The Korea Herald

Time-bending mob story to open Toronto film fest

Jul 25, 2012

OTTAWA (AFP) ― The Toronto film festival will open this year with Rian Johnson’s sci-fi mob thriller “Looper” and see new works by Ben Affleck, Dustin Hoffman and Joss Whedon, organizers said Tuesday.“I saw Rian’s debut feature ‘Brick’ (2005) at the Sundance festival and was impressed by his ability to engage both the mind and the heart,” said Toronto film festival director Cameron Bailey.“We were fortunate enough to premiere his follow-up film ‘The Brothers Bloom’ (in 2008).”“Now, with ‘Looper,
Acclaimed actresses began as models

Jul 25, 2012

Did you ever wonder what happens to the superstar model once she’s glittered for her last close-up? Well some of them, like Carman Dell’Orefice, just keep on posing. The white-haired Dell’Orefice has been modeling since 1947 and is still slouching with the best of them.HBO is offering an intimate view of some of the world’s most famous faces when it premieres the documentary, “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now” at 9 p.m. EDT July 30.But “now” is not always the end of the runway. Many models a
Korean film invited to Venice film fest

Jul 25, 2012

“The Weight,” a new South Korean film starring veteran actor Jo Jae-hyun, has been invited to a non-competitive section of this year‘s Venice International Film Festival, its local distributor said Wednesday.The movie will be presented in the “Venice Days” section of the 69th film festival set to open on Aug. 29, New said.The drama portrays joys and sorrows of human life through a man (played by Jo) with a painful personal history.Its director Jeon Kyu-hwan has been invited to more than 30 overs
Christian Bale visits victims of Aurora shooting

Jul 25, 2012

He didn‘t come in the Batsuit, but perhaps that’s for the best.Actor Christian Bale, star of “The Dark Knight Rises,” dropped by the Aurora, Colo., hospital where many of the victims from Friday‘s horrific movie theater shooting spree are recovering from their wounds.One of the victims, Carey Rottman, posted the above photo of himself with Bale to his Facebook page. “Mr. Bale is there as himself, not representing Warner Brothers,” an assistant for Susan Fleishman, executive vice president of War
Despite a few U.S. jitters, Batman fans pack theaters

Jul 24, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― The three 18-year-olds, friends since middle school, are about to go off separately to college this fall. But on Sunday, these avid fans of the Batman film franchise had no doubt where they wanted to be: together, at the movies, watching “The Dark Knight Rises.’’“What happened in Colorado was horrible, but that guy was just a psycho,’’ said Sahil Agrawal, of Queens in New York City, waiting with friends David Kim and Danny Wong for an Imax showing on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
EBS festival to combine education, documentary movies

Jul 24, 2012

EBS’ documentary festival EIDF opens with controversial bully documentaryKorea’s Educational Broadcasting System is showcasing a number of socially conscious and educational non-fiction films in its upcoming EBS International Documentary Festival. The annual event is one of the very few documentary events in the world where the films are screened both in movie theaters and on TV. The festival is celebrating its ninth edition this year, featuring 48 films from 31 countries. Some 710 films were su
Kim Hye-soo ‘steals’ her scenes

Jul 23, 2012

‘The Thieves’ actress talks about her new movie, her love for peopleAmong the many living actresses in Korea, Kim Hye-soo is an icon like no other. She is the type of actress who is remembered for her image first, film roles second. Many are well aware of and charmed by her risqué and daring fashion choices on red carpets, her gift of gab on TV talk shows, and her dominating, charismatic presence off screen. Her position in the film scene is therefore unique; she is one of the very few, or perha
Shooting heightens concern at cinemas

Jul 23, 2012

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― The mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater rattled the nerves of some other moviegoers with opening weekend tickets for the new Batman film and led some cinema chains to add more guards. Experts say it’s unlikely, though, that venues will implement even stricter security measures because it would significantly alter the experience of going to a film, concert or game.The early Friday rampage in Aurora, Colorado, at a midnight screening of the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight
Jeon Ji-hyeon satisfied with her role in new movie

Jul 23, 2012

Jeon Ji-hyeon said she was satisfied with her role in the upcoming movie “Thieves,” a story of a gang that steals billions of dollars worth of diamonds hidden in Macau. The movie goes on release Wednesday.In the movie, actress Jeon Ji-hyeon plays a sexy and agile rope-walker alongside famous actors and actresses like Kim Yoon-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jeong-jae and Kim Soo-hyeon.In an interview with Herald Business, Jeon said she was very satisfied with the character with an unrestrained nature bec
Warner Bros. cancels more world Batman premieres

Jul 22, 2012

Warner Bros. Pictures says it has canceled appearances by the cast and filmmakers of the movie ``The Dark Knight Rises'' in Mexico and Japan after a shooter killed 12 people and injured at least 50 Friday in a Colorado theater during a midnight premiere of the newest Batman movie.The studio says actors Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon Levitt will no longer hold press or red carpet
Summer screenings to beat the heat

Jul 20, 2012

24-hour theaters, special summer showings fun and cheap ways to stay coolThe summer is here and the mercury is rising.While many go overseas or to the countryside for their vacation, there’s another place close by to escape the heat ― the movie theater. From 24-hour theaters to old horror movies, it’s easy to cool down without spending a lot of money.24-hour movie theatersFor Seoulites staying in the city for the summer, the option of watching a movie is available 24 hours a day. Targeting late-
Box Office

Jul 20, 2012

Two Doors (Korea)Opened June 21Documentary. Directed by Kim Il-ran and Hong Ji-you. On Jan. 20, 2009, residents of a redevelopment area in Yongsan, Seoul, had been occupying the top floor of a four-story building named “Namildang” since the previous day to protest the city project. A police SWAT team was sent in to arrest the protesters. A fire erupted during the violent pre-dawn raid, killing five protesters and one policeman. The Seoul Central District Court held the leaders of the protest res
Christopher Nolan says goodbye to Gotham

Jul 20, 2012

From a distance, Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City sure doesn’t look like much. The “skyline” begins to emerge over the horizon in the rolling green farmlands about 50 miles north of London, but there are no gothic spires or granite citadels, just the slanted, pocked roofs of two boxy metal buildings.But nearing the complex on a winding two-lane road, the immensity of the make-believe metropolis comes into focus: The structures that looked squat from afar are actually 15 stories tall ― and as long
Kim Ki-duk back with new film ‘Pieta’

Jul 20, 2012

Kim Ki-duk, one of the best known Korean directors overseas, said on Thursday he has realized that filmmaking makes him happy, in his first appearance before local media in four years.“It will be my first feature film to be shown in four years,” Kim said during a news conference in Seoul to promote his new film “Pieta.” “I haven’t worked on any movie for many reasons so far. This time, I surely felt that I’m happy when I make films.”“Pieta,” named after the title of a masterpiece sculpture by Mi
PiFan’s grand opening ceremony is held in Bucheon

Jul 20, 2012

The opening ceremony of the 16th Puchon (Bucheon) International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) was held in Bucheon Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Thursday.More than 3,000 people including Bucheon City mayor Kim Man-soo, deputy minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kwak Young-jin, and many other celebrities and movie-lovers attended the ceremony hosted by Bucheon City and the PiFan Organizing Committee.During the ceremony, mayor Kim said that PiFan is a very creative and extraordinary event, encouraging