The Korea Herald

‘La La Land’ wins top prize at Toronto film festival

Sept 19, 2016

TORONTO (AP) -- The top award at the Toronto International Film Festival went Sunday to Damien Chazelle's “La La Land,” a modern-day musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling that’s been the sensation of the fall film festival circuit. The film received the festival‘s People’s Choice Award, which is determined by audience voting. “La La Land” is expected to be a top contender for the Best Picture Oscar. Toronto's audience award has previously been a harbinger of awards season success. Past wi
‘Magnificent Seven’ against Trump, says Hawke

Sept 18, 2016

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain (AFP) - US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might well enjoy “The Magnificent Seven” movie remake, but the film’s characters would join forces to defeat him, actor Ethan Hawke quipped Saturday.“I bet Donald Trump would like the film, but he doesn’t know that what the film is actually about is people gathering together to defeat him,” Hawke told reporters at the San-Sebastian film festival in northern Spain.“I like to say that Peter Sarsgaard plays Donald Trump in
Adoption odyssey ‘Lion’ roars at the Toronto film festival

Sept 13, 2016

The true story of a young boy separated from his family and his 25-year journey to find them in Garth Davis’ first film “Lion” roared at the Toronto film festival Sunday.Adapted from Saroo Brierley’s autobiography “A Long Way Home,” the film stars Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, who is also appearing at the festival in “Una” and “The Secret Scripture.”It sees Saroo, a precocious 5-year-old who follows his older brother around everywhere, become separated from him one night on a train p
Kevin Bacon loves Baconfest invite, is sorry he can't attend

Sept 13, 2016

The town has struck out in its attempt to bring home the bacon -- Kevin Bacon, that is.Brattleboro wanted the actor to visit for its third annual Baconfest, a celebration of all things related to the fatty cured pork strips.But he tweeted his regrets Monday, saying in a video that he won't be able to make it to Baconfest because he’s filming in Vancouver. He said he appreciated the “hilarious effort” that went into trying to get him there. The Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce launched a soci
Lee Byung-hun recalls filming alongside Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke on ‘Magnificent Seven’

Sept 12, 2016

According to actor Lee Byung-hun, his character on the latest rendition of Western flick “The Magnificent Seven” is both “stylish and weighty.” 　While it is not every day that an Asian actor stars as one of the main protagonists in a Hollywood blockbuster, Lee says that he was not too preoccupied with the nature of the role.“I don’t necessary prefer playing a villain or a protagonist,” he said at the press screening for the film, directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Southpaw”), on Monday in southern Seou
“Little Men” wins top prize at Deauville film fest

Sept 12, 2016

RENNES, France (AFP) - “Little Men,” a drama about the friendship between two boys in New York, was awarded the Grand Prize at France‘s Deauville American Film Festival.Directed by Ira Sachs, the movie -- also shown at this year’s Sundance festival -- tells the story of a family who inherits a house in Brooklyn with the ground floor occupied by a dressmaker’s shop run by a Latin American woman.A friendship between Jake and Tony, the young boys from the two families, is put at risk after Jake’s p
Hollywood is dead, festivals more needed than ever: Kidman

Sept 12, 2016

TORONTO (AFP) -- Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman warned Sunday that Hollywood was facing new challenges in the era of online streaming, and needed festivals more than ever to get films noticed.“I don’t think there is a Hollywood anymore,” the Aussie star told a press conference in Toronto following the world premiere of “Lion,” from director Garth Davis.“We’re all scattered around the world and we make films all around the world and Hollywood is of some bygone era now, which is sad in a way,
James Cameron talks ‘Avatar’ sequels, Cirque du Soleil show

Sept 11, 2016

The first “Avatar” sequel is still years away from hitting movie theaters, but fans of the blue-hued Na’vi can get their fix at a touring Cirque du Soleil show that James Cameron helped create -- without his having to reveal too much of what is up his cinematic sleeve.Cameron, who plans four sequels starting in 2018, served as a consultant on “Toruk -- The First Flight,” a stadium show that opened in Montreal in November and has since toured North America.The writer and director suggested to the
‘Magnificent Seven’ remake kicks off Toronto film fest

Sept 9, 2016

TORONTO (AFP) -- Double Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and a motley band of gunslingers opened the Toronto film festival Thursday, blazing trails in a much-anticipated remake of the 1960 Western “The Magnificent Seven.”The film festival, which runs through Sept.18, is the largest in North America and has become a launchpad for Oscar-conscious studios and distributors, attracting hundreds of filmmakers and actors to the red carpet in Canada’s largest city.Nearly 400 feature and short films from 8
[Movie review] ‘Sully’ gets lift from Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood and strong script

Sept 9, 2016

Films based on real events and characters have not drummed up much box office business. For example, look at how little interest moviegoers showed in the story about miners trapped underground in “The 33” or boxer Roberto Duran in “Hands of Stone.”The majority of films based on real events are not like “Titanic,” where the sinking of the ship was the backdrop for a love story that lured millions. When audiences know how the story ends, they are hesitant to plop down the price of admission to wat
[Box Office] Latest movie releases

Sept 9, 2016

The Age of Shadows(Korea)Opened Sept. 7Thriller, action. Directed by Kim Jee-woonA group of independence fighters led by Kim Woo-jin (Gong Yoo) attempt to smuggle bombs into Korea’s capital during the Japanese occupation era when they detect a mole who has infiltrated their organization.The Map Against the World(Korea)Opened Sept. 7Drama. Directed by Kang Woo-suk Cartographer Kim Jeong-ho (Cha Seung-won) dreams of mapping the entire Korean Peninsula and distributing the maps to people for their
Portman plays Jackie Kennedy, her ‘most dangerous’ role

Sept 8, 2016

VENICE, Italy (AFP) - Natalie Portman said Wednesday that portraying a grief-stricken Jacqueline Kennedy was her “most dangerous” film role, as the piercing bio-drama “Jackie” entered the race for the Venice film festival‘s prestigious Golden Lion.Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain’s first English-language feature is an intimate look at the woman who shaped her famous husband‘s legacy, offsetting public images and audio recordings with an exploration of Jackie’s private side.The glossy drama starts
‘Operation Chromite’ to open on US military bases around world

Sept 8, 2016

LOS ANGELES (Yonhap) -- A South Korean film about the 1950-53 Korean War will be screened in U.S. military bases around the world, the film‘s North American distributor said Wednesday.The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the retailer on US Army and Air Force installations worldwide, has recently decided to open “Operation Chromite” in 71 cinemas under its control on Sept. 16, CJ Entertainment America said.The number breaks down to 33 in the United States and 38 in Britain, Germany, the Nethe
Controversy-ridden Busan film fest to open next month as scheduled

Sept 7, 2016

Busan International Film Festival, Asia’s largest film fest which has for the past two years been mired in controversy with the Busan Metropolitan Government, is set to take place Oct. 6-15 in Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan.The festival’s organizers announced this year’s lineup and addressed the latest developments in the festival’s fight for autonomy at press conferences in Busan and Seoul on Tuesday. “My main focus was that (BIFF) must open this year, and that we must preserve its ide
Poetic French tale ‘A Woman’s Life’ captivates Venice

Sept 7, 2016

VENICE (AFP) - The beautifully crafted “A Woman’s Life” by French director Stephane Brize about the tormented life of a baroness seduced the Venice film festival Tuesday, as it entered the race for the coveted Golden Lion.Brize, whose last film “The Measure of a Man” (2015) competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, winning best actor, here adapts the first novel written by 19th century author Guy de Maupassant into a rich period drama.Dark-haired Jeanne (played by Judith Chemla) is still brimming w