[Newsmaker] Britain’s Loach wins Cannes honor

British director Ken Loach won the Palme d’Or top prize at Cannes on Sunday for the second time in a decade with his moving drama “I, Daniel Blake” about the shame of poverty in austerity-hit Europe.　The award marked a major upset at the world’s top film festival in favor of the left-wing director, who turns 80 next month and is known for shining a light on the downtrodden.　He beat runaway favorites including the rapturously received German comedy “Toni Erdmann” by Maren Ade, one of three female

FilmMay 23, 2016

Ihwa Mural Village continues its struggle with noisy tourists

On the night of April 15, a 55-year-old resident of the Ihwa Mural Village surnamed Park and two other accomplices took buckets of gray paint and painted away one of the village’s most famous, flower mosaic-tiled outdoor staircase murals. A week later on April 24, a 45-year-old resident surnamed Kwon and another person followed suit and went on to gray over another of the village’s most photographed 3-D koi fish painted staircase murals.However, this act of vandalism was not committed as a means

CultureMay 22, 2016

Jang Keun-suk: ‘Jackpot’ is not a hit, but that’s okay

According to actors Jang Keun-suk and Yeo Jin-goo, the lackluster performance of their drama series “Jackpot” is disappointing, but not thoroughly disheartening.　“The title of the series is ‘Jackpot,’ so there was a certain pressure for it to do well,” said Jang Keun-suk, who stars as the hotheaded hero Dae-gil in the period piece, at a group interview Friday at SBS’ headquarters in Tanhyeon, Gyeonggi Province.　“Jackpot” depicts a fierce battle between Dae-gil, a prince who has been deprived of

TelevisionMay 20, 2016

[Weekender] Plan your Seoul trip by subway

Known for dynamism and high technology, Seoul is one of the largest metropolitan cities in the world, with a population of more than 10 million. Its population flow into, out of and within the greater metropolitan area, including the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, causes frequent traffic jams. 　Luckily, the city has one of the world’s most efficient public transportation systems. The subway network looks complex, but it is the easiest way to navigate the capital city and discover its various cul

TravelMay 20, 2016

Hallyu theme park to open in Goyang

A theme park based on Korean pop culture is set to open in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in 2017. 　Called “K-Culture Valley” for the time being, it will be built on 326,393 square meters across the Korea International Exhibition and Convention Center in Goyang, featuring six differently themed zones that highlight Korean pop music, TV dramas, and movies as well as the country’s history and retro culture.  Computer-generated image of the hallyu theme park, slated to open in 2017 in Goyang, Gyeonggi

CultureMay 20, 2016

[Around the hotels] Round up of hotel events and news

‘Cuisine of Liguria’ at Grand Hyatt Incheon　Grand Hyatt Incheon is presenting the cuisine of Liguria throughout May. 　As a participant in the Italian Food Festival organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Restaurant 8 is presenting the traditional cuisine of Liguria, a coastal region in north-western Italy.　Restaurant 8’s Italian kitchen Cucina is presenting Ligurian dishes with seafood and nuts.　There is also a five-course dinner featuring baby octopus salad and king crab soup and

Life&CultureMay 20, 2016

‘The Handmaiden’ rights sold in 175 countries

The distribution rights to Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden” have been sold in a record 175 countries, making it the widest-selling Korean film to date.　The film’s rights were sold to over 55 countries at the Cannes Film Festival’s Film Market on Thursday, said CJ E&M, the film’s distributor.　Prior to Cannes, the film’s rights had already been sold to 120 countries.　The previous record for international sales of a Korean film was held by director Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer,” which sold in 167 c

FilmMay 20, 2016

Cannes wunderkind blows off boos for new all-star drama

CANNES, France (AFP) - Canadian director Xavier Dolan, a freakishly successful 27-year-old presenting his fifth film at Cannes, shrugged off a critical mauling for his new all-star drama Thursday. 　“It's Only the End of the World” features an A-list French cast including Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, Bond girl Lea Seydoux, Vincent Cassel of “Black Swan” and Gaspard Ulliel, who starred in “Saint Laurent” about the legendary designer.　The film, based on a play by Jean-Luc Lagarce, tells the story

FilmMay 20, 2016

Celebrity chef helms kitchen of highly anticipated new restaurant

Less than a week remains until celebrity chef Song Hoon’s newest culinary endeavor, S-Tavern, launches in Seoul. 　Master Chef Korea Season 4 judge Song and team are busy preparing for the grand opening, tweaking sauces and working the grill, making sure that all the details, including the extensive menu, are worked out to perfection. 　The hard work seems to be paying off.  The grilled seasonal fish with zucchini, fried eggplant and lentils is served straight off S-Tavern‘s state-of-the-art grill

FoodMay 20, 2016

How did tortillas become the new white bread?

Ah, the humble tortilla. It’s been around for thousands of years -- a soft, pliable flat bread that was a cornerstone of the Aztec diet.　And now it’s the fastest-growing segment of the baking industry. Last year, tortilla sales reached $12 billion, dethroning white sandwich bread as America’s No. 1 choice for turning meat, vegetables and/or condiments into finger food.　How did that happen? Simple demographics is part of the reason. The Hispanic population in the U.S. has swelled and so has the i

FoodMay 20, 2016

[Travel bits] Round up of travel news from around the world

Ulsan Grand Park Rose Festival　Ulsan Grand Park Rose Festival has launched its 11th annual festivities. Held every year since 2005, this year’s festival exhibits roughly 3 million roses in a 44,730 square-meter rose garden. Visitors will have the opportunity to marvel at a wide range of premium rose species, which have been planted throughout the park’s expansive garden areas including the Cupid Garden, Venus Garden, Rose Hills and various themed gardens.　Aside from the diverse rose species on d

TravelMay 20, 2016

Biking in the Canary Islands, out of my comfort zone

I guess you could call it a midlife crisis.　　I’d flown across the Atlantic Ocean for a weeklong cycling trip on this Spanish archipelago off the coast of Morocco. The crisis part came as I watched a Trek Travel guide hoist my Domane road bike onto the roof rack of the support van, and I sheepishly crawled into the passenger seat while the other cyclists on the trip pedaled up the hill and out of sight.　“We’ll just give you a bump to the next rest stop,” the guide said with an extra dose of enthu

TravelMay 20, 2016

[Album Review] Jessica sends love, plays it safe

Jessica　“With Love, J”　(Coridel Entertainment)　Jessica’s album is warm and upbeat, singing of love and hope. It also takes less risks and plays it safe with familiar melodies and generic lyrics.　The former Girls’ Generation member, who left the group in 2014 to pursue her fashion business Blanc & Eclare, has returned to the K-pop scene with her first album, “With Love, J.” 　Title track “Fly” is a bright, moderately catchy pop track about aiming high and achieving your dreams. It adds a global vo

PerformanceMay 20, 2016

[Album Review] Tiffany -- stylish or listless

Tiffany　“I Just Wanna Dance”　(S.M. Entertainment)　In her first solo EP “I Just Wanna Dance,” Tiffany of famed girl group Girls’ Generation is stripped of her usual glitziness. The cover features her in a loose-fitting slip, while the album’s title is sprawled in minimal font against a pink background -- perhaps in a nod to the singer‘s famous fondness for the color. 　The sounds match the visuals, conveying that hazy old-school feeling trending these days.　The album comprises six soft, retro-pop

PerformanceMay 20, 2016

[Album Review] Under the radar, Darrell Scott defies category

Darrell Scott　“Couchville Sessions” 　(Full Light Records)　Darrell Scott is one of those Nashville-based singer-songwriters who out-of-towners hear in some of the city’s smaller venues and wonder: “Why isn’t he more famous?”　He answers emphatically on the stellar “Couchville Sessions,” a new release of material recorded 15 years ago in his living room in rural Tennessee. In a spirited indictment of the music industry’s over-reliance on labels called “Down to the River,” Scott spells it out in the

PerformanceMay 20, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

Canola　(Korea)　Opened May 19　Drama, Family. Directed by Chang (Yoon Hong-seung)　　Grandma Gye-choon (Youn Yuh-jung) is reunited with her long-lost granddaughter Hye-ji (Kim Go-eun), who is no longer the sweet, innocent child she once was. The film follows the two as they forge a new kind of relationship.　The Angry Birds Movie　(Finland, U.S.)　Opened May 19　Animation. Directed by Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly　Most flightless birds lead generally happy lives, but Red seems to become agitated with every

FilmMay 20, 2016

‘The Nice Guys’ is as funny as it is dark

Shane Black films are unmistakably Shane Black films, with crackling dialogue, relentless action, and tough guys cut from a decidedly retro cloth. 　In “The Nice Guys,” which he directed, and cowrote with Anthony Bagarozzi, that cloth is the kind of polyester that might make up a late-’70s leisure suit. While Black’s films are always deeply influenced by his appreciation for pulp noir detective fiction, “The Nice Guys” is one of the purest expressions of Black’s aesthetic, a bloody, hilarious, co

FilmMay 20, 2016