‘The Handmaiden’ director defends sex scenes as necessary

CANNES, France (AP) -- Director Park Chan-wook is defending his use of elaborate lesbian sex scenes in his erotic thriller “The Handmaiden,” saying that avoiding them would be like “a war film without battle scenes.”　The film, adapted from the Welsh novel “Fingersmith,” is the tale of a young maid who is hired to seduce a rich heiress, only to fall in love with her. Together the two women plot their revenge on the men who tried to destroy them.  From left: Actress Kim Min-hee, film director Park

May 17, 2016

British director says ‘shocking’ US poverty drove Cannes entry

CANNES, France (AFP) -- British filmmaker Andrea Arnold said Sunday the “shocking” poverty she saw travelling across America drove her to make her Cannes contender, and appreciate the relatively intact state of her own country’s social safety net.　“American Honey” stars maverick Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf and a cast of amateurs playing disadvantaged youths who shuttle from town to town selling magazine subscriptions in a country that has long abandoned print media for digital.　Arnold, 55, a fo

May 16, 2016

'The Handmaiden' premieres at Cannes

Park Chan-wook’s latest film “The Handmaiden” premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival at the Grand Theatre Lumiere on Saturday evening. The film is in competition for the Palme d’Or prize.　 At a press conference following the film’s press preview on Saturday morning, Park discussed his fondness for the unfamiliar.　“Countries like England, France, Japan, the U.S. and South American nations are completely different from the world I live in, which is why I have always had a curiosity for foreign

May 15, 2016

[Herald Interview] How Greenpeace was born

According to documentary filmmaker Jerry Rothwell, the now global environmental organization Greenpeace originally started out with “a few hippies on a boat.” 　“It began with a small group of Canadian activists who set out on a fishing boat in 1971,” the British filmmaker told The Korea Herald in an interview last Tuesday in Seoul.  　The activists were trying to stop then American president Richard Nixon from conducting a nuclear test in Alaska. Though their attempts were seen as foolhardy, the

May 15, 2016

Foster does what she can with ‘Money Monster’

Lee Gates, the main man in the complex thriller “Money Monster,” plays a popular stock specialist on live television, telling viewers what to buy, sell or hold. He looks and acts like the classic stereotype of a Wall Street whiz on TV -- $5,000 suit, winning smile, sharp patter.　Lee, played by the handsome and genial George Clooney, is big on TV because even when his proposals are risky, they sound brilliant. If he warns that your retirement savings will tank unless you stockpile Nigerian hedge

May 13, 2016

Lee Min-ho’s ‘Bounty Hunters’ to open July 1 in China

Actor Lee Min-ho’s big screen debut in China “Bounty Hunters” will premiere on July 1 in China.The South Korean-Chinese production was originally slated to be released in mid-June, but this was delayed to make the film higher quality and to target the busy theater season which starts from July.  Still from film "Bounty Hunters" (Starhaus Entertainment)“The movie is expected to have popular appeal, since it is an action-comedy blockbuster,” said an official from its production company Starhaus En

May 13, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

The Wailing(Korea)Opened May 11Mystery, thriller. Directed by Na Hong-jinA series of horrifying murders takes place in a quiet village upon the arrival of a strange fisherman (Jun Kunimura ). Policeman Jong-gu (Kwak Do-won) teams up with a shaman (Hwang Jung-min) to get to the bottom of the mystery. Phantom Detective (Korea)Opened May 4Drama, action. Directed by Jo Sung-heeGenius detective Hong Gil-dong (Lee Je-hoon) seeks to find and kill his worst enemy, Kim Byung-deok (Park Geun-hyung). On th

May 13, 2016

'The Wailing' tops box office

“The Wailing” by filmmaker Na Hong-jin topped the Korean box office on Thursday, bumping “Captain America: Civil War” to second place after two weekends in first. 　The thriller has attracted more than 170,000 audiences since its preopening on Wednesday night, according to the Korean Film Council. The movie, starring actors Hwang Jung-min, Kwank Do-won, Jun Kunimura and actress Chun Woo-hee, is about a series of mysterious deaths in a rural village upon the arrival of a stranger.  A scene from “T

May 12, 2016

Woody Allen opens Cannes; son resurrects sex abuse questions

CANNES, France (AP) – The 69th Cannes Film Festival opened Wednesday with stormy skies, heightened security, the premiere of a new Woody Allen film and resurrected sex abuse allegations against the 80-year-old director regarding his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow. 　Allen brought his 1930s Hollywood romance “Cafe Society,” along with stars Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg, to Cannes to kick off the French Riviera festival. But just minutes before their press conference, a column by Allen’s so

May 12, 2016

Women's film festival to address gender hostility

The Seoul International Women’s Film Festival will this year highlight some of the most debated gender issues in society today, through movies that deal with sexual slavery, lesbianism and women’s rights.　“The hostility between genders is serious today,” said Lee Hyae-kyung, honorary director of the festival, at a press conference on Tuesday at the Korea Broadcasting Art School in Seoul. “The basic sentiment of our age is fear -- fear of marriage, fear of scrutiny and fear of crime. We feel that

May 11, 2016

‘The Handmaiden’ set for June 1 release

Award-winning director Park Chan-wook’s upcoming film “The Handmaiden” is set to open in local theaters on June 1, CJ E&M announced Wednesday.　“The Handmaiden” is an erotic thriller inspired by the historical crime novel “Fingersmith” by British author Sarah Waters.  A still from “The Handmaiden,” featuring Kim Min-hee (left) and Kim Tae-ri (CJ E&M)　Set against the backdrop of Korea and Japan during the Japanese colonial era, the film centers on the conspiracy of a count (Ha Jung-woo) who tries

May 11, 2016

In a France darkened by fear, Cannes hopes to supply light

NEW YORK (AP) -- The first time Jodie Foster came to the Cannes Film Festival, she did so as a costar in Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” and as a wide-eyed 13-year-old, soaking in the spectacle. “Taxi Driver” would go on to win the festival’s prestigious Palme d'Or.　“It was kind of like Mr. Toad’s wild ride. It was very surreal,” says Foster, who returns this year with her hostage thriller “Money Monster.” 　“I remember the red-carpeted steps. I remember all the naked ladies on the beach with th

May 10, 2016

‘Phantom Detective’ to open in U.S., Canada

Korean hero flick “Phantom Detective” will open in theaters in the U.S. and Canada this week.　The film will open with English subtitles in Los Angeles on May 13 and throughout the U.S. and Canada on May 20, CJ Entertainment, the film’s North American distributor, said Monday. 　“Phantom Detective” was released here on May 4 and has sold a total of 847,000 tickets as of Monday, according to the Korean Film Council. It is currently No. 2 in the local box office, after “Captain America: Civil War.” 

May 10, 2016

Film fest, Busan appoint new BIFF chairman

The organizers of the Busan International Film Festival and the Busan Metropolitan Government have reached a compromise for the time being and will cooperate to hold the 21st edition of Asia’s largest film festival this year, BIFF announced on Monday. 　BIFF and Busan have jointly appointed Kim Dong-ho, BIFF’s executive director from 1996 to 2010, as the festival’s new chairman, with the city government agreeing to open the post of BIFF chairman to nongovernment personnel. 　Previously, BIFF’s cha

May 9, 2016

Israeli film ‘Sand Storm’ wins at Jeonju Film Fest

Still from Elite Zexer’s “Sand Storm” (Jeonju International Film Festival)“Sand Storm” by Israeli director Elite Zexer has won the Grand Prize in the International Competition section of this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, JIFF announced last Friday.“Sand Storm,” directed by the female director Zexer, tells the tale of a Bedouin teenage girl torn between personal desires and tradition. It was awarded a cash prize of $19,000. "(The) International Competition has chosen 10 films that a

May 8, 2016

[Herald Review] Makers of ‘My New Sassy Girl’ bow heads

The 2001 film “My Sassy Girl” featured a comically rowdy relationship between the mild-mannered Kyeon-woo, played by Cha Tae-hyun, and “the girl,” played by Jun Ji-hyun (Gianna Jun). Beautiful, unpredictable and slightly disturbed, the girl became an iconic figure in Korean pop culture. When the film became a pan-Asian box office hit, it propelled Jun to regional stardom and inspired several remakes. 　No such icon appears in the much weaker sequel “My New Sassy Girl,” which stars Cha and a new l

May 5, 2016

‘The Wailing’ moves up release date

Na Hong-jin’s third full-length film “The Wailing” will be released on May 11, a day ahead of its original scheduled date, the production company 20th Century Fox announced Wednesday.　Film critics and local media have heaped lavish praise on the film for its solid and intriguing plot following Tuesday’s press screening, heightening moviegoer’s expectations. The main cast -- Kwak Do-won, Chun Woo-hee, and Hwang Jung-min -- have also been lauded for their outstanding performances that make the fil

May 5, 2016