Guide to the 17th edition of one of the biggest film fests in AsiaMoviegoers and cineastes will head to Busan next week, as one of the biggest film festivals in Asia is kicking off its 17th edition in the southern port city. This year, the Busan International Film Festival features a total of 304 films from 75 countries, including a romantic comedy shot entirely in North Korea.Hong Kong’s police action film “Cold War” opens this year’s edition, while Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Farooki’s sati

Film Sept. 28, 2012

Telegraph AvenueBy Michael Chabon (Harper)One of the great boundary-defying outlaws of contemporary American fiction, Michael Chabon revels in high culture and low. He’s as likely to write about comic books (“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay”) as the mysteries and snares of the literary life (“Wonder Boys”). He has written a Harry-Potteresque novel for young readers (“Summerland”) and a grown-up detective tale (“The Yiddish Policemen’s Union”). Whatever the subject or genre, the languag

Books Sept. 27, 2012

David Byrne is, to use one of his favorite words, a context unto himself. Founding member of Talking Heads, he blew up the concept of that band at least three times before disbanding it in 1988 for good.By then, he was already a film director, artist and composer, working on projects such as Robert Wilson’s 1985 “The Knee Plays” and Twyla Tharp’s 1981 ballet “The Catherine Wheel.”In the years since, he has created his own world music record label, written movie soundtracks and published half a d

Books Sept. 27, 2012

Jo Sung-hee's upcoming film 'A Werewolf Boy' brings fantasy genre to local cinemaFor fans of Song Joong-ki, his upcoming film may come as a surprise. For local moviegoers, it will be a rare opportunity to see a one-of-a-kind film character never before shown in Korean cinema. Song, who is largely recognized for his pretty-boy looks, is returning as a beast, or a “wolf-boy” in director Jo Sung-hee’s upcoming fantasy romance “A Werewolf Boy.” The upcoming flick tells the story of a teenage girl Su

Film Sept. 27, 2012

Director Shin Jeong-won returns with comic-horror movie ‘Ghost Sweepers’One of the most anticipated local films this year was finally unveiled on Monday, mixing two seemingly irreconcilable genres for a unique fortuneteller tale featuring malicious ghosts and crime.“Ghost Sweepers” is director Shin Jeong-won’s ambitious project to create another film that belongs to his own, distinctive style, which he calls as the genre of “comic-horror.” The film, a fortuneteller tale taking place in Korea’s r

Film Sept. 25, 2012

Park Seo-won (left), CEO of Big Ant International, and Jungwook Hong, chairman of Herald Corporation, discuss the theme of “Sharing Wisdom: Classic, an Everlasting Source of Creativity” during the Herald Design Forum 2012 at COEX Auditorium in southern Seoul on Friday. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)Leading design figures talk about their career, inspirations and visionTwo leading design figures talked on Friday about their sources of inspiration during a special session at the Herald Design Fo

Performance Sept. 21, 2012

The first hour of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” contains some of the most rapturous filmmaking of the year.The time is post-World War II America. The streets gleam with hope and possibility. Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), an emotionally disturbed loner who already had trouble fitting in with his fellow sailors in the Navy, has landed a job as a portrait photographer at a swanky department store. The superb cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. (“Tetro,” “Youth Without Youth”) lights the se

Film Sept. 21, 2012

Many would think of the products of Japanese retail company such as its blank notepads and white tea cups, as simple and minimalistic.But the company’s art director Kenya Hara says the philosophy behind its products is “emptiness,” not “simplicity.” And it’s that “emptiness” that creates room for creativity and imagination, the designer said. “It’s very important to talk about the concept of emptiness when I talk about Muji products,” Hara said during his lecture at the Herald Design Forum in Se

Arts & Design Sept. 20, 2012

A four-member team won the top prize at Herald Corporation’s English-language presentation competition for college students on Thursday for their engaging presentation on urban slum transformation.“None of us have studied overseas to learn English,” said Jeong Jun-young, a member of the winning group.“We all learned the foreign language using local resources. So this prize means a lot to us.”The winning team, named “Shall We Design,” consists of students of different majors: French literature, l

Performance Sept. 20, 2012

French economist Guy Sorman, who also serves as a global advisor to the Lee Myung-bak administration, said Korea needs to promote its traditional culture as well as fine arts ― rather than K-pop and other forms of popular culture ― during a press conference promoting his latest book last week.“In Europe, people consider Korea’s idol groups as pop artists, not necessarily as Korean artists,” the scholar told reporters on Sept. 14 in Seoul. “I don’t think the current K-pop wave in Europe makes Eur

Books Sept. 20, 2012

Juong Young-sin’s photo essay captures Korea’s traditional markets over a quarter of a centuryPhotographer and author Juong Young-sin has been taking photographs of Korea’s regional traditional markets for 25 years.“I just wanted to meet people, and the local market is where you go when you want to do that,” she tells The Korea Herald. “Markets also tell you stories of the real people.”Though she has now published her collection of essays, Juong was only an aspiring writer in 1986. She was deep

Books Sept. 20, 2012

The Korean-language translation of French writer Marquis de Sade’s 1785 novel, “The 120 Days of Sodom,” has been officially banned in Korea, for its “extremely violent” and “disturbing” sexual content. It is the second time that the book, dealing with orgies and torture, has been banned by the government. The book was published here on Aug. 15 by local publishing house Dongsuh Press. Korea Publication Ethics Commission, a state review board, started investigating the book on Aug. 16, after a man

Books Sept. 20, 2012

A total of four teams were selected as finalists at the semifinal of Herald Corporation’s English-language presentation competition Wednesday.The design-themed contest welcomed a diverse array of opinions that delved into the broad spectrum of design-related topics ― including music, shoes, newspapers and even Korea’s traditional pottery. A total of 10 semifinalists competed in the hope of making it to the finals. “This is the second edition (of the event) and I see it is just getting better and

Performance Sept. 19, 2012

Ten semifinalists of Herald Corporation’s English-language design-themed presentation competition will show off their skills Wednesday in the hope of making the finals.Under the theme “Design Changes the World,” the competition welcomes a diverse array of ideas, as well as creative ways to delve into the broad spectrum of design-related topics ― including literature, philosophy, music, visual art, media, management and even IT. The presentation competition is a major side event of Herald Design

Culture Sept. 18, 2012

Irish actor says he likes ‘Oldboy’ and ‘The Chaser’ during his visit to KoreaActor Liam Neeson, famous for his role as the vengeful father in Luc Besson’s 2008 high-grossing film “Taken,” said the thriller has made him an “action figure” in Hollywood, during his first visit to Seoul on Monday. The Irish actor arrived in Korea on Saturday to promote the 2008 movie’s sequel, “Taken 2.”“I seem to be have been re-envisioned as an action figure ever since the first ‘Taken’ came out,” the actor told r

Film Sept. 17, 2012