emotional and social terms." The 59th festival, also known as Berlinale, will run from Feb. 5 through 15 with more than 400 films up for competition. Credits: hayney@yna.co.kr http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturespo...002700315F.HTML

Data released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on December 2, revealed a number of modest budgeted films in the top five of most successful films in 2008. However, the list is lead by the big budget blockbuster The Good, the Bad, and the Weird by KIM Jee-woon. The kimchi western attracted 7.03 million viewers, undoubtedly, partly due to the presence of the stars SONG Kang-ho, LEE Byung-hun, and JUNG Woo-sung.

Number two was 2008's biggest surprise, the sleeper hit The Chaser. NA Hong-jin’s low budget thriller mobilised 5 million Koreans. The Chaser, its director NA, and its leading actors KIM Yoon-suk and HA Jung-woo also received much critical acclaim along with major awards.



KANG Woo-suk’s Public Enemy Returns accumulated 4.2 million spectators. SUL Kyung-gu reprised his role in the third instalment, this time pursuing a criminal played by JUNG Jae-young. JANG Jin delivered the screenplay of the third most popular film.

Forever the Moment, became one of the rare blockbuster Korean sports films. The handball film is directed by YIM Soon-rye and her line-up includes MOON So-ri, KIM Jung-eun, and EUM Tae-woong. The veteran women’s team with Olympic ambitions scored 4 million tickets.

Historically themed films perform on average well in the Korean market. KIM Yoo-jin’s The Divine Weapon reached 2008’s fifth place by recording an attendance number of 3.75 million. The Divine Weapon is JUNG Jae-young’s second film in the top five. His and HAN Eun-jung’s characters are crucial in the defence of the Joseon dynasty against invaders.



More small budget films performed impressively, in particular, CHANG’s horror film Death Bell, and JANG Hoon’s action drama Rough Cut.

Credits: Yi Ch’ang-ho (KOFIC), captures from empas.com

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/KOFIC/Channel/


I have yet to see Death Bell or Rough Cut!The chaser was good though.

According to major U.S. agency William Morris, PARK Chan-wook was advised by Quentin Tarantino to come to Hollywood to direct films. William Morris representatives also disclosed that they are in the process of finding a project which can interest PARK.

PARK’s definite international breakthrough was his critically acclaimed Old Boy, which was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2004 Festival de Cannes by a jury headed by Quentin Tarantino.

William Morris agency was present at the 2008 Korea-U.S. business campus held by Korean Film Council. William Morris agency is a leading U.S. agency who manages major stars in cinema, music, and sports.

Credits: Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC), image from empas.com

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/KOFIC/Channel/

Dream, the 15th film by well-known Korean director KIM Ki-duk, has recently concluded a sales deal to Taiwan, according to international sales company Showbox.

The film has been previously sold to France, Brazil, Poland, and Turkey.

It was also announced that Dream has been selected as the closing film at the Mar del Plata film festival in Argentina, one of the most prestigious festivals in Latin America. The film previously received its international premiere at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain in September.

Dream received its local release on October 9 through distributor Sponge Entertainment. Through October 26, the film has recorded 85,635 admissions.

Credits: Darcy Paquet (KOFIC)

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/KOFIC/Channel?...esimul_SNO=1113
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmm another one on my to-watch list. I love Kim Ki-Duk's films!

Another remake of cheap Asian horrors you say?Then you might rethink and give this a chance, as this is the remake of one of the best k-horror movies ever; A Tale of Two Sisters. Me who never watches anything twice has rewatched this twice already. I doubt it that the remake will make it up to its original but nevertheless I shall give it a try when it comes out.

Here's an article about the remake:



A 2003 Korean horror film has joined the ranks of other Korean movies that have been, or are going to be, issued as American remakes. The Uninvited, to be released in the United States on Jan. 30, 2009, is a remake of Janghwa, Hongryeon (the title translates as "Rose and Lotus" but the film was known as A Tale of Two Sisters in its international release).

Earlier Korean films to be remade in the United States include The Lake House (a 2006 remake of Il Mare), My Sassy Girl in 2008, remade from the 2000 Korean smash hit of the same name. Other Korean films to which rights have been bought for Hollywood-ization include My Wife is a Gangster, Oldboy and JSA. In the case of A Tale of Two Sisters, DreamWorks are reported to have paid US$1 million for the remake rights.

All this is a significant recognition of Korean film as a rising force in global cultural content creation. It comes only a decade after many in Korea feared that the end of the screen quota system (which guaranteed that domestic movies got a minimum number of screening days in cinemas each year) announced the death knell for the local film industry. Korean cinema is back, and it is back with a vengeance.

A Tale of Two Sisters was, upon its release in 2003, the most successful Korean-made horror movie yet made. The plot is, in fact, an old one, stemming from a folktale of the Joseon Dynasty which was also named "Rose and Lotus," after the names of the two main characters. It had earlier been adapted to film in Korea in 1956, 1962 and 1972. The tale is a complex one, involving two teenage sisters, and their father who has remarried. The girls suspect their stepmother is up to no good, and when horrible things start to happen, their suspicions seem to be confirmed.

BBC's Collective website describes the movie thus: "Two girls return from hospital to an oppressive country house presided over by a wicked stepmother. It's a Gothic fairy tale set-up, with a malignant specter coming out at night to terrorize the teens. But the scares are all about the atmosphere -- gloomy woods, dark bedroom corners, even the wallpaper prickles. Technically brilliant, it's hellishly frightening too."

Kim Ji-woon as wrote and directed the original, and it starred popular Moon Geun-young and Im Soo-jung. The film attracted a surprise amount of overseas attention: Internet movie database imdb.com links to 250 external reviews of the film, and 154 user comments, as well as 9,376 votes, giving it a ranking of 7.5 out of 10. A Tale of Two Sisters was nominated for several awards at various international film festivals. Notably, Im Soo-jung won the Best New Actress Award at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2003, and Kim Ji-woon received the festival trophy for best film at Screamfest, an annual horror film festival held in Los Angeles.

The remake has been directed by up-and-coming English brother Charles and Thomas Guard, and produced by the same people who made the American remake of Japanese horror classic The Ring. A trailer and story information are available here: http://www.uninvitedmovie.com

Credits : Jacco Zwetsloot@Korea.net

Source : Korea.net

Now check out the trailer of both versions:
US Version:



Korean Version:

BOTTOM LINE: Kim Ki-duk lite is perfect for those who don't want the real thing.

October 08, 2008
By Elizabeth Kerr

Pusan International Film Festival


From the moment "Rough Cut" begins, it's clear that Korean movie bad-boy Kim Ki-duk's fingerprints are all over it. Based on a screenplay by Kim, the story turns on many of his favorite themes and issues. Unlike Kim, first-time director Jang Hun has a more populist eye and has crafted a mainstream -- meaning linear -- drama that's infinitely more accessible than most of Kim's films.

"Rough Cut" is the kind of violent, urban quasi-actioner that is so popular in Korea and the rest of Asia, and that the Korean industry adopted from Hong Kong just about a decade ago. It's going to be a moderate hit domestically and likely will see limited release in other parts of Asia. It's also polished enough to merit niche release overseas if it doesn't make the festival cut.

Gang-pae (So Ji-sub, who broods or mumbles his way through the film) is a real gangster who crosses paths with self-involved actor Soo-ta (a slightly hyper Kang Ji-hwan) in a nightclub. When Soo-ta's on-set behavior gets him in trouble professionally and publicly, he goes to (former) wannabe actor Gang-pae and offers him a role because no one else is willing to co-star with him. The gangster's condition is that there be no stunt fighting, which sets the stage for the mother of all movie shoots.

"Rough Cut" is based on one of the oldest stories in the book: Two people from seemingly opposite worlds making an unlikely connection and finding out they're really more alike than not, but for the wrong reasons. Gang-pae isn't the thug he appears to be on the surface; he lives a quiet life on his own and is relatively generous with his time and money. Soo-ta, however, is an obnoxious brat that wants everything his way, and is behaves like a thug to get it.

The film also plays with standard Kim themes of where the line between fantasy and reality lays, imposed identity and the twisted desire for what is not one's own. And as usual, women are manipulative accessories to be traded and violence comes in sudden barrages, with the exception of the excellent final battle.

Cast: So Ji-sub, Kang Ji-hwan, Hong Soo-hyun, Ko Chang-seok.
Director: Jang Hun.
Screenwriters: Kim Ki-duk, Jang Hun, Ok Jin-gon, Oh Sei-yeon.
Producers: Kim Ki-duk, David Cho.
Executive producers: Cho Eun-un, Lee Nam-ki, Shin Kang-young, So Ji-sub, Kim Ki-duk, Jang Ji-hwan.
Director of photography: Kim Gi-tae.
Production designer: Lee Hyun-chu.
Costume designer: Ma Youn-hee.
Music: Roh Hyoung-woo.
Editor: Wong Su-ahn.
Sales agent: Showbox
No rating, 113 minutes.
production: Zambo Entertainment, Lotus Smile, Sponge, Kim Ki Duk

Source : THR.com

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...bbd31ceaa46e88d








I want to watch this..!

http://builfilm.busanilbo.com/

Best Picture
Sunny
Night and Day
The Chaser

Best Director
Kim Hyun-Seok (Scout)
Na Hong-Jin (The Chaser)
Hur Jin-Ho (Happiness))
Hong Sang-Soo (Night and Day)

Best Actor
Kim Young-Ho (Night and Day)
Kim Yoon-Seok (The Chaser)
Jung Woo-Sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Han Suk-Gyu (Eye for an Eye)
Ha Jung-Woo (The Chaser / The Moonlight in Seoul)

Best Actress
Kim Hae-Sook (Viva! Love)
Soo Ae (Sunny)
Im Soo-Jung (Happiness)

Best Supporting Actor
Gi Ju-Bong (Viva! Love)
Kim Min-Joon (A Love)
Park Hee-Soon (Seven Days)
Song Young-Chang (The Good, The Bad, The Weird / M)
Jung Jae-Young (Going by the Book)

Best Supporting Actress
Gong Hyo-Jin (M)
Kim Ji-Young (Forever the Moment)
Kim Hae-Sook (Open City)
Seo Young-Hee (Shadows in the Palace)

Best New Actor
Shin Myung-Chul (Crossing)
Im Ji-Gyu (Milky Way Liberation Front / Who's That Knocking At My Door?)
Jang Geun-Seok (The Happy Life)

Best New Actress
Nam Gyu-Ri (Death Bell)
Ahn So-Hee (Hellcats)
Yoo Yeon-Mi (With a Girl of Black Soil)
Lee Ha-Na (Gourmet)

Best New Director
Kim Mi-Jung (Shadows in the Palace)
Na Hong-Jin (The Chaser)
Yang Hae-Hoon (Who's That Knocking At My Door?)
Oh Jeom-Gyun (Viva! Love)
Yoon Seung-Ho (Milky Way Liberation Front)

Best Screenplay
Kim Hyun-Seok (Scout)
Na Hyun (Forever the Moment)
Na Hong-Jin (The Chaser)
Hong Sang-Soo (Night and Day)

Best Cinematography
Kim Hyung-Goo (Happiness)
Lee Mo-Gae (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Lee Sung-Je (The Chaser)
Hong Kyung-Pyo (Eye for an Eye)

Best Editing
Kim Sun-Min (The Chaser / Who's That Knocking At My Door? / Hellcats)
Nam Na-Young (The Good, The Bad, The Weird / Dachimawa Lee)
Shin Min-Kyung (Guard Post 506 / Open City / Seven Days)

Best Lighting
Park Se-Moon (Shadows in the Palace / Sunny)
Park Soon-Hong (Death Bell)
Yoon Dong-Woo (Guard Post 506)
Lee Chul-Oh (The Chaser)
Choi Chul-Soo (M)

Technical Award
Kim Ji-Woon (Director - The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Lee Joon-Ik (Director - Sunny)
Won Shin-Yeon (Director - Seven Days)
Gong Su-Chang (Director - Guard Post 506)

Best Music
Dalparan (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)
Bang Jun-Seok (Sunny / Eye for an Eye)
Lee Byung-Hoon (Sunny / The Happy Life)
Jang Young-Gyu (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)

Best Art Direction
Yoo Joo-Ho (M)
Yoon Sang-Yoon (M)
Jo Hwa-Sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)

부일독자심사단상
Night and Day
The Chaser
Sunny
The Good, The Bad, The Weird
Forever the Moment

Special Jury Prize
Ji Joong-Hyun (The Good, The Bad, The Weird)

Actor Choi Min-sik “I felt like I was riding a new car just out of a warehouse, starting from zero mileage. Now my heart is full of all sorts of ambiguous emotions -- I’m proud, relieved and empty, as if a passionate love is over.” Thus Choi Min-sik after his first appearance in front of the audience after three years of absence. The star of “Old Boy” (2003) and “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” (2005), Choi is known for his ability to captivate the audience with his charismatic acting. But he has not been seen on screen since “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance,” which is what made his appearance at the open talk session during the Pusan International Film Festival on Monday afternoon even more special. Since his name was mentioned in a bitter diatribe by director Kang Woo-suk about the exorbitant fees top actors demand, Choi has scarcely appeared in public, except during the one-man relay demonstrations calling for the screen quota for Korean movies to be maintained. But then Choi chose “Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells” by Jeon Soo-il, who is known for his art-house films. In the movie, Choi visits a village in the Himalayas in order to deliver the remains of a migrant worker who died in an accident in Korea to his family. He is the only Korean in the film; the rest of the actors were locally cast. In the last three years, Choi said, something huge and extraordinary swept through his life, and he realized acting is something that he loves and is passionate about. “I was thirsty, and I was hungry,” he says. He repeatedly stressed the word “starting point,” and emphasized that the struggling Korean movie industry should relax and start over. “I felt both scared and ecstatic in front of the imposing mountain range,” he recalled of the shoot. “It was an extremely difficult task, but I was happy to endure that hardship. No matter what the outcome may be, I am glad I chose this film.” The Himalayas movie is to be released in Korea next spring, and if all goes well will be submitted to the Berlin International Film Festival. Credits: englishnews@chosun.com http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0810070005.html

--------------------

"Secret Sunshine," which handed its heroine Jeon Do-yeon the best actress award at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and most recent South Korean blockbuster "The Good The Bad The Weird" were among the films sold to European and Asian countries during the four-day Asian Film Market.

The film festival in Busan -- previously spelled "Pusan" -- has been held annually since 1996. It kicked off this year on Oct. 2 and runs until this Friday.

Credits : ygkim@yna.co.kr

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturespo...008200315F.HTML

Jolly crickets. After that trailer, I could say something very sexist and a little unbecoming of my age, right? Like the trailer for Fatso, there’s nothing in here that would scream NSFW, but if you have the tendency to voice out hormone-drenched epithets whenever… oh mama. Where is this going?

Anyhow. Focus.

As if we needed any further confirmation, her wonderful performance in 스포트라이트 (Spotlight) showed once again that Son Ye-Jin is the best actress of her generation (along with, may I suggest, Gong Hyo-Jin and Cha Su-Yeon), but that doesn’t always mean quality is guaranteed. Be it the material faulting the actors - 무방비 도시 (Open City) wasn’t exactly high art, and her “I’m so sexy I’m melting the North Pole faster than SUVs” aura was a little too forced—or just a case of not playing the right character, everyone, even the very best actors—Jeon Do-Yeon in 프라하의 연인 (Lovers in Prague)?—has his or her own ups and downs. But this trailer looks pretty promising, sexiness aside. Looking at the director, Jung Yoon-Soo of 지금 사랑하는 사람과 살고 있습니까? (Changing Partners) and 예스터데이 (Yesterday), one could start worrying, but this feels like a breezy romcom with two very good actors (the other is Kim Ju-Hyeok, obviously) and a spunky atmosphere enveloping the story (a wife wanting polygamy? Wow). Film releases this October 23. You can see the two teasers below the break.