Born in Daegu in 1969, Bong Joon-ho is believed to have inherited artistic sensibilities from his family. His father was a pioneering graphic designer and his maternal grandfather the well-known novelist Park Tae-won, who wrote such masterpieces as “A Day in the Life of Kubo the Novelist.” By the time he was 15 years old, Bong knew he wanted to be a filmmaker. Bong graduated from Yonsei University, having majored in sociology. During his college years, Bong made his first short

With win for foreign language film, Bong Joon-ho gets Oscar boost

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Hollywood's brightest stars sparkled Sunday on the red carpet at the Golden Globes, the first showbiz awards gala of 2020.Under sunny skies, the best and brightest of film and television arrived at the Beverly Hilton in their finest for the ceremony, hosted by British comedian Ricky Gervais.Here is a look at some of the trends spotted on the red carpet:Black and white Tinseltown's A-list wants to make a good impression on the first major red carpet of the year, and how bette

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy thriller "Parasite" has won the top honor from the US National Society of Film Critics.As the NSFC announced winners of its 54th annual voting meeting in New York on Sunday (US time), "Parasite" was named best picture and also took the best screenplay award.The Korean film received 44 votes for the top prize, outnumbering Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" with 27 votes and Quentin Tarantino's "Upon a Time in Hollywo

Rockstar Shin Hae-chul’s agency has teamed up with a local film company to make a biopic about the late singer. On Thursday, local film production and distribution company Acemaker Movie Works announced the production of a movie in remembrance of singer Shin’s short, dramatic life. For the production, the company will team up with N.E.X.T United, an agency led by Shin’s wife. The agency currently holds the copyrights to Shin’s songs and the work of his band N.E.X.T. 

Ashfall(Korea)Opened Dec. 19Drama, ActionDirected by Lee Hae-jun, Kim Byeong-seoPaektusan, the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and a dormant volcano, comes out of its slumber and undergoes the biggest eruption in recorded history. South Korean operative Capt. Jo In-chang (Ha Jung-woo) and North Korean spy Lee Jun-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun) are sent on a covert operation to save the peninsula.Forbidden Dream(Korea)Opened Dec. 26Drama, HistoryDirected by Hur Jin-hoThe legendary King Sejong (H

While the last film of 2019 featuring Ha Jung-woo as the lead act, “Ashfall,” still tops box offices, the actor is making a swift return with the first horror movie of the year -- and also the first of his career.“As it’s my first attempt at the genre, acting surprised was the most difficult part of making the movie. You’ll be seeing me act with about 13 to 15 types of surprised faces in the film,” Ha said at a press event for “The Closet” on Thurs

Encouraged by the astounding achievements of 2019, the Korean film scene is set to go more adventurous this year, bringing zombies, clones and spacecraft to the big screen. Though such subjects have sometimes been a taboo in the local film industry -- due to past failures -- it looks like the achievements of 2019 have encouraged such experimental items to take part in the major entertainment scene. In the past, Korea’s film scene had been focused heavily on periodical works, romance or com

Movies featuring animals as the main characters are often CGI-heavy. But director Son Jae-gon chose instead to make actors wear animal masks and outfits in the upcoming movie “Secret Zoo.”Two other animal comedy movies will hit theaters here in January -- South Korean film “Mr. Zoo” and “Dolittle” featuring Robert Downey Jr. However, Son expects the meticulously designed animal costumes and the chemistry between the animal and human characters to differentiate

At first, I was enraged. Then, I thought it wasn’t so bad. And then, I was confused. The latest and final entry in the famed franchise, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” was as multifaceted as my reaction to the film. It had an ample amount of kick-ass moments, but ultimately came up short in satiating what amounted to comically bloated expectations from the fans.Rey (Daisy Ridley) continues her training under Leia Organa -- Carrie Fisher -- but is distracted by Ren’s o

The aggregate number of moviegoers in South Korea set a new annual record in 2019, surpassing 220 million, industry data showed Sunday.Cinemas across the nation drew around 225 million people between Jan. 1 and Dec. 28, according to the ticket sales tally system of the Korean Film Council. The previous record was set in 2017 with 220 million moviegoers. The number of moviegoers in South Korea first broke the 200 million mark in 2013.This year, five films screened here attracted more than 10 mill

Ashfall(Korea)Opened Dec. 19Drama, ActionDirected by Lee Hae-jun, Kim Byeong-seoPaektusan, the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and a dormant volcano, comes out of its slumber and undergoes the biggest eruption in recorded history. South Korean operative Capt. Jo In-chang (Ha Jung-woo) and North Korean spy Lee Jun-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun) are sent on a covert operation to save the peninsula.Cats(US)Opened Dec. 24Comedy, Drama, Family Directed by Tom HooperA tribe of cats called the Jellicl

“Forbidden Dream” is a period piece about King Sejong of Joseon and his inventor Jang Yeong-sil that focuses on the personal relationship between the two that share a dream.Han Suk-kyu, playing King Sejong for the second time in his career, said he approached the role by looking at how he was brought up.“I thought a lot about how his mother would have been, because parents have immense influence over how someone turns out,” Han said during a joint interview in Seoul on Mo

SINGAPORE (AFP) -- A brief kiss between two women in the new "Star Wars" movie was cut from the version released in Singapore, local media said."The Rise of Skywalker", the conclusion to the nine "Star Wars" films that stars Daisy Ridley, was released in the Asian city-state on Thursday.The film contains a brief scene where two minor female characters share a kiss -- but the moment is omitted in the version screened in Singapore, according to Yahoo Lifestyle SEA. Th

Director Bong Joon-ho and actor Song Kang-ho of Cannes-winning film "Parasite" were awarded national cultural medals for their contributions to the promotion of the Korean film industry, the South Korean government said Thursday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it gave the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second highest class of the South Korean cultural decoration, to Bong and the fourth-highest Okgwan medal to Song during a ceremony held at the National Theat