The Districts are in revolt. People are being shot simply for raising their hands and whistling ― not because they’re trying to hail a cab (they’re too poor), but as a symbol of solidarity and protest.And Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) ― the girl from Appalachia with the fierce eyes, daunting archery skills and multi-demographic fan base ― is making trouble.“She’s become a beacon of hope for the rebellion,” a worried President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) confides to the new head ga

Nobody ever accused Spike Lee of an overabundance of subtlety. He’s an unapologetically bold filmmaker, one who hasn’t shied away from using a tattered American flag or a “Dead End” sign as hard-to-miss metaphors. But this also works to his benefit: Lee’s films rarely fail to leave an impression. So that Lee would take on a remake ― or “reinterpretation,” as he calls it ― of Park Chan-wook’s grotesque revenge melodrama “Oldboy” is perhaps fitting. He’s one of few filmmakers who would take the or

Korean animator Yeon Sang-ho’s latest film “The Fake” won Best Animated Film Award at Festival Internacional de Cide de Gijon, an annual international film festival held in Gijon, Spain.The film, the second feature-length work by Yeon, is a powerful tale of truth and deception, taking place in a rural Korean town on the verge of being flooded. It competed against 10 films in the section, and shared the prize with American animator Bill Plympton’s “Cheatin.”The movie’s plot develops as the villag

The 34th annual Blue Dragon Film Awards on Friday night recognized some of the film industry’s best including the top winner this year, the intensely dramatic “Wish.” Directed by Lee Joon-ik and starring Sol Kyung-gu and Uhm Ji-won, the film is based on the true story of an 8-year-old rape victim known to the public as “Na-young.” Although “Wish” caused controversy when it was released earlier last month because the story revolves around real-life events, the film took home the Best Film award a

Hunger GamesOpened Nov. 21Fantasy. Action. Directed by Francis Lawrence. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) inspired an uprising among the people of post-apocalyptic Panem against the oppressive rule of the Capitol when they broke rules and both emerged as winners of the annual Hunger Games. To quell the rebellious movements churning in the nation, the Capitol forces Katniss and Peeta to participate in a special edition of the Hunger Games. The strongest vic

As a film writer I get to see a lot of movies before they hit theaters ― not all, or I’d have no life. Despite having seen nearly a dozen on our holiday list, there are a number of films I’m still greatly looking forward to seeing over the next six weeks.The Thanksgiving period brings Disney’s charming and eye-popping animated 3-D musical “Frozen,” which has one guaranteed showstopper, “Let It Go,” sung by “Wicked’s” Idina Menzel. The studio also has the sweet comedy “Delivery Man” starring Vinc

Seven Cannes and Berlinale winners have been included in the lineup of the upcoming 2013 Cinecube Premiere Festival, the event’s organizers announced this week. The festival, hosted by Cinecube, one of the best known art house theaters in Seoul, offers moviegoers a chance to enjoy the Korean premiere of critically acclaimed works scheduled to be released in local theaters in December or early next year.A total of 15 films will be screened throughout the festival. Five Cannes winners will be scre

Filmmaker, actress, singer and artist Ku Hye-sun is up for a new challenge.She is to write, direct and star in her next movie project titled “Daughter.” It is her first time taking up the three roles all at the same time.The film is said to be about a difficult relationship between an abusive, demanding mother and her daughter. Veteran actress Shim Hye-jin has been cast to play the mother, while Ku will be playing the tormented daughter.Ku, who broke into the Korean entertainment industry in the

In 2004, Jang Mi-jeong, a Korean housewife, was arrested upon her arrival at Paris Orly Airport. She had been asked by her husband’s friend, whom she had known for more than 10 years, to take a bag of diamonds to France. Turns out, what was in the bag was some 17 kg of cocaine.An upcoming movie, titled “Way Back Home,” features the 2004 case, which led Jang to serve two years in prison in Martinique, an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea and one of the 27 overseas regions of France, for drug sm