In sequels we often see the original cast reappear, taking up the same roles and continuing with the next chapter of the story. In other cases, a new cast may be chosen to show a different side of the same universe. But rarely do the same actors reappear as completely new characters. This was the case for veteran actor Jung Woo-sung, who plays a fictitious South Korean president in the upcoming action flick “Steel Rain 2: Summit,” having portrayed a North Korean special agent in i

Veteran actor Lee Jung-jae is set to make his directorial debut in an upcoming spy-action film. Tentatively titled “Hunt,” the film is expected to kick off production next year, according to the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M last week. Lee will also play the lead role in the movie. Taking place in 1980s Korea, the film will revolve around national security agents Park Pyong-ho and Kim Jung-do, who are chasing after the chief of North Korea’s espionage oper

Dominating the domestic box office for two consecutive weeks, zombie thriller “Peninsula” surpassed its breakeven point of 2.5 million ticket sales over the weekend, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday, data from government-run agency Korean Film Council showed the film had garnered just over 2.86 million admissions as of 7 a.m. Monday since its release on July 15. The film is said to have reached the breakev

How would the leaders of South Korea, North Korea and the United States prevent a war from happening on the Korean Peninsula on a stealth submarine some 300 meters under the water? “Steel Rain 2: Summit” takes this highly unlikely premise and looks at the ongoing inter-Korean conflict. The film kicks off by showing heightening military tensions between the US and China and the impending complications for the surrounding nations -- the two Koreas and Japan. While tension hangs ove

Crime thriller “Beasts Clawing at Straws,” starring Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Woo-sung, won the Special Mention at the Far East Film Festival held in Italy, the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M announced on Friday. According to the distributor, the festival’s Executive Chairman Sabrina Baracetti acclaimed the Korean film as “an action thriller full of colorful casts, and a unique and unpredictable film,” adding that “the movie is very provocative

The Korea Film Archive announced the reopening of Korea Film Museum offline on Friday, among other facilities that it manages, after shutting them down due to the spread of COVID-19. At the Korea Film Museum, “Chaotic Times, Crossed Path: Movie People in Liberation Space” exhibition that was shown online starting July 7 will be opened to the public. The exhibition, which shows movie industry professionals who worked in both South and North Korea until the Korean War, marks the 70th

A Mermaid in Paris (France) Opened July 23 Comedy, Fantasy, Romance Directed by Mathias Malzieu In Paris, heavy rains have led to historic flooding of the Seine along with mysterious disappearances. One night, Gaspard Snow (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a melancholic musician, is attracted by the enchanting voice of a wounded yet beautiful young mermaid (Marilyn Lima). Eager to save her, Gaspard unknowingly embarks on adventures that, through the power of love and music, may well mend his broken hear

Kakao Page bets on ‘Steel Rain’ series kick-starting intellectual properties in Korea

This year’s Indieforum, or Independent Film & Video Makers Forum, will start its five-day run at the Indie Art Space and the Seoul Art Cinema in central Seoul on Thursday. Along with the screening of 24 movies chosen from 813 submissions, exhibitions, including “Place, Ghost, Spot” that looks at history of a place, and “Roaming Subjects of Cinema” that focuses on the state of independent movies today will be shown at the 24th edition of the country’s old

Shim Eun-kyung depicts the bittersweet pain felt in adulthood in the upcoming Japanese film “Blue Hour.” “The film is like a fairy tale for adults. The growing pains we feel as an adult may be different (from that of children), and this film warmly embraces such experience,” Shim said in a live video press conference conducted following the film’s press premiere Monday. Coming from rookie Japanese director Yuko Hakota, “Blue Hour” revolves around 30

Warner Bros. Korea is still figuring out a release date for Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated movie “Tenet” as Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich announced that the studio is pushing back the US release date of the movie indefinitely from August 12 on Monday (local time). “We are still in the middle of discussions. We will try to make our decision within the week,” said CEO Kim Tae-joo of ROSC, the company in charge of marketing “Tenet” in Korea.

“Peninsula” -- a loose sequel to smash-hit zombie flick “Train to Busan” -- topped box office charts in all four countries where it opened over the last five days. The film swept through box offices in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, according to the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday, bringing moviegoers back into local cinemas and reviving the COVID19-hit film scene. “Peninsula” has sold more than 1.8 million tickets in Ko

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival announced the winners of its 24th edition during a closing ceremony Thursday evening, bringing down the curtains on its eight-day journey amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Around 80 people attended the ceremony at CGV’s Sopung branch in the city just west of Seoul. The winners in the feature-length film category were announced that day. In the Bucheon Choice section, devoted to international features, the coveted Best of Buche

Vivarium (Ireland, Denmark, Belgium) Opened July 16 Drama, SF Directed by Lorcan Finnegan Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are looking for the perfect home. When a real estate agent takes them to Yonder, a mysterious suburban neighborhood of identical houses, the couple can’t leave quickly enough. But when they try to exit the labyrinthesque housing development, they find themselves trapped as each road keeps on taking them back to where they started. Soon, they realize the

Director Kim Do-joon of ‘Bora Bora’ talks about how documentary was made in collaboration with laid-off workers protesting to get jobs back