According to Tom Cruise, he’s the “first person to be on set and the last to leave” when making a film. Even with more than 30 years in the acting business, his love for films and “passion for storytelling” hasn’t subsided, the US actor told reporters Monday.Cruise was in Seoul to promote “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.” He met the Korean press at The Ritz-Carlton Seoul, alongside director Edward Zwick, who helmed the mystery-crime thriller, set for local release on Nov. 24. The film stars Cruise

Film Nov. 7, 2016

Experts from around the world have gathered in Seoul to share insights on how technology, design and solid business management come together to define a product or service’s identity at Asia’s largest conference specializing in design.Herald Design Forum, an annual event organized by Herald Corp., the publisher of The Korea Herald, takes place Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul under the theme of “Design for convergence.” Participants will be able to gather inspiration from some of the world’s mos

Arts & Design Nov. 7, 2016

According to director Lee Min-yong, this was a watershed year for the North Korean Human Rights International Film Festival, with a record number of audiences and films offering diverse perspectives on the lives of both North Koreans and defectors. The sixth edition of the film festival, which took place at the Daehan Cinema in central Seoul from Oct. 21-23, was launched in 2011 to inform the world of the gross human rights violations occurring in the North.In the beginning, the films had a “cle

Film Nov. 4, 2016

The members of veteran K-pop group g.o.d will be gathering again to tour the country next January and February.The group will kick off the tour from Jan. 6-8 at Seoul’s Jamsil Arena and subsequently perform in Incheon, Daegu, Ilsan, Gwangju, Busan and other cities, concert planner SJ Entertainment announced Friday. K-pop band g.o.d (Sidus HQ)“Fans can look forward to the five members dressed up in elegant tuxedos,” the agency said. It added that g.o.d will be performing some of its biggest hit s

Performance Nov. 4, 2016

YG Entertainment on Thursday refuted rumors that the company and its singer Psy are connected to Choi Soon-sil, who is under investigation for meddling in various areas of President Park Geun-hye’s administration.“We are releasing this official statement due to rumors that have been generated relating to ‘Choi Soon-sil Gate’ and certain media outlets that are reporting the rumors as if they were true,” YG said in a statement.  Singer Psy (YouTube)The agency added, “Psy is not acquainted at all w

Performance Nov. 4, 2016

The makers of the latest comic book-inspired feature film “Doctor Strange” faced the same hurdle as those who put together “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Both come from the lesser known quadrant of the Marvel Comics galaxy.“Guardians” became a massive box office and fan hit with brilliant casting, a smart script and stunning visual effects. “Doctor Strange” uses the same formula — but kicks it up 100 degrees — to make “Doctor Strange” one of the best films in the Marvel Comics film library.For those

Film Nov. 4, 2016

Twenty Again(Korea)Opened Nov. 3Romance, Melodrama. Directed by Park Heung-sikTwo old lovers (Kim Seung-woo, Lee Tae-ran), now in their 40s, or “second 20s,” meet again for the first time since their heated romance that sizzled down years ago. The two remember how they fell in love at first sight, the passionate relationship, and the untimely separation that ensued. As fate takes them on a trip together to Italy, the two wonder, “Could we still be in love?”Hell or High Water(US)Opened Nov. 3Crim

Film Nov. 4, 2016

Returning with another EP just three months after its debut, YG Entertainment’s newest girl group Black Pink hopes to differentiate itself from other female K-pop performers through its dance skills. “We practiced on our performances a lot during our time off,” Jennie, 20, told reporters at a press interview Wednesday in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.The four-member group’s second album, “Square Two,” was released Tuesday with two new tracks, “Playing with Fire” and “Stay.” The album comes after the gro

Performance Nov. 3, 2016

According to Yancey Strickler, his company Kickstarter offers a kind of intimate patron-artist relationship in the digital age, on a global platform with no geographical limits.“A community of patrons supporting artists as they made their newest work -- this is the way authors like Alexander Pope and Mark Twain, and composers like Mozart and Beethoven brought their work to life,” the firm’s co-founder and CEO told The Korea Herald in an email interview last week. Strickler, who propelled Kicksta

Arts & Design Nov. 2, 2016

Director Um Tae-hwa’s “Vanishing Time: a Boy who Returned” offers a mix of genres unfamiliar to Korean cinema -- it is fairy tale-like in its plot, fantasy-esque in its computer graphics, but also firmly rooted in reality.　Um has always been interested in “the area where the real and surreal clash, or influence one another,” he told reporters after a press screening on Tuesday in Seoul. “I imagined what it would be like to live in a place where time stops. I imagined it would be a lonely existen

Film Nov. 2, 2016

Four design gurus will speak about expanding the horizons of design through collaboration at the Herald Design Premium Talk. At the exclusive event, set to take place at the Grand Hyatt Seoul Regency Room on Nov. 8 at 6 p.m., attendees will be able to gather inspiration from the experts’ experiences and network with one another. 　 The featured speakers for the first session are Alberto Alessi, the CEO of Italian houseware company Alessi, and Ko Tae-yong, a fashion designer and CEO of Beyond Clos

Arts & Design Nov. 1, 2016

When director David Kinsella first set foot in North Korea in 2014, what struck him most was not its expected desolation, the small army of government officials that met him at every turn, or how he was led to a hotel built exclusively for foreign visitors on an isolated island. Rather, it was how obsessed with its “image” the hermit nation seemed -- how it strived to stage everything to perfection for the Irishman. One of the first sites Kinsella was taken to was the giant mausoleum where the “

Film Nov. 1, 2016

The Culture Ministry on Saturday refuted allegations that Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye’s confidante accused of influence peddling, had masterminded some of the ministry’s major projects.In a press statement, the ministry denied knowledge of the documents reported to have been in Choi’s possession. It also rebuffed suggestions that Cha Eun-taek, an ad film director and close acquaintance of Choi, had led many of the ministry’s key initiatives.Last Thursday, local daily Chosun Ilbo and c

Culture Oct. 30, 2016

Leonard Cohen“You Want It Darker” (Columbia Records)Leonard Cohen’s late, late career resurgence reaches new heights on “You Want It Darker,” an elegant treatise with deep-felt layers of wisdom and a sense of finality. Produced mostly by son Adam, Cohen’s third studio album in five years puts his most effective musical forms through a filter of restraint. Nothing distracts from the 82-year-old’s haunting lyrics, and his vocals remain both otherworldly and down-to-earth.A physical, naked bass lin

Performance Oct. 28, 2016

Pop Music“2016 Shinwa Live -- Unchanging”: Shinhwa, a K-pop boy band that has been active since 1998, is holding a concert at the Korea International Exhibition & Convention Center in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 17 and 18 at 4 p.m. Prior to the show, Shinhwa will be releasing its 13th studio album “Unchanging” on Nov. 29. A track on the album titled “She Said” was released on Oct. 22. The six-member veteran boy band has a number of hits under its belt, including “This Love,” “Wild Eyes,” “

Performance Oct. 28, 2016