Animator toils to produce full-length movie alone The animated feature film “Away” revolves around a boy's adventure to a mysterious land to find his family. He is chased by a giant monster. Courtesy of Gints ZilbalodisHe likens 3D movie making process to character's journey to find familyBy Lee Gyu-leeWhen a movie wraps up, the closing credits usually roll for minutes, especially for feature films. But for the visually intriguing feature-length animation “Away,” there's no need for a long list of credits, because it has only one name: Gints Zilbalodis, an up-and-coming talented animator. Latvian animator Gints Zilbalodis made the animated film through a complete one man production. Courtesy of Korea Independent Animation Film FestivalThe 25-year-old filmmaker's complete one-man production “Away” ― from the story, animation to post-production distribution ― created much buzz at international animation film festivals. He has also received the award given to newly discovered talent in the Annecy International Animated Film Festival ― one of the world's most renowned animation film festivals.Last weeSep 23, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
Malaysia bans Jennifer Lopez movie 'Hustlers' Jennifer Lopez / APMalaysia has banned the movie "Hustlers", a Jennifer Lopez film based on the real life exploits of a band of strippers who fleeced clients after having drugged them.Malaysia's government has been accused by art critics of being a nanny state for its conservative position on the films it allows to be shown in the country. In August, the film censorship board (LPF) cut out gay sex scenes in "Rocketman,, a movie based on the life of British singer Elton John.The ban on "Hustlers" was announced over social media late Thursday by the movie's local distributor, Square Box Pictures.No reason was given by the distributor, but the LPF said it was packed with so much obscene content there would not be much of a film left after it had made all the necessary cuts, according to a report by AFP.The LPF did not immediately respond to a request for comment."Hustlers" ― inspired by the real life story of Samantha Barbash and three others who stole at least $200,000 from men they had drugged ― collected over $30 million at North American theatres in its opening weekend last week. (RSep 21, 2019
VIDEO Megan Fox speaks for audience in historical film about unsung heroes Hollywood actress Megan Fox appears as American war correspondent Maggie in the new Korean film “Battle of Jangsari.” Courtesy of Warner Bros. KoreaBy Dong Sun-hwaNew wartime film “Battle of Jangsari” puts the spotlight on unsung heroes of the Korean War (1950-53). Although the flick mostly focuses on 722 student soldiers from the South who fought against North Korean forces in Jangsa-ri, North Gyeongsang Province, it also introduces another key player, American war correspondent Maggie. Maggie, played by Hollywood heartthrob Megan Fox, poses problems on the audience's behalf like a spokesperson. In the beginning, she points out how absurd it is to deploy untrained boys to the battlefield as “cannon fodder.” Later, when Korea and America consider deserting them to pursue “bigger priorities,” she again raises her voice to save them. The poster for the movie “Battle of Jangsari.” Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea“I named the character Maggie to pay homage to war correspondents including Marguerite Higgins and Margaret BourkSep 20, 2019By Dong Sun-hwa
'Our Body' explores way out at corner of life Official poster for film "Our Body"/ Courtesy of Korean Academy of Film ArtsBy Jung Hae-myoung “Our Body” is a film about our body, and how it changes when we run. Rather than emphasizing health, the film explores the metaphor of the human body and how running can change our state of mind and eventually our lives. During the press conference held Tuesday at CGV Yongsan, Han Ga-ram, the director said the idea for the film was born from her own experience studying for an exam to get into a broadcasting company.“When I saw my friends who work out, I was curious as to why they were so obsessed with it,” Han said. “I believed that health was not the only reason that they stuck with it.”Han started to run for herself, and tried to depict her change in the fictional character in the film. In the film, Ja-young (played by Choi Hee-seo) who is studying and preparing for the Civil Service Examination in her 30s, finds an escape in running, after failing the exam for eight years. One day, Ja-young meets a runner, Hyun-joo (Ahn Ji-hye) near her house, andSep 20, 2019
Coming-of-age film looks back on male-dominated, competitive Korea in 1990s The coming-of-age film “House of Hummingbird” takes viewers on a journey of hope through the story of 14-year-old Eun-hee, played by Park Ji-hoo, amid crisis. / Courtesy of ATNINEFILM'House of Hummingbird' draws moderate success By Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kim Bo-ra / Courtesy of ATNINEFILMThere's something about the coming-of-age film “House of Hummingbird” ― it offers a feel-good narrative, though the story centers on a teenage girl's personal struggle in a male-dominated, volatile society.The award-winning movie gives audiences a peek into the life of an insecure, timid 14-year-old girl Eun-hee (played by Park Ji-hoo) who is wrestling with the burning issues of the male-dominated 1990s, such as extreme obsession for academic achievement and domestic violence. But it still manages to convey a special message of her search for hope and love, much like a hummingbird flitting through the air with relentlessly flapping wings to keep itself afloat. “This movie is about how humans communicate and share their love with one another,” says the director KSep 19, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
'Maggie' untangles trust building, repairing A poster for the film “Maggie”/ Courtesy of ATNINE FILMBy Jung Hae-myoung Director Yi Ok-seop's award-winning film “Maggie” has drawn much attention since last year when it garnered four prizes at the Busan International Film Festival. The film centers on young people's anxieties and their efforts to untangle themselves from their own trust issues by exploring how trust is destroyed and repaired, which requires a great deal of mutual effort.During a news conference at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul on Tuesday, the mystery comedy film had generated much buzz for its style and mise-en-scene which was compared to U.S. filmmaker Wes Anderson who earned fame for his distinctive visual and narrative styles. The title “Maggie” is intriguing to audiences as it means catfish in Korean. The catfish, voiced by Chun Woo-hee, is the narrator of the film. Director Yi said she wanted the audience to consider the fish as a character, even though it is not human.“The first image that came into my mind was a woman staring into a fish tank,” Yi said. &lSep 18, 2019
'The Bad Guys' storms to local box office over holiday A scene from action film “The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos,” which topped the local box office over the holiday weekend from Sept. 12 to 15. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Lee Gyu-lee“The Bad Guys: Reign Of Chaos” topped the local box office over the four-day Chuseok holiday weekend.The action-packed film saw 2.68 million ticket sales in the five days since it hit theaters Wednesday, surpassing the film's break-even point set at 2.55 million, as of Sunday. The movie is a spinoff of local broadcaster OCN's drama, “The Bad Guys,” broadcast in 2014. The series fascinated viewers with its storyline ― police hiring ex-convicts to catch criminals ― becoming OCN's highest-rating show at the time. The movie features the same two main characters Oh Gu-tak, played by Kim Sang-joong, and Park Woong-cheol, played by Ma Dong-seok.Kim expressed how thrilled he was to feature in both the series and the film in a recent interview with local outlets. “I really wanted the drama to be made into a movie, as films have a larger scale with more action sequences. Dong-seok and ISep 16, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
Aug. ticket sales for S. Korean movies hit 7-year low Monthly sales figures for homegrown films tumbled to their lowest point in seven years last month on a dearth of hit titles, a report showed Saturday.Sales of tickets for South Korean movies came to 18 million in August, 4.21 million less than the monthly sales recorded in August last year, according to the Korean Film Council.It is the first August figure to fall below the 20-million level since 2012.The unusual downturn is attributable to Korean films' tepid performance this summer.Such famous movies as 2014's "Roaring Currents" and "A Taxi Driver" and "Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days" from 2018 dominated the summer box office in the past, all drawing more than 10 million moviegoers each.The movie scene this summer was an exception, with the best-performing film, "Exit," managing to sell just 8.28 million tickets in August following its July 31 release.The second-best-selling title was "Battle of Fengwudong," which sold less than 5 million."As several similarly themed high-budget films hit the screens in the busy summer season, moviegoers might have grown tired (of them)," anSep 14, 2019
Ticket sales of 'The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos' exceed 1 mln on 3rd day after release South Korean action film "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" drew more than one million moviegoers in three days upon hitting local screens, the movie's distributor CJ Entertainment said Friday. Directed by Son Yong-ho, the movie features a group of criminals who push the limits of the law as they team up to fight crimes. The move is a spinoff of the TV drama "Bad Guys," which was aired by OCN in 2014. The movie starts as a prisoner transport vehicle overturns on a road and high-profile prisoners escape. The police form a special team consisting of other hardened criminals to catch the prisoners.Oh Gu-tak (Kim Sang-joong), a merciless detective, leads the team of outlaws that includes Park Woong-cheol (Ma Dong-seok), a legendary fighter in a crime syndicate serving a prison sentence; Kwak No-soon (Kim A-joong), a clever con artist; and Ko Yoo-sung (Jang Ki-yong), an elite police officer sentenced to a five-year jail term for accidentally killing a fleeing pickpocket during a pursuit. (Yonhap)Sep 14, 2019
Horror film 'IT: Chapter Two' floats to top of box office This combined photo shows the posters for “IT: Chapter Two,” left, and “Tune in for Love.” The two films ranked first and second, respectively, on the local box office chart on Monday. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea and CGV ArthouseBy Lee Gyu-leeThe horror sequel “IT: Chapter Two” topped the local box office on Monday, grossing 3.6 billion won ($3.2 million) in Korea for its opening week including the weekend. Since the film hit local theaters last Wednesday, it has dominated the box office until the theater version of TV animation “Hello Carbot: Save the Moon” briefly put the brakes on it, Sunday. But the animation dropped to sixth on the chart the next day, yielding the top spot to the horror film. Total ticket sales for "IT: Chapter Two" accumulated to about 445,000 as of Monday. Based on Stephen King's novel, the “IT” sequel centers on the fear-eating figure Pennywise and a group of children ― the Loser Club ― fighting to defeat the clown that takes children. It is a follow-up to the 2017 film which became a megahit, mSep 10, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
