Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum's 'Seo Bok' to release in December Posters for the sci-fi film “Seo Bok.” / Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Lee Gyu-leeThe new sci-fi film “Seo Bok,” starring Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum, is set to hit theaters in December. The film's distributor CJ ENM announced the news Wednesday with teaser posters of the two lead actors. “We haven't pinpointed on the date exactly, as situations like COVID-19 might affect our schedule,” the distributor told The Korea Times. “But we are aiming the premiere date for the beginning of December.”The sci-fi action flick is one of this year's long-awaited films as it is the first time the two heartthrob actors have appeared together. Directed by Lee Yong-ju, known for the award-winning “Architecture 101,” the story revolves around terminally ill former intelligence agent Ki-hun (Gong), who encounters genetically mutated human clone Seo Bok (Park), who holds the secret of eternal life.With many people seeking to obtain that secret, the two are dragged into conflict.Oct 21, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee
CGV to close 30 percent of its theaters due to pandemic slump A sign on display at CGV Myeongdong Branch advises the suspension of business due to the prolonged fallout from COVID-19 pandemic, in this March file photo. / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooCGV, the country's largest multiplex operator, said Monday it will reduce 30 percent of its cinemas as the pandemic continues to slam the movie industry.As part of its restructuring plan, the chain will close 35 to 40 theaters, which accounts for nearly 30 percent of its theaters nationwide, within three years. The opening of new branches will be delayed or called off, as the company's revenue is estimated to have fallen nearly 70 percent from a year earlier, a reflection of the struggles domestic movie theaters have been facing since COVID-19 hit the country in February. As for existing branches, the company will introduce a more flexible policy such as limiting the number of screenings depending on the film lineup and estimated audience size. For instance, some theaters are considering closing during weekdays and opening only on weekends to improve operational efficiency. The move comes as filmOct 19, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Atlanta police make arrest in actor's shooting death Antonio Demetrice Rhynes surrenders to an APD drone with officers outside his apartment in Atlanta in this Oct. 16 photo taken from video and released by the Atlanta Police Department. AP Thomas Jefferson Byrd. imbd.com Atlanta police announced Friday that they have made an arrest in the shooting death of actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd. Homicide detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of 30-year-old Antonio Demetrice Rhynes, Wednesday, on a felony murder charge based on evidence and tips from the public, and officers arrested him early Friday morning, Officer Steve Avery said in an email.Rhynes will be taken to the Fulton County jail once he's processed, Avery said. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his arrest.Police declined to release any further information, saying the investigation remains open and actOct 17, 2020
Tickets on sale for Busan International Film Festival By Kwak Yeon-sooA poster for the 25th Busan International Film Festival. / Courtesy of BIFFTickets for the 25th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) that runs from Oct. 21 to Oct. 30 are on sale, but some screenings have already sold out. Sales opened at 2 p.m. Thursday but were disrupted for an hour due to strong demand for the limited number of tickets available. Each invited film will be screened only once during the festival and the number of theaters screening them has been reduced from 37 to six.This year's lineup features 192 films from 68 countries. Among the highlights will be the screening of Pixar's “Soul,” which will be shown in Asia for the first time.Tickets for “Soul,” Kiyoshi Kurosawa's “Wife of a Spy,” which won the Silver Lion for best director at this year's Venice International Film Festival, and Lee Isaac Chung's “Minari,” which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, have sold out.“More than Family,” in which f(X) member Krystal plays a pregnant collegeOct 16, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Film 'Pawn' conquers box office By Dong Sun-hwaA poster for the family movie “Pawn.” Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentThe family movie “Pawn” is leading the Korean box office. The tear-evoking film, which premiered on Sept. 29, has been topping the box office since Sept. 30, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It said the movie has attracted an audience of 1.3 million nationwide and more than 24,000 cinemagoers watched it on Wednesday. American biographical drama “Fonzo” and American thriller “Unhinged” sold 8,093 and 3,615 tickets, respectively, on the same day.“Pawn” revolves around two debt collectors ― Doo-seok (Sung Dong-il) and Jong-bae (Kim Hee-won) ― who take nine-year-old girl Seung-yi (Park So-yi) as “collateral” from her mother, an illegal immigrant. The two men and the girl eventually form a family-like bond as they live together. Ha Ji-won plays the grown-up version of Seung-yi. Meanwhile, theaters here are experiencing a sharp decline in patrons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September, the total number of theatergoers was Oct 15, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa
Gal Gadot 'whitewashing' row sparks Cleopatra history debate In this file photo taken on May 06, 2019, Israeli actress Gal Gadot arrives for the 2019 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. AFP-YonhapNews that Israeli actress Gal Gadot will play Cleopatra has prompted Hollywood's latest "whitewashing" row ― and renewed a historical debate over the ancient Queen of Egypt's ancestry.Gadot, best known for "Wonder Woman," is confirmed to produce and star in a new big-screen epic from Paramount, taking up the role made famous by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 classic "Cleopatra."The biopic will retell the "story for the first time through women's eyes, both behind and in front of the camera," Gadot tweeted."Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins is on board, as is "Shutter Island" writer Laeta Kalogridis.But the announcement immediately prompted social media criticism of the white, Israel-born star's casting as an African queen."Hollywood has always cast white American actresses as the Queen of the Nile. For once, can't they find an African actress?" tweeted author James Hall.The furor taps into wider criticism of Hollywood's history ofOct 15, 2020
INTERVIEW Actor Yu Jae-myeong proud of taking meaty role in 'Voice of Silence' Actor Yu Jae-myeong poses after an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Acemaker MovieworksBy Kwak Yeon-sooYu Jae-myeong, an actor having made strong impressions with the tvN dramas “Stranger” (2017) and “Itaewon Class” (2020), has taken on a meatier role in the crime drama “Voice of Silence.”For his latest role ― as Chang-bok in the upcoming film ― Yu has gone deep and dark. He makes a living cleaning up crime scenes for criminals with his cohort Tae-in (Yoo Ah-in). But as the story unfolds the two find themselves stuck with a kidnapped girl named Cho-hee (Moon Seung-ah).Yu said he liked how director Hong Eui-jeong uses comedic mise en scene and symbolism to lighten up the intense atmosphere and narrative.“In the pre-production stage, director Hong and I discussed a lot about Chang-bok's character, like what caused him to limp and how he became close with Tae-in. But we later agreed that all of these details don't matter that much,” Yu Jae-myeong said during an interview with The Korea Times at a caOct 13, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Pixar's 'Soul' bypasses theaters, will stream on Christmas Jamie Foxx arrives at the 51st NAACP Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. in this Feb. 22 file photo. The Pixar film “Soul” will skip theaters and instead premiere on Disney+ at Christmas, the Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday, sending one of the fall's last big movies straight to streaming. APThe Pixar film ``Soul'' will skip theaters and instead premiere on Disney+ at Christmas, the Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday, sending one of the fall's last big movies straight to streaming.The move, widely expected after the recent exodus of most major upcoming releases, marks one of the final dominos to fall in Hollywood's disastrous autumn. Following the exit of the James Bond film ``No Time to Die'' from November, the next big movie on the calendar is Warner Bros.' ``Wonder Woman 1984,” currently set for Dec. 25.The successive delays of the film industry's would-be blockbusters has only made the dire circumstances of movie theaters more acute. Earlier this week, Cinemark said it would again shutter the U.S. and U.K. locations of its Regal cOct 10, 2020
Kim Hye-soo set to return as detective in 'The Day I Died' Kim Hye-soo in a scene from the film “The Day I Died” / Courtesy of Warner Bros. KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooKim Hye-soo will return to the silver screen in the upcoming mystery thriller “The Day I Died” as a police detective investigating the suspicious disappearance of a teenage girl.The new film, the directorial debut of Park Ji-wan, is about police detective Hyun-soo (Kim) trying to find a missing teenage girl named Se-jin (Roh Jeong-eui) with the help of a witness who has aphasia (Lee Jung-eun). Although the plot centers on a detective unraveling secrets behind the missing girl, the film is not a typical mystery thriller. Rather, it's a character-driven drama where protagonists take a deeper look at themselves and their situations.Kim, who starred as a police detective in the 2016 tvN drama “Signal,” plays down her “strong woman” persona and subtly conveys the character's complex emotions in the upcoming film. “Hyun-soo tries to gather a full account of what happened to the girl. In the process of tracking the girl down, characters Oct 9, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jung Kyung-ho, Park Sung-woong's film 'Daemuga' to premiere at BIFF “Daemuga,” starring Jung Kyung-ho, left, and Park Sung-woong, will premiere on Oct. 22 at this year's Busan International Film Festival. Courtesy of Cookie PicturesBy Lee Gyu-leeThe multi-genre film “Daemuga,” starring Jung Kyung-ho and Park Sung-woong, will have its world premiere at the 25th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which will run from Oct. 21 to 30. Cookie Pictures said Thursday the film has been invited to this year's festival in the Open Cinema section. “The film will be screened at the BIFF's outdoor cinema on Oct. 22 and will hit local theaters after that,” the production company said. “Daemuga,” a mixed genre of comedy, thriller and drama, is about three shamans ― Seung-joon (Park), Chung-dam (Yang Hyun-min) and Shin-nam (Ryu Gyeong-soo) ― competing to perform an exorcism. The competition takes a bizarre turn after encountering an event. Jung plays the villain Ik-soo, who is head of a mob. This will be the feature film debut for director Lee Han-jong. His previous short film “Blues with Me” was invitOct 8, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee
