‘A Company Man’ star ‘understands’ office grind

So Ji-sub talks about having few friends, being drawn to loner charactersIt’s hard to imagine actor So Ji-sub empathizing with Seoul’s urban professionals, while living the life of a celebrity. His environment has been red carpets and film premieres, not an office where everyone wears suits and does long hours.“Many think I wouldn’t understand what it is like,” So says in an interview with The Korea Herald. The actor recently starred as an exhausted white-collar worker in his film “A Company Man

Oct. 18, 2012

Scarlett Johansson, Nate Naylor break up

Scarlett Johansson (AP)Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson has ended her year-long romance with advertising executive Nate Naylor, UsMagazine.com said Monday.The couple broke up within the last week, the celebrity news website said without giving a reason.Johansson divorced actor Ryan Reynolds in late 2011 after nearly three years of marriage.Reynolds wed actress Blake Lively last month after les

Oct. 16, 2012

When a “Company Man” tries to quit his job

So Ji-sub returns as a professional killer in his latest action flickHe seems like yet another urban professional in Korea who has no life outside of his work. The 30-something is one of the most trusted employees at his work, and always gets things done right. But when he tries to quit his job, he faces a series of ordeals that tests his courage and fortitude. Director Im Sang-yoon’s feature debut “A Company Man” shows the extremes of Korea’s office politics, and the mundane lives of urban prof

Oct. 15, 2012

Thai, Lebanese films share top award at Busan festival

BUSAN (AFP) ― A low-budget, experimental production from Thailand and a gripping Lebanese drama shared the main award at Asia’s largest film festival, which drew to a close on Saturday.Jurors for the New Currents award at the Busan International Film Festival described first-time Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s “36” as “breathtaking” while praising the “extraordinary sympathy” director Maryam Najafi was able to draw from her audience throughout her entry “Kayan.”Both productions recei

Oct. 14, 2012

Busan film fest closes with fanfare

Korean actors Bang Eun-jin and Lee Jae-hoon hosts the closing ceremony of the 17th Busan International Film Festival in Busan on Saturday. (Yonhap News)The 10-day Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) closed Saturday after demonstrating its growing stature as Asia's largest film event.The curtains came down with the screening of "Television," a family-focused movie directed by Mostafa Farooki f

Oct. 14, 2012

Box office

A Company Man (Korea)Opened Oct. 11Action. Thriller. Directed by Lim Sang-yoon. Hyeong-do (So Ji-sub) is a professional killer. He works for an organization that disguises itself as an ordinary metal manufacturing company. He never makes a mistake, is loyal to his boss, and is always on top of things. He is one of the most trusted killers in the organization; he does not have a life outside his work, as he has no family to take care of, and has no friends to spend time with. One day, however, he

Oct. 12, 2012

Ben Affleck makes his mark directing smart thrillers

The physical requirements for the scene weren’t complicated. Bryan Cranston, who plays CIA manager Jack O’Donnell in director Ben Affleck’s hostage rescue drama “Argo,” had to walk from one office to another, and as laid out in a Los Angeles set late last year, a straight line ran from point A to point B.But before Cranston took a step, Affleck pulled the actor aside and redirected him.Iranian militants had just stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, and details about the 1979 takeover were muddled

Oct. 12, 2012

Afghan filmmakers fear for cinematic history

BUSAN ― Afghan director Siddiq Barmak remembers watching helplessly as reel upon reel of film footage was taken outside and burned in the street after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.He also remembers the effort it took to save other films from destruction after the extremist forces marched into Kabul in 1996.Barmak and other Afghan filmmakers this week warned that efforts to save Afghanistan’s film history were being undermined by government inaction and concerns about security ahead of a

Oct. 12, 2012

Tom Hanks to make Broadway debut next year

NEW YORK (AP) ― Tom Hanks will play a gutsy New York City newspaper columnist when he makes his debut on Broadway in the spring. Producers of Nora Ephron’s play “Lucky Guy” announced Thursday that Hanks will play Mike McAlary in the stage biography. Hanks, a two-time Oscar winner, had been in negotiations for the role when Ephron died this summer. Previews begin March 1 at the Broadhurst Theatre and an opening night is set for April 1. McAlary, the city’s one-time dominant tabloid reporter, got

Oct. 12, 2012

Holmes begins ‘Dead Accounts’ rehearsals

Norbert Leo Butz and Katie Holmes began rehearsals Monday for the Broadway comedy “Dead Accounts,” the show‘s producers said.Theresa Rebeck’s play is being directed by three-time Tony Award-winner Jack O‘Brien.Co-starring Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton and Jayne Houdyshell, “Dead Accounts” is to begin previews Nov. 3 in preparation for a Nov. 29 opening night at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre.“Jack‘s unexpected return throws his family into a frenzy, and his sister Lorna needs answers,” a synopsis said

Oct. 12, 2012

Rare screening for N.K. film at Busan festival

BUSAN (AFP) ― A North Korean romantic comedy about a female coalminer who dreams of becoming a trapeze artist was given a rare screening before a South Korean audience on Wednesday.South Korea normally bans all forms of media from the North but the government made an exception for the romantic comedy “Comrade Kim Goes Flying,” screening at the 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).“We are proud to say that we have played our part in the cultural exchange between North and South Korea,” s

Oct. 11, 2012

[Herald Review] Jeju director’s film features 1948 Jeju Massacre

O Muel’s ‘Jiseul’ portrays tragic historical event in exquisite black-and-white cinematographyBUSAN -- Director O Muel occupies a rare place in Korean cinema, being one of the very few filmmakers creating works about Jeju Island. All of his previous films were shot on his native Jeju, in Jeju dialect, featuring the lives of people living on the island.Two previous films, “Pong Ddol” (2010) and “Nostalgia” (2009) were rather humorous accounts of ordinary Jeju residents, from a flakey filmmaker to

Oct. 10, 2012

'Jack died for nothing in Titanic’

A television show in the United States conducted an intriguing experiment to check how realistic the movie “Titanic” was in depicting the death of its central character Jack played Leonardo DiCaprio in the freezing ocean.“Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel set out to carry out the test as there is lingering doubt about whether Jack really had no choice but to die in the cold water. The cable channel set a simulated environment and implemented the experiment with a dummy. In the movie, Jack wa

Oct. 9, 2012

Director brings her unusual family reunion to screen

Japanese-born director’s ‘Our Homeland’ delves into hardships of ethnic Koreans in JapanBUSAN ― Japanese-born director Yang Yong-hi, who was in Korea last year with her personal documentary “Goodbye Pyongyang”― a cinematic account of her young niece who lives in Pyongyang, North Korea ― visited Busan with her first feature-length feature film, also based on her personal story of her unusual family. Yang, who was born and grew up in Osaka and obtained her South Korean citizenship in 2004, says sh

Oct. 8, 2012

Hidden face behind the glamour

Make-up artist shares her six years’ experience working for BIFFBUSAN ― BIFF is one of the biggest fashion events in the country, on top of being the biggest film bash.And every actress needs perfect make-up to go with her stunning dress. Pro make-up artist Kim Eun-ji is one of the hidden faces behind the glamour; she has been working for BIFF’s opening ceremonies for the last six years, and experienced the highs and lows of the exciting event. On the morning after BIFF’s opening, the lobby of H

Oct. 7, 2012