The local box office in the upcoming summer peak season will highly likely be a four-way race among Korean blockbusters as theaters are gearing up for a continuous rush of filmgoers. The sci-fi action fantasy "Alienoid" will hit local theaters July 20, opening the largely all-Korean competition for the season. The new film by popular filmmaker Choi Dong-hoon, who has made many smash-hit films, ...

“I was not sure if I am qualified to be a director. I have been doing movies for a long time, but writing a script and directing was completely different. But I decided to muster up the courage and do it,” Lee said. Jung said he closely watched Lee work hard on the new movie as both an actor and the director and thought, “My friend is going to die on the set.” “He (Lee) was already tired after ...

Korean director July Jung’s second feature film, “Next Sohee” starring movie star Bae Doo-na, has been invited to the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival, which will be held from July 14 to Aug. 3 in Montreal. Jung’s feminist police thriller will get its North American premiere on Fantasia’s closing night. The Korean director is known for creating movies that realistically portray social ...

South Korea's box office reported 15 million admissions for June, marking the largest monthly tally for over two years, data showed Monday. A total of 15.5 million people went to theaters last month, up 6.3 percent from 14.6 million a month earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council. It is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the monthly audience numbers toppe...

“Broker,” the first Korean-language film project by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, on Sunday won the top award at the 39th Munich International Film Festival. According to the festival organizer, the ARRI award, established in 2008, is given to the filmmakers of the best international film in the CineMasters competition section. An independent three-member jury decides who shall receive the...

With three sequels -- “Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Roundup” and “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One” -- currently bringing back moviegoers to local theaters, the original movies that preceded these second installments are also grabbing viewers’ attention. Hollywood blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” which opened here June 22, has sold more than 3 million tickets locally in under two weeks, according to...

Decision to Leave (Korea) Opened June 29 Romance Directed by Park Chan-wook Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is a hardworking detective who carries everything he needs in a specially tailored suit with extra pockets. One day, he looks into a suspicious death that occurred on a mountain. Hae-jun comes to suspect the dead man’s wife, the mysterious Seo-rae (Tang Wei), is involved in the crime. As he inve...

“I am not talking about only film masters. For instance, I compare myself to composer Lee Bong-jo. I try hard to reach the artistic level of his works and the effort that he put into them,” he said. Lee is the composer of the old Korean song ”Mist,“ which was used as the theme song in “Decision to Leave.” Park’s new film is now in local theaters.

When asked if Park had referred to the fictional character of Swedish detective Martin Beck, the main character in Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo’s crime novels which inspired the director to create “Decision to Leave,” to prepare for the film, Park said he ordered them online but had not read them yet. The actor said it was because he was worried that it could negatively influence his performance. ...

“Alienoid” is the first of two parts that were filmed over the course of 13 months. “I wrote this script in two and a half years. During this process, I came up with lots of different ideas for it, and there are so many stories that did not make it. The final script was long, so I thought it would be much more dramatic if the story is divided in two.” Choi said. Although it took over a year to ...

Korean War and postwar situation have spawned films across genres but critics question whether this is sustainable long term

Lightyear (US) Opened June 15 Drama Directed by Angus MacLane While spending years attempting to return home, legendary Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg, who aims to steal his fuel source. To fight against Zurg, Buzz Lightyear embarks on an adventure alongside ambitious recruits Izzy, Mo, Darby and his robot companion Sox. The Witch: Part 2...

The PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival is to begin its six-day run on Thursday in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. It is the fourth iteration of the annual film festival since being founded in 2019, based on the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics’ primary aim of building world peace. “Olga,” by French director Elie Grappe, will open the film festival. The story revolves around a Ukrainia...

Co-star Park spoke about what it was like to work with such a renowned director for the first time. “When filming scenes that had to capture the subtle emotions of my character, the director was very supportive of my decisions. So I had fun performing. I also learned a lot from working with Tang Wei,” he said. After the screening at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, some suggested that the film ha...