Taiwanese star Greg Hsu visits Korea to promote 'Marry My Dead Body' A scene from the film "Marry My Dead Body" /Courtesy of Lian ContentsBy Kwak Yeon-sooTaiwanese actor Greg Hsu visited Korea for the third time this year to promote his new film “Marry My Dead Body.”In January, Hsu visited Korea to promote the movie adaptation of the 2019 hit Taiwanese series “Someday or One Day” with his co-stars Alice Ko and Patrick Shih. In April, he attended Baeksang Arts Awards to present the Best Director award. “I'm so glad to come back to Korea to promote my latest film,” he said during a press conference for the film in Seoul, Friday. Directed by Cheng Wei-hao, “Marry My Dead Body” is a supernatural comedy film that follows a homophobic detective named Ming-han (Hsu) who is coerced into a “ghost marriage” with the gay ghost Mao-mao (Austin Lin). Ming-han reluctantly agrees to help Mao-mao fulfill his wish list, which includes searching for Mao-mao's killer. Hsu said he was drawn to the film's unusual subjects of gay rights and the environment. “When I received the script, I was attracted to theMay 14, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
BIFF director Huh Moon-yung announces shock resignation Huh Moon-yung, director of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) / Courtesy of BIFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooHuh Moon-yung, director of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), has offered his resignation five months before this year's edition scheduled for Oct. 4-13. According to local reports, Huh expressed his intention to step down from his post during an internal meeting last week. The reason for his alleged resignation is unknown. He still has about 10 months left before his term expires in March 2024. The BIFF said Huh's resignation has yet to be processed. Some suggest that Huh's sudden resignation is over his frustration with the festival's decision to create the new post of a joint director. On Tuesday, the festival's board of directors appointed Cho Jong-kook as managing director.“Festival Director Huh Moon-yung will continue to oversee the official selection of films and festival events and discover prominent directors and films in Korea and Asia, while Managing Director Cho Jong-kook will oversee the operation of the organization, such as corporate operation, genMay 14, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Husband-and-wife directors bring attention to overlooked women's stories in China Filmmaker Ryuji Otsuka / Courtesy of JIFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooHusband-and-wife directors Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji are renowned for making films about often-overlooked women's stories that generate empathy. “Stonewalling” is the finale of a trilogy that centers on young women's sexual and reproductive rights in contemporary China. The two previous films were “Egg and Stone” (2012), about a 14-year-old girl who experiences family sexual abuse, and “The Foolish Bird” (2017), about a 16-year-old girl experiencing pregnancy resulting from rape.Their latest film follows Lynn (Honggui Yao), a college student aspiring to become a flight attendant. Her plans are plunged into doubt when she discovers she is pregnant. Not wanting an abortion, Lynn decides to carry the baby to term and give it away to another family to settle her mother's debts. Japanese director Otsuka, who recently visited Korea to screen “Stonewalling” at the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), said he decided to make the film around 2016 when China ended its one-child pMay 10, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor Ma Dong-seok chases down drug ring in 'The Roundup: No Way Out' Korean actor Ma Dong-seok, who stars in director Lee Sang-yong's "The Roundup: No Way Out," titled "The Outlaws 3" in Korean, speaks during a showcase for the movie at a Seoul theater, May 9. YonhapKorean action star Ma Dong-seok returns as the "beast cop" chasing down a local drug ring in the third series of a crime action franchise, "The Roundup: No Way Out," featuring new types of villains.Ma, also known by his English name Don Lee, is the lead cast member and producer for the gritty action series that began with "The Outlaws" (2017). Its sequel "The Roundup," released in May 2022, topped the annual domestic box office with 12.69 million admissions. Directed by Lee Sang-young behind the second edition, Ma plays Ma Seok-do, a rough and tough cop who teams up with the Regional Investigation Unit to chase down a local drug cartel.Lee Joon-hyuk plays Joo Sung-cheol, a mysterious drug kingpin, while Japanese actor Aoki Munetaka is a Japanese gangster named Riki who smuggles new types of drugs into Seoul. Ma said the latest series will give viewers an adrenaline rush with intriguing narMay 9, 2023
INTERVIEW Turkish filmmaker discusses exploring spaces and memories in 'Forms of Forgetting' Turkish filmmaker Burak Cevik / Courtesy of JIFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooTurkish filmmaker Burak Cevik, who unveiled his two feature films, “Forms of Forgetting” and “A Woman Escapes,” at this year's Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), is known for making experimental films that are simultaneously abstract, nostalgic and mysterious. As a Berlinale regular, his works often blur the boundaries between reality and fiction.The 30-year-old director elaborated on the idea through “Forms of Forgetting,” which follows a couple who talk about how they broke up and neither of them remembers things quite the same. Starring real-life couple Nesrin and Erdem who happen to be actors, the two mostly talk over the conversation in voice-over format. “At first, I just shot some images (such as the frozen lake, the shipyard, the botanical garden and the construction site). While making this film, I realized spaces have their own memories. We die, but our traces will remain,” he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Cevik then discussed how thMay 7, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Documentary looks into Moon Jae-in's life after presidency A scene from the documentary film "This is the President" / Courtesy of M ProjectBy Kwak Yeon-soo“This is the President” is a documentary film that follows former President Moon Jae-in's life in Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, after leaving office. He served as the 12th president of Korea between 2017 and 2022.Director Lee Chang-jae sits down with Moon and his aides for extended interviews, but much of the documentary centers around their admiration for the former president who is depicted as patient, calm and a good listener. No part of the interview with Moon touches on political controversies or issues related to his nuclear phase-out policy, corruption allegations and prosecution reform. Rather, it mainly follows the retired politician as he leads a quiet life gardening in his front yard and playing with his beloved cat and dogs.Director Lee Chang-jae poses on the red carpet of the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival held at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, April 27. YonhapLee, who made the 2017 film “Our President” about late PMay 3, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Super Mario Bros Movie' tops box office on opening weekend A scene from the film "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" / Courtesy of Universal PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-soo“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” a film adaptation of the popular Nintendo video game character, topped the box office during its opening weekend.“The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in theaters on April 26, attracted 800,936 moviegoers over the long weekend from Friday to Monday (Labor Day), according to data from the Korean Film Council. The cumulative number of moviegoers for the film was 955,438 as of Monday. It is highly likely to surpass 1 million admissions on Tuesday.Second place in the box office over the weekend went to director Lee Byeong-heon's new film “Dream,” which garnered 488,613 moviegoers. Starring Park Seo-joon and IU, the film is about a group of homeless people forming a football team to participate in the Homeless World Cup. Third place went to “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which sold 285,703 tickets over the weekend for a total of 1.66 million. Long-running Japanese anime “Suzume” took fourth place over tMay 2, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Sun-bin to lead new comedy film Actress Lee Sun-bin / Courtesy of Initial EntertainmentBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Lee Sun-bin has taken the lead role in the new comedy film “The Secret of the Exam” (direct translation). The film's distributor, Barunson E&A, announced that actors Lee, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min and Jeon Seok-ho have confirmed their roles and began filming last week. The upcoming film will revolve around Maeng Bo-ram (Lee), an ordinary high school Korean literature teacher who gets recruited to write up the national college entrance exam. Every year, a group of elite teachers across the country is selected to be test creators for the annual exam, which is considered a class-two national secret. Maeng gets mistakenly drawn into the test maker team after an administrative error. Disconnected from the outside world to prevent any possible misconduct, she must spend 40 days living with the rest of the teachers to write the Korean section of the test. “I was drawn to the unique script that touches on the secretive process of making the national exam. I'm excited and happy to be part of May 1, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
'Suzume' becomes first Japanese film to surpass 5 million tickets in Korea Japanese animated movie “Suzume” surpassed 5 million ticket sales, Friday. Courtesy of Media CastleBy Lee Gyu-leeJapanese animated film “Suzume” has set a record at Korea's box office, surpassing 5 million ticket sales on Friday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The fantasy adventure animation, which hit local theaters on March 8, became the first film released this year to reach over 5 million ticket sales and the first ever Japanese film to do so. As of Sunday, the film has garnered a total of about 5.06 million sales, grossing 52 billion won ($38.8 million).Led by director Makoto Shinkai, who garnered popularity with his fantasy animated films, "Your Name" (2016) and "Weathering with You" (2019), the film revolves around a high school girl, Suzume. One day, Suzume encounters a young man on her way to school, which leads her to discover an isolated door leading to a dreamlike universe. Opening the door out of curiosity, she accidentally lets out an evil creature from the other universe. Joining hands with the mysterious young man, she helps hiApr 30, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor-artist Bek Hyun-jin selects 7 films for Jeonju film fest Artist and actor Bek Hyun-jin / Courtesy of JIFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooJEONJU ― Versatile artist Bek Hyun-jin, best known for playing the villain in the 2021 hit SBS drama “Taxi Driver,” selected seven films as the programmer of Jeonju International Festival's (JIFF) special section “J Special: Programmer of the Year.” Bek is an all-around artist who held his first solo exhibition in 1996. As the vocalist of Uhuhboo Project, he is also part of the first generation of indie musicians in Korea, having worked on film soundtracks for auteurs Park Chan-wook and Hong Sang-soo.As an actor, he has starred in a number of Korean films and dramas, including “Yourself and Yours” (2016), “Broker” (2022), “Tomorrow, With You” (2017) and “The Devil Judge (2021).”“I wear many hats, but I finally accepted myself as an actor two or three years ago. After starring in the 2020 film 'Samjin Company English Class,' I started getting offers from drama productions. Before then, I mostly did indie movies,” Bek said during a press coApr 28, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
