The Korea Herald

Box Office: The Place Beyond, The Terror Live, Snowpiercer

The Place Beyond the PinesCrime. Drama. Directed by Derek CianfranceOpened Aug. 1Motorcycle stunt rider Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) works in a traveling act for state fairs, barely makes ends meet. During the fair in New York, Glanton gets a visit from his ex-lover Romina (Eva Mendes) who recently gave birth to his son. Glanton quits his job as a stuntman to stay in town to provide for his family, but turns to robbing banks. This puts him on a collision course with ambitious rookie cop Avery Cro

Aug. 2, 2013

Box Office: The Place Beyond, The Terror Live, Snowpiercer

‘Fruitvale Station,’ last day for a promising life

“Fruitvale Station” is a tragedy as fresh as today’s headlines, as moving as losing someone close to you. A re-telling of the last day in the life of Oscar Grant, a young black man gunned down by a transit cop in front of scores of witnesses in Oakland on New Year’s Day in 2009, Ryan Coogler’s often wrenching film begins with that death ― captured on cell phone video ― and takes us back through a life of hot-tempered blunders but compassionate potential, an ex-con who might have turned the corne

Aug. 2, 2013

‘Fruitvale Station,’ last day for a promising life

‘Snowpiercer’ on record-breaking pace

Bong Joon-ho’s latest film “Snowpiercer” drew 1 million viewers in just two days since its release, the state-run Korean Film Council said Friday.According to the organization, the dystopian sci-fi flick drew 1.03 million viewers as of Thursday, just a day after its Korean release on July 31. This makes the film the fastest movie to smash the 1-million mark in weekday sales. The record beats last year’s box office hit “The Thieves,” which hit the 1-million audience mark in three days after its r

Aug. 2, 2013

Cameron to release three ‘Avatar’ sequels

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Canadian director James Cameron is making three sequels to his film “Avatar,” which will be released between 2016 and 2018, Fox Studios announced Thursday.The 2009 film is the highest-grossing movie on record, having netted $2.8 billion at the box office worldwide.Cameron had originally planned for only two sequels. “In writing the new films, I’ve come to realize that ‘Avatar’s’ world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent tha

Aug. 2, 2013

Cate Blanchett the star as Woody Allen returns to form

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― She might be one of the finest actresses of her generation but Cate Blanchett believed she might never have the chance to work with Woody Allen.So when the Oscar-winning Australian star was presented with the chance to become the latest in Allen’s long line of iconic leading ladies, Blanchett did not hesitate for a second.“We’re all the same, when you get Woody’s call, you take it and you’ve already said yes before you know what it is. You just hope it’s a good one,” Blanchet

Aug. 1, 2013

Hollywood to explore Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The story of WikiLeaks is the kind of real-life drama Hollywood loves, so expect to see multiple interpretations of it on the big screen.Several projects chronicle the organization’s enigmatic leader, Julian Assange, and recently convicted U.S. leaker Bradley Manning.Alex Gibney’s documentary, “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,’’ was released earlier this year. Bill Condon’s narrative take on the tale, “The Fifth Estate,’’ will premiere in September at the Toronto Film

Aug. 1, 2013

China owes Hollywood millions after halting payment for films

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― China has stopped paying Hollywood studios for its films in a dispute over a Chinese tax on movie profits, Hollywood trade papers reported Tuesday.Tens of millions of dollars in box office revenues are owed in arrears to the likes of Disney, Warner, Universal, Paramount, Fox and Sony, according to The Hollywood Reporter.The magazine said China’s state-owned movie distributor, China Film Group, owes more than $31 million to Warner for “Man of Steel,” $23 million to Sony for “S

July 31, 2013

Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Snowpiercer’ hits screens in Korea

Bong Joon-ho’s much-anticipated sci-fi thriller “Snowpiercer” hit local theaters on Wednesday amid growing expectations from moviegoers. Adding another dramatic element is the release of “The Terror Live,” also a promising flick starring top-performing actor Ha Jung-woo.Attention was placed on which Korean movie would be the box-office winner in the coming weeks -- a period during which many Koreans flock to air-conditioned multiplex cinemas to beat the heat.The initial winner is Bong’s “Snowpi

July 31, 2013

Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Snowpiercer’ hits screens in Korea

Tilda Swinton: Making ‘Snowpiercer’ was like ‘being in kindergarten’

What was it like to work with Korean director Bong Joon-ho in making a dystopian sci-fi thriller?According to famed British actress Tilda Swinton, it was like “being in a kindergarten.”“What made me decide to be in a Bong Joon-ho film? Bong Joon-ho,” the actress said in a press conference promoting their latest collaboration, “Snowpiercer,” in Seoul, Monday. “Not only his work, but really, the person. We met maybe two years ago and we became friends instantly. And we wanted to play together. I c

July 29, 2013

Tilda Swinton: Making ‘Snowpiercer’ was like ‘being in kindergarten’

Cinema greets music in Jecheon

Film buffs and music lovers will likely be found in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, next month, as this year’s edition of the annual Jecheon International Music Film Festival is just around the corner. Celebrating its ninth edition this year, the upcoming JIMFF will screen 95 music-themed movies, including 11 world premieres.French director Martin Le Gall’s “Pop Redemption” is opening the upcoming edition kicking off on Aug. 14. The film is a comical cinematic portrait of a satanic rock ban

July 28, 2013

Jennifer Aniston says she, Theroux ‘already feel married’

NEW YORK (AP) ― Jennifer Aniston is dismissing rumors surrounding her upcoming wedding to Justin Theroux and is setting the record straight.The 44-year old actress was promoting her new film, “We’re the Millers,” on Saturday when she told the Associated Press that she and Theroux are doing fine, and have not set a date, postponed their wedding, or argued about where to get married.Aniston and Theroux began dating more than two years ago. They got engaged last summer, but their lack of wedding pl

July 28, 2013

Jennifer Aniston says she, Theroux ‘already feel married’

Box Office: The Terror Live, Snowpiercer, The Wolverine

The Terror LiveCrime. Directed by Kim Byung-woo.Opening Aug. 1Due to an unsavory incident, star anchor Yoon Young-Hwa (Ha Jung-Woo) is pulled from the TV news and is now hosting a radio show. One day during his live show, Yoon receives a phone call threatening to blow up a bridge in Seoul. At first, he takes it as a joke and tells the terrorist to proceed, but soon he realizes that the threat is real. Realizing this could be his one chance to get back to being a newscaster, Yoon broadcasts the p

July 26, 2013

Box Office: The Terror Live, Snowpiercer, The Wolverine

Young women reach profanity parity with ‘The To Do List’

Screen comedy has taken a decided turn towards the blue in recent years, driven by such runaway raunchy hits as “The Hangover” and “Tropic Thunder.” You can trace the trend back to “Wedding Crashers” or even “There’s Something About Mary,” and the mainstreaming of comic crude has only picked up steam of late.But it’s taken a while for female-centered comedies to catch up in the cursing and crudity.“And it’s about time,” cracks Kristen Wiig, whose “Bridesmaids” (2011) first offered up equal time

July 26, 2013

Young women reach profanity parity with ‘The To Do List’

IMAX, Wanda to open 120 new cinemas in China

SHANGHAI (AFP) ― North American entertainment giant IMAX Corp. said it plans to open up to 120 new cinemas in China after reaching agreement with Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group.The deal, announced Wednesday, brings Wanda’s commitment for IMAX cinemas in China to as many as 210, according to an IMAX statement.IMAX also announced it would cooperate with AMC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wanda, to install five to 10 new cinemas in the United States and extend lease terms on all venues to 13 years

July 26, 2013

Free film festival slated for August

A free film festival kicks off Aug. 16 for two weeks in Seoul.Organized by Cine de Seoul and sponsored by private corporations including CJ E&M, Mister Pizza and AskVERITAS Asset Management, the 2013 Seoul Citizen Film Festival will be held at venues throughout Seoul. Han River riverside parks, Cheonggye Plaza and a cafe will be converted into temporary theaters. At one venue, Seoul Children’s Grand Park, moviegoers are free to bring their pets along. Screenings begin every night at 8:30 p.m.The

July 25, 2013

‘The Terror Live’ offers ample entertainment

After roles as a dorky man in “Love Fiction” and a hapless North Korean agent in “The Berlin File,” Ha Jung-woo returns as a driven, selfish news anchor who receives a terrorist threat during his live radio show in his latest film “The Terror Live.”The film is an ambitious, thorough and highly entertaining project ― arguably one of the best local thrillers so far this year ― created by up-and-coming director Kim Byeong-woo. Ha, whose previous collaborations with emerging directors including Na H

July 25, 2013

‘The Terror Live’ offers ample entertainment

Spike Lee launches Kickstarter campaign for film

NEW YORK (AP) ― The next Spike Lee film will be a Kickstarter production.Following in the footsteps of “Veronica Mars’’ and Zach Braff, Lee has launched an online campaign to help fund his next feature film. The filmmaker on Monday unveiled his bid to raise $1.25 million over the next month using the fundraising site Kickstarter.Lee offered few details on the film but said it would be about “the addiction of blood.’’The 56-year-old director said he was inspired to crowd-source the film after hea

July 24, 2013

‘Snowpiercer’ powerfully explores class, privilege

Know your position, keep your position, be the “shoe.”This is what those who live at the bottom of Snowpiercer, a massive train carrying the last remnants of humanity, are constantly told to do in director Bong Joon-ho’s latest sci-fi movie of the same name. “Being the shoe” is a metaphor. The people are the bottom of the bottom, lowest of the low, and should never seek to climb the ladder, or “try to be the head.”In the very back railcar, the lowliest passengers live on protein bars made of dea

July 23, 2013

‘Snowpiercer’ powerfully explores class, privilege

Superman’s past, future takes spotlight at Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO (AP) ― Superman is among comics’ most recognizable characters, and 75 years after Cleveland teenagers Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster’s Kryptonian made his debut in the pages of Action Comics No. 1, his popularity remains stratospheric.At Comic-Con International, Superman’s presence could be seen everywhere ― from attendees wearing various incarnations of his many costumes to scenes from the television series, cartoons, films, and even in comic books.“Superman was the first comic book su

July 22, 2013

Box Office: Snowpiercer, The Wolverine, RED 2

SnowpiercerAction. Sci-Fi. Thriller. Directed by Bong Joon-hoOpening Aug. 1Based on the French novel “Le Transperceneige” by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, the film is set in a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off almost all living things on Earth with the sudden onset of an Ice Age. Survivors are on the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine. As time passes a class system evolves on the train, the elites inhabit the carriages i

July 19, 2013

Box Office: Snowpiercer, The Wolverine, RED 2