French Revolution drama to open Berlin film festival

BERLIN (AFP) ― A drama set around the French Revolution starring German-born Hollywood actress Diane Kruger as Marie Antoinette will open next month’s Berlin film festival, organisers said Wednesday.“Les Adieux a la reine” (Farewell My Queen) by French director Benoit Jacquot will kick off the 62nd edition of the Berlinale, as the event is known, on Feb. 9, the festival said in a statement.The period drama features Kruger, previously seen in “Inglourious Basterds,” Lea Seydoux, who appeared in l

Jan. 5, 2012

Meryl Streep says playing Thatcher was daunting

LONDON (AP) ― She’s a double Oscar winner with a knack for accents, but Meryl Streep says playing Margaret Thatcher was a challenge ― although her own experience helped her understand the struggles faced by Britain’s first female prime minister.Streep is transformed into the divisive politician who reshaped Britain in “The Iron Lady,’’ which had its European premiere in London on Wednesday, just across the River Thames from the Houses of Parliament.“It was extremely daunting, because I’m from Ne

Jan. 5, 2012

Korea’s ‘My Way’ going to Berlin fest

Korean war epic “My Way” by director Kang Je-kyu will be featured as one of Berlin International Film Festival’s Panorama sidebars this year, the film’s distributor said Wednesday. Arguably Korea’s largest-ever movie with a budget of $30 million, and featuring an Asian all-star cast including Jang Dong-gun and Odagiri Joe, it spans the battlefield action of WWII from Japan to the Battle of Normandy. “My Way” is the third Korean movie to be invited to the Berlin fest’s Panorama section ― featurin

Jan. 4, 2012

Korea’s ‘My Way’ going to Berlin film fest

Korean war epic “My Way” by director Kang Je-kyu will be featured as one of Berlin International Film Festival’s Panorama sidebars this year, the film’s distributor said Wednesday. Arguably Korea’s largest-ever movie with a budget of $30 million, and featuring an Asian all-star cast including Jang D

Jan. 4, 2012

CNN picks ‘Poetry’ as one of best movies of 2011

South Korean movie “Poetry” has been selected one of the best 10 movies of 2011 by CNN. “This South Korean film about a grandmother looking for grace in the midst of a sea of trouble is one of those slow-burners that stays with you,” reported the broadcaster about the film directed by Korean director Lee Chang-dong. Starring actress Yun Jung-hee as the heroine, the movie “Poetry” tells a story of an elderly lady who finds happiness in learning poetry for the first time, while a harsh reality for

Jan. 2, 2012

Indie rookie director shares sentimental roots

This is the ninth in a series on up-and-coming Korean filmmakers. ― Ed.Talking to director Min Yong-keun is as if listening to a late night radio show. The calm, eloquent man knows how to talk about the stuff he loves, without boring the listener.And it’s not surprising to find out he used to be an avid radio listener as a child, and an ardent fan of late folk rock singer and radio DJ Kim Kwang-seok. “I bought the cassette tape of his band ‘Dongmulwon’ (meaning the Zoo)’s first album when I was

Jan. 2, 2012

Hollywood’s take on Obama: Less gushing this time

NEW YORK (AP) ― Hollywood loves the Next Big Thing, and four years ago, that was Barack Obama, the equivalent of a breakout movie star.“He is ‘The One,’’’ said Oprah Winfrey, his biggest and most influential celebrity champion.“The best candidate I’ve ever seen,’’ said George Clooney.Halle Berry said she’d “collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear.’’ Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am chimed in with the famous “Yes We Can’’ video.But you can’t be the Next Big Thing twice and a

Jan. 1, 2012

Box Office

Wonderful Radio (Korea)Opening Jan. 5Drama. Directed by Kwon Chil-in. Has-been star Jin-a (Lee Min-jung) works as a DJ for an unpopular radio show. Yet when the show’s new producer Jae-hyuk (Lee Jeong-jin) arrives, everything about the show is about to change. He wants to revise the show’s program without Jin-a’s consent. Jin-a, who isn’t quite ready to let go of her glory days, rebels against Jae-hyuk by pushing for a segment where listeners can choose the songs that are relevant to their perso

Dec. 30, 2011

It’s Spielberg vs. Spielberg at the holiday box office

Steven Spielberg, arguably the most popular filmmaker of the 20th century, meets his match this week: Steven Spielberg. He will be opening two highly anticipated films just days apart. On Wednesday comes “The Adventures of Tintin,” based on the globally popular comics, mixing adventure, slapstick, mystery and humor in photorealistic 3D animation. “War Horse,” a poignant live-action drama about a farm animal that enters England’s World War I cavalry, arrives Sunday.Never before has Spielberg face

Dec. 30, 2011

Directors make their pick at Cinematheque

7th Cinematheque Festival celebrates 10th anniversary of Seoul Art CinemaLee Chang-dong, Kim Tae-yong, Ryu Seung-wan, Lee Joon-ik, and Byeon Young-joo.If you are a fan of any of the directors above, here’s your chance to find out the films they love, and watch the pieces along with their commentaries.The seventh edition of Cinematheque Friends Film Festival, which will open with the 1925 Charlie Chaplin movie “Gold Rush” on Jan. 12, features a total of 19 films picked by 23 acclaimed cineastes i

Dec. 27, 2011

Cruise’s ‘Mission’ accomplishes box-office win

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Hollywood has picked up a little Christmas bonus.Studios generally underestimated the size of their movie audiences over the weekend, and they’re now revising the holiday revenues upward.Leading the way is Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible ― Ghost Protocol,” which pulled in $29.5 million for the weekend. That Monday figure is $3 million more than distributor Paramount estimated a day earlier.For the four-day period Friday to Monday, Paramount estimates “Ghost Protocol” will ha

Dec. 27, 2011

Director explores childhood betrayal

‘Lovable’ director Park Chul-soon traces his creative rootsThis is the eighth in a series on up-and-coming Korean filmmakers. ― Ed. For anyone who has seen Park Chul-soon’s feature debut “Lovable,” a moving portrait of a young girl with Savant syndrome, it wouldn’t be surprising to discover the director full of playfulness.The 28-year-old’s debut, which won the best screenplay prize at Persons with Disabilities Film Festival this year, is filled with childhood desires and imaginative adventures.

Dec. 26, 2011

Bullock coaxed into return by ‘Extremely Loud’

NEW YORK (AP) ― Sandra Bullock wasn’t looking to return to acting when Stephen Daldry called about “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”Bullock’s last film, 2009’s “The Blind Side,” was the kind of career apogee of which most actresses dream, winning her a best actress Academy Award in what essentially amounted to a coronation of Bullock as America’s most beloved female movie star.But the accomplishment ― which would normally be followed by a wave of projects to capitalize on the momentum ― was s

Dec. 25, 2011

Box Office

My Way (Korea)Opened Dec. 21Drama. Directed by Kang Je-gyu. It’s 1938 in Japanese-colonized Gyeongseong, what is now Seoul, and young Joon-sik (later played by Jang Dong-gun) works for a farm owned by a Japanese family. His dream is to participate in the Tokyo Olympics as a marathon runner. He soon learns that Tatsuo (later played by Joe Odagiri), the grandson of the farm owner, dreams of doing the same thing, making them rivals. As World War II breaks out, however, their lives and destinies are

Dec. 23, 2011

Little-known Rooney Mara about to get famous

“Rooney who?” is not a question people will be asking much longer.On Tuesday at 7 p.m., David Fincher’s adaptation of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” ― the first installment in the U.S. version of Stieg Larsson’s mega-selling “Millennium Trilogy” ― opens in theaters. And there Rooney Mara will be, pale, pierced, and punked-out, hacking into encrypted databases, sleeping with Daniel Craig (and with a woman she picks up at a bar), taking vengeance on a sicko state-appointed guardian ... if you’v

Dec. 23, 2011