[Newsmaker] Actor Ha Jung-woo denies illegal drug use

Actor Ha Jung-woo on Tuesday denied all accusations that he had illegally taken the anesthetic propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. Propofol is a short-acting anesthetic that is highly addictive. Plastic surgery clinics normally administer it to patients undergoing surgery. The news first broke last Thursday when a local news outlet reported that prosecutors were looking into about 10 people suspected of abusing drugs, including a famous actor. Although Ha’s name was

Feb. 19, 2020

'Parasite' wins prestigious Italian award

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's film "Parasite," which won four Academy Awards this month and the Cannes Film Festival's top honor, the Palme d'Or, last year, captured a prestigious Italian award dubbed Italy's Oscars, an Italian news agency said Wednesday. "Parasite" has been selected as this year's winner of best foreign language film at the David di Donatello awards, ANSA said. The South Korean social comedy-thriller beat Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time

Feb. 19, 2020

Indie film ‘Lucky Chan-sil’ wishes dreamers well

While indie film “Lucky Chan-sil” may seem like a story about cineastes, director Kim Cho-hee is dedicating the movie to anyone pursuing a dream. “There is an underlying pressure in our society that makes people with dreams feel as if they have to achieve something,” the director said during a press conference held Monday to promote the movie. “Small and big twists in life sometimes turn out to be an opportunity leading to a new life. I hope the audience can laugh

Feb. 18, 2020

Oscar-winning 'Parasite' tops Japanese box office

The Oscar-winning film "Parasite" topped the Japanese box office over the weekend, becoming the most-watched Korean movie in the neighboring country in 15 years. According to Japanese box-office tracker Kogyo Tsushinsha, director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" stood atop the box office for the Saturday-Sunday period in Japan. The war film "1917" placed second. "We are calculating its exact box office revenue for the weekend," the film's Japanese

Feb. 17, 2020

Park Shin-hye says ‘Call’ a never-before-seen mystery thriller

Actress Park Shin-hye will be returning to the big screen for the first time in three years with “Call,” a movie she describes as the tensest and fiercest among those in which she has acted. “There are stories that stimulate my imagination as I read on. They make me wonder how alike or different those imaginations will be when the stories are actualized on the set,” Park said at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. Park exclaimed she got goosebumps just reading the s

Feb. 17, 2020

Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho returns home to hero's welcome

  South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho made a triumphant return home on Sunday after capturing four Oscar titles, including best picture for his black comedy thriller "Parasite." "Thanks to so many of you for greeting me, despite the cold weather," Bong told hundreds of reporters, photographers and fans that were waiting for the director at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. "I'm also so sorry for having bothered you many times since the Cannes

Feb. 16, 2020

Bong Joon-ho's detailed directing works behind the scene

Even before Bong Joon-ho grabbed four Oscars, including best picture and best director, for his black comedy masterpiece "Parasite," the South Korean auteur was not a new kid on the block. With seven features on his directorial career, including "Parasite," he has earned a nickname of "Bongtail" at home and abroad, a combination of his family name and the English word "detail." Even though he mentioned several times in interviews that he does not like t

Feb. 14, 2020

'Parasite' soundtrack album shares an Oscar bump

While the South Korean film "Parasite"'s historic Oscar triumph gives the film a bump at international box offices, its soundtrack album is also benefiting from the boost. Streaming of the "Parasite" album skyrocketed 11 fold on Monday on local online streaming service Genie Music, compared with the previous day, according to Genie. On Sunday (US time), the satirical thriller became the first non-English language film to take best picture, the main award, in the Academy's

Feb. 14, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Little Women (US) Opened Feb. 12 Drama, romance Directed by Greta Gerwig In the years following the Civil War, burgeoning author Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) lives in New York, while her sister Amy (Florence Pugh) studies painting in Paris. Their oldest sister, Meg (Emma Watson), is married to a schoolteacher, while Beth (Eliza Scanlen) develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together. Jo looks back on the four siblings’ Massachusetts childhoods and the events that helped

Feb. 14, 2020

Moon to meet Bong Joon-ho at Cheong Wa Dae next week

President Moon Jae-in has invited Bong Joon-ho, director of the film "Parasite," to Cheong Wa Dae next week in celebration and recognition of his Oscar honors, an aide to Moon said Thursday. The president plans to hold a luncheon meeting with Bong on Feb. 20 with related details yet to be fixed, including whether the cast of the dark comedy and thriller movie about social problems from the gap between rich and poor will attend as well, according to the official who requested anonymity

Feb. 13, 2020

‘Parasite’ to return to big screen in black and white

The black-and-white version of Oscar-winning social satire “Parasite” will be screened in local cinemas starting Feb. 26, distributor CJ Entertainment said Thursday. “The black-and-white edition of ‘Parasite,’ which results from director Bong Joon-ho and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo adjusting the contrasts and tones shot by shot, will present a different impression of the film,” the company said. Bong and Hong previously worked together to produce a spec

Feb. 13, 2020

Oscar-winning Bong Joon-ho’s films to be adapted into English TV series

“Parasite” continues to soar after winning four Oscars this week, including best picture. Last month, it was revealed that US cable network HBO had secured the rights to adapt the genre-defying film into a television series, helmed by writer-director of the original film Bong Joon-ho and HBO’s “Succession” executive producer Adam McKay. While no other details have been confirmed, Bong and HBO are reportedly in talks. Based on Bong’s previous interviews, th

Feb. 12, 2020

‘Parasite’ team returns home in Oscar glory

The cast members of “Parasite” returned to Korea early Wednesday morning, two days after they were honored at the 92nd Academy Awards with historic four wins. The “Parasite” cast, including Song Kang-ho, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam, arrived at Incheon International Airport, along with the film’s producer Kawk Sin-ae, screenwriter Han Jin-won, film editor Yang Jin-mo and production designer Lee Ha-jun. As the party passed through the airport doors, cheers and ap

Feb. 12, 2020

'Parasite' jumps to No. 4 at North American box office after Oscar wins

South Korean film "Parasite" soared to No. 4 at the North American box office after its Oscar victories, data has shown. According to Box Office Mojo, a box office revenue tracker, the black comedy was the fourth most sold title as of Monday (US time), sharply up from its 12th rank a day earlier. The box office ascent came one day after "Parasite" picked up four awards, including best picture, at the 92nd Academy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Korean film bec

Feb. 12, 2020

‘Parasite’ Oscars have Twitter abuzz

Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s dark comedy “Parasite” not only ruled the Oscars with its four wins, but also dominated social media, being the subject of more tweets than any other film from the event. “Parasite” won four awards at the Oscars: best picture, best director, best international feature film and best original screenplay. It was the first foreign language movie to win best picture in the 92-year history of the annual film event.  Since Jan. 13, when th

Feb. 11, 2020

‘Parasite’ to show in more theaters worldwide after historic Oscars win

The hype around “Parasite” after it won four Oscars on Monday has led to more theaters in the US screening the movie. Director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won for best picture, director, international feature film and original screenplay on Monday. It was also nominated for best editing and production design. According to entertainment magazine Variety, Neon, the film’s North American distributer, will double the number of screens showing the movie from 1,0

Feb. 11, 2020

[Herald Interview] Jeon Do-yeon can now dream about an Oscar

Veteran actress Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Woo-sung came together for the first time in the upcoming film “Beasts Clawing at Straws.” The debut feature by director Kim Yong-hoon recently won the Special Jury Award of the Tiger Competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival. The crime noir revolves around eight desperate individuals who chase after a mysterious Louis Vuitton bag full of cash. Jeon plays Yeon-hee, a former bar owner, and Jung, corrupt customs officer Tae-young. Yeon-hee app

Feb. 11, 2020

Oscar-winning 'Parasite' gets biggest-scale British screen release for Asian title

SEOUL/LONDON -- The Oscar-winning Korean film "Parasite" is getting the widest-ever theatrical release for an Asian title in Britain. The black comedy was officially released last Friday and is now showing on 1,554 screens in some 100 theaters across Britain. Tickets for several showings of "Parasite" sold out in the opening weekend, and the news of the film's victories at the Oscar is further boosting the film's appeal to British audiences. "Parasite" picked

Feb. 11, 2020

Doorbell song, chapaguri from 'Parasite' become talk of town

With the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" creating a lot of buzz throughout the world, a short catchy song and a recipe from the sensational movie are also sweeping the internet. The so-called Jessica jingle is a line that the character Ki-jung, played Park So-dam, sings with her brother Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) in order to remember her false identity before ringing the doorbell of a rich family's house. In the movie, the wily siblings sweet-talk the affluent Park family into employing th

Feb. 11, 2020

Moon congratulates 'Parasite' on winning 4 Oscars

President Moon Jae-in sent a congratulatory message Monday to Bong Joon-ho and his "Parasite" team for the historic Oscar success of the South Korean film, saying it has given South Koreans pride and courage as they try to overcome the challenges of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The president wrote in an official letter that his government will "be with our movie people" so that they can engage in imaginative filmmaking free from worry. He was apparently reaffirming his

Feb. 10, 2020