Deranged (Yeongasi) (Korea)Opening July 5Thriller. Directed by Park Jeong-woo. Jae-hyuk (Kim Myeong-min) is an ordinary man in his 40s who works for a medical supplies company. One day, a number of dead bodies are found floating on the Han River. The public is even more shocked when they find out the men and women jumped into the water as if they were on drugs, as seen on CCTV footage. Experts discover there is an outbreak of fatal virus-infected horsehair worms. Once infected by the deadly para

Film June 8, 2012

The most electrifying sequence in “Prometheus” ― Ridley Scott’s ambitious and entertaining, if sometimes muddled new science-fiction thriller ― occurs midway through, when Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) discovers something creepy and crawly pulsating from within her womb. A scientist aboard a spaceship near the end of the 21st century ― and until recently under the impression she couldn’t conceive ― Elizabeth races to extract this foreign object, which is growing much more quickly than any no

Film June 8, 2012

Festive Occasions: The Customs in KoreaBy Yoon Seo-seokTranslated by Cho Yoon-jung (Ewha Womans University Press)One can expect plenty of food, music and dance at Korea’s traditional “Janchi.” Janchi would be held for a variety of festive occasions in life, including weddings, milestone birthdays and anniversaries.The Korean term “Janchi” literally means a feast, or a joyous get-together where people share food and exchange best wishes. For those who are interested in Korea’s traditional form of

Books June 8, 2012

“I was a Scientologist for 12 years, which is a lot more embarrassing than saying Hi, I’m a transsexual SM dyke living with borderline personality disorder,” Kate Bornstein tells on the release of her memoir, “A Queer and Pleasant Danger.” Embodying not just gender ― but the range of gender ― is just a fraction of Bornstein’s complex, complete, utterly compelling persona; she is also the embodiment of a mind steeped in pop culture, past and present.1. The latest book or movie that made you cry?O

Books June 8, 2012

Big-name stars participate in upcoming celebration of folksongThough considered the unofficial national anthem of Korea, it’s hard to see “Arirang” being performed by today’s popular contemporary musicians. Korea’s Culture Ministry, however, is throwing a special event this month ― offering a rare opportunity for Seoulites to experience a one of a kind Arirang-themed concert performed by some of the big-name stars in Korea’s entertainment scene. Titled the “2012 Arirang Festival,” the three-day

Performance June 7, 2012

Song Seung-hwan unveils his new non-verbal musicalUnlike the popular K-pop and TV drama industry, Korea’s performing arts scene hasn’t been so foreigner-friendly in the past decade. Even today, it’s hard to come across a show that provides English subtitles in Seoul’s prominent theater district Daehangno.Many foreign visitors, however, will be delighted to learn about the latest project by popular musical producer Song Seung-hwan, whose 1997 show “Nanta” was a global hit. The show is titled “Wed

Performance June 6, 2012

National Museum exhibition’s 86 items are mostly from Joseon period, many of them gifts by the royal courtIn 19th century Joseon, a number of foreign envoys enjoyed the privilege of receiving gifts from the royal court. Most of them received some exquisite celadon pieces from Korea’s Goryeo Kingdom ― known for their distinctive bluish-green color ― as gifts from the Joseon royals. One of the fortunate foreigners who enjoyed such a privilege was Horace G. Underwood (1851-1921), the founder of Jos

Performance June 5, 2012

Award-winning actor Kim Myeong-min, whose previous works include MBC’s “Beethoven Virus” (2008) and period thriller “Detective K” (2011), is returning to the screen as a desperate father in the upcoming disaster thriller “Deranged” (Yeongasi).In the blockbuster flick which portrays the outbreak of virus-infected parasites in Seoul, Kim plays an ordinary man in his 40s named Jae-hyuk who works for a medical supplies company. The film begins as a number of dead bodies are found floating in the Han

Film June 4, 2012

Australian production receives standing ovation for the first Seoul show Some 1,700 people, many dressed in “witch-like” green and black, packed Seoul’s major musical theater venue on Thursday night. The huge crowd was in attendance of the opening night of “Wicked” in Seoul, one of the most highly anticipated musicals this year. The show is another ambitious project by musical production house Seol & Company, who has brought other foreign masterpieces to Korea, including “The Phantom of the Oper

Performance June 3, 2012

The Concubine (Korea)Opening June 6Thriller. Directed by Kim Dai-seung. Set in the Joseon era, a ruthless queen mother and former concubine (Park Ji-young) tries to concoct a plan to dethrone the current king (Jeong Chan), with whom she has no blood ties. Her goal is to somehow replace the king with her timid biological son, Prince Seong-won (Kim Dong-wook). Meanwhile, the prince falls in love at first sight with Hwa-yeon (Jo Yeo-jung), an aristocrat’s daughter, during his jaunt outside the roya

Film June 1, 2012

Give credit, at least, for a clever concept: “Snow White and the Huntsman” filters a classic fairy tale through the prism of a modern, special-effects driven, action-powered blockbuster, an idea so seemingly inevitable that it’s a surprise no one has quite done it before. (Terry Gilliam’s 2005 film “The Brothers Grimm” presumably was trying for something similar, but who could tell with all that bric-a-brac on the screen?).The result, not unlike the recent Sherlock Holmes pictures, is an intrigu

Film June 1, 2012

Baby’s in BlackBy Arne Bellstorf (First Second Books)Arne Bellstorf’s sad, magically charming graphic novel about the Beatles in Hamburg ― when the band’s then-bassist Stuart Sutcliffe fell in love with German photographer Astrid Kirchherr ― evokes the innocence and romantic hunger of youth with quiet, heart-tugging grace.The period is 1960-62, when the Beatles were playing nightly in a rathole on the Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s tough red-light district, the crucible in which the band’s world-shatteri

Books June 1, 2012

James Patterson has written so many books, he’s lost track of the exact number. Ask him how many novels he’s penned for 2012 alone and he shrugs, then guesses: “Twelve or 13?”Often derided as a “factory” for being so prolific, Patterson has written more than 70 novels and sold more than 260 million copies ― far more than any living writer. And at 65, he shows no sign of easing up. If anything, his pace seems to be quickening, especially with children’s books, which he began writing in 2007 after

Books June 1, 2012

Forgotten Country: A NovelBy Catherine Chung (Riverhead Books)Following the international success of local writer Shin Kyung-sook’s novel “Please Look after Mom,” another powerful work of fiction about a Korean family is drawing attention. Korean-American author Catherine Chung’s engrossing debut novel, “Forgotten Country,” tells the story of two sisters born in South Korea. They move to Michigan in the U.S. as young girls, following their parents who try to escape Korea’s turbulent political si

Books June 1, 2012

The 11th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival to showcase 60 original piecesA lot of local aspiring filmmakers must be excited, as the annual Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival is kicking off this year’s edition.The festival, which celebrates its 11th installment this year, is dedicated to discovering new talent in Korea’s film scene. Some of the past winners of the festival include director Yoon Jong-bin, who later was invited to Cannes for his 2005 feature “The Unforgiven,” and Shin Jae-in, whose

Film May 31, 2012