New documentary traces humanity of late liberal icon, shows regretful President Moon

With a total of five Korean films invited to the Cannes Film Festival, which opened Wednesday, a handful of Korean directors and movie stars are set to walk the event’s red carpet in the coming days. Director Park Chan-wook, who is attending the event as a jury member, joined the opening festivities Wednesday. Director Park Chan-wook, a jury member of Cannes Film Festival’s competition category this year, attends the event’s opening Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap)Director-actress duo Hong Sang-soo and K

The K-pop singer-turned-actor says his uncanny talent and remarkable filmography are not results of calculation

Alien: Covenant(US)Opened May 9Sci-fi, thriller. Directed by Ridley ScottThe Covenant is a gigantic colony ship carrying thousands of colonists and embryos in hypersleep, bound for a new remote planet with a new energy source when members aboard (Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup) believe they have discovered a new, uncharted plot of paradise in space. There, they meet David (Michael Fassbender), a survivor of the previous Prometheus expedition. But the Utopian universe turns dark when alien for

Laura Poitras’ “Risk” is hardly the first feature film to take on Julian Assange, the elfin WikiLeaks mastermind who has spent the past decade exposing powerful secrets and cultivating his notoriety on the world stage. He has been addressed in several prior documentaries, notably Alex Gibney’s “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,” and was even played by a platinum-haired Benedict Cumberbatch in the little-seen Hollywood drama “The Fifth Estate.”But Poitras, one of the most intrepid and inc

The promising young writer Katie Dippold, who wrote “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters,” strikes out with her third feature, “Snatched.” This mother-daughter kidnapping comedy starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn is a huge disappointment, and for Schumer, this is a low moment of a career that’s been peaking. As Emily, Schumer plays her characteristic problematic white girl character, a selfish, selfie-taking narcissist. But there’s no sharp satire to puncture that image, as some of the best work from

“The Villainess” actress Kim Ok-bin said she felt a heavy sense of responsibility as the heroine of an action-filled film.“I felt like I had to do a good job in order for people to invest more in women-led action movies,” she said at a press conference for the film, ahead of its Cannes premiere, at CGV Wangsimni, Thursday.  Kim Ok-bin (left) and Shin Ka-kyun attend a press conference for “The Villainess” at CGV Wangsimni, Thursday. (Yonhap)In the film, which has been invited to the midnight scre

Koreans have been debating if colors from an unlikely source predicted President Moon Jae-in’s win on Tuesday. After the release of the election results on Wednesday, a still from the 2016 film “La La Land” attracted much public attention for its use of colors. (Lionsgate Films)People suggested that the still, which showed Mia (Emma Stone) getting ready with her friends to go to a party, accurately depicted the result of the election. They said the colors of the dresses that the actresses are we

Veteran actor returns with trademark melancholy, and a newfound sense of gravitas

A black-and-white trailer and poster for Hong Sang-soo’s Cannes-bound film “The Day After” was revealed Tuesday. The film is another tale penned and directed by Hong, about love and misunderstanding featuring Kwon Hae-hyo, Cho Yun-hee and Kim Min-hee. Stills from “The Day After” (Finecut) Stills from “The Day After” (Finecut) Poster of “The Day After” (Finecut)Kwon plays married man Bong-wan who has been having an affair with a colleague at the publishing house where he works. The woman quits, a

The heroine of director Park Suk-young’s “flower” trilogy is a rising star in Korean indie cinema

The casting of Rain, Kang So-ra, Lee Bum-soo and Min Hyo-rin for an upcoming period flick has been confirmed.The film, which is based on the true story of Uhm Bok-dong, a cyclist active during the Japanese colonial era, is directed by Kim Yoo-seong. Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) who has appeared in American thrillers such as “Ninja Assassin” (2009) returns to the big screen to play the role of the bicycle hero. The character falls into cycling by accident, but through endless training rises to victory. Ra

The Sheriff in Town(Korea)Opened May 3Crime, comedy. Directed by Kim Hyung-jooDae-ho (Lee Sung-min) is a former detective who was fired for his overly aggressive investigative techniques and now lives as a nosy security guard in his hometown in Gijang County. Jong-jin (Cho Jin-woong), a successful businessman, enters the peaceful area to build a beach resort when drugs begin circulating around in the nearby Haeundae area. Suspicious of Jong-jin, who has won over the townspeople’s hearts, Dae-ho

Director, Laibach come to South Korea with concert documentary