INTERVIEW Chae Seo-jin talks about navigating film industry and big sister Kim Ok-vin Actress Chae Seo-jin / Courtesy of Special Movie City By Kwak Yeon-sooChae Seo-jin, whose real name is Kim Go-un, said her family is everything to her. On returning to the big screen after five years since “Write or Dance” (2017), the 28-year-old actress said she was incredibly nervous about showing her new film “Cafe Midnight” to her family.Directed by Chong Yun-su, “Cafe Midnight” is a fantasy romance film that follows Yoon (Chae), who is stood up by her groom Tae-young (Lee Yi-kyung) on their wedding day. She goes out in search of him and arrives at a mysterious place called Cafe Midnight, which opens only from midnight. until sunrise. There she finds her husband-to-be but something is odd ― Tae-young looks years younger and does not recognize her. It turns out that the cafe is a place where people of different times gather. Chae said she fell in love with the script as soon as she read it. “Yoon's character was so touching to me. I have met a lot of people like Nov 20, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Ma Dong-seok is back with feel-good comedy film after marriage From left, actors Jung Kyung-ho, Oh Na-ra, Ma Dong-seok, Oh Yeon-seo and Choi Byung-mo pose during a press conference for the film, “Men of Plastic,” in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap'Men of Plastic' tells fictional story of Korea's plastic surgery businessBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Ma Dong-seok, also known by his English name, Don Lee, thanked the audience for sending wedding congratulation messages and supporting his action thriller, “The Roundup,” which topped 10 million ticket sales this summer. The 51-year-old actor has been famously private when it comes to his six-year-long relationship with model and TV personality Ye Jung-hwa. In October, the star announced that he had tied the knot with Ye last year without a wedding ceremony.On returning to the big screen with a new comedy, Ma expressed his desire to make films that appeal to a wide range of tastes. “This time I wanted to make a feel-good movie that many fans would love to watch. It's a movie that families can watch together,” he said. In the upcoming film, Ma plays Dae-guk, a quick-talking conman wNov 17, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Jung-eun wins best performance prize for 'Hommage' at Asia Pacific Screen Awards Actress Lee Jung-eun, right, in a scene from the film, “Hommage” / Courtesy of June Film By Kim RahnActress Lee Jung-eun has clinched the Best Performance award at the 15th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) for her first lead role in the film, “Hommage.” It was her second time to win a prize with the 2021 film, following the Best Actor award at the London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) in October.The actress, who impressed international audiences with her housekeeper role in “Parasite” (2019), won the Best Performance category at the award ceremony for the APSA in Gold Coast, Australia, Nov. 11, according to Finecut, a film distribution and sales company, Tuesday.She is the inaugural winner of the category, which has become ungendered starting this year, beating the four other nominees.Director of the film Shin Su-won, who took part in the APSA as a judge for the youth, animation and documentary section, received the award on behalf of Lee. Shin herself was also noNov 16, 2022By Kim Rahn
INTERVIEW Yoo Hae-jin plays mad king in 'The Night Owl' Actor Yoo Hae-jin / Courtesy of NEW By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Yoo Hae-jin had an “overwhelming feeling” when he was first offered King Injo's role in the historical thriller “The Night Owl.” Despite his initial hesitation, Yoo ultimately agreed to play a royal role for the first time in his acting career.“My first reaction was, 'Why me?' Director An Tae-jin told me that he wants to deviate from portraying typical kings of the Joseon Kingdom, who often appear as gracious and noble in other films,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Friday. Yoo said he was afraid that audiences, most of whom are familiar with his fun, easygoing and free-spirited personality, might not accept his sudden transformation into a mad king who kills his own son, Crown Prince Sohyeon, to maintain his throne. “I wanted the audience to be prepared to see a new side in me, so the director used a long, slow zoom-in when King Injo first appears in the film,” he said. Nov 11, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Biopic 'Birth' portrays Korea's first Catholic priest as pioneer A scene from "Birth," St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon's biopic, is seen in this photo provided by its production company Min Film. YonhapAn upcoming film based on the life of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the first native Korean Catholic priest, sheds light on a young pioneer's odyssey and his falling victim to religious oppression during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), director Park Heung-sik said Friday. Born to a family of Christian converts in 1821, Andrew Kim was baptized at the age of 15. He studied at a seminary in Macau and was ordained in 1845 as the first Korean Catholic priest. He was arrested and persecuted for his efforts in evangelization.The film specifically focuses on the period from the point when he left to study in Macau till when he was beheaded in 1846 at the age of 25.Park said the film depicts him not only as a Catholic martyr but as a young pioneer and adventurer who wandered across sea and land in the turbulent era."The film is set in the Joseon Dynasty, but it also features scenes associated with China, French, Britain and the Philippines," Park said during a press conferNov 11, 2022
INTERVIEW Yeo Jin-goo, Cho Yi-hyun talk romance and youth in film 'Ditto' Actor Yeo Jin-goo in a scene from the new romance film, “Ditto,” a remake of the time-traveling romance film from 2000 / Courtesy of Gogo Studio, CJ CGVRemake film shows young adult life, loveBy Lee Gyu-lee““Ditto,” a film from 2000 which garnered popularity with a subtle, time-traveling romance, is being picked up for a remake with the same name about 20 years later, getting a present-day depiction of young adult life and love. Led by filmmaker Seo Eun-young, whose previous work includes the drama film, “Go Back” (2021), the new romance film revolves around Yong (Yeo Jin-goo) from 1999 and Mu-nee (Cho Yi-hyun) from 2022 communicating across time through the radio.Yong is a mechanical engineering student who finds the love of his life when he meets a freshman, Han-sol (Kim Hye-yoon). He borrows his friend's ham radio and ends up communicating with a sociology major attending the same school who claims she's living in 2022. Despite the time difference, Yong and Mu-nee become closer and end up in a romantic relationship.Actors Yeo and Cho said Nov 10, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
INTERVIEW Actor Kim Rae-won sees bigger picture with 'Decibel' Actor Kim Rae-won in a scene from the film, "Decibel" / Courtesy of Mind MarkBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Kim Rae-won said he has begun to think about the bigger picture instead of focusing solely on his roles when working on a series or film. The actor, who has delivered many unforgettable performances since debuting in 1997 in the MBC drama “Me,” reflected on how his approach to acting has changed over 25 years.“I think way back when I was starting out, I had a desire to stand out as the lead actor. More recently, however, I have been thinking about how I should act out my character considering the entire storyline. For this film, I put much emphasis on understanding the flow, tension and plot,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday, ahead of the release of his latest film, “Decibel.”Kim said that for this film, he put much emphasis on understanding the flow, tension and plot.“Even though it was a nerve-racking day of shooting for me, I would monitor my costars' acting. Studying their performances also helpNov 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director of 'Christmas Carol' wants to show faces of powerless victims A scene from thriller "Christmas Carol" is seen in this photo provided by film production company Finecut. YonhapCrime thriller "Christmas Carol" features young characters affected by violence to portray sad faces of underprivileged people and share their stories, its director said Wednesday.Based on Joo Won-kyu's novel of the same title, the story follows an older twin brother who goes into a juvenile detention center on his own to get revenge for the death of his younger twin brother. Park Jin-young, K-pop idol-turned-actor, performs the double role of the twin brothers.Director Kim Sung-soo, known for "Running Wild" (2006) and drama series "Save Me" (2016), said he first hesitated to work on the new movie because he was not confident about his ability to helm a dark movie. For a while, Kim was caught up with contrasting images of a boy's two identical faces, with one full of anger and the other with a forced smile, and decided to make it into a movie.The poster of thriller "Christmas Carol" is seen in this photo provided by film production company Finecut. Yonhap"I thought the facNov 9, 2022
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook honored at LACMA Art+Film Gala Director Park Chan-wook attends the 11th LACMA Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, California, Saturday. AFP-YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooFilmmaker Park Chan-wook was honored at this year's Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art+Film Gala. Another honoree was American visual artist Helen Pashgian, a pioneering member of the Light and Space art movement of the 1960s.Park won the Best Director award for his latest film “Decision to Leave” at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The film has been chosen as Korea's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, scheduled for March 23, 2023.“I initially wanted to begin with the following words: 'I do not know how to thank you for such an award that is beyond me,' but I remembered advice from a friend that is familiar with both Korean and American culture. She told me that you should not be too humble in America … So I will take in that advice and say the following words instead: 'I am not at all surprised for the award that I obviously deserve,'” ParkNov 7, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor's late-blooming mother sweeps awards at overseas film festivals Directors Park Young-hye, right, and Shin Seong-hoon of the film, "JajangMyeon Thank You" / Courtesy of Light PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Lee Tae-sung's mother, Park Young-hye, who made her directorial debut this year with the short film, “JajangMyeon Thank You,” is sweeping awards at film festivals overseas.Park, 62, first became known to the public through the SBS reality show, “Mom's Diary, My Ugly Duckling.” She was among a group of mothers who watch and comment on footage of their unmarried, middle-aged sons performing daily routines. Earlier in July, she stepped down from the show to pursue a career in filmmaking.“JajangMyeon Thank You,” co-directed by Park and Shin Seong-hoon, has won 37 awards so far, according to film production company Light Pictures on Monday. Most recently, the film won the Best Short Award at the 13th LA Web Series Festival.It also won three awards at the third Best Istanbul Film Festival in Turkey and two awards at the fifth Cult Critic Movie Awards in India.“I'm sorry that I can't attend all the sudden film fNov 6, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
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