[Herald Interview] Searching for meaning through documentaries

An international documentary festival was held last week in Seoul, bringing filmmakers, documentary fans and producers together under the theme of “hope lies within us.” The 11th EBS International Documentary Festival, which screened presentations in theaters and on TV at the same time, featured over 50 documentaries from 23 countries for seven days. Among the participants at this year’s edition, head judge Victor Kossakovsky, judge David Royle from Smithsonian Channel and director Talal Derki h

FilmAug. 31, 2014

Pacino does double duty at Venice Film Festival

VENICE, Italy (AP) ― Al Pacino made two trips up the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, with a pair of movies about aging, regret, giving up and letting go. But fear not ― the actor says he’s not about to lower the curtain on his own career. Pacino plays a small-town Texas locksmith with a key for everything except his own unhappiness in David Gordon Green’s “Manglehorn,” one of 20 films competing for the festival’s Golden Lion prize. And he’s an aging actor who has lost his moj

FilmAug. 31, 2014

Made in America music fest rocks L.A.

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Thousands flocked to downtown Los Angeles’ inaugural outdoor music festival Saturday despite concerns from residents about possible security and traffic issues. The Budweiser Made in America concert, which featured three large stages dotting Grand Park in front of City Hall, kicked off under a blazing sun and thumping beats. The event marks the West Coast expansion of the two-day festival that rap mogul Jay Z launched in Philadelphia in 2012. Mayor Eric Garcetti has championed

PerformanceAug. 31, 2014

TVXQ confirms Japanese concert tour in 2015

K-pop idol duo TVXQ will embark on a Japanese concert tour to mark the 10-year anniversary of their debut, the group announced Saturday. 　The duo will tour five Japanese cities -- Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka -- for 12 performances, with the first to be held on Feb. 7 next year in Yahoo Oku Dome, Fukuoka. 　 (SM Entertainment)The duo unveiled its plan for the concert tour at the Japanese summer music festival “a-nation stadium fes. 2014 powered by in Jelly,” held Saturday in Tokyo. 　

Aug. 31, 2014

JYJ wows fans by rehearsing in Vietnam traditional hat

Idol group JYJ showed affection to its Vietnamese fans by wearing traditional hats during its rehearsal on Saturday.“During the rehearsal of JYJ’s Vietnam concert, the group members wore non, the traditional hat of the country, to avoid strong sunlight,” the agency was quoted as saying. “The hats were made by the Vietnamese fans,” it added. Members later posted pictures of themselves wearing the hats on SNS, gaining attention from their fans.JYJ is currently on an Asian concert tour, and has vis

Aug. 31, 2014

Heechul selects AOA as rival in appearance

Heechul of Super Junior selected AOA as its rival group on KBS 2TV’s “Entertainment Weekly.”In an episode broadcast on Saturday, the group was interviewed following the release its seventh full-length album, “Mamacita.”When the reporter asked, “Which group do you think threatens Super Junior?” Heechul shouted “AOA,” causing the members to burst into laughter.“I get angry when I see (entertainers) who are prettier than me,” Heechul added as the reason for his choice.The idol group released “Mamac

Aug. 31, 2014

‘I don’t envy Nichkhun for dating Tiffany’: Taecyeon

Taecyeon from the K-pop idol group 2PM said on a TV show that he doesn’t envy Nichkhun for dating Girls Generation’s Tiffany. The remark came during an interview on the KBS entertainment show “Entertainment Weekly” that aired on Saturday. 　Asked if he envied Nichkhun for dating Tiffany, Taecyeon said, “I don’t really envy Nichkhun. As far as know, the couple do not see each other often due to their busy schedule anyway.”　Nichkhun and Tiffany made their relationship public last April.   　Regardin

Aug. 31, 2014

Sexy icons Son Dambi and Lee Hyori show off friendship

South Korean singer Son Dambi revealed a photo she took with sexy diva Lee Hyori on Friday.　“Hyori is always cool,” Son wrote on Instagram. In the photo, the two smile, with Lee putting her arms around Son’s shoulders.　The first-generation idol Lee recently returned to the entertainment scene as a show host for the TV talk show “Magic Eye.” Son stars in the drama “What Happens to My Family?” 　(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 31, 2014

Jang Na-ra pictured with brother

South Korean actress Jang Na-ra released photos she took with her elder brother before going out on Friday.“I am going out with my brother. My brother’s hand shakes as if he has a tremor (when he takes pictures),” Jang wrote on Twitter. The slightly blurry photos feature the siblings making playful poses together. Jang is starring in the drama “Fated to Love You,” which portrays a romantic love story of a highly unlikely couple -- the sole heir of a business tycoon and an ordinary girl. 　(laetic

Aug. 31, 2014

‘This is where my life is’

The weather outside on this early August day is humid, the drizzling rain adding to the uncomfortable stickiness. Stepping inside the small office of Brother Anthony of Taize is like being transported to another place. The gentle scent of incense wafting in the air adds to the cool serenity of the space neatly crowded with bookcases.At first, a member of a Christian ecumenical community burning incense strikes me as an odd combination, but I quickly correct myself. While I equate incense with Bu

CultureAug. 29, 2014

Calendar

Pop music“Let’s Rock Festival”: The upcoming “Let’s Rock Festival” is gearing up to feature some of the country’s most notable indie bands in a two-day outdoor rock fest. The festival will include headlining acts Clazziquai, Peppertones, Zitten, Sister’s Barbershop, Crying Nut, No Brain, Guckkasten and Rose Motel as well as more than 30 other acts. The two-day indie music festival will be held at the Nanji Hangang Park on Sept. 20 and 21. Ticket prices are listed at 66,000 won for a one-day pass

CultureAug. 29, 2014

‘Frank’ an offbeat dive through the looking glass of creativity

Odd, offbeat, somehow endearing, the bleakly comic “Frank” has its own kind of charm as well as some pointed, poignant things to say about the mysterious nature of creativity, where it comes from and where it might all go.With the ability to be true to itself and its own eccentric vision, “Frank” is on the same page with its protagonist and namesake, the enigmatic lead singer of an avant-garde rock band with a deliberately unpronounceable name (The Soronprfbs), a man never seen without a huge fi

FilmAug. 29, 2014

Box Office

My Brilliant Life (Korea)Opening Sept. 3Drama, Directed by E J-yong“My Brilliant Life,” based on Korean novelist Kim Ae-ran’s 2011 best-selling novel of the same name, centers on 16-year-old Ah-reum (Jo Sung-mok), who has progeria -- a rare genetic disorder that causes premature aging in children. At the age of 16, Ah-reum’s body is already 80 years old. As his parents, who had Ah-reum at the age of 17, cope with their son’s disease, they learn about parenting, life and love. Heartthrob Kang Don

FilmAug. 29, 2014

Eyelike: ‘Smokey & Friends’ duets nice, not vital

‘Smokey & Friends’ duets nice, not vitalSmokey Robinson“Smokey & Friends”(Verve Music Group) Smokey Robinson doesn’t want to be a relic and that‘s understandable. He deserves for people to know his role as a chief architect of the Motown Sound and bard of the American romantic songbook, while remaining a vital, inspiring voice today.Therein lay the catalyst and challenge of “Smokey & Friends,” which finds him pairing with artists young and old on classics he composed, performed or both. Some due

PerformanceAug. 29, 2014

Train trips take you into heart of West Virginia

For a taste of the golden age of train travel, when passengers enjoyed a relaxing meal and beautiful scenery on their way from Point A to Point B, hop on board a train operated by West Virginia Mountain Rail Adventures.With locations in Durbin and Elkins, the company offers five different trains and routes from April to December. I rode two of them, the Durbin Rocket and the Mountain Explorer Dinner Train.The first time I tried to find Durbin, I drove right through it. The town smells distinctly

TravelAug. 29, 2014

Cultural niche carved out on Canada’s west coast

Tourists to British Columbia’s most-visited sites ― Stanley Park in Vancouver and the Parliament Buildings in Victoria ― are bound to notice carved poles with stylized creatures, one on top of the other, planted in the lawns. More totem poles, as the objects are called, can be viewed at the Royal BC Museum or the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. But to see them as they deserve to be seen ― in their natural environment ― requires a trip to Alert Bay.Situated on Cormorant Island off the northern tip

TravelAug. 29, 2014

Wallet-friendly ‘hansik’ at Uigitu Haap

Haap owner-chef Sin Yong-il, who had been crafting Korean rice cakes and pastries for over three years, knew he would eventually branch out from desserts. “I wanted to have a casual Korean eatery for a long time,” Sin, 41, revealed. From his prominent Korean dessert shop, Sin spun out fragrant, spongy makgeolli-infused rice cakes and ginger syrup-filled fried pastries, first at a small spot near Seoul’s Insa-dong and later on from a substantially larger perch in Cheongdam-dong. As word spread of

FoodAug. 29, 2014