Weekend Box Office Guide: Jan. 16-17

Headed to the theaters this weekend? The Korea Herald offers a guide to the latest films to hit the big screen in Korea.Mood of the Day (Korea)Romantic comedy. Directed by Cho Ku-jang　Opened Jan. 14　Su-jeong (Moon Chae-won) and Jae-hyeon (Yoo Yeon-seok) are two strangers who find themselves as seat neighbors on a train to Busan. The confident, suave Jae-hyeon is attracted to Su-jeong, and proposes a one-night stand -- but she won’t have any of it. Will he be able to convince her to come over to

Jan. 15, 2016

Virtual reality ― the future of content

Ever wondered what it would be like traveling in space? Or diving deep underwater alongside whales and turtles? How about being a hero fighting crime?Ordinary people may not be able to experience these firsthand, but they can indirectly experience them through the emerging technology of virtual reality.Visitors try out virtual reality headsets at the Center for Creative Economy and Innovation in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province. (KT)Just across from the headquarters of local PC gaming giant NCsoft, the

Jan. 13, 2016

Top stars billed for ‘Like for Likes’

Veteran stars, rising stars and rookies are all coming together to form the cast of the highly anticipated omnibus romantic comedy “Like for Likes,” from director Park Hyun-jin. 　Featuring accomplished actresses Lee Mi-yeon and Choi Ji-woo, 2015’s trendiest actor Yoo Ah-in (“Veteran,” “The Throne”), TV variety show star Kim Joo-hyuk (“1 Night, 2 Days”), Kang Ha-neul (“Twenty”) and model and actress E Som, the film shows how three different 21st century couples fall in love using social media. 　T

Jan. 12, 2016

Big-name directors flock back to big screen

After a year of crowd-pleasing action films such as “Assassination” and “Veteran,” the Korean box office gears up in 2016 to welcome back star directors who have received international critical acclaim for their artistically crafted films. The big names in Korean cinema are focusing their attention on period pieces, many of them choosing to base films on novels and true stories, and are bringing fail-proof star actors in their casts. Director Park Chan-wook, known for “Oldboy,” “Thirst” and “Sto

Jan. 11, 2016

[Herald Interview] Kim Ha-neul returns to big screen with ‘Remember You’

Actress Kim Ha-neul is known for her solid romantic comedy credentials, which she continued to build up after her 2003 hit film “My Tutor Friend.” So when it was announced that she would play the part of Jin-yeong opposite heartthrob actor Jung Woo-sung in the romantic film “Remember You,” many fans thought it was a natural choice. 　However, in an interview with reporters at a Seoul cafe on Wednesday, Kim said that “Remember You,” a mix of dramatic romance and mystery, was a different beast from

Jan. 10, 2016

Weekend Box Office Guide: Jan. 9-10

Heading to theaters this weekend? The Korea Herald offers a guide of what's playing on the big screen.The Good Dinosaur (U.S.)Animation. Directed by Peter SohnOpened Dec. 7The latest release from Disney-Pixar follows the story of Arlo, a young apatosaurus, who must find his way home after he becomes separated from his family. The timid and clumsy Arlo tries to muster up the courage to overcome obstacles along the way, and finds an unlikely friend in a small human boy that he names Spot.　　Remembe

Jan. 8, 2016

[Herald Interview] Pixar’s Peter Sohn on making ‘The Good Dinosaur’

Any new film coming from animated film powerhouse Pixar is bound to drum up expectations. So it was no easy task for Peter Sohn, the first Korean-American feature director at Pixar, to work on “The Good Dinosaur” -- his first feature film after 15 years at Pixar as an artist and working on storyboards. Adding to the pressure, it was timed to celebrate the anniversary of the Disney-Pixar partnership that revolutionized computer-animated films with “Toy Story.” Peter Sohn (Disney/Pixar)“I feel hon

Jan. 7, 2016

[Herald Interview] Jung Woo-sung encourages budding director in ‘Remember You’

For 42-year-old veteran actor Jung Woo-sung, “Remember You” is more than just another line on his filmography. He took part in the romantce-mystery as both lead actor and producer, taking on the dual role in order to “keep the personality of the director alive” in the work.Speaking at a press conference last Tuesday, Jung explained that he had initially wanted to introduce a producer to director Lee Yun-jeong. “But there were many producers who found the unique feel of this movie uncomfortable.

Jan. 5, 2016

[Herald Interview] 12 years since debut, Go A-ra’s just getting started

Twenty-five-year-old actress Go A-ra has spent over a decade in the public eye, starting with the teen TV drama “Sharp” in 2003. Despite her more than 12 years in the industry and her fame, Go has a relatively short filmography: seven TV shows and six films. Although Go has recently appeared on a number of television shows, most memorably hit drama “Reply 1994,” she had been away from the big screen for four years when she returned in December with Kim Dai-seung‘s romance period piece “The Magic

Jan. 3, 2016

[Herald Review] ‘Chasing’ never finds direction or laughs

Director Oh In-chun’s upcoming feature “Chasing” is a true team effort. The director and both main actors Kim Seung-woo and Kim Jung-tae are all signed with the same company, The Queen D&M, which produced the film. This is what made it all the more shocking when lead actor Kim Seung-woo told reporters at a preview press conference that he “didn’t like the film” and that it failed to “provide laughs, as promised.”  A still from "Chasing" (Opus Pictures)　On second thought, one can’t help but feel

Dec. 31, 2015

Extended ‘Inside Men’ gets more personal

The director’s cut of the hit webtoon-turned drama film “Inside Men” is set to be released at the end of the year with 50 additional minutes of footage, bringing the running time to three hours. The added footage to the story -- which follows a deeply corrupt triangular conspiracy involving politics, corporate interests and the media -- focuses mainly on providing personal histories and context for the complex relationships between the main characters. Baek Yoon-sik (left) and Lee Byung-hun star

Dec. 28, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘The Magician’ lays thick on teen romance

This has not been a kind year for romance movies at the Korean box office. There is not a single romance film -- Korean or foreign -- that has made it to the top 20 box-office hits. In fact, “The Beauty Inside,” the star-studded high-profile romance film of the year, came in at No. 30. Kim Dai-seung’s new period feature “The Magician” hopes to change this trend at the very end of the year with spectacular visuals, a story that follows the typical tormented love narrative, with two fail-proof tee

Dec. 24, 2015

God lives in ‘Brand New Testament’

God lives in a modest apartment in Brussels, Belgium, with his wife and daughter. He’s a miserable codger with a wife who’s afraid of him and a daughter who hates him. To pass time, he sits at an old computer where he programs laws that dictate how the world works.  God (left) ands his wife and daughter sit at the kitchen table in "The Brand New Testament."Ever notice how whichever line you stand in at the grocery store, another line moves faster? That’s because God loves tormenting you. And the

Dec. 23, 2015

Animated films to evoke nostalgia this Christmas

This Christmas, big screens in Korea will bring two animated films that will put a child-like spark back in the hearts of grown-ups -- “The Peanuts Movie” based on the classic comic strip by Charles M. Schulz and “The Little Prince,” an English-language French film based on the 1943 masterpiece by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. While remaining true to the classic works that inspired them, both films catapult the stories’ visuals into the 21st century.  Still from "The Peanuts Movie" (20th Century Fox

Dec. 21, 2015