Hollywood readies long-awaited sequels to blockbuster hits

A series of successive installments to hit Hollywood flicks are poised to grace the silver screens of local theaters soon, starting in May. "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," a prequel to Australian post-apocalyptic action film "Mad Max: Fury Road," opens in local theaters next month. Coming out nine years since the release of "Mad Max: Fury Road," the prequel explores the backstory of one of the Mad Max series' central protagonists, Imperator Furiosa, a fierce combata

April 7, 2024

[What to Watch] Three great documentaries to watch this weekend

The proliferation of documentaries often makes it difficult to choose which ones to watch. The three selected here take a fresh look at the life of a father who has lost a daughter, a gripping competition among cyclists and life-humbling moments at a hospital. “Sewol: Years in the Wind” (2024) This month marks the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster which claimed more than 300 lives, most of them high school students on the school trip. A father who lost a daughter in the

April 6, 2024

[New on the scene] ‘FAQ’ creatively responds to S. Korea’s private education obsession

Despite having never attended a "hagwon" or private cram school herself, director Kim Da-min's debut film, "FAQ," confronts the topic of South Korea's obsession with private education, centering on the story of Dong-chun, an 11-year-old girl. The film's English title doesn’t fully convey its creative and witty yet powerful spirit as well as its Korean title does: “Makgeolli will let you know” (direct translation). Makgeolli is Korean tradition

April 5, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Beekeeper” (US) Opened April 3 Action Directed by David Ayer Adam Clay (Jason Statham), a former agent from a powerful organization known as Beekeepers, sets out on a quest for brutal vengeance by hunting down those responsible for the incident after someone very important to him is scammed and driven to harm.     “The First Omen” (US, Italy) Opened April 3 Horror Directed by Arkasha Stevenson A young American woman Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) heads to Rome

April 5, 2024

25th JIFF to run special screenings to mark 10th anniversary of Sewol ferry disaster

This year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, running May 1 to May 10, will showcase several films on the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that claimed almost 300 lives, most of them high school students on a field trip on April 16, 2014. “The year 2024 marks the 10th year since the Sewol tragedy. Although 10 years have passed, the scars of this disaster have not yet healed. Rather, we had to go through a similar tragedy that happened in Itaewon

April 3, 2024

[News Analysis] Behind the box office success of thriller ‘Exhuma’

For the first time in Korean cinema history, a mystery thriller film on the occult phenomenon has hit the milestone 10 million admissions mark. “Exhuma,” the most-watched film so far this year, surpassed that mark just 32 days after opening in February. As of Tuesday morning, “Exhuma” had recorded more than 11 million ticket sales in a country of fewer than 52 million people, with the film now poised to become the 22nd highest grossing film within the entire breadth of Ko

April 2, 2024

K-content streaming service Kocowa to launch services in Europe, Oceania

Kocowa, a streaming platform operated by Wavve Americas, which distributes Korean content to overseas audiences, said it has started offering its services in 39 countries in Europe and Oceania on Monday. Previously, Kocowa was available in some 30 countries in North and South America, including the US, Canada and Brazil. England, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, as well as Australia and New Zealand, are some of the countries where Kocowa became available Monday. In Europe and Oceania, Kocowa is only

April 1, 2024

[Herald Interview] Director Ahn Gooc-jin brings his mistrust of the internet to big screen

It took director Ahn Gooc-jin nine years to return to the big screen after his award-winning “Alice In Earnestland.” Just like the previous film, Ahn's latest work, “Troll Factory,” criticizes aspects of modern-day Korea through satire. “Troll Factory,” a film adaptation of the eponymous 2015 novel by Chang Kang-myoung, reorganizes the story into a completely new structure. Unlike in the novel, the movie focuses on the character of Yim Sang-jin (Son Suk-k

April 1, 2024

This year's Busan film fest to proceed without festival director

Asia’s largest film festival, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), will proceed with the post of festival director yet to be filled. In a statement released Friday night, the BIFF said that there were “no qualified candidates” despite its continued search for someone to lead the festival. In February, the festival organizers began another search for the post of festival director, accepting applications through March 19. The post has been vacant since May last year. &ld

March 31, 2024

Han So-hee, Ryu Joon-yeol part ways 2 weeks after going public with relationship

South Korean actors Han So-hee and Ryu Joon-yeol have decided to “go their own ways” after two tumultuous weeks surrounding the stars’ admissions of dating and accusations of impropriety in Ryu dating Han so soon after his breakup from his longtime partner, singer and actor Hyeri. Ryu and Han’s breakup surfaced Saturday night when Han uploaded a 2001 photo of Nicole Kidman that had been taken by paparazzi as she walked out of the court following her divorce from Tom Cruis

March 31, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Spy x Family Code: White” (Japan) Opened March 20 Action/Comedy Directed by Takashi Katagiri Loid, a spy, decides to help his stepdaughter Anya, who holds supernatural power, win a cooking competition at Eden Academy by making the principal's favorite meal. It is the the only way to stop him from getting replaced in a new operation. “Poor Things” (US) Opened March 6 Comedy Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Bella (Emma Stone), a Frankenstein-esque woman brought back fro

March 29, 2024

[Graphic News] Only 1 out of 35 Korean commercial films had female director last year

Only one out of 35 Korean films with a major budget was directed by a female director last year, a report showed. Action thriller “The Point Men,” directed by Yim Soon-rye, was the sole movie with a female director among the 35 commercial films with a production budget exceeding 3 billion won ($2.25 million), according to the report released by the Korean Film Council on the status of gender equality in the Korean film industry. The state-run movie promotion agency has been publish

March 29, 2024

Will scrapping 3 percent tax on movie tickets invigorate local cinema?

Following the government’s decision to scrap its 3 percent charge on movie tickets starting next year, concerns have been raised about whether such a discount would actually lead to more people going to the cinema. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, about 420 to 450 won ($0.30) will be reduced from movie tickets priced at around 15,000 won, in an effort to “lessen the burden on people who visit movie theaters.” The ministry plans to push for such detail

March 28, 2024

[Herald Interview] Son Suk-ku chooses to be swayed by others in navigating life

Just weeks after appearing as a relentless detective in the Netflix original “A Killer Paradox,” actor Son Suk-ku met with reporters for the promotion of his new film “Troll Factory.” “I haven’t rested a single day since the start of the year except for the public holiday in January,” Son told reporters in an interview in Seoul on Friday. “I’m constantly tired. I wake up, go to work, back home and sleep. I have also opened my own agency and i

March 27, 2024

[New on the scene] Director Kim Hee-jin compelled by stories of marginalized

In her 2010 short indie film “A Brand New Journey,” Kim depicts the agony of a middle school student whose parents can’t afford the money for a school trip. Although the boy finds a way to save up money for the trip by taking on a part-time job, he is harassed by the tyrannical shop owner who doesn't pay him. “I was attracted to the stories of marginalized people, whether I met them in my personal life or in books. So it was natural for me to shed light on the lives

March 26, 2024

'Exhuma' first movie this year to attract 10m moviegoers

Occult flick "Exhuma" on Sunday became the first movie to surpass 10 million in ticket sales this year, having reached the milestone on its 32nd day in theaters, according to Showbox, the film's distributor. The movie is the first to exceed the 10 million mark in ticket sales since "12.12: The Day," a historical drama about a military coup in 1979, which achieved the milestone on Dec. 24 last year. Since its premiere in theaters on Feb. 22, "Exhuma" has remaine

March 24, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Exhuma’ director Jang Jae-hyun won't make sequel

South Korean supernatural mystery thriller “Exhuma,” which has been sweeping not just the domestic box office, but box offices across Asia, will not release a sequel nor a spinoff, the movie’s director told reporters Thursday. “Exhuma,” which opened in Korea on Feb. 22, has topped the local box office for 27 consecutive days, aggregating 9.52 million admissions as of Thursday. Captivated by its immersive storyline, filmgoers are already eager for a sequel or spinoff

March 22, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Spy x Family Code: White” (Japan) Opened March 20 Action/Comedy Directed by Takashi Katagiri A spy agent Loid decides to help his stepdaughter Anya, who holds supernatural power, win a cooking competition at Eden Academy by making the principal's favorite meal -- the only way to help him prevent from getting replaced in a new operation. “Poor Things” (US) Opened March 6 Comedy Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Bella (Emma Stone), a Frankenstein-like woman brought back

March 22, 2024

[Herald Review] In ‘Troll Factory,’ Son Suk-ku walks tightrope of daring docu-like black comedy

Son Suk-ku is the kind of actor who doesn’t rest on his laurels -- from melancholic stranger Mr. Gu in a remote town in “My Liberation Notes” to psychopathic kidnapper Kang Hae-sang who perfectly fits the slasher cinematic universe in “The Roundup,” he is one of the busiest, hottest stars in the Korean entertainment scene. This time, his versatility has landed him in another experimental and unprecedented story – documentary-style crime flick “Troll Fact

March 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] Choo Ja-hyun realizes her dream of melodramatic role in ‘While You Were Sleeping’

South Korean actor Choo Ja-hyun, who enjoys greater acclaim as an actor in China than in her home country, returned to the silver screen after 13 years with “While You Were Sleeping.” In recent years, she starred in Korean dramas in various genres such as “Green Mother’s Club,” “My Unfamiliar Family” and “Little Women.” Most of her roles in her 20s were fierce, wild characters which made it difficult to land roles in melodramas, according to

March 20, 2024