According to Tom Cruise, he’s the “first person to be on set and the last to leave” when making a film. Even with more than 30 years in the acting business, his love for films and “passion for storytelling” hasn’t subsided, the US actor told reporters Monday.Cruise was in Seoul to promote “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.” He met the Korean press at The Ritz-Carlton Seoul, alongside director Edward Zwick, who helmed the mystery-crime thriller, set for local release on Nov. 24. The film stars Cruise

Nov. 7, 2016

Actor Song Seung-heon will play the villain in an upcoming movie set during Japan’s occupation of Korea, the film‘s production company said Monday.Song, one of the leading stars of hallyu, will play a cruel and cold-hearted prison director opposite protagonist Kim Chang-soo, played by Cho Jin-woong.The film, titled “Captain Kim Chang-soo,” tells the story of a young Korean man sent to prison after killing the Japanese assassin of Korea’s Queen Myeongseong in the late 19th century. From there, he

Nov. 7, 2016

A Utah court fight over alcohol, sex and “Deadpool” is drawing in experts dueling over banning booze at suggestive movies and the artistic value of the foul-mouthed superhero film. Here’s a look at the case as the Salt Lake City theater Brewvies and the state of Utah gear up for a July 2017 trial date set on Thursday.The Salt Lake City case started this spring, after state regulators threatened to fine the theater up to $25,000 and revoke its liquor license under a law that bans serving booze du

Nov. 6, 2016

According to director Lee Min-yong, this was a watershed year for the North Korean Human Rights International Film Festival, with a record number of audiences and films offering diverse perspectives on the lives of both North Koreans and defectors. The sixth edition of the film festival, which took place at the Daehan Cinema in central Seoul from Oct. 21-23, was launched in 2011 to inform the world of the gross human rights violations occurring in the North.In the beginning, the films had a “cle

Nov. 4, 2016

The makers of the latest comic book-inspired feature film “Doctor Strange” faced the same hurdle as those who put together “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Both come from the lesser known quadrant of the Marvel Comics galaxy.“Guardians” became a massive box office and fan hit with brilliant casting, a smart script and stunning visual effects. “Doctor Strange” uses the same formula — but kicks it up 100 degrees — to make “Doctor Strange” one of the best films in the Marvel Comics film library.For those

Nov. 4, 2016

Twenty Again(Korea)Opened Nov. 3Romance, Melodrama. Directed by Park Heung-sikTwo old lovers (Kim Seung-woo, Lee Tae-ran), now in their 40s, or “second 20s,” meet again for the first time since their heated romance that sizzled down years ago. The two remember how they fell in love at first sight, the passionate relationship, and the untimely separation that ensued. As fate takes them on a trip together to Italy, the two wonder, “Could we still be in love?”Hell or High Water(US)Opened Nov. 3Crim

Nov. 4, 2016

Bong Joon-ho, the director of “The Host” and “Snowpiercer,” will receive one of the highest French cultural orders in Seoul next week for his contributions to the arts, the French Embassy in South Korea said Wednesday.Bong will be honored the “Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters” by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication during the opening ceremony of the French Cinema Tour 2016 on Nov. 10, according to the embassy. It is the second-highest cultural honor awarded by the French gov

Nov. 2, 2016

Director Um Tae-hwa’s “Vanishing Time: a Boy who Returned” offers a mix of genres unfamiliar to Korean cinema -- it is fairy tale-like in its plot, fantasy-esque in its computer graphics, but also firmly rooted in reality.　Um has always been interested in “the area where the real and surreal clash, or influence one another,” he told reporters after a press screening on Tuesday in Seoul. “I imagined what it would be like to live in a place where time stops. I imagined it would be a lonely existen

Nov. 2, 2016

When director David Kinsella first set foot in North Korea in 2014, what struck him most was not its expected desolation, the small army of government officials that met him at every turn, or how he was led to a hotel built exclusively for foreign visitors on an isolated island. Rather, it was how obsessed with its “image” the hermit nation seemed -- how it strived to stage everything to perfection for the Irishman. One of the first sites Kinsella was taken to was the giant mausoleum where the “

Nov. 1, 2016

Some of the biggest names in Korean cinema are coming together in an upcoming production.　　Directed by filmmaker Jo Ui-seok, “Master” will feature heavyweights Lee Byung-hun, Kim Woo-bin, Gang dong-won, Oh Dal-su and others. Jo is best known for crime thriller “Cold Eyes” (2013), which was nominated for best cinematography at various international film festivals. 　Hollywood breakout actor Lee, who most recently starred in a remake of 1960s classic “The Magnificent Seven,” returns as businessman

Oct. 31, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Taiwanese-born filmmaker Ang Lee predicted Friday that the Chinese film market was about to explode, not only overtaking but dwarfing the American box office in a matter of years.The two-time Oscar winner said executives in the world‘s second economy used to rely on him as a bridge to Hollywood, but the newly-confident Chinese film industry no longer finds it necessary.“It’s huge, it‘s going to be bigger in a few years,” the 62-year-old told reporters on the red carpet at th

Oct. 30, 2016

Doctor Strange(US)Opened Oct. 26Superhero, Fantasy. Directed by Scott DerricksonDoctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a genius surgeon who has fallen deep into despair after an unfortunate accident. His last thread of hope leads him to the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who bestows on him unconquerable superpowers that will save the world. Kubo and the Two Strings(US)Opened Oct. 26Animation, Adventure. Directed by Travis KnightKubo (Art Parkinson) is a young boy living on the edge of a cliff wi

Oct. 28, 2016

While it doesn’t tear up the envelope of the action genre or stray far from the familiar template of mysteries, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” is agreeable middle-of-the-road entertainment.Following up on the successful 2012 original, Tom Cruise returns as the ex-Army officer turned hitchhiking-nomadic-vigilante, inflicting pain and injuries on wrongdoers, henchmen and anybody who gives him too much lip. It’s a change of pace from Cruise’s work as intellectual superspy Ethan Hawk in the “Mission

Oct. 28, 2016

Just in time for Halloween comes a new documentary focusing on one of Earth's most frightening treats -- volcanos. Even better, swashbuckling director and writer Werner Herzog is the filmmaker, so it’s sure to be a hair-singing descent into the fiery heart of volcanos.But, alas, Herzog has really just pulled a nasty trick on us. The legendary filmmaker's “Into the Inferno” -- not to be confused with the new Tom Hanks film “Inferno” -- is actually a lazy, meandering mess that gives off no heat.He

Oct. 28, 2016

The hit Korean movie “Sunny” is getting a US remake, CJ Entertainment said Thursday.The company is currently engaged in the production process with RatPac Entertainment, run by Brett Ratner, the director of the “Rush Hour” movies.  Heather Hach, who wrote the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday,” will write the script. The director has yet to be chosen. The original “Sunny,” directed by Korean auteur Kang Hyung-chul, tells the story of a group of middle-aged women who come together after being apart f

Oct. 27, 2016