Iconic French director Luc Besson’s recent film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” showcases his own brand of space adventure, but the epic sci-fi flick ultimately aims to deliver a message of diversity and humanity, the director says.“I’m sorry to be so naive and not cynical, but I think if we put money first and humans second, we are all going to go to war and die,” said the acclaimed filmmaker, best known here for “Leon: The Professional” (1994), “The Fifth Element” (1997) and “Tax

Film Aug. 23, 2017

Actor Lee Jong-suk has very pale skin. It’s so milky white that for his television drama roles, his makeup artist uses a darker foundation to give him more color, Lee says.　But in the new thriller “V.I.P,” which opens in local theaters Wednesday, director Park Hoon-jung decided that Lee’s pearly complexion would suit his role as the chilling North Korean serial killer Kim Kwang-il. “I was filming a Chinese drama when I came across the script for ‘V.I.P.’ I wanted the role so badly that I sought

Film Aug. 22, 2017

When Jang Dong-gun made his acting debut in 1992 on “Our Paradise,” a TV drama about campus romance, he caused a stir in the Korean entertainment industry. Every country has an iconic actor who represents the epitome of attractiveness in a certain period. In modern Korea, it seemed that position would be filled by Jang, whose chiseled looks have since become synonymous with handsomeness. Jang Dong-gun poses for a photo before an interview in Palpan-dong, Seoul, on Aug. 17. (Hohoho Beach)After 25

Film Aug. 21, 2017

The flagship store of makeup artist Jung Saem-mool’s cosmetics brand is like a sun-soaked garden of colors. Nestled in a corner of the trendy Garosu-gil in southeastern Seoul, the three-story building, opened in June, boasts white walls with multi-colored decorations. It’s like a palette, a playground where customers can fiddle with makeup to their hearts’ content, an employee there explains.　On the store’s second floor, a library space stacked with beauty books and surrounded by plants, sits ar

Culture Aug. 18, 2017

It started out with cabarets and discotheques in the 1980s, when Korea saw an unprecedented economic boom. Seoul’s nightlife has been growing and thriving ever since, giving birth to a myriad of clubs with different themes.(D.Bridge)Back then, nightclubs were places for people to dance and performers to put on shows. Cabarets were home to the middle-aged, usually featuring a live band and bluesy tunes. Dubbed “colatheques,” some venues would offer upbeat music and a lively social atmosphere with

Culture Aug. 18, 2017

The Mimic(Korea)Opened Aug. 17Mystery, thriller. Directed by Huh JungHee-yeon (Yeom Jung-ah) has left the city and moved to the mountainside, where she meets a mysterious young girl (Shin Rin-ah) ridden with fear and living in hiding in the forest. Hee-yeon‘s husband (Park Hyuk-kwon) grows suspicious of the stranger, who mimics the voice of their daughter. People in the town begin to disappear one by one following the girl’s appearance. War for the Planet of the Apes(US)Opened Aug. 15Science fic

Film Aug. 18, 2017

Director Park Hoon-jung rose to acclaim in Korea for depicting the dark, jaded world of men in his 2013 crime flick “New World.” The film’s production company, called Sanai Pictures (“sanai” literally meaning “men” in Korean) has gone on to produce a number of movies tracing the lives of angst-ridden men in the Korean justice system and criminal underworld. One such film is director Kim Sung-soo’s “The City Of Madness,” a bloodstained feature about a corrupt cop, a corrupt mayor, and a corrupt p

Film Aug. 17, 2017

Chinese shows are absent from the eclectic selection of global drama series that have been nominated for this year’s Seoul International Drama Awards.It is the first time that Chinese shows are not being considered for the awards since its inception in 2006.“Although cultural exchange with China has become more difficult, a record number of shows from around the globe have been submitted,” said Kim Hye-song, secretary-general of the awards organization, at a press conference in Seoul Thursday.“W

Television Aug. 17, 2017

On Sunday evening show “My Ugly Duckling,” Kim Gun-mo crouches down on his kitchen floor to make kimchi. His mother watches through a screen in a broadcasting studio. Like any parent, she is full of affectionate criticism for her son, chastising the veteran singer as if he were still a young boy. On SBS’ “Single Wife,” another reality program that kicked off this month, comedian Park Myung-soo’s wife Han Soo-min embarks on her first backpacking trip to Thailand. Enjoying an escape from her life

Television Aug. 16, 2017

The animation film “The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature,” which was financed by a Korean company, will be hitting local theaters on Oct. 3.The film was co-produced by Canada-based ToonBox Entertainment and Korean production company Redrover. It is currently screening at over 4,000 theaters in North America.The film is also set to screen in South America, the UK and Russia. Directed by Cal Brunker and written by Brunker, Bob Barlen and Scott Bindley, the film centers on the story of a squirrel named S

Film Aug. 16, 2017

K-pop megastar BTS once again proved its global popularity, snagging the international artist prize at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards held in the US.　The seven-member act was announced the winner of the Choice International Artist Award on Sunday, local time, at the ceremony which took place at Galen Center in Los Angeles. 　The category included four K-pop nominees, including EXO, Seventeen and Monsta X, and Mexican group CD9 and Latin pop group CNCO. 　BTS has become the second K-pop group to win t

Performance Aug. 15, 2017

With each passing year, Korean TV dramas are creating bigger ripples around the globe. In 2014, “My Love From the Star,” featuring Kim Soo-hyun as a charming extraterrestrial and Jun Ji-hyun as a loveable actress, caused a sensation throughout Asia. In 2016, military romance “Descendants of the Sun,” starring Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, swept fans in the region off their feet.Earlier this year, “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” propelled its lead Gong Yoo to global fame, despite a de fact

Television Aug. 14, 2017

Rookie boy band Wanna One once again demonstrated its status as the hottest new K-pop act in Korea with its appearance on the live variety show Saturday Night Live Korea. 　SNL Korea, in its ninth season and currently airing on tvN, scored its highest ratings of the season with Saturday’s episode, reaching 3.4 percent in viewership share.　The show kicked off with a performance of “Pick Me.” 　(tvN)(tvN)“There was intense competition to get seats for the live show,” said host Shin Dong-yup. “The nu

Performance Aug. 13, 2017

Kim Dae-hwan was named best new director for “The First Lap” at the 70th Locarno International Film Festival, which wrapped up Saturday.The film, one of this year’s Jeonju Cinema Projects, debuted at the Jeonju International Film Festival in May. 　Kim debuted with first feature film “End of Winter” in 2014, a quiet drama about a family snowed in in Cheorwon, which won the New Currents Award at the Busan International Film Festival. The director studied film and digital media design at Hongik Uni

Film Aug. 13, 2017

In the summertime, Korean tables are full of vegetable side dishes. Here’s a quick and easy summer side dish made with eggplants. Asian eggplants have tender skin and sweet flesh. Look for slender eggplants with a rich purple color and shiny skin, and without any soft or brown spots. To add a pop of green color to the dish, I used a couple of green chili peppers for this recipe. Garlic chives (buchu) works really well with this dish as well. Sometimes, I also add a handful of mushrooms (oyster,

Food Aug. 11, 2017