Crime thriller 'Limit' is about mother's quest to save abducted son Actress Lee Jung-hyun in a scene from the film, "Limit" / Courtesy of JNC Media GroupBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Jung-hyun has shown the ability to play all kinds of characters in any manner of film. She has appeared in both solid films with serious topics such as “Alice in Earnestland” (2015) and spectacular films like “Peninsula” (2020). “Limit” stars Lee as So-eun, a police detective who, at one time, was the best among her peers in hunting down criminals. But a traumatic experience that left a victim dead in one case made her step back and just take emergency calls or patrol the neighborhood ― that is, until one day the police get a call from a couple whose child has been kidnapped. So-eun goes undercover to help the parents locate their abducted child. However, the kidnappers soon find out that So-eun is not the child's real mother. Infuriated by the fact that Soe-un has been fooling them, they kidnap her own son, too. So-eun then finds herself in a tense psychological battle with the abductors and goes on a solo mission to get her son back. The crimeAug 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Free Chol Soo Lee': How young Korean immigrant's wrongful conviction led to pan Asian American resistance movement The documentary, “Free Chol Soo Lee,” excavates the harrowing story of a young Korean immigrant who was racially profiled and wrongfully convicted of murder in 1970s San Francisco. The case mobilized the Asian American community to launch an unprecedented grassroots movement to exonerate him, leading to his release in 1983. Courtesy of Mubi By Park Han-solBorn in 1952 in Seoul during the turmoil of the 1950-53 Korean War, Chol Soo Lee had no idea what would lay ahead of him when he was yanked away from his homeland at the mere age of 12 to be reunited with his mother in San Francisco.Growing up in the city's Chinatown as “the only Korean” kid with no English communication skills, Lee soon fell into the isolated life of a youth at risk, moving from foster homes to a juvenile hall and even a psychiatric facility at one point.But it was in 1973 when the life of the self-described “young street punk” turned upside-down, following the news of the killing of Yip Yee Tak, Aug 9, 2022By Park Han-sol
INTERVIEW Im Si-wan finds own narrative for villain role in 'Emergency Declaration' Actor Im Si-wan plays the role of a terrorist in the new disaster blockbuster film, “Emergency Declaration.” Courtesy of ShowboxWith 10-year career, Im is still eager to learn more about actingBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Im Si-wan / Courtesy of ShowboxSinger and actor Im Si-wan, who started his career as a member of K-pop group ZE:A, has been building a strong filmography, proving himself as a capable actor.Known for his good boy, by-the-book image, he has added a new dimension to his repertoire, cultivating a new image in his new role as the terrorist, Jin-seok, in the disaster flick, “Emergency Declaration.”“There's no backstory on the character of Jin-seok (in the film). I usually try to find a sense of justification (in a character's actions) when I act, because the harder it is to find one, the harder it is to act. But with Jin-seok, there wasn't any. It was a complete blank,” Im said in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. “But on the other hand, because it was blank, I had the freedom to fill it as I wanted. I portrayed Jin-seok as I buiAug 9, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Baby Shark' feature film to premiere on Paramount+ next year The animated song, “Baby Shark,” which was spun off into a TV show in 2021 under the title, “Baby Shark's Big Show!” will be turned into a feature-length film set for release on Paramount+ next year. Courtesy of The Pinkfong Company By Park Han-solThe mega-popular “Baby Shark” franchise, which has the world's first YouTube video to reach the 10-billion views mark, is returning with its first-ever original animated feature next year. Tentatively titled, “Baby Shark's Big Movie!” the upcoming film inspired by the hit children's song is set to premiere on U.S. streaming service Paramount+ during the 2023 holiday season.Co-produced by The Pinkfong Company and Paramount Global's Nickelodeon Animation, the movie will follow Baby Shark as his family moves to the big city of sharks called Chomp City. After leaving behind his best friend, William, Baby Shark must now start a new adventure to fight against an evil pop starfish, Stariana, who tries to steal his musical gift.InAug 7, 2022By Park Han-sol
Brad Pitt to visit Korea to promote new film 'Bullet Train' Actor Brad Pitt in a scene from the film, “Bullet Train” / Courtesy of Sony Pictures By Kwak Yeon-sooHollywood star Brad Pitt will visit Korea this month to promote his new movie, “Bullet Train,” the film's distributor said Friday. It would mark his fourth visit to the country since the first visit in 2011 to promote “Moneyball.”He will make the visit together with actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, best known for his roles in films like “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), “Tenet” (2020) and “The King's Man,” Sony Pictures said. This is Taylor-Johnson's first time coming to Korea. In Seoul, the two will engage in various promotional activities for the film ahead of its Korean release set for Aug. 24, according to the company.“Brad Pitt, who has deep affection for Korean fans, expressed his intention to visit Korea by adjusting his busy schedule. He will meet with the press and fans on Aug. 19,” a Sony Pictures official said. “Bullet Train” revolves around Ladybug (Pitt), a tAug 5, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW Jung Woo-sung was initially hesitant to take on role in 'Hunt' Actor Jung Woo-sung / Courtesy of Megabox Plus M By Kwak Yeon-sooKorea's A-list actors Jung Woo-sung and Lee Jung-jae have been best friends for decades, but the duo had only starred in one film together, “City of the Rising Sun” (1999), until teaming up again for the spy drama film, “Hunt.”“We've been longing to work together on a film, but time was the big issue for us. We were always busy filming with other directors. So we founded a company together and we have been working on a lot of projects together,” Jung said in an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday.“Whatever decision I make about acting, directing or producing a film or a series, I talk to him [Lee Jung-jae] about it and vice versa. So, I knew from the beginning how desperate he was to bring the 'Hunt' screenplay to life.” In Lee's spy thriller, Jung portrays Kim Jung-do, a soldier-turned-espionage agent who faces a moral dilemma under the military regime in the 1980s. Although Kim is against the mAug 5, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW 'Emergency Declaration' director wanted to deliver hope through disaster “Emergency Declaration” follows a terrorist attack on an airplane. Courtesy of Showbox New film draws mixed responses from audiencesBy Lee Gyu-leeThe star-studded disaster film “Emergency Declaration,” one of the most-anticipated flicks of this year, has finally hit movie theaters, Wednesday, after a long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Han Jae-rim, director of the film “Emergency Declaration” / Courtesy of Showbox The film's director Han Jae-rim, whose previous works include the 2013 historical film “The Face Reader” and 2017 crime film “The King,” said that he wanted to deliver a message of hope through the disaster film.“I wanted to talk about hope ― that if we come together in a catastrophic situation, we can get through it,” Han said in an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday. “When I wrote the script and started filming, I had no idea Aug 4, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
INTERVIEW Lee Jung-jae had sleepless nights writing, directing, acting in 'Hunt' Actor Lee Jung-jae / Courtesy of Megabox Plus M By Kwak Yeon-sooLee Jung-jae, who rose to global stardom after appearing in Netflix's most-watched series, “Squid Game,” said he suffered sleepless nights while writing, directing and acting his directorial debut feature, “The 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 50-year-old found acting and directing at the same time daunting and he barely managed to keep up his energy levels to complete the project. “From writing a screen adaptation to directing and acting, I was sleep-deprived. Some people think transitioning to directing can be risky for an actor, so I felt a greater sense of responsibility,” he said. “I wasAug 4, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Joo Won undergoes physical transformation for action film 'Carter' Actor Joo Won in a scene from the film, “Carter” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Joo Won has gone through an extreme transformation to portray his character in intense action film “Carter.” The 35-year-old actor gained 7 kilograms, shaved his head and went through a four months of watching his diet and training to prepare for his challenging role. “It was a difficult but exciting ride. Carter's role was unlike any of my previous characters. I've done plenty of action in TV dramas like 'Bridal Mask' and 'Alice,' but they cannot be compared to 'Carter,'” he said during a press conference for the Netflix film at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday.Directed by Jung Byung-gil, “Carter” follows the story of Carter (Joo), an agent who wakes up with no memory, but is told through a concealed earpiece that he needs to take a child named Jang Ha-na to North Korea amid a viral apocalypse. Realizing that the child is a cure for the deadly virus, Carter sets off a risky mission to rescue the child.Jung, best known for 2017's “The Villainess,&Aug 2, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Movie sequels take over Korean box office A scene from the film, “Hansan: Rising Dragon” / Courtesy of Big Stone PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooSome movie theaters are starting to show more signs of life, with one of the major trends at Korea's box offices being a lot of sequels to major action franchises, including “The Roundup,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Hansan: Rising Dragon.” Also, the easing of social distancing measures that limited the size of private gatherings and the operating hours of multi-use facilities in mid-April, helped major movie theaters see higher ticket sales for the May and June periods.According to a report from the Korean Film Council, the total number of ticket sales for the first half of this year was 452.9 billion won ($345.7 million), 48.7 percent of the same period in 2019. Compared to the first six months of 2021, ticket sales have increased by 143 percent.Most box office hits in the first half of this year were sequels in well-known franchises. In fact, eight out of 10 highest-grossing films at Korea's box offices in 2022 fell into these categories. MoviAug 2, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
