The Korea Herald

Complete list of Oscar winners

Here is the complete list of winners at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday: Best picture: "12 Years a Slave" Best actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club" Best actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" Best supporting actor: Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" Best supporting actress: Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave" Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity" Best original screenplay: Spike Jonze, "Her" Best adapted screenplay: John Ridley, "12 Years a Slave" Best foreign lan

March 3, 2014

‘12 Years a Slave’ rolls at Spirit Awards

SANTA MONICA, California (AP) ― “12 Years a Slave” rolled at the Spirit Awards, winning five awards including best feature at the annual independent film celebration. On the eve of the Academy Awards, the slavery tale won awards for director Steve McQueen, actress Lupita Nyong’o, screenwriter John Ridley and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt. In a more laid-back, beachside ceremony in Santa Monica, just west of Los Angeles, “12 Years a Slave” was applauded as the clear favorite of the indie circuit.

March 2, 2014

Box Office: Elegant Lies, To the Wonder, The Monuments Men

Elegant Lies (Korea), Opening March 13Drama. Directed by Lee Han. Hyeon-sook (Kim Hee-ae) is a single mother who is raising two teenage daughters while working at a big grocery store. One day, her youngest child Cheon-ji (Kim Hyang-gi) suddenly commits suicide without even leaving a note. Struggling with guilt and anger, and not knowing why Cheon-ji chose to kill herself, Hyeon-sook and her eldest daughter Man-ji (Ko Ah-sung) wonder whether there was something they missed or something they could

Feb. 28, 2014

Box Office: Elegant Lies, To the Wonder, The Monuments Men

Son of God: Still a great story, even when tepidly told

Blame Mel Gibson for it if you like, but no Jesus movie these days is worth its salt without an utterly unflinching treatment of his torture and crucifixion. And “Son of God” has stretches where the agony we watch this poor man endure is avert-your-eyes awful. If history ever produced a more excruciating form of punishment, it probably included lions at dinner time.But “Son of God,” a big-screen version of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s History Channel TV series “The Bible,” has a redemptive opt

Feb. 28, 2014

Son of God: Still a great story, even when tepidly told

Hollywood primed for Oscars night

HOLLYWOOD (AFP) ― Hollywood is ready for its close-up Sunday as stars gather for the most fiercely contested Oscars show in decades, but organizers hope the weather doesn’t rain on their glamorous red carpet parade.Forecasters predict Los Angeles could have its biggest storm for two years from Friday and potentially through the weekend, when the movie industry’s finest come together for the climax of the annual awards season.Three movies ― harrowing historical drama “12 Years a Slave,” 3-D space

Feb. 28, 2014

Seoul Art Cinema shows 22 ‘important, underrated films’

Seoul Art Cinema will screen 22 modern films it thinks are important or severely underrated. The featured filmmakers include Brian De Palma, Nanni Moretti, Abbas Kiarostami and Takashi Miike. The special series, titled “Parallax,” will begin in March. Some of the films have already been released in theaters in Seoul, though they did not succeed commercially, while one of them ― Margarethe von Trotta’s “Hannah Arendt” ― is having its Korean premiere. “Hannah Arendt” is a drama about the eponymous

Feb. 27, 2014

Seoul Art Cinema shows 22 ‘important, underrated films’

‘Elegant Lies’ tackles teen bullying

What do you do when your loved one suddenly commits suicide without even leaving a note? What does it mean to lose someone and then replay their last days over and over, searching for clues?Filmmaker Lee Han, who made a huge breakthrough with his 2011 drama “Punch,” a tale about a rebellious teen whose mother is a migrant from the Philippines, is making a strong comeback with another film about vulnerable teens and their families. Unveiled to the press on Tuesday, the film, titled “Elegant Lies,

Feb. 26, 2014

Expect an Oscars filled with music, heroes, Ellen

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― With less than a week to go before the Academy Awards, the Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood is on lockdown. Guards stand at every door, and handlers with walkie-talkies keep a close eye on any visitors. Neil Meron, who is producing the Oscar show for the second time with partner Craig Zadan, hopes a careful blend of secrecy and teasing ― topped with some of the tightest races in recent Oscar memory ― makes the 86th Academy Awards a lure that viewers can’t resist. “The O

Feb. 26, 2014

Last years of the ‘people’s princess’

After receiving negative reviews from the British press, “Diana,” a biopic on the Princess of Wales, is arriving in Korean theaters next month. The film features the private heartaches of the late princess, whose high-profile marriage to Prince Charles, divorce, and style, made her one of the biggest icons of the 20th century.Directed by German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel, the film deals with the last two years of Diana’s life after she finally divorced Prince Charles in 1995. Starring as the

Feb. 24, 2014

Child’s play as ‘Lego Movie’ builds box-office lead

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― “The Lego Movie” built on its previous weeks’ success atop the North American box office for a third weekend in a row, earning $31.5 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.The Warner Bros. animation movie, which is based on the popular kid’s toy, made it look like child’s play: it has raked in $183.2 million since its opening, box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.“3 Days to Kill,” an action-thriller starring Kevin Costner as a secret agent tasked with one final, dea

Feb. 24, 2014

‘12 Years a Slave’ wins big at NAACP Image Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― “12 Years a Slave” swept the film categories at the NAACP Image Awards with four wins.The historical epic’s prizes at Saturday’s 45th annual ceremony honoring diversity in the arts included outstanding motion picture, directing for Steve McQueen, writing for John Ridley and supporting actress for Lupita Nyong’o.“It’s been a historical year in film for all of us in this room, and I’m so proud to be a part of that history,” Nyong’o said. “It’s such an honor to be recognized for

Feb. 23, 2014

Box Office: The Monuments Men, 12 Years a Slave, Venus Talk

The Monuments Men (U.S., Germany)Opening Feb. 27Drama. Directed by George Clooney.During World War II, seven men ― comprised of curators, art historians and museum directors ― get together and plan to search for famous art works looted by the Nazis, and return them to their rightful owners. The film is based on a true story and is directed, produced by and stars George Clooney, along with Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin and other stars. 12 Years a Slave (U.S

Feb. 21, 2014

Box Office: The Monuments Men, 12 Years a Slave, Venus Talk

As murder thrillers go, ‘In Secret’ is a bit creaky

Think of “Therese Raquin,” the Emile Zola novel that is the inspiration for “In Secret,” as the original film noir. It has an illicit love affair, a murder and the guilt and fear of discovery that comes with it.Filmmaker Charlie Stratton, working from Neal Bell’s stage adaptation of the book, delivers a moody, melodramatic and somewhat overwrought version of the tale, sort of a 19th century-Paris “Postman Always Rings Twice.” It benefits from brooding performances by the leads and another fierce

Feb. 21, 2014

As murder thrillers go, ‘In Secret’ is a bit creaky

Kim Go-eun to come back in vicious revenge tale

Actress Kim Go-eun, who made an impressive breakthrough in filmmaker Jung Ji-woo’s critically acclaimed 2012 sensual drama “Eungyo (A Muse),” is making a comeback as a vengeful mad woman in her upcoming movie. Kim made her acting debut in Jung’s 2012 film as Eun-gyo, a teenager who becomes the subject of desire for Lee Jeok-yo (Park Hae-il), a renowned poet in his 70s. The film received much attention for its subject matter as well as its depiction of sexuality. Kim, who had never appeared in a

Feb. 21, 2014

Kim Go-eun to come back in vicious revenge tale

‘Frozen’ draws 9 million viewers in Korea

“Frozen,” an animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, has drawn more than 9,030,000 viewers in Korea, becoming the second foreign film to reach that milestone, after James Cameron’s “Avatar.”Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale “The Snow Queen,” the film tells the story of Anna, a brave, determined princess who goes on an adventure to find her estranged sister, Elsa. Elsa has “icy powers” and her spell has trapped the nation in perpetual winter. The film, which

Feb. 19, 2014

‘Frozen’ draws 9 million viewers in Korea

Lupita Nyong’o is Hollywood’s new fixation

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― Lupita Nyong’o is preparing herself for normalcy. After the frenzy that’s followed her gripping performance in “12 Years a Slave,” she wants to be ready for life back home in New York. “I try to keep my regimen ― rest, water, eat well, workout ― so that when this is all over, I don’t experience a total hangover,” she says, taking a bite of scrambled eggs in a recent interview at a Beverly Hills cafe. She hasn’t yet accepted that her life may never be the same. “I

Feb. 19, 2014

Lupita Nyong’o is Hollywood’s new fixation

‘Avengers’ to be partially shot in Korea

The sequel of the 2012 Hollywood blockbuster “The Avengers” will be partly filmed in South Korea where the first installment made a big hit, its studio announced.Major scenes of the superhero sequel titled “Avengers: Age of Ultron” will be shot in Seoul, the South Korean capital, in addition to other international locations, including Johannesburg, South Africa; Aosta Valley, Italy; and London, the Burbank, California-based Marvel Studios said Tuesday.This will benefit the local film industry in

Feb. 19, 2014

EU sales of Hyundai cars down, Kia up in January: report

Sales of cars made by Hyundai Motor Co. lost ground in the European Union in January, while numbers for its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. increased, official data showed Wednesday.According to data released by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), South Korea's largest carmaker sold 30,047 units in the first month of this year, down 5.9 percent from 31,918 vehicles sold in January 2013.The loss, coupled with the 5.5 percent increase in overall sales among the 27 membe

Feb. 19, 2014

Creditors to supply more liquidity to STX Group's shipbuilding arm

Creditors have decided to provide additional liquidity to the shipbuilding unit of ailing STX Group in a move to help it overcome a cash crunch, officials said Wednesday.The main creditor, Korea Development Bank, said that more than75 percent of other creditors approved the rescue measures including 1.8 trillion won ($1.69 billion) in liquidity supply for STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.The rescue measures also include a debt-to-equity swap worth around 1.3 trillion won, they said. The total cash of

Feb. 19, 2014

Lotte Confectionery to build its 2nd Indian plant

South Korea's biggest confectioner Lotte Confectionery Co. said Wednesday that it plans to build its second plant in India by July next year.Lotte will spend 66 billion won ($61.8 million) to build the plant in the northern Haryana province, which will produce Choco Pies worth 38 billion won a year. Choco Pies, chocolate-covered, marshmallow-filled snack cakes, are one of the company's flagship products. In 2010, Lotte built its first Indian plant in Chennai, a city on the country's southeastern

Feb. 19, 2014