Taiwanese film opens 25th Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival Festival director Shin Chul, second from right, speaks during an opening ceremony of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in Bucheon City Hall in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of BIFAN By Kwak Yeon-sooThe Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), Asia's largest genre film festival, kicked off its 11-day run Thursday and will run through July 18 in the form of a “hybrid” edition.With the pandemic raging across the country, the film festival, which is devoted to horror, thriller, mystery, fantasy and sci-fi flicks, has decided to go both on and offline as a way to maintain its presence for both filmmakers and audiences.Under the slogan, “Stay Strange,” 174 films from 42 countries will be screened during the festival at five local theaters. For those unable to attend, 154 films are also available on the local streaming platform Wavve.The opening ceremony was held Thursday at Bucheon City Hall, with less than 100 guests in atteJul 9, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
In Yeon Sang-ho's 'The Cursed' spinoff, the dead return to life From left, actors Oh Yoon-ah, Jung Ji-so, Uhm Ji-won, Kwon Hye-hyo, director Kim Yong-wan and writer Yeon Sang-ho pose during a press conference for the film “The Cursed,” Tuesday. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-sooOccult thriller “The Cursed: Dead Man's Prey,” a film spin-off from the 2020 tvN drama “The Cursed,” unravels the mystery surrounding the revival of the dead. The screenplay was written by Yeon Sang-ho, who also penned the hit zombie thrillers, “Train to Busan” (2016) and “Peninsula” (2010), and was directed by Kim Yong-wan of the 2018 sports drama flick “Champion.” The film revolves around Jin-hee (Uhn Ji-won), an investigative journalist who now runs an independent news media outlet. One day, she makes a guest appearance on a live radio show and receives a message from a killer, who claims that he will commit three more murders by manipulating dead corpses. Along with So-jin (Jung Ji-so), a teenage girl who has the ability to curse evil spirits, using a person's name, photo and one of their belongingJul 6, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Disaster blockbuster 'Sinkhole' places human story at the center of terrible predicament From left, actors Cha Seung-won, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Sung-kyun and Lee Kwang-soo pose during an online press conference for the film “Sinkhole,” Monday. Courtesy of ShowboxBy Kwak Yeon-sooDisaster blockbuster “Sinkhole,” which blends horror and comedy, tries to locate a human story at the center of a terrible predicament of falling into a massive sinkhole.Directed by Kim Ji-hoon, who helmed the disaster film “Tower” (2012), “Sinkhole” revolves around Dong-won (Kim Sung-kyun), a hard-working man who fulfills his long-cherished dream of buying a house after 11 years.On the day he invites his coworkers, including Seung-hyun (Lee Kwang-Soo) and Eun-joo (Kim Hye-jun), to his new house, the entire building falls into a sinkhole. Along with irritating next-door neighbor Man-soo (Cha Seung-won), the group tries to find ways to survive from about 500 meters underground.“If Tower was a thrilling survival story that takes place in a high-rise building that catches fire, Sinkhole is a more optimistic disaster movie that takes place in an undergrJul 5, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'The Medium' features gore as well as sudden frights Director Na Hong-jin poses at a press conference for promoting the film "The Medium" in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of ShowboxBy Kwak Yeon-soo“The Medium,” a spooky horror film produced by director Na Hong-jin and directed by Thai filmmaker Banjong Pisanthanakun, includes both gory scenes as well as mind-bending psychological thrills. The horror flick begins its story in Thailand's northeastern Isan region where the benevolent goddess Ba Yan is worshipped. For several generations, one family in particular has served as Ba Yan's shaman and only the female members of the family are chosen as the next medium of the tradition. Mink (played by Narilya Gulmongkolpech), a young girl who seems to be chosen as the next successor, expresses her disbelief at this legacy at first, by saying “Shamans? I think they're nonsense. I don't think they're real.” As Mink's condition begins to worsen, her behavior becomes increasingly disturbing and erratic. The family starts to suspect that she might be possessed by a demon, not the kind goddess Ba Yan. The suspense builds up slowly dJul 4, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'F9' tops box office for H1, but only two Korean movies in top 10 A scene from “F9” / Courtesy of Universal PicturesOnly two homegrown movies made the top 10 at the local box office over the first six months of the year, while the Hollywood action movie "F9" was the biggest hit here."F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, was the most-watched film in the first half of 2021, drawing over 2.28 million moviegoers at the end of June, according to box office data compiled by the Korean Film Council and released Saturday.The Japanese animation "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train" finished second with an audience of 2.15 million, followed by Disney's fantasy "Soul" with 2.05 million people.The live action Disney film "Cruella" attracted 1.53 million to rank fourth, followed by Oscar-winning immigration film "Minari" with 1.13 million moviegoers.The American horror "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," the monster action film "Godzilla vs. King" and the thriller "A Quiet Place: Part II" took the sixth to eighth spots, respectively.The Korean crime action thriller "Hard Hit" placed ninth with 67,000 atteJul 3, 2021
Blockbuster film 'Sinkhole' invited to Locarno Film Festival Film “Sinkhole” will be screened at this year's Locarno Film Festival, scheduled to be held from Aug. 4 to 14. Courtesy of ShowboxBy Lee Gyu-leeDisaster comedy film “Sinkhole” has been invited to this year's Locarno Film Festival, set to be held in Switzerland from Aug. 4 to 14.The film's distributor, Showbox, announced Friday that the blockbuster flick will be presented at one of the festival's sections, Piazza Grande, which holds an open screening of selected films with about 8,000 viewers. The films screened at the section will be evaluated by a panel of American film critics for the Variety Piazza Grande Award.This is the second time for a Korean film to be invited to the Piazza Grande section, since director Kim Seong-Hun's disaster thriller, “Tunnel,” starring Ha Jung-woo, in 2016. In 2019, “Parasite” star Song Kang-ho became the first Asian actor to receive the Excellence Award at the festival.Founded in 1946, the Locarno Film Festival, which welcomes the 74th edition this year, is one of the longest-running film festivals in theJul 2, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
In 'Escape from Mogadishu,' North and South Koreans unite for survival Actors Kim Yun-seok, left, and Zo In-sung in a scene from “Escape from Mogadishu” / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Escape from Mogadishu,” one of the most anticipated films of this summer, focuses on a fight for survival as the characters in the movie embark on a desperate mission to flee Somalia following the outbreak of civil war in the African country, according to the cast.Set in 1991, the action drama tells the story of North and South Korean diplomats who are forced to cooperate with each other to escape the civil war in Somalia's capital.In the upcoming film, Kim Yun-seok plays South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Han Shin-sung, while Huh Joon-ho stars as the North Korean ambassador. Meanwhile, Zo In-sung portrays counselor Kang Dae-jin of the South Korean embassy. Koo Kyo-hwan, who has a couple of high-profile projects under his belt including Netflix's “Kingdom: Ashin of the North,” plays Tae Joon-ki, a diplomat at the North Korean embassy. They shot the entire film for four months in Morocco before the COVID-19 outbreak, acJul 1, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Assassins' finally earns art movie status after initial denial A poster for "Assassins" / Courtesy of The Coup, Watcha, kthBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Assassins,” a documentary about the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has finally earned its status as an “art movie” after an initial rejection by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).“We still have no clue why the film authority refused to grant art movie status in the first place, and how it was reevaluated and by what criteria. However, we respect the council's decision as it is,” the distributors said in a statement, Tuesday. “We hope this will serve as an opportunity for improving policies regarding film classification of indie movies.”Directed by American filmmaker Ryan White, “Assassins” centers on the two South Asian women who killed Kim, the eldest son of the deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, by using VC, a highly toxic nerve agent, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia in February 2017.According to distributors, the film is not political, but rather centers onJun 30, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Ki-young's 'An Experience to Die for' stars unconventional Youn Yuh-jung Actors Youn Yuh-jung, right, and Lee Tam-mi in a scene from "An Experience to Die for: Be a Wicked Woman" / Courtesy of Blue Film WorksBy Kwak Yeon-sooLate legendary filmmaker Kim Ki-young's posthumously released work, “An Experience to Die for: Be a Wicked Woman,” depicts how two women who try to maintain control over their own fates, fail to fulfill a “wicked” mission based on the bond of sisterhood. “An Experience to Die for” was made in 1990 as Kim's last work, but did not get to see the light of day because he chose not to release it.The revenge suspense drama revolves around two women: Yuh-jung (Youn Yuh-jung), who lost her son due to the fault of her husband, and Myung-ja (Lee Tam-mi), who divorced her husband due to his infidelity. Feeling betrayed, the two women plan to take revenge by killing each other's husbands.Unlike auteur Kim's previous works, in which the two female characters usually fight over a man, this film shows how they unite to form a team. The film explores human desire, exploitation and cruelty. Each character brings someJun 30, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Ma Dong-seok, Seohyun to star in thriller 'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' Actors Ma Dong-seok, left, and Seohyun / Courtesy of Big Punch Entertainment and Namoo Actors, respectivelyBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Train to Busan” actor Ma Dong-seok and Seohyun of Girls' Generation will lead the cast of a new occult thriller called, “Holy Night: Demon Hunters.”The film's distributor, Lotte Entertainment, announced on Tuesday that casting for “Holy Night” is complete and that the filming began on June 28.Written and directed by newcomer Lim Dae-hee, “Holy Night” revolves around a team of demon hunters who fight against a group of people who worship the devil.In the upcoming film, Ma will play the role of Bow, who hunts down demons with fists of steel. He will appear next in Marvel's “Eternals” and is set to star in “The Club,” an American adaption of the Korean TV drama, “Trap.”Seohyun will star as Sharon, who is equipped with the supernatural ability to track down demons and perform exorcisms in order to get rid of evil spirits.Other cast members include Lee Da-wit, who appeared in “SJun 29, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
