The Korea Herald

Oscar-tipped 'Leviathan' gets major release in Russia defying criticism

Feb 6, 2015

Russia's Oscar-tipped "Leviathan" was released in its home country on Thursday, showing on hundreds of screens in a censored version following harsh criticism from officials and Orthodox clerics. Andrei Zvyagintsev's bleak social drama, widely predicted to win best foreign-language film at this month's Oscars, was released on 650 screens across Russia, several months after it came out in the West. The film, a searing critique of Vladimir Putin's Russia, was set for release in November but was
Sony says studio hack cost $15 mln, trims loss forecast

Feb 5, 2015

Sony Corp. trimmed its forecast of losses and estimates the Sony Pictures hack cost it about $15 million, but expects no significant harm from the cyberattack in the long run. Sony also issued new earnings forecasts for the fiscal year ending in March and said it was benefiting from strong sales of the PlayStation 4, other devices and network services. The hack became public in December when the Hollywood studio's computers were crippled and sensitive documents were posted online. "We don't exp
Disney has magical 1st quarter on 'Frozen,' parks revenue

Feb 4, 2015

Disney might be lapping the hugely successful theatrical release of "Frozen," but magic lives on in its media networks and parks and resorts. Revenue from Disney parks and resorts rose 9 percent to $3.9 billion in the last three months of 2014, as more people visited its California and Florida properties than in any quarter and spent more money there. In an interview with CNBC, CEO Bob Iger said the entertainment company is seeing no discernible impact on attendance or bookings from the measle
Local film industry passes W2tr milestone

Feb 3, 2015

The Korean film industry enjoyed the most vibrant year in its history, raking in over 2 trillion won ($1.84 billion) in box-office sales for the first time. The sales increased by 7.6 percent from the previous year thanks to box office revenues and overseas and digital sales, according to the state-run Korean Film Council’s yearly report. The record-breaking figure was mainly buoyed by the robust box office sales, which accounted for about 82 percent of the total sales, and a rapidly growing dig
Cancer movie wins top prize at Sundance Film Festival

Feb 1, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” a moving drama about a teenager who befriends a classmate with cancer, won the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.The U.S. documentary award meanwhile went to “The Wolfpack,” while in the non-U.S. categories the main prizes went to a Scottish filmmaker and a movie about Ukraine’s ongoing struggle in the shadow of its former Soviet masters. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.” (Sundance Film Festival)Sundance winners regularly go
All-star actress roster to light up 65th Berlin film fest

Feb 1, 2015

BERLIN, (AFP) ― New movies starring Juliette Binoche, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren and Lea Seydoux will put women in the spotlight when they premiere at the 65th Berlin film festival starting Thursday.The 11-day event in the frosty German capital, the first major cinema showcase in Europe each year, will begin with Oscar winner Binoche playing Josephine Peary, who accompanied her explorer husband Robert on treacherous Arctic expeditions, in “Nobody Wants the Night.”The film is dir
‘Black or White’ finds dramatic promise in gray areas of American race relations

Jan 30, 2015

“Selma” wasn’t the only film about race to get short shrift from Oscar voters this past year. “Black or White” is a frank, touching and very well-acted melodrama about child custody and cultural perceptions of “blackness” and “the race card,” and could have earned Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner fresh Oscar nominations.Mike Binder’s latest teaming with Costner has more anger, mixed with alcoholism and a bitterness that may mask racism.Elliot Anderson (Costner) tells his granddaughter Eloise (J
Box Office: Jupiter Ascending, Big Hero 6, Gangnam 1970

Jan 30, 2015

Jupiter Ascending (U.S., Australia)Opening Feb. 5Adventure, SF. Directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski The Wachowski brothers, credited with the hit movies “The Matrix” and “Cloud Atlas,” are delivering another mind-boggling sci-fi thriller, “Jupiter Ascending.” When Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), a miserable Chicago-born janitor, encounters Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered military man, she finds out that she is a royalty and destined to rule the Earth. She is the only person who
A chupacabra in Japan? Depp says it came from his suitcase

Jan 29, 2015

TOKYO (AP) ― Johnny Depp has recovered from a cold. And a chupacabra attack.The 51-year-old actor was all smiles while joking Wednesday with journalists in Tokyo about why he was a no-show at a news conference a day earlier. Depp explained he had been ill but said that wasn’t the reason. U.S. actor Johnny Depp poses for photographs with fans as he arrives for the premiere of “Mortdecai” in Tokyo on Tuesday. (Yonhap)“I was attacked yesterday morning by a very rarely seen or experienced animal cal
Diversity at Sundance doesn’t carry over to Hollywood

Jan 28, 2015

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ― One of the most buzzed-about movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival is “Dope,” a coming-of-age story about three outcasts in the inner city. Written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa and featuring a diverse cast of actors, the film spawned a bidding war before domestic and international distributions rights were snapped up late Monday.But when Famuyiwa and his producing partners, including Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams, initially shopped the film around to Hollyw
Director Bong Joon-ho among Berlin's jury

Jan 28, 2015

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho of "Snowpiercer" has been named as an international jury member of this year's Berlin Film Festival, the festival's executive committee said.This marks the second time that a Korean national has been appointed to be the festival's jury member since actress Lee Young-ae in 2006. Bong's name was included on the six-member jury led by Darren Aronofsky, best known for "Black Swan" and"Noah," announcedTuesday on the festival's official website.The other members of t
Chinese remake of S. Korean box-office hit tops 10 mln viewers

Jan 27, 2015

The Chinese remake of the popular South Korean film "Miss Granny" has surpassed 10 million viewers in China, the movie's South Korean co-producer said Tuesday.Since its release on Jan. 8 in 5,500 theaters across China, the Chinese-language film with the same English title, "Miss Granny," had been watched by 10,203,153 people as of Sunday, CJ E&M said.It became the first South Korean-Chinese co-production film seen by more than 10 million people and the 11th most-viewed romantic comedy film in Ch
‘Birdman’ wins PGA best film ahead of Oscars

Jan 26, 2015

LOS ANGELES, (AFP) ― Dark comedy “Birdman” took home best movie at the Producers Guild Awards Saturday, boosting its status ahead of the much-anticipated Oscars next month. The film, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, beat industry favorites and leading Academy Awards contenders including coming-of-age tale “Boyhood,” stylish crime caper “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and World War II code-breaking thriller “The Imitation Game.” “I feel humbled by this. All these films nominated this year have
Busan film fest chief pressured to resign

Jan 26, 2015

The organizing committee of the Busan International Film Festival is locking horns with the host city after Busan demanded the resignation of the festival’s chief organizer in what movie industry insiders see as an attempt by the city to undermine the independence of Korea’s most successful festival. Busan City openly called for the resignation of Lee Yong-kwan, the festival’s director since 2010 along with the release of its audit results on the festival organization. Lee Yong-kwan, director o
'Han Gong-ju' picked as best film of 2014 by Korean film reporters

Jan 26, 2015

The Korean film reporters' association said Monday that it has chosen "Han Gong-ju," a film about the life of a high school girl, as the best homegrown picture of 2014.The feature film by director Lee Su-jin was chosen to win Best Picture from the Korea Film Reporters Association, beating out the latest box-office sensations "Roaring Currents" and "Ode to My Father." Chun Woo-hee won the Best Actress award for "Han Gong-ju."The movie has been highly acclaimed at home and abroad, picking up top p