Four new blockbusters are set to hit local cinemas this summer, complete with large production budgets and star-studded lineups. Film distributors hope to attract large audiences in the aftermath of the pandemic, but moviegoers' expectations remain low. With the abundance of high quality content available on streaming platforms and soaring ticket prices, Korean audiences have shown a growing trend of consuming content at home, only venturing to cinemas if the ticket is truly worth the price

Film July 16, 2023

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (US) Opened July 12 Adventure/Action Directed by Christopher McQuarrie The seventh installment of this “Mission” series follows Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the Impossible Mission Force team as they try to prevent a new weapon falling into the wrong hands in order to save all of humanity. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (US) Opened June 21 Animation Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos The Multiverse opens

Film July 15, 2023

Director Kim Sang-cheol, an established filmmaker here focusing on Christian films, returns with new documentary film “The Father’s Heart,” which shows the journey of Hwang Tae-hwan, an influencer also known as Hajun Papa on YouTube and Instagram, through the Philippines, South Korea, Rwanda and the US. Hwang, whose followers on YouTube and Instagram surpass 500,000, lost his second son at just 6 months old in 2020. He died of sudden cardiac arrest. The film starts with Hwang v

Film July 15, 2023

Actor Kim Seo-hyung explores why bad things happen to nice people in the thriller "Greenhouse," in which she stars as the protagonist. The story of “Greenhouse” revolves around a nurse and caregiver, Moon-jung, who lives in a greenhouse. It delves into the character's downfall as she tries to cover up the accidental death of an old couple in her care. Kim said she cried after reading the movie's script for the first time. “I did not ask myself whether or not

Film July 12, 2023

Director Um Tae-hwa’s upcoming black comedy disaster thriller “Concrete Utopia” is expected to wow moviegoers with its grand-scale, realistic set designs. The film -- based on the second part of a webtoon about an earthquake and its aftermath, “Pleasant Neighbor” -- tells the story of apartment residents whose homes threaten their lives. Focusing on depicting the reality of an apartment complex in Seoul destroyed in a large earthquake, the production team spent five

Film July 11, 2023

After rookie actor Kang Tae-ju beat 1,980 candidates to land one of the main roles in the action noir flick "The Childe," all he could think about was being able to deliver a stellar performance for his first-ever film project. “It was important for me fulfill my duty. There were so many things that I had to complete in a short period of time, so there was no time to worry (about how to do well) but to focus on what was in front of me,” the 28-year-old actor told The Korea

Film July 11, 2023

Uchida Eiji, the Japanese filmmaker who helmed the award-winning “Midnight Swan” (2020), visited this year’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which kicked off June 29, with the crime black comedy flick, “Life of Mariko in Kabukicho.” The movie's plot follows Mariko, a private investigator who runs a small bar in Shinjuku’s red-light district. One day, she receives a request to find an alien living among the people in Kabukicho. With the help

Film July 8, 2023

Sangdo-dong, a neighborhood of Dongjak-gu in Seoul, is a mostly quiet residential area with a mix of apartment complexes, houses and schools. It is not known as a cool or Instagrammable area, that's for sure. Amid such an ordinary area, a three-story red brick building located just a five-minute walk from Sangdo Station on Subway Line No. 7, stands out. It’s Bugangtang, or "Bugang public bathhouse" in Korean, which transformed into a bakery cafe last year. “The buildin

Food July 8, 2023

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (US) Opened June 28 Adventure/Action Directed by Danial Rifky The legendary archaeologist Indiana Jones returns, and welcoming him back are his goddaughter Helena and Jurgen Voller, a former Nazi who now works for NASA. Jones heads for another adventure to retrieve a dial that can change history. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (US) Opened June 21 Animation Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos The Multiverse opens up in front of S

Film July 7, 2023

Set in 1996, director Lee Ji-eun’s feature debut film “The Hill of Secrets” follows 12-year-old Myung-eun’s growing pains through her relationships with her family, teacher and friends. Starring actors Moon Seung-a, Kang Gil-woo, Im Seon-woo and Jang Sun, the film vividly depicts the adolescent life of Myung-eun (Moon), who compares her ill-fated family to those of her friends and feels an attachment with her homeroom teacher Ae-ran (Im). She pours all her secrets into he

Film July 5, 2023

A decade after Taiwanese acting heartthrob Kai Ko, also known as Ko Chen-tung, attended Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival for the first time, he is returning this year not as an actor, but for his directorial debut. “I’ve been to various film festivals around the world but I really like Bifan’s vibrant and dynamic mood as well as its concertlike opening ceremony. As I have visited this time as a director, I feel like I’m showing my baby to the world,” Ko

Film July 4, 2023

Award-winning filmmaker Greta Gerwig, along with actor and producer Margot Robbie and actor America Ferrera of American film “Barbie” held a press conference in Seoul to promote their film, which will be released in Korea on July 19. Director Gerwig, who starred in “Frances Ha,” (2012) and won a Golden Globe as producer of her debut film, “Lady Bird,” (2017) returned as a screenwriter and the producer of “Barbie,” after Robbie suggested the two wor

Film July 3, 2023

South Korean crime action franchise “The Roundup: No Way Out” starring Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has attracted a record-setting 10.9 million moviegoers as of Saturday, according to the movie’s distributor ABO Entertainment. "The Roundup: No Way Out" is the 21st local film and the 30th film released in South Korea to reach the milestone. It is also the first film this year to set such a record. The film opened on May 31. This comes as a significant feat amid

Film July 2, 2023

Louis Max-Starkman, the sixth-generation chairman of Louis Pere & Fils to succeed the family's winery business, said he takes prides in Louis Pere & Fils’ unique method of wine production, which he described as a combination of tradition and modern transformation. Established in 1859 in Beaune, a small town in the center of the French winemaking Burgundy region, Louis Pere & Fils follows just one rule, according to Max-Starkman. “We have focused on producing high qua

Food July 1, 2023

The 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival that kicked off Thursday for an 11 day-run is holding a special exhibition on celebrated South Korean veteran actor Choi Min-sik called “I Saw Choi Min Sik” in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Choi said he is grateful but also feels embarrassed to be featured in the exhibition. “This special exhibition comes at a pivotal time for me, as I had wished to take time off after my latest work ‘Big Bet.’ Since I do not belo

Film June 30, 2023