Kwak Kyung-taek’s new feature spotlights the value of integrity

The Classified File (Korea)Opening June 18Crime. Directed by Kwak Kyung-taekWhen a Busan detective named Gil-young (Kim Yun-seok) is asked by a prominent businessman to lead up the investigation of his daughter’s kidnapping, he decides to run the investigation completely underground to deceive the perpetrator. While waging political conflicts within the agency, Gil-young enlists the help of a fortune-teller named Joong-san (Yoo Hae-jin) who has an uncanny ability to predict how events will unfol

A Thousand Horses brash on ‘Southernality’A Thousand Horses“Southernality”(Republic Nashville)Southern rock specialists A Thousand Horses pride themselves on being influenced by some of the genre’s greats, such as The Black Crowes and The Allman Brothers. You can hear those influences throughout their latest album, “Southernality.”Push play on the album’s first track, “First Time,” and the listener is treated to a raucous keyboard-fueled song that is uncomfortably close to Black Crowes’ “Jealous

You can’t make a movie out of the tragicomic novel “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” without the perfect, terminally-ill final third character in that title. The film’s director, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon cast about and found someone in a genre that both he and she are well-versed in ― horror.“It’s a very expressive genre,” says Gomez-Rejon, who directed episodes of TV’s “American Horror Story” and the big screen “The Town That Dreaded Sundown.” He found his “Dying Girl” on TV’s “Bates Motel.” But youn

Actress, singer-songwriter and film director Ku Hye-sun is slated to drop a New Age album Friday, her label YG Entertainment said Tuesday. The upcoming album “Breath 2 ― After 10 Years, 100 Years” arrives six years after her last album, “Breath,” in 2009. All 13 songs of the album are composed and written by Ku. She wanted to depict changing seasons and the solitude of life and love through the album.  Ku Hye-sun. (Korea Herald file photo)The soundtracks of her self-directed films, 2012’s “The P

K-pop singer Yunho will enlist for his mandatory military service on July 21, according to an official announcement by his agency Tuesday.Yunho, whose full name is Jung Yun-ho, is a member of K-pop duo TVXQ, which is managed by SM Entertainment.“Yunho will take part in boot camp for five weeks before serving in his active military service for 21 months,” his agency said. YunhoThe singer wishes to enlist quietly and has hence declined to disclose the specific time and location where he will repor

Seeing the hidden city of Gojo through director Jang Kun-jae’s eyes

A survey of 10,447 moviegoers conducted by Maxmovie on May 11 and 12 showed that actors Song Kang-ho and Jeon Do-yeon were considered the best actors by Korean audiences.In the male category, Song Kang-ho (known for films like 2013’s “Snowpiercer”) was followed by Choi Min-sik (“Oldboy” from 2003) and Ha Jung-woo (2013’s “The Berlin File”). In the female category, Jeon Do-yeon, whose movie “The Shameless” was recently screened at the Cannes Film Festival‘s Un Certain Regard section, was closely

Perfect Proposal (Korea)Opened June 4Romance. Directed by Yoon Jae-guJi-yeon (Lim Soo-jung) is a woman at the end of her rope. Having been betrayed by her friend, she is pursued by loan sharks when she meets Seong-yeol (Yoo Yeon-seok), an assistant to the head of a powerful casino group. Seong-yeol suggests that Ji-yeon captivate the group’s president and become a real-life Cinderella, offering her help in exchange for half her inheritance if she succeeds. Ji-yeon is drawn to Seong-yeol’s perfec

Hong Kong movie fails to deliver despite stellar pan-Asian cast including Ji Jin-hee, Choi Si-won

123 actors play man who wakes up with a new appearance every morning

Lim Soo-jung is impressive in her long-awaited return, but she can’t save the movie

Well-known Hallyu or Korean Wave star Won Bin who gained popularity for his role in the popular TV series "Autumn in My Heart," married actress Lee Na-young on Saturday, their agency said.The wedding was held in Won Bin's hometown of Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, with only select family members and close friends invited, Eden9 Entertainment Co. Ltd. said in a news release.(Yonhap)The two have been in a relationship for years which was first officially confirmed by the agency in 2013."It was a sma

Perfect Proposal (Korea)Opening June 4Romance. Directed by Yoon Jae-guJi-yeon (Lim Soo-jung) is a woman at the end of her rope. After being betrayed by her friend, she is being chased down by loan sharks when she meets Seong-yeol (Yoo Yeon-seok), an assistant to the head of a powerful casino group. Seong-yeol suggests that Ji-yeon captivate the group’s president and become a real-life Cinderella, offering her help in exchange for half her inheritance if she succeeds. Ji-yeon is drawn to Seong-ye

The Arab Film Festival is set to open on June 4 under the slogan of “Journey Through the Arab.”The festival, now in its fourth year, has announced a lineup of 10 films to be screened through June 10 at the Arthouse MOMO at Ewha Womans University and the Busan Cinema Center. The list includes films from both established, award-winning Arab directors and up-and-coming new faces which show various sides of Arab society.“Since the Arab Spring, Arab films have undergone a dramatic change,” noted Kim