[LLG] Son's mission to preserve memories of 93-year-old mom earns him unexpected recognition

Last year, Kang Heon-koo, 63, undertook an intriguing personal project: reconstructing a map of his family's now-defunct old village using the memories of his 93-year-old mother. The goal of the map-making was twofold: to visually preserve his mother’s memories before they fade and to keep himself engaged in a productive pursuit during retirement. With his old Samsung Galaxy smartphone, he recorded the process of piecing together the lost landscape of a small village in Bucheon, Gye

Aug. 7, 2024

[Herald Review] ‘Revolver’ a slow-burning noir complete with icy protagonist, diverse characters

“Revolver” may give you a sense of an action-packed revenge noir, but the movie is about a former policewoman on the trail of vengeance. It’s a thriller -- or even a psychodrama -- revolving around a fearless woman obsessed with one goal: Getting her money back. Though ex-cop Ha Soo-young’s (Jeon Do-yeon) motive behind chasing after the some 700 million won ($509,447) she was promised in return for taking the rap and going to prison remains unclear to viewers, director Oh

Aug. 6, 2024

[Herald Interview] Jeon lauds color director brings to tale of broken promise

It was the fear of repeating her performance in “The Shameless (2015)” that led veteran star Jeon Do-yeon to think twice before teaming up again with director Oh Seung-uk for her latest noir “Revolver.” The actress had promised him to do the film, so she pressed on, constantly reminding herself of creative ways to play the new character who, Jeon says, is ironically identified by the notion of promise. “So I pushed hard against projecting emotions, being as understa

Aug. 6, 2024

‘Mission: Cross’ exudes simple, entertaining energy of detective wife and stay-at-home husband

Netflix's upcoming action comedy film “Mission: Cross” featuring a detective wife and stay-at-home husband with secret pasts, will exude entertaining energy, said the movie’s director and actors on Monday. Hwang Jung-min stars as Kang-moo, a stay-at-home husband who hides his past as a former agent, and Yeom Jung-ah plays veteran crime squad team member Mi-seon, who was once an Asian Game silver medalist in shooting. After learning about her husband’s past, Mi-seon g

Aug. 5, 2024

Jo Jung-suk’s gender-bending comedy ‘Pilot’ sells 1m tickets in 4 days

“Pilot,” a South Korean comedy flick about an unemployed former pilot disguising himself as a woman to get a new role, has attracted over 1 million moviegoers since the movie’s release on July 31. According to the Korean Film Council data, the movie has attracted an accumulated 1.33 million moviegoers in four days since its opening here. The movie attracted 441,537 moviegoers on Saturday alone, leading the local box office. A trusted name in comedy flicks, actor Jo Jung-suk sta

Aug. 4, 2024

Film inspired by 'spin kick' crime in Busan ready to film

A film is being produced based on a notorious 2022 case that took place in Busan, where an assailant viciously attacked a female stranger with the intent to rape her. To be titled "I Had No Reason But To Become Evil," the film has finished preproduction and is awaiting filming, according to a local media outlet. Jun Hyo-seong, who is also the leader of K-pop girl group Secret, has reportedly been tapped to play the main protagonist in the film. This will mark Jun's first lead role

Aug. 2, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Pilot” (South Korea) Opened July 31 Comedy Directed by Kim Han-gyeol Han Jung-woo (Jo Jung-suk) who, after getting fired from his job and divorced by his wife, is now searching for a new job. Out of desperation, he disguises himself as a woman to get a position at Han Air, a company seeking a female pilot. “Deadpool & Wolverine” (US) Opened July 24 Action/Comedy Directed by Shawn Levy A retired Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), who lives an ordinary life as a car dealer, s

Aug. 2, 2024

Why do sequels flop?

Korean series traditionally did not produce sequels, primarily due to Korea's production structure. Unlike other countries, a series' intellectual property rights are distributed among production staff in a complex manner, which makes creating sequels challenging. However, the landscape is changing. International streaming platforms, especially Netflix, have begun introducing seasonal formats for Korean series. Following this trend, local cable channels such as tvN have also started ad

Aug. 1, 2024

Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang gets spotlight at CGV Arthouse

CGV Arthouse is running a special exhibition and screenings highlighting Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang and his works from Aug. 7 to 20. CGV Arthouse theaters screen independent and art films as part of South Korean multiplex chain CGV. Celebrating the first-ever screening of his 1994 action comedy “A Confucian Confusion” in Korea, CGV Arthouse will also screen six other works by Yang -- “In Our Time” (1982), “That Day, on the Beach” (1983), “Taipei Sto

July 31, 2024

The next ‘Frozen’? Expectations for ‘Heartsping: Teenieping of Love’ soar with high reservation rate

The ticket reservation rate for “Heartsping: Teenieping of Love,” the film prequel to South Korean hit animation series “Catch! Teenieping,” has recorded 95 percent well before its opening at theaters on Aug. 7, according to ShowBox, the film’s distributor. The record is raising anticipation on whether the Korean animated film will become the next “Frozen,” a 2019 hit Disney animated film that saw the presales of tickets top 1.1 million -- the first anim

July 30, 2024

International EBS festival to feature selection of well-crafted documentaries

The 21st EBS International Documentary Festival, the country's oldest documentary festival, takes place Aug. 19 to Aug. 25, when it will introduce a slew of well-made documentaries from around the world. Featuring 53 documentaries from 32 countries, this year's festival is being held under its slogan: "Bridge the Times." The slogan embodies the hope that humanity can bridge diverse values and cultures to strive for coexistence, said Kim Dong-gwan, director of EIDF, at a press

July 30, 2024

Actor Son Suk-ku’s ‘Night Fishing’ wins award at Fantasia International Film Festival

South Korean actor Son Suk-ku’s 13-minute-long experimental film “Night Fishing” received the Best Editing Award at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival, which kicked off on July 18 and continues through Aug. 4 in Montreal, Canada. The “Night Fishing” story, which unfolds from the perspective of a car’s cameras, revolves around an anonymous agent (Son) on a mission to track down an unidentified creature flying in the sky. As the sun sets, he lies in a

July 29, 2024

[Herald Interview] Jo Jung-suk says his comical acting is instinctive, result of teamwork

Jo Jung-suk, whose scene-stealing acting entertains viewers on the silver screen, said his realistic, natural and even sly comical acting is based on instinct. In upcoming comedy film “Pilot,” he plays pilot Han Jung-woo, successfully performing the comical role of a man disguising himself as a woman in a way that is neither excessive nor dull. “It’s really important to get a sense (of comical acting.) It’s hard to explain. I think (my acting) is instinctive. &helli

July 29, 2024

[What to watch] 3 Korean box office flops with cult followings for unpredictable laughs

While it’s certainly harder to call Korea’s box office flops “great” movies to watch, some have gained cult followings similar to B-movies, due to being “so bad they’re good.” Korean movies in this vein don’t fall into a particular genre or follow a typical storyline. They are unpredictable and elicit uncontrollable laughs, rather than forced ones. How good these movies actually are is a tricky question to answer. But if you have any love for black

July 27, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Deadpool & Wolverine” (US) Opened July 24 Action/Comedy Directed by Shawn Levy A retired Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), who lives an ordinary life as a car dealer, seeks out Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) for a superhero team-up, as he tries to maintain the existence of all the people important to him. “Despicable Me 4” (US) Opened June 24 Animation Directed by Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage Gru and Gru Jr. face their peaceful life crashing down as criminal mastermind Maxime Le

July 26, 2024

[Herald Review] 'Deadpool and Wolverine' is salute to Marvel fans

Fueled by fans' excitement to see two beloved superheroes together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time, "Deadpool and Wolverine" is currently the talk of the town here. Despite its R-rated status, as of Wednesday, the film achieved a 46.5 percent pre-sale rate with more than 210,000 tickets sold in advance. The pre-sale rate is nearly three times higher than that of its competitors, such as "Pilot" (18.2 percent) and "Despicable Me 4" (10.2 pe

July 24, 2024

'I, the Executioner' invited to 49th TIFF

South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest action film, “I, the Executioner,” has been invited to the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, continuing its streak of acclaim after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May, CJ ENM announced Tuesday. “I, the Executioner" is a sequel to 2015 blockbuster “Veteran.” "Veteran," which attracted 13.4 million cinemagoers in Korea during its run, was showcased in the vanguard category at the 20

July 23, 2024

Lee Sun-kyun's posthumous film 'Land of Happiness' to serve as historical record

Lee Sun-kyun's posthumous "Land of Happiness" accurately recreates events that took place during pivotal moments in Korean history and serves as a historical record, according to the film's director on Monday. “Land of Happiness” is a historical drama that follows the story of In-hoo (Jo Jung-suk), a lawyer striving to defend Tae-joo (Lee), a soldier implicated in the assassination of President Park Chung-hee and put on trial. The assassination, which occurred on

July 22, 2024

'Minari' director's 'Twisters' sees biggest opening for natural disaster film in North America

"Twisters," the latest disaster film from multiple-award-winning "Minari" director Lee Isaac Chung, achieved the biggest opening for a natural disaster film in North America, according to an online box office analysis service, Monday. According to Box Office Mojo, a US online box office analysis service, "Twisters" amassed $80.5 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend in North America. In Box Office Mojo's terms, North America includes the gross box-

July 22, 2024

[Herald Review] Jo Jung-suk’s ‘Pilot’ sidesteps comedy cliches

A trusted name in comedy flicks, actor Jo Jung-suk's unique charm and friendliness maximize the characteristics of any role he takes up, as witnessed once again in upcoming comedy film "Pilot." A remake of the Swedish movie “Cockpit” (2012), “Pilot” revolves around the life of pilot Han Jung-woo (Jo) who, after getting fired from his job and divorced by his wife, is now searching for a new job. Out of desperation, he disguises himself as a woman to get a p

July 21, 2024