Korean film awards delayed on coronavirus fears By Park Si-soo Fears of coronavirus have derailed one of South Korea's best-known film awards. The Daejong Film Awards Organizing Committee said Tuesday it had deferred the 56th ceremony, slated for Feb. 25.“We have decided to delay the awards on increasing concerns that artists and audience in the ceremony venue could be exposed to the infectious novel coronavirus,” the committee said in a statement.The committee did not comment on when it would announce a rescheduled date. The committee announced this year's nominations on Jan. 17. Feb 4, 2020
'Parasite,' 'Jojo Rabbit' win top Writers Guild Awards Movie “Parasite.” Courtesy of CJ ENM``Parasite'' has continued its march through Hollywood's awards season by winning the best original screenplay honor at Saturday's Writers Guild Awards.The Nazi satire ``Jojo Rabbit'' took home the best adapted screenplay honor. The Writers Guild Awards were roughly a week before the Academy Awards, where both films will compete in the best picture category.The ``Parasite'' win went to Bong Joon Ho, who is also the film's director and Han Jin Won. Taika Waititi won for ``Jojo Rabbit,'' a film he also directed and starred in.HBO swept the top television awards, winning the drama category for ``Succession,'' the comedy category for ``Barry'' and the best new series honor of ``Watchmen.'' The premium cable network's limited series also won the original long form prize, while FX's ``Fosse/Verdon'' won the adapted long form award.Saturday's awards were handed out in concurrent ceremonies in New York and Beverly Hills, California. (AP)Feb 2, 2020
'Parasite' screened at over 1,000 theaters in North America Film “Parasite.” Courtesy of CJ ENMThe number of theaters in North America screening director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" surpassed 1,000 over the weekend, industry watcher Box Office Mojo has said. According to the U.S. website tracking film revenues early this week, the South Korean black comedy was screened in 1,060 cinemas Sunday. Since it opened in three theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 11, the movie took US$30.91 million at the North American box office, the seventh largest ever among foreign language films.The number of theaters showing "Parasite" had been on the decline after hitting 620 late last year but has sharply increased since it won the best foreign language film at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 6. The winner of the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival has earned six nominations for Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. "Parasite" also made a strong showing in Japan. Since its release on Jan. 10, its revenue has exceeded 1 billion yen (US$9.16 million), according to Bitters End, its distributor in Japan. The movie Jan 29, 2020
'Birds of Prey' is ultimate 'girl gang' film, says Margot Robbie Director Cathy Yan, right in front row, talks about the new film “Birds of Prey” at a live video conference held at Yongsan CGV in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Warner Bros. KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” which is told entirely from Harley's point of view, is an ensemble film where each of the characters has many shining moments, according to director Cathy Yan.In a video conference held at Yongsan CGV in Seoul, Tuesday, the director and cast discussed adapting characters from DC Extended Universe comics and the theme of sisterhood.“A big takeaway from the film is that it shows raw, imperfect characters becoming empowered in the end. All characters go on their own, similar journey and later join forces to defend a young girl from a villain,” Yan said. Talking about the film, Yan said that it pays homage to the entire history of the comic book, but has original elements too.“What's lovely is that although the film is inspired by the entire history of the character in the DC comic, a Jan 29, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Movie theaters suffer amid coronavirus outbreak Lee Byung-hun, right, and Lee Hee-jun in a scene from “The Man Standing Next” / Courtesy of ShowboxCinemas announce preventative measures to avoid coronavirusBy Kwak Yeon-sooMovie theaters suffered during the Lunar New Year holiday as ticket sales dropped year-on-year amid a nationwide fear of the Wuhan coronavirus.The Lunar New Year holiday is traditionally one of the high seasons for cinemas here. Last year, the local box office totaled 72.1 billion won ($61 million) during the five-day holiday, attracting more than 8 million moviegoers from Feb. 2 to 6.But this year, with the shorter holiday period and the outbreak of the deadly virus, the box office grossed only about 44.4 billion won ($37.7 million), according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Multiplexes attracted only about 4.9 million moviegoers from Jan. 24 to 27. “The coronavirus outbreak may have brought about the decline in ticket reservations and sales during the Lunar New Year holiday,” a KOFIC official said. “However, a bigger reason for the lower attendance compared with last year is thJan 28, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Parasite' team beefs up last-minute Oscar campaign Lee Jung-eun, left, and Bong Joon-ho, director of “Parasite” and nominee for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film category, attend the 72nd Annual DGA Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Jan. 25, 2020. ReutersDirector Bong Joon-ho and the cast of "Parasite" are entering the final stretch in the heated race for the upcoming Oscars.The genre-bending family satire was nominated in six categories ― best picture, best director, best screenplay, best editing, best production design and best international feature film ― for the 2020 Academy Awards slated for Feb. 9.It is the first time that a South Korean-made film has earned a nod for one of the world's biggest film events.According to CJ ENM, which is behind the Cannes-winning film, the "Parasite" team will carry out a last-minute campaign in the United States to win the hearts of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).The voting will begin on Thursday (U.S. time) and close on Feb. 4, with about 8,000 AMPAS members casting a ballot.The team may include director Bong anJan 26, 2020
Theaters to screen Oscar-nominated films ahead of big night A scene from “Jojo Rabbit,” which will officially hit local theaters on Feb. 5 / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooPoster for CGV Arthouse's special screening event, which will be held from Jan. 23 to Feb. 12. / Courtesy of CGVAs the Academy Awards ceremony is approaching and the lists of nominees have been finalized, movie theaters are rushing to provide moviegoers with opportunities to watch the acclaimed films nominated for the 92nd Oscars, scheduled to be held Feb. 9 at Hollywood's Dolby Theater.CGV, the country's largest multiplex operator, will kick off an event featuring Oscar-nominated films from Jan. 23 to Feb. 12 at CGV Arthouse branches, which focus on arthouse and indie films. Sixteen films nominated for the awards will be screened in 18 theaters nationwide.Some of the films will be screened here for the first time, including Sam Mendes' “1917,” which was nominated for 10 Oscars in total, including Best Cinematography and Best Picture, and “Judy,” in which Renee Zellweger portrays iconic singer and actress Judy GarlanJan 21, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Parasite' wins Screen Actors Guild award for acting ensemble in run-up to Academy Awards Korean film director Bong Joon Ho (2nd -R) and the cast of "Parasite" accept the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture during the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Jan. 19, 2020. AFP"Parasite," Bong Joon-ho's black comedy film, has clinched a key award at this year's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards in the United States, the film's latest achievement that bodes well for its showing at the Academy Awards next month. The South Korean film's 10-person cast, including Song Kang-ho and Cho Yeo-jeong, was named the winner of the 26th Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in the award ceremony held on Sunday (U.S. time) in Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.It was the SAG's first presentation of the key film award to a foreign-language movie since an Italian film by Roberto Benigni, "Life is Beautiful," won it 21 years ago. "Parasite" competed with four other titles, "Bombshell," "The Irishman," "Jojo Rabbit" and "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood," in the category. Taking thJan 21, 2020
Action comedy 'Hitman' is contender for genre-confused film A scene from “Hitman: Agent Jun” / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooAction comedy film “Hitman: Agent Jun” has two different themes embedded in it. On the one hand it is an action movie about Jun (Kwon Sang-soo), a secret service hit man who carries out assassinations based on orders from his long-time superior Deok-gyu (Jung Joon-ho)On the other is the comedy in which Jun later works to have a normal life as a webcomic artist.The contrast between Jun's dual identities ― whether he's killing terrorists or trying to succeed as webcomic artist ― provides amusing visual juxtapositions throughout the film.“Hitman is an eccentric action-comedy that tells a tale about love for family and chasing one's dreams,” Kwon said during a press conference for the film.Disenchanted with his life as a secret service agent, Jun fakes his death to lead a normal life. Despite his efforts to become a top webcomic artist, Jun produces unpopular works that turn readers off. One night, a furious Jun draws a comic based on his life as a hit man and his wife acJan 19, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
'The Man Standing Next' dramatizes assassination of ex-president From left, director Woo Min-ho, actors Kwak Do-won, Lee Sung-min, Lee Byung-hun and Lee Hee-jun pose for a photo during a press conference for new film “The Man Standing Next” in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooPolitical thriller “The Man Standing Next” dramatizes the assassination of former Korean president and dictator Park Chung-hee, sparking a debate on how to interpret Park's legacy. People remain sharply divided over the legacy of Park, who ruled the country for 18 years after taking power through a military coup in 1961. Some recall him as a brutal dictator who suppressed Korea's democracy, while others give him credit for accelerating the country's economic development. “It's true that assassination of Park was a major event in the country's modern history, but I don't want politics to get in the way of assessing the film,” Director Woo Min-ho said during a press conference for the film in Seoul, Wednesday. “I want to let the audience decide whether the assassination was an act of high treason or revolution.”Set 40 dayJan 17, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
