It is no secret that Korean moviegoers have a soft spot for musical films. From “Mamma Mia” (2008) to “Les Miserables” (2012) and “La La Land,” (2016), many Hollywood musical films have found great success in Korea. Yet, memorable Korean musical films that appeal to local audiences have been conspicuously absent. This is why there has been a lot of hype in Korean online communities around Korea’s first jukebox musical film “Life is Bea

Film Sept. 14, 2022

Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung Chiu-wai will attend the 27th Busan International Film Festival to receive the Asian Filmmaker Of The Year. The award will be presented to the actor during the opening ceremony on Oct. 5 at the Busan Cinema Center. "Since his 'City of Sadness' won the Golden Lion Award at the 1989 Venice International Film Festival, he has been one of the greatest actors of our time for over 30 years,” BIFF director Huh Moon-young said of Leung during an online press

Film Sept. 12, 2022

Confidential Assignment 2 (Korea) Opened Sept. 7 Action Directed by Lee Suk-hoon North Korean detective Chul-ryung (Hyun Bin) is sent to South Korea again on a new mission. His target is North Korean crime organization leader Jang Myung-joon (Jin Seon-kyu). In South Korea, Chul-ryung once again teams up with detective Kang Jin-tae (Yoo Hye-jin). Meanwhile, FBI agent Jack (Daniel Henney) joins Chul-ryung and Jin-tae in their pursuit of Myung-joon. 6/45 (Korea) Opened Aug. 24 Comedy Directed by Pa

Culture Sept. 11, 2022

If you have plans to see the Korean film “Confidential Assignment 2: International" directed by Lee Seok-hoon during the Chuseok holiday, here's what to watch before you head to the cinema. Original movie Although there won't be any problems without having watched the first movie, the audience can have fun comparing the two as there are many original movie references in the new film “Confidential Assignment 2: International." Helmed by Kim Sung-hoon, the original

Culture Sept. 10, 2022

Although two rookie directors of “Kim Min-young of the Report Card,” Lee Jae-eun and Lim Ji-sun, have won many awards at film festivals, including the grand prize in the Korean competition category at the 22nd Jeonju International Film Festival, they are very nervous about the film being released. “One thing we worry about is that at film festivals moviegoers who love independent films watched our movie. So we think that the feedback was a bit nicer. We worry that we will fa

Film Sept. 7, 2022

  Actor Daniel Henney said he was excited to play FBI agent Jack in "Confidential Assignment 2: International," directed by Lee Suk-hoon, because he saw similarities between himself and the Korean American character. “Here, he is able to speak a little Korean, he's been brought up in the States and I can relate to that,” Henney said during an interview with a group of local reporters on Tuesday. In “Confidential Assignment 2: International,” FBI agent Ja

Film Sept. 6, 2022

  Even with a big Hollywood star, Brad Pitt's “Bullet Train” failed to appeal to Korean moviegoers, which is contrary to North American box office results. As of Sunday, the film’s accumulated number of audiences here since its release Aug. 24 stood at 136,147. Even the Korean low-budget comedy film “6/45” directed by Park Kyu-tae that came out the same day performed better. Park’s film saw more than 1.1 million tickets sold as of Sunday. Reviews of &

Film Sept. 5, 2022

  Since “Confidential Assignment 2: International" is Korean top star Hyun Bin’s first film that he is presenting to the public since he exchanged nuptials with Son Ye-jin, lots of questions about their newlywed life were posed during a group interview with local reporters on Thursday via Zoom. While trying to keep most of their personal life private -- he feels being married and becoming a father do not seem to have much impact on his career yet -- Hyun Bin said he did a

Film Sept. 2, 2022

6/45 (Korea) Opened Aug. 24 Comedy Directed by Park Gyu-tae Chun-woo (Go Kyung-pyo), who is about to finish his military service, accidentally picks up the first prize in the lottery, which is worth 5.7 billion won. But he soon loses it again as the wind blows away the lottery ticket and it crosses the Military Demarcation Line. Yongho (Lee Yi-kyung), is a North Korean soldier who picks up the lottery ticket that came from South Korea. 　 　 Bullet Train (US)　 Opened Aug. 24 Action Directed by Dav

Culture Sept. 2, 2022

  Veteran filmmaker Kwak Kyung-taek, best known for directing 2001 box-office hit “Friend,” has taken on new challenges in his new audio movie, “Far East.” “There were challenges that I did not expect. For instance, I had to make sure that the voice of actors who play minor roles do not sound similar to main cast members,” Kwak said in an online press conference Thursday. Also, in action scenes it was not easy directing actors to control their breath i

Entertainment Sept. 1, 2022

Members of the Directors Guild of Korea on Wednesday gathered at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to talk about why the current Copyright Act should be revised for fair remuneration of filmmakers’ work and Korean movies' further global success. The event was jointly hosted by the DGK and Yoo Jung-ju, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea. At the beginning of the meeting, director Park Chan-wook, who is currently in Los Angeles, joined via videoconference to show his su

Film Aug. 31, 2022

  Some people say you make your lifelong friends in high school, while others say it is only normal for high school friends to drift apart later in life. The new Korean independent film “Kim Min-young of the Report Card” deals with the topic realistically. Co-directed by Lee Jae-eun and Lim Ji-sun, the film centers around a girl name Jeong-hee (Kim Joo-ah) who has two best friends -- Min-young (Yoon Ah-jung) and Soosanna (Son Da-hyun). Jeong-hee goes to Min-young’s house

Entertainment Aug. 30, 2022

Korean director Yoon Je-kyoon, who created hit Korean films like “Haeundae” and “Ode to My Father,” has begun working on the script for “K-Pop: Lost in America,” according to CJ ENM on Monday. The company also said that Yoon is considering casting Cha Eun-woo of K-pop boy band Astro to play the protagonist in his new movie. Filming will begin in the first half of next year. The film centers around a K-pop boy band that is about to be introduced to the Nor

Film Aug. 29, 2022

A spinoff series of action-packed Korean thriller “Deliver Us From Evil’ will start production in 2023, according to the local production firm of the original film, Hive Media Corp. The new TV series titled “Ray,” being created for a streaming platform, will be produced alongside Artist Studio, a production company known for works like Netflix series “The Silent Sea” and actor Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut feature “Hunt.” The original

Film Aug. 28, 2022

Bullet Train (US)　 Opened Aug. 24 Action Directed by David Leitch In Tokyo, grieving father Yuichi Kimura (Andrew Koji) seeks revenge after a mysterious person pushes his son off a rooftop. Meanwhile, Ladybug (Brad Pitt), a down-on-his-luck assassin, is on a mission to collect a briefcase on a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Kyoto. While on his mission, he discovers other assassins on board who seem to have the same goal. Nope (US) Opened Aug. 17 Horror Directed by Jordan Peele O.J

Film Aug. 27, 2022