‘Gift from Room 7’ gets mixed reviews

“Gift from Room 7,” a heartwarming comedy which drew more than 11 million viewers in South Korea, is getting a mixed reception. The film, depicting a mentally challenged father who is wrongfully imprisoned in Room 7 for murder, has been lauded for its impressive performances by the main actors and its touching storyline.But for all the praise, some viewers had negative views about the plot. They said that several scenes did not logically follow from the previous ones, distracting viewers. “The l

March 5, 2013

Role in ’Schindler‘s List’ scars actress for years

Oliwia Dabrowska, who played an iconic role in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film “Schindler’s List,” said that she had been “horrified” when she first watched the movie.“I was ashamed of being in the movie and really angry with my mother and father when they told anyone about my part,” Dabrowska told British media. Dabrowska, now 24, made an iconic appearance in the highly regarded movie. She played a little girl in a red coat -- the only colored figure in otherwise black-and-white film.The movie’s p

March 5, 2013

Actor facing rape charge sent home after interrogation

Actor Park Si-hoo returned home after nearly 10 hours of questioning by police on Friday over allegations that he sexually assaulted a 24-year old aspiring actress last month.“Although there is much that I would like the say, I have clarified (my position) enough with the police,” Park told reporters, saying the truth will come out.Park’s friend identified as his surname Kim, who is accused of sexually harassing the woman, also returned home after receiving investigation with Park.The well-known

March 2, 2013

‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ draws 11 million viewers

Local film ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ drew 11.09 million viewers in just 38 days after its release, official data showed Friday. This makes it the seventh highest grossing movie in Korean film history, beating Kang Woo-suk’s 2003 drama “Silmido.”A heartwarming comedy about a mentally challenged father (played by Ryoo Seung-ryong) wrongfully imprisoned for murder, the film drew 4.6 million viewers in its first two weeks of release. The plot of the film develops as the man forms genuine friendship wi

March 1, 2013

Box office

Django UnchainedOpening March 21Drama. Western. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Set in the South in 1858, Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave with a brutal history with his former owners, finds himself with bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz). Together they search for the Brittle brothers who are wanted dead or alive. Once they find the brothers, the team sets on a mission to rescue Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), Django’s wife from during the slave trade long ago. On their journey they bu

Feb. 28, 2013

Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor on ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’

“Jack the Giant Slayer,” the latest phantasmagorical big-budget, special-effects film from “X-Men” director Bryan Singer, first got under way about three years ago. But back then it had a different director ― Singer replaced D.J. Caruso ― different writers (Singer brought in Christopher McQuarrie to rework the existing script) and even a different title: Somewhere along the line “Jack the Giant Killer” became “Jack the Giant Slayer,” and while “Fee, fi, fo, fum” is still in the script, no one sa

Feb. 28, 2013

Park Chan-wook’s ‘Stoker’ an exquisite gothic thriller

A spider crawls up the leg of 18-year-old India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) early in Park Chan-wook’s English-language debut, “Stoker,’’ and she regards it passively, intrigued. There’s a creepy intruder in the Stokers’ handsome, isolated estate, but it’s India’s Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), whose existence India was unaware of until he arrived following the death of her father (Dermot Mulroney) in a mysterious car accident. Dashing, cultured and oozing melodramatic evil, he’s an homage to Joseph

Feb. 28, 2013

Jennifer Aniston soon to tie the knot

Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston plans to marry actor and director Justin Theroux in a few months, a source told media.The couple got engaged in August and it seems the wedding will take place as soon as the 44-year-old actress finishes filming a movie “Untitled Elmore Leonard Project” in Connecticut on March 8. The ceremony will be small scale, the source said. “Jennifer admires him because he is seriously intelligent and so different from most of the men you meet in Hollywood,” one of her fr

Feb. 28, 2013

Fox unveils first foray into Korean market

Fox International Productions’ first locally produced film was finally unveiled on Tuesday, featuring Park Chan-wook’s “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” star Shin Ha-gyun in the lead.An international production umbrella unit of America’s major film production house Fox Filmed Entertainment, FIP produces and distributes local language films around the globe. Known as one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox blockbusters include “Avatar,” “Titanic” and “Star Wars.”T

Feb. 26, 2013

U.K. actor claiming to suffer from ‘sexsomnia’ jailed

British actor Simon Morris was jailed for raping a 15-year-old girl in 2011, despite insisting that he had no recollection of the incident because he was fast asleep, British media reported Monday. The 42-year-old actor was sentenced on Sunday to eight years in prison by Cardiff Crown Court in southern London, after the court dismissed his claims that he had suffered from “sexsomnia,” the medical condition where people engage in sex acts while still asleep.“You told an endless number of glib lie

Feb. 26, 2013

Affleck’s ‘Argo’ wins best-picture Oscar

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Ben Affleck’s “Argo,’’ the story of how Hollywood, Canada and the CIA teamed up to rescue six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis, has earned best picture at the Academy Awards.From the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Jack Nicholson to help present the final prize.“There are eight great films that have every right, as much a right to be up here as we do,’’ Affleck said of the other best-picture nominees.In share-the-wealth mode, Oscar voters spread Sunday

Feb. 25, 2013

Translating Park Chan-wook

Park Chan-wook describes his ability as “more than perfect.” Actress Mia Wasikowska said working with him was so “easy and seamless.”Of the many who worked behind the camera for Park Chan-wook’s Hollywood debut “Stoker,”  one of its co-producers and interpreter Jeong Won-jo is the one who witnessed the English-language film’s production from the very beginning to the end. Throughout the project, he was the famed director’s “all-around aide-de-camp”; all of Park’s directions were delivered to the

Feb. 24, 2013

Box office

Jack the Giant SlayerOpening Feb. 28Drama. Fantasy. Adventure. Directed by Bryan Singer. An ordinary young farmer Jack (Nicholas Hoult) accidentally grows a giant beanstalk using some magic beans which opens a gateway to a fearsome race of giants who have a longstanding feud with humans. Unleashed on earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land that they have long lost. The giants cause havoc for Jack and his entire kingdom and Jack has no choice but to join in th

Feb. 22, 2013