In the upcoming movie “Battle: Los Angeles,” L.A. represents the last stand for humankind in a fight against invading aliens.The action-packed film, however, was mostly shot in the other LA: Louisiana.Having Baton Rouge and Shreveport stand in for Santa Monica, California, and L.A. might seem as preposterous as aliens attacking the city.But several factors drew filmmakers to the Bayou State, chief

Exhibitions“WA: The Spirit of Harmony and Japanese Design Today”: This show explains why adjectives such as “minimal,” “delicate” and, surprisingly, “thoughtful,” cannot help but be used to describe products made in Japan. It does more than introducing the latest cutting-edge designs: it offers an overall view of historically important designs by the Japanese that were created over 50 years ago an

Red Riding Hood (U.S.)Opening March 17 Fantasy. Horror. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they

The Little Red Riding Hood of our collective imaginations is usually carrying a basket, but what she’s really got is baggage ― the kind of socio-sexual-psychological baggage that has kept certain fairy tales and myths alive from one end of the media forest (oral tradition) to the other (iPads).As a movie star, Red hasn’t had quite the career of Cinderella, say, or Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, ev

Even the polite Koreans’ patience had been running short during the 35-minute wait for Corinne Bailey Rae to appear. When she arrived, though, the British singer-songwriter’s irresistible smile, conversation with the audience and unbeatably soulful voice instantly killed any complaints.Performing her first solo concert in Seoul at Ax Hall on Thursday night, the 32-year-old appeared on stage wearin

A stream of light slides down an orange line until it meets a green cube and disperses, reflecting off a yellowish shine. On artist Choi Eun-hyea’s canvas, rigid cubes are softly highlighted and turned into something gentle and pastel-toned, almost mushy. Choi is showcasing drawings, paintings and installations that ponder the relationship between space, time and light at her first-ever solo show.

Co-production looks at the lives of Koreans living in Japan in the 1960sThe play “Yakiniku Dragon” is what you could call a masterpiece. Watching it is like reading a really good book in one sitting. Not only is the story itself genuine and well-organized but every detail of the play, including the witty lines and props, is very delicately knitted together so that the audience’s attention never wa

Mexican-American guitarist’s performance fit for a legendCarlos Santana, the 63-year-old lead guitarist of rock band Santana, transcended all kinds of barriers ― including age, language and nationality ― during his live concert in Seoul on Wednesday evening.Appearing on the Olympic Gymnastics Gymnasium’s stage with his trademark black top hat, black adidas tracksuit bottoms and matching short-slee

Denis Sung-ho Janssens leads four string artists on ‘journey to the sun’Italian composer and violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) was also a guitarist, composing more than 100 songs for guitar. Paganini’s Sonata for Violin and Guitar in E minor became especially famous in Korea after it was used as background music in the 1995 SBS drama “Sandglass.”Korean-born Belgian guitarist Denis Sung-

Program includes new song ‘He is from Seoul, She is from Pyongyang’Canadian pianist and composer Steve Barakatt said he will perform his song “He is from Seoul, She is from Pyongyang,” the No. 5 track of his new album “Someday, Somewhere,” at his upcoming concert in Seoul.Barakatt is scheduled to hold a “White Day” recital at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall on Sunday and Monday, as March 14 i

Korean star actors Hyun Bin and Song Hye-kyo ended their relationship earlier this year, it was revealed Tuesday. Hyun Bin’s entertainment agency, AM Entertainment released an official statement confirming the rumored breakup. (Yonhap News)The breakup announcement came one day after Hyun joined the Marines on Monday. The relationship between the two actors began to form in 2008 when they starred t

Two old friends to stage complete cycle of Beethoven’s violin sonatasThey’re old, but not in spirit. When talking about their passion for music, the two musicians’ eyes twinkle like stars. The 69-year-old violinist Kim Min, music director of the Korean Chamber Orchestra, had thought his most recent recital “My Life, My Music” at the Seoul Arts Center in 2008 would be his last stage performance. Bu

To the joy of the many French movie fans in Korea, Cine France announced Tuesday the lineup for the March-April season, which is currently running at Dongsoong Art Center in Dongsung-dong, central Seoul.Organized by the French Embassy in Korea, the French Cultural Center and Jinjin Pictures, Cine France is a film screening event started in 2006 to introduce French movies to the Korean public. A sc

South Korean movies have been dominating the country’s cinemas since the start of this year. The Korean Film Council announced on Monday that 8.48 million people watched Korean films at cinemas in February, accounting for 63 percent of all moviegoers. About 4.98 million watched foreign flicks. There were 520,000 more people in Korean movie audiences this January compared to the same month last yea