Believer (Korea)Opened May 22Crime, ActionDirected by Lee Hae-youngInvestigator Won-ho (Cho Jin-woong) seeks to take down a massive Seoul-based drug cartel, run by the mysterious Mr. Lee, whose real name, gender and age remain hidden. In the process, he gets help from a low-level cartel member Young-rak (Ryu Jun-yeol), whose loyalty seems to waver.Deadpool 2(US)Opened May 16Action, Adventure, ComedyDirected by David Leitch After suffering the loss of his girlfriend, foul-mouthed mutant mercenary

The plot is run-of-the-mill, the jokes are standard and you could probably see the twist coming from a mile away. “The Accidental Detective 2: In Action” is by no means a stand-out masterpiece, but it is a funny little film that viewers can simply enjoy.The film is a follow-up to the 2015 comedy film “The Accidental Detective.” It follows the story of Dae-man and Tae-soo -- played by Kwon Sang-woo and Sung Dong-il -- who become full-time private detectives after the events of the last film.Takin

Upcoming creature film “Monstrum,” featuring actor Kim Myung-min and Hyeri of K-pop act Girls’ Day, will hit local theaters on Sept. 19.Inspired by medieval records dating back to Korea’s Joseon era, the film is set during an epidemic outbreak when rumors spread about a dreadful man-eating creature. Kim will play military official Yun Kyum who forms a team to fight off the beast. Hyeri will play Yun’s daughter, who uses her special talent in archery and ancient medicine to assist her father.  “M

Lee Chang-dong is not a fan of Marvel films. What he is, though, is someone who inspires and challenges people to think.“Movies like ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is one of superheroes. Heroes save the world. it makes me wonder, ‘Can they really?’ But movies like these absolutely slaughter films like ‘Burning’ (in the box office),” the critically-acclaimed auteur jokingly said in a joint media interview. “I have to wonder how much obvious messages like ‘justice prevails’ would affect our lives, which

Believer (Korea)Opened May 22Crime, ActionDirected by Lee Hae-youngInvestigator Won-ho (Cho Jin-woong) seeks to take down a massive Seoul-based drug cartel, run by the mysterious Mr. Lee, whose real name, gender and age remain hidden. In the process, he gets help from a low-level cartel member Young-rak (Ryu Jun-yeol), whose loyalty seems to waver.Deadpool 2(US)Opened May 16Action, Adventure, ComedyDirected by David Leitch After suffering the loss of his girlfriend, foul-mouthed mutant mercenary

Perhaps the biggest hit of indie cinema so far this year, German-Israeli production “The Cakemaker” opened in local theaters Thursday. The film was shown in the noncompetitive World Cinemascape section of the Jeonju International Film Festival early this month, where the movie’s main actress Sarah Adler also served on the jury. The Korea Herald sat down with writer and director Ofir Raul Grazier ahead of a screening on May 6. “I had a friend who had a double life. He had a wife, children, like a

"Burning," the latest movie from award-winning South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong, has been sold  to more than 100 countries around the world, the film's local distributor said Wednesday.Producers of the mystery-thriller signed deals with  distributors from about 100 countries within two days of it  receiving its world premiere at the 71st Cannes Film Festival on  May 16 (local time), according to CGV Arthouse. Director Lee Chang-dong and the cast of "Burning" (Yonhap)The deals were made in a

Now the highest-grossing comic-based film of all time in Korea and around the world, “Avengers: Infinity War” has become the second-most successful foreign film at the Korean box office with 10.57 million tickets sold. According to data from the Korean Film Council on Sunday, the film sold 128,294 tickets on Saturday, which took it to the No. 2 spot after “Deadpool 2.” It reclaimed the spot from Lee Chang-dong’s critically acclaimed “Burning,” which won the Fipresci International Critics’ Prize

Despite failing to win the top prize at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning” was recognized with the Fipresci International Critics’ Prize for best film in the main competition.The mystery drama was considered one of the favorites to win the Palme d’Or, along with “Capernaum” by Nadine Labaki, “BlacKkKlansman” by Spike Lee and “Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda, which took home the top prize.However, the Korean auteur’s masterful depiction of the insecurity, anxiety, pent-up

CANNES, France -- A tumultuous Cannes Film Festival concluded Saturday with the Palme d’Or awarded to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters,” a tender portrait of a poor, impoverished family, while Harvey Weinstein accuser Asia Argento vowed justice will come to all sexual predators.At the closing ceremony for the 71st edition of the French Riviera extravaganza, the Cate Blanchett-led jury selected one of the festival’s most acclaimed entries, one hailed as a modest masterpiece from

Director Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning” garnered a record high score in the Cannes Film Festival’s daily newsletter upon its jury screening. With a 3.8 average, the film has nabbed the highest score in the history of Screen’s Cannes jury grid, surpassing the previous record of 3.7 set by Maren Ade’s “Tony Erdmann” in 2016.All but two critics awarded the film the full four stars, with two giving three stars. Screen’s review described the film as “quietly devastating…a film of wondrous complexity and

Caught in “Rising Sun” flag controversy, Korean-American actor Steven Yeun will not meet Korean press at Cannes Film Festival. The actors and the director of film “Burning” were to meet Korean media outlets in Cannes for an interview on Friday. But Yeun and fellow actress Jun Jong-seo will not be attending the event, leaving only actor Yoo Ah-in and director Lee Chang-dong at the press event. Steven Yeun in “Burning” (Pine House Film)Yeun will participate in the official press conference and an

Director of brutal, feminist film seeks to elevate sociological drama

Former “Walking Dead” star Steven Yeun has found himself neck-deep in controversy in his birthplace surrounding him “liking” an image of a disputed flag, as some called even his apology not good enough.On Friday, Yeun pressed “like” on a picture posted by Joe Lynch -- with whom he worked on 2017 flick “Mayhem” -- of him wearing a shirt with a design resembling the “Rising Sun” flag of the Empire of Japan, which carries strong negative connotations in Korea. The actor acknowledged the next day th

May of 1980 marked one of the bloodiest and greatest moments in modern Korean history, as citizens of Gwangju rose against Chun Doo-hwan’s rule after his military coup the year before.Thirty-eight years on, plays, movies, comic books and even songs have been made to commemorate the hundreds killed and many more scarred for life. “Marching for our Beloved,” directed by Park Ki-bok, is among them. “This is not the first film about the May 18 (Gwangju Democratization Movement), but I felt we have t