'Project Wolf Hunting' actor on accidentally finding fame, playing laconic criminal Actor Jang Dong-yoon / Courtesy of TCOBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Jang Dong-yoon found fame accidentally after giving a TV interview for stopping a robbery at a convenience store. He immediately went viral on the internet with his act of bravery and good looks. Then Jang was approached by the head of an entertainment agency. This changed the course of his life.“Acting wasn't something that was even on my radar. I was about to start my internship at a financial company when I got a call from the agency,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times in a cafe in Seoul, Friday.The up-and-coming actor was keen to express something different by playing the mysterious criminal Do-il in “Project Wolf Hunting,” a slasher film that revolves around a cargo ship that transports dangerous criminals from overseas. En route to Korea from the Philippines, the imprisoned criminals, each with their own motives, unleash a sinister force in an attempt to escape.“The film is loaded with gore elements that Korean audiences have never seen on screen before, but there is nothingSep 25, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW At age 50, Yum Jung-ah is at top of her game Actress Yum Jung-ah / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentActress with 31-year career takes on challenge of musical film 'Life is Beautiful'By Kwak Yeon-sooYum Jung-ah is one of the most accomplished actresses of her generation here who remains at the top of her game, but she still gets nervous before opening a movie. Ahead of the release of her new film, “Life is Beautiful,” Yum made a secret visit to a movie theater in Seoul where she sat with the audience and watched their reactions during the pre-release screening. “I saw the film in theaters four times because I wanted to witness the audience's reaction. Although I know all the details about the plot, I cry every time I watch it. Last night, the audience members were laughing and crying. One lady in the crowd was wiping back her tears with bare hands so I wanted to hand her a tissue,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. Over the course of her three-decade career since entering the entertainment industry in 1991 as a Miss Korea pageant runner-up, Yum has solidified hSep 22, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Documentary film on former NK spies set to hit screens next week This image provided by Cinema Dal shows a scene from "The 2nd Repatriation." YonhapIn 2000, 63 former long-term political prisoners who were sent to the South as spies were repatriated to the North following an inter-Korean summit during which leaders of the two Koreas agreed to give priority to humanitarian issues in the same year.But there were 46 former North Korean spies left in the South who were not allowed to go back to their home country because they signed statements giving up communism and advocating capitalism. Only "unconverted" communists were subject to the first-ever repatriation project.The upcoming documentary film "The 2nd Repatriation," directed by Kim Dong-won, focuses on the voices of the 46 people who have demanded the Seoul government let them return to their communist homeland for more than 20 years.The film is a follow-up to the director's 2004 documentary "Repatriation" about the 63 "unconverted" North Koreans who went back home in 2000."The 2nd Repatriation" revolves around Kim Young-shik, one of the remaining North Korean communists living in South Korea. Sep 20, 2022
'Confession' actor So Ji-sub recalls handwritten letter from director Actor So Ji-sub in a scene from the film, "Confession" / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor So Ji-sub said director Yoon Jong-seok's handwritten letter was part of the reason why he was so drawn to “Confession,” a mystery thriller that tells the story of a man suspected of murder.“When Yoon suggested that we work together on this project, he gave me a handwritten letter that included details about the character and why he wanted to work with me. I was touched by his kind words. And of course, the gripping story filled with twists was another reason I chose to take part in it,” So said during a press conference for the film in Seoul, Tuesday.Based on the 2017 Spanish film “The Invisible Guest” directed by Oriol Paulo, “Confession” has already earned acclaim from critics thanks to the film's meticulously crafted tension and actors' transformative performances. Yoon also won the Best Director award at this year's Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal. The upcoming film follows a wealthy businessman named YooSep 20, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Classic, all-time popular movies fill low season at theaters A scene from film “Avatar” (2009), which will be re-released, Sept. 21, as a digitally remastered edition / Korea Times fileBy Kim RahnThe time between Chuseok holiday and winter vacation is usually low season in the local theater industry, because blockbusters are not released until the Christmas and the New Year holiday season begins. To fill the low season, theater chains this year have opted for re-releases of “classic, all-time popular” movies, with more than 10 Korean and foreign films being slated for such re-screenings.On Wednesday, the digitally remastered version of “Avatar” (2009) will hit theaters. The movie has already proven its appeal to Korean moviegoers, setting the box office record at the time of its first release with 13.3 million ticket sales. It brought in an additional 148,000 audience members when re-released as a special edition in 2010, and about 36,200 when the first version was re-issued in 2018.Its re-release this time is also partially aimed at introducing the film to young theatergoers ahead of the release of its sequSep 18, 2022By Kim Rahn
Ryu Jun-yeol, Jeon Yeo-been to co-host opening ceremony of Busan film festival Actors Ryu Jun-yeol, left, and Jeon Yeo-been / Courtesy of C-JeS Entertainment, Management mmmBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors Ryu Jun-yeol and Jeon Yeo-been will co-host the opening ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) next month, organizers said Wednesday. The 27th BIFF is set to kick off its 10-day run at the Busan Cinema Center on Oct. 5. This year's opening ceremony will be held without any social-distancing requirements for the first time in over two years using all available seats and will be attended by filmmakers and stars from home and abroad.Both actors have long ties with the BIFF. Ryu was invited to the 20th BIFF's Korean Cinema Today ― Panorama section with “One Way Trip,” (2015) while Jeon won the Actress of the Year Award at the 22nd edition for her performance in “After My Death” (2017).Since his debut film, “Socialphobia,” (2015) Ryu has been one of the most versatile actors on both the small and big screens, starring in “Reply 1988” (2015-2016), “Lucky Romance” (2016) and “A Taxi Driver&rdqSep 15, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Musical film 'Life is Beautiful' features songs from 1970s to 2000s A scene from the film, "Life is Beautiful" / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Life is Beautiful,” which promises laughter and tears, is a jukebox musical film featuring Korean songs from the 1970s to 2000s. Director Choi Kook-hee said he picked out the best retro songs from artists including Shin Joong-hyun, Choi Ho-seob, Lee Seung-chul, Lee Juck and Toy that dominated the eras from the 1970s to early 2000s. Some of the iconic songs featured in the film are Lee Moon-sae's “Unpredictable Life” and “The Cult of Solo,” as well as Lim Byung-soo's “Ice Cream Love.” “We tried to select songs that can propel the arc of characters and convey a heightened sense of emotions,” he said during a press conference for the film, Tuesday. “The script first reminded me of my mother. Anyone who has a mother or a family will be able to relate to the story.” The comedy-drama film follows Se-yeon (Yum Jung-ah), who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Her dying wish is to reconnect with her first love, so she asks heSep 14, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Iconic French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard dead at 91 Swiss director Jean-Luc Godard listens to question during a press conference for his film entry “Notre Musique” which is screened out of competition at the 57th Cannes Film Festival, in this 2004 file photo. Reuters-YonhapJean-Luc Godard, the ingenious “enfant terrible” of the French New Wave who revolutionized popular cinema in 1960 with his debut feature “Breathless” and stood for years as one of the world's most vital and provocative directors has died. He was 91.Swiss news agency ATS quoted Godard's partner, Anne-Marie Mieville, and her producers as saying he died peacefully and surrounded by his loved ones at his home in the Swiss town of Rolle, on Lake Geneva, on Tuesday.French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Godard as “the most iconoclastic of the New Wave directors” who “invented a resolutely modern, intensely free art form.”He added: “We have lost a national treasure, the eye of a genius.”Godard defied convention over a long career that began in the 1950s as a film critic. He rewrote rules for Sep 13, 2022
'Korean classical musicians are like rock stars,' says Belgian filmmaker A scene from the film, “K-Classics Generation” / Courtesy of ATNINEFILMBy Kwak Yeon-sooBelgian filmmaker Thierry Loreau, who has seen many Korean classical musicians rise to the top at international music competitions in recent years, says Korea is one place where classical artists can be treated like rock stars. A total of 37 Korean nationals have won prizes at 25 international classical music competitions held in the first half of this year, according to Kumho Cultural Foundation. Loreau, who has been broadcasting the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition for 26 years, explores what factors led Korean musicians to invade the classic music world in his latest documentary, “K-Classics Generation.” In the film, he interviews the Queen Elisabeth Competition winners soprano Hwang Sumi and violinist Lim Ji-young, the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition winner pianist Mun Ji-yeong, the Esme Quartet that won the 2018 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, as well as their family and teachers.“Classical music iSep 12, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW Daniel Henney, Lim Yoon-a talk about characters in 'Confidential Assignment 2' Comedy action film "Confidential Assignment 2" hit local theaters, Sept. 7. Courtesy of CJ ENM By Lee Gyu-lee“Confidential Assignment 2: International,” the sequel to the 2017 hit comedy action film “Confidential Assignment,” had a successful opening day, Wednesday, topping the local box office with over 216,000 ticket sales.Directed by Lee Seok-hoon, who directed the 2014 comedy action film “The Pirates” and 2015 drama “The Himalayas,” the latest blockbuster flick picks up on the original film's plot, about North Korean agent Lim Cheol-ryung (Hyun Bin) and South Korean detective Kang Jin-tae (Yoo Hae-jin) forming an unusual partnership in a joint operation. The sequel welcomes a new actor, Daniel Henney, as a Korean American FBI agent named Jack. To hunt down North Korean crime lord Jang Myung-joon (Jin Sun-kyu), the two Korean agents reunite for another mission, joined by the FBI agent, while secretly working toward their own objectives.“(About six or seven years Sep 11, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
