Artist group Blast Theory has won the 2016 Nam June Paik Art Center Prize, the art institution announced Wednesday.The UK-based group, formed in 1991 by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, uses new forms of performance and technology that engage audiences both online and offline through digital broadcasts and live performances. 　The group is known for its experimental and interdisciplinary works such as “Operation Black Antler,” a 2016 live performance inviting audiences to participate

Culture Dec. 7, 2016

Going back in time and righting the wrongs in your life -- this fantasy becomes reality in the latest time-travel drama “Will You Be There?” the Korean film rendition of French novelist Guillaume Musso’s 2006 novel by the same title.Quietly stirring but dynamic in its plot, the film offers an emotional respite amid the political thrillers that crowded Korean cinema this year, according to lead actor Kim Yoon-seok. It also rubs shoulders with “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned,” another fairy ta

Film Dec. 6, 2016

History, lately run amok, is ordered with such tidy, forceful finesse by Natalie Portman’s Jacqueline Kennedy in the piercing “Jackie.” Summoning a journalist to Hyannis Port in 1963, not long after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, she coolly sets the record for her late husband’s legacy, coining “Camelot” and shaping the mythology. Some details that don’t fit the narrative she simply crosses out. “I don’t smoke,” she tells the Life magazine reporter (Billy Crudup), with a cigarette danglin

Film Dec. 2, 2016

Derailed(Korea)Opened Nov. 30Crime, action. Directed by Lee Seong-taeHyung-seok (Ma Dong-seok), the criminal owner of a karaoke bar, one day kidnaps the girlfriend of Jin-il (Choi Min-ho), the leader of a gang of teenage runaways. Pushed to the edge of society, the two men begin a desperate fight to preserve their lives and their loved ones in the bleak underworld of criminals. Missing(Korea)Opened Nov. 30Drama. Directed by Lee Eon-heeDivorcee single mother Ji-seon (Uhm Ji-won) struggles to make

Film Dec. 2, 2016

The music video for British rock band Coldplay’s track “Up & Up,” released last year from the album “A Head Full of Dreams,” has been described as “magical.”The video features a montage of moving images that transform the everyday into extraordinary scenes. Synchronized swimmers dance inside a teacup, while a green kitchen sponge becomes a football field for tiny players. Popcorn is popped from the crater of a volcano. The sky is the sea; the earth becomes a stage.Music video director Vania Heym

Culture Dec. 2, 2016

When the female divers of Jeju Island emerge from their minutes-long foray underwater, they let out a much-awaited sigh. Called “sumbi,” the exhalation releases carbon dioxide from the lungs with a sound that is similar to whistling. When the divers pop up in groups, a chorus of singsong breathing echoes through the coast.“Haenyeo,” or women divers who have been diving in the waters off Jeju for centuries to gather seafood, were inscribed onto the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Culture Dec. 1, 2016

Celebrities are voicing anger via social media over President Park Geun-hye’s Tuesday announcement, in which she said she would let the National Assembly decide the fate of her presidency.“I am so angry,” celebrity writer Heo Ji-woong posted to his Instagram account Tuesday with a photo of a television screen depicting Park’s address. “She is tossing the ball over to the National Assembly, which will obviously be unable to reach an answer at this point. I am so angry at the president and the spe

Culture Nov. 30, 2016

“Missing” is a rare film in several ways: Made by women about women, it ultimately unites the two main characters in a deep, scarred female kinship, blurring the line between protagonist and villain. Directed by Lee Eon-hee and starring two women -- Gong Hyo-jin and Uhm Ji-won -- as leads, the film tells the story of a struggling divorcee who discovers her infant daughter and Chinese nanny have gone missing.But it is not a traditional story about a mother who pines for her lost child, according

Film Nov. 29, 2016

The Ministry of Education on Monday unveiled a draft version of the controversial state-authored history textbooks, despite criticism over their political neutrality and nationwide protests against their initiator President Park Geun-hye. The ministry and National Institute of Korean History revealed three history textbooks for middle school and high school students, called the “Correct History Textbook,” which they said were designed to assert the country’s legitimacy and remove political bias.

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2016

Actor Lee Byung-hun nabbed the Blue Dragon Film Award for best actor for the first time in his 25-year career, and after seven previous nominations, for his role as a smooth-talking gangster in last November’s political thriller “Inside Men.” Actor Lee Byung-hun attends the Blue Dragon Film Awards on Friday evening at Kyung Hee University. (Yonhap)“When I saw the script for “Inside Men,” I wondered if it exaggerated reality,” Lee said in his acceptance speech Friday at the awards ceremony at Kyu

Film Nov. 26, 2016

Rumer“This Girl’s in Love: A Bacharach & David Song Book” (Rhino Records)Rumer sprinkles moon dust over a dozen tunes from the Bacharach/David catalog, putting her smooth imprint on songs of love and heartbreak. Rumer and husband/producer Rob Shirakbari opt mostly for subtle changes in tempo or mood on tunes best known in versions by the likes of Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters and Jackie DeShannon.The album comes with Burt Bacharach’s seal of approval, the master adding piano

Performance Nov. 25, 2016

My Annoying Brother(Korea)Opened Nov. 23Comedy, Drama. Directed by Kwon Soo-kyungNational judo athlete Ko Doo-young (Do Kyung-soo) loses his sight after an unfortunate accident and spends his days in deep depression. His con artist older brother (Jo Jung-suk) uses Doo-young’s health issues as an excuse to be granted early release from prison. The meek younger brother is stuck with his rowdy sibling as the two begin an unpredictable cohabitation. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(US)Opened

Film Nov. 25, 2016

Deeply nostalgic moviemaking is rendered with digital precision in Robert Zemeckis’ highly manicured World War II romance “Allied.”Zemeckis’ control of his camera is absolute, if self-consciously so. In “Allied,” with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, he has resurrected the espionage thriller in all its classical glamour with a knowingness that’s both impressively grand and stiffly hollow. The crisp period images of “Allied” never feel far removed from their storyboards. “Allied,” despite its high

Film Nov. 25, 2016

YouTubers, who gained recognition through self-created content shared online, are now jumping onto the small screen to star in scripted TV shows. Entertainment giant CJ E&M on Wednesday announced the launching of DIA TV, a television network that will exclusively star one-person content creators. The new TV channel’s content will be created through a collaboration between CJ E&M’s writers and the featured YouTubers, according to Yang Song-chul, an in-house producer at the company.“The YouTubers

Television Nov. 24, 2016

During its early years, singing audition program “Superstar K” gave birth to a host of pop stars such as Seo In-gook and Park Bo-ram, and the folk rock band Busker Busker, whose songs still top music charts annually.　Now about to wrap up its eighth season, however, the show seems to be flailing amid a sea of music variety shows boasting fresh new formats. Its most recent episode, which aired Thursday on tvN and Mnet, grabbed a meager viewership of 1.5 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. Chief p

Performance Nov. 22, 2016