The presidential politics of film

On the night of Nov. 12, Megabox COEX in southern Seoul was filled with flashing lights and celebrities walking the red carpet. It was the VIP premiere of director Jeong Ji-young’s latest film “National Security.”Among the big-name figures were top actors Park Joong-hoon and Seol Kyung-koo, and celebrated filmmakers Kang Je-kyu and Ryu Seung-wan. Then the unexpected guests showed up; four presidential candidates from the opposition bloc, including the Democratic United Party’s Moon Jae-in and th

Nov. 28, 2012

Woman locked up in Alec Baldwin NY stalking case

Police surprised a Canadian actress accused of stalking Alec Baldwin by locking her up again Tuesday at the close of an otherwise-routine court appearance.Authorities wouldn‘t discuss why Genevieve Sabourin was re-arrested in Manhattan. But a judge had ordered her to stay away from the ``30 Rock’‘ star, and there were recent media reports that she had posted angry tweets about his new wife.``Why am I being arrested?’‘ she asked as she was led away in handcuffs.Defense attorney Rick Pasacreta con

Nov. 28, 2012

Hugh Jackman returns as Jean Valjean

Local musical fans were delighted last month by the arrival of the first licensed Korean production of the legendary musical “Les Miserables.”Korea’s moviegoers will be seeing the show on the silver screen next month, produced by the theater performance’s original producer Cameron Mackintosh and starring popular actor Hugh Jackman.Prior to the movie’s opening in December, Jackman, who has a huge fan base in Korea, visited Seoul, along with Mackintosh.“I’m very excited to be in Korea, Korea jjang

Nov. 27, 2012

‘Juvenile Offender’ invited to international film fests

Homespun movie “Juvenile Offender” has been invited to a total of four international film festivals, after being previously featured at three film fests overseas, its local production house announced on Monday.A socially conscious tale about a troubled teen and his mother, the film by director Kang Yi-kwan has been previously featured at the Toronto International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival and Taipei International Film Festival. Actor Seo Young-ju won best actor at Tokyo In

Nov. 26, 2012

Movies based on webtoons flourish

Thanks to their popularity online, many webtoons, especially the works of Kang Full, have been made into movies. From political drama to murder thriller, these movies show off diverse genre and style. One of the most anticipated films this month, “26 Years,” is based on Kang’s 2006 work of the same title. The film tells the story of five ordinary people who together make a plan to assassinate the former president Chun Doo-hwan, for the massacre of innocent civilians while crushing a pro-democrac

Nov. 23, 2012

Box office

Tone Deaf Clinic (Korea)Opening Nov. 29Comedy. Drama. Romance. Directed by Kim Jin-young. Dong-joo (Park Ha-sun) who has been tone-deaf since birth has a voice that is neither of a man nor woman. Everyone tells her that even her breathing is off-tune. Tired of being the victim of everyone’s mockery, Dong-joo finally decides to visit “Tone Deaf Clinic.” Tricked by the facility’s owner, she disguises herself as a high-school student for a discounted lesson fee and becomes a student. Shin Hong (Yoo

Nov. 23, 2012

Ang Lee impressively brings ‘Pi’ to life

Science and spirit, technology and transcendence may sometimes be at war, but in “Life of Pi” ― Ang Lee’s spectacular take on the popular Yann Martel novel ― they instead make for graceful dance partners.The story of a boy who finds his faith challenged after being stranded at sea with only wild animals for company is made stunningly real by the latest developments in computer graphics and 3-D cinematography.The result is that a book that many might have considered best kept on the printed page

Nov. 23, 2012

Lohan says red carpet ‘feels great’

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Lindsay Lohan arrived an hour late to the red carpet to celebrate the premiere of “Liz & Dick” but basked in the media frenzy ― saying it felt good to have the focus on her work as an actress.“It feels great to be on a red carpet for working hard,” Lohan said.Lohan went for an old-Hollywood glamour look in a slinky ivory slip dress, her long hair wavy and parted on the side. Lohan plays screen icon Elizabeth Taylor in the made-for-TV film about her romance with Richard Burton

Nov. 23, 2012

Cannes winners among Cinecube fest line-up

Cinecube Premiere Festival, a Seoul-based movie event featuring arthouse films, unveiled its line-up for this year’s edition. A total of 16 films, including five Cannes-winning works, will be screened during the upcoming event starting on Nov. 29, according to its organizing committee.The festival, hosted by Cinecube, one of the best known arthouse theaters in Seoul, offers moviegoers a chance to enjoy the premiere of the critically acclaimed works due to show in local theaters in December or ea

Nov. 23, 2012

Director examines the world of Korean cinema

Celebrated director Chung Ji-young is making a lot of political remarks with his films lately, after breaking the 13-year hiatus in January with the highly controversial, real-life based courtroom drama “Unbowed.”Last month, he returned with “National Security,” another socially conscious, politically themed drama inspired by the true story of late politician and democracy activist Kim Geun-tae. The film was premiered during this year’s BIFF, and Chung received much attention from the press by s

Nov. 22, 2012

Korean films break 100 million in attendance

Korean films are set to break the 100 million mark in attendance by Wednesday, according to the state-run Korean Film Council.As of Tuesday morning, some 99.8 million viewers had watched Korean films since the beginning of January. The milestone means Koreans saw at least two local films on average this year. Korean films enjoyed much success this year, at both the box office and film festivals. Two local films ― Choi Dong-hun’s star-studded heist film “The Thieves” and Choo Chang-min’s period d

Nov. 20, 2012

Cannes-winning films to be released in Korea

Four Cannes-winning films, including “Amour” and “Beyond the Hills,” are opening in theaters in Korea, about six months after the movies won their awards.Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke’s French-language film “Amour,” which won the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May, is a heart-breaking story about the dying weeks in the relationship of an old French couple. The film, which has also been selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards,

Nov. 20, 2012

'Skyfall' dominates weekend box office

  "Skyfall," the latest Bond film, flew high this weekend, raking in $87.8 million for the No. 1 U.S. box office spot.The film stars Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, among others.The animated "Wreck-It Ralph" fell from No. 1 last weekend to No. 2, but still brought in a respectable $33.056 million.All studio estimates of gross U.S. receipts are via Box Office Mojo."Flight" was third with $15.1 million; "Argo" fourth with $6.745 million; "Taken 2" fifth with $4 million; "Here Comes the Boom" sixth wi

Nov. 20, 2012

Tolkien’s grandson says film deeply hurt his family

The grandson of “Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien told the media that the great success of the film adaptations caused serious problems for both to his family and himself.Barrister-turned-novelist Simon Tolkien confessed that the film’s success, which grossed about $3 billion worldwide, made him feel “suffocated” at that time because his family could barely prepare for the massive attention following the release of the movie.Despite opposition of the rest of the family, his father Christ

Nov. 20, 2012

Box office

Confession of murder (Korea)Opened Nov. 8 Thriller. Action. Directed by Jung Byoung-gil. A high-profile serial murder case that claimed the lives of 10 women 15 years ago closes as the statute of limitations expires. For 15 years, Choi Hyung-goo (Jung Jae-young), the detective in charge of the case, has been unable to forget the suspect who left him with a feeling of guilt and an inerasable scar on his face. Two years later, a man named Lee Du-seok (Park Shi-hoo) publishes an autobiography title

Nov. 16, 2012

‘Twilight’ writer and star greet the end of an epic era with sighs and relief

Even after all this time, author Stephenie Meyer, the Mormon mother of three who became an overnight literary sensation with the 2005 publication of her young-adult novel “Twilight,” can’t explain the phenomenon that surrounds the grand romance between vampire Edward Cullen and human teenager Bella Swan, characters played on-screen by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.“I don’t know what makes people love it, I don’t know what makes people hate it,” said Meyer, seated comfortably in a suite of

Nov. 16, 2012

Exhibition shows how movie posters have changed

Not many would be aware that filmmaker Lee Jun-ik, best known for his 2005 period drama “The King and the Clown,” used to be a copywriter and made movie posters, before making his foray into filmmaking.From the 80s to the 90s, Lee created some 1,000 promotional posters for films. One of them was for director Jeong Ji-young’s 1990 drama “North Korean Partisan in South Korea.” Making posters used to be a lot more complicated than it is now; it required cutting and gluing using scissors and paper.

Nov. 15, 2012

Kristen shines at London Twilight Premiere

U.S. actress Kristen Stewart charmed the crowd with a revealing jumpsuit by Zuhair Murad at the “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2” premiere in London on Wednesday. Kristen Stewart walked the red carpet of the movie at Leicester Square, posing for a photo with Robert Pattinson at one point.The 22-year-old actress flashed plenty of flesh in the sequin and lace outfit, with sheer paneling prevalent on the garment from the hip up.“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2” marks the fifth

Nov. 15, 2012