The story of the older generation of women in Korea is one of endless sacrifice that borders on tragedy. While the percentage of women receiving college education has surpassed men since 2005, the post-war and pre-1990s generations in particular have suffered from extreme gender discrimination, the most common of which was receiving little to no education.Upcoming documentary films “Granny Poetry Club” and “The Poem, My Old Mother” features the story of the women in their 80s and 90s learning ho

A co-director of the South Korean animated film "Underdog," said Saturday that he is disappointed at the weaker-than-expected public attention to his brainchild produced after seven years of painstaking efforts."I just feel distressed. I've realized the high wall of prejudice against Korean feature animations," said Oh Sung-yoon in a telephone conversation with Yonhap News Agency.The film, jointly directed with Lee Chun-baek for a period of seven years, was released Jan. 16 but has so far drawn

The only thing that is more irritating than watching a film that is a complete disaster is to watch a movie and think “coulda shoulda woulda” throughout. To see the path that the director could have taken to really improve the material, and groan in bitter disappointment.“The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale” (Megabox Plus M)Director Lee Min-jae’s “The Odd Family: Zombie for Sale,” a rare zombie comedy film in Korean cinema, was one with several interesting attempts, clunky delivery and plenty of clic

Hit-and-Run Squad(Korea)Opened Jan. 30Action, CrimeDirected by Han Jun-heePolice lieutenant Eun Shi-yeon (Gong Hyo-jin) is demoted to a hit-and-run investigation squad after her superiors question her investigative methods regarding race car driver-turned-businessman Jeong Jae-cheol (Jo Jung-suk). Working with the team leader Woo Seon-yeong (Jeon Hye-jin) and Seo Jin-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol) a young officer with a keen sense about cars, she soon learns that Jeong is somehow connected to a hit-and-run

“Fukuoka,” an upcoming drama from Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu, will have its international premiere at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.According to Lu Films, the movie has received an official invitation to screen at the Forum section of the Berlinale, a noncompetitive section that is open to films of all formats and genres. It is one of seven sections at the festival, the others being Competition, Panorama, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, Berlinale Shorts and Retrospect

How do they keep doing this? I thought I’ve seen the worst in the recent flop “Drug King” in terms of putting together a group of very talented people, throwing in a complete badass of a subject matter and coming up with an utter disappointment despite a sizeable budget. That is, until I witnessed director Han Jun-hee’s “Hit-and-Run Squad,” which had a promising premise, a top-notch car chase and gifted actors yet completely broke down. Just like “Drug King,” it is more infuriating because the f

Extreme Job (Korea)Opened Jan.23ComedyDirected by Lee Byeong-heonA team of narcotics detectives goes undercover at a fried chicken joint to stake out an organized crime gang. When they learn that the restaurant is going out of business, they decide to acquire the place and run it themselves. Things take an unexpected turn when the detectives’ chicken recipe suddenly transforms the rundown joint into the hottest eatery in town. Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission (Korea) Opened Jan. 9DramaDirected by Eo

Veteran actor Jung Woo-sung and budding starlet Kim Hyang-gi have come together for a memorable performance in the upcoming drama “Innocent Witness” by Lee Han. The film is about a young girl with autism testifying in court about what she witnessed in a supposed murder, and her interaction with a lawyer caught between compromising with reality and doing the right thing.With the movie set for release on Feb. 13, the lead actors sat down for a group media interview to discuss their roles. Jung Woo

Korean film “Burning” has failed to make the final list of nominees for the Oscars.The final nominees for the 91st Academy Awards were revealed Tuesday. In December, “Burning” had been shortlisted in the Foreign Language Film category, becoming the first Korean movie to be included. The film was selected by the Korean Film Council to represent Korea at the film event. Last year, “Okja” by Korean director Bong Joon-ho was shortlisted in the Visual Effects category, but it was a Netflix original f

Actress Kim Hyang-gi continues to impress with her range, character-building based on heavy research, and carefully honed acting skills that promise more wonders on the horizon from the 18-year-old. Talking about “Innocent Witness” has to start with the leading lady because the charm of Lee Han’s drama hinges on Kim’s portrayal of the titular character: the innocent witness Ji-woo.The film takes off with Sun-ho -- played by Jung Woo-sung -- a former human-rights lawyer who gave up on his dream t

In a first for a South Korean animated film, “Underdog” has been invited to compete in the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. “Underdog” is an animated film about homeless and abandoned dogs. In the film, a dog named Moongchi (voiced by Do Kyung-soo of the K-pop boy band EXO) is abandoned but goes on an adventure to find true freedom with other stray dogs.  (New Entertainment) (New Entertainment)The film opened the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in July, and went on to win the best

Director says arts to play role in promoting respect, human rights amid ongoing oppression

From the reader’s perspective, I imagine the most annoying thing to read in a film review is “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but ...” Having said that, this is the cop-out I choose in describing Kim Joong-hyun’s “February”: an indie film that shows a lot of promise, great characters jointly created by the actors and the smart director, impressive imagery and controlled emotions, but lacking the critical “it” factor that weaves the narrative together.The film stars Jo Min-kyoung as Min-kyoung

Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission(Korea) Opened Jan. 9DramaDirected by Eom Yu-naWith Korea colonized by the Japanese, a handful of scholars, including Ryu Jeong-hwan (Yoon Kye-sang), attempt to keep the Korean language alive by publishing a dictionary. Ryu runs across Kim Pan-su (Yoo Hae-jin), who end up working with him. But this does not prove easy under the ironfisted Japanese authorities.Inside Me(Korea) Opened Jan. 9Comedy, FantasyHigh school student Dong-hyun (Jin Young) falls from a building a

Zombie movies are scarce in the world of South Korean film, perhaps because domestic film budgets can’t compare to those in Hollywood. Then again, it may simply reflect the preference of moviegoers here. “The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale,” Lee Min-jae’s directorial debut, takes a rare path as a horror-comedy that draws laughs by focusing on the absurdity of the situation.“Most zombie films would start with a (zombie) virus spreading from a populated area, but (“The Odd Family”) is a story about a