Films by directors who previously received commendations will open and close the upcoming 24th Busan International Film Festival, which organizers said was a testament to the annual film festival’s contributions to the Asian film scene.Opening BIFF 2019 is “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” by Kazakhstan’s Yerlan Nurmukhambetov and Japan’s Lisa Takeba. The film is about a boy, his encounter with horse thieves and his life after his childhood is dismantled following

Don Lee, known here better by his Korean name Ma Dong-seok, has a unique place in Korean cinema. Never before had a muscle-bound, middle-aged man -- who looks like he could move a tank with his right hook -- become the image of “cuddly and cute.” What’s more bizarre is that he built the image not by playing family-friendly roles, but by bashing bad guys’ brains on screen.Comparisons of Lee to pro wrestling superstar and Hollywood darling Dwayne “The Rock” John

All that glitters is not gold, and all hit films are not masterpieces. But just because a movie isn’t that well made doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable.Director Kwon Oh-kwang’s “Tazza: One Eyed Jack,” the third in a series about swindling gamblers, is a far cry from a masterpiece, but manages to be fun and loose in its own way. It trades in most of the characters and philosophy of the original comic book that it was based on for a much simpler story and origin

Tune in for Love(Korea)Opened Aug. 28Romance, DramaDirected by Jung Ji-wooIn the year 1994 as singer Yoo Yeol hosts radio show “Yoo Yeol’s Music Album” for the first time, Hyeon-woo (Jung Hae-in) happens to run across Mi-su (Kim Go-eun) at a bakery where she works. Throughout the next decade, fate keeps pulling Hyeon-woo and Mi-su together and pushing them apart again as they try to figure out life on their own, and with each other.Metamorphosis(Korea)Opened Aug. 21Horror, Thri

The Cannes-winning film "Parasite" by renowned auteur Bong Joon-ho has been selected as South Korea's entry to the best international feature film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) said Thursday that it picked Bong's black comedy film to compete for an Oscar nomination for best foreign film next year.The state-run council said it chose "Parasite" for its Palme d'Or achievement at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the worldwide reputation

We’ve seen this before, literally. Ever since “Architecture 101” stole the hearts of many who spent their youth in the 1990s, romance dramas riding on wistful ’90s nostalgia have popped up every few years.“Tune In for Love,” directed by Jung Ji-woo, is nothing special and has glaring flaws in its somewhat clunky storytelling. Despite its familiarity -- if you are a child of the ’90s -- it does send you back to the good ol’ days, which is always a w

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw(US)Opened Aug.14Action, Adventure Directed by David Leitch Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and lawless outcast Shaw (Jason Statham) first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever, these two sworn enemies

On Sept. 14, 1950, a day before the Battle of Incheon, 772 student soldiers landed on Jangsa-ri, North Gyeongsang Province, risking their lives and contributing to what eventually became the turning point of the Korean War.The story of middle and high school students who fought in the historic battle will be told in the upcoming film “Battle of Jangsari,” directed by Kwak Kyung-taek and Kim Tae-hoon and starring Kim Myung-min, Choi Min-ho and Hollywood actor Megan Fox.“I could

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- With great success comes great re-negotiation. In the wake of the announcement that "Spider-Man: Far From Home'' is now the highest-grossing film ever in Sony Pictures' history, reports surfaced that Marvel Studios may be stepping away from the cross-studio partnership.  The Hollywood trade Deadline reported Tuesday that there was a disagreement over the profit-sharing structure. According to a person close to the deal who was unauthorized to speak publicly, negotia

Let’s face it: “47 Meters Down: Uncaged,” an unlikely sequel to the 2017 low-budget summer sleeper “47 Meters Down,” was never going to be a top-notch production with quality acting and thought-provoking moments. Bluntly put, it’s a silly shark movie. But not every film has to shoot for masterpiece status. Through the corny dialogue, extremely over-the-top moments, laughable plot holes and cheesy set-up, this is one dumb and absurd film that does not try to be

The annual Busan International Film Festival is gearing up for its October opening, as it named actors Bae Jong-ok, Jung Jae-young as presenters for this year’s “Actor & Actress of the Year” award.Organizers for this year’s BIFF made the announcement Monday, ahead of the festival that will be held Oct. 3-12 this year. The award will be announced at the closing ceremony on Oct. 12, and will receive 5 million won ($4,130) in prize money. The award was created to shine l

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw(US)Opened Aug.14Action, Adventure Directed by David Leitch Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and lawless outcast Shaw (Jason Statham) first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever, these two sworn enemies

In the 2006 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, defending champion Josh Smith put down tape well-beyond the free-throw line to indicate that he would jump from there. Had he succeeded in doing so, the leap would have been an unimaginable feat. His jump, however, was well inside the tape, to the dismay and confusion of the frenzied crowd. To me, the disappointment brought by director Kim Ju-ho’s “Jesters: The Game Changers” was like Smith’s weird bluff. The period piece had pumped up e

“By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture,” a story about an enormous drug scandal at a nightclub that involves big names, was not actually inspired by the “Burning Sun” drug scandal.“The first draft was written in 2016, and we learned of the (Burning Sun) incident while we were editing the film,” said director Lee Sung-tae, on his upcoming crime movie. “I actually thought I should change that part (about doing drugs in clubs) after one of our young staff

South Korean actor Song Kang-ho has been awarded the Excellence Award at this year's Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, the organizers said Tuesday.Song became the first Asian actor to earn the Swiss film fest's special award that goes to actors or actresses whose work and talent have contributed to enriching the cinema industry.Internationally acclaimed silver-screen stars like Susan Sarandon, John Malkovich, Edward Norton, Bill Pullman and Ethan Hawke are among the past laurea