Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
Korean films ready to strike back on Avengers
A scene from the film "“Inseparable Bros." Courtesy of NEW
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
As the box-office smash “Avengers: Endgame” enters its third week, Korean films are set to strike back to reclaim their home turf.
With the front-running comedy drama “Inseparable Bros,” premiering May 1, more Korean films, based on true stories, will be released in the coming days.
“Inseparable Bros,” starring Shin Ha-kyun and Lee Kwang-soo, is a comedy telling the story of two men, one physically and the other mentally handicapped, becoming as inseparable as real brothers.
Against the Hollywood blockbuster, the small-budget film ― based on a true story of two men who lived together for over a decade ― is having a meaningful box office achievement. The heartening comedy currently ranks second in the local box office, attracting 920,000 viewers as of Tuesday.
On May 15, “Juror 8” and “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” will hit local theaters.
The former film is inspired by the stories of jurors who participated in the first jury trial right after Korea introduced the system for criminal cases in 2008. Eight ordinary people from different backgrounds gather for a murder trial, in which a son was charged with killing his mother.
With the presence of evidence and witnesses in the case, only the sentencing process seemed to be left. But the jury questions the son's guilt, and the trial has an unexpected ending.
Ordinary people, who had never judged another person in the legal process, question the case, based on their different life experiences and common sense. They turn the tables on the case which seemed almost solved, and get closer to the truth. Their truth-finding process will give thrills and catharsis to viewers.
Director Hong Seung-wan, debuting with the film, wrote the script after studying 80 similar legal cases and rulings.
“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil,” invited to the Midnight Screening at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, is also inspired by real incidents. Lee Won-tae, director of the action noir, said the gangsters' turf wars over video arcades happened in 2005.
The film, starring Ma Dong-seok of “Train to Busan,” tells the story of a cop and a gangster who team up to chase a serial killer.