Hitch halts controversial Netflix film’s Cannes premiere

CANNES, France, (AFP) -- The premiere of the first of two controversial Netflix movies at the Cannes film festival had to be stopped Friday amid whistles and jeers when the curtain malfunctioned hiding part of the screen. Some critics had earlier whistled at the start of $50 million creature feature “Okja” when the Netflix’s logo appeared on screen.The screening giant has refused to show both its films in the running for Cannes’ top prize in French cinemas, sparking a bitter row which has oversh

May 19, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Merciless (Korea)Opened May 17Crime, action. Directed by Byun Sung-hyunJae-ho (Seol Kyung-gu) is the maniacal head of a drug smuggling operation. While behind bars, he befriends Hyun-soo (Im Si-wan), a young delinquent who appears equally boisterous. Jae-ho suggests Hyunsoo join his operation, and the two begin working together in Jae-ho’s criminal gang upon their release from prison. The two soon come to slowly reveal their ambitions and hidden sides, however, and embark on a precarious par

May 19, 2017

[Movie Review] ‘The Wall’ asks tough questions about the nature of war but can’t quite connect

“The Wall,” a story of two American soldiers facing off against an unseen Iraqi adversary, is a men-at-war story more interesting than you might imagine. But not interesting enough. Bringing to mind Steven Spielberg’s debut feature, “Duel,” and similar hidden antagonist fare, “The Wall” benefits from the work of director Doug Liman. His varied filmography (“The Bourne Identity,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” the underappreciated “Edge of Tomorrow”) reveals him as a restless cinematic intelligence who li

May 19, 2017

[Movie Review] More thoughtful thrills in the ‘Alien’ universe

The “Alien” franchise has always been battleground for the philosophical and physical tussles for dominance between human, alien and artificial intelligence. While “Alien” set up the themes, character types, and iconography of this universe, 2012’s prequel “Prometheus” established an origin story and philosophy, bringing up questions of faith, spirituality and the risks of creating life. “Alien: Covenant,” once again directed by Ridley Scott, is the second prequel in the series, chronologically

May 19, 2017

[Herald Review] Still, always in mourning for Roh Moo-hyun

In the ending scene of the upcoming documentary “Our President,” a man walks around the streets of Busan, shaking people’s hands and introducing himself: “My name is Roh Moo-hyun. I’ll work hard.”The 109-minute film pinpoints the year 2002, a dramatic period in the late president’s political journey, when he was nominated the presidential candidate of the leading liberal party. The film hits Korean theaters May 25, two days after the eighth anniversary of Roh’s death by suicide. 　“Our President”

May 18, 2017

Korean stars headed to Cannes

With a total of five Korean films invited to the Cannes Film Festival, which opened Wednesday, a handful of Korean directors and movie stars are set to walk the event’s red carpet in the coming days. Director Park Chan-wook, who is attending the event as a jury member, joined the opening festivities Wednesday. Director Park Chan-wook, a jury member of Cannes Film Festival’s competition category this year, attends the event’s opening Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap)Director-actress duo Hong Sang-soo and K

May 18, 2017

[Herald Interview] Im Si-wan didn’t know how dark he could go

Im Si-wan is among the few Korean entertainers who have completed their transition from K-pop singer into actor, but the 28-year-old is careful not to overestimate himself or his sensibilities.　The fact that his latest film, the upcoming crime flick “The Merciless (Bul Han Dang),” is set to screen at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival still feels surreal to him, the actor said in an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul last Thursday. 　“I’m not sure what to expect,” said Im, whose atten

May 14, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Alien: Covenant(US)Opened May 9Sci-fi, thriller. Directed by Ridley ScottThe Covenant is a gigantic colony ship carrying thousands of colonists and embryos in hypersleep, bound for a new remote planet with a new energy source when members aboard (Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup) believe they have discovered a new, uncharted plot of paradise in space. There, they meet David (Michael Fassbender), a survivor of the previous Prometheus expedition. But the Utopian universe turns dark when alien for

May 12, 2017

[Movie Review] Laura Poitras zeroes in on Julian Assange and WikiLeaks in the elusive, unsettling ‘Risk’

Laura Poitras’ “Risk” is hardly the first feature film to take on Julian Assange, the elfin WikiLeaks mastermind who has spent the past decade exposing powerful secrets and cultivating his notoriety on the world stage. He has been addressed in several prior documentaries, notably Alex Gibney’s “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,” and was even played by a platinum-haired Benedict Cumberbatch in the little-seen Hollywood drama “The Fifth Estate.”But Poitras, one of the most intrepid and inc

May 12, 2017

[Movie Review] ‘Snatched’ is a huge disappointment

The promising young writer Katie Dippold, who wrote “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters,” strikes out with her third feature, “Snatched.” This mother-daughter kidnapping comedy starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn is a huge disappointment, and for Schumer, this is a low moment of a career that’s been peaking. As Emily, Schumer plays her characteristic problematic white girl character, a selfish, selfie-taking narcissist. But there’s no sharp satire to puncture that image, as some of the best work from

May 12, 2017

Actress Kim Ok-bin hopes to do justice to female action scenes in ‘Villainess’

“The Villainess” actress Kim Ok-bin said she felt a heavy sense of responsibility as the heroine of an action-filled film.“I felt like I had to do a good job in order for people to invest more in women-led action movies,” she said at a press conference for the film, ahead of its Cannes premiere, at CGV Wangsimni, Thursday.  Kim Ok-bin (left) and Shin Ka-kyun attend a press conference for “The Villainess” at CGV Wangsimni, Thursday. (Yonhap)In the film, which has been invited to the midnight scre

May 11, 2017

Koreans debate if ‘La La Land’ foresaw President Moon Jae-in’s win

Koreans have been debating if colors from an unlikely source predicted President Moon Jae-in’s win on Tuesday. After the release of the election results on Wednesday, a still from the 2016 film “La La Land” attracted much public attention for its use of colors. (Lionsgate Films)People suggested that the still, which showed Mia (Emma Stone) getting ready with her friends to go to a party, accurately depicted the result of the election. They said the colors of the dresses that the actresses are we

May 11, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘The Merciless’ shows a new Seol Kyung-gu

Seol Kyung-gu is an actor who possesses a “strange kind of charisma,” whose mere presence on camera evokes a sense of pathos, according to director Byun Sung-hyun of upcoming action flick “The Merciless (Bul Han Dang).”Having tackled a diverse array of roles and now in the 24th year of his career, Seol is a formidable figure in Korean cinema. But the actor will be the first to admit that his filmography by no means reflects a pristine track. There were periods when he fell into complacency, foll

May 10, 2017

Trailer, poster revealed for Hong’s ‘The Day After’

A black-and-white trailer and poster for Hong Sang-soo’s Cannes-bound film “The Day After” was revealed Tuesday. The film is another tale penned and directed by Hong, about love and misunderstanding featuring Kwon Hae-hyo, Cho Yun-hee and Kim Min-hee. Stills from “The Day After” (Finecut) Stills from “The Day After” (Finecut) Poster of “The Day After” (Finecut)Kwon plays married man Bong-wan who has been having an affair with a colleague at the publishing house where he works. The woman quits, a

May 9, 2017

[Next Wave] How actress Jeong Ha-dam roamed the streets

The Korea Herald is introducing Korean singers, musicians and actors poised to join the next wave of top stars in a twice monthly series. - Ed. While preparing to portray a homeless girl in the 2014 indie film “Wild Flower,” actress Jeong Ha-dam spent several days ambling around whichever odd Seoul neighborhoods her feet would take her. Park Suk-young, the director of “Wild Flower” and two more films spotlighting Jeong, had asked the actress to put on a face that seemed “young, but weath

May 8, 2017

Stellar cast confirmed for cyclist hero movie

The casting of Rain, Kang So-ra, Lee Bum-soo and Min Hyo-rin for an upcoming period flick has been confirmed.The film, which is based on the true story of Uhm Bok-dong, a cyclist active during the Japanese colonial era, is directed by Kim Yoo-seong. Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) who has appeared in American thrillers such as “Ninja Assassin” (2009) returns to the big screen to play the role of the bicycle hero. The character falls into cycling by accident, but through endless training rises to victory. Ra

May 8, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Sheriff in Town(Korea)Opened May 3Crime, comedy. Directed by Kim Hyung-jooDae-ho (Lee Sung-min) is a former detective who was fired for his overly aggressive investigative techniques and now lives as a nosy security guard in his hometown in Gijang County. Jong-jin (Cho Jin-woong), a successful businessman, enters the peaceful area to build a beach resort when drugs begin circulating around in the nearby Haeundae area. Suspicious of Jong-jin, who has won over the townspeople’s hearts, Dae-ho

May 5, 2017

[Herald Interview] First rock band to play Pyongyang lights up Jeonju film fest

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- The Jeonju International Film Festival invited a few guests with an interesting perspective this year -- the first foreign rock band to perform in North Korea and the team that documented the occasion.　“We had the feeling that they were pretty tense about having us here,” Morten Traavik, director of documentary musical “Liberation Day,” says of the festival organizers to The Korea Herald. “We really have the clear feeling that they are a little bit on edge.”　Traa

May 4, 2017

Brazilian ‘Rifle,’ Korean ‘Seeds of Violence’ take top prizes at Jeonju

Films that grapple with the issue of violence took top prizes at this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival.Brazilian director David Pretto’s “Rifle” and Korean director Im Tae-gyu’s “The Seeds of Violence” were announced the grand prize winners in the international competition category and the Korean competition category, respectively, at a ceremony held Wednesday evening at the Jeonju Cine Complex.“Rifle,” which made its Asian premiere at the Jeonju festival, is a mystery crime film set in

May 4, 2017