[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Alien: Romulus” (US) Opened Aug. 14 Horror/Sci-fi Directed by Fede Alvarez Set in 2142, a group of young space colonizers go out for an adventure and land in a derelict space station, only to face the most terrifying life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a closed-down space. “Twisters” (US) Opened Aug. 14 Action/Adventure Directed by Lee Isaac Chung Retired tornado chaser and meteorologist Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is persuaded to return to Oklah

Aug. 30, 2024

29th BIFF selects 12 world premiere films of emerging directors

The 29th Busan International Film Festival announced Thursday 12 selections for the “Korean Cinema Today -- Vision” section, which premieres indie films of up-and-coming independent film directors in Korea. A world premiere in this section has been regarded as a stepping stone for garnering attention in the domestic and international film industries, as the films go through official release at cinemas here or receive invitations to prestigious international film festivals. The select

Aug. 29, 2024

[News Analysis] Are movie tickets in Korea too expensive?

Veteran actor Choi Min-sik’s remarks on an interview show recently have sparked debate about whether movie tickets at South Korean cinemas are indeed expensive. While his comment drew mixed reactions, the country’s largest multiplex cinema chain decided to halve its ticket prices for four days. “Movie theaters have raised (ticket) prices a lot. Please lower them a bit. If you suddenly raise them like that, I wouldn’t go anywhere either (even as an actor). Do you think peo

Aug. 27, 2024

20th JIMFF to kick off next week, features 98 music films

The 20th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival will kick off Sept. 5 for a six-day run, with a program combining contemporary music and cinema and live concerts. Under the slogan of “Superascendo,” which means “to transcend” in Latin, the festival will screen 98 movies from 37 countries and hold music concerts by 26 performers. The slogan represents JIMFF’s commitment to advancing into a new era, reflecting on its 20 years of history while looking forward

Aug. 26, 2024

The 29th BIFF to hold special program on late actor Lee Sun-kyun

The late actor Lee Sun-kyun will get special attention during the 29th Busan International Film Festival when it presents a special program entitled “In Memory of Lee Sun-kyun.” Six of Lee’s films will be screened and a special talk event will be held as part of the program that sheds light on Lee’s work. “Through the program, the festival aims to reflect on and commemorate the achievements of the late actor, whose diverse and profound performances have represented

Aug. 23, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Twisters” (US) Opened Aug. 14 Action/Adventure Directed by Lee Isaac Chung Retired tornado chaser and meteorologist Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is persuaded to return to Oklahoma to work with a new team and test a groundbreaking tornado tracking system. “Land of Happiness” (South Korea) Opened Aug. 14 Drama Directed by Choo Chang-min Passionate lawyer In-hoo (Jo Jung-suk) strives to defend his client Tae-joo (Lee Sun-kyun), a soldier implicated in the assassination of P

Aug. 23, 2024

BIFAN-winning director Francis Galluppi says ‘don’t go to film school’

“I would argue that this movie is not a Western,” Francis Galluppi, director of “The Last Stop in Yuma County,” said about his first feature film just hours before it won the audience award and top competitive Best of Bucheon title at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 12. The film takes place deep in the desert of 1980s Arizona at a diner next to the only gas station in a hundred miles. More than one mysterious stranger makes an entrance, denim and cow

Aug. 22, 2024

‘I, the Executioner’ exudes ‘new kind of energy’: director, actors

Ryoo Seung-wan, who directed the 2015 action blockbuster “Veteran,” is returning with sequel “I, the Executioner” this fall. The movie picks up the story of veteran detective Seo Do-chul (Hwang Jung-min) nine years after the first installment, as he is joined by rookie detective Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in), who is full of passion and a sense of justice. Do-chul and Sun-woo investigate a high-profile murder case of a professor which seems to be in line with the previous mur

Aug. 21, 2024

[Herald Review] Lee Isaac Chung serves up 90s rom-com, meteorological mayhem in ‘Twisters’

This summer Korean American movie director Lee Isaac Chung brings us “Twisters,” an entertaining disaster flick inspired by the 1996 summer blockbuster "Twister." Chung, the director of “Minari,” chose not to make “Twisters” a direct sequel, but its plot mirrors the original, incorporating an old-fashioned rom-com revolving around tornado chasers, and even Dorothy, a technology designed to study tornadoes. While paying homage to the original 1990s bl

Aug. 19, 2024

[New on the scene] ‘Mission: Cross’ director dreams of making unprecedented comedies

Director Lee Myung-hun, who made a directorial debut with the comedy action “Mission: Cross,” has a lot of love for comedy. “Comedy is definitely a difficult genre to make. When you don’t make it correctly or miscalculate the lines or scenes, the audience can easily turn away from the story. But that also makes comedy an attractive genre, because you get to see the feedback or reactions right away,” Lee told reporters during a group interview in Seoul, Aug. 12. &ldq

Aug. 18, 2024

‘Heartsping’ director confident that Teenieping movie appeals to all ages

“Heartsping: Teenieping of Love,” the first movie of the hit Korean animation series “Catch! Teenieping,” appeals not only to young viewers, but to those in their 50s and 60s as well, its director said. Kim Su-hoon, who doubles as the movie's director and the CEO of SAMG Entertainment and is responsible for the Teenieping worldview, said he differentiated the movie from the TV series by adding elements of a family movie. “From the beginning, I was sure that thi

Aug. 18, 2024

Kim Min-hee wins best performance at Locarno Film Festival

South Korean actor Kim Min-hee received the best performance award at the 77th Locarno International Film Festival for Hong Sang-soo’s 32nd film “By the Stream.” “By the Stream,” titled “Suyucheon” in Korean, is the story of Jeon-yim (played by Kim), a lecturer at a woman’s university who asks her uncle, a blacklisted actor-director, to direct a skit at the university. While Jeon-yim goes out every night to paint by the stream and get inspiration,

Aug. 18, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Heartsping : Teenieping of Love” (South Korea) Opened Aug. 7 Animation Directed by Kim Soo-hun Princess Romi of the Emotion Kingdom comes to Earth to catch cute and mischievous creatures Teeniepings and has a fateful encounter with Heartsping who becomes a soulmate. “Revolver” (South Korea) Opened Aug. 7 Crime Directed by Oh Seung-wook Former detective Soo-young (Jeon Do-yeon) is released from prison after being convicted of crimes she did not commit. With one goal in

Aug. 16, 2024

[History through films] Korea’s turbulent politics of 1970s depicted in ‘Kingmaker’

The 1970s is an important era in South Korea's contemporary history, a turbulent time that shaped the country's politics. Set in the 1960s and 1970s, director Byun Sung-hyun's “Kingmaker” follows a group of politicians who attempt to replace the dictatorship with a democracy. Kim Woon-beom (played by Sol Kyung-gu) is an opposition party politician who dreams of becoming a president, despite having failed in four consecutive parliamentary elections. He comes across natu

Aug. 14, 2024

Park Chan-wook’s next film stars Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin

South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook will begin shooting his new film “No Other Choice” starring Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin on Aug. 17, the film distributor CJ ENM said Monday. Based on the US novel titled “The Ax” by Donald E. Westlake, the movie revolves around Man-soo, an employee who is fired from his paper manufacturing company. Lee, who worked with Park on the 2000 mystery thriller “Joint Security Area” and the Korean section of 2004 horror trilogy &ldqu

Aug. 12, 2024

Disney unveils sequels for hit franchises

Disney unveiled an exciting slate of sequels for its popular franchises -- "Avatar," "Zootopia," "Moana," "Toy Story" and "Tron: Legacy” at the eighth D23, the official Disney fan club event held Friday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, where some 12,000 fans gathered for the biannual convention. Among the announcements, the third installment of the global blockbuster "Avatar" series is set to hit theaters on Dec. 19,

Aug. 11, 2024

‘The Roundup: Punishment,’ ‘Inside Out 2’ lead CJ CGV profits in Q2

South Korea’s largest multiplex cinema chain CJ CGV saw a fifth consecutive quarter of operating profit in the second quarter this year thanks to the success of megahit films, according to the company. CJ CGV said its April to July sales increased by 7.6 percent on year to 430 billion won ($315 million). Its operating profit over the same period increased 26.4 percent on-year to 22.3 billion won. The company attributed such performance to an increase in moviegoers who went to the cinema to

Aug. 9, 2024

‘My Dearest Fu Bao’ offers close look at beloved panda's last 3 months in Korea

“My Dearest Fu Bao,” a South Korean movie depicting the interactions between the panda Fu Bao and her zookeepers, will feature in-depth stories about the beloved giant panda, the movie’s director said Thursday. This documentary film is based on interviews with zookeepers Song Young-gwan and Kang Cheol-won, who is widely known as Fu Bao's "grandpa" by fans. The movie narrates stories of how the zookeepers met Fu Bao and how the beloved panda was cared for by them

Aug. 9, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Revolver” (South Korea) Opened Aug. 7 Crime Directed by Oh Seung-wook Former detective Soo-young (portrayed by Jeon Do-yeon) is released from prison after being convicted of crimes she did not commit. With one goal in her mind -- getting her some 700 million won back -- she visits the people who owe her one by one. “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 w

Aug. 9, 2024

‘Twisters’ director Lee Isaac Chung says what scared him made him grow

Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung of the latest American disaster film “Twisters” said what scared him has made him grow, in terms of his first-ever production of a blockbuster film. “Twisters” is Chung's work to be released after “Minari,” an autobiographical family drama that won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2021. “One of the reasons I wanted to do this movie was that I got scared. How do I make a movie like t

Aug. 8, 2024