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September 5, 2012
Gang Dong-won fest starts Saturday
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily
Less than two months before he is to be released from the Army, there will be a film festival in Japan dedicated to the works of actor Gang Dong-won.
Distributor SPO announced that from Saturday until Sept. 28 “Gang Dong-won Festival 2012 - Missing You” will take place at Cinemart Roppongi in Tokyo.
The organizer said “Duelist” (2005), “M” (2007) “Maundy Thursday” (2006), “Jeon Woochi” (2009), “Haunters” (2010) and “Secret Reunion” (2010) will be screened.
The 31-year-old Hallyu actor’s return is highly anticipated, and recently, Gang won over another fan in fellow actor Lee Jong-suk. “When I saw his movies, I knew that I wanted to become an actor just like him,” said Lee during an interview last month with OSEN.
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time that a film fest has been held in Japan to commemorate the works of a Korean actor.
In June, a similar event was staged to showcase the works of Kim Nam-gil, just one month before he was released from the Army. |
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September 1, 2012
Yoo Joon-sang a Man of Many Talents
ChosunIlbo
As well as appearing in KBS' popular weekend drama "My Husband Got a Family," actor Yoo Joon-sang is busy promoting his new movie, performing in a musical and publishing a book. The 40-year-old is creating a buzz these days as his fan base explodes and many female admirers dub him "Mr. Perfect."
Something of a multi-talented over-achiever, Yoo has also shown his musical and dancing skills through a number of musicals and plays. In addition, he is good at painting and plays several musical instruments. According to his wife, actress Hong Eun-hee, he is also a great husband and not so different off-screen from the persona he projects on TV.
Yoo has also compiled his writings and drawings and published them as a book.
"When I was majoring in theatre at university, one of my professors told me that keeping a journal is very helpful to be a good actor, so write about a day, and also try to write poems and draw pictures," he recalls. Since then, he has faithfully recorded his thoughts and feelings in a diary every day, and excerpts from these to make up much of his book.
"I've filled up more than 20 diaries. I wrote about how I felt while learning more about acting, among other things, every day for 20 years, and also drew a lot of pictures. After publishing the book, I was overwhelmed with joy because it's just basically my life story," he said. He plans to donate all of the proceeds from the book to charity, especially for children in need.
"There were a lot of things I wanted to do besides acting, and I didn't want to miss out on any of them, from singing to dancing, writing, drawing and playing instruments. People say it's better to focus on one thing in order to be successful, but I never really had to make any sacrifices like that," he said.
Yoo said that after spending 20 years figuring out what he likes and where his true talents lie, he is able to put all that experience to good use as an actor. Asked about his future plans, he said, "I want to write a fairy tale for adults. If I get the chance to publish another book, it will definitely be something like that." |
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September 6, 2012
'Pieta' filled with bloody revenge
By Kwaak Je-yup The Korea Times
Cho Min-soo, left, and Lee Jung-jin star in a scene from director Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta,”
which is a strong contender for the Golden Lion prize at the 69th Venice film fest.
What can wash our sins away? In Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta,” it is our own blood.
Having premiered at the Venice Film Festival and opened in selected theaters in Seoul this week, the latest work by Korean cinema’s enfant terrible may draw reference from Christian art’s depiction of the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus but nobody in the film abides by the religious values. They go directly against them, in fact.
A debt collector goes around the dilapidated industrial area around Cheonggye Stream, downtown Seoul, to cripple the debtors for insurance money. The impoverished victims and their family members resort to suicide and vengeance. There is no room for pity or mercy. If Mary were to star in the film, she would go hang the sons of Jerusalem’s leaders and then kill herself to repent.
But Kim also puts motherly love at the center of this cesspit, showing how a ruthless loan shark can become a baby when a mother, or in this case, a mysterious visitor who claims to be her appears on the orphan’s doorstep.
The first half, which these two stories make up, is nearly flawless, helped by masterful direction, stunning cinematography and inspired acting. What mars the film is the theme of revenge, which dominates and keeps repeating itself in the second half, up until the end credits.
For the most part, Kim makes sure the film moves at a swift pace, never dragging even with the heavyweight subject. The frightening scenes inside the metal workshops, machines engorging body parts, as well as those at the sickly white apartment building of the protagonist are a visual feat. He may never show the truly bloody scenes but manages to insert very graphic images, those of body parts, meat and fish, to the audience.
Kim is helped by Cho Min-soo, who gives the performance of her lifetime and is deservedly considered a contender for the best actress prize in Venice. Her femme fatale is never exaggerated; neither is her vulnerable persona. Her only fault is the confession scene in the end, where she loses her inscrutability. This is, however, more due to the unrealistic lines written by Kim.
Meanwhile, her co-star Lee Jung-jin is barely adequate as the male lead Kang-do, which literally means a robber in Korean. With the inexplicable black eyeliner in his lashes, he curses like a sailor, but the lines never feel natural to his voice or facial expression. The brutal violence is more suitable, however.
The supporting cast members are universally magnificent; the choice was impeccable.
The ending, which this reporter will not spoil, is ultimately the film’s downfall. Predictable for a director with a thirst for blood, but it may have been better to end one scene earlier, producing a much more thought-provoking and ambiguous finale to this intense journey.
Instead, as it is now, “Pieta” just shows everyone as revenge-hungry monsters, driven by financially-strapped circumstances. Since his first interviews about this film, the director has openly called this work his critique of overly capitalistic modern society and its capacity to destroy civic virtues and humanity.
But by trying to achieve this goal, he ended the film on a perversely preachy note and robbed the audience of an opportunity to think about the beautifully complex.
That bloody sacrifice, however, did not save the movie, rather doing just the opposite.
“Pieta” is now showing in selected theaters. Rated 18 and over. Runs for 104 minutes. Distributed by Next Entertainment World (NEW). |
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September 6, 2012
Kim Ki-duk returns with brutal revenge tale
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald
Lives of loan shark victims explicitly captured on ‘Pieta’
After “Arirang,” the self-reflective documentary about his personal failings and struggles, director Kim Ki-duk returned to the movie scene with a gruesome revenge tale ― about a cruel debt collector running into a woman who claims to be his mother.
A scene from Kim Ki-duk’s latest film “Pieta” (NEW)
“Pieta,” which is one of 18 films vying for this year’s Golden Lion prize in Venice, is Kim’s 18th feature-length film. The movie has almost every element that would make an audience uncomfortable and feeling sick: it’s awfully violent, deals with incest and human nature at its worst.
In spite of its utterly violent subject matter, however, the movie is a powerful and moving study of good and evil, longing and belonging, as well as money and contemporary capitalism in its worst form. In the end, no character in the film is evil by nature; Kim’s exploration of affection and conscience, which is deftly interwoven with the movie’s plot of revenge, is also notably exceptional.
The film begins as Kang-do (Lee Jung-jin), a pitiless man who works as a debt collector for a loan shark, visits the run-down industrial slum ― which in fact exists in Cheonggyecheon in real-life Seoul ― where metal laborers suffer from financial destitution and debt. The workers know that their dingy shops will soon disappear because of the city’s redevelopment plans, and the view of Seoul’s downtown, which is packed with high-rise buildings, makes a striking contrast with the dingy neighborhood.
Kang-do collects the money in the most inhumane way possible. If the debtors don’t make their payments, he forces them to purchase work injury compensation insurance. When the mechanics fail to pay what they are due, including the extremely high interest, he does not wait to cripple them. In the presence of their family members, he chops the victims’ fingers off using their work machines, or throws them off a high building to break their legs permanently. Kang-do takes their insurance money, when they become physically disabled.
Kang-do has never had a family of his own. He does not fear revenge, because he literally has nothing to lose. The man is also completely pitiless when the victims beg in tears, asking him for more time to make the payments, telling him they have a family to take care of. But things change when he runs into a mysterious woman (Cho Min-soo) who claims to be his mother.
A number of films have dealt with loan shark victims in the past, including director Byun Young-joo’s 2011 thriller “Helpless.” The victims exist in the real-world, very often making the headlines in the news. The slum in Cheonggyecheon, consisting of small machine workshops, really exists. All of the characters in “Pieta” and their tragic stories are believable. After being crippled by Kang-do, the former-mechanics end up being street beggars, or become completely dejected and rely on alcohol. No Korean movie in the past has delved into the issue and the lives of the victims so explicitly, to a degree that it’s hard to watch with eyes open.
Kim Ki-duk (Yonhap News)
Kim worked as a mechanic at a factory right after graduating from elementary school. He may or may not have been inspired to make this film based on his own experience. But there is rare grasp of human tragedy when Kim explores the relationship between the machine and the human body. Machines are operated by humans, but they are also capable of destroying the human body.
Cho Min-soo is dominating as the mysterious woman, and her performance makes the character’s vengeful actions convincing. Lee Jung-jin, however, failed to deliver the debt-collector’s vulnerability at times. His character required more skilled and nuanced acting, especially because he transforms into a different person upon running into the woman who later becomes the most important person in his life. He also wears black eyeliner throughout the movie ― which must have been an effort to add the “evil” quality to the character ― but it simply distracts. The make-up makes him look like a K-pop idol.
Kim also briefly studied theology in his 20s, deeply inspired by Christianity. The director has said the film, as well as its title ― the masterpiece sculpture of Jesus and Virgin Mary by Michelangelo as well as the Italian word for ‘pity’ ― reflects the collective “need to ask for mercy” in this contemporary, capitalist world. Kang-do is no Jesus, and the woman is no Virgin Mary. But everyone is a victim in this movie, including the one who everyone calls “the devil,” and it is hard not to feel sorry for them. Kim has chosen the right title.
“Pieta” opened in local theaters on Thursday. The winner of Golden Lion prize will be announced in Venice on Saturday. |
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September 6, 2012
Jung Il-woo taps into his wild side
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily
Jung Il-woo became the face of Fila Sport and will pose as its model for the remainder of the year.
Teaser images have been released in which the actor known for his athletic body can be seen engaging in all kinds of outdoor sports from hiking to mountain climbing.
The brand said that Jung embodies both style and comfort as its new model.
“He has the physique of a model so he was able to portray the outdoor chic image that the brand strives for,” said a spokesperson for the brand. |
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September 6, 2012
Kim Jung-hwa to star in 3-D movie
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily
Actress Kim Jung-hwa is set to make her comeback to the silver screen after a two-year hiatus with a new 3-D movie in the works.
The film, titled “Silverscreen Lovers” and directed by Son Tae-woong, is already in production and tells the tale of a couple that catches a glimpse of their future while at the drive-in movies.
“Kim has made a name for herself in period dramas, and this will be a chance for her to show her skills by acting in a modern piece,” said a spokesperson from 4HIM Entertainment on Sept. 6.
Kim’s agency said fans should brace themselves for Kim’s superb acting.
Filming is currently ongoing in Paju, Gyeonggi, and Kim is excited about her first movie since “Read My Lips” (2010).
“I thought the fusion of drama and 3-D was an interesting concept,” said Kim, explaining why she decided to take a role in the production. |
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September 6, 2012
Lee Joon and Oh Yeon-seo "gets married"
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily
Move over Leeteuk and Kang So-ra. The fictional marriage of the Super Junior member and young actress has come to an end and MBLAQ’s Lee Joon and actress Oh Yeon-seo are set to take over the role of male singer and actress couple.
As Leeteuk looks toward fulfilling his military service, the pair has called it quits after a year together as a couple on the hit MBC program.
Meanwhile, Lee and Oh are set to begin filming anytime now.
Other entertainers to join the show in its fourth season are: Julien Kang and Yoon Se-ah as the cougar and toyboy couple as well as Secret’s Han Sun-hwa and ZE:A’s Kwanghee.
Han was apparently expecting someone else as she was not impressed when her “husband” turned up on the first episode on Sept. 1.
Viewers were in stitches when Han told Kwanghee to “go home!” |
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September 6, 2012
Kim Hyun-joong lands showcases Hang Ten's new line
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily
Singer and actor Kim Hyun-joong sported denim on denim, a fashion feat that is hard to swallow for most, for Hang Ten’s latest line.
In the advertisement, the Hallyu star showed off more than just the vintage blue denim shirt. His chiseled jawline and body were also on display, making female fans swoon.
Netizens who encountered the pictures have been gushing at how immaculate the singer looked.
Kim is currently filming the drama “City Conquest” in Japan.
Earlier in the year, Kim and his upcoming TV show made headlines when it was announced that four locales in Asia had signed contracts to purchase rights to the drama.
By signing with Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan ahead of time, Kim made 11.8 billion won ($10.3 million). |
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September 6, 2012
KBS News Line: Somebody didn't do his homework
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily
Lee Byung-hun, appearing on KBS current affairs program “News Line” on Wednesday night, had some awkward moments during a 10-minute interview by anchorman Park Sang-bum.
Park asked Lee, “Just how long have you been acting?” And even though Lee’s been actively promoting his movie “Gwanghae” for the past week, Park asked what his latest work was.
Also when Lee said he had recently filmed “Red 2” in Montreal, Park added, “Yes, I’ve heard that you’ve been filming in the United States.”
Lee quickly corrected the anchorman by saying, “Well it is a U.S. film, but I shot it in Montreal, Canada.”
Just when things couldn’t have gotten worse, Park shocked even Lee by asking a question about his love life. Despite the fact that Lee Byung-hun’s new romance with Lee Jung-min has been covered extensively by local media, Park asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
When Lee laughed and answered the question in the affirmative, the newscaster went on further to ask her name.
 Last edited by katt on 7-9-2012 12:04 AM
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September 6, 2012
Song Joong-ki aims to change it up
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily
Song Joong-ki, the baby-faced actor who is the face of Seoul Milk, is set to take on a role unlike any he’s played before.
At a press conference for the new KBS drama “The Innocent Man” on Wednesday, the 26-year-old said he had no intention of trying to change his public image.
Nonetheless, he took a gamble in taking on the role of a man fueled by hate in the new drama.
“The character that I’ll play is one who is full of vengeance and wrath, and it’s not because I wanted a change, but purely because I loved the story,” said Song.
The young actor said he was worried viewers may be shocked to see a new side of him in the melodrama to air starting Wednesday night.
The program also stars actress Park Si-yeon.
Song will play a man who goes to prison for his girlfriend, only to find she’s betrayed him.
This will be the first time that Song takes on a lead role in a drama despite the fact he’s appeared in hit shows like “Deep Rooted Tree” and “Sung Kyun Kwan Scandal” (both in 2011). |
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September 6, 2012
Hwanhee To Make Big Screen Debut In October
KBS Global
Fly To The Sky's Hwanhee will be making his big screen debut!
The singer-turned-actor's first movie role will be in "Star: Shining Love", which will premiere October 11th.
The story is about Asia's top star named Romi (played by Hwanhee), who falls into a three-sided romance.
Hwanhee was cast into the project before he entered the military, and shot most of the film in Okinawa's Ishigaki Island. The rest of the cast icnlude Kang Yo-hwan, Kim Soo-yeon, Choo So-young, Song Jae-hee, and Kang Hae-in. The director is Han Sang-hee, who's the same person behind the movie "First Snow", starring Lee Joon-ki and Miyajaki Aoi. |
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September 5, 2012
Kim Hyun-joong's Hit Single Sells Over 200,000 Copies
ChosunIlbo
Kim Hyun-joong's second single album "Heat" in Japan has been enjoying enormous popularity.
Since its release in July, the album has sold 200,580 copies, according to the Oricon Chart. This makes Kim the first K-pop singer to post sales in excess of 200,000 copies for a single album in Japan this year.
Over 138,000 copies of the album were sold on July 4, the first day of its release, which immediately catapulted it to the top of Oricon's daily chart.
Since then, the album has swept various music charts including Oricon's weekly and monthly charts.
Kim's achievement exceeds that of Super Junior's "Opera," which has sold 184,000 copies since it was released in May, and TVXQ's "Android," of which 175,000 copies have been sold since July. |
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September 7, 2012
Lee Byung-hun Talks About His Movies, Love Life
ChosunIlbo
"Gwanghae: the Man Who Became King," in which Lee Byung-hun plays a double role, will open on Sept. 19. The film revolves around Gwanghaegun, the 15th king of the Chosun Dynasty who was deposed in a coup. In the film, Lee plays the bizarre king, known for his mischievous behavior, as well as his double, a humble acrobat and bawdy joker who stands in for the monarch when the latter faces the threat of being poisoned.
Although the role hardly fits Lee's action-man image, he said he was keen to avoid being pigeonholed. "If I had other talents, like performing as a singer or hosting a show, I'd be able to show many different sides of myself," he said. "But I have to focus on playing to my skills, and doing what I can through my acting. As I don't want to be get stereotyped, I prefer to play more versatile roles."
Lee will leave the country in the middle of this month to shoot his new film, "Red 2," starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren.
He made his Hollywood debut in 2009 with the hugely successful action flick "G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," a project he said was made more difficult by his nascent grasp of the language.
"At first, it took me an hour to read just three pages of the script. Even using a dictionary, there were still many lines and directions that I couldn’t figure out the meaning of," he said. "I'd previously focused on action movies, but the plot for 'G.I. Joe' was inspired by a comic book, with the character flying around, brandishing swords and wearing a mask. So initially I was going to turn the role down.
"But as I'm still a newcomer in Hollywood, where not that many people know my name, I need to bide my time and accept the roles I'm offered, at least until I get to that level where I can pick the movies I want to do."
Asked how hard it was to make it in Hollywood, he said, "Many people think I must have tried hard. But I didn’t plan it, actually. I'd never imagined these things would happen to me, so I think I was just lucky."
Asked about why he seldom appears in public, Lee said, "When I started acting, more experienced actors told me that an actor shouldn't show too much of his real self to the public. I think that's why [I shy away from the public eye]. I want people to be absorbed in the characters I play, rather than thinking about the real me, when they watch my movies."
Recently, his romantic relationship with actress Lee Min-jung has become the talk of the town.
"I think there is a huge gap between the image of myself as an actor and the real me, in terms of how I'm perceived. When I read stories about me and the comments people make, I feel like they're talking about someone else. I try not to let it get under my skin, but, to be honest, all the gossip about my relationship bothers me." |
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