PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ― An Academy Award nomination is an incomparable stamp of approval for any film ― and for an indie feature coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, in some cases, it’s a downright miracle.The festival, which kicked off last week in Park City, Utah, has had a scattered record with the Oscars, but its track record for the night’s top award ― best picture ― has been steadily improving over the past few years.This year, “Whiplash” and “Boyhood” ― both Sundance premieres ― are a

Few moments in Cold War mythology were as thrilling as the U.S. hockey team’s 1980 Olympic defeat of a superior club of Soviet players who personified the skill and collective beauty the communist world held up as a buttress to the freedoms and capitalist temptations of the West.The Americans won the gold medal in Lake Placid, New York, in a fairy tale known as the Miracle on Ice. Heroes were born, advertising contracts signed. But thousands of miles away behind the Iron Curtain, the Soviet play

Big Hero 6 (U.S.)Opened Jan. 21Animation, Action, Comedy. Directed by Don Hall, Chris WilliamsInspired by the Marvel comic of the same name, “Big Hero 6” is an animation produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios, the creator of “Frozen” and “Tangled.” Set in the fictional city of San Fransokyo -- a futuristic hybrid of San Francisco and Tokyo -- the story centers on a 14-year-old robotics prodigy named Hiro (Ryan Potter). He, together with his fluffy, lovable, rubber-skinned robot Baymax and

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Actor Lee Min-ho’s new film is all about blood, money and betrayal

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” blasted into first place with a massive $107 million on its debut weekend at the North American box office, a record for a January opening, industry figures showed Tuesday.The war drama, based on the true story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, has racked up six Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor for star Bradley Cooper. But the film ― on its first weekend in wide release ― also triggered a heated online debate about patriotism,

Amazon is getting into the movie business.Amazon Studios announced Monday that it will significantly expand into movie production by acquiring films for theatrical release and early-window streaming through its subscription service, Amazon Prime Instant Video. A key part of the new venture is to shrink what’s historically been a three-month window reserved for theaters, instead getting movies to its website four to eight weeks after theatrical release.Roy Price, vice president of Amazon Studios,

Oscar winner talks feature film directorial debut in first visit to Korea

PASADENA, California (AP) ― Whitney Houston’s family says the singer’s fans should “brace themselves for the worst” if they watch Lifetime’s television movie about the late singer that premiered Saturday.Pat Houston, president of the singer’s estate and her sister-in-law, issued a critical statement about the movie on Houston’s website on the eve of the movie’s airing. She said the movie was done without the family’s blessing and against the wishes of her mother.“If you watch this movie, watch i

Paddington Bear. How well we know him. He’s cuddly, he’s loyal, he’s sensitive. He’s well-traveled ― but loves to stay home, too. And he can whip up a mean homemade marmalade. As Mom would say, what’s not to love? And one can say precisely the same of the engaging new “Paddington,” written and directed by Paul King and based of course on the famous 1958 book by Michael Bond. It doesn’t try to be too clever. Or too sweet. Or too dark, for that matter, though there’s plenty of mischief, thanks to

Gangnam 1970 (Korea)Opening Jan. 21Action, Drama. Directed by Yoo HaThe final installment of director Yoo Ha’s “street series” trilogy, this noir action flick is set against the backdrop of an exploding real estate market in Seoul’s Gangnam district in the 1970s, a turbulent era under the dictatorship of military strongman Park Chung-hee. When two childhood friends, Kim Jong-dae (Lee Min-ho) and Baek Yong-ki (Kim Rae-won), are forced to become enemies, misunderstanding, revenge and conspiracy en

“Birdman.” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)Two extravagant comedies, “Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” dominated nominations for the 87th annual Academy Awards with nine nods each, while “Boyhood” remained the widely acknowledged front-runner. The three films were nominated for best picture on Thursday along with “Whiplash,” “The Theory of Everything,” “The Imitation Game,” “American Sniper” and “Selma.” The eight films, mostly more modestly sized movies dwarfed by Hollywood’s stampede of bigg

Hoping to ride on the mega success of “Frozen” in Korea, the creative team behind Disney’s new animation film “Big Hero 6” touted the upcoming movie’s many connections to Korea.In a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday, the film’s producer Roy Conli said that Korea was the most “exciting market in the world right now.” “The 3-D and 4-D technology in (Korean) theaters is amazing. I think the theme of the film ― kids who use science to tackle problems ― will really appeal to the Korean audience.”

Randall Park. (AP-Yonhap)PASADENA, California (AP) ― “The Interview” actor Randall Park says he’s glad the film was finally released and he’s ready to move on to his next role as a suburban dad in an ABC sitcom. Park, who played North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the movie at the center of the Sony hacking incident, was asked at a Television Critics Association meeting Wednesday if he feared any personal fallout. “I was never worried for my safety or getting hacked during that process,” he said.