“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story “ seemed suspicious on paper, like any film saddled with the dreaded “spinoff” label. For a while all the odds looked stacked against it too -- reshoots, script changes and a director in Gareth Edwards whose last blockbuster “Godzilla” had visual flair but no humanity, not to mention the fact that the film would be asking us to learn a dozen new characters with strange names, none of which were Skywalker or Solo. And of course as with any franchise there’s that ever

Film Dec. 17, 2016

Will You Be There(Korea)Opened Dec. 14Drama. Directed by Hong Ji-youngScrupulous pediatric surgeon Han Soo-hyun (Kim Yoon-seok) is transported back in time to meet his 20-something self (Byun Yo-han) when he swallows a mysterious vial of gold pills he received as a gift for curing a child in a remote African village. He tries to guide his younger self not to make the same mistakes and change the course of his and his loved ones’ livesPandora(Korea)Opened Dec. 7Drama, thriller. Directed by Park J

Film Dec. 17, 2016

Mystic Entertainment announced the details of Korean pop diva Uhm Jung-hwa’s new album, “The Cloud Dream of the Nine,” on Friday. The songstress is returning to the stage for the first time since her 2008 digital single “D.I.S.C.O Part 2.” The album’s promotion will kick off with four promotional images, two preview videos and five series of interviews with Uhm’s acquaintances, including actor Jung Woo-sung. The album’s nine tracks will each tell the story of a dream. Four songs will be released

Performance Dec. 17, 2016

What happens when two strangers find themselves stranded in a spaceship headed for another planet? They fall in love. At least that is what happens in romantic sci-fi flick “Passengers,” which comes to theaters in Korea on Jan. 5.“I thought the script was very original, the concept and the idea, so grand in scale,” said Chris Pratt during a press conference held Friday in western Seoul. “But I don’t know what I would do in that situation,” he said. “Life is meaningless if you can’t share it with

Film Dec. 16, 2016

When reality TV show “We Got Married” first aired in 2008, many viewers enjoyed watching celebrity couples engage in a blissful, albeit simulated, marriage onscreen. Others, however, questioned the show’s authenticity, wondering if it was scripted.Producers Huh Hahng and Kim Sun-young responded -- as they have to such skepticism over the years -- that there is “absolutely no script that is delivered to the cast,” at a media interview Wednesday at the MBC headquarters in Seoul. The show is in its

Television Dec. 15, 2016

In upcoming political thriller “The King,” Zo In-sung returns to the big screen as ambitious prosecutor Tae-soo, who yearns to wield absolute power.To rise to the top, Tae-soo teams up with Han Kang-sik, played by Jung Woo-sung, a kingmaker who is the real decision-maker behind the country’s politics. “I thought it was very brave,” said Jung at a Thursday press conference in southern Seoul, regarding the film’s resemblance to Korea’s current scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her in

Film Dec. 15, 2016

Lee Byung-hun may portray a boxer for his next role, attempting another radical transformation in his prolific acting career. Though he has yet to officially sign on, Lee is working out the specifics to star in Choi Sung-hyun’s “Only That is My World” (unofficial title) for his next project, a local entertainment outlet reported Wednesday.Lee will be playing bygone boxer Jo-ha whose younger brother Jin-tae is a piano virtuoso. The film will tell a story of reconciliation between the brothers and

Film Dec. 14, 2016

TV drama “Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim” is leading ratings by an overwhelming gap, scoring 23.8 percent of viewership for its Tuesday episode, according to Nielsen Korea.The show is set in a rural hospital and features quirky genius doctor Kim, played by Han Suk-kyu, accompanied by young, passionate doctors Kang Dong-joo, played by Yoo Yeon-seok, and Yoon Seo-jung, played by Seo Hyun-jin.A scene from “Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim” (SBS)The SBS show’s ratings surpass those of dramas airing in the

Television Dec. 14, 2016

After almost two decades of strict censorship under the authoritarian Park Chung-hee regime, Korean cinema began producing heavily political movies following the country’s democratization in the 1980s. While some saw film as a device of pure artistic expression, a large chunk of filmmakers viewed the medium as “the most powerful political and social weapon,” according to “Korean Cinema after Liberation,” a study by Hallym University’s professor Park Seung-hyun.　Countless films have since satiriz

Film Dec. 13, 2016

Hong Seung-pyo, CEO of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, has high hopes of revamping the bleak demilitarized zone into a tourism destination. This year, Hong established an ecological tourism zone and held concerts, exhibitions and educational programs by the inter-Korean border. One of the province’s tourism success stories is at Camp Greaves, the US Army base set up at the DMZ following the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953 and closed down in 1997. It was reopened for tourists in 2013, and w

People Dec. 12, 2016

Various artists“The Hamilton Mixtape”(Atlantic)Long before President-elect Donald Trump took on the cultural juggernaut that is “Hamilton” and made it front-page news, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda had been looking for a way to expand the musical’s influence beyond Broadway.With “The Hamilton Mixtape” (Atlantic), which Miranda says is the first of at least two, he and a star-studded cast of collaborators ranging from The Roots to Sia and Miguel employ a variety of strategies to bring the show’s mus

Performance Dec. 9, 2016

Pandora(Korea)Opened Dec. 7Drama, thriller. Directed by Park Jung-wooA 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits the western coastal town of Wolchon-ri in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant. The earthquake causes fissures in the plant’s pipes, exposing the surrounding areas to radiation. The government and the president (Kim Myoung-min) fumble with the crisis, while the lives of the plant’s workers are in great danger.La La Land(US)Opened Dec. 7Drama, musical. Directed by Damien ChazelleMia (Emma Stone)

Film Dec. 9, 2016

In relationships, and in music, it’s all about the timing. So Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” is the perfect marriage of style and story -- a good old fashioned musical about the ups and downs of one love story that struggles to stay in tempo. It’s also a sealed-with-a-kiss love letter to the city where it’s set, and the unabashed dreamers who inhabit the environs of Los Angeles.Written and directed by “Whiplash” wunderkind filmmaker Chazelle, “La La Land” is a meticulously crafted and choreograp

Film Dec. 9, 2016

Herald Design, a subsidiary of The Korea Herald’s publisher Herald Corp., is holding an online Christmas market until Dec. 18. In collaboration with a number of craft brands, the online market is offering an eclectic collection of items perfect for gifting to family, friends and acquaintances. There’s an array of items available for the holiday season, from soy candles, mobile phone cases, planners and stickers to interior ornaments, pajamas and more, all handmade by artisanal designers.  Many o

Arts & Design Dec. 8, 2016

The latest eating-related trends in Korea highlight the value of “alone” time. More people are now dining out or drinking solo than ever before and “meokbang” videos -- watching others eat -- continue to attract a huge audience. In the drama series “Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories,” however, a motley crew of night owls -- on-duty policemen, transvestites, bar waitresses, businessmen working overtime -- flock to a tiny restaurant that only opens after dark, to eat together. Located in a hidden corn

Television Dec. 7, 2016