'Okja' ranks fourth on opening day despite theaters' boycott

Director Bong Joon-ho's "Okja" came in fourth at the South Korean box office on its opening day, despite major cinema chains' boycott of the Netflix-financed film, data showed Friday.The movie attracted 23,106 cinemagoers on Thursday, ranking behind Korean films "Anarchist from Colony" and "Real," and the Hollywood action blockbuster "Transformers: The Last Knight," according to the Korean Film Council. (Yonhap)"Anarchist" was seen by 141,279. "Real" and "Transformers" chalked up 57,739 and 46,5

June 30, 2017

Kim Go-eun considers role in director Lee Joon-ik’s new film

Actress Kim Go-eun recently received an offer to play the female lead role in director Lee Joon-ik’s new film. Kim’s agency HODU&U said Thursday, “Kim Go-eun is looking favorably on the offer, but nothing has been confirmed yet.”The new film tells the story of a rapper who returns home to take care of his father who is ill. (Herald DB)Actor Park Jung-min has confirmed his role as the rapper. Kim was offered the role of Park’s first love. The actress debuted with the award-winning 2012 film “A Mu

June 29, 2017

Kim Ki-duk, Chung Chung-hoon invited as new members of Academy

A handful of Koreans, including filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, director of photography Chung Chung-hoon and CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung, have been invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.　Also included are animator Lee Sang-jun, who worked on the 2013 animation “Epic,” and Korean-American Helen Lee-Kim, president of international sales at film production company Good Universe. The organization, whose members decide the recipients of the annual Oscars, announ

June 29, 2017

[Herald Interview] Bong Joon-ho on ‘Okja’ and the omnivore’s dilemma

Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja,” which centers on the struggles of a genetically modified super-pig, has been described as an environmentalist film and a proponent of veganism and animal rights, among other things.But some have said that the well-being of animals can seem a distant issue when food is lacking and basic survival is still a battle in many countries. 　“It’s true. The perspective can be very different in Third World countries, where it is difficult for people just to get by,” Bong told The Kor

June 28, 2017

Im Si-wan to enlist July 11

Im Si-wan will begin carrying out his mandatory military service next month. 　“On July 11, Im Si-wan will be enlisting as an active-duty officer at a training center located in Gyeonggi Province,” the actor’s management agency Plum Entertainment said Wednesday. 　“He plans to meet with fans briefly on the day of enlistment,” the agency added.　Im Si-wan (Hohoho Beach)“I’m leaving for a short while in order to fulfill my military obligations,” Im said in a message to fans through the agency. “I fee

June 28, 2017

Yoo Ah-in exempted from military service due to tumor

Yoo Ah-in has been exempted from mandatory military service due to his medical condition, including a bone tumor, the actor’s management agency UAA said Tuesday. Yoo Ah-in (Yonhap)The 30-year-old actor was diagnosed with a bone tumor in 2015. He also ruptured his shoulder muscle while filming two action movies “Tough as Iron” (2013) and “Veteran” (2015). The pain had not been severe enough to hinder Yoo’s everyday activities, but the tumor recently grew in size and led to his exemption by the Mi

June 27, 2017

Alter egos, drugs, psychoanalysis: Cast, director explain eerie charm of ‘Real’

Kim Soo-hyun believes that the cryptic sci-fi, action-crime psychological thriller “Real” will become the symbolic project of his 20s.　“Personally, I hope (the film) will be remembered as the representative work of my 20s, the last film of my 20s,” he told reporters after the press screening of “Real” at Seoul’s CGV Wangsimni, Monday. 　The 29-year-old actor, who rose to pan-Asian popularity as the extraterrestrial heartthrob in the 2014 drama “My Love From the Stars,” returns to the big screen w

June 27, 2017

[Herald Interview] Viewing history through an anarchist’s eyes: Director Lee Joon-ik

Director Lee Joon-ik’s latest film “Anarchist from Colony” is difficult to define. It centers on an unusual love story and a messy trial in Japanese courtrooms. It strives to be as accurate as possible in portraying a lesser-known, hard-to-fathom Joseon-era figure who spent over 20 years in a Japanese prison.　The man is Park Yeol, a self-proclaimed Korean anarchist who moved to Japan after the March First Movement of 1919 to further his education on the theories of anarchism and protest against

June 26, 2017

Fake social media account impersonates cancer-battling Kim Woo-bin

On Sunday, a photo of Kim Woo-bin was uploaded to an Instagram account falsely claiming to belong to the actor.The account does not belong to Kim, a representative of Sidus HQ, Kim’s management agency, said Monday. “Kim does not have any social media accounts,” the representative said. The uploaded photo was one taken a long time ago, the representative added. A photo of Kim Woo-bin at a gallery that was uploaded to a fake Instagram account on Sunday. (Instagram account)“We have expressed numero

June 26, 2017

Sulli says explicit nude, sex scenes necessary in ‘Real’

K-pop girl group member-turned-actress Sulli felt that the explicit sex scenes in the upcoming film “Real” were necessary to the story, she told reporters Monday.“I don’t think it was easy. It was a huge challenge for me, acting-wise and in other areas. It was hard and I had a lot of concerns but it was fun,” said Sulli in a rare press interview at the press screening of “Real,” held at CGV Wangsimni. Sulli attends the press screening of "Real" at CGV Wangsimni, Monday. (Yonhap) Sulli attends th

June 26, 2017

'Transformers' dominates Korean weekend box office

The Hollywood action blockbuster "Transformers: The Last Knight" dominated the Korean box office for its opening weekend, data showed Monday.The Paramount film, the fifth installment in the series directed by Michael Bay, has attracted 1.265 million cinemagoers or 64.1 percent of all tickets sold over the June 23-25 weekend, according to a computerized tally from the Korean Film Council.  Transformers: The Last Knight poster (Yonhap)The Korean time-loop thriller "A Day" took a distant second spo

June 26, 2017

[Herald Review] Hong Sang-soo pokes fun at love affair in ‘Day After’

A love affair with a sort of ironic passion, drunken pseudo-philosophical conversations poking fun at the clueless male lead, and a timid but keen female character -- these are the ingredients for Hong Sang-soo’s 21st feature, “The Day After.” The film had its local press screening on Thursday after competing at the Cannes Film Festival in May, one of two films by Hong -- the other, “Claire’s Camera” -- which screened at Cannes this year. 　While few events propel Hong Sang-soo films, which cente

June 23, 2017

[Movie Review] ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ is Michael Bay’s robot-orgy swan song

Michael Bay’s previous film was a cranked-up, little-seen dramatization of the 2012 Benghazi tragedy called “13 Hours.” By sheer coincidence — or, for all I know, by diabolical design — that title also sums up how long it would take you to watch all five of Bay’s “Transformers” movies back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back, not counting the occasional break to use the bathroom, pop another Advil or hurl yourself off the nearest cliff.Don’t worry. Having just endured “Transformers: The Last Knight,

June 23, 2017

[Movie Review] Sophia Coppola’s ‘Beguiled’ pales compared to original

Director Don Siegel created in “The Beguiled,” back in 1971, an emotional tension as thick and muggy as the air in summer. The only thing more stifling and heated in this story set during the Civil War was the sexual tension created by a wounded Union soldier (Clint Eastwood) being given sanctuary at a girls boarding school. The film, based on the novel by Thomas Cullinan, mixed passion and betrayal in such dark quantities that at times it played more like a psychological thriller or horror movi

June 23, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Transformers: The Last Knight (US)Opened June 21Action, science fiction. Directed by Michael BayTwo worlds collide as humans go to war with the robot Transformers. Optimus Prime, the leader of the transforming species of synthetic intelligence, no longer sides with humans. To re-establish Cybertron, the home of the Transformers, on Earth, Optimus Prime embarks on a search for ancient relics on earth, which results in an inescapable conflict with the human race. The key to saving the future of ma

June 23, 2017

Netflix, Korean cinemas locked in row over release of 'Okja'

South Korea's major theaters are at loggerheads with the global streaming giant Netflix over the release of its latest production "Okja," which they fear will upend the local movie distribution industry.Netflix has announced a plan to make the latest film by internationally acclaimed South Korean director Bong Joon-ho available simultaneously on the online platform and South Korean theaters. But South Korea's three largest multi-screen chains -- CJ CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox,  which control 9

June 21, 2017

World’s biggest pop-up film festival finds way to Seoul

The world’s largest global pop-up film festival is returning to Korea this summer, blending performances, art and international films to create an immersive cinematic experience. Taking place simultaneously in 150 cities and 60 countries across the globe, the Future Shorts Film Festival has one key aim -- to expose its half-a-million and growing audience to experiences that take them outside of their daily lives and allow them to explore new worlds.  A Future Shorts Film Festival screening takes

June 20, 2017

‘Okja’ ranks second in ticket reservations despite multiplexes’ boycott

Eleven days before its release, Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming film “Okja” is ranking second in ticket reservations, despite major cinema chains refusing to show the film.　As of Monday, “Okja” accounted for 12 percent of ticket reservations -- 9,257 tickets -- according to the Korean Film Council’s statistics. 　The number is significant considering that “Okja” will not be screened at CGV, Lotte Cinema or Megabox, Korea’s largest multiplex cinema chains.　The three companies announced their barring of th

June 19, 2017

Music-themed film festival to kick off in Hongdae

A festival showcasing music-themed movies and documentary films will be held at Hongdae, a popular youth district in Seoul, for 10 days from June 30. The “2017 Film Live: Legendary” will be held at KT&G Sangsang Madang under the theme of “legendary,” referring to films about legendary artists ranging from Bob Dylan to the Beatles and Metallica. “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years”The first part of the event will introduce new music-related films of various genres. Opening the fe

June 18, 2017

[Herald Interview] What it was like to be ‘the most unruly Korean’: Lee Je-hoon

In his latest film, Lee Je-hoon was tasked with expressing a complex historical character, the anarchist and independence activist Park Yeol who lived in the early 1900s.　The film, “Anarchist from Colony” and directed by Lee Joon-ik, traces Park’s turbulent life in Tokyo during Japan’s occupation of Korea. 　Park had moved abroad after the March First Movement of 1919 to further his education and protest against the Japanese colonizers on their home turf. He became the leader of a group of anarch

June 18, 2017