Zombie thriller '#Alive' becomes Netflix's most popular film A poster for the film “#Alive” / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Cho Il-hyung's zombie thriller “#Alive” has become the most popular film in the world on Netflix, the first Korean title to achieve the feat.Just two days after premiering on Netflix on Sept. 8, “#Alive” topped the global chart of Top Movies on Netflix, according to FlixPatrol, which records daily updated video-on-demand charts for 211 streaming platforms in 83 countries.The zombie film ranked No.1 in 35 countries, including the U.S., France, Spain, Sweden, Russia and Australia.“#Alive,” starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, follows two protagonists isolated in their apartments as a zombie apocalypse erupts outside. Yoo plays Joon-woo, a game streamer and electronics geek, while Park plays Yu-bin, an individualist who likes hiking. The two very different characters employ their own methods and team up for survival when all contact with the outside world is cut off.The zombie thriller opened in local cinemas on June 24, and attracted 1.9 million moviSep 11, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW Creators behind 'Beauty Water' satirize absurdity of lookism Producer Jeon Byung-jin, left, and director Cho Kyung-hun of horror-thriller animated film “Beauty Water” pose for a picture after an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of SS AnimentBy Kwak Yeon-sooHorror-thriller animated film “Beauty Water,” directed by Cho Kyung-hun, is adapted from a popular webcomic “Tales of the Unusual” by cartoonist Oh Seong-dae.It revolves around a girl named Ye-ji who comes across mysterious water that enables her to lose weight and reshape her appearance. She finds her life is more in danger the more she desires to be beautiful.While keeping the original webcomic's eccentric world view, the film adds to the story with dynamic movements and vivid drawings. The work lampoons the absurdity of modern society's obsession with appearance through the protagonist, who is swayed by the beauty standards that end up destroying her.Making its world premiere at the 24th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, the film was invited to 12 international film festivals so far, including Annecy InternationaSep 10, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Disney's 'Mulan' sparks backlash over ties to Xinjiang, Hong Kong This image released by Disney shows Yifei Liu in the title role of "Mulan." Disney via APWalt Disney Co's release of "Mulan", which is set in China and meant to appeal to audiences there, has provoked a backlash on social media over its star's support of Hong Kong police and for being partly filmed in the Xinjiang region. Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong and internet users in Taiwan and Thailand are among those who promoted hashtags "#BoycottMulan" and "#BanMulan" on Twitter, following this month's launch of the film on Disney's streaming platform. It will also be shown in cinemas in China - an increasingly important market for Hollywood studios - from Sept 11. Disney's shares rose 1.7% to $134.20 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday as investors shrugged off the backlash on hopes that subscribers to the company's streaming video service in the United States and other markets paid $30 over the weekend to watch the film as part of a test release amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a note on Tuesday, Deutsche Bank analysts upgraded shares of Disney from a hold to a buy and rSep 9, 2020
Sci-fi movie 'Tenet' leads box office Sci-fi film “Tenet” has topped box office in Korea. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea By Dong Sun-hwaSci-fi movie “Tenet” has dominated box office in Korea for 11 consecutive days as of Saturday, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) said.The council said the film drew 93,190 theatergoers that day, outperforming the comedy "Oh! My Gran" (42,527) and the crime-action movie "Deliver Us From Evil” (11,633).Tenet has been topping the box office since its opening on Aug. 26, selling 977,062 tickets in total. It is expected to reach a cumulative audience of 1 million on Sunday, despite a fall in daily moviegoers triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.The film revolves around a CIA agent ― played by John David Washington ― who should manipulate the flow of time to avert World War III. It also features Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki. Christopher Nolan, who was behind the success of the sci-fi film “Inception” (2010), wrote and directed the flick. Sep 6, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa
'Spiritwalker' invited to Spain's Sitges film festival A poster for the film “Spiritwalker” / Courtesy of ABO EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Yoon Jae-keun's fantasy action film “Spiritwalker” has been invited to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, the film's distributor said Friday.It has been invited to the Panorama Fantastic Section of the 53rd edition of the festival, which will take place in the coastal town of Sitges, Spain, from Oct. 8 to 18.Starring Yoon Kye-sang, Lim Ji-yeon and Park Yong-woo, “Spiritwalker” is about a man who wakes up with no memory in a different body every 12 hours and has to make it back to his own body. Helmed by producers of “The Outlaws” and “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil,” the film has been sold to more than a dozen overseas markets, including Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and the Middle East.Sitges is considered one of the top three fantasy genre film festivals in the world, along with Portugal's Fantasporto-Oporto International Film Festival and the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival of Belgium. It specializesSep 4, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
More Korean films portray older women as independent individuals A scene from “Oh! My Gran” Courtesy of CGV ArthouseBy Park Ji-wonOlder women in films were often depicted in stereotyped ways; they sacrifice for families and others or remain passive, victimized and asexual. Their desires and ambitions were rarely addressed in films and thus very few movies have an older woman as lead role. But the tendency is slowly changing. More Korean films released recently portray elderly women as independent figures speaking for themselves.Both one film and one documentary film released recently center on elderly women in their 80s as lead characters.One is “Oh! My Gran,” or “Oh! Munhee” in Korean, released on Aug. 20, a movie about the search for the driver in a hit-and-run incident that leaves the leading lady's granddaughter, Bo-mi, injured.The film traces the investigation carried out by Oh, the lead character played by Na Moon-hee who happened to be the only witness of the crime scene but is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and Du-won ― her son and Bo-mi's father ― with abundant action scenes and touching family momSep 3, 2020By Park Ji-won
After success of 'Parasite,' Park So-dam moves on to arthouse flick 'Fukuoka' By Kwak Yeon-sooActress Park So-dam / Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentPark So-dam, well-known for her outstanding performance from the Oscar-winning “Parasite,” has moved on to a smaller, less commercial film “Fukuoka.” The art house flick displays the importance of communication through three different characters. In the film, Park plays So-dam, a mysterious young woman who inspires Je-moon (Yoon Je-moon), a second-hand bookstore owner, to travel to Fukuoka and meet his long estranged friend Hae-hyo (Kwon Hae-hyo).The two men lost touch 28 years ago after falling in love with the same girl, who eventually left both of them. Hae-hyo moved to the girl's hometown of Fukuoka to look for her, but never saw her again. Struggling to get over his ex-girlfriend, Hae-hyo has been running a bar in the Japanese city and growing old alone, just like Je-moon.The characters go through conflicts in their lives, many of which remain unresolved. It's hard to pin down exactly who or what Park really is because details about her character are kept under wraps throughout the film. ShAug 31, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Major film releases delayed again as COVID-19 resurges Liu Yifei in “Mulan” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Co. KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooMany major film releases have been pushed back again due to a resurgence of COVID-19 in Korea.The country has reported three-digit figures on new infection cases for the past 15 days, with the latest new infection case number released on Friday reaching 371.The government raised the social distancing guidelines to Level 2 on Sunday, and is cautiously reviewing the situation to raise them to Level 3. Level 2 bans indoor gatherings of more than 50 and outdoor gatherings of more than 100, in comparison with Level 3 that bans gatherings of 10 people or more except for essential meetings for business and state affairs.The release of “Mulan” has been delayed to Sept. 17 from Sept. 10. Originally scheduled to hit the screens in March, the live-action remake of the 1998 animated film has been delayed four times. “Given the country's COVID-19 situation, we have decided to delay the release of Mulan. We ask for everyone's understanding,” distributor Walt Disney Co. Korea said in a news rAug 28, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Releases of blockbusters postponed again due to pandemic A recent spike in new coronavirus cases has dealt another heavy blow to the South Korean film industry, pushing distributors to postpone the release of titles set to hit theaters next month.Distributor Merry Christmas said Thursday that it will put off the premier of the science-fiction adventure "Space Sweepers," which was originally scheduled to hit screens Sept. 23. The company did not elaborate on the exact date of the film's next release.Starring Song Joong-ki and Kim Tae-ri, "Space Sweeper" is one of the most anticipated blockbusters in the fall season in South Korea. It features a group of space scavengers who hunt for debris to make money in the year 2092 in a fictional universe.Earlier, the openings of the homegrown comedy-crime film "The Golden Holiday" and the horror-thriller animated film "Beauty Water" were also put on hold. The two titles were set to hit screens Aug. 19 and next Wednesday, respectively.Hollywood films have been also shelved from their original opening schedules for this fall.The Walt Disney Company Korea, the local distributing unit of the U.S. entertaiAug 28, 2020
'Shoplifters' filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda to helm first Korean film By Kwak Yeon-sooFilmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment“Shoplifter” filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda is set to direct his first Korean film, tentatively titled “Baby, Box, Broker.” This will be Kore-eda's second film set outside Japan, following “The Truth,” which was shot in French and English.The star-studded cast includes Song Kang-ho of Oscar-winning “Parasite,” Bae Doo-na of epic sci-fi film “Cloud Atlas” and Gang Dong-won of zombie blockbuster “Peninsula.”The film centers on “baby boxes” that are left out for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies. “'Broker' is a story about baby boxes,” Kore-eda said. “I'm currently working on the script that revolves around three great actors. I hope to create a thrilling, heartwarming and emotional film,” said Kore-eda.“This film, like my latest French-language film 'The Truth,' will be set outside my home country and native language. I've been exploring questions like 'What can I share with the audienAug 27, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
