The Korea Herald

Sarajevans moved by Angelina Jolie war film

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Hercegovina (AFP) ― Sarajevans among the first filmgoers to see Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, a Bosnian wartime love story, came away deeply moved from a special screening in their city Thursday.“The movie is very realistic, moving and hard to watch for someone who was here during the war. I am very emotional,” Sabira Sokolovic told AFP.A story of love between a Muslim woman and a Serb man against the background of Bosnia’s 1992-95 inter-ethnic war, the movie sparked contr

Dec. 23, 2011

Sarajevans moved by Angelina Jolie war film

Hollywood still struggling to focus 3-D technology

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Two years after breakthrough 3-D megahit “Avatar,” Hollywood is still struggling to decide how best to use the new technology, as filmgoers tire of the novelty and say no to annoying glasses.While 2011 ends with a couple of well-received 3-D movies ― including Steven Spielberg’s holiday smash “Tintin” and Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” ― filmmakers need to focus on what works in three dimensions and what doesn’t, say experts.Following a series of 3-D flops over the last 12 months,

Dec. 22, 2011

Cannes fest head Jacob wins new term

PARIS (AFP) ― Gilles Jacob, the 81-year-old president of the Cannes film festival, has secured a new term at the helm of the international movie showcase, along with its director Thierry Fremaux.Jacob has received the world’s top filmmakers in the Riviera city for the past 30 years, first as Cannes festival director then from 2001 as president, with a mandate that was due to expire after its 65th edition on May 16-27, 2012.Meeting on Tuesday, however, the Cannes board of administrators voted to

Dec. 22, 2011

Three films, three cities

Special project offers films shot in Bucheon, Pohang and GwangjuIt’s been to Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Chuncheon, Daegu, Incheon, Yeosu and Gangleung.English language network Arirang TV’s annual film project featuring Korean cities is back with its third edition, this time offering three movies shot in Bucheon, Pohang and Gwangju. The upcoming films are not about the cities (no road movies to the cities!) but rather use them only as their background. The three featured directors ― Kim In-sik, Lee San

Dec. 22, 2011

Pets, songs and babies top 2011 YouTube videos

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Online singing sensation Rebecca Black topped a 2011 most-viewed YouTube videos list Tuesday that included spoofs starring pets, talking babies and pop music star Michael Bolton.The collection of the year’s most popular YouTube snippets was based on an analysis of the more than one trillion video views logged at the Google-owned website.“That’s about 140 views for every person on the Earth,” YouTube trends manager Kevin Allocca said in a blog post. “More than twice as many

Dec. 21, 2011

‘Unbowed’ portrays real-life ‘crossbow terror’ case

Director Chung Ji-young makes comeback with courtroom dramaA mathematics professor gets demoted a year after pointing out an error on the school’s entrance exam. He soon loses his job, as the university won’t renew his contract. Arguing he was fired unfairly, he sues the school administration and asks for reinstatement. When the court upholds the school’s decision, the professor decides to visit the court judge with a crossbow in his hand. Celebrated director Chung Ji-young, who is most well kno

Dec. 21, 2011

‘Unbowed’ portrays real-life ‘crossbow terror’ case

Song Hye-kyo to star in Woo’s film

Popular actress Song Hye-kyo will star in celebrated Chinese director John Woo’s upcoming epic love story film “Love and Let Love,” according to her local agency.Song, who recently won the first film award of her acting career for her role as the grieving filmmaker in this year’s somber drama “A Reason to Live,” will star as a wealthy, driven woman in Shanghai who lives through the end of WWII and Chinese Civil War. Song will act in Mandarin for the film. Woo, whose best-known works include 2008

Dec. 20, 2011

Berlin fest picks Hanks, Zhang movies for line-up

BERLIN (AFP) ― The Berlin film festival unveiled its first selections Monday including a 9/11 drama starring Tom Hanks and new pictures from China’s Zhang Yimou and Filipino art house star Brillante Mendoza.The 62nd annual event, running Feb. 9 to 19, will include the hotly awaited “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by British director Stephen Daldry (“The Hours”).The movie is based on the 2005 best-selling novel by Jonathan Safran Foer in which a young boy searches New York City after the Se

Dec. 20, 2011

Berlin fest picks Hanks, Zhang movies for line-up

Larsson’s partner chides ‘Dragon Tattoo’ marketing

STOCKHOLM (AP) ― The longtime partner of late Swedish crime writer Stieg Larsson says he wouldn’t have approved of merchandise being linked to this week’s release of a Hollywood adaptation of his bestselling novel, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.’’Eva Gabrielsson said Monday that Larsson would have instead used the buzz around his work to call attention to violence and discrimination against women.“We would never have sold any rights for merchandising,’’ Gabrielsson said. “It has nothing to do

Dec. 20, 2011

Penn, McDormand, Giamatti join Sundance cast list

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Films featuring Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Paul Giamatti, Jesse Eisenberg, Tracy Morgan and Melissa Leo are among late additions to next month‘s Sundance Film Festival.Organizers for Robert Redford’s independent-film showcase said Monday they have added four titles to the previously announced lineup of more than 100 movies.The new films are: director Paolo Sorrentino‘s rock-star-on-a-road-trip tale ``This Must Be the Place,’‘ with Penn and McDormand; Philip Dorling and Ron

Dec. 20, 2011

Michael Fassbender eyes Hollywood gold

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ―Michael Fassbender’s last movie might be called “Shame,” but the German-Irish actor has nothing to feel bad about as he rides a wave of success and aims at Hollywood gold this awards season.The 34-year-old’s big-screen career has exploded with a string of movies in the last four years, before his Golden Globe nod last week for his role as a tortured sex addict in “Shame,” his latest film with director Steve McQueen.His meteoric rise has included an award-winning role as Northe

Dec. 19, 2011

Sex and secrets on the silver screen

Lee Young-mi talks about new film ‘Secrets, Objects’This is the seventh in a series on up-and-coming Korean filmmakers. ― Ed.Sitting over coffee in her own production house, director and CEO Lee Young-mi looks more like the latter. Dressed in a black suit with her wavy hair down to her shoulders, Lee’s demure presence and eloquent, deep-voiced speech calls to mind a high-profile business woman. It is fascinating to hear Lee say she likes to expose secrets and that the biggest secret anyone can

Dec. 19, 2011

Batman’ star Bale tries to visit China activist

BEIJING (AP) ― “Batman’’ star Christian Bale, in the midst of promoting a film he made in China that some critics have called propaganda, was physically stopped by government-backed guards from visiting a blind activist living under house arrest ― with a CNN crew in tow to record the scuffle.CNN posted footage of the confrontation on its website Friday.The run-in and publicity is likely to cause discomfort in China’s government-backed film industry, which hopes Bale’s movie “The Flowers of War’’

Dec. 18, 2011

Batman’ star Bale tries to visit China activist

Screen gems: Top movies of 2011

“You know what’s a drag about being a grown-up?” a friend asked the other night. “Nobody makes movies for me anymore.”He’s not entirely correct, but I know how he feels. Hollywood’s focus on young viewers has been intensifying for decades _ at least since the original “Star Wars,” if not before ― and this year was no exception. From the latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” installment to the third “Transformers” blockbuster, the box-office biggies of 2011 were largely cinematic junk food marketed t

Dec. 18, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor auction raises over $153 million

NEW YORK (AFP) - A week-long auction in New York of the late Elizabeth Taylor's vast collection of luxury dresses, jewels and art works wound down Friday with total sales topping $153 million.The final round of live sales at Christie's saw movie memorabilia snapped up at prices many times higher tha

Dec. 18, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor auction raises over $153 million

Box Office

I Wish (Japan)Opening Dec. 22Drama. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-Eda. A curious 12-year-old school boy Koichi (Koki Maeda) comes up with a plan to have his fondest wish fulfilled. After his parents’ divorce, Koichi lives with his mother and maternal grandparents in Kagoshima, Kyushu, while his younger brother Ryunosuke (Ohshiro Maeda) and guitarist father (Joe Odagiri) live in Hakata in Fukuoka. Having moved to an unfamiliar town where the famous volcano Sakurajima emits plumes of ash almost every

Dec. 16, 2011

Tinkering with John Le Carre

Make a list of those who’ve had a hand in the entertainment world’s vampire vogue and you’ll probably put Tomas Alfredson near the top. The Swedish filmmaker directed “Let the Right One In,” the 2008 hit about a relationship between a bullied boy and the young-looking vampire Eli that turned even skeptics into believers.Yet ask the 46-year-old about his influence on, or interest in, the bloodsucker bonanza and you’ll get a shrug. “I haven’t really seen any vampire movies, except maybe a few Bela

Dec. 16, 2011

‘The Artist’ leads with 6 nods for Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― The silent-era tale “The Artist” heads the Golden Globes with six nominations, among them best comedy or musical, and acting honors for its French stars, Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo.Tied for second-place with five nominations Thursday are the 1960s racial tale “The Help” and George Clooney’s Hawaiian family story “The Descendants.” Both films are up for best drama, while Clooney was nominated for best dramatic actor and “The Help” earned acting slots for Viol

Dec. 16, 2011

E-land Group to display W10.1b Liz Taylor diamond ring at Daegu theme park

A 33.19-carat diamond ring once owned by the late Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor sold for 10.1 billion won ($8,818,500) to Korean conglomerate E-Land Group at a Christie’s auction in New York on Tuesday.The ring was given to the late actress by her fifth husband, actor Richard Burton in 1968. He had purchased the ring through an auction for $ 300,000 at the time. The ring was estimated to sell for $2.5 million to $3.5 million during Tuesday’s auction.Taylor, who died of congestive heart failure

Dec. 15, 2011

Screenings to feature acclaimed films of 2011

BIFF winners, controversial documentaries, successful indie debuts to get second airingIf you haven’t had the chance to check out some of the most controversial, highly regarded or rarely screened movies released this year, check out these exciting special film screenings in the coming days. These may be your last opportunity to watch the films before the year ends. Starting Thursday, 2011 BIFF with Movie Collage ― a joint project between BIFF and CGV Movie Collage ― will screen a total of 19 aw

Dec. 15, 2011

Screenings to feature acclaimed films of 2011