'Spies in Disguise' tries too hard to attract Korean moviegoers Walter, left, and Lance in a scene from “Spies in Disguise” / Courtesy of Blue Sky Studios By Kwak Yeon-soo“Spies in Disguise” tries to convince the audience that violence isn't the answer, but it fails to back up this message due to its lackluster narrative. The plot involves peerless spy Lance Sterling, voiced by Will Smith, and nerdy young scientist Walter Beckett, voiced by Tom Holland, teaming up to tackle terrorist threats and save the world.Lance, who originally believes that one “can't save the world with a hug,” later gives in to Walter, who believes that non-lethal gadgets can bring peace and harmony to all. “When we fight fire with fire, we all get burned,” Walter preaches in the movie. Although the message itself is terrific, the idea seems a bit too innocent. Furthermore, some of the non-violent arsenal consists of a multi-colored pen that can fire ropes to tie up bad guys, biodynamic concealment that can turn a person into a pigeon and an electrical puJan 7, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
'I will run for election if 'Honest Candidate' sells 10 million tickets' Ra Mi-ran speaks during a press conference at CGV Apgujeong, Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Dong Sun-hwaActress Ra Mi-ran made a surprise promise Monday that she would run for an election in real life, if her upcoming comedy flick “An Honest Candidate” attracted more than 10 million moviegoers. The earliest elections are the April 15 general elections. Ra plays Joo Sang-sook, a third-term lawmaker seeking re-election. “Many people thought I was actually standing for an election, after seeing my photos on some vehicles,” she said at a press conference at CGV Apgujeong, Seoul. “They were filming props but if our film grosses over 10 million, I would run in the election for real.” Then she said, “Maybe I should raise it to 15 million.” Actor Kim Mu-yeol, who plays Joo's zealous aide Park Hee-chul, said he would serve her as aide, if the actress ran. “An Honest Candidate” will be released on Feb. 12. Courtesy of NEW“An Honest Candidate” revolves around Joo, a habitual liar, who wins voters' hearts with sweet lies. But aheadJan 6, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa
'Parasite' wins best foreign film award at Golden Globes South Korean director Bong Joon-ho gives an acceptance speech after winning the award for best foreign language film for “Parasite” at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (local time). / AP-YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooBong Joon-ho's satirical thriller “Parasite” won the best foreign film award at the Golden Globes 2020, Monday (KST) ― the first Korean film to win the prize in the event's 77-year history.In a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, Bong's “Parasite” beat director LuLu Wang's “The Farewell,” Ladj Ly's “Les Miserables,” Pedro Almodovar's “Pain and Glory” and Celine Sciamma's “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.”. “Wow... Amazing. Once you overcome the one inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,” Bong said through a translator, accepting the prize. “Just being nominated along with fellow amazing international filmmakers was a huge honor. I think we use only one Jan 6, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Ha Jung-woo, Kim Nam-gil team up for new mystery 'Closet' From left, actor Kim Nam-gil, director Kim Kwang-bin and actor Ha Jung-woo pose for pictures during a press conference for a new film “The Closet” in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Lee Gyu-leeActors Ha Jung-woo and Kim Nam-gil teamed up to take on a challenge with unprecedented roles in their career in horror, mystery and drama film "The Closet.""This film was more of a challenge for me as a producer than as an actor. I think it is a type of movie that cannot be defined as one specific genre of mystery,” said actor Ha, who is also a co-producer of the film, during a press conference for the film in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Thursday.The flick revolves around an architect Sang-won (played by Ha) who moves into a new house with his daughter after losing his wife in an accident. He struggles to cope with the loss and take care of his daughter. Then one day, his daughter vanishes in the house without a trace, leaving him clueless until a mysterious man (Kim) comes to his door and tells him she has been taken inside the closet.“This has the character, sJan 6, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee
'Parasite' star Song Kang-ho meets Brad Pitt Song Kang-ho and Brad Pitt shake hands at the American Film Institute Awards on Friday in Los Angeles (local time). Capture from Twitter (@neonrated)By Dong Sun-hwaSong Kang-ho, a star in the 2019 Cannes-winning comedy-thriller “Parasite,” met Hollywood heavyweight Brad Pitt at the American Film Institute (AFI) Awards in Los Angeles on Friday night (local time). Song and Pitt shook hands after Pitt told Song he was a fan of the “Parasite,” reports said. The film's distributor NEON captured the moment and posted the photo on Twitter, Saturday. Other actors from “Parasite” ― Lee Jung-eun and Lee Sun-kyun ― are also in the picture. The movie won an AFI Motion Pictures of the Year award. The actors and filmmaker Bong Joon-ho are in Los Angeles to participate in the 77th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday. “Parasite” earned three Golden Globe nominations ― “Best Foreign Language Film,” “Best Director” and “Best Screenplay.” Organized by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Awards honor achievements in fJan 5, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa
Actors, popstars raise funds to support victims of Australian bushfires Nicole Kidman. Capture from Nicole Kidman's InstagramActors, popstars and Britain's royal family have stepped in to offer support for victims of Australia's unprecedented bushfires, helping to raise millions for firefighting services and wildlife shelters. On Sunday, Australian actor Nicole Kidman pledged a $500,000 donation on behalf of her family to New South Wales state Rural Fire Service, without specifying a currency. Kidman spent time in Sydney over the New Year, according to a picture posted on Instagram of herself and husband country music singer Keith Urban in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Sydney has seen some of the poorest air quality of any international city in recent weeks as smoke from bushfires has blanketed the city. "Our family's support, thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the fires all over Australia," she wrote, next to a link to a national firefighting donation page. On Saturday, Britain's Queen Elizabeth joined grandsons William and Harry in expressing shock at the bushfires, and sent their thanks to the firefighters who risked their lives Jan 5, 2020
What to expect in 2020 box office: upcoming films from comedy to sci-fi A scene from the upcoming comedy fantasy film “Dolittle” which will premiere on Jan. 8. Courtesy of Universal PicturesBy Lee Gyu-leeThe 100th year of Korean cinema in 2019 wrapped up successfully with record-breaking annual ticket sales at over 226.6 million, grossing 19 billion won ($16.6 million). As moviegoers bid farewell to 2019, streams of new films are expected to bring in further abundance to the cinema this year. From comedy to science fiction and action blockbusters, diverse genres of films are anticipated to compete in the local box office throughout the year. A poster for the new comedy film “Hitman,” starring actor Kwon Sang-woo, which is premiering on Jan. 22. Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentComedy films to start the yearThe beginning of 2020 will get the ball rolling for comedy films. Three animal-themed comedy films "Dolittle," “Secret Zoo,” and "Mr. Zoo,” will be released starting on Jan. 8, a week apart from each other. Universal's comedy-fantasy “Dolittle” is about Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.), who Jan 1, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee
Humans disguised as animals in new comedy film 'Secret Zoo' A scene from the human-turned-animal comedy film “Secret Zoo” which is set to hit local theaters on Jan. 15. Courtesy of Acemaker MovieworksBy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Sohn Jae-gon is making his comeback to the silver screen with the human-turned-animal comedy film “Secret Zoo” this January, nine years after his 2010 comedy “Villain and Widow.”Director Sohn Jae-gon speaks during a press conference for the upcoming comedy “Secret Zoo” on Monday at Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Courtesy of Acemaker MovieworksKnown for his unique sense of humor, the director debuted with the independent comedy film “The Man Who Saw too Much” in 2000. Two year later, he began his career as a commercial film director with the very first parody movie in Korea, “Fun Movie.” Since then, he has released two more comedy films including the award-winning “My Scary Girl” (2006) and “Villain and Widow” (2010) starring veteran actors Kim Hye-soo and Han Suk-kyu. “I grew up watching comedy films and TV shows, and would always reaDec 31, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
Box Office: annual ticket sales break record with over 224 mill The local box office recorded the highest annual ticket sales in history with over 224.6 million as of Saturday. Yonhap'Extreme Job,' Disney movies attract viewers to movie housesBy Lee Gyu-leeThe local box office scored record-breaking ticket sales of all time this year in Korean cinema history, grossing 224.6 million sales as of Saturday, according to the Korean Film Council. This surpassed the previous record in 2017 by about 5 million. Annual ticket sales have hovered around 210 million for the past six years since first surpassing 200 million in 2013, gaining a foothold as one of the largest film markets in Asia.This year five films, a new record, exceeded 10 million ticket sales, which became the mark of success since military blockbuster “Silmido” (2003) became the first film locally with massive ticket sales. Two film distributing powerhouses CJ ENM and Walt Disney Company were neck and neck on the films with over 10 million sales. CJ ENM scored two ― “Extreme Job” and “Parasite” ― and Walt Disney counted three ― “Avengers: Endgame,&rDec 30, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
'Parasite' among Obama's favorite films of 2019 Former U.S. President Barack Obama. / AP"Parasite" won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoFormer U.S. President Barack Obama has named “Parasite” among his favorite films this year.Obama unveiled his favorite movies and TV shows of 2019 on Facebook, Sunday (local time), a day after he posted his favorite books.“This year's list includes everything from explorations of class dynamics and relationships, to an inspired reboot of a classic graphic novel, to a portal back to one of the most special places in history ― an Aretha Franklin concert,” he wrote.“Of course, there's also 'American Factory', a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. It's our first offering in partnership with Netflix, and I'm excited about the other projects we've got in the works.”“Parasite,” a Korean black comedy thriller, won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, the film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong amoDec 30, 2019By Jung Min-ho
