With new chairman, Busan Film Fest pushes on in fight for autonomy

The leaders of the Busan International Film Festival, Asia’s largest film festival which has been mired in a turbulent battle for autonomy over the past two years, said they will strive to officially secure the festival’s full independence before its 21st installment set for this October. 　Kim Dong-ho, who was appointed BIFF’s chairman on May 24 after former chairman and Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo stepped down, expressed a firm resolve to make the festival into one that is “operated by filmmakers

June 23, 2016

Fantastic Film Festival aims to widen scope

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, now in its 20th year, is hoping to broaden its international scope, organizers said Wednesday. 　 　This year’s festival will screen a record 302 titles -- up 67 from last year -- from 49 different countries. Two new programmers and three program consultants with expertise in Chinese and Southeast Asian films are included among the festival’s organizers to make it more international.　BIFAN aims to “respect the artistic freedom of its participants,

June 23, 2016

Actress Kim Min-hee, director Hong Sang-soo having affair

Actress Kim Min-hee of “The Handmaiden” and Cannes award-winning film director Hong Sang-soo, who is married with one daughter, are having an affair, local media reported Tuesday.According to reports, the two apparently met last year while filming “Right Now, Wrong Then,” which was directed by Hong and starred Kim as the female lead, and they have since been involved in an affair. The film opened in theaters last September.Since then, Hong and Kim have worked together on two yet to be released w

June 21, 2016

'Finding Dory' is a delight

Unforgettable. That’s how fans felt about Disney’s 2003 hit “Finding Nemo,” and about the film’s breakout supporting character, the infectiously energetic and forgetful blue tang Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. So unforgettable that anticipation is at a fever pitch for the sequel 13 years in the making, “Finding Dory.” It’s safe to say that fans will be delighted to be reunited with these characters in this charming and heartwarming voyage under (and above) the sea.“Finding Nemo” writer/directo

June 17, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

Proof of Innocence(Korea)Opened June 16Crime, Drama. Directed by Kwon Jong-kwanOnce a model cop, Pil-jae (Kim Myung-min) now brokers cases to lawyers. One day, he and his lawyer partner (Sung Dong-il) receive a mysterious letter from a criminal on death row claiming his innocence. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows(U.S.)Opened June 16Action, Fantasy. Directed by David GreenThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are living in secret, when a villain, Shredder, joins forces with mad scienti

June 17, 2016

Johnson, Hart say they really were having that much fun

NEW YORK (AP) -- On their first day shooting “Central Intelligence,” their new spy-themed action comedy, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart were given an extremely difficult scene.Difficult, meaning it was impossible not to break up laughing and ruin the shot. They were playing doctor and patient in a therapist’s office, and they were staring at each other, real close, trying not to blink or speak. For Hart especially, this was very hard to do.“Kevin could just not keep a straight face,” says directo

June 16, 2016

DeGeneres shares a biopic with a blue fish in 'Finding Dory'

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- "Finding Dory" isn't just about a little blue fish looking for a home. The long-awaited sequel to "Finding Nemo" also reflects the journey of the woman behind the gills, Ellen DeGeneres. Like Dory, DeGeneres had been feeling a little lost 13 years ago, when she first voiced the happy little fish with short-term memory issues. DeGeneres had publicly come out as gay a few years earlier, and had the title character on her namesake sitcom do the same. It was a cultu

June 15, 2016

[Herald Review] Jarring mismatch of arthouse and thriller

“The Truth Beneath” tries a little too hard to thwart expectations at every turn. Director Lee Kyoung-mi had previously said she wanted to “avoid the typical” in this film. The result is a plot that lacks logic, characters that are frenzied but hollow, and a jarring mix of genres.　Lee, whose 2008 comedy “Crush and Blush” received favorable reviews, has returned with a thriller starring actress Son Ye-jin as the harangued heroine. 　Son, known primarily for detailed romantic portrayals, and Kim Jo

June 15, 2016

The uphill battle for female-driven comedies in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Bridesmaids" was supposed to change the game for the female-driven comedy. But each new movie is still treated like a beta test for the genre and the next unwitting subjects are "Ghostbusters," out July 15, and "Bad Moms," out July 29. Isn't it supposed to be summer?"Let’s wait and see how Ghostbusters does" has become a common phrase in the press and the industry -- as if the future of female-led comedic blockbusters depends on Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones,

June 9, 2016

‘Warcraft’ director says dad Bowie would have been proud

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Filmmaker Duncan Jones spoke emotionally Monday about how his rock legend father David Bowie would have been proud of his new movie “Warcraft” at its worldwide premiere in Los Angeles. The 45-year-old Londoner was among a host of stars at the TCL Chinese Theatre for the screening as hundreds of fans, many dressed in costumes from the film, lined Hollywood Boulevard, clapping and cheering.“I think he’d be incredibly happy that I followed my passion which he always told me to

June 8, 2016

Sequels, once a sure thing, are slumping at the box office

NEW YORK (AP) -- Sure things in Hollywood are beginning to look like an endangered species. Sequels, for years the industry’s most “can’t miss” assets, are struggling at the box office this year. The downturn, which continued over the weekend with the low turnout for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” calls into question one of the industry’s bedrocks of bankability.  A still from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” (Paramount Pictures)Roughly two decades ago, the

June 7, 2016

Sydney Film Fest to spotlight Korean films

Sydney Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday, will this year host a new program spotlighting “off-mainstream” contemporary Korean cinema, the festival organizers announced Monday.　Titled “Korea on the Verge: Social Faultlines in Korean Cinema,” the program will screen five films by Korean directors. 　“Alice in Earnestland,” director Ahn Gooc-jin’s first feature and winner of the best Korean feature prize at last year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, is a political satire portraying a wom

June 6, 2016

'The Handmaiden' tops box office

Award-winning director Park Chan-wook’s new film “The Handmaiden” has topped the box office, attracting over 550,000 moviegoers within the first two days of its release.　The film, which opened in local theaters on Wednesday, attracted 558,930 audiences from then to Thursday, according to the Korean Film Council on Friday. 　Though viewers under 19 are not allowed, the film attracted about 300,000 audiences on its release day.  Ha Jung-woo (left) and Kim Tae-ri star in “The Handmaiden.” (CJ E&M)　“

June 3, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

The Handmaiden(Korea)Opened June 1Thriller, Drama. Directed by Park Chan-wookHorror Stories III(Korea)Opened June 1 Horror. Directed by Min Kyu-dong, Kim Gok, Kim Sun, Baek Seung-binIn a futuristic universe, a girl arrives on a planet ruled by machines and begins to tell an omnibus story of horror-filled experiences involving human beings (Lim Seul-ong, Park Jung-min, Kyung Soo-jin) and why she had to escape.Me Before You(U.S.)Opened June 1Romance, Drama. Directed by Thea SharrockA small town En

June 3, 2016