Action thriller 'Hostage' tops Korean box office over weekend The South Korean action thriller "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" topped the local weekend box office in its first week of release, data showed Monday. Courtesy of NEWThe South Korean action thriller "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" topped the local weekend box office in its first week of release, data showed Monday.The movie about the kidnapping of star Hwang Jung-min garnered a combined 454,000 ticket sales over the Friday to Saturday period, bringing its combined total to over 638,000 since its release last Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The disaster comedy film "Sinkhole" dropped to second place with 326,000 sales over the weekend. It posted a cumulative 1.65 million in attendance after its second weekend."Escape from Mogadishu," an actioner based on a true story about South and North Korean diplomats in Somalia, added 222,000 sales this weekend to surpass 2.78 million in total.Night Shyamalan's latest thriller "Old" came in fourth with 51,000 sales, followed by the American adventure film "Free Guy" with 35,000.Meanwhile, a total of 1.16 people came to theateAug 23, 2021
Bond movie 'No Time To Die' finally gets London premiere Much-delayed James Bond movie "No Time To Die" will finally get its world premiere in London next month, the makers of the franchise announced on Friday. Courtesy of Universal PicturesMuch-delayed James Bond movie "No Time To Die" will finally get its world premiere in London next month, the makers of the franchise announced on Friday."The World Premiere for #NoTimeToDie will take place on Tuesday 28 September 2021 at London's @RoyalAlbertHall," said a tweet from the official 007 Twitter account."Producers Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and director Cary Joji Fukunaga will join Daniel Craig on the red carpet."The 25th instalment of the fictional British spy saga has seen its release postponed several times due to the pandemic.It was originally set for a London premiere last March, ahead of a global rollout the following month, before that was pushed back by subsequent waves of coronavirus around the world.In January US studio MGM said the film would be released globally on October 8."No Time to Die", directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga ("Beasts of No Nation", "True Detective") is expAug 22, 2021
Angelina Jolie shares letter from Afghan girl in first Instagram post US actress Angelina Jolie, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) special envoy, gives a statement in Goudebo, a camp that welcomes more than 11,000 malian refugees in northern Burkina Faso, on International Refugee Day on June 20, 2021. AFP-YonhapOscar-winning actress and human-rights activist has shared in her first Instagram post a letter from a teenage girl in Afghanistan."Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely. So I've come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights," Jolie wrote alongside an image of the letter and a photo of women wearing burkas."I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban," added the actress, who is a special envoy for the United Nations Refugee Agency. "This was twenty years ago. It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country. To spend so mAug 22, 2021
Crime action film 'On the Line' offers rare glimpse into evolving cybercrime From left, actors Byun Yo-han, Kim Mu-yeol, Kim Hee-won and Park Myung-hoon pose during an online press conference for the film “On the Line,” Thursday. Courtesy of CJ ENM By Kwak Yeon-sooCrime action film “On the Line” takes viewers into the seedy industry of voice phishing and phone fraud, crimes that manipulate people into giving money or revealing personal information through their phones. In the upcoming film, Byun Yo-han plays Han Seo-joon, who falls prey to a voice phishing scam and loses most of his fortune. He goes to China to seek revenge against the criminal gang led by Mr. Kwak (Kim Mu-yeol). It is directed by Kim Gok and his twin brother Kim Sun, the duo behind the 2010 horror film “White” and the 2016 film “Horror Stories 3.” To show how these criminal groups operate, the filmmakers reenacted scenes where fraudsters prepare multiple scenarios according to common reactions of victims, induce people to commit crimes and even work at large-scale call centAug 20, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Japanese martial artist film star Sonny Chiba dies at 82 Sonny Chiba / AP-YonhapJapanese actor Sonny Chiba, who wowed the world with his martial arts skills in more than 100 films, including ``Kill Bill,'' has died. He was 82.Chiba, known in Japan as Shinichi Chiba, died late Thursday in a hospital near Tokyo where he had been treated for COVID-19 since Aug. 8, Tokyo-based Astraia, his management office, said in a statement Friday. It said he had not been vaccinated. Chiba rose to stardom in Japan in the 1960s, portraying samurai, fighters and police detectives, the anguished so-called ``anti-heroes'' trying to survive in a violent world. He did many of the stunt scenes himself. His overseas career took off after his 1970s Japanese film ``The Street Fighter'' proved popular in the U.S. American director Quentin Tarantino listed the work as among his ``grindhouse,'' or low-budget kitsch cinema, favorites. Tarantino cast Chiba in the role of Hattori Hanzo, a master swordsmith in ``Kill Bill.''Chiba appeared in the 1991 Hollywood film ``Aces,'' directed by John Glen, as well as in Hong Kong movies. Chiba's career also got a boost from the gloAug 20, 2021
INTERVIEW 'Female directors will lead Korea's next wave of film auteurs' From left, the filmmakers, Yoon Dan-bi (“Moving On”), Jeon Go-woon (“Microhabitat”), Kim Bo-ra (“House of Hummingbird”) and Yoon Ga-eun (“The House of Us”) / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooRecent discussions on gender and feminism sparked by the #MeToo Movement, together with the rise of female voices in Korean cinema, have fueled growing interest in women and minorities in film.From Jeon Go-woon (“Microhabitat,” 2018) to Yoon Ga-eun (“The House of Us,” 2019) as well as Yi Ok-seop (“Maggie,” 2019) and Kim Bo-ra (“House of Hummingbird,” 2019), women have been making their presence felt in Korean cinema. In 2020, the Directors Guild of Korea (DGK) launched “Bechdel Day,” a week of gender equality and representation to encourage Korean filmmakers to produce films that capture the voices of all genders. This year, the DGK selected 10 films that passed the Bechdel test ― a measurement developed in the U.S., which is the bare minimum requirement for stories involving women. To pass Aug 19, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Taiwanese time-travel romance series, 'Someday or One Day,' to hit local theaters Posters for the upcoming theater release of the 'Someday or One day' series / Courtesy of AUDBy Hwang Dong-heeThe Taiwanese drama, 'Someday or One day,' will hit local theaters on Aug. 31 as it was originally aired, as a 13-episode series.The special screenings, showing the 12th and 13th episodes, each with a running time of 70 minutes, will be held only in Korea at the request of avid fans here, according to AUD PRESENT (AUD), the film distribution company.The distributor explained that inquiries for screenings flooded in after the news of its imminent DVD release.The series, which originally aired in 2019, is currently available ― in an edited 21-episode version ― through major local over-the-top (OTT) services, including wavve, TVING, Watcha and Netflix.The time-travel romance series, co-written by Chien Chi-feng and Lin Hsin-hui, revolves around Huang Yu-hsuan, played by Ko Chia-yen (also known as Alice Ko), who is struggling to cope with the death of her boyfriend, Wang Quan-sheng, played by Hsu Kuang-han (Greg Hsu).The story unfolds when a mysterious cassette player takes her bAug 19, 2021
INTERVIEW Childhood wound is still fresh for Tina Turner Filmmaker Dan Lindsay poses before an interview with The Korea Times at Jecheon International Music and Film Festival, Friday. Courtesy of JIMFFFilmmaker Dan Lindsay speaks about capturing Tina Turner's turbulent life, enduring legacy in latest documentary By Kwak Yeon-sooJECHEON, North Chungcheong Province ― As a filmmaker, Dan Lindsay said he is naturally drawn to films that have emotional resonance ― whether it be something of triumph, failure or loneliness. His Oscar-winning sports documentary “Undefeated” (2011), a collaboration with T.J. Martin, told the story of an inner-city high school football team and its coach that try to win a season after years of losses. The duo's Emmy-winning film “LA 92” (2017) followed the days of violence, looting and arson during the Los Angeles Riots of 1992.Their latest film, “Tina,” premiered on HBO in 2021. It is perhaps their most glamorous film yet, centering on Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.” But far from telling a sensational story, Lindsay and Martin instead captured the superstarAug 19, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
China boycotts actor after photos of visit to Japan's Yasukuni Shrine People practice social distancing while visiting Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo, Aug. 15. Reuters-YonhapChina's Association of Performing Arts on Sunday called for a boycott of a Chinese actor after photos of him at Japan's controversial Yasukuni Shrine taken in 2018 and 2019 circulated online and sparked outrage among Chinese netizens and media.The Yasukuni Shrine is seen by Japan's neighboring countries as a symbol of that country's past militarism, and remains a flashpoint for tension with China.The shrine honors Japan's war dead, including 14 World War Two leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as war criminals. China, which was occupied by the Japanese from 1937 to 1945, takes offence at visits to the shrine."The misbehavior of actor Zhang Zhehan severely harms national feeling and brings baneful influence to his young age-group audience. Hence, we demand members not to engage him in any employment," said the association in a statement on Sunday.Zhang, 30, apologized on Chinese social media on Friday saying he is "ashamed of his ignorance". Still, state-backed People's Daily commented Aug 16, 2021
Comedy film 'Sinkhole' surpasses 1 million ticket sales Disaster comedy film “Sinkhole” topped the weekend local box office. Courtesy of ShowboxBy Lee Gyu-leeDisaster comedy film “Sinkhole” has become the fastest Korean film to surpass 1 million ticket sales this year. According to the film's distributor Showbox, its total ticket sales recorded over 1 million as of Monday morning.The film has been topping the box office for five consecutive days, Sunday, since it premiered in local theaters on Wednesday. The blockbuster collected about 522,000 ticket sales over the weekend, grossing 5.27 billion won ($4.51 million). It had accumulated total sales of about 922,000 tickets, worth 9.1 billion won ($7.77 million), as of Sunday. The film already set a record on its premiere day, scoring the new highest opening record of this year among Korean films ― about 147,000 ticket sales grossing 1.36 billion won ($1.16 million). The previous record was about 127,000 ticket sales by another blockbuster "Escape from Mogadishu."“Sinkhole” is directed by Kim Ji-hoon, known for the 2012 disaster film "Tower." This time theAug 16, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
