LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Ben Affleck will direct a stand-alone “Batman” movie, says Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara. 　 Affleck portrayed the caped crusader in this year’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and had been rumored to be the studio’s top choice. Tsujihara confirmed the studio was moving forward with him in the director’s seat Tuesday at CinemaCon, an annual gathering of theater owners in Las Vegas. 　 Actor Ben Affleck, cast as Batman, waves as he arrives for the red carpet e

BURBANK, California (AP) –- “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” took the top prize at the 25th annual MTV Movie Awards.　The audience at Warner Bros. Studios waved what looked like red and blue light sabers as star Daisy Ridley and director J.J. Abrams accepted the final golden popcorn trophy at Saturday night's ceremony.　The prize capped off the irreverent awards show, which presents fan-voted film awards and touts upcoming releases.  Writer-director J.J. Abrams and actress Daisy Ridley accept the Mo

Insane　(Korea)　Opened April 7　Mystery/Thriller. Directed by Lee Cheol-ha　Kang Soo-ah (Kang Ye-won) is admitted to a mental institution against her will and administered various mind-altering drugs by force. Kang begins to keep a record of her experiences, later discovered by TV producer Na Nam-soo (Lee Sang-yoon). Upon investigation, Nam discovers a horrifying truth.  　Steel Flower　(Korea)　Opened April 7　Drama. Directed by Park Suk-young　A girl, Hadam (Jeong Ha-dam) lives on the streets alone. I

Few actors, male or female, are better at portraying an innate sense of mystery than the great French actress Isabelle Huppert. Her face seems to hold dozens of expressions all at once. You get the sense that there’s always something deeper underneath -- and that you’ll never really know all of it.　And so it should be little surprise that Huppert is the most watchable and, yes, mysterious element of “Louder Than Bombs,” by Norwegian director Joachim Trier -- even though her character is already

BIFF in limbo as dispute over autonomy, freedom of expression persists

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- A Technicolor scientist surrounded by the latest virtual reality technology inspects a vial containing a few droplets of water -- and 1 million copies of an old movie encoded into DNA.　The company has come a long way since the Hollywood golden age, when the world gazed in awe at the lush palette of “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone with the Wind” provided by its three-strip cameras.　Now celebrating its centenary year, Technicolor’s laboratories are at the cutting edge of the scie

Actress Han Hyo-joo gives noteworthy performance as envy-stricken, wronged songstress

Actor Song Joong-ki will return to the big screen in director Ryoo Seung-wan’s upcoming film “Battleship Island.”　The film will depict the story of 400 Koreans who were taken to Battleship Island -- also known as Hashima Island -- to carry out forced labor during the Japanese colonial era. They desperately try to escape from the island.Song Joong-ki stars in “Descendants of the Sun” (KBS2)　Song will play the role of a soldier in the Korean Liberation Army fighting for Korea’s independence from J

Backed by huge Hollywood investments, the country’s most acclaimed filmmakers are returning to the big screen

HONG KONG (AFP) - A controversial movie about the future of Hong Kong won the top prize at the city's film awards Sunday, after being a local box office hit but antagonizing Beijing over its portrayal of the semi-autonomous territory in 2025.　“Ten Years” scooped the “Best Film” prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards, following a short cinema release that was widely believed to have been curtailed for political reasons.　The film is made up of a series of five vignettes that tap residents’ worst fears