Lee Byung-hun to tackle boxer role

Lee Byung-hun may portray a boxer for his next role, attempting another radical transformation in his prolific acting career. Though he has yet to officially sign on, Lee is working out the specifics to star in Choi Sung-hyun’s “Only That is My World” (unofficial title) for his next project, a local entertainment outlet reported Wednesday.Lee will be playing bygone boxer Jo-ha whose younger brother Jin-tae is a piano virtuoso. The film will tell a story of reconciliation between the brothers and

Dec. 14, 2016

[Herald Review] Cult, money and politics in eerily lifelike ‘Master’

After almost two decades of strict censorship under the authoritarian Park Chung-hee regime, Korean cinema began producing heavily political movies following the country’s democratization in the 1980s. While some saw film as a device of pure artistic expression, a large chunk of filmmakers viewed the medium as “the most powerful political and social weapon,” according to “Korean Cinema after Liberation,” a study by Hallym University’s professor Park Seung-hyun.　Countless films have since satiriz

Dec. 13, 2016

Climate change film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ gets a sequel

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Al Gore’s climate change documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” is getting a sequel.Paramount Pictures said Friday the follow-up to the Oscar-winning original will premiere at next January’s Sundance Film Festival.In the new documentary, former Vice President Gore examines global warming’s escalation and the solutions at hand, Paramount said.In a statement, Gore called for a re-dedication to solving what he called the climate crisis and said there are reasons to be hopeful.He

Dec. 11, 2016

‘La La Land’ expected to lead Golden Globe nominations

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Nominations for the Golden Globes will be unveiled Monday with critics expecting musical “La La Land” to lead the pack ahead of “Moonlight,” “Manchester by the Sea” and “Lion.” In a departure from last year‘s awards calendar, the announcements come before the influential Screen Actors Guild nominations, making them the first major bellwether of momentum going into the Oscars race.The Globe nominations, set to be made at the crack of dawn in Beverly Hills, are decided by the H

Dec. 11, 2016

[Box Office] Upcoming movie releases

Pandora(Korea)Opened Dec. 7Drama, thriller. Directed by Park Jung-wooA 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits the western coastal town of Wolchon-ri in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant. The earthquake causes fissures in the plant’s pipes, exposing the surrounding areas to radiation. The government and the president (Kim Myoung-min) fumble with the crisis, while the lives of the plant’s workers are in great danger.La La Land(US)Opened Dec. 7Drama, musical. Directed by Damien ChazelleMia (Emma Stone)

Dec. 9, 2016

'La La Land' is perfect marriage of style, story

In relationships, and in music, it’s all about the timing. So Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” is the perfect marriage of style and story -- a good old fashioned musical about the ups and downs of one love story that struggles to stay in tempo. It’s also a sealed-with-a-kiss love letter to the city where it’s set, and the unabashed dreamers who inhabit the environs of Los Angeles.Written and directed by “Whiplash” wunderkind filmmaker Chazelle, “La La Land” is a meticulously crafted and choreograp

Dec. 9, 2016

‘Pandora’ tops local box office

Director Park Jung-woo’s latest thriller “Pandora” is off to a strong start. Since opening in local theaters on Wednesday, the film has attracted a total of nearly 338,000 moviegoers, topping the local box office, according to recent data from the Korean Film Council on Friday morning. Currently trailing behind “Pandora” is the romantic musical “La La Land” by US director Damien Chazelle with nearly 69,000 viewers, and local comedy blockbuster “My Annoying Brother” with over 48,000 people.  The

Dec. 9, 2016

Katie Holmes probes mom-daughter bond in directorial debut

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Katie Holmes is a single mom raising a daughter and that's the subject of her feature film directorial debut, “All We Had.”The 37-year-old actress stars alongside 18-year-old Stefania Owen in the film about a mother who finds herself living in a car with her daughter and looking for a new start. Holmes said it’s a specific story but one she can relate to.“I think the universal theme of that love you have for your daughter and that love you have for your mother is so powerful.

Dec. 9, 2016

Gaumont to helm US remake of 'Train to Busan'

This year’s hit Korean zombie flick “Train to Busan” is heading to Hollywood. The French studio Gaumont -- responsible for feature productions such as “Point Blank,” “The Fifth Element” and “Leon: The Professional” -- will be remaking the film into English, according to the local production and distribution company Next Entertainment World on Thursday.“We hope this opportunity will get Korean films more attention and become familiar with audiences all over the world,” said Kim Woo-taek, the CEO

Dec. 8, 2016

[Herald Review] A life well-regretted in ‘Will You Be There?’

Going back in time and righting the wrongs in your life -- this fantasy becomes reality in the latest time-travel drama “Will You Be There?” the Korean film rendition of French novelist Guillaume Musso’s 2006 novel by the same title.Quietly stirring but dynamic in its plot, the film offers an emotional respite amid the political thrillers that crowded Korean cinema this year, according to lead actor Kim Yoon-seok. It also rubs shoulders with “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned,” another fairy ta

Dec. 6, 2016

Disney teases 28 minutes of ‘Star Wars’ spinoff ‘Rogue One’

MARIN, California (AP) -- The secretive "Star Wars‘" spinoff movie "Rogue One" just got a little more tangible. Disney and Lucasfilm unveiled 28 minutes of footage for reporters on Friday at Skywalker Ranch, teasing the origin story of the band of rebels who aim to steal the plans for the Death Star -- the event that sets into motion the plot of the original 1977 "Star Wars."The footage skipped around in time and story line, but essentially sets up a world on the brink of rebellion. The Empire's

Dec. 4, 2016

Sewol ferry disaster to be made into feature film

A ferry incident off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula that caused more than 300 deaths will be made into a feature film, industry sources said Sunday.The movie, tentatively titled “Sea Tiger,” will be based on a novel written by Kim Tak-hwan about divers who were involved in the 2014 rescue operations on the doomed ferry Sewol.Kim wrote the book based on the testimony of late diver Kim Kwan-hong, who committed suicide while suffering from the mental and physical aftereffects of the int

Dec. 4, 2016

[Movie Review] In ‘Jackie,’ a fractured Kennedy fable

History, lately run amok, is ordered with such tidy, forceful finesse by Natalie Portman’s Jacqueline Kennedy in the piercing “Jackie.” Summoning a journalist to Hyannis Port in 1963, not long after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, she coolly sets the record for her late husband’s legacy, coining “Camelot” and shaping the mythology. Some details that don’t fit the narrative she simply crosses out. “I don’t smoke,” she tells the Life magazine reporter (Billy Crudup), with a cigarette danglin

Dec. 2, 2016

[Box Office] Upcoming movie releases

Derailed(Korea)Opened Nov. 30Crime, action. Directed by Lee Seong-taeHyung-seok (Ma Dong-seok), the criminal owner of a karaoke bar, one day kidnaps the girlfriend of Jin-il (Choi Min-ho), the leader of a gang of teenage runaways. Pushed to the edge of society, the two men begin a desperate fight to preserve their lives and their loved ones in the bleak underworld of criminals. Missing(Korea)Opened Nov. 30Drama. Directed by Lee Eon-heeDivorcee single mother Ji-seon (Uhm Ji-won) struggles to make

Dec. 2, 2016

‘La La Land’ named best film by New York film critics

NEW YORK (AP) -- Damien Chazelle’s Los Angeles musical “La La Land” was named best film of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle. The group announced their picks Thursday on Twitter, spreading around their awards to a variety of Oscar contenders. The top award came as something of a twist after the critics’ early choices leaned toward Barry Jenkins’ coming-of-age portrait “Moonlight” and Kenneth Lonergan’s grief-filled drama “Manchester by the Sea.”“Moonlight” won awards for best director

Dec. 2, 2016

[Herald Review] All-too-familiar disaster strikes in ‘Pandora’

Many releases in Korean cinema this year have hit more than close to home, dealing with political corruption and powers consumed with self-gain over public good. Of these, upcoming earthquake-nuclear disaster flick “Pandora” is perhaps the most blatant in its social criticism, making little effort to hide behind the veil of satire. The film takes place as a vigorous, 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits the western coastal town of Wolchon-ri, located adjacent to a nuclear power plant. The shake causes

Nov. 30, 2016

Pope to host Scorsese as new film unveiled to priests

VATICAN CITY (AFP) -- “Goodfellas” director Martin Scorsese is to be granted a private audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday after unveiling his latest film to an audience of 400 Jesuits, the Vatican said.“Silence,” an adaptation of Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel of the same name, tells the story of two Jesuit missionaries (played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who visit 17th century Japan in the footsteps of their mentor (Liam Neeson).Francis was not due to attend the screening of the film in

Nov. 30, 2016