'The Revenant' and Dicaprio are winners at BAFTA film awards.

The U.K. film industry showered Valentine's Day love on “The Revenant” on Sunday, awarding the endurance epic five prizes, including for best picture and best actor, at the British Academy Film Awards.　Leonardo DiCaprio cemented his Oscar-favorite status by taking the best-actor trophy for playing a bear-battling fur trapper on the brutally wild American frontier. Alejandro G. Inarritu was named best director for what he called a “human and tender story,” and “The Revenant” also won prizes for c

Feb. 15, 2016

‘Spirits’ Homecoming’ to open after 14 years

Indie director Cho Jung-lae’s film “Spirits’ Homecoming,” about the ordeals of the former euphemistically labeled “comfort women,” has been in the making for nearly a decade and a half, written and prepared independently of the ever-changing tide of Korea-Japan relations. After years of struggling to secure investors and a distributor, the film is finally getting a theatrical release -- right when the issue of the Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese troops has come b

Feb. 14, 2016

‘A Violent Prosecutor’ likely to hit 8m viewers

Hwang Jung-min and Kang Dong-won’s latest movie “A Violent Prosecutor” is expected to surpass 8 million admissions at the local box office.The figure stood at just over 7.5 million as of 10:30 a.m. Sunday, according to data from Korean Film Council."A Violent Prosecutor" (Showbox)The film’s popularity is thought to have been aided by one of the biggest national holidays in Korea, Seollal.The comedy action flick has a delightful revenge plot of a prosecutor, named Byun Jae-wook played by Hwang, w

Feb. 14, 2016

‘Operation Chromite’ made multi-territory deals

Big-budget Korean war film “Operation Chromite” will be shown in multiple locations across the globe including Europe and Taiwan.Germany’s Splendid Film acquired rights for Germany, Austria and the Benelux region from Finecut, a Korean global rights company. "Operation Chromite" (CJ Entertainment)The company has already made contracts with parties in Yugoslavia and Taiwan.“Liam Neeson showed off great acting skills in this movie, and we are happy to acquire such a quality movie” said Marko Moell

Feb. 14, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

The Dressmaker (Australia)　Drama. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse　Opened Feb. 11　　Myrtle “Tilly” Dunnage (Kate Winslet) was chased out of her childhood hometown as a young woman, accused of murder. Years later, she makes a dramatic return as an elegant dressmaker. She wins back the hearts of the villagers with fabulous gifts of haute couture dresses, but her true goal is to set right the wrongs of the past.　　Malice (Korea)　　Horror. Directed by Kim Yong-woon　Opened Feb. 11　　After her family’s finan

Feb. 12, 2016

'Like for Likes' to be released in U.S. later this month

(Yonhap)"Like for Likes," a South Korean romantic comedy starring actor Yoo Ah-in, will be released in the United States later this month, the film's distributor said Thursday.The film, which follows three couples relying on social media to communicate their innermost feelings, will hit the screens in Los Angeles and 18 other North American theaters on Feb. 26, CJ Entertainment America said."Like for Likes" will also feature "hallyu" megastar Choi Ji-woo, who plays an "old maid" flight attendan

Feb. 12, 2016

Film industry counters new media with epics, immersive experience

When the movie industry faced competition from the television industry in the 1930s and 1940s, filmmakers and studios had to be creative and offer something different on the silver screen to get people to visit movie theaters. Audience members wear 3-D glasses to watch a movie using 4DX motion picture technology at the Cinema Park multiscreen theatre complex in Moscow, Russia. (Bloomberg)They looked for ideas in Germany and France, and introduced new and mixed genres such as film noirs or romant

Feb. 10, 2016

Berlin Film Fest to screen three Korean films

Three Korean films have been invited to screen at this year’s 66th annual Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale), which is running from Feb. 11 to 21. 　Director E J-yong’s “The Bacchus Lady,” Lee Dong-ha’s documentary “Weekends” and Yoon Ga-eun’s “The World of Us,” will premiere at the festival’s Panorama screening event. This year’s Panorama selection will feature 51 films from 33 countries, including 34 fictional features and 17 documentaries.   Offical movie poster for “The World of us” directed by

Feb. 10, 2016

[Herald Review] 'Like for Likes' is charming but predictably cheesy

With “Like for Likes,” what you see is what you get: A cookie-cutter omnibus romantic comedy featuring three couples, tangentially linked, each finding his or her way to an ever-after ending. The men are sweet, the women are adorable and butterflies abound as the familiar stages of courtship unfold.　It’s difficult to imagine how this setup could yield surprises, yet one still feels a tinge of disappointment at the way in which “Like for Likes” fulfills its promise to a T. If any romantic comedy

Feb. 10, 2016

[Weekender] Seollal Screenings

After spending countless hours in the kitchen or in front of the TV, most families want to spend a day outside having fun together. The most accessible source of entertainment is the movie theater, where you can catch a film that everyone in the family can enjoy. The Korea Herald offers a short guide to the best movies for a family outing.Commanding nearly 70 percent of ticket bookings as of Thursday, Lee Il-hyung’s crime comedy “A Violent Prosecutor” looks set to be the top film during this hol

Feb. 5, 2016

Weekend Box Office Guide: Feb. 6-7

Heading to the theaters this weekend? Whether you're looking for an artistic film to add class to your holiday, something to watch with your kids, or something to make you cry, the silver screen's got you covered.The Korea Herald offers a guide to the top movies playing this weekend.Carol (U.K., U.S.)Drama. Directed by Todd HaynesOpened Feb. 4　Set in the conservative 1950s Manhattan, “Carol” follows the dangerous romance that buds between Therese (Rooney Mara) and Carol (Cate Blanchett). The two

Feb. 5, 2016

Art house theaters face identity crisis

CGV Arthouse, which is run by theater chain CGV, will be presenting 20 top Academy Award-nominated films in a special five-week program set to begin Feb. 11. 　The lineup for the “Academy Award Special Program” includes films nominated for the award’s top honors, such as “The Revenant” and “The Martian.” Also included will be ten films that have not been released in Korea yet, including “The Danish Girl,” “Room,” “Brooklyn” and “45 Years.” 　The program will also have special events, such as a liv

Feb. 4, 2016

'Birth of a Nation’ wins jury, audience awards at Sundance

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Nate Parker continued his victory lap around the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday night when “The Birth of a Nation” took both the U.S. drama grand jury prize and the Audience Award. The historical slave rebellion drama had already broken the acquisition record when Fox Searchlight scooped it up for a cool $17.5 million, and quickly became the must-see of the festival, commanding reported $100 offers for tickets. Agnieszka Smoczynska, director of the Polish film “The L

Feb. 1, 2016

'Dong-ju' tells strong classic story of two opposite characters

Set in 1930s and 40s Korea, two young writers in their 20s seek to change the world in their own way in director Lee Joon-ik’s new biographic film “Dong-ju.” The period was one of despair and turmoil in Korea, whose spirit and culture had been suppressed by Japan.A scene from “Dong-ju,” starring Kang Ha-neul as poet Yun Dong-ju. (Megabox PlusM)Warm-hearted, passive but logical Yun Dong-ju wanted to write poetry despite objections from his father, who wanted his son to become a doctor. Song Mong-

Jan. 31, 2016