[Herald Review] ‘Another Child’ marks successful directorial debut of Kim Yoon-seok

Character building, building up of tension, attention to detail and other qualities that made Kim Yoon-seok one of the best actors in Korea are also what make him a good director. Kim has created some of the most memorable characters in Korean cinema through understanding his characters. In “Tazza: The High Rollers,” the most talked-about character was Kim’s Agwi, despite his appearing in just five scenes, and the actor depicted a cold-blooded menace who believes he is doing right in “1987: When

April 2, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Shazam!’ may prove DC has finally figured it out

In retrospect, the DC Extended Universe having the rights to two of the most popular superheroes of all time could have been both a blessing and a curse. Both Superman and Batman have been done on screen masterfully -- though it got rather embarrassing for Supes in later films -- and making new films about them would’ve been like batting after Babe Ruth: You have to fill supersized shoes. After the surprise hit of “Aquaman,” David F. Sandberg’s “Shazam!” appears poised to become another bench pl

March 30, 2019

Director Kim Ki-duk lodges w1b damages suit against actress, broadcaster

Kim Ki-duk, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, has lodged a damages suit against an actress who claimed she was sexually assaulted by him and a local television broadcaster that reported on the sexual assault allegations against him. According to legal authorities on Friday, Kim filed a 1 billion-won ($880,700) suit earlier this month to the Seoul Western District Court against the actress and MBC, insisting that he suffered damages from their false claims. This file photo taken on June 12,

March 29, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Money (Korea)Opened March 20Crime, DramaDirected by Park Nu-riCho Hyeon-il (Ryu Jun-yeol), a young stock broker on the verge of being fired, has his life turned upside down when a colleague introduces him to “Beonhopyo” (Yoo Ji-tae), a mysterious figure who is an architect of shady but lucrative stock brokerage. But Cho’s newfound sense of invincibility is challenged when maverick investigator Han Ji-cheol (Jo Woo-jin) starts pressuring him.Captain Marvel (US)Opened March 6Action, Adventure, Sci

March 28, 2019

3 actors of 'Avengers: Endgame' to visit S. Korea

Three main cast members of Marvel's "Avengers: Endgame" will visit South Korea next month to promote the movie ahead of its release in the country, the movie's local distributor said Tuesday.The three actors -- Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner and Brie Larson -- and directors Anthony and Joe Russo will be in South Korea on April 14-15 to attend an Asian press junket in Seoul, Walt Disney Company Korea said. (Marvel)This will be Downey Jr.'s fourth visit to South Korea in four years since one for

March 26, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Captain Marvel (US)Opened March 6Action, Adventure, Sci-fiDirected by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck Vers (Bree Larson), a warrior from a powerful alien race called the Kree, struggles to control her emotions and powers, trained by her commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). A botched rescue mission lands her on Earth, and after a narrow escape from the hostile Skrull, with which her race is at war, she embarks on a journey to find the life she’s missed on Earth, along with her true identity as Carol Danvers.

March 21, 2019

Zachary Levi ‘grateful’ to be off MCU and onto ‘Shazam!’

Having your character killed off without uttering a single line may be an actor’s worst nightmare, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Zachari Levi, the lead man for the upcoming superhero film “Shazam!” “We didn’t really have that much to do (in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’) I felt like the warriors three in that franchise weren’t exactly used to the fullest of their capabilities,” Levi said in a press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday, about playing the role of Fandral in Marvel Cinematic

March 20, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Romang’ a beautiful story, but clumsy in telling

First impressions can be deceiving, but so can second and third impressions. Sometimes a film that looks promising from its opening scene will falter, only to rally with heartfelt moments of joy and grace.Lee Chang-geun -- who took the helm of “Romang,” a romance featuring an elderly couple suffering from dementia -- did not show top-notch directing skills with his first feature film. But he delivered when it counted in the crucial moments depicting the couple’s love, care and companionship -- a

March 19, 2019

S. Korean cinema records highest attendance ever for February

Boosted by the huge success of the local cop comedy "Extreme Job," South Korean movie theaters attracted the highest number of admissions of all time for February, a report from a market tracker showed Tuesday.The number of admissions in local theaters was up 43.2 percent to 22.28 million last month, with sales jumping 50.3 percent to 190 billion won ($167.87 million), according to the monthly report by the Korean Film Council. (Yonhap)KOFIC attributed the bullish sales to the presence of the bo

March 19, 2019

'Burning' director honored at Asian Film Awards

South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on Sunday. The auteur also won the best director award at the film festival for his movie "Burning," which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in May last year and won the best foreign film award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in December and the Toronto Film Critics Association and the Best Foreign Language Film Award from the French Union of Film Critics

March 18, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage' is enraging

Apparently it’s an epidemic in South Korean cinema. The parade of pretentious characters uttering “poignant” lines to feed a film’s bloated self-importance is nothing new here.But Lee Jeong-beom’s upcoming crime film “Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage” takes it to another level, replacing character development with cliches and corny dialogue while tying in one of the biggest tragedies in the country’s recent memory to no clear point.“Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage” (Warner Bros. Korea)The film kicks off

March 14, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Captain Marvel (US)Opened March 6Action, Adventure, Sci-fiDirected by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck 　Vers (Bree Larson), a warrior from a powerful alien race called the Kree, struggles to control her emotions and powers, trained by her commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). A botched rescue mission lands her on Earth, and after a narrow escape from the hostile Skrull, with which her race is at war, she embarks on a journey to find the life she’s missed out on Earth, along with her true identity as Carol Dan

March 14, 2019

[Herald Review] Style, great acting not enough to salvage pretentious and gratuitous ‘Idol’

Lee Su-jin’s second feature film “Idol” had talent, potential and many of the ingredients for a masterpiece, yet comes up woefully short of being a quality movie. The thriller starring the brilliant acting trio of Han Suk-kyu, Sol Kyung-gu and Chun Woo-hee winds tortuously to a predictable conclusion, a major letdown from a director whose directorial debut a few years ago showed much promise.It starts with a hit-and-run accident caused by the son of a leading gubernatorial candidate in which Yu

March 11, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Money’ a suspenseful story with good character, but formulaic

Some may call their acting cliche, others may say it is a formula that works. I’d say actors like Ryu Jun-yeol, Jo Woo-jin operate best when they just run amok with their own unique style.And run amok they have, in the upcoming crime drama “Money” by Park Nu-ri that deals with a small-time stock broker hooked into a life of wealth that has strings attached to it, ones that could drag him right to the bottom.In Park Nu-ri’s directorial debut, Ryu plays Cho Hyeon-il, a young stock broker on the ve

March 7, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

A Resistance(Korea)Opened Feb. 27Drama, HistoryDirected by Jo Min-hoAfter the iconic March 1 Independence Movement of 1919, one of its leading figures, Yu Gwan-sun (Go Ah-sung), is sentenced to three years in prison and sent to the infamous Keijo Prison, now known as Seodaemun Prison. But being confined to a tiny cell with dozens of inmates does not hold back Yu, her unconquerable spirit seeping out from behind the locked doors.Savaha: The Sixth Finger(Korea)Opened Feb. 20Mystery, Horror Christi

March 7, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Captain Marvel’ is both significant and fun, but there’s room for improvement

Hearing all the talk about “Captain Marvel” prior to its release, I was concerned about one thing: Would this film, which depicts the power of women, be so hung up on being a politically correct “feminist film” that it would forget to be an actual film?My concern was unwarranted, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest movie not only delivered a relevant message, but was also fun to watch. While it did have some shortcomings, the film lived up to the standards the audience has come to expect f

March 6, 2019

Will ‘Shazam!’ be DC’s counterpunch against Marvel?

The bitter irony of the film franchise unofficially called DC Extended Universe is that most of its star players have been throwing up bricks while those initially thought of as backups have been slamming it home. It is now up to “Shazam!” a superhero film based on a character of the same name, to pump life into DC in what has been a losing battle against the far more successful Marvel Cinematic Universe.Warner Bros. Korea on Tuesday announced the new comic book-based film will be released here

March 5, 2019

'Captain Marvel' advance ticket sales top 240,000 in S. Korea

"Captain Marvel" has already sold 240,000 tickets two days ahead of its theatrical release in South Korea, data showed Monday.The advance ticket sales of the Marvel superhero film recorded 245,880 as of 7 a.m. Monday, topping the ticket presale chart for the ninth consecutive day, the data from the Korean Film Council showed. (Image captured from Marvel`s website)This exceeded the number of advance tickets sold for other Marvel solo superhero films: "Black Panther" (180,000), "Doctor Strange" (1

March 4, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

A Resistance(Korea)Opened Feb. 27Drama, HistoryDirected by Jo Min-hoAfter the iconic March 1 Independence Movement of 1919, one of its leading figures, Yu Gwan-sun (Go Ah-sung), is sentenced to three years in prison and sent to the infamous Keijo Prison, now known as Seodaemun Prison. But being confined to a tiny cell with dozens of inmates does not hold back Yu, her unconquerable spirit seeping out from behind the locked doors.Savaha: The Sixth Finger(Korea)Opened Feb. 20Mystery, Horror Directe

Feb. 28, 2019

Lee Sun-kyun plays corrupt police in 'Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage'

With his mild demeanor and low baritone voice, Lee Sun-kyun has the look of a gentle soul. This is ironic given that he is playing a police officer that he describes as “a total scumbag” in director Lee Jeong-beom’s upcoming crime film “Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage.” “(My character) is a police officer, but he really is trash,” said Lee in describing his character Jo Pil-ho, during a promotional press conference for the film in Seoul on Monday. “He doesn’t compare to other characters that I have

Feb. 26, 2019