The Korea Herald

‘Project Cheonan Ship’ resurfaces to grab viewers’ interest

By Im Woo-jung, Intern reporter“Project Cheonan Ship,” a documentary on the ill-fated Cheonan naval corvette that sank off the west coast in early 2010, was supposed to sink into oblivion; surprisingly, it’s floating back to social media’s hot-button issues. The movie, directed by Baek Seung-woo, was released on Thursday, but was then removed from the lineup of national multiplex chain Megabox on Saturday, after a two-day screening. Megabox cited security concerns for moviegoers as conservative

Sept. 10, 2013

Megabox halts screenings of film about sunken Navy ship

By Claire LeeScreenings of a documentary film which challenges Seoul’s claim that North Korea is responsible for the 2010 sinking of the warship Cheonan have been abruptly suspended by multiplex chain Megabox, only two days after the film hit theaters on Sept. 5.The theater chain, a subsidiary of major local daily JoongAng Ilbo, was the only multiplex that agreed to screen the controversial film. The documentary was released in a total of 35 theaters nationwide, 26 being Megabox theaters. The do

Sept. 9, 2013

Megabox halts screenings of film about sunken Navy ship

Jason Bateman: First-time director, Toronto hit

TORONTO (AP) ― Actors making their first stab at directing are mainstays at festivals, often never heard from again. That is not the case for Jason Bateman. Over the weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, Bateman premiered his spelling bee comedy “Bad Words,” a foul-mouthed R-rated riot. Just hours after it had festivalgoers roaring with laughter, it was picked up for distribution by Focus Features, with Universal Pictures distributing internationally.“It was exactly what I would ha

Sept. 9, 2013

H.K. actor Aaron Kwok to cohost Busan film festival

Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will open this year‘s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the event’s organizers said Monday.Kwok has been chosen to co-host the festival‘s opening ceremony on Oct. 3 along with South Korean actress Kang Soo-yeon, they said.He will be the second foreign national to open the festival following Chinese actress Tang Wei, who hosted last year’s opening ceremony.The 48-year-old Kwok is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor who has been active since the 1980s and is als

Sept. 9, 2013

‘Night Moves’ wins top prize at Deauville film fest

DEAUVILLE, France (AFP) ― Kelly Reichardt’s drama “Night Moves” about three environmentalists who plot to blow up a dam won the top prize on Saturday at France’s Deauville Film Festival, which celebrates American movies.The drama, starring Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg and Peter Sarsgaard, is set in alternative farming communities in Oregon, with the trio’s plan to blow up a hydroelectric dam yielding unexpected consequences.Critics have hailed Reichardt’s latest work and latest collaboration

Sept. 8, 2013

Italian documentary wins Golden Lion

VENICE, Italy (AP) ― The Italian film “Sacro GRA,” a documentary about life on the highway that circles Rome by director Gianfranco Rosi, has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 70th edition of the Venice Film Festival. The Silver Lion for best director went to Alexandros Avranas of Greece for “Miss Violence” a disturbing look at sexual violence and abuse perpetrated by a grandfather. Greek actor Themis Panou won the best actor prize for his leading role in “Miss Violence,” and Italian actr

Sept. 8, 2013

Korean filmmaker one of NYT’s 20 directors to watch

South Korean director Na Hong-jin was called a “heavyweight talent” on a list of “20 Directors to Watch” in the Friday edition of The New York Times.The critics gave the 39-year-old South Korean high points for keeping the viewers’ attention with his second feature “The Yellow Sea,” despite the unfavorable 10 p.m. screening slot at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.“Before it was over, this thrillingly visceral movie confirmed Mr. Na as a heavyweight talent,” the critics wrote.The daily’s film criti

Sept. 8, 2013

Korean filmmaker one of NYT’s 20 directors to watch

Box Office: The Spy, Elysium, Now You See Me

The Spy Opened Sept. 5Comedy. Action. Directed by Lee Seung-joon. Chul-soo (Sol Kyung-gu) is one of the best intelligence agents in Korea and is able to complete any given mission, however difficult. But like any other married man, he has one weakness: his wife. One day, a mysterious explosion occurs in Seoul and Chul-soo flies to Thailand on a mission to rescue a person who allegedly holds clues to solving the incident. While on his mission, Chul-soo is surprised to see his wife Young-hee (Moon

Sept. 6, 2013

Box Office: The Spy, Elysium, Now You See Me

‘The World’s End’: A pub, a pint, a new picture for Brit trio

There’s a pub in North London called the World’s End that sits across from the Camden Town tube station. Luminaries, including Charles Dickens, figure among its famous patrons, but it’s also important in the annals of British comedy as the place where Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright would meet up in the early years of their creative partnership, grabbing a pint after seeing movies like “X-Men” at a nearby cinema.So when it came time for the pair to write the screenplay for their film about a 40-ish

Sept. 6, 2013

‘The World’s End’: A pub, a pint, a new picture for Brit trio

S. Korean filmmaker named in NYT's 20 directors to watch

South Korean director Na Hong-jin was called a "heavyweight talent" on a list of "20 Directors to Watch" in the Friday edition of The New York Times.The critics gave the 39-year-old South Korean high points for keeping the viewers' attention with his second feature "The Yellow Sea," despite the unfavorable 10 p.m. screening slot at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival."Before it was over, this thrillingly visceral movie confirmed Mr. Na as a heavyweight talent," the critics wrote. The daily's film crit

Sept. 6, 2013

Absent Assange looms over debut of WikiLeaks drama

TORONTO (AP) ― WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may be holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, but he’s very present at the Toronto International Film Festival.Opening this year’s festival on Thursday was the premiere of Bill Condon’s dramatization of Assange and WikiLeaks, “The Fifth Estate” ― a film with which Assange refused to cooperate. It’s the only movie at Toronto that has the distinction of being called “a massive propaganda attack” by its primary subject.That was the opinion Assa

Sept. 6, 2013

American film co-produced by Koreans competing in Venice

An American eco-thriller coproduced by Koreans has been included in the main competition lineup of the ongoing Venice International Film Festival. Titled “Night Moves,” the film stars American actress Dakota Fanning and actor Jesse Eisenberg in the lead roles. Directed by Kelly Reichardt, it tells the story of three young radical environmentalists who come together and plot to blow up a hydroelectric dam.Two Korean producers, Kim Sae-rom and Kim Sae-mi, participated in the production process of

Sept. 5, 2013

American film co-produced by Koreans competing in Venice

Rumsfeld docu director puzzled by ex-defense chief

VENICE (AP) ― Director Errol Morris spent 33 hours interviewing Donald Rumsfeld for his new documentary “The Unknown Known.” But Morris says the former U.S. defense secretary proved hard to fathom.The director said Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival that he cannot tell if Rumsfeld, who narrates the film, was putting on a “performance” or being himself.“The Unknown Known” is competing for the top Golden Lion award. Morris’ “The Fog of War” won an Oscar in 2003 for its look at Robert McNamara,

Sept. 5, 2013

Kim brings incest and self-mutilation to Venice

VENICE (AFP) ― Korean director Kim Ki-duk, who won the Golden Lion award at Venice film festival last year, is back in the floating city with a tale of incest and self-mutilation.“Moebius,” a story about a father’s infidelity sparking a chain of violent events which lead to his wife dismembering their son, was initially banned in Kim’s home country.The Korean Media Rating Board put its foot down over the sex, nudity and incest and Kim had to cut out the offending passages before they would allow

Sept. 4, 2013

Kim brings incest and self-mutilation to Venice

Bhutanese exposition on dance to open Busan film fest

A Bhutanese film directed by a Buddhist monk has been selected as the opener of the upcoming 18th Busan International Film Festival. It is the first time for a Bhutanese movie to be screened as an opening film at an international film festival, according to the organizers. Directed by Khyentse Norbu, the film features Bharata Natyam, a classical Indian dance. Norbu is unable to attend the film festival, as he is currently occupied with his religious training.A total of 301 films, including 95 wo

Sept. 4, 2013

Bhutanese exposition on dance to open Busan film fest

Charlie Hunnam, Dakota Johnson named for ‘50 Shades’ film

LONDON (AFP) ― The film version of erotic best-seller “Fifty Shades of Grey” will star British actor Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, the book’s author E L James said on Monday.The casting of the movie, to be directed by British filmmaker and artist Sam Taylor-Johnson of “Nowhere Boy” fame, has been one of the most hotly anticipated secrets in Hollywood.But instead of big names, the producers have gone for up-and-coming stars.Hunnam starred in this summer’

Sept. 3, 2013

New JFK film about ordinary people, not conspiracies

VENICE (AFP) ― Fifty years after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, director Peter Landesman transports the viewer behind the scenes to witness the chaos, panic and grief of the infamous event in his new movie “Parkland,” which premiered in Venice Sunday.“The film is not about conspiracies. We chose to tell a truthful story, one we know happened to those particular characters, the ordinary people caught up in the wake of this historical event,” first-time director Landesman said.“Parkland” opens w

Sept. 2, 2013

‘Harry Potter’ fans stampede for Radcliffe in Venice

VENICE (AFP) ― The Venice film festival descended briefly into chaos Sunday as screaming “Harry Potter” fans stampeded across the seafront after British star Daniel Radcliffe, in town to present his new film.Radcliffe, who rose to fame playing the child wizard, was surrounded by bodyguards and police, but that did not stop some admirers pushing their way into the bathroom with him during a press conference break.The 24-year-old shrugged off suggestions that the clamor of hyperventilating teenage

Sept. 2, 2013

‘Harry Potter’ fans stampede for Radcliffe in Venice

Uncut ‘Moebius’ will only screen at Venice: Kim Ki-duk

This week’s Venice International Film Festival will be the one and only opportunity for the world’s filmgoers to watch the locally banned original version of Kim Ki-duk’s controversial work, “Moebius.” “I am going to send the edited version of the movie to all of the international film festivals except the ongoing Venice Festival, and I think that’s the right decision to make,” the director said during a press meeting in Seoul on Friday, before leaving for Venice to attend the film’s world premi

Sept. 1, 2013

Uncut ‘Moebius’ will only screen at Venice: Kim Ki-duk

Frears’ tragi-comic ‘Philomena’ takes Venice by storm

VENICE (AFP) ― Stephen Frears’ “Philomena” took the Venice film festival by storm on Saturday, hailed as a frontrunner for the Golden Lion award with its tragi-comic tale of a mother’s search for her son.The British film, starring Judi Dench as mother Philomena Lee and comic actor Steve Coogan as the ex-BBC journalist who helps her in her quest, drew laughs, tears and rounds of spontaneous applause.Frears, director of the award-winning “The Queen,” was set to take to the red carpet along with De

Sept. 1, 2013