The Korea Herald

John Gotti biopic starring Travolta to be shot in Cincinnati

Jul 15, 2016

CINCINNATI (AP) -- A biopic on the life of New York mob boss John Gotti starring John Travolta is set to begin filming in Cincinnati later this month.Travolta will play the title character in “The Life and Death of John Gotti.” His real-life wife, Kelly Preston, will play Gotti’s wife.The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Film Commission says filmmakers are taking advantage of Ohio’s revised Motion Picture Tax Credit, which reimburses out-of-state movie producers for some expenses.Gotti w
[Herald Review] Not much left alive in ‘Train to Busan’

Jul 14, 2016

Contorting creatures are star of Cannes-invited thriller
By letting camera roll, film gives rare view of North Korea

Jul 14, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- The conditions placed on director Vitaly Mansky for shooting a film in North Korea were severe. For what was ostensibly to be a “documentary,” North Korea would supply the script. The state would choose the subjects, too, as well as the location of all scenes. He would be accompanied at all times by several state officials who would control the production. And North Korea would have final say on any footage that was used. Yet even in these impossible circumstances, Mansky manage
Liam Neeson explains decision to star in Korean War film

Jul 13, 2016

Celebrated Irish actor felt intimidated by the responsibility of playing much-revered U.S. Army general, impressed by co-star Lee Jung-jae
Jennifer Aniston: I’m not pregnant; I’m fed up with tabloids

Jul 13, 2016

Jennifer Aniston says she’s not pregnant and she’s fed up with predatory tabloid culture that defines women by their looks and maternal status. In an essay published Tuesday in the Huffington Post, Aniston says constant paparazzi coverage contributes to a “dehumanizing view of females, focused solely on one’s physical appearance.” She says the further speculation over whether she looks as though she’s pregnant or may have eaten too much “reflects the warped way we calculate a woman’s worth.”She
Hungarian film wins top prize at Czech festival

Jul 10, 2016

PRAGUE (AFP) -- Hungarian film “It’s Not The Time Of My Life” won the top prize at the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary film festival on Saturday, the organizers said.The Crystal Globe award winner directed by Szabolcs Hajdu (“White Palms,” “Bibliotheque Pascal”) is a study of two families forced to share a flat. American actor Willem Dafoe, the star of “Platoon,” “Shadow of the Vampire” and “The Last Temptation of Christ,” received the Crystal Globe at the festival earlier on for his contribution
Re-enter the dragon: Hong Kong’s movie new wave

Jul 10, 2016

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Shoot the film you’ve always wanted on a shoestring budget or sell out and make a blockbuster? It is a dilemma Hong Kong directors frequently face as mainland China’s lucrative movie industry beckons.Now, with concerns growing about Beijing's increasing influence on Hong Kong, some filmmakers are defying commercial and political pressures to produce homegrown movies with a local voice -- and inject new life into the city’s cinema scene.Hong Kong once pumped out at least 200 fi
Damon talks reprising Jason Bourne role at 45

Jul 8, 2016

　After nine years, Hollywood mega star Matt Damon is reprising his hit blockbuster role as the infamous memory-loss-stricken CIA assassin Jason Bourne in the franchise series’ upcoming film.　The upcoming “Jason Bourne” film marks the fourth installment of the popular Bourne series and is slated to hit local theaters on July 27. The movie comes nearly a decade after “The Bourne Ultimatum” and 14 years since the franchise’s first flick, “The Bourne Identity.” Matt Damon (right) and “Jason Bourne”
Movie review: ‘Tarzan’ is dull, out-of-touch

Jul 8, 2016

The vine-swinging character of Tarzan first appeared on the silver screen nearly 100 years ago, in 1918. Which is perhaps why this 2016 reboot, “The Legend of Tarzan,” feels woefully out of touch. There’s only so much updating that can be done to an Edgar Rice Burroughs tale about an Englishman raised in the African jungles by gorillas, a wild man who communes with animals. And who, exactly, was clamoring for a reboot of this property?　Writers Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer have decided that the wa
[Box Office] Latest movie releases

Jul 8, 2016

　Seondal: The Man who Sells the River　(Korea)　Opened July 6　Historical, Adventure. Directed by Park Dae-min　　Charming, genius swindler Kim Seon-dal (Yoo Seung-ho) and his team of con artists (Ko Chang-seok, Ra Mi-ran, Xiumin) decide to steal a large batch of tobacco, a much-prized good in the Joseon era. 　　Finding Dory　(U.S.)　Opened July 6　Animation, Adventure. Directed by Andrew Stanton　　Dory, a comically amnesiac regal blue tang (Ellen DeGeneres), one day dreams about her parents and embarks
Summer thriller ‘Tunnel’ has much to say about humanity

Jul 7, 2016

Without any warning, the humdrum of the most ordinary lives can come crashing down -- literally. This is the premise behind the much anticipated upcoming summer film “Tunnel,” starring actors Ha Jung-woo, Bae Doona and Oh Dal-su.Directed by Kim Seong-hun, “Tunnel” chronicles one man’s seemingly unending fight for survival after a tunnel crashes down as he is returning home. Played by Ha, who recently gained international recognition from the film “The Handmaiden,” the main character Lee Jung-soo
'Captain Fantastic’ features a Swiss Family Robinson of today

Jul 7, 2016

CANNES, France (AP) - In “Captain Fantastic,” Viggo Mortensen plays one of the all-time great movie dads. Holed away in a remote Pacific Northwest teepee, he’s raising six children like a bookish, yoga-practicing Swiss Family Robinson. The children, well-behaved and smart, are equally adept at skinning a deer and reading “The Brothers Karamazov” by the campfire. They pine after boning knives like most kids do iPhones.“Captain Fantastic,” a hit on the festival circuit, has resonated with audience
Escobar’s brother asks to review new season of ‘Narcos’

Jul 7, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The brother of the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar has asked Netflix if he can review the second season of the hit series “Narcos” before its release.Roberto Escobar said in a statement released on Tuesday by Escobar Inc. that he had sent Netflix a “friendly request” to review the material “solely on an informational basis.”“It is depicting me, my life, my family and my brother,” the statement said. “I think nobody else in the world is alive to determine the validity o
Lee Byung-hun collects Star Asia Award at New York film fest

Jul 6, 2016

Korean Lee Byung-hun received the Star Asia Award at the 15th New York Asian Film Festival, his agency said Wednesday.Recognized for his contribution to Asian films and Hollywood productions, Lee was one of the award's three recipients along with Hong Kong's Miriam Yeung and John Lloyd Cruz of the Philippines. (Yonhap)Lee picked up the award at the ceremony that preceded the New York premiere of his latest work, Korean political thriller "Inside Men," at the Lincoln Center. After the screening,
Filmmaker: 'Run Off,' distinctive sequel to 2009 box office hit

Jul 6, 2016

KM Culture Co., the studio behind the 2009 box office success "Take Off" about the national ski jumping team, returned to the local film market with a sequel. The forthcoming sports drama flick follows the formation of Korea's first-ever national female ice hockey team and its unlikely challenge for a medal in the 2003 Asian Winter Games in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The director of "Run Off," Kim Jong-hyun, said on Wednesday that he felt no extra pressure due to the preceding film's popularity w