Mathematical minds multiply at Toronto film fest

TORONTO (AP) ― In the Stephen Hawking biopic “The Theory of Everything,” two college girls rush into a ’60s-era Cambridge party before the sight of the attendees stops them in their tracks. “Oh, dear. Scientists.” So could the reaction be confronting this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where two of the most lauded and talked-about films are portraits of elite mathematical minds, curtesy of Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne. In “The Theory of Everything,” Redmayne plays theoret

Sept. 11, 2014

With 2 new films, Pacino keeps experimenting

TORONTO (AP) ― Introducing one of Al Pacino’s two films at the Toronto Film Festival, artistic director Cameron Baily remarked that perhaps an “Al Pacino Day” was in order, just as it had been for Bill Murray. At 74, Pacino debuted his latest batch of work at the festival, both films that find him exploring the regrets, ambitions and ruts of old age. In David Gordon Green’s “Manglehorn,” he plays a lonely Texas locksmith, mourning a bygone romance despite the interest of a friendly bank teller (

Sept. 10, 2014

Sweden’s Andersson wins Golden Lion at Venice fest

Director Roy Andersson poses for photographers with his Golden Lion for Best Film for his movie A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence following the awards ceremony of the 71th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday (AP-Yonhap News)VENICE, Italy (AP) _ Swedish director Roy Andersson won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion on Saturday for his absurdist drama “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence.” That counts as a feel-good ending to a contest whos

Sept. 7, 2014

Eva Longoria shows passion for acting, activism and philanthropy

At a notoriously schmoozy West Hollywood lunch spot, former “Desperate Housewife” Eva Longoria pays far more attention to the soft-spoken busboy than any of the nipped and tucked Hollywood types vying for her attention.“Mi amor!” she greets the slight Latino man as he approaches her table with a coffee refill. He converses with her in Spanish as if the two have known each other for ages. “How is the family?” she asks. “Your son is going to UCLA now? Felicidades!”After he leaves, Longoria beams.

Sept. 5, 2014

Box Office

Lucy (France)Opened Sept. 3SF, Action. Directed by Luc BessonTwenty-five-year-old Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) lives an ordinary life in Taiwan before she is abducted by Mr. Jang (Choi Min-sik), a brutal drug lord of the town. She is forced to serve as a drug mule to smuggle a synthetic drug called CPH4 to Europe by having it sewn into her abdomen. But the drug pouch accidently breaks inside her body, mysteriously giving her superhuman powers, including telepathy, psychokinesis and the ability to e

Sept. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] Breathing life back into museums

Artist Rirkrit Tiravanija breaks the typical museum stereotypes. He cooked and served Thai curry to visitors at a gallery in New York in the early 1990s. What many thought was an opening event continued throughout the exhibition. He loves eschewing the usual museum paradigm: an artist, artwork and audience. He turned an exhibition space into a live radio broadcasting studio at the Guggenheim Museum in 2005. He set up a bookstore at the 2009 Venice Biennale and a pingpong table at the 2012 Gwangj

Sept. 1, 2014

[Herald Interview] Searching for meaning through documentaries

An international documentary festival was held last week in Seoul, bringing filmmakers, documentary fans and producers together under the theme of “hope lies within us.” The 11th EBS International Documentary Festival, which screened presentations in theaters and on TV at the same time, featured over 50 documentaries from 23 countries for seven days. Among the participants at this year’s edition, head judge Victor Kossakovsky, judge David Royle from Smithsonian Channel and director Talal Derki h

Aug. 31, 2014

Pacino does double duty at Venice Film Festival

VENICE, Italy (AP) ― Al Pacino made two trips up the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, with a pair of movies about aging, regret, giving up and letting go. But fear not ― the actor says he’s not about to lower the curtain on his own career. Pacino plays a small-town Texas locksmith with a key for everything except his own unhappiness in David Gordon Green’s “Manglehorn,” one of 20 films competing for the festival’s Golden Lion prize. And he’s an aging actor who has lost his moj

Aug. 31, 2014

‘Frank’ an offbeat dive through the looking glass of creativity

Odd, offbeat, somehow endearing, the bleakly comic “Frank” has its own kind of charm as well as some pointed, poignant things to say about the mysterious nature of creativity, where it comes from and where it might all go.With the ability to be true to itself and its own eccentric vision, “Frank” is on the same page with its protagonist and namesake, the enigmatic lead singer of an avant-garde rock band with a deliberately unpronounceable name (The Soronprfbs), a man never seen without a huge fi

Aug. 29, 2014

Box Office

My Brilliant Life (Korea)Opening Sept. 3Drama, Directed by E J-yong“My Brilliant Life,” based on Korean novelist Kim Ae-ran’s 2011 best-selling novel of the same name, centers on 16-year-old Ah-reum (Jo Sung-mok), who has progeria -- a rare genetic disorder that causes premature aging in children. At the age of 16, Ah-reum’s body is already 80 years old. As his parents, who had Ah-reum at the age of 17, cope with their son’s disease, they learn about parenting, life and love. Heartthrob Kang Don

Aug. 29, 2014

Batman or Birdman? Venice festival opens with superhero film

VENICE (AFP) ― The Venice film festival opened with a bang on Wednesday with a brilliant superhero dark comedy that delves into the cinema and theater worlds to explore the drug that is fame.The first flick to compete at the world’s oldest film festival, Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” stars Michael Keaton of “Beetlejuice” and “Batman” fame.In one of 20 films vying for the coveted Golden Lion award, Keaton plays a washed-up actor wh

Aug. 28, 2014

Stars flock to Venice as world’s oldest film fest begins

VENICE (AFP) ― The Venice film festival kicks off Wednesday with the arrival of stars by water taxi for an art house dominated line-up rich with tales of war, poetry and the mafia.Taking the stage first at the world’s oldest film festival will be Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” starring Michael Keaton of “Beetlejuice” and “Batman” fame.In the first of 20 flicks vying for the coveted Golden Lion award, Keaton plays a washed-up actor

Aug. 27, 2014

Toronto film fest taps Korea for spotlight

Eight Korean films will take center stage at the City to City sidebar of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which will run from Sept. 4-14. Seoul has been selected as the “cinematic hotspot” to be highlighted at this year’s City to City program, which introduces films and filmmakers from a selected city. This is the sixth edition of the festival’s City to City program, which has previously focused on Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Mumbai and Athens.“Seoul is one of the most exci

Aug. 25, 2014

‘Roaring Currents’ pulls in 16 million viewers

A poster for “Roaring Currents.” (CJ Entertainment)A homegrown film about a 16th-century Korean naval hero’s crushing victory over Japanese naval forces exceeded the 16 million-viewer mark on Sunday for the first time in local box-office history, the movie’s investor-distributor said.“Roaring Currents” reached the milestone at 8 a.m. on Sunday, the 26th day since it hit local screens, CJ Entertainment said.The record came five days after it drew a cumulative 15 million viewers.On Aug. 15, it bec

Aug. 24, 2014