Director says emotional true story did not need embellishment

“The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful” is flamboyant, preposterous and exaggerated, taking viewers on a wild ride. Directed by Lee Khan and starring Kwon Sang-woo, the sequel to the “The Divine Move” (2014) -- about high-stakes gambling via the game of Go -- has an obvious premise and plot as well as one-dimensional characters. But it manages to provide fun and action.The film starts by tracing the footsteps of a boy who was abandoned by everything in the world. He stumbles ac

There is a certain risk in making a movie based on a true story: The creator takes sides and ends up having an agenda. When the audience is on board with the idea, it’s great. Otherwise, it becomes a problem.“Black Money” is a movie that has a clear purpose and a message to get across, which is to raise awareness about the ongoing multibillion-dollar investor-state dispute between the South Korean government and a private equity firm. “‘Black Money’ is differe

NEW YORK (AP) -- Move over, Rocky, there's a new stairway to climb.A set of outdoor steps in the Bronx has become a tourist attraction in recent weeks since the release of the movie "Joker."The stairs are between two buildings on Shakespeare Avenue, about a half-mile from Yankee Stadium. In the movie, lead actor Joaquin Phoenix dances as he goes down the steps, wearing a bright red suit and clown makeup.These days, neighborhood residents using the steps are being joined by tourist

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil(US)Opened Oct. 17Adventure, Family, Fantasy Directed by Joachim Ronning Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her goddaughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play. Their relationship has flourished, yet the hatred between man and the fairies still exists.Joker(US)Opened Oct. 2Drama, Mystery, Suspense Directed by Todd Phi

Actress Lee Elijah is a well-known name to fans of Korean TV, but her acting chops have been limited to the small screen. Yet director Lee Jang-hee cast Lee Elijah as lead character Hye-jin in the upcoming romantic comedy “My Bossy Girl.” “There is a certain excitement and tension that comes from the word ‘first.’ Since this is my first (movie role), I just focused on having fun, doing the best I can to make a great film,” Lee Elijah said during a press confer

Pro: “Terminator: Dark Fate” is the best in the “Terminator” franchise other than the first two films, which were both amazing.Con: That’s not saying much considering what followed those two magnificent flicks.The upcoming sci-fi action film by Tim Miller packs good action, a solid message and ample story for quite some fun. The problem is that it rehashes the old formula that has been done before and better, which results in it being neither fresh nor very impressi

The early 2000s in Korean cinema was marked by an onslaught of gangster comedies, which ranged in quality but soon came under fire for glorifying criminals through their affectionate depiction of the mob. This was followed by a period of gritty realism, with ruthless, 19-rated stories.Director Song Chang-yong’s upcoming crime drama “The Faceless Boss” looks to maintain the realism but open it up to a wider audience. Starring Chun Jung-myung, Jin Yi-han and Lee Si-a, it follows

Cannes-winning black comedy "Parasite" racked up nearly $1.3 million over the weekend in the United States, industry data showed Monday.Directed by eclectic South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho, the film, released stateside on Oct. 11, ranked 11th at the US box office during the Friday-Sunday period, with a cumulative total of $1.8 million, according to data from Box Office Mojo. It is now being screened in 33 theaters in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco

Joker(US)Opened Oct.2Drama, mystery & suspense Directed by Todd Phillips A clown-for-hire by day, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) aspires to be a stand-up comic at night. But finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study. Crazy Romance (Korea)Opened Oct.2RomanceDirected by Kim Han-gyeolJae-hoon (Kim Rae-won) is hurt by

Old soldiers never die; they simply fade away. And old heroes die hard, leaving a bitter taste in our mouths.I always thought of the “Rambo” franchise as one of those series that went downhill after the iconic first film, and “Rambo: Last Blood” -- which seems to be the last one -- does nothing to change that. While the ’80s action by one of my childhood heroes was somewhat satisfying, it became routine a few scenes in.The film picks up where the events of the previ

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- US actress Zoe Kravitz will play Catwoman in the new "Batman" film starring Robert Pattinson, a Warner Bros. source told AFP on Monday.Kravitz, who recently starred in HBO's hit TV drama "Big Little Lies" and is the daughter of rock musician Lenny Kravitz, will portray the whip-wielding cat burglar who is both Batman's foe and love interest in the comics. She follows A-listers such as Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Pfeiffer in portraying Catwoman

BUSAN (AFP) -- Acclaimed director David Michod's epic "The King" was one of four major Netflix productions screened at Asia's largest film festival this week, underlining how streaming services are increasingly challenging Hollywood and traditional media for the attention of artists -- and viewers.Asia is seen as an important part of the global streaming industry's growth plan. In conjunction with the main event, Busan International Film Festival also hosted its first Asia Contents Awa

While watching director Michihito Fujii’s “The Journalist,” I had to keep reminding myself that this is a movie based in Japan, not South Korea, so reminiscent was it of a similar incident here just a few years ago in which the government went rogue to abuse its might and sway public opinion in its favor.Having said that, I have mixed feelings on the end product. I was not a fan of the performance by Shim Eun-Kyung -- an accomplished actress held back by speaking in a foreign l

BUSAN -- The 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) came to a close on Saturday, successfully keeping up with changing market trends and staying afloat after years of setbacks.    This year's BIFF, which opened on Oct. 3 for a 10-day run, screened 300 films from 85 countries and drew a total of 189,115 attendees, slightly down from the previous year's 195,081, according to organizers. Along with the opening film, "The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time," 118 films