LOS ANGELES ― I’d almost forgotten what an unabashed liberal Sidney Lumet had been until I read an essay by New York Post critic Kyle Smith, an unabashed conservative who has little good to say about Lumet’s signature work, seeing it as emblematic of the weak-kneed moral relativism of lefty do-gooders. Taking apart Lumet’s “12 Angry Men,” Smith dubs it an “ur-myth of liberal fantasy,” saying “one

Norwegian Wood Opening April 21Drama. Directed by Tran Anh Hung. Upon hearing the Beatles’ song “Norwegian Wood,” a Japanese businessman reminisces about the intense romance of his university days in Tokyo, set against the turbulent student riots of the late 1960s. Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), an aloof university student at the time, had lost Kizuki -- his best friend in high school -- after

LOS ANGELES ― When Max Winkler set out to make a movie, he made one thing clear: He didn’t want any help from his Hollywood veteran father, no matter how tempting the prospect.Editing his directorial debut, “Ceremony,” out of his boyhood bedroom put Winkler mighty close to Dad ― Henry Winkler, still remembered best as the Fonz from “Happy Days.”“I would walk down the hall and I would have a spring

A new Internet site about actress E Ji-ah, secretly married to musician Seo Tai-ji for the past 14 years, is enjoying explosive popularity after it became known to the public for the first time Thursday. The website Lee-zia.com chronicles her activities since her debut in 2004 including news articles, media interviews, press releases and video footage.Subtitled “Who is E Ji-ah?,” the site pries in

Seo Tai-ji (left) and E Ji-ah (Yonhap News)Actress E Ji-ah admits marriage and divorce, while Seo Tai-ji remains silentKoreans in their 30s and 40s used to automatically associate the name “Seo Tai-ji” with “the President of Culture” in the 1990s.His songs such as “Class Idea,” (1994) “Dreaming Balhae” (1994) and “Come Back Home” (1995) contained controversial yet influential messages to make teen

“The Journals of Musan” will be shown with English subtitles at Cinecode Sonje in Samcheong-dong this week. A scene from “The Journals of Musan” (JINJIN Pictures)“The Journals of Musan” is director Park Jung-bum’s debut feature, about a North Korean defector Jeon Seung-chul (Park Jung-bum) who originally came to South Korea to live a better life, but finds it difficult to be happy with his defecto

Pianist empathizes more with Liszt’s boldness than Chopin’s completenessPianist Paik Kun-woo, 65, is a big name in the Korean classical scene, continuing to break boundaries. He covered the complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas in a week-long recital, had a two-hour concert to perform the complete cycle of “Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus” of Messiaen and even held a rare four-piano concert collabo

The short film “Ghost,” directed by Lee Jung-Jin (a.k.a. Ma Dahci), has been selected for the Short Film Competition of the 64th Cannes Film Festival. “Ghost” is a 10-minute thriller about a criminal hiding in an empty house in a deserted town where gentrification has been discontinued.  “Ghost” by Lee Jung-jinThe Short Film Competition is an official competition category that highlights young tal

French fans gathered in Chungdam-dong on Wednesday to meet SHINee, the Korean five-member boyband.Fifty-four French fans showed up for the fan meeting, singing “Hello,” SHINee’s hit song, when SHINee entered the room. The fans cheered when SHINee said a live SM Town concert will be held in Paris in June.(Yonhap News)The French fans were members of Korea Connection, a group of French people who lov

Seo Tae-ji(left) and Lee Ji-ah (Yonhap News)To the great shock of fans, musician Seo Tai-ji and actress Lee Ji-ah are in a divorce suit, Sports Seoul reported Thursday.Seo, the media-shy enfant terrible of Korean hard rock, is famous for leading a secretive life but the report that he is married shocked the nation via cyberspace.The report is all the more shocking because Lee created top headlines

The Seoul Metropolitan Opera Company’s first production of “Tosca,” one of the most frequently performed operas among Puccini’s works, reveals the beauty of the Italian composer’s best-known lyrical aria through the singers’ vocal ability, acting and the orchestra’s following of veteran conductor Mark Gibson.During a press rehearsal Tuesday prior to April 21-24, soprano Kim Eun-joo in the role of