Director Lee Byeong-heon says ‘Dream’ brings both social message and joy

Director Lee Byeong-heon behind 2019 hit comedy “Extreme Job” has returned with “Dream,” a sports comedy, which is being released eight years after the film was initially set up. The film tells the story of a Yoon Hong-dae (Park Seo-joon), a professional football player-turned-coach who is put on disciplinary probation after becoming involved in an unexpected incident and tasked with coaching the South Korean national soccer team for the Homeless World Cup. “There w

March 30, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Rebound’: a basketball film about overcoming setbacks

“Rebound” doesn’t just tell the real-life story of an underdog basketball team making it all the way to the championships – the film itself overcame real setbacks to make it into local theaters. The film, director Jang Hang-jun’s first project in 6 years, will finally open in local theaters after 11 years of setbacks. The film tells the moving story of passionate youths based on a real-life 2012 national high school basketball championship through tense, dynamic sce

March 29, 2023

Netflix film starring Yoo Ah-in put on hold

Netflix will put on hold the release of an original film featuring Yoo Ah-in, after the 36-year-old actor was questioned by police over allegations that he habitually used illicit drugs. Netflix was slated to release director Kim Hyoung-joo’s “The Match,” which stars Lee Byung-hun and Yoo Ah-in, in the first half of this year. All decisions regarding the film, including the release date, will be “temporarily put off,” a Netflix official was quoted as saying to loc

March 28, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Woong Nam” (South Korea) Comedy Opened March 22 Directed by Park Sung-kwang Inspired by the Dangun myth, in which a bear turns into a human after 100 days of eating garlic and mugwort, “Woong Nam” tells a story of bear-turned-superhuman brothers Woong-nam and Woong-bok. Actor Park Sung-woong plays the dual role to depict police officer Woong-nam and criminal gang leader Woong-bok. The film was written and directed by comedian Park Sung-kwang. “Soulmate” (

March 24, 2023

Do or die: Actor Jeon Do-yeon’s approach to ‘Kill Boksoon’ action scenes

Cannes-winning actor Jeon Do-yeon said she practiced a “do or die” mindset for her role as a top assassin in her first-ever action film, “Kill Boksoon.” “I was particularly careful about doing action scenes and practiced a lot because I had to (work with) fellow actors, not stuntpeople. I worried about getting too emotional and overdoing the action scenes,” she told reporters during a press conference held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas on Tuesday.

March 21, 2023

Hong Sang-soo’s ‘In Water’ confirms April release

Filmmaker Hong Sang-soo’s 29th project, “In Water,” will hit local theaters on April 12. “In Water” follows Seong-mo (Shin Seok-ho), an aspiring film director who has recently given up acting and decides to self-fund his own project. He and two friends go to an island to shoot the movie together, but struggling with what to make, as Seong-mo wanders around the rocky shores to find inspiration. There, he encounters a young woman picking up trash. The 62-year-old aute

March 20, 2023

Park Seo-joon returns to big screen as soccer coach

Actor Park Seo-joon is returning to the big screen for the first time in four years with director Lee Byeong-heon’s sports comedy film “Dream.” The 34-year-old’s most recent project on the screen was the multiple Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019). In still photos released by distributor Plus M Entertainment on Monday, Park is seen talking with actor Lee Ji-eun, who appears as documentary film producer Lee So-min. Lee is better known as IU, the name she uses for

March 20, 2023

Japanese animations rank high at S. Korean box office

Three Japanese animations were among the top five films on the weekend box-office chart in South Korea, industry data showed Monday, proving their unwavering popularity among local audiences. The Japanese animation "Suzume" posted 712,473 admissions from Friday to Sunday to top the box office for the second consecutive week, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council. Director Makoto Shinkai's latest film, which is centered on a high school girl and a mysterious you

March 20, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Suzume” (Japan) Opened March 8 Adventure/Animation Directed by Makoto Shinkai “Suzume” revolves around a 17-year-old girl’s quest to stop an apocalypse triggered by the opening of magical doors all over Japan. The film is Shinkai’s third film in the series after “Your Name” (2017) and “Weathering with You” (2019), which both center around natural catastrophes like earthquakes and climate-related disasters. “Soulmate” (S

March 18, 2023

Jeonju International Film Festival establishes donation committee

Jeonju International Film Festival has established a donation committee to spread the culture of donation and social contribution, while part of the proceeds will be delivered to a nongovernmental organization. Under the slogan of “glorious value,” which also reads “cinematic value” in Korean, the donation committee is JIFF’s first-ever move to support those in need, since the festival’s establishment in 2000. JIFF said it will receive applications for donat

March 17, 2023

Lee Sun-kyun takes on unprecedented comic role in ‘Killing Romance’

Hit TV drama star Lee Sun-Kyun from “Pasta” (2010) and “My Mister” (2018) is trying his hand at an unprecedented comical role in upcoming romance thriller “Killing Romance,” directed by Lee Won-suk and written by “The Beauty Inside” writer Park Jeong-ye. “Killing Romance,” also starring actors Lee Ha-nee and Gong Myung, revolves around a former actor Hwang Yeo-rae, who is known for her terrible acting skills and eventually leave the ind

March 17, 2023

‘Rebound’ re-creates underdogs’ valiant fight against champions

Director Jang Hang-jun of upcoming sports comedy film “Rebound” said he prioritized matching the actors to their real-life characters as a basketball coach and high school players. The film, based on the true story of a basketball team at Busan Jungang High School in 2012, follows basketball coach Kang Yang-hyun as he tries to bring together a team of underdog players. “To create a realistic mood in the film and stay similar to this true event, we shot the film at the actual co

March 14, 2023

Korean Cultural Center Washington to hold exhibition on animation, literature

The Korean Cultural Center in Washington said Monday that it is holding an exhibition on South Korean animation and literature from March 24 to Dec. 29. The Culture Ministry-run institution said the exhibition aims to offer opportunities for visitors to take an in-depth look into South Korean animation content based on well-known literary works, as well as increase their understanding in Korean culture. Titled “K-Animation With Literature,” the exhibition is co-hosted with animat

March 13, 2023

Japanese animation 'The First Slam Dunk' tops 4 mln admissions in S. Korea

The Japanese animated film "The First Slam Dunk" has drawn over 4 million moviegoers in South Korea, data showed Monday. The film adaptation of the popular Japanese basketball comic book series "Slam Dunk" topped 4 million admissions Sunday, 67 days after it hit local theaters on Jan. 4, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It was another record for the film, which became the most-viewed animated Japanese film released in the nation by garnering an accumulated

March 13, 2023

‘Black Rubber Shoes’ creator, cartoonist Lee Woo-young dies

Cartoon artist Lee Woo-young, one of the creators behind the original hit comic book and animated series, “Black Rubber Shoes,” in the 1990s and the 2000s, was found dead at his home in Incheon, according to police Sunday. Lee was discovered by his family member at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, in what was an apparent suicide. Lee’s family said that he was going through a rough time due to recent lawsuits regarding copyright issues. An autopsy will not be conducted at the request

March 12, 2023

Three Korean films confirm April release, gear up to top local box office

Three South Korean films will be released in April with the support of local multiplex theaters in an attempt to top local box offices currently dominated by foreign films such as Japanese animated films “Suzume” and “The First Slam Dunk.” According to local multiplex theaters CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, films “Rebound,” “Killing Romance” and “Dream” will open in April, along with sponsorships by multiplex theaters to revitalize loca

March 12, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Devil’s Deal” (South Korea) Opened March 1 Drama/Thriller Directed by Lee Won-tae “The Devil’s Deal,” set in Busan in 1992, centers on both the confrontations and collaborations among an ever-unsuccessful politician, Hae-yong (Cho Jin-woong), a political heavyweight Soon-tae (Lee Sung-min), and a gang boss Pil-do (Kim Moo-yeol), together with their instinctive desire and betrayal revolving around power and money. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

March 10, 2023

Kwak Si-yang, Jo Yoon-seo to star in occult horror film

Actors Kwak Si-yang and Jo Yoon-seo will star in the occult horror film, “Three Evil Island” (working title), directed by Chae Ki-jun, according to film distributor The Content On. “Lovers of the Red Sky” (2021) star Kwak will play Japanese journalist Matsuda Ryuhei, who accompanies Chae So-yeon (Jo Yoon-seo), a TV producer who specializes in investigating pseudo-religions. “Three Evil Islands” (working title) tells the story of the investigative reporting tea

March 9, 2023

‘Suzume’ director says he was inspired by 2016 drama ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’

Japanese director Makoto Shinkai of the latest adventure animation film “Suzume,” which references the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that took nearly 20,000 lives and left much devastation, said the key motif of a magical door that a protagonist tries to close to stop the disaster was inspired by the 2016 hit South Korean drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” “When I watched ‘Guardian,’ it was impressive that the characters use a concept of door to move a

March 8, 2023

Son Suk-ku to star as journalist in upcoming film

Actor Son Suk-ku from “My Liberation Notes” (2022) and “Big Bet” (2022) will star as a journalist in an upcoming crime action flick, tentatively named “The Comments Army.” A film adaption of Chang Kang-myoung’s award-winning novel of the same title, “The Comments Army” will be directed by Ahn Gooc-jin. Shooting officially began Monday, according to Acemaker Movieworks, the film's distributor. The film centers around Son’s character

March 7, 2023