The Korea Herald

New film shows how Houston’s death changed Grammys

Jun 13, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― When Grammy Awards producers learned of Whitney Houston’s death less than 24 hours before the live telecast, they scrapped parts of the script, added performances and puzzled over how best to honor the Grammy-winning singer, who died unexpectedly at age 48.Host LL Cool J said addressing the Grammy audience after Houston’s death was “definitely the most challenging moment I’ve faced in my career.’’He decided to open with a prayer, and producers agreed, though none could recall
2NE1 to kick off first world tour

Jun 13, 2012

Popular girl group 2NE1 is kicking off the first world tour for a Korean girl group, according to their agency YG Entertainment.The four-member group is starting the tour with Seoul concerts on July 28 and 29 at the Gymnastics Stadium, Olympic Park. They are slated to tour a total of 10 cities in seven different countries in Asia, Americas and Europe. Since their debut in 2009, 2NE1 has enjoyed popularity at home and abroad, and are best known for their hip-hop sound, powerful choreography and
JIFF programmer’s dismissal stirs controversy

Jun 13, 2012

Jeonju International Film Festival programmer Yoo Un-seong’s sudden dismissal from his position has been branded by cinema devotees as unjust and political.Yoo, who had worked as JIFF’s programmer for eight years, claimed in a tweet that he was “unjustly” dismissed by the festival committee on June 5. The film critic, who started working as JIFF programmer in 2004, argues he was fired for remarks he made during a JIFF press conference last month which apparently enraged many Jeonju-based reporte
“The Concubine” beats Hollywood at box office

Jun 12, 2012

Korean movie “The Concubine” took the top spot in the box office over the weekend.“The Concubine” which was released last Wednesday, sold 987,000 tickets through Sunday. The movie, which portrays eroticism and conflicts happening at the royal palace in the Joseon era, is estimated to have passed one million tickets on Monday.The result is seen as remarkable, since it beat out Hollywood animated movie “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Want,” which was released on the same day.Korean romantic comedy “A
Lee Je-hoon evolves

Jun 11, 2012

‘Architecture 101’ and ‘Fashion King’ actor shares his thoughts on movies, and taking on different challengesNo one on Korea’s film scene has been busier than actor Lee Je-hoon in the last few months.The 28-year-old actor has been involved with two movies and one drama since last year. One of the movies, “Architecture 101,” in which Lee played a shy university student who suffers heartbreak over his first love, turned out to be a huge box office triumph after its release in March. Lee, who swept
Box Office　

Jun 8, 2012

Deranged (Yeongasi) (Korea)Opening July 5Thriller. Directed by Park Jeong-woo. Jae-hyuk (Kim Myeong-min) is an ordinary man in his 40s who works for a medical supplies company. One day, a number of dead bodies are found floating on the Han River. The public is even more shocked when they find out the men and women jumped into the water as if they were on drugs, as seen on CCTV footage. Experts discover there is an outbreak of fatal virus-infected horsehair worms. Once infected by the deadly para
It may not be ‘Alien,’ but ‘Prometheus’ is never boring

Jun 8, 2012

The most electrifying sequence in “Prometheus” ― Ridley Scott’s ambitious and entertaining, if sometimes muddled new science-fiction thriller ― occurs midway through, when Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) discovers something creepy and crawly pulsating from within her womb. A scientist aboard a spaceship near the end of the 21st century ― and until recently under the impression she couldn’t conceive ― Elizabeth races to extract this foreign object, which is growing much more quickly than any no
Kim Myeong-min returns in disaster thriller

Jun 4, 2012

Award-winning actor Kim Myeong-min, whose previous works include MBC’s “Beethoven Virus” (2008) and period thriller “Detective K” (2011), is returning to the screen as a desperate father in the upcoming disaster thriller “Deranged” (Yeongasi).In the blockbuster flick which portrays the outbreak of virus-infected parasites in Seoul, Kim plays an ordinary man in his 40s named Jae-hyuk who works for a medical supplies company. The film begins as a number of dead bodies are found floating in the Han
‘The Hunger Games’ tops MTV Movie Awards

Jun 4, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The fan votes ― not just the odds ― were in “The Hunger Games’’ favor at the MTV Movie Awards.The dystopian survival saga escaped from Sunday’s 21st annual extravaganza with the most golden popcorn-shaped trophies, including best fight for the film’s final three-way battle and best on-screen transformation for Elizabeth Banks’ over-the-top futuristic makeover. “Hunger Games’’ stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson were also honored for best female and male performances.“I
Box Office

Jun 1, 2012

The Concubine (Korea)Opening June 6Thriller. Directed by Kim Dai-seung. Set in the Joseon era, a ruthless queen mother and former concubine (Park Ji-young) tries to concoct a plan to dethrone the current king (Jeong Chan), with whom she has no blood ties. Her goal is to somehow replace the king with her timid biological son, Prince Seong-won (Kim Dong-wook). Meanwhile, the prince falls in love at first sight with Hwa-yeon (Jo Yeo-jung), an aristocrat’s daughter, during his jaunt outside the roya
‘Snow White’ gets the comic-book movie treatment

Jun 1, 2012

Give credit, at least, for a clever concept: “Snow White and the Huntsman” filters a classic fairy tale through the prism of a modern, special-effects driven, action-powered blockbuster, an idea so seemingly inevitable that it’s a surprise no one has quite done it before. (Terry Gilliam’s 2005 film “The Brothers Grimm” presumably was trying for something similar, but who could tell with all that bric-a-brac on the screen?).The result, not unlike the recent Sherlock Holmes pictures, is an intrigu
Culprit charged for leaking ‘Architecture 101’

Jun 1, 2012

A man surnamed Yoon, 36, was booked without detention for leaking a copy of the romantic box-office hit “Architecture 101” online, Korea’s cybercrime response center said. Yoon works as the team manager for a culture and welfare business, which undertakes welfare programs such as providing army facilities or foreign cultural centers with free movies.Yoon is facing charges of allegedly forwarding the movie file which he received from Lotte Entertainment to his friend on April 4, about two weeks a
New directors’ shorts to fill the silver screen

May 31, 2012

The 11th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival to showcase 60 original piecesA lot of local aspiring filmmakers must be excited, as the annual Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival is kicking off this year’s edition.The festival, which celebrates its 11th installment this year, is dedicated to discovering new talent in Korea’s film scene. Some of the past winners of the festival include director Yoon Jong-bin, who later was invited to Cannes for his 2005 feature “The Unforgiven,” and Shin Jae-in, whose
Japan film director Shindo dead

May 31, 2012

TOKYO (AFP) ― Japanese film director Kaneto Shindo, known for hard-hitting works dealing with human nature and the effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, has died at his home in Tokyo, his office said Wednesday.Shindo, who celebrated his 100th birthday last month, died early Tuesday, producer Tetsuo Satonaka said.Shindo directed nearly 50 films, with his final work, “A Postcard” winning the special jury prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2011. Born in Hiroshima, he studied sc
‘Piranha 3DD’ hopes to reel in moviegoers again

May 31, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― It’s a sink or swim moment for the filmmakers behind the sequel to “Piranha 3D.’’Combining a silly, self-aware sensibility with over-the-top gore, the original comedic horror film starring the likes of Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd and Elizabeth Shue as townsfolk fighting off prehistoric flesh-eating fish became a cult hit when it was released two summers ago opposite more mature fare such as “The Expendables’’ and “Eat Pray Love.’’Dimension Films, the division of the We