Lee Jong-suk may enlist on Aug.10

Actor Lee Jong-suk has received notification to begin his mandatory military service on Aug. 10, but his agency said nothing has been confirmed yet. Earlier in the day, local media reported that Lee was notified by the Military Manpower Administration to report for duty on Aug. 10. He is expected to be allocated to non-active duty as a public service worker. “It is true that Lee received the notification, but nothing has been finalized on the matter,” YG Entertainment released a statement.Lee Jo

July 28, 2017

‘Battleship Island’ sees record-breaking opening day, accused of screen monopoly

Much-talked about war flick “The Battleship Island” drew in a record number of viewers on opening day, but has also been accused of monopolizing screens throughout theaters here.　According to Korean Film Council figures, 970,516 tickets were sold for screenings on Wednesday of “The Battleship Island,“ the largest figure achieved by a movie on its first day in Korean cinemas.The previous record was held by “The Mummy,” starring Tom Cruise, which opened in June. The film amassed 872,965 tickets on

July 27, 2017

[Herald Interview] How Song Joong-ki balances pan-Asian fame, upcoming wedding, private life

It’s a challenge trying to find a crack in the pristine public image of actor Song Joong-ki, who has arguably been enjoying the most explosive pan-Asian popularity ever witnessed by an actor since last year’s hit drama series “Descendants of the Sun.”　In his numerous interviews, Song has been modest yet firm-footed in his opinions. His self-descriptions are humble and his assertions rooted in a belief in justice. It doesn’t help that Song has taken on another dashing, heroic role in Ryoo Seung-w

July 26, 2017

'The Battleship Island' headed towards big opening at box office

"The Battleship Island," a new South Korean World War II blockbuster film, is set to make an opening day splash on Wednesday, with nearly 600,000 tickets having been reserved on the release date.According to the computerized tally from the Korean Film Council, the number of ticket reservations for the film stood at 594,370 as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, accounting for 70.1 percent of all movie reservations for the day.The film, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and starring Hwang Jung-min, Song Joong-ki and S

July 26, 2017

Museum hosts film festival celebrating diversity, multiculturalism

The Seoul Museum of History is hosting the 2017 International Various Film Festival, screening a wide range of movies celebrating diversity and multiculturalism through the end of the year. 　An array of shorts, features and documentaries from around the globe will be screened at the museum’s first floor theater on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m.From July 25-Aug. 31, the festival celebrates the analog sentiment, screening movies that have been shot on 35-millimeter film. This section will featur

July 25, 2017

‘Train to Busan’ to open in Japan

“Train to Busan” will be opening in Japanese theaters on Sept. 1, the last stop in its worldwide run.The zombie flick, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Midnight Screenings category last year, has been sold to some 160 countries since its release.　The film opened in North American theaters in July 2016 and was later released in Europe and South America. It will be shown on 149 screens in 44 cities in Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka.  A still from “Train to Busan” (NEW)“I

July 25, 2017

Asia’s largest virtual reality cinema event to take place in Busan

Asia’s largest virtual reality film event will take place at the Busan International Film Festival, running from Oct. 12-21 this year. The event, VR Cinema in BIFF, will screen some 30 virtual reality films in an exclusive screening space at the Busan Cinema Center, according to BIFF.　The film festival, Asia’s largest, has signed a memorandum of understanding with culture and VR contents company Barunson for the exhibit. 　BIFF will be spotlighting the virtual reality venue as one of the film fes

July 24, 2017

Special Park Chan-wook screenings to take place at theater dedicated to him

From the chilling revenge story in 2003 neo-noir “Oldboy” to last year’s erotic thriller “The Handmaiden,” cinephiles will be able to revisit the works of Korean director Park Chan-wook from July 27 to Aug. 23 at the newly opened Park Chan-wook theater at CGV Yongsan, Seoul. Opened July 18, it is the third screen that CGV has dedicated to a significant figure in Korean cinema, following the Im Kwon-taek theater in Busan and the Ahn Sung-ki theater at CGV Arthouse Apgujeong. 　A wide range of Park

July 23, 2017

[Movie Review] Luc Besson’s ‘Valerian and City of Thousand Planets’ is dazzling, dimwitted space opera

In his ludicrously entertaining 2014 science-fiction thriller, “Lucy,” French director Luc Besson gave us a chemically enhanced action heroine with the rare ability to harness 100 percent of her brainpower. Besson’s latest futuristic whatsit, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” seems determined to induce the opposite effect in the viewer. When you enter the theater, you can pick up your 3-D glasses with one hand and drop off your brain with the other.All in all, you might not consider

July 21, 2017

[Movie Review] Riveting ‘Dunkirk’ is Nolan’s, and year’s, best

“Dunkirk” is not a typical war movie. There are no brothers in arms, no flashbacks to simpler times and pretty wives and girlfriends left behind, no old men in situation rooms pontificating about politics or helping with exposition. There’s no talk of Hitler, or Germans or battlefields or trauma or mothers. In fact, there’s hardly any talk at all, or, for that matter, even any characters in the traditional sense. 　 But don’t be mistaken: Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” is a stone cold masterpiece.

July 21, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Dunkirk(US)Drama, thriller. Directed by Christopher NolanIn May 1940 during World War II, Germany advances into France and traps the Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. A slow, methodical plan to evacuate the British and French troops began to be put into motion, using every naval and civilian ship that could be reached. Some 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were brought to safety after the completion of the mission. Flipped(US)Opened July 12Romantic comedy, drama. Direct

July 21, 2017

Hong Sang-soo’s ‘On the Beach’ nabs prize at Jersualem film fest

Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone” won the top prize in the international film category at the Jerusalem Film Festival on Friday. 　“Using the simplest of cinematic tools, Hong Sang-soo creates a mysterious magic, rooted in the heart of daily life,” said a jury consisting of Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, actress Evgenia Dodina and journalist Deborah Young on awarding the film, according to ScreenDaily. 　“Love, hatred, affection, rage, sexuality, loneliness and deep pain are reflected

July 21, 2017

Kim Bum to return to big screen for ‘Detective K’

Kim Bum is set to return to the big screen with the third sequel of comedy-mystery film “Detective K.”　Kim’s agency Kingkong Entertainment said Thursday that the actor is confirmed to star in the upcoming movie, which starts filming next month. It will be the actor’s first Korean film in four years, having last starred in “The Gifted Hands” in 2013. 　 Kim Bum (Yonhap)He appeared on TV screens in tvN’s 2015 drama “Hidden Identity” and SBS’ 2016 drama “Mrs. Cop 2,” but he has starred only in Chine

July 20, 2017

World’s largest IMAX screen opens in Seoul

CJ CGV, Korea’s largest cinema chain, opened the world’s biggest IMAX screen in its renovated CGV Yongsan multiplex in Seoul Monday.The screen measures 31 meters wide and 22.4 meters high -- about five times the size of the average multiplex cinema screen. The pictures projected are also some 50 percent brighter and twice as clear, according to CGV.  CGV Yongsan’s IMAX screen (CJ CGV)Previously, Australia boasted a 35 meter-wide IMAX screens but they are not currently in use. CGV’s CEO Seo Jung

July 20, 2017

[Herald Interview] All-female 'Below Her Mouth’ stretches boundaries at Bucheon film fest

One of the big issues in the film world today is getting more female perspectives on to the silver screen, and perhaps no film better exemplifies those efforts than director April Mullen’s “Below Her Mouth,” which made its Korean premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 14. Not content with just a female director for the lesbian love story, the film generated buzz with its all-female crew, from sets and lighting to catering. April Mullen (April Mullen)“We wanted the

July 20, 2017

[Herald Review] Experiencing Japanese atrocities in ‘Battleship Island’

It is inevitable that Korean cinema frequently retell the story of the Japanese occupation, a defining scar in the country’s history, in various ways. “The Battleship Island” is the most recent of such films, recreating Japanese atrocities on a massive visual scale. 　The film’s message is heavy and clear: it exposes the horrific torture of Koreans on Hashima Island from 1940 to 1945. Records show that around 500 to 800 Koreans were taken captive on the island and forced into slave labor, digging

July 20, 2017

‘Battleship Island’ sees Song Joong-ki in another heroic role

Much-anticipated war flick “The Battleship Island,” starring Song Joong-ki and others in a star-studded cast, was unveiled to press Wednesday at CGV Yongsan. 　Director Ryoo Seung-wan said he had always wanted to make an escape thriller.　“Escaping can be interpreted as an attempt to deal with the past,” Ryoo told reporters following the press screening.  Actor Song Joong-ki speaks at a press call for the film “The Battleship Island” held at CGV Yongsan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The war flick is set o

July 19, 2017

Bucheon film fest brings 2017's best in gross-out

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has enjoyed a hard-earned reputation for bringing to Korea the most outlandish, horrific and just plain absurd cinema to Korean audiences over the last two decades. In 2017, it brings “A--holes.” “A--holes,” the title of which appears uncensored on marquees, is the debut directorial feature from Peter Vack, an American actor who has appeared in mainstream efforts like “The Intern” and TV series “The Blacklist.” The X-rated film had its Asian prem

July 19, 2017

CGV eyes overseas expansion

Featuring gravity-free beds, a virtual reality arcade and an IMAX screen five times larger than the average screen, the newly renovated CGV Yongsan hopes to take the multiplex theater model to another level.CGV, Korea’s largest theater chain run by the entertainment conglomerate CJ Group, is well aware that mobile and online platforms such as Netflix are replacing theaters for some consumers. But CGV is betting on experiences that are difficult to replicate at home, infusing both technology and

July 18, 2017

Kim Jee-woon’s upcoming sci-fi flick boasts stellar cast

A star-studded cast has been confirmed for Kim Jee-woon’s upcoming film “Inlang.”Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Moo-yeol, Han Ye-ri and Huh Joon-ho are set to star in the director’s sci-fi flick.　The film’s production company Louis Pictures announced that casting had been completed and principal photography would kick off in August.　 (From left) Jung Woo-sung, Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo (Herald Pop)The film is a remake of the Japanese animation of the same title. It is set in a f

July 18, 2017