'007 No Time To Die' sweeps local box offices A scene from the film, “007 No Time To Die” / Courtesy of Universal PicturesBy Lee Gyu-lee Action blockbuster “007 No Time To Die” has topped local box offices for four consecutive days, after opening in theaters on Sept. 29. The latest film of the James Bond franchise sold about 152,000 tickets on Saturday, grossing 1.56 billion won ($1.32 million). Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, whose previous works include the horror film, “It,” and TV series “True Detective,” the spy flick once again follows the iconic MI6 secret agent, James Bond (played by Daniel Craig), this time as he is enjoying his retirement. Yet his peaceful life soon comes to an end when a CIA agent (Ana de Armas) asks for his help to team up with the new 007 (Lashana Lynch) and take down a vengeful terrorist (Rami Malek). This film will mark Craig's last performance in the career-defining role of James Bond, since joining the franchise in 2006 with “Casino Royale.” He has starred in five James Bond films, including the latest one."It's been an incredible journOct 3, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
'On the Line' becomes 4th Korean film to top 1 million admissions A scene from the film "On the Line" / Courtesy of CJ ENM"On the Line" has topped a cumulative 1 million admissions here, becoming the fourth South Korean movie to achieve the feat this year, data showed Thursday. The action film attracted 24,000 moviegoers on the previous day, bringing its combined total to over 1 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. Released on Sept. 15, the film is the fourth homegrown title to surpass the mark, following blockbuster "Escape from Mogadishu," disaster-comedy flick "Sinkhole" and action thriller "Hostage: Missing Celebrity."Seven foreign films have also reached the milestone so far this year. They include Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," and "F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" saga."On the Line" is about a former police officer (Byun Yo-han) who tries to bust a phone scam group based in China after becoming its victim.It had topped the daily box office for 14 straight days since its release until "No Time to Die," the new James Bond movie, debuted at No. 1 on the daiSep 30, 2021
Daniel Craig promises thrilling finale to Bond series in '007 No Time to Die' Actor Daniel Craig in a scene from "007 No Time to Die" / Courtesy of Universal PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Daniel Craig said he has mixed emotions about leaving James Bond behind after starring in five installments of the epic spy film series over 15 years. “It's been an incredible journey for me. I've spent a large part of my life making these movies. I'm incredibly proud of this movie as I am with all of the films, but this one especially. We did our absolute best and this movie is no better way to top off my years into James Bond,” he told Korean reporters during an online press conference, Wednesday. The 53-year-old actor confessed that by the end of “Spectre” (2015), he was ready to pack it in and leave his role. He was in the process of figuring out a story to end it and then director Cary Joji Fukunaga came on board, putting his “magic into it.”“The job was to complete the story and it made me look back at the first film, Casino Royale (2006). If that's sort of the starting chapter, how does the final chapter relate to that? What isSep 29, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Family drama 'Bigwang,' starring Ha Ji-won and Ryu Seung-ryong, wraps up filming Actress Ha Ji-won, second from left, and Ryu Seung-ryong, second from right, pose with the cast of “Bigwang” after finishing shooting. / Courtesy of Contents NandakindaBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Lee Ji-won's family drama film, “Bigwang” (working title) recently wrapped up three months of filming before moving into post-production.The film tells the story of a celebrity couple whose life is turned upside down after the sudden arrival of a teenage girl named Dong-ju (Kim Sia), who claims to be their daughter. The couple face a family struggle as Dong-ju gets herself into trouble. Lee, the winner of Best New Director Award at 2019 Baeksang Arts Award, for his debut feature, “Miss Baek,” will craft a more realistic portrayal of family issues. Ryu will play the role of former baseball player Jung-goo, who would do anything to protect his daughter. Ha will appear as once-famous celebrity Nam-mi who has fallen into obscurity. Revealing that it will be her most dramatic acting transformation, she said, “I loved every moment on the set. I will remember Sep 28, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Deliver Us From Evil' director turns to small screen Director Hong Won-chan / Courtesy of Hive Media Corp. By Kwak Yeon-sooWriter-director Hong Won-chan, who helmed the hard-boiled action film, “Deliver Us From Evil” (2020), is making his small screen debut with “Gangster” (working title), which will start filming next year. Set in the turbulent post-war years of the 1960s, when criminal groups vied for influence, the crime noir series follows the rise and fall, friendship and betrayal of young men who become mobsters. The film delves into the country's precarious justice system and how it falls apart through threats and bribery. It is the first time that Hong, known as the master of action noir films, turned his attention to a different platform. However, the crossover experiment is nothing new to filmmakers. Director Yeon Sang-ho, known for his previous works such as “Train to Busan” and “Peninsula,” directed the new Netflix original series, “Hellbound,” based on web comics. Another popular filmmaker, Hur Jin-ho, whSep 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Seon-ho in talks to join cast of 'Dog Days' Actor Kim Seon-ho / Courtesy of SALT EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Kim Seon-ho is in talks to join the cast of “Dog Days,” an anthology film about people finding happiness from raising dogs. “Minari” actress Youn Yuh-jung, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year, and “Lost” actress Kim Yun-jin are set to star in the movie produced by JK Film, known for hit films such as “Haeundae” (2009) and “Ode to My Father” (2014)Once the casting is completed, the film will start shooting either in December or January of next year.Meanwhile, Kim has a busy schedule for 2022. He will make his big-screen debut with director Park Hoon-jung's new film, “Sad Tropics” (working title). The film revolves around a boy with a Korean father and a Filipina mother, who dreams of becoming a boxer.He will also star as the lead character in the romance flick, “Two O' Clock Date,” alongside Lim Yoon-a. It follows a romance between two apartment neighbors ― a woman with a huge secret and a man who lives on the floor aSep 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Crime action thriller 'On the Line' dominates local box offices The crime action movie, “On the Line,” has topped the local box office for nine consecutive days. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Lee Gyu-leeThe crime action film, “On the Line,” has been soaring in local box offices, topping the charts for nine consecutive days. The thriller flick landed at the top of the box office chart on its opening day, Sept. 15, with about 47,000 ticket sales, grossing 413 million won ($352,000).It has been going strong since, accumulating 7.5 billion won ($6.4 million) gross from 762,000 in total ticket sales.“On the Line” also won the Chuseok holiday box office race, which ran from Sept. 18 through 22, garnering 569,000 ticket sales and earning 5.7 billion won ($4.9 million) over the period.Co-directed by the twin brother duo of Kim Gok and Kim Sun, who helmed the horror films, "White" (2011) and "Horror Stories 3" (2016), the film revolves around former police officer Han Seo-joon (Byun Yo-han). After losing most of his fortune in a voice phishing scam, he decides to take matters into his own hands and heads to China to get revenge Sep 24, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
Big-name auteurs, stars to attend 26th Busan film festival From left, filmmakers Bong Joon-ho, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Leos Carax will attend the 26th Busan International Film Festival. Courtesy of BIFF By Kwak Yeon-sooWith less than two weeks left until the scheduled start of the 26th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), an impressive line-up of filmmakers and stars have confirmed their participation in the event. Organizers expect the film festival to return to normal as the film industry anticipates that it will be able to shake off the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.French auteur Leos Carax will visit Busan with his latest film, “Annette,” for the first time in nine years, since his last screening at the festival with “Holy Motors” (2012). “Annette,” which opened this year's Cannes Film Festival and won the best director award, has been selected to premiere in the Gala Presentation section at this year's BIFF. Carax will conduct a masterclass on filmmaking on Oct. 10.Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi Ryusuke, who won thSep 23, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Shang-Chi' runs rings around box office competition A scene from "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" / Korea Times file "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," the Disney blockbuster featuring Marvel's first leading Asian superhero, dominated the North American box office for a third straight week, taking in $21.7 million, figures showed Monday.The film ― starring Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu as a former assassin in the shadow of an evil father (Hong Kong legend Tony Leung) ― has so far earned $176.9 million in US and Canadian theaters, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.Sci-fi comedy "Free Guy," from 20th Century, held steady in second spot with $5.1 million. It stars Ryan Reynolds as an everyman bank teller who discovers he's actually a non-player character in a huge video game.Third place went to new entrant "Cry Macho," the latest gritty drama by the legendary Clint Eastwood, who directs and stars as a retired rodeo rider helping a teenager and his fighting rooster leave Mexico. The Warner Sep 21, 2021
Korean films lead box office in August A scene from "Escape from Mogadishu" / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment Korean films led the box office in August, with the action movie "Escape from Mogadishu" placing first, according to recent data.A total of 7.91 million people went to the movies last month spending 76.4 billion won ($64.9 million) on ticket sales, the Korean Film Council said Friday.Local films accounted for 76.1 percent of the sales, up 45.7 percentage points from July, and beating the percentage of foreign films for the first time this year."Escape from Mogadishu," based on the true story of South Korean and North Korean diplomats in Somalia, attracted 2.56 million viewers in August, and later became the first film this year to top the 3 million mark.The disaster comedy film "Sinkhole" came second with 2.02 million viewers, while the action thriller "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" followed in third place with 1.21 million.Rounding out the top five were two American films the superhero flick "The Sep 19, 2021
