Star-studded cast battles to escape slave labor island in large-scale film

Much-anticipated war flick “The Battleship Island,” starring Song Joong-ki and others in a star-studded cast, was unveiled to press Wednesday at CGV Yongsan. 　Director Ryoo Seung-wan said he had always wanted to make an escape thriller.　“Escaping can be interpreted as an attempt to deal with the past,” Ryoo told reporters following the press screening.  Actor Song Joong-ki speaks at a press call for the film “The Battleship Island” held at CGV Yongsan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The war flick is set o

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has enjoyed a hard-earned reputation for bringing to Korea the most outlandish, horrific and just plain absurd cinema to Korean audiences over the last two decades. In 2017, it brings “A--holes.” “A--holes,” the title of which appears uncensored on marquees, is the debut directorial feature from Peter Vack, an American actor who has appeared in mainstream efforts like “The Intern” and TV series “The Blacklist.” The X-rated film had its Asian prem

Featuring gravity-free beds, a virtual reality arcade and an IMAX screen five times larger than the average screen, the newly renovated CGV Yongsan hopes to take the multiplex theater model to another level.CGV, Korea’s largest theater chain run by the entertainment conglomerate CJ Group, is well aware that mobile and online platforms such as Netflix are replacing theaters for some consumers. But CGV is betting on experiences that are difficult to replicate at home, infusing both technology and

A star-studded cast has been confirmed for Kim Jee-woon’s upcoming film “Inlang.”Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Moo-yeol, Han Ye-ri and Huh Joon-ho are set to star in the director’s sci-fi flick.　The film’s production company Louis Pictures announced that casting had been completed and principal photography would kick off in August.　 (From left) Jung Woo-sung, Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo (Herald Pop)The film is a remake of the Japanese animation of the same title. It is set in a f

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" has surpassed 6 million in the accumulated number of viewers on the 13th day of its run, data showed Tuesday.According to a computerized tally from the Korean Film Council, the latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise added 124,129 to its domestic audience tally of 6.02 million on Monday.The movie, starring Tom Holland and Michael Keaton, has dominated local box office charts since it opened in South Korea on July 5. It became this year's most vi

German actor Thomas Kretschmann will visit South Korea for promotional activities for "A Taxi Driver," a Korean historical film that stars the actor, the movie's distributor said Tuesday.Kretschmann will fly into the country Sunday to attend the film's VIP preview event scheduled for two days later at a Seoul theater, Showbox said. The movie's domestic release is set for Aug. 2. (Showbox)Directed by Jang Hoon, the film tells the story of a Seoul taxi driver named Man-seop who happens to take Ger

A buddy flick brimming with youthful energy and the classic opposites-attract bromance chemistry starring Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul will hit theaters this summer.“I play someone who acts before he speaks,” said Park, who is currently having a moment as the romantic lead in the KBS drama series “Fight My Way,” at a press conference for “Midnight Runners” in southeastern Seoul, Monday. Contrasting Park’s character Ki-joon is Hee-yeol, played by Kang, who is more of a thinker than a doer, Kang

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s families have not yet met ahead of the celebrity couple’s upcoming October wedding, according to Song Joong-ki’s agency Blossom Entertainment Monday.　Earlier Monday, local outlets reported that the two families had met last week in Seoul.　 Song Joong-ki (left) and Song Hye-kyo wave to fans at the Baeksang Arts Awards ceremony in Seoul on June 3, 2016. (Yonhap)The reports claimed that Song Joong-ki’s parents, who live in Daejeon, had come to Seoul to meet with Son

A slew of spy films centering on the tension between the two Koreas will be hitting local theaters later this year.　Three films, tentatively titled “VIP” starring Jang Dong-gun, “Steel Rain” starring Jung Woo-sung, and “Maneuver” starring Hwang Jung-min are set for release in Korean cinemas in the second half of 2017.　 Still from “VIP” featuring Kim Myung-min (left) and Jang Dong-gun (Warner Bros. Korea)“VIP,” which has been confirmed to open in August, is about a special joint investigation uni

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" became this year's most viewed foreign film in South Korea in just 10 days after its opening, its local distributor said Sunday.The latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise was watched by more than 5.37 million moviegoers as of Saturday, according to the film's distributor Sony Pictures. This surpassed American film "Beauty and the Beast" that drew some 5.31 million viewers in the first half of 2017. (Marvel Studios)The movie, starring Tom Hollan

Flipped(US)Romantic comedy, drama. Directed by Rob ReinerJuli Baker (Madeline Carroll) instantly recognizes that Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) is meant to be the love of her life, after meeting him for the first time as second grade students. Bryce continues to resists Juli’s enthusiastic advances until the sixth grade, dating other girls to ward her off. Juli finally begins to wonder if she was wrong about Bryce and their destiny, just when Bryce begins to look at his longtime admirer in a new

The upcoming historical drama “A Taxi Driver” doesn’t want to wallow in the pain of the 1980s Gwangju Democratic Movement, when hundreds of civilians died while protesting the authoritarian military regime.　“It’s about the hope of people who did not let go, who strived to go on with life amid the pain,” said actor Song Kang-ho after the film’s press screening in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Monday.　Song, who starred in “Age of Shadows” (2016), plays the focal character Man-seob, a middle-aged taxi driv

The Day After(Korea) Opened July 6Drama, comedy. Directed by Hong Sang-sooBong-wan (Kwon Hae-hyo) is accused at the dinner table by his wife Hae-joo (Cho Yun-hee) of having an affair. He feigns indignation and focuses on his meal, but the truth is that Bong-wan is heartbroken over a recently ended affair with an employee at his tiny publishing house, Chang-sook (Kim Sae-byeok). Chang-sook quits after friction with Bong-wan, and a new employee, Areum (Kim Min-hee), comes to work there. Spider-Man

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" smashed the South Korean box office on its opening day, taking up nearly 85 percent of ticket sales, data showed Thursday.The latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise was watched by 544,308 moviegoers Wednesday, according to the computerized box-office tally from the Korean Film Council.The movie, starring Tom Holland and Michael Keaton, will likely maintain its momentum. The film's ticket reservation rate stood at 78.3 percent as of 8 a.m. Thurs