SICAF 2012 to feature 300 animated  films, diverse cartoon exhibitionsSome 300 animated films, diverse cartoon exhibitions and business workshops for anime-artists are to take place in Korea’s capital this month, offering entertainment for viewers and market opportunities for artists.The annual Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF) opens on July 18 in several locations in Seoul, the festival’s organizing committee announced last week. The festival this year is divided into t

Film July 4, 2012

UBC’s principal dancer Ahn Ji-eun to star in Kenneth MacMillan’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’She’s done “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Nutcracker.”But many local ballet fans will remember ballerina Ahn Ji-eun as Shim Chung, the girl who pays off her blind father’s debts by selling herself to sailors and later plunges into the sea.The Korean folktale ballet, which is also the signature repertoire of Korea’s Universal Ballet Company, also remains the 36-year-old dancer’s favorite for its rich theatrica

Performance July 3, 2012

Filmmaker and theater director recounts making of his 1995 noir play ‘Heotang’For those familiar with filmmaker and theater director Jang Jin and his sense of humor, his 1995 play “Heotang,” currently on its third run in Seoul, could come as a surprise.The show, which Jang wrote at the age of 21 while serving his military duty, is anything but a comedy: filled with violence and surveillance, the disturbing play evokes the horrors of materialistic modern life. “I wrote the play more than 20 years

Performance July 1, 2012

How do you look refined and fresh under the scorching heat? Check out the latest summer make-up trends forecast by the experts. According to Byeon Myeong-suk, principal makeup artist at MAC Cosmetics Korea, the key is to look healthy and sophisticated at the same time.“The trend is to have pops of neon color and a metallic touch on fresh, healthy-looking skin,” said Byeon.One of the two sample looks given by MAC Cosmetics Korea consists of applying neon baby blue eye shadow, black eyeliner and n

Arts & Design June 29, 2012

Cosmetic brands offer hands-on beauty classesIt’s a quiet Sunday morning in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, and most of the high-end shops in the area are closed. But about eight women show up exactly at 10 a.m., at the MAC Cosmetics’ Apgujeong-dong store. All of them are wearing no make-up, not even a dab of mascara, and are dressed casually in T-shirts or summer dresses.  They are here to attend their weekly make-up class offered by MAC Cosmetics. One of them is Kang Mi-jung, 42, who last year

Arts & Design June 29, 2012

The Amazing Spider-Man (U.S.)Opened June 28Action. Thriller. Directed by Marc Webb. Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) lives with his uncle and aunt after his parents disappeared when he was little. One day, Peter discovers a mysterious suitcase his father used to carry. He decides to find the secret behind his parents’ disappearance. Peter encounters his father’s former partner Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) and acquires special powers by accident. With Peter’s help, Dr. Connors completes his resear

Film June 29, 2012

“People Like Us” is a well-acted weeper that walks an unsteady line between the emotional and the darkly comical.It’s about a guy who realizes he has a half sister, and who injects himself into her life without explaining who he is. He befriends her kid, encourages her through substance abuse recovery and sets up to help her financially.Since he’s the handsome and charming Chris Pine and she’s the fetching and approachable Elizabeth Banks, somebody is sure to get the wrong idea. Which is the “da

Film June 29, 2012

Not every home in Douglas Frey’s book, “Marietta, the Gem City of Georgia,” is a splendor of architecture that immediately stirs images of its period the way antebellum evokes the Civil War and Victorian conjures street cars and suffragettes.Some homes are just working stiffs. And that’s the way it should be, said Frey, 46, who became an accidental historian and author after he and wife Rachel Bowen bought a rundown, 111-year-old Queen Anne on Trammell Street in Marietta in 1998 and he started r

Books June 29, 2012

Newly named UNICEF Korea’s goodwill ambassador, best-selling writer ‘grateful’ for her new missionAfter the sensational success of her novel “Please Look after Mom” overseas, author Shin Kyung-sook is taking on a new role as an ambassador for children.“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve for children in need,” the author said after being appointed as the new goodwill ambassador of UNICEF Korea on Wednesday.Shin is the second writer to serve in the position, after late author Park Wan-suh

Books June 28, 2012

Remains of agricultural tools used in the Neolithic period as well as a farming site, which are presumed to be East Asia’s oldest, have been found in Goseong, Gangwon Province, according to the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.According to the institute, the discovery of the archaeological traces, which mostly consist of pieces of earthenware, proves people living on the Korean Peninsula started cultivating crops during the Neolithic period. Along with the stoneware pieces, the i

Culture June 26, 2012

Filmmaker and theater director Jang Jin brings back his 1995 work ‘Heotang'Imagine living the life of a prisoner in this unusual jail cell.You have no idea why you are here. No one tells you when you’ll be released, and everything you do is observed by five surveillance cameras that are placed around your ceiling. But other than that, life is pretty comfortable. It’s almost as if living in a five-star hotel. You get high quality cuisine for all your meals, listen to Karajan, and sip on expensive

Performance June 26, 2012

Archeologist Im Hyo-jai speaks on his findings of Buyeo artifactsMost Koreans think of the wall paintings of Goguryeo tombs and the splendid gold crowns worn by the Silla royals when asked to name some of the most famous relics of Korea’s ancient three kingdoms period (B.C. 37 ― A.D. 668)Unlike the ones of Goguryeo (B.C. 37 ― A.D. 668) and Silla (B.C. 57 ― A.D. 935), relics of Baekje (B.C. 18 ― A.D. 660) are generally unknown to the public. For many, it’s hard to think of the iconic artifact of

Performance June 25, 2012

 Dennis Maloney of White Pine Press speaks on Korean literature, advises on ways to promote it betterIt’s been 19 years since American publisher White Pine Press released its first book of Korean literature, “The Snowy Road and Other Stories,” in 1993. After publishing 16 books of Korean lit, mostly collections of poems, White Pine Press’ founding editor and poet Dennis Maloney says he is now interested in writers and translators from Korea’s younger generation.“We have done several books of Kor

Books June 24, 2012

I AM (Korea)Opened June 21Documentary. Directed by Choi Jin-seong. K-pop and talent agency S.M. Entertainment has created a documentary film to once again glorify their New York concert at Madison Square Garden. The movie is a cinematically edited version of SM’s 16 years of archived video footage -- from its 32 idols’ younger days as aspiring stars and SM-trainees to the day of the Madison Garden triumph last year. Featured stars include the legendary boy band H.O.T member Kang Ta, pop singer B

Film June 22, 2012

Hollywood has a long, rich tradition of historical abominations, but never has there been a history done more abominably than “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”If only they’d made this insane conceit more fun. If only they’d taken it all a bit less seriously. But this film, adapted by the same fellow who wrote the inexplicably popular novel of the same title, isn’t even bad enough to be camp.Seth Grahame-Smith’s silly script re-imagines the Rail Splitter as a vampire vanquisher, a man seeking ve

Film June 22, 2012