'Someday or One Day' cast says film spin-off has new plot From left, Greg Hsu, Alice Ko and Patrick Shih, pose during a press conference for the film “Someday or One Day” in Seoul, Thursday.By Kwak Yeon-sooThe Taiwanese cast of “Someday or One Day,” a film spin-off from the 2019 hit time-travel romance drama of the same title, said they hope Korean fans of the original drama will enjoy the movie adaptation as well.The film follows Huang Yuxuan (Alice Ko) who mourns the death of her long-time boyfriend Li Ziwei (Greg Hsu). One day, she receives a mysterious cassette player that allows her to travel back in time. She attempts to change the past, hoping to improve the fate of Li.The drama version was a sensational hit after streaming on major local over-the-top platforms, creating a hardcore fan base in Korea. Tickets for the cast's meet-and-greet events in Korea were sold out within minutes. “Someday or One Day” is also set for a Korean remake, starring Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop.“Compared with the series that features time loops, the movie version embraces a multiverse storyline. It centers on thJan 29, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Japanese teen romance film attracts 1 mil. Korean viewers for 1st time in 21 yrs Shunsuke Michieda, a main cast member in "Even if This Love Disappears from the World Tonight," speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Jan. 25. Yonhap"Even if This Love Disappears from the World Tonight," a Japanese teen romance film, has drawn over 1 million viewers in South Korea, becoming the first Japanese live-action title to achieve the feat in 21 years, data showed Sunday. The accumulated ticket sales of the movie reached 1,000,966 as of 12:03 p.m. on Sunday, the 61st day the film has been screened here, the movie's South Korean importer Media Castle said, citing box office figures. The film depicts a love story between two high school students, Toru Kamiya and Maori Hino, who suffers a disease that causes her to have no memory of the previous day. It is the first time a Japanese live-action film has achieved the 1-million feat since "Ju-On: The Grudge," a Japanese horror movie, hit the threshold in South Korea in 2002. The most successful Japanese live-action movie in Korea so far is "Love Letter," a 1995 romance piece by director Shunji Iwai, which drew 1.15 million viJan 29, 2023
Documentary about late video artist Paik Nam-June competes at Sundance This image captured from the homepage of the Sundance Film Festival shows that "Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV" was selected for the U.S. Documentary Competition at the festival. YonhapA documentary about Korea-born video art pioneer Paik Nam-june (1932-2006) has been selected for the official competition of the Sundance Film Festival, one of the major U.S. film festivals.Korean American director Amanda Kim's first feature film, "Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV," was chosen for the U.S. documentary competition at the festival, which has been under way since Jan. 19 in Salt Lake City, Utah. It runs through Sunday.Korean American actor Randall Park's feature film debut, "Shortcomings," was selected for the U.S. Dramatic Competition program. Adapted from Adrian Tomine's graphic novel, it tells stories of Asian Americans' navigating questions of love and identity.Writer-director Celine Song's feature film debut, "Past Lives," starring actors Yoo Teo and Greta Lee, was premiered at the film festival. (Yonhap)Jan 27, 2023
Kim Hyun-joo says humanity is at heart of action film 'Jung_E' Actress Kim Hyun-joo / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooActress Kim Hyun-joo, best known for her lead role in Netflix's “Hellbound,” said the emergence of streaming services has allowed her to take on more diverse roles. “Now that we have plenty of streaming platform options, actors are given a wider array of roles and filmmakers are experimenting with a variety of genres. For me, personally, I was able to push my boundaries to see what else I can do differently as an actor,” she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.Kim's latest film “Jung_E” is set in the post-apocalyptic 22nd century and follows the story of Yoon Seo-hyun (Kang Soo-youn), a researcher at Kranoid Lab who clones the brain of her mother ― an elite soldier called Yoon Jung-yi (Kim) ― to create a combat AI warrior.The film topped Netflix's non-English film chart in the first week of its release, according to data released by streaming analytics company FlixPatrol. It was on the list of Netflix's Top 10 films in 80 countries, including Germany, Spain, Turkey, Brazil anJan 26, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Shunsuke Michieda overwhelmed by Korean fans' support for his coming-of-age film Japanese singer-actor Shunsuke Michieda talks during a press conference for the film, “Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight,” in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooShunsuke Michieda, a member of J-pop idol group Naniwa Danshi and the star of “Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight,” said he is overwhelmed by Korean fans' support and affection for his latest film. The coming-of-age romance film has attracted more than 970,000 moviegoers in Korea, becoming the third-highest-grossing Japanese live-action film released in Korea following the melodrama “Love Letter” released here in 1999 and horror film “Ju-on” in 2003.“I'm really grateful and slightly befuddled. One year ago today, I was doing a table reading for 'Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight,' and I never thought I'd be coming to Korea. I heard the original novel (of the same title) is popular here and the film itself offers a powerful portrait of first love,” he told Korean reporters at a press conference in Seoul, WednesJan 26, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Avatar 2' tops 10 million viewers Signs show screening times for “Avatar: The Way of Water” in a theater in central Seoul, Jan. 15. The sci-fi film drew over 10 million viewers in Korea as of Tuesday. YonhapBy Kim Rahn“Avatar: The Way of Water” has drawn more than 10 million viewers in Korea as of Tuesday, 42 days after its opening, according to the Korea Film Council and Walt Disney Company Korea. It is the first foreign film to surpass the 10-million mark since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Among Korean films, “The Roundup” sold some 12.69 million tickets in 2022It reached the 5-million mark in 12 days, at a faster pace than the 2009 original, “Avatar,” which amassed 5 million filmgoers in 15 days, but attained the 10-million mark later than the original, at 42 days compared to 38 days.With the original and the sequel, James Cameron has become the first foreign director to draw over 10 million moviegoers each for two of his hit films here.“I was really touched by everyone's support and love,” Cameron said in a video posted on 20th Century Studios Korea's Jan 24, 2023By Kim Rahn
Actress Yun Jung-hee's funeral to be held in Catholic church near Paris The late actress Yun Jung-hee/ Korea Times file The funeral for the late Korean actress Yun Jung-hee will be held in a Catholic church near Paris later this month, sources said Sunday.Yun, an iconic figure in Korean cinema with a prolific and acclaimed career, died in the French capital Thursday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 79.Her funeral will be held in a private ceremony, Jan. 30, with the attendance of only close family and friends, according to the sources in the movie industry and family acquaintances.Yun's body will be cremated and her ashes interred in a grave close to the church.Born in 1944 in the southeastern port city of Busan, Yun rose to stardom with her debut film, "Sorrowful Youth" (1967).The actress captured the audience and critics alike with a wide range of acting, appearing in some 280 works and earning over 20 best actress awards at domestic ceremonies. (Yonhap)Jan 22, 2023
Actress Yoon Jeong-hee dies at 78 after battle with Alzheimer's Actress Yoon Jeong-hee / Korea Times file By Kwak Yeon-sooYoon Jeong-hee, one of the biggest stars of Korean cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, has died in Paris at the age of 78, according to her family on Friday. “It is with great sadness that my wife Yoon Jeong-hee passed away around 5 p.m. Thursday (local time). She died peacefully listening to our daughter Jin-hee playing the violin,” Yoon's husband pianist Paik Kun-woo said in a statement. “The funeral will be held in France attended by close family. Although she is no longer here with us, please remember her kind soul and passion for film.” No other details were released about the cause of her death. However, Yoon had long suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She was also diagnosed with diabetes.Yoon was part of the “troika” of popular actresses in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s, along with Moon Hee and Nam Jeong-im.Yoon, whose actual name is Son Mi-ja, was born in 1944 and debuted in 1967 in director Gang Dae-jin's Jan 20, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Jung-jae named best new director with 'Hunt' at Hawaii Film Critics Society Award Actor-director Lee Jung-jae / Courtesy of Artist Company By Kwak Yeon-sooLee Jung-jae, the star of Netflix's global hit series “Squid Game,” was named Best New Filmmaker at 2022 Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards for his feature directorial debut “Hunt.”Set in the turbulent 1980s, the action-packed film centers on two rival agents, Park Pyong-ho (Lee) and Kim Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung), who are tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy inside the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). They investigate each other in the process of discovering a larger plot to assassinate the president.The film premiered at the non-competition Midnight Screening section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. It was a commercial success and garnered critical acclaim, surpassing 4 million in ticket sales here and earning Lee best new filmmaker prizes at multiple awards including the Blue Dragon Film Awards in November.Last year, he was selected as the recipient of the Geumgwan Order of CultJan 19, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director Yim Soon-rye recounts her first venture into blockbuster filmmaking Director Yim Soon-rye / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment'The Point Men' inspired by true story of Koreans taken hostage in Afghanistan in 2007By Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Yim Soon-rye, well known for making carefully observed movies on characters considered as social misfits, has made her first venture into blockbuster filmmaking with the action film, “The Point Men.”However, the film is more introspective than many other big-budget action films. There is only one death scene because the director is against making movies that kill off too many people for no reason.“There is certainly a lot of pressure because 'The Point Men' is comparably a big budget film (14 billion won). This film cost more than all of my previous films combined,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. “The Point Men” is inspired by the true story of 23 Korean Christian volunteers taken hostage by Taliban militants in Afghanistan in 2007.The director made it clear that the film takes inspiration from a real event, but much of the drama and the characters are fictJan 19, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
