External beauty in ‘Beauty Inside?’

The upcoming film “The Beauty Inside,” which depicts a man who transforms into a different person every day, questions what distinct inner qualities make up a person’s identity. At the same time, many of the actors and actresses who play the multifarious main character Woo-jin are those typically revered as “handsome” or “beautiful.”“I understand that many in our cast are very attractive. It’s something that I too realized while editing,” said director Baek Jong-yeol at a press conference Monday

Aug. 4, 2015

Weekend box office guide

Heading to theaters this weekend but not sure what to watch?The Korea Herald offers a summary of the top box office hits now playing or movies that are coming soon.For the first weekend of August, check out "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" for Hollywood action blockbuster or “Assassination” for an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller. "Veteran," starring actors Hwang Jung-min and Yoo Ah-in, comes out on Aug. 5.Veteran (Korea)Opening Aug.5Action. Directed by Ryoo Seung-wanWhen hot-headed ve

July 31, 2015

Cruise returns to Korea, presenting ‘Rogue Nation’

Tom Cruise is well-known for his love of Korea and its moviegoers, and made a stop here on his promotional tour for “Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation” together with director Christopher McQuarrie in time for its premiere. Actor Tom Cruise (left) and director Chris McQuarrie of "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas on Thursday (Yonhap)“We just finished the movie a week ago Saturday in London, and the moment we finished we started this tour. One of the

July 30, 2015

[Herald Review] Swaggering ‘Veteran’ pulls no punches

After being bombarded this year with back-to-back Hollywood blockbuster movies filled with exploding cars, collapsing buildings, and cities turned upside down, it seemed that bigger, louder and hotter was the only recipe for the success of action flicks.In “Veteran,” director Ryoo Seung-wan brings in an all-star cast led by Hwang Jung-min and Yoo Ah-in to flip that assumption on its head.The reunion of Ryoo with stunt coordinator Jung Doo-hong (the pairing seen in Ryoo‘s “The Unjust” and “The Be

July 29, 2015

Weekend Box Office Guide

Heading to theaters this weekend but not sure what to watch?The Korea Herald offers a summary of the top box office hits now playing.For the fourth weekend of July, check out "Pixels" or "Three Summer Night" for some slapstick feel-good comedy, or "Assassination" for an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller. If you still haven't seen "Inside Out," this may be your last chance -- "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" comes out on July 30 and is sure to gobble up screens.Mission: Impossible -- Rog

July 24, 2015

‘Memories of the Sword’ set to join summer box office battle

“Memories of the Sword” is set to hit the big screen next month, intensifying summer box office competition with “Assassination,” “Veteran,” “The Beauty Inside” and the Hollywood blockbuster “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.” 　Starring a stellar ensemble cast of actor Lee Byung-hun, actresses Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Go-eun and directed by Park Heung-sik, the film is a martial arts epic about a man of humble beginnings (Yu-baek, played by Lee) who uses his swordsmanship and cunning betrayal to gain

July 24, 2015

Jun Ji-hyun is 10 weeks pregnant

Jun Ji-hyun (Yonhap) Korea’s top-notch actress Jun Ji-hyun is 10 weeks pregnant, due early next year, according to her agency Culture Depot on Wednesday. 　 “To be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. But I’m glad to see my family happy for me,” said Jun, asking fans for continued interest and support for her recent film “Assassination.” 　 The 33-year-old actress married a Korean banker in April 2012

July 23, 2015

[Herald Interview] Ha Jung-woo brings romance to dark era in ‘Assassination’

Ha Jung-woo has never been an actor to turn down a challenge. For “Kundo: Age of the Rampant” (2014), he shaved his head and played the part of a lowly 19th-century butcher who ferociously avenges his family. In “The Terror Live” (2013), he was an anchorman rigged with an armed bomb. “The Berlin File” (2012) transformed him into a deadly North Korean agent.Despite Ha’s chameleon talents, when director Choi Dong-hoon (“The Thieves”) tapped him for the film “Assassination,” he asked him to play a

July 22, 2015

Zombies, ghosts and all things horror at BiFan

Zombies, ghouls and the horrific of all kinds abound as the biggest genre film festival in Asia stirs into life in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Branching out from the European genre film festivals on which it is based ― typically focused on horror and the grotesque ― the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival takes a wide view of the term “fantastic” to encompass “all that we cannot experience in the real world,” including sci-fi, suspense and action, according to organizers.In recent year

July 21, 2015

[Herald Review] 'The Piper' bites off more than it can chew

　“The Piper” is an interesting hodgepodge that borrows elements from various genres and weaves together several plotlines. 　There is the fantastical motif of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, set against the historical backdrop of postwar Korea, filled with the mystery of a remote village ruled by a tyrant trying to hide a terrible secret, and the paternal love of a man desperately trying to save his sick son.Still from "The Piper" (CJ Entertainment)　Unfortunately, the ambitious feature-length debut fr

July 16, 2015

Batman producer talks about ‘dark’ success

The internationally dubbed “boy who loved Batman” and the force behind producing the “Batman” and “Dark Knight” movie series, Michael E. Uslan, has come to Seoul to share the tremendous tales behind how he turned his childhood obsession to one of the world’s most unforeseen game-changing film franchises.The man responsible for reimagining Batman as a noncomical, dark creature of the night who hunts criminals from the shadows said that he would stop at nothing to rid the perception of Batman as a

July 15, 2015

Super Junior’s Siwon and Secret’s Sunhwa to promote music film fest

Super Junior’s Siwon and Secret’s Sunhwa were officially proclaimed the spokesmodels of the 11th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival Tuesday at a press conference at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul.The two Hallyu stars were chosen for their extensive cultural influence both in Korea and around the world, stemming from their successful careers in both music and acting.  Siwon and Sunhwa pose for press at the Conrad Hotel Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap)“I’m so happy that I can experience music and film

July 15, 2015

Jecheon film fest to greet summer with movies, live tunes

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, a partially competitive festival that offers a balance of movie screenings and outdoor concerts. Official poster of the JIMFF (JIMFF)The festival will open with the film “Try to Remember” from Korean director Kim Dae-hyun, and screen a total of 101 films from 25 countries. The competitive section “World Music Film Today” will have seven films from abroad in competition. “We usually try to balance scripted fi

July 15, 2015

Star-studded Korean films prepare to claim summer box office

The first half of 2015 was not kind to the Korean film industry. With the exception of “Ode to My Father” and “Twenty,” no Korean movies were able to make a big splash in theaters. Korean moviegoers opted for blockbuster Hollywood films like “The Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Furious 7,” “Mad Max” and “Jurassic World” or smaller surprise hits like “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and “Whiplash.”Korean movies began to pick up at the box office with “The Classified File,” a true-story crime thriller th

July 15, 2015

Box office

Inside Out (U.S.) Opened July 9Animation. Directed by Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del CarmenThe latest movie from Pixar takes the audience into the head of 11-year-old Riley, where all emotions are controlled at a switchboard run by Joy (Amy Poehler), together with Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). A mishap sets off a chain reaction threatening Riley’s emotional balance, and Joy tries her best to set things right.The Piper (Korea) Opened July 9H

July 10, 2015

Shim, game changer in Korean cinema

In Paju, near the Book City in Gyeonggi Province northwest of Seoul, a building stands alone next to a construction site in a vast barren area. It looks like a ghost town, with very few people around, except for construction workers. Shim Jae-myung (Myung Films)But the building of Korea’s renowned production company Myung Films ― which has a cafe, film theatre, art center, lecture rooms and student dormitory ― offers visitors a glimpse into the future of this town.Stepping into a new white confe

July 10, 2015

Im Sang-soo hopes to stoke the fire of rebellion

Throughout his interview with The Korea Herald at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, 53-year-old director Im Sang-soo had a wary smile on his face. His personal ambience was in many ways what one would expect after watching his most well-known movies such as “The Housemaid” or “The Taste of Money” -- caustic, satirical depictions of society‘s ultra-elite.  Filmmaker Im Sang-soo (Yonhap)So it was surprising that he was able to shed his brand of biting wit in his latest crime thriller comedy “Intimate En

July 6, 2015

Box Office

Madonna (Korea) / Opened July 2 Drama. Directed by Shin Su-wonHae-rim (Seo Young-hee), a jaded nurse working in the VIP ward of a luxe hospital, is approached by Sang-woo, the son of a wealthy patient awaiting a heart transplant. He asks her to acquire a signature for a comatose young woman’s organ donation papers in exchange for a handsome sum. While tracking down the woman’s next of kin, Hae-rim discovers a world of hurt in the young woman’s past. Terminator Genisys (U.S.) Opened July 2Action.

July 3, 2015

‘Magic Mike’ sequel should have stuck to what it does best

You can’t tease everyone.Unfortunately, the hotly anticipated stripper sequel “Magic Mike XXL” tries to do just that, resulting in a Bud Light version of Steven Soderbergh’s original, surprise-hit home brew. By trying to appeal to young women, middle-aged moms, gay men and spring-break bros at the same time, the movie spreads itself too thin, filling time better spent on manly moves with too much talk and obvious demographic pandering.Still, it’s pointless to resist the five-pointed charisma bom

July 3, 2015