Occult thriller 'The 8th Night' to debut on Netflix in July Actor Kim Yoo-jung in a scene from “The 8th Night” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-soo“The 8th Night,” a bizarre horror thriller packed with mystery and suspense, will premiere on Netflix on July 2. The streaming giant confirmed the film's release date on Wednesday, adding that it will be available in 190 countries from that date. Directed by rookie director Kim Tae-hyung, the film follows Park Jin-su (Lee Sung-min), a retired exorcist who wants to live in peace. However, the demon he put away finds its way back, and Park must make a fateful decision to prevent it from unleashing hell on Earth. Actor Park Hae-joon, who rose to fame after appearing in tvN's drama series, “My Mister,” (2018) and JTBC's hit series, “The World of the Married,” stars as a local police officer named Kim Ho-tae, who traces the demon and adds layers of suspense to the story.Actress Kim Yoo-jung, who has mostly been seen in romance series such as KBS2's “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds” and SBS's “Backstreet Rookie,” will appear as the mysterMay 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Horror classic 'Whispering Corridors' reboot coming to theaters after 12 years A scene from “Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming” / Courtesy of Bucheon International Fantastic Film FestivalBy Kwak Yeon-sooAfter more than a decade, the classic horror film franchise, “Whispering Corridor,” is returning this summer with its sixth installment.“Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming,” which is set to hit local theaters in June, centers on Eun-hee (Kim Seo-hyung), who has no memory of her high school years due to a traumatic event, returning to her alma mater as vice principal.One day, a student named Ha-young (Kim Hyeon-soo) hears a strange humming sound from the school's bathroom and grows to believe there is a ghost inside. While trying to uncover the mystery behind the humming sound, Eun-hee suffers from visual and auditory hallucination as her memory slowly returns to haunt her.“Whispering Corridors” began as a high school horror film that premiered in 1998 and has since expanded into a franchise. The film has also been recognized for its message that sounds the alarm on Korea's repressive school culture, bullying andMay 26, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW Lee Soo-hyuk on playing comical villain in 'Pipeline' Actor Lee Soo-hyuk / Courtesy of YG Entertainment By Kwak Yeon-sooModel-turned-actor Lee Soo-hyuk said his latest role in heist movie “Pipeline” challenged him in a new way and made him portray a more realistic and relatable character on screen.“Early in my acting career, I was known as this guy who has a unique ethereal face and deep, resonant voice. So, roles were limited and I mostly played fantastical characters. In Pipeline, I was lucky enough to portray a villain who is unintentionally funny,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times via Google Meet, Monday. Directed by Yoo Ha, “Pipeline” revolves around skillful oil thief Pindol (Seo In-gook), who siphons off crude oil for sale on the black market. One day, Gun-woo (played by Lee Soo-hyuk), the heir of an oil refinery, offers him 1 billion won ($886,000) to carry out a large oil heist. Pindol forms a team comprised of welding expert Jeobsae (Eum Moon-suk), civil engineer Na (Yoo Seung-mok) and excavatMay 25, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'F9' tops local box office, exceeds 1 million in ticket sales Vin Diesel, right, and Tyrese Gibson, left, in a scene from “F9” / Courtesy of Universal PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-soo“F9,” the latest installment in the “Fast and Furious” series, has accumulated over 1 million ticket sales in five days, local box office statistics showed Monday.The action blockbuster sold 628,000 tickets over the weekend, bringing its combined total to 1.13 million, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It is the first time in 10 months that a film has sold more than 1 million tickets in its first week in the box office. Since the pandemic started early last year, only two homegrown films ― “Deliver Us From Evil” and “Peninsula” ― have achieved that feat.The film had a strong opening on Wednesday, which was the Buddha's Birthday holiday in Korea, scoring the highest opening record for a film since the start of the pandemic. It sold over 400,000 tickets, grossing 3.85 billion won ($3.4 million), on that day.Directed by Justin Lin, “F9” follows retired street racer Dominic Toretto (Vin DieseMay 24, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Animated horror film 'Climbing' to compete in Annecy Film Fest A scene from "Climbing" / Courtesy of KAFA By Kwak Yeon-sooKorea's animated horror film, “Climbing,” has been invited to the Contrechamp competition at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival.The AIAFF in France is considered as one of the big four international animated film festivals along with the Ottawa International Animated Film Festival in Canada, the Hiroshima International Animation Festival in Japan and the Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films in Croatia.Directed by Kim Hye-mi, “Climbing” centers around a professional climber named Choi Se-hyeon who finds out she is pregnant just before the Climbing World Championship. Unwilling to give up on her dream due to the baby, Se-hyeon is under extreme stress. One day, Se-hyeon connects with her alter ego through an old phone and experiences strange things.Last year, director Ahn Jae-huun's “The Shaman Sorceress,” which depicts the breakdown of a traditional family following a clash between shaMay 23, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Lucky Chan-sil' director wins top prize at 8th Wildflower Film Awards Director Kim Cho-hee / Courtesy of Woo Sang Hee StudioBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Kim Cho-hee, who helmed the critically-acclaimed film, “Lucky Chan-sil,” has won the grand prize at the 8th Wildflower Film Awards.In her acceptance speech, Kim thanked Academy Award-winning actress, Youn Yuh-jung, who worked on the 200 million won ($177,000) budget film without pay to support the first-time filmmaker. “This award implies that a good movie title led to a happy ending. It is a testament to the hard work of the team involved. I'd like to dedicate this award to the incredible film crew who have worked hard behind the scenes,” she said during the awards ceremony that took place at Literature House Seoul, Friday.Kang Mal-geum, who plays the lead role of Chan-sil in the film, took home the Best New Actor Award. “As the film title suggests, I became a lucky person like Chan-sil. I'd like to thank director Kim and the production team who have struggled together to complete the film,” she said.Kang has received numerous accolades for her performance in “LucMay 23, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Thriller 'Hard Hit' combines suspense with flashes of terror Actor Jo Woo-jin in a scene from “Hard Hit” Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Hard Hit” is a fast-paced and twist-heavy thriller that combines supercharged suspense with flashes of terror, director Kim Chang-ju said of his debut feature film.Kim, an acclaimed film editor whose works include thrillers “The Terror, Live” (2013) and “A Hard Day” (2014), explained that he wants audiences to feel as if they are riding on a terrifying roller coaster with the characters in the film. “It's not just the dramatic twists and turns that get the audience hooked on this film, but also the psychological horror or the feeling that death is just around the corner,” he said during a press conference for the film, Thursday.As suggested by the Korean title, which literally means “Withheld Number,” the story unfolds as the main protagonist receives a call from an unknown number. One day, banking center manager Sung-kyu (Jo Woo-jin) receives a call from a stranger who tells him that a bomb has been planted under his car. The person tMay 20, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Indiana Jones hat and Star Wars droid for sale in Hollywood Arnold Schwarzenegger's special effects make-up head from the movie "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" is exhibited next to an alien mask from "Men in Black" during a press preview of Prop Store's Iconic Film & TV Memorabilia in Valencia, California, May 14. AFP-YonhapFans who can't wait to see the next "Indiana Jones" film can bid to own his iconic fedora next month ― if they have perhaps a cool quarter-of-a-million dollars to spare.The custom-made hat worn by Harrison Ford in 1984 action classic "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" will go on sale in Hollywood from June 29, with an estimate of $150,000-$250,000.Filmmakers commissioned the archaeologist's fedora from London hatter Herbert Johnson a year before the film was shot, said "Prop Store" auction house COO Brandon Alinger. "They didn't just walk in and buy a hat off the shelf... they combined attributes from a few different hats to make what became the Indiana Jones Fedora, which is probably now today, one of the most recognizable hats in all movies," he said.Ford, 78, is set to appear in his final film as the hero archaeolMay 20, 2021
'Forget Me Not': A Korean-born adoptee's ode to her birth mother A picture of Sun Hee Engelstoft, then called Shin Sun Hee, before her adoption / Courtesy of Connect PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooSun Hee Engelstoft, who was born in Busan in 1982, was 4 months old when she was flown to Denmark to meet her white adoptive parents.Her biological mother had given her up for adoption, and through no choice of her own, she became part of the large adoption exodus: more than 210,000 babies have been sent overseas for adoption since the end of the Korean War in 1953.Engelstoft recalls that although she was the only Korean in her village, she has had a good life living in the midst of nature. She also lived for three years in a refugee camp in Botswana in the 1980s where her parents were volunteer workers. “I have a strong bond with my adoptive family. I loved school, but I was always an outsider. When I would walk down the street, my schoolmates would touch my hair because it was dark and different from theirs. Overall it was a beautiful, but isolated time,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. Having attended several schools foMay 19, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Horror film 'Spiral' soars in local box office The film “Spiral: From the Book of Saw” topped local box offices on Saturday. Courtesy of All Star EntertainmentBy Lee Gyu-leeThe horror film “Spiral: From the Book of Saw” has topped local box offices for four consecutive days, after landing on the top of the chart on the day of its premiere, Wednesday. The latest installment in the “Saw” franchise has accumulated over 64,700 ticket sales, grossing 640 million won ($566,500) as of Saturday. It opened with over 15,800 ticket sales, grossing 148 million won ($131,000).Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who also directed four of the “Saw” series films, the crime thriller flick revolves around a detective named Zeke (Chris Rock), and his new rookie partner, William (Max Minghella). The two take charge of investigating a gruesome serial murder case that targets corrupt cops as victims. As Zeke hunts down the killer, who is a copycat of Saw's iconic villain Jigsaw, he finds himself caught in the trap of the killer's gory game. Thriller film “The Courier” took the second spot on theMay 16, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
