There’s a pub in North London called the World’s End that sits across from the Camden Town tube station. Luminaries, including Charles Dickens, figure among its famous patrons, but it’s also important in the annals of British comedy as the place where Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright would meet up in the early years of their creative partnership, grabbing a pint after seeing movies like “X-Men” at a nearby cinema.So when it came time for the pair to write the screenplay for their film about a 40-ish

Film Sept. 6, 2013

Israeli television drama “Prisoners of War” won the grand prize at this year’s Seoul International Drama Awards.The series, originally broadcast on Israel’s Channel 2 from March to May 2010, features three Israeli soldiers who were captured almost 20 years ago while on a mission with their unit in Lebanon. It won the Israeli Academy Awards for Television for Best Drama Series back in 2010.In the hallyu drama section, MBC’s 2012 period horror-romance “Arang and the Magistrate” won the Best Drama

Television Sept. 5, 2013

An American eco-thriller coproduced by Koreans has been included in the main competition lineup of the ongoing Venice International Film Festival. Titled “Night Moves,” the film stars American actress Dakota Fanning and actor Jesse Eisenberg in the lead roles. Directed by Kelly Reichardt, it tells the story of three young radical environmentalists who come together and plot to blow up a hydroelectric dam.Two Korean producers, Kim Sae-rom and Kim Sae-mi, participated in the production process of

Film Sept. 5, 2013

Night FilmBy Marisha Pessl (Random)Labeling the films of enigmatic director Stanislas Cordova “scary” is a grotesque understatement. Cordova ― the unseen, menacing, malignant force at the heart of Marisha Pessl’s new novel ― makes movies that are terrifying, catastrophic; they are hypnotic black holes into which viewers plunge and emerge shaken and obsessed.“Maybe your next-door neighbor found one of his movies in an old box in her attic and never entered a dark room alone again,” the prologue s

Books Sept. 5, 2013

What do Harrison Ford and Joan Didion have in common? They’ll both be at the PEN Center USA awards dinner in October, where he will present her with the lifetime achievement award. Their connection is personal rather than literary: The actor and author have known each other since 1971, when the not-yet movie star built her beach house.“He was a carpenter,” she explains by phone from New York. “I was happy with his work ― and even happier with his presence in the house because he was a great mora

Books Sept. 5, 2013

A recently published collection of academic papers explores retirement trends in the Korean job market, focusing on the impact of forced retirement at a young age ― mid-50s for most workers ― and how it affects individuals. Coedited by scholars Thomas R. Klassen and Yang Yun-jeong, the book, titled “Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Aging Tiger,” comprises a total of 10 academic papers regarding retirement issues in Korea and overseas, including income security for the elderly, retirement pens

Books Sept. 5, 2013

A Bhutanese film directed by a Buddhist monk has been selected as the opener of the upcoming 18th Busan International Film Festival. It is the first time for a Bhutanese movie to be screened as an opening film at an international film festival, according to the organizers. Directed by Khyentse Norbu, the film features Bharata Natyam, a classical Indian dance. Norbu is unable to attend the film festival, as he is currently occupied with his religious training.A total of 301 films, including 95 wo

Film Sept. 4, 2013

After playing the unhappy Austrian empress (Elisabeth) and the mysterious, obsessive housekeeper (Rebecca), musical actress Oak Ju-hyun has now been cast to play the famous green-skinned witch.The highly anticipated cast of the upcoming musical “Wicked” was finally announced on Monday. The upcoming run is the first Korean-language edition of the popular Broadway musical, also featuring an all-local cast. Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the

Performance Sept. 3, 2013

This week’s Venice International Film Festival will be the one and only opportunity for the world’s filmgoers to watch the locally banned original version of Kim Ki-duk’s controversial work, “Moebius.” “I am going to send the edited version of the movie to all of the international film festivals except the ongoing Venice Festival, and I think that’s the right decision to make,” the director said during a press meeting in Seoul on Friday, before leaving for Venice to attend the film’s world premi

Film Sept. 1, 2013

The 2010 French film “Crime d’Amour (Love Crime)” opened to unspectacular reviews and indifferent box office in France and then the United States. But something about it intrigued legendary American filmmaker Brian De Palma. And when a producer pitched the idea of an English-language remake to him, the director of “Scarface,” “Dressed to Kill,” “The Untouchables” and the first “Mission: Impossible” could see places where this story of two women’s cutthroat (literally) rivalry in the workplace mi

Film Aug. 30, 2013

Many local moviegoers liked her previous movies, especially “Lost in Translation” (2003) and “Marie Antoinette” (2006).Sofia Coppola’s latest film is arriving in Korean theaters next month, and the movie ― titled “The Bling Ring” ― will likely draw those who love designer labels, interested in the lifestyle of Hollywood celebrities, and of course, Coppola and her well-known taste in fashion. (The filmmaker is the famous muse of Marc Jacobs). And the high-fashion heist film has another local conn

Film Aug. 30, 2013

Domestic films are set to break the 100-million mark in attendance since January this year by next month, according to the state-run Korean Film Council. Local films exceeded the 100 million-viewer mark for the first time in November 2012. The milestone meant Koreans saw at least two local films on average last year. A new box office record is about to be set, beating last year’s performance by almost three months.In the month of August alone ― from Aug. 1 to 25 ― Korean films drew 24.36 million

Film Aug. 29, 2013

One of the most highly anticipated musicals this year finally opened last week, filling the Charlotte Theater in Seoul with lines like “porn!” and “it sucks to be me!” ― received with a great deal of laughter and applause from the audience.The R-rated American adult puppet musical, titled “Avenue Q,” is a hilarious, lighthearted coming-of-age tale highlighting the anxieties and struggles associated with entering adulthood. It premiered on Broadway in 2003 and picked up three Tony awards, includi

Performance Aug. 29, 2013

While literary works by Korean writers such as Shin Kyung-sook and Kim Young-ha are rising to prominence overseas, especially in the U.S., a scholar’s latest book focuses on something similar yet different: the works of literature produced by Korean immigrants in America and their descendants. A meaningful scholarly achievement in Korean Diaspora studies, the book explores the lives of Korean-American writers and their often multi-layered and autobiographical works.  The book, titled “Understand

Books Aug. 29, 2013

One of the most infamous American love stories is arriving in Seoul in the form of a musical next month, featuring an all-Korean cast including local stars Han Ji-sang and Lisa.Based on the famous story of Bonnie Parker (1910-1934) and Clyde Barrow (1909-1934), the well-known American robbers who traveled across the central U.S. during the Great Depression, “Bonnie & Clyde” had its Broadway premiere in 2011 and won two Tony Award nominations in 2012. The upcoming Seoul run is the Korean premiere

Performance Aug. 28, 2013