The Korea Herald

Director seeks funding for Sewol documentary

May 30, 2014

Korean-American director Kim Dong-bin seeks to make a documentary of the recent sinking of the Sewol through crowdfunding.Crowdfunding is a method of raising funds on the Internet with donations from the public to a variety of initiatives such as political or NGO campaigns, social business startups and art projects. Kim has posted his purpose and plans of the documentary “Upside Down” on American and Korean crowd funding websites Kickstarter and I-Seed, respectively.“‘Upside Down’ is a collabora
Brad Pitt attacked at ‘Maleficent’ premiere

May 29, 2014

Actors Angelina Jolie (left) and Brad Pitt attend the world premiere of Disney’s “Maleficent” at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California, Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap)LOS ANGELES (AP) ― A man was led away in handcuffs after attacking Brad Pitt on the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the movie “Maleficent.” Pitt was apparently unhurt and soon resumed signing autographs. Witnesses saw the man from the fan area jump over a barrier to the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on
Rediscovering ‘Love with an Alien’ on KOFA’s 40th Anniversary

May 26, 2014

The Korean Film Archive celebrated its 40th anniversary with a film festival that began last Thursday with the screening of a joint Hong Kong and Korean film, “Love with an Alien” (1958).It was the first-ever film jointly produced by Korea and Hong Kong, and also the oldest surviving color film archived in Korea. When the film was first rediscovered, the sound was lost and the picture was severely damaged. KOFA restored the picture and recreated the sound with live music and performances, creati
Turkish film ‘Winter Sleep’ wins top honor at Cannes

May 25, 2014

CANNES, France (AP) ― The richly ruminative Chekhovian drama “Winter Sleep” was awarded the Palme d’Or on Saturday, bestowing the Cannes Film Festival’s top honor on an intimate, wintery epic set on Turkey’s Anatolian steppe. Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan accepted the award, handed out by Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman at the French Riviera festival. In his speech, Ceylan alluded to anti-government protests in Istanbul that began a year ago and have raged following a recent mining disaster that
Box office

May 23, 2014

Maleficent (the U.S.)Opening May 29Action, adventure, family. Directed by Robert Stromberg.In this hidden story behind Disney’s classic “Sleeping Beauty,” Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) becomes a vindictive fairy when her forest kingdom is invaded by a human kingdom. In order to exact revenge, she wages a war against the human kingdom and places an irreversible curse on infant princess Aurora (Elle Fanning). But as the princess grows up, Maleficent realizes that Aurora is the only one who can resto
‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ merges old and new

May 23, 2014

Marvel’s X-Men franchise involves multiple characters, multiple aliases, multiple story lines, comic books, TV shows, seven blockbuster feature films and a legacy of esoterica dating back to 1963. One would need an Anti-Perplexity Superpower to keep all the history straight.Now, they’re mutating history itself.“Days of Future Past,” which brings the latest X-venture to theaters Friday, involves traveling through time, changing the past and several characters meeting not only younger versions of
Cannes veteran Ken Loach says making films ‘hard job to give up’

May 23, 2014

CANNES, France (AFP) ― Cannes veteran Ken Loach returned to the festival on Thursday with “Jimmy’s Hall,” the story of a 1930s political activist and his dance hall in rural Ireland, which may ― or may not ― be his last film.Loach, 77, who holds the record for bringing more films to Cannes than any other film-maker, had said “Jimmy’s Hall” would be his feature film swansong so he could dedicate himself to documentary making.But Loach ― who has always shunned Hollywood in favor of the artistic fr
‘Dohee-ya’ to be released in France

May 23, 2014

Korean movie “Dohee-ya (A Girl at My Door)” will be released in France amid growing interest in Cannes, officials said Friday. French film company Epicentre will distribute the movie no later than this year, the company said. It will be provided to about 60 movie theaters in the country, it added. (OSEN)Dohee-ya has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival as part of the non-competitive section, and been highly praised by film critics. The movie, starring Bae Doo-na and 15-year-old Kim Sae-ron,
‘My Sweet Orange Tree’: Outgrowing childhood

May 22, 2014

Film adaptations of novels have both strengths and weaknesses. While they enjoy reader’s high expectations even before their release, they have to go through the fate of continuously being compared to the original. “My Sweet Orange Tree,” an international childhood classic, will be no exception when it is released in Korea next Friday.The Brazilian novel “My Sweet Orange Tree” was written by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos in 1968. The main character Zeze (Joao Guilherme Avila) is the author himself r
‘Late Spring’ wins Best Film in Milan

May 22, 2014

A scene from “Late Spring.” ( Studio Hook)The Korean film “Late Spring” won the Best Film, Best Acting Performance Female and Best Cinematography awards at the Milano International Film Festival, which ended on May 12, the movie’s producer Studio Hook said.“Late Spring,” helmed by “26 Years” director Cho Keun-hyun, follows the story of a young model (Lee Yoo-young) who helps a paralyzed sculptor (Park Yong-woo) find his artistic passion and meaning in life. Lee won the award for best actress for
‘Star Wars’ fans to get chance at cameo

May 22, 2014

J.J. Abrams. (AFP)LOS ANGELES (AP) ― “Star Wars: Episode VII” director J.J. Abrams is giving fans a shot at a cameo in the film that’s set to be released next year. Disney, Lucasfilm and Bad Robot have teamed up for a campaign to raise funds for UNICEF. Abrams announced the initiative in a video from the set of the movie in Abu Dhabi. For every $10 donation at Omaze.com/StarWars, contributors will become eligible to appear in the film when it shoots in London. The campaign began just after midni
Filming begins in Detroit for Superman-Batman film

May 22, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Warner Bros. Pictures says filming has started in Detroit for “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” starring Henry Cavill, reprising his role as Clark Kent-Superman, and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne-Batman. The studio said Wednesday the action feature directed by Zack Snyder will also star Israel-born actress Gal Gadot as Diana Prince-Wonder Woman; Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther; Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s loyal guardian; and Holly Hunter in a newly created role. Amy A
Korean artist behind icy magic of ‘Frozen’

May 21, 2014

The long, turquoise blue dress of Queen Elsa from the movie “Frozen” seems to be the hottest fashion item among kindergarteners in Korea, months after the film finished its wildly successful run here.But few know that the shimmer and glitter of the famous gown is the work of a young Korean artist, who, many years back, was just a typical Korean teenager playing the computer game StarCraft for hours on end. “It took one and a half years just to complete (the effects on) the dress,” Yoo Jae-hyun,
Carell surprise, British biopic lead race for Cannes gold

May 20, 2014

CANNES, France (AFP) ― A Hollywood wrestling drama, a British biopic of an iconic artist and an intimate Turkish look at a troubled marriage led the pack on Tuesday for the top prize at Cannes. Halfway through the competition, critics cheered for a few stand-out pictures among 18 contenders vying for the coveted Palme d’Or in what they called a surprise-filled year at the world’s premier film festival. An international critics’ poll in British film magazine Screen had Mike Leigh’s “Mr. Turner” a
Jones brings ‘women’s Western’ to Cannes

May 19, 2014

Cannes, France (AFP) ― Tommy Lee Jones on Sunday premiered his Cannes contender “The Homesman,” a women-driven Western starring fellow Oscar winners Hilary Swank and Meryl Streep that turns the genre on its head. The film, which drew warm applause and largely positive reviews after a press preview, marked Jones’ second directorial outing at the world’s top film festival, following 2005’s “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.” Like that film, “The Homesman” takes a critical look at the defini