Clooney picks up stranger’s bill

A German man said he was shocked to discover actor George Clooney had paid his restaurant tab after fearing he and his friends had been rude.The man, whose name was not released, told the Bild newspaper he was eating Friday evening at the Grill Royal restaurant in Berlin and was told by his waiter his $134.66 bill had been covered by Clooney, who had been dining with friends at the next table, The Local.de reported Monday.The waiter told the man Clooney was concerned he and his friends had been

Jan. 29, 2013

‘Mother of George’ wins award for best cinematography at Sundance

A film partially produced by two Koreans won the cinematography award at Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.Titled “Mother of George,” the film features an immigrant couple from Nigeria living in Brooklyn who have difficulty conceiving a baby. Two Koreans, Saerom and Saemi Kim, participated in the production process of the film, along with eight other producers. The sisters have been working at Maybach Film Productions, an independent film production company and investment group based in Beverly

Jan. 28, 2013

Korea’s oldest silent film goes to Berlinale

Korea’s oldest surviving silent film will be screened accompanied by live narration and a music performance at the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival. The 1934 film, titled “Crossroads of Youth,” was directed by filmmaker Ahn Jong-hwa. The film, which deals with struggling young men and women in 1930s colonial Korea, was discovered in 2007 by the state-run Korean Film Archive. Back in the 1920s and ’30s, local film viewers saw and heard a “byeonsa,” or silent-film narrator, “performing”

Jan. 28, 2013

‘Jiseul’ wins Grand Jury Prize at Sundance

A film about the 1948 Jeju Massacre has won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, being the first Korean movie to win the prestigious award.An artistic, black and white work by Jeju-based director O Muel, “Jiseul” tells the story of a group of some 120 villagers who hid from soldiers in a cave during the massacre. The real-life incident resulted in the death of some 30,000 islanders as the government sought to quell an uprising led by a small group of communist insurgents.“

Jan. 27, 2013

Box office

Gift from Room 7Opened Jan. 23Comedy. Drama. Directed by Lee Hwan-gyeong. Yong-gu (Ryoo Seung-ryong), a mentally challenged man with the mind of a 6-year-old child who is also single-handedly raising his 7-year-old daughter Ye-seung (Gal So-won), is falsely charged with child rape and murder. Imprisoned, Yong-gu is detained in Room 7 where violent criminals are incarcerated. When Yong-gu steps in to Room 7, his jail inmates respond with discomfort and annoyance to their new inmate. However, they

Jan. 25, 2013

Renner, Arterton gear up for witch hunting as Hansel & Gretel

Around the world, ask movie-lovers where they saw their first movie witch and the answer’s the same.“I was, like everyone, frightened by the witch in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’’” says English actress Gemma Arterton. “That’s who we all grew up with, right?”Jeremy “Hurt Locker” Renner agrees. And he can top that.“‘Wizard of Oz’ was the very first job I ever had. On stage. I played the Scarecrow. So for me, there was always just one witch. That first witch. The Wicked Witch of the West.” But, Renner adds,

Jan. 25, 2013

Lee Jun-ik returns after two-year hiatus

Filmmaker Lee Jun-ik is returning to movie-making two years after he announced his withdrawal from the local industry.Lee is currently working on a new project titled “Wish,” which stars heavyweight actor Sol Kyung-gu, according to the film’s production company Lotte Entertainment. Lee, whose notable previous works include “King and the Clown” (2005) and “Radio Star” (2006), announced his withdrawal from the business in 2011 after his period drama “Battlefield Heroes” failed to achieve commercia

Jan. 23, 2013

‘Our Homeland’ gets Korean release

A Japanese-born director’s award-winning film is being released in Korea in March, according to the film’s promoters.Director Yang Yong-hi, who was born and grew up in Osaka and obtained South Korean citizenship in 2002, has been making documentaries based on her family history of ethnic Koreans living in Japan. “Our Homeland,” which is Yang’s feature debut, premiered in Korea at last year’s Busan International Film Festival and received positive reviews from the local press. The film is based o

Jan. 23, 2013

Man pleads no contest to stalking Mila Kunis

Los Angeles County prosecutors say a 27-year-old man has been ordered stay away from “That 70s Show” and “Black Swan” actress Mila Kunis for 10 years after pleading no contest to stalking her.Spokeswoman Jane Robison says Stuart Dunn entered his plea Tuesday and was also ordered to complete six months of residential rehab and placed on five years of felony probation.Dunn has repeatedly been arrested in his pursuit of Kunis.In February, he was arrested for breaking into her vacant condo, and auth

Jan. 23, 2013

Ang Lee mulls directing historical epic ‘Cleopatra’

TAIPEI (AFP) ― Oscar-winning director Ang Lee said Saturday he will “probably” accept an offer to direct historical epic “Cleopatra” starring Angelina Jolie, after the Hollywood actress wrote to him asking him to come on board.Lee, whose 3-D adventure “Life of Pi” has earned 11 Oscar nominations, said he would read the script before making a decision but the project was “very attractive.” “Sony has asked me to shoot the movie and Angelina Jolie wrote to me to express her wishes to collaborate. W

Jan. 20, 2013

Box office

Jack Reacher (U.S.)Opened Jan. 17Action. Mystery. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie. The film begins in the middle of the street, when a mysterious lone gunman fires six shots that leave five dead in front of PNC Park in Pittsburgh during rush hour. The city is thrown into a state of horror and within hours cops gather around the crime scene to gather evidence. The evidence leads police to a former U.S. army sniper, James Barr (Joseph Sikora). But the accused man says, “You got the wrong guy, ge

Jan. 18, 2013

Wahlberg, Crowe go toe-to-toe in ‘Broken City’

It isn’t hard, the first time Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe square off in “Broken City,” to see that the two stars are enjoying themselves mightily. Wahlberg is a New York cop asked to resign in the wake of a controversial shooting, and Crowe is the mayor asking for his badge. They meet in the mayor’s City Hall office ― it’s a tense, tough exchange, with Jeffrey Wright, another formidable actor, off to one side. But there’s clearly an amiable vibe mixed in with the brinkmanship, too.“Russell d

Jan. 18, 2013

Redford: Diversity reigns at Sundance Festival

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ― Diversity is king at the Sundance Film Festival ― and queen, too.For the first time, half of the films featured at the festival were made by women.Festival founder Robert Redford opened the event Thursday and said “diversity is the point’’ of the independent film showcase, further evidenced by contributions from 32 countries and 51 first-time filmmakers this year. The chorus of voices represented at Sundance “reflects the times we’re in,’’ he said. “What Sundance stands fo

Jan. 18, 2013