Cancer movie wins top prize at Sundance Film Festival

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” a moving drama about a teenager who befriends a classmate with cancer, won the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.The U.S. documentary award meanwhile went to “The Wolfpack,” while in the non-U.S. categories the main prizes went to a Scottish filmmaker and a movie about Ukraine’s ongoing struggle in the shadow of its former Soviet masters. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.” (Sundance Film Festival)Sundance winners regularly go

Feb. 1, 2015

‘Black or White’ finds dramatic promise in gray areas of American race relations

“Selma” wasn’t the only film about race to get short shrift from Oscar voters this past year. “Black or White” is a frank, touching and very well-acted melodrama about child custody and cultural perceptions of “blackness” and “the race card,” and could have earned Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner fresh Oscar nominations.Mike Binder’s latest teaming with Costner has more anger, mixed with alcoholism and a bitterness that may mask racism.Elliot Anderson (Costner) tells his granddaughter Eloise (J

Jan. 30, 2015

Box Office: Jupiter Ascending, Big Hero 6, Gangnam 1970

Jupiter Ascending (U.S., Australia)Opening Feb. 5Adventure, SF. Directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski The Wachowski brothers, credited with the hit movies “The Matrix” and “Cloud Atlas,” are delivering another mind-boggling sci-fi thriller, “Jupiter Ascending.” When Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), a miserable Chicago-born janitor, encounters Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered military man, she finds out that she is a royalty and destined to rule the Earth. She is the only person who

Jan. 30, 2015

A chupacabra in Japan? Depp says it came from his suitcase

TOKYO (AP) ― Johnny Depp has recovered from a cold. And a chupacabra attack.The 51-year-old actor was all smiles while joking Wednesday with journalists in Tokyo about why he was a no-show at a news conference a day earlier. Depp explained he had been ill but said that wasn’t the reason. U.S. actor Johnny Depp poses for photographs with fans as he arrives for the premiere of “Mortdecai” in Tokyo on Tuesday. (Yonhap)“I was attacked yesterday morning by a very rarely seen or experienced animal cal

Jan. 29, 2015

Diversity at Sundance doesn’t carry over to Hollywood

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ― One of the most buzzed-about movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival is “Dope,” a coming-of-age story about three outcasts in the inner city. Written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa and featuring a diverse cast of actors, the film spawned a bidding war before domestic and international distributions rights were snapped up late Monday.But when Famuyiwa and his producing partners, including Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams, initially shopped the film around to Hollyw

Jan. 28, 2015

‘Birdman’ wins PGA best film ahead of Oscars

LOS ANGELES, (AFP) ― Dark comedy “Birdman” took home best movie at the Producers Guild Awards Saturday, boosting its status ahead of the much-anticipated Oscars next month. The film, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, beat industry favorites and leading Academy Awards contenders including coming-of-age tale “Boyhood,” stylish crime caper “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and World War II code-breaking thriller “The Imitation Game.” “I feel humbled by this. All these films nominated this year have

Jan. 26, 2015

Busan film fest chief pressured to resign

The organizing committee of the Busan International Film Festival is locking horns with the host city after Busan demanded the resignation of the festival’s chief organizer in what movie industry insiders see as an attempt by the city to undermine the independence of Korea’s most successful festival. Busan City openly called for the resignation of Lee Yong-kwan, the festival’s director since 2010 along with the release of its audit results on the festival organization.  Lee Yong-kwan, director o

Jan. 26, 2015

‘Boyhood’ and ‘Whiplash,’ Sundance-to-Oscar path improves

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ― An Academy Award nomination is an incomparable stamp of approval for any film ― and for an indie feature coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, in some cases, it’s a downright miracle.The festival, which kicked off last week in Park City, Utah, has had a scattered record with the Oscars, but its track record for the night’s top award ― best picture ― has been steadily improving over the past few years.This year, “Whiplash” and “Boyhood” ― both Sundance premieres ― are a

Jan. 25, 2015

‘Red Army’ explores Russia’s soul through Olympic hockey

Few moments in Cold War mythology were as thrilling as the U.S. hockey team’s 1980 Olympic defeat of a superior club of Soviet players who personified the skill and collective beauty the communist world held up as a buttress to the freedoms and capitalist temptations of the West.The Americans won the gold medal in Lake Placid, New York, in a fairy tale known as the Miracle on Ice. Heroes were born, advertising contracts signed. But thousands of miles away behind the Iron Curtain, the Soviet play

Jan. 23, 2015

Box Office: Big Hero 6, Gangnam 1970, Chronicle of a Blood Merchant

Big Hero 6 (U.S.)Opened Jan. 21Animation, Action, Comedy. Directed by Don Hall, Chris WilliamsInspired by the Marvel comic of the same name, “Big Hero 6” is an animation produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios, the creator of “Frozen” and “Tangled.” Set in the fictional city of San Fransokyo -- a futuristic hybrid of San Francisco and Tokyo -- the story centers on a 14-year-old robotics prodigy named Hiro (Ryan Potter). He, together with his fluffy, lovable, rubber-skinned robot Baymax and

Jan. 23, 2015

[Herald Interview] Ha Ji-won still seeking action

Characters associated with Ha Ji-won tend to be strong women with strong personalities. She is one of few actresses here who are not afraid to pull off action stunts in films or TV dramas ― be it wire action sequences, shooting arrows on horseback, or boxing. But beneath the fierce heroine veneer is a 36-year-old actress who simply enjoys venturing into different kinds of genre, and the fun accompanied with each role. And in doing so, she is able to combine femininity and elegance with being a p

Jan. 22, 2015

[Herald Review] A darker past in ‘Gangnam 1970’

A wave of nostalgia has swept through the country. In variety shows, TV dramas and films, the ’70s, ’80s and even ’90s are making a comeback as people seek to relive the glory days.“Gangnam 1970,” however, suggests a different kind of reflection on the past.With no intention of painting a pretty picture, director Yoo Ha’s noir film reveals the dark history behind Seoul’s now most affluent district, taking viewers back to a time when the fashionable stage of “Gangnam Style” was no more than a veg

Jan. 21, 2015

‘American Sniper’ makes box office history

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” blasted into first place with a massive $107 million on its debut weekend at the North American box office, a record for a January opening, industry figures showed Tuesday.The war drama, based on the true story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, has racked up six Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor for star Bradley Cooper. But the film ― on its first weekend in wide release ― also triggered a heated online debate about patriotism,

Jan. 21, 2015

Amazon to produce, acquire original movies

Amazon is getting into the movie business.Amazon Studios announced Monday that it will significantly expand into movie production by acquiring films for theatrical release and early-window streaming through its subscription service, Amazon Prime Instant Video. A key part of the new venture is to shrink what’s historically been a three-month window reserved for theaters, instead getting movies to its website four to eight weeks after theatrical release.Roy Price, vice president of Amazon Studios,

Jan. 20, 2015

Crowe explains ‘goose bump rule’ in selecting ‘The Water Diviner’

The man behind the gladiator stare-down that silenced his enemies and the mind that was more beautiful than words, Russell Crowe, is returning to the big screen with the release of his new film, “The Water Diviner.”The Hollywood megastar was mobbed by hordes of fans who flocked Incheon International Airport on Saturday to catch a glimpse of the 50-year-old Crowe on his visit to Korea to promote his latest film, which will be released in local theatres on Jan. 28.Crowe both directed and starred i

Jan. 19, 2015