Youn Yuh-jung of 'Minari' wins Oscar for best supporting actress Youn Yuh-jung, winner of the award for best actress in a supporting role for "Minari," poses in the press room at the Oscars in Los Angeles, Calif., April 25. Reuters-YonhapYoun Yuh-jung has won best supporting actress at this year's Academy Awards for her performance in the immigrant film "Minari," becoming the first South Korean to win an acting Oscar.At the awards ceremony held at Union Station in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday (U.S. time), Youn was awarded Best Actress in a Supporting Role, beating Maria Bakalova for "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," Glenn Close for "Hillbilly Elegy," Olivia Colman for "The Father" and Amanda Seyfried for "Mank.""Thank you. Tremendous thanks to the academy members who vote for me," she said in an acceptance speech after last year's best supporting actor winner Brad Pitt called her name. "Thank you, wonderful 'Minari' family, Steven (Yeun), (Lee) Isaac (Chung), (Han) Yeri, Noel (Kate Cho) and Alan (Kim). We became a family."She said she cannot believe that she is accepting an Oscar as she has watched the Academy Awards on TV for decades in Korea.SApr 26, 2021
INTERVIEW Jeon Yeo-been's journey from indie film darling to big-budget star Actress Jeon Yeo-been / Courtesy of Netflix By Kwak Yeon-sooIn the first few months of 2021, actress Jeon Yeo-been has starred in two different projects. She plays a feisty lawyer in tvN's drama series, “Vincenzo,” and a taciturn sharpshooter in the noir film, “Night in Paradise.” The two seemingly different characters have one striking similarity: both seek revenge against people who killed their families.“Vincenzo's Hong Cha-young becomes a relentless fighter for justice after her father dies. Jae-yeon of Night in Paradise also has a thirst for revenge after witnessing her family's murder,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Friday. To play the stone-faced sharpshooter in the film, Jeon had to learn target shooting. “I was offered the role when I was filming the latter part of JTBC's Melo is My Nature (2019). I was worried about shooting guns in the beginning, so I went to shooting ranges for a few months before I started filming. As I worApr 25, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Guiliani wins two Razzies for infamous 'Borat' scene Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 7, 2020. REUTERS-YonhapThe votes are in, and there is no point in Rudy Giuliani arguing with the result ― Donald Trump's lawyer was awarded two Razzies Saturday for his "performance" in "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm."The annual tongue-in-cheek Razzies, or Golden Raspberry Awards, "honor" the worst in film, and are handed out the day before the Oscars, serving to mock the following night's self-congratulatory Tinseltown pageantry.Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, didn't even know he was appearing in the "Borat" sequel about a fictional Kazakh journalist ― he was tricked into a fake hotel room "interview" with Borat's attractive and flirtatious young daughter, played by Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova.While Bakalova waits to find out if she has won a top prize from the prestigious Academy, Giuliani was Saturday named worst supporting actor.He also shared the worst screen combo accolade with "his pants zipper," after the infamous "Borat" scene ended with Giuliani apparently reaching into his trousersApr 25, 2021
Will Youn Yuh-jung of 'Minari' become first Korean to win Oscars' acting trophy? Youn Yuh-jung / Korea Times fileOne day before the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung is grabbing attention over whether she will become the first South Korean to win an acting award at the Oscars.The 73-year-old screen veteran was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in the immigration film "Minari." Youn plays Soon-ja, an eccentric grandmother who flies to rural Arkansas from South Korea to help her daughter's family striving to build a new life in America.Youn is competing against Maria Bakalova from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," Glenn Close from "Hillbilly Elegy," Olivia Colman from "The Father" and "Amanda Seyfried from "Mank."She is a leading contender in the category. A poll by Gold Derby, an American awards prediction website, predicted Youn will win the award at the Oscars slated for Sunday (U.S. time).She has already collected about 30 trophies including ones from the U.S. Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), which are leading precursors to the Oscars. Youn Yuh-jung, right, and Alan KimApr 25, 2021
Mystery thriller 'Recalled' rises to top of local box offices The mystery thriller film, “Recalled,” premiered on Wednesday. Courtesy of iFilm Corporation, CJ CGVBy Lee Gyu-leeThe thriller film, “Recalled,” starring Seo Yea-ji and Kim Kang-woo, is soaring at local box offices after reaching the top on the day it premiered, Wednesday. The film generated over 15,000 ticket sales on Thursday, grossing a total of 268 million won ($240,000) in just two days. On opening day alone, 18,200 tickets were sold, garnering 136 million won ($122,000) in sales.Helmed by Seo Yoo-min, the screenwriter behind the melodrama films, "April Snow" (2005) and "Happiness" (2007), “Recalled” follows Su-jin (Seo), who is married to her caring husband, Ji-hoon (Kim). She gained the ability to see other people's futures after losing her memory in a traumatic event.Amidst the post-traumatic suffering and confusion, Su-jin suspects that Ji-hoon is hiding something from her and displays odd behavior. Her suspicion reaches its peak when surveillance footage in a murder investigation places Ji-hoon at the scene of the crime.While screenwriterApr 23, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
Oscar-nominee Youn Yuh-jung's debut film to be screened on May 1 Youn Yuh-jung, right, performs in director Kim Ki-young's 1971 film, “Woman of Fire,” in this file photo. The vintage movie will be screened again on the occasion of Youn's nomination for the Best Supporting Actress Award at this year's Oscars. Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungOscar-nominee Youn Yuh-jung's debut film, “Woman of Fire,” will be screened again at CGV Signature K theater in Seoul, a half-century after the film opened in local theaters. Distributor Design Soft said on Friday that director Kim Ki-young's 1971 film will be showcased for moviegoers on May 1 as part of the program titled, “Actor Youn Yuh-jung's Cinematic Journey: From Her Debut to the Present,” to commemorate her nomination for the Oscars' Best Supporting Actress Award. “Woman of Fire” revolves around a musician whose happy family is broken, as a nanny (played by Youn) has an affair with the husband. In the critically-acclaimed film, Youn drew the attention of critics for her successful characterization of a woman obsessed with furor. She received numerous accoApr 23, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
INTERVIEW OTT service helps women have greater say in cinema Streaming service Purplay's CEO Cho Il-ji speaks during a recent interview at The Korea Times office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulStreaming service CEO hopes women-directed movies educate audiences about gender equality By Park Han-solIn 2018, six out of every 10 university freshmen majoring in theater and film nationwide were women, according to a report by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC)'s Center for Gender Equality in Korean Cinema. Despite women's growing representation in the motion picture industry, commercial films produced and directed by female filmmakers that were screened from 2014 to 2018 account for only 7.9 percent. Seeing such startling discrepancy between the number of women wishing to pursue a career in film and of those who successfully make their directorial debuts, one can only wonder what has happened to the hundreds of female-led works that remain off the public's radar after their brief appearances within the festival circuit.The same question has gripped Cho Il-ji's mind since the late 2000s when she tried to recommend films she enjoyed watchinApr 23, 2021By Park Han-sol
INTERVIEW How Kang Ha-neul invokes feelings of youthful innocence Actor Kang Ha-neul / Courtesy of Kidari ENT By Kwak Yeon-sooKang Ha-neul, who has played a variety of youthful characters in films such as “Twenty” (2015), “C'est Si Bon” (2015) and “Midnight Runners” (2017), is back with another film that inspires feelings of youthful innocence.In “Waiting for Rain,” Kang stars as Young-ho, an unmotivated student who is studying for the college entrance exam for the third time. One day, he sends a letter to his elementary school classmate So-yeon, whom he had crush on, to regain his verve. On behalf of So-yeon who is ill, her sister So-hee (Chun Woo-hee) writes back and the two continue to exchange letters while trying to sort out their lives. The two agree to meet each other in person if it rains on Dec. 31.“People call me a youth icon, but I honestly don't know what that means. I think youth is undefinable,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Thursday. “Therefore, I don't choose such characters intentionalApr 22, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Highly-anticipated sci-fi blockbuster 'Alien' wraps up filming after 13 months From left, actors Kim Woo-bin, Ryu Jun-yeol and Kim Tae-ri are seen in a scene from the crime sci-fi film, “Alien.” Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Choi Dong-hoon's two-part blockbuster, “Alien” (working title), wrapped up filming this week. Filming began in March 2020 after production was delayed briefly following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The time-slip movie depicts swordsmen during the Goryeo era (918-1392) and aliens living in the present attempting to find a mysterious sword. The two installments were shot simultaneously with a star-studded cast, including Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, Kim Tae-ri, So Ji-sub, Lee Ha-nee, Yum Jung-ah and Jo Woo-jin.The production team explained that the film features an unpredictable plot, unusual characters and witty humor.“Three and a half years have passed since I first decided to make this film. We have spent 387 days shooting it. This has been the most difficult film to shoot among the ones I have worked on, but it has also brought the most joy to me. My biggest wish is that the production teApr 21, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Space Sweepers' garners 26 million household viewers on Netflix “Space Sweepers” has drawn more than 26 million household viewers on Netflix. Courtesy of NetflixBy Dong Sun-hwaKorean space opera film, “Space Sweepers,” drew more than 26 million household viewers on Netflix during the first 28 days of its release (Feb. 5-Mar. 4), according to the streaming service Wednesday. The movie also dominated Netflix's daily top 10 rankings in 80 countries upon its premiere, showing how Korean content can transcend national and linguistic boundaries.“Space Sweepers,” starring A-listers Song Joong-ki and Kim Tae-ri, is regarded as the first Korean sci-fi movie set in space. It follows the crew of a junk-collecting spaceship named The Victory, who collect and sell space debris. After the crewmembers accidentally discover a humanoid called Dorothy ― known as a weapon of mass destruction ― they embark on a “dangerous deal.” Song appears as the shuttle's pilot Taeho, while Kim plays Captain Jang. The movie also features other high-profile actors including Jin Sun-kyu and Yoo Hai-jin. Jin takes the role of Tiger ParApr 21, 2021By Dong Sun-hwa
