INTERVIEW Director blends Hollywood superhero genre, Asian traditional martial arts in 'Alienoid' “Alienoid” director Choi Dong-hoon / Courtesy of Caper FilmBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Choi Dong-hoon's latest sci-fi action fantasy “Alienoid” is a mixture of Hollywood superhero blockbuster and Asian martial arts film. Set in two different worlds of the 14th and 21st centuries that cross paths when a time-traveling portal opens, the epic film combines Taoist “magic” with science fiction elements, like aliens and spaceships.The director, whose previous films “The Thieves” (2012) and “Assassination” (2015) each attracted over 10 million admissions, explained that his new film was greatly inspired by Samgukyusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), a collection of folktales mainly from the Korea's Three Kingdoms: Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje. “I've always been fascinated by Korea's ancient myths and folktales, which are entertaining and filled with supernatural creatures. I think infusing Korean sentiment and cultural traits into the sci-fi film makes it more interesting. I hope 'Korean magic' appeals to foreign audiences as welJul 17, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Top Gun: Maverick' tops 5 million admissions in Korea A scene from "Top Gun: Maverick" / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentThe American action drama film "Top Gun: Maverick" topped a cumulative 5 million admissions in the Korean box office on the 23rd day of its release, its local distributer said Thursday.The sequel to the 1986 film "Top Gun" added 60,000 more moviegoers on the day to the previous day's cumulative total of 4.94 million, according to Lotte Entertainment.Released on June 22, the film fell to second place in the daily box office on June 6, when Marvel's latest superhero film "Thor: Love and Thunder" hit Korean screens, but regained the top position on Wednesday.Starring Tom Cruise, "Top Gun: Maverick" is about Captain Pete Maverick, who returns to the United States Navy and trains a group of younger aviators for an urgent mission to bomb a foreign country's secret plant. (Yonhap)Jul 14, 2022
18th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival to offer expanded program Maeng Soo-Jin, right, the programmer of the 18th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF), speaks during a press conference held at the Haso Living Culture Center Walk in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, Thursday. Other participants are, from left, journalist Jang Sung-ran, organizing committee head Kim Chang-gyu and festival director Cho Sung-woo. Courtesy of JIMFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe 18th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) will offer a program packed with music-centered films and present a special concert by Justin Hurwitz, the multi-award-winning film composer behind films “Whiplash” (2015) and “La La Land” (2016). The festival, which will be held in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, from Aug. 11 to 16, will also feature original film concerts accompanied by a live orchestra, named “Film in Live,” to promote Korean film scores abroad. The film concerts of “Leafie: A Hen into the Wild” and “One Fine Spring Day” will be presented at Urimji stage, while “E.T: The Extra-TerrestrJul 14, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean films lead June box office rally Promotional videos for the action comedy “The Roundup” are played at a cinema in Seoul, May 22. YonhapHomegrown films were the main driver of last month's box office rally in Korea, data showed Wednesday.According to the Korean Film Council's monthly report on the local film industry, Korean flicks accounted for 57.5 percent of the total box office sales of last month with 95.2 billion won ($73 million).Local films also represented 60.4 percent of the movie tickets sold in the month, up about 7 percentage points from 53.1 percent in May.The Korean action comedy "The Roundup" topped the monthly box office for the second consecutive time, securing more than 53.7 billion won in ticket sales.Released in May, the sequel to the 2017 hit "The Outlaws" became the first film to top 10 million admissions since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The sequel had drawn about 12.6 million moviegoers as of Wednesday.Two other homegrown films in the top five places are Korean superhero actioner "The Witch: Part 2" and "Broker," the first Korean-language film project by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Jul 13, 2022
'A Home from Home' sheds light on orphaned child preparing for adulthood A scene from the film, "A Home from Home" / Courtesy of Triple Pictures By Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Lee Seung-hwan said he wanted to tell a story about an orphan's transition to adulthood and independent living in his coming-of-age film, “A Home from Home.” In the film, actor Hyun Woo-suk stars as Do-yoon, who is about to leave his orphanage when he reaches the legal age of adulthood. Unexpectedly, he is reunited with his father, Seung-won (Jung Woong-in), who reappears after 15 years to take him home. Do-yoon adjusts to his newfound family, which also includes Jae-min, his little half-brother. However, Seung-won's death makes Do-yoon the legal guardian of Jae-min, and he discovers something strange in his late father's documents while trying to claim the insurance money. As he gets closer to the truth, Do-yoon feels more confused about his identity.“I wondered what it would be like to carve out one's own path, because choosing a new direction in life comes with tons oJul 13, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korea takes center stage at New York Asian Film Festival A scene from the period epic film "Hansan: Rising Dragon" starring Park Hae-il / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment By Park Han-sol The logo for the New York Asian Film Festival 2022 / Courtesy of NYAFF “Korea is truly center stage this year,” announced the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) 2022, which is making a full return to in-person screenings this month to celebrate the diversity and talent of Asian and Asian American cinema.The 20th anniversary edition of the festival boasts a lineup of over 60 titles, which will be screened at the Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and Asia Society in New York from July 15 to 31 (local time).Among them, Kim Han-min's “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” revolving around the historic 1592 Battle of Hansan Island led by legendary Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-98), has been selected as this year's centerpiece film, while Choi Dong-hoJul 10, 2022By Park Han-sol
'Carter' starring Joo Won to be released on Netflix Aug. 5 A teaser poster for the upcoming action film “Carter” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Dong Sun-hwa"Carter,” an action film starring actor Joo Won, is set to be released on Netflix, Aug. 5, the streaming giant said Friday. Netflix unveiled a teaser on the same day, featuring Joo with a cross-shaped scar on the back of his head, holding a gun.The streaming platform also released a teaser video for the upcoming movie. As of Friday noon, the clip had garnered more than 100,000 views on Netflix Korea's YouTube channel. “Carter” revolves around a man named Carter ― played by Joo ― who has to regain his lost memories and carry out a risky mission within a limited time. “A man wakes up missing his memories. Directed by a mysterious voice from a device in his ear, he sets off on a hostage rescue mission rife with danger,” reads Netflix's explanation. The 132-minute flick is directed by Jung Byung-gil, who was behind the success of the 2017 action movie “The Villainess.” Joo, whose real name is Moon Jun-won, debuted in the 2007 musical "Altar Boyz,Jul 9, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
'The Roundup' sends wrong message about mental illness, say rights advocates Several organizations dedicated to the rights of disabled people are holding a press event in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea building in Seoul, Thursday, condemning the film's negative portrayal of mental illness. Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-sooSeveral organizations dedicated to the rights of disabled people have criticized the new film “The Roundup” for fueling prejudices by depicting a character with a mental disability as a danger to the public. A group of seven organizations, including the Korea Association for Mental Disorders and the Research Institute of the Differently Abled Person's Rights in Korea, held a press event in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) building in Seoul on Thursday, calling on authorities to ban screenings of “The Roundup.”The controversial scene occurs in the beginning of the film where a man, who escaped from a mental hospital, threatens the police and public with a knife as he holds two womeJul 8, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Bucheon Int'l Fantastic Film Festival opens 26th edition A scene from the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN)'s opening film "Men." / Courtesy of BIFANThe 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), South Korea's largest annual genre film festival, kicked off Thursday in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, featuring 268 films from 49 countries around the world.This year's BIFAN will run till July 17 under the theme "Stay Strange" with 80 films, including 23 features, having their world premieres. All invited titles will be screened at five local venues, as well as on the Korean online streaming platform Wavve during the period.The opening ceremony of this year's event was held in-person at the lawn square of Bucheon City Hall for the first time after two pandemic-disrupted years.The horror film "Men" by English filmmaker Alex Garland will open the 26th edition of BIFAN, while the closing film is Korean director Jung Bum-shik's thriller "New Normal."A poster of the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival / Courtesy of BIFANTen films will compete in the Bucheon Choice for international features, includinJul 7, 2022
Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung reunite after 23 years for Lee's directorial debut, 'Hunt' Actor-director Lee Jung-jae, left, and Jung Woo-sung attend a press conference for the film, “Hunt,” at the Megabox Seongsu theater in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Lee Jung-jae, who is making his feature directorial debut with espionage action film “Hunt,” said the hardest part for him was casting his longtime friend, Jung Woo-sung, in a starring role. The two actors reunited for the film 23 years after appearing together in 1999's “City of the Rising Sun.”“I've been showing him the script since the early stages of development, but he rejected it four times. I rewrote a considerable amount of material over the course of four years and was finally able to cast him for the film,” he said during a press conference for the film at the Megabox Seongsu cinema in Seoul, Tuesday. Set in the turbulent 1980s, the action-packed film centers on two rival intelligence agents, Park Pyong-ho (Lee) and Kim Jung-do (Jung), who are tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy stealing highly classified information that could threaten nationalJul 5, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
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