'Missing,' a dark film by women about women

“Missing” is a rare film in several ways: Made by women about women, it ultimately unites the two main characters in a deep, scarred female kinship, blurring the line between protagonist and villain. Directed by Lee Eon-hee and starring two women -- Gong Hyo-jin and Uhm Ji-won -- as leads, the film tells the story of a struggling divorcee who discovers her infant daughter and Chinese nanny have gone missing.But it is not a traditional story about a mother who pines for her lost child, according

Nov. 29, 2016

Rocky: 40 years later, he's still a lovable underdog

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- On Nov. 21, 1976, audiences met Rocky Balboa, the southpaw boxer from south Philadelphia. Four decades later, Sylvester Stallone’s lovable character resonates with fans drawn to his underdog tale of determination, grit and sleepy-eyed charm. The reach of “Rocky” is international, and the film serves as a slice of Americana. It is shorthand for Philadelphia as much as the Liberty Bell or Benjamin Franklin. “Anytime we are speaking to overseas visitors ... the conversation alw

Nov. 29, 2016

Disney's 'Moana' tops N. American movie charts

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- The animated sea-faring musical adventure “Moana” sailed to success in its debut weekend, taking in an estimated $55.5 million to top the North American box office, an industry group said Sunday.The Disney film about a brave Polynesian teenage girl on a risky mission to save her people reaped in $81.1 million during the full, longer Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Exhibitor Relations said.The composers of the film’s score include Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music and lyr

Nov. 28, 2016

Lee Byung-hun wins best actor at Blue Dragon Film Awards

Actor Lee Byung-hun nabbed the Blue Dragon Film Award for best actor for the first time in his 25-year career, and after seven previous nominations, for his role as a smooth-talking gangster in last November’s political thriller “Inside Men.” Actor Lee Byung-hun attends the Blue Dragon Film Awards on Friday evening at Kyung Hee University. (Yonhap)“When I saw the script for “Inside Men,” I wondered if it exaggerated reality,” Lee said in his acceptance speech Friday at the awards ceremony at Kyu

Nov. 26, 2016

‘My Annoying Brother’ tops local box office

Director Kwon Soo-kyung’s latest comedy flick “My Annoying Brother” is off to a strong start. Over 137,000 moviegoers flocked to theaters for the film’s premiere this week, which is currently dominating the local box office, according to recent data from the Korean Film Council.The movie has attracted 232,413 people as of Friday morning. Starring Cho Jung-suk, Park Shin-hye and K-pop boy band EXO member Do Kyung-soo, the film tells the story of two estranged brothers forced into cohabitation fol

Nov. 25, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

My Annoying Brother(Korea)Opened Nov. 23Comedy, Drama. Directed by Kwon Soo-kyungNational judo athlete Ko Doo-young (Do Kyung-soo) loses his sight after an unfortunate accident and spends his days in deep depression. His con artist older brother (Jo Jung-suk) uses Doo-young’s health issues as an excuse to be granted early release from prison. The meek younger brother is stuck with his rowdy sibling as the two begin an unpredictable cohabitation. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(US)Opened

Nov. 25, 2016

In 'Allied,' with Brad Pitt, love in the fog of war

Deeply nostalgic moviemaking is rendered with digital precision in Robert Zemeckis’ highly manicured World War II romance “Allied.”Zemeckis’ control of his camera is absolute, if self-consciously so. In “Allied,” with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, he has resurrected the espionage thriller in all its classical glamour with a knowingness that’s both impressively grand and stiffly hollow. The crisp period images of “Allied” never feel far removed from their storyboards. “Allied,” despite its high

Nov. 25, 2016

Zemeckis hopes glamour, intrigue will draw 'Allied' audience

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In a world of franchises, reboots and comic-book films, the original espionage thriller “Allied” is a comparatively bold gamble for a studio. Glamorous, serious, and classically made (with a healthy dose of Camera-generated Imagery), “Allied,” from director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Steven Knight, looks to harken back to a bygone Hollywood of David Lean epics and sweeping romances between larger-than-life movie stars. In “Allied,” the would-be Bogart and Bergman are Br

Nov. 24, 2016

Spike Lee sued for failing to pay union health contributions

NEW YORK (AP) -- Filmmaker Spike Lee and his companies are being sued by the directors of three union benefit plans who contend he didn't make sufficient health and pension contributions.The lawsuit was filed Wednesday against Lee, Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks and Black Butterfly Productions. It claims an audit found nearly $45,000 in unpaid contributions between September 2007 and March 2010.The suit said Lee controlled Black Butterfly, a signatory to collective bargaining agreements, and t

Nov. 24, 2016

FBI clears Brad Pitt over abuse claim

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Brad Pitt has been cleared after a probe into allegations he mistreated one of his children in a mid-air altercation, the FBI said Tuesday.The claims centered on an alleged incident with his 15-year-old son Maddox in September on a flight from France to Los Angeles. Pitt’s wife Angelina Jolie claimed he had struck the boy.“In response to allegations made following a flight ... carrying Mr. Brad Pitt and his children, the FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and wi

Nov. 24, 2016

'Snowpiercer' to be made into US series

Director Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer” is heading to the small screen.TNT, a US cable TV network, has ordered an hourlong drama pilot for the 2013 thriller, according to the network this week.A co-production by Tomorrow Studios and Studio T, the pilot will be created in collaboration with Bong, the film’s original producers Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Choi Doo-ho and CJ Entertainment.  “‘Snowpiercer’ has one of the most original concepts to hit the screen in the last decade, and it’s one that

Nov. 23, 2016

‘Pandora’ invited to Macau international film fest

Director Park Jung-woo’s upcoming thriller “Pandora” is heading to Macau. The film will be making its world premiere at the first-ever International Film Festival and Awards Macao, which takes place from Dec. 8 to 13, according to the production and distribution company Next Entertainment World on Tuesday.“‘Pandora’ captures the worldwide interest around nuclear power in the most realistic, yet commercial way,” said Lorna Tee, the event’s head of festival management, in a statement. “It’s an out

Nov. 22, 2016

Review: In 'Allied,' with Brad Pitt, love in the fog of war

Deeply nostalgic moviemaking is rendered with digital precision in Robert Zemeckis' highly manicured World War II romance “Allied.”Zemeckis’ control of his camera is absolute, if self-consciously so. In “Allied,” with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, he has resurrected the espionage thriller in all its classical glamour with a knowingness that's both impressively grand and stiffly hollow. The crisp period images of “Allied” never feel far removed from their storyboards. “Allied,” despite its high

Nov. 22, 2016

Indie filmmakers denounce President Park, culture industry affiliates

Indie filmmakers called for President Park’s immediate resignation and the reform of the Culture Ministry and the Korean Film Council on Monday.　“The Park administration has emphasized culture and cultural enrichment ever since Park’s inauguration,” said producer Ko Young-jae, head of the Association of Korean Independent Film and Videos. “But now, three years later, never has the term ‘culture’ received so much ridicule,” he said, referring to the culture-related projects that allegedly misused

Nov. 21, 2016

Julie Dash's landmark 'Daughters of the Dust' is reborn

NEW YORK (AP) -- Julie Dash's 1991 film "Daughters of the Dust” was the first film directed by an African-American woman to get a nationwide theatrical release. When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, its director of photography, Arthur Jafa, won best cinematography. In 2004, it was added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. Rapturously lyrical, wholly original, it's been called “a landmark achievement” and “one of the most distinctive, original independent films of its

Nov. 21, 2016

Cruz, Bardem to star in Iranian director Farhadi's new film

MADRID (AFP) - Oscar-winning Spanish actors Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem will star in a new film set in Spain by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, Cruz said in an interview published Sunday.Farhadi, who won the foreign-language Oscar in 2012 for “A Separation” about a middle-class couple's divorce, is currently finishing the original screenplay for the movie, she told Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia."The idea is to film in Spain, we still don’t know where. It is an intense drama which is a g

Nov. 21, 2016

'Fantastic Beasts' takes top spot at box office

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a spinoff from the hit “Harry Potter” franchise, made its debut in South Korean theaters at No. 1 on the weekend box-office chart, data showed Monday.According to real-time based box office figures from the Korean Film Council, the Warner Bros.’ adventure film topped the chart, selling over 1.4 million tickets over the Nov. 18-20 weekend.The film, starring Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston, is based on a screenplay by J.K. Rowling and follows Newt

Nov. 21, 2016