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
'Cats' director Hooper stops in Korea in hopes for another musical craze Director Tom Hooper, right, and singer-actress Ok Joo-hyun pose with a painting of the musical film “Cats” during a press conference for the film at Yongsan CGV in Seoul, Dec. 23. YonhapBy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Tom Hooper has released his second musical film following the success of "Les Miserables," and he came to Korea in hopes to spark a musical sensation here once again with the film adaptation of the long-loved musical show “Cats.”“I'm delighted to be in Korea for the very first time. I wanted to come ever since the extraordinary reaction that Les Miserables received here,” the director said during a press conference for “Cats” at Yongsan CGV in Seoul, Dec. 23. In 2012, Hooper's screen adaptation of “Les Miserables” won the heart of Korean moviegoers with a riveting story and emotional performances by stars like Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe. The film saw almost 6 million ticket sales in Korea. Its exceptional popularity opened up the door for musical films to succeed in the local box office. Noting that hDec 29, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
'Ford v Ferrari' popularity steadily accelerates The poster for the action movie “Ford v Ferrari.” Courtesy of 20th Century FOXBy Cho Hae-minThe action film “Ford v Ferrari” ― directed by James Mangold, best known for the 2013 superhero movie “The Wolverine” ― is steadily gaining popularity in Korea. According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the film surpassed 1 million ticket sales as of Dec. 20, 17 days after its preview. The film topped the box office when it was released on Dec. 4 and despite a reduced number of theaters, it ranked No. 4 on Dec. 23. The film depicts the strong bond between engineer Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon, and talented driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) in developing a racing car ― the Ford GT40 ― to defeat the dominance of Ferrari in the 24-hour Le Mans race. Bale was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in the film. Dec 27, 2019
Movies in 2019: 'Parasite' contagious globally, Song couple breakup stuns nation A scene from director Bong Joon-ho's film “Parasite,” which became one of the buzziest films of the year, setting award-winning records and nominations in international awards. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Lee Gyu-leeThis year has been full of notable remarks on the Korean film industry, both positive and negative. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Korean cinema has witnessed a big leap forward to the global market as evidenced through the meteoric rise of the film “Parasite” and actor Ma Dong-seok.Always in competition with Hollywood films, the new wave of independent films, with notable representation of feminist-oriented films, brought diversity to the highly competitive local box office, whereas a handful of the big-budget films failed to bring in the expected turnout. Here are this year's Top 10 movie news stories that made headlines.1. Bong Joon-ho “Parasite” crazeThere is no doubt that Bong Joon-ho's “Parasite” was the talk of the town this year, not only in Korea but also worldwide. Since winning the title of the first KoreanDec 25, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
