[Herald Review] ‘Deep Trap’ brings your fears to life

The new thriller from director Kwon Hyung-jin is interesting in its simplicity. There are basically no twists in the plot, and the terror of the film does not come from surprise moments where things pop out from the darkness. Instead, it builds up a sense of entrapment slowly, almost tediously, and makes it easier for the audience to relate to the protagonists’ desperate situation.The film is about a young married couple who are struggling to restore their troubled sex life and marriage after a

Sept. 9, 2015

Have eyes that see beauty, you will be beautiful

In her 20s, she was the darling of the silver screen who enjoyed a meteoritic rise to stardom. Starring as the ever-laughing, ever-cheerful young woman in the 1974 film “A Girl Who Looks Like the Sun,” Moon Sook captivated the audience with her ray of sunlight. In real life, she and the film’s genius director Lee Man-hee, 23 years her senior, fell in love and secretly got married.Their fairytale romance, however, came to an abrupt end when Lee died a year later from liver cirrhosis. After winnin

Sept. 4, 2015

September box office to be dominated by men

It was the summer of women in Korean cinema, with heavyweights like Jun Ji-hyun (Gianna Jun), Uhm Jeong-hwa, Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Jung-hyun all returning to the screen around the same time. Now, the men are poised to take over for September. Here’s a look at some of the Korean films coming up in September.　　Deep Trap (Sept. 10)　Directed by Kwon Hyung-jin　　Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee), a fan favorite who often provides balance and comic relief to otherwise heavy action movies, returns to the screen as

Sept. 4, 2015

Weekend Box Office Guide

The Korea Herald offers a guide to what's playing in theaters this weekend.For those seeking some drama, check out "The Immigrant," in which Marion Cotillard transforms into a young Polish woman trying to make it in the U.S. For some more light-hearted fun, "Ricki and the Flash" offers a musical experience while "Ant-Man" provides a dose of superhero action. From Korean cinema, "Veteran" still remains in box offices after surpassing 10 million ticket sold, while the Cannes-screened "Office" supp

Sept. 4, 2015

[Weekender] Target grown-ups -- the recipe for hit animation films

"Inside Out” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)The colorful world of 2-D and 3-D characters is no longer an area exclusive to the little ones, it seems. In recent years, large-scale animations that succeeded globally catered to both children and adults, with mature and layered plotlines. Such projects’ success speaks volumes on the tweaks that can be made in the Korean animation industry to achieve a wider global reach, says Kim Won-gyu, director at the Korean Animation Producers’ Association

Sept. 4, 2015

[Herald Interview] Ko A-sung, Park Sung-woong talk ‘Office’

The two lead actors of screenwriter Hong Won-chan’s directorial debut “Office” proved their acting chops in the thriller genre long before this year. Ko A-sung rose to fame as a child actress in 2006’s “The Host” and made her international mark with 2013’s “Snowpiercer,” while Park Sung-woong’s big break was his role as a tough gangster in 2013’s “New World,” which he followed with a serial killer role in “The Deal” early this year.They brought those past experiences with them to create an eerie

Sept. 3, 2015

[Herald Interview] Im Chang-jung shows no signs of slowing down

The media was split on its opinion of Shin Dong-yeob’s new comedy “Untouchable Lawmen,” starring Im Chang-jung and Choi Daniel, even before it hit theaters Thursday. But leading man Im said that he wasn’t bothered by unfavorable reviews.“This movie is supposed to have a B movie feel,” he told reporters at a group interview at a cafe in Seoul. “For people who like this type of genre, it’s a well-made movie. There are serious movies, then there are movies like these.”Im chose the comedy as his lea

Aug. 27, 2015

Film festival highlights rise of ‘creative documentaries’

Documentaries are evolving. Previously regarded as distanced portrayals of facts, nonfiction film narratives are now branching out into the creative realm, according to Ally Derks, director of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.“Twenty years ago, there were more National Geographic-types of documentaries that didn’t necessarily reflect the personal viewpoint of the directors,” said Derks, who has been invited to serve as chairperson of the jury at the 2015 EBS International Do

Aug. 27, 2015

Busan film fest vows to move forward despite setbacks

The nation’s largest and most internationally recognized film festival became the center of controversy earlier this year, when the Korean Film Council announced that it would be cutting its financial support by nearly half compared to 2014. Despite fears that the festival would have to be canceled or downsized, the Busan International Film Festival was able to secure enough funds to hold the event for a 20th year, according to festival directors at a press conference at the Koreana Hotel on Tue

Aug. 26, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘Untouchable Lawmen’ meets crazy with crazy

“Untouchable Lawmen” starts out with the ballsy, if oversimplified, notion that those who evade the law deserve to be captured through law-defying measures. Under the mantra of “meeting crazy with crazy,” the film initially seems headed in the direction of an exhilarating Robin Hood-esque hero narrative, where the quirky “good guys” deal a satisfying blow to the hypocritical “bad guys.” Choi Daniel (left) and Im Chang-jung in "Untouchable Lawmen" (Pan Cinema)The film begins as the police, after

Aug. 25, 2015

[Herald Interview] Han Hyo-joo: ‘Beauty Inside’ is chance of a lifetime

For Han Hyo-joo, the lead role of Yi-soo in the fantasy romance “The Beauty Inside” was a chance that would never come again.“When would I ever get to work with so many actors in one movie?” she mused at a group interview at a cafe in Seoul ahead of the film’s release. “When would I get to kiss so many people in one day?” Han Hyo-joo (Yonhap)In “The Beauty Inside,” Han’s character Yi-soo falls in love with a man, Woo-jin, whose appearance changes every day. Drawing its inspiration from an ad cam

Aug. 23, 2015

Hong Sang-soo’s new film wins at Locarno

South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo has won the prestigious Golden Leopard award at the 68th Locarno International Film Festival for his 17th feature-length film “Right Now, Wrong Then,” according to the film’s distributor Finecut on Sunday. Hong Sang-soo at Locarno (Locarno International Film Festival)In addition to the top prize, the film also picked up a Best Actor award for leading man Jung Jae-young. He is the first male Korean actor to win that honor at Locarno; actress Kim Ho-jung took home

Aug. 17, 2015

[Herald Interview] 'Memories of the Sword' a welcome challenge for Jeon Do-yeon

In Park Heung-sik‘s martial arts epic “Memories of the Sword,” the most notable element of Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon’s performance is not her poignant emotion, nor her impressive sword action. It is her ability to do portray both while also playing a blind character -- without ever blinking or focusing her eyes. According to Jeon, it was an obstacle she had failed to foresee. Actress Jeon Do-yeon (Lotte Entertainment)“I actually asked (Park) if we could change the story to let her (Jeo

Aug. 12, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘The Beauty Inside’ asks what defines us

Director Baek Jong-yeol’s “The Beauty Inside” offers a humorous and sentimental take on a subject that could have been too far-fetched for anything other than slapstick comedy or serious to the point of philosophical. The film tells the story of a man –- Woo-jin, played by over 20 different actors –- whose physical appearance changes radically every day. Yi-soo (Han Hyo-joo, left) and Woo-jin (Park Seo-joon) in “The Beauty Inside” (Yong Film)Though originally a 29-year-old man, Woo-jin wakes up

Aug. 9, 2015

Weekend Box Office Guide

Heading to theaters this weekend but not sure what to watch?The Korea Herald offers a summary of the top box office hits now playing or movies that are coming soon."Mission :Impossible -- Rogue Nation" and "Assassination" are battling it out in the box office, with action crime film "Veteran" fighting the good fight and Illumination's adorable "Minions" maintaining a steady audience particularly among moviegoers in their 20s. Next week, the battle gets fierce as the highly anticipated "Memories

Aug. 7, 2015

[Album Review] Soft, grooving beats and soul on Lee Michelle’s second EP

Lee Michelle”I Can Sing”(Sony Music)　Lee Michelle’s second EP “I Can Sing” starts off with a light, playful guitar riff that is surprising to those who have come to associate the 24-year-old singer with soaring, powerful vocals. As a contestant on the star discovery competition program “K-pop Star,” Lee Michelle had used her strength to climb up to the Top 5. But on this album, it becomes clear that what truly sets the half-Korean, half-African-American singer’s voice apart is not her ability to

Aug. 7, 2015

[Herald Interview] Actress Uhm Jeong-hwa eager for more roles, challenges

When people talk about Uhm Jeong-hwa’s career as an actress, they often describe it as having begun with a successful transition from her singing career. Uhm’s long and diverse filmography certainly confirms that it was successful -- but at an interview at a cafe in Seoul on Monday, Uhm emphasized that it wasn’t a transition. “I actually debuted as an actress,” she said. “It just happened to take me eight years to find my second movie.” During that time, Uhm built her name as a sexy and charisma

Aug. 5, 2015