‘Nameless Gangster’ star says every character is complex, especially the bad guysIt’s quite fascinating to meet Choi Min-sik in person. For those who have never met this prolific actor off-screen, it’d be hard to imagine him as someone so down to earth and “normal.” On top of everything else, his face is that of the gruesome serial killer in “I Saw the Devil,” and the child murderer in “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.”In real life, however, Choi is a fan of popular girl group Girls’ Generation, lov

Seven Korean films have been invited to this year’s Berlinale, scheduled for Feb. 9-19.Among the seven, director Kang Ju-gyu’s 28 billion won war blockbuster “My Way” and Jeon Kyu-hwan’s drama “Varanasi” have been invited to the festival’s non-competition “Panorama” section.Starring local heartthrob Jang Dong-gun and Japanese star Joe Odagiri, “My Way” was one of the most anticipated films of last year. However, it had a lackluster performance at the box office, attracting 2.14 million viewers,

‘Notre Dame de Paris’ star Matt Laurent loves his role, even after 13 yearsWithout the make-up and the heavy costume of his famous hunchback character, “Notre Dame de Paris” star Matt Laurent resembles nothing of Quasimodo. Clad in blue jeans and a black jacket, the 44-year-old musical star shows off his cheerful personality during the photo shoot in central Seoul, with his impish and original poses. Then he grabs a bottle of orange juice for “some Vitamin C.”“This is a million dollar production

PARK CITY, Utah (AFP) ― Fairy tale “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and drug war epic “The House I Live In” were among the winners at the Sundance film festival, which presented its top awards late Saturday. The Grand Prix for best American fiction went to “Beasts of the Southern Wild” directed by Benh Zeitlin, a film full of imaginary animals, which recounts a fictional journey of a six-year-old girl to some of the remote corners of the world.The film was developed as part of a program launched by

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― “The Help,” a big-screen drama focusing on race relations in America, was the big winner at the Screen Actors Guild awards ceremony here Sunday, sweeping the top prizes for best actress, best supporting actress and best ensemble. The film, which tells the story of an aspiring journalist who decides to write a book exposing racism faced by domestic help in the 1960s, beat black-and-white silent movie “The Artist,” “Bridesmaids,” “The Descendants” and other films that had been

Papa (Korea)Opening Feb. 1Comedy. Directed by Han Ji-seung. Chun-seob (Park Yong-woo), who used to be a high-earning representative of a popular idol singer, now lives as an illegal immigrant in the U.S. The singer he used to work with ran away with all the money to the U.S., and Chun-seob, without a proper visa, failed to get a hold of her in the foreign country. One day, Chun-seob runs into a young girl named Joon (Go Ara), who is in need of a guardian in order to live with her “siblings” all

Best-selling collection on sale in KoreaVarious artists“2012 Grammy Nominees” (Universal Music) The 2012 Grammy Nominees album went on sale on Jan. 17 in Korea, featuring hits from more than 20 chart-topping artists across genres.Artists featured include some of the world’s and Korea’s favorite artists such as Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tony Bennett, the Black Keys, Eric Church, Coldplay, J. Cole, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.One of the most notable categories

Even in Hollywood, it’s rare for anyone to be able to boast a connection to dozens of Oscar-contending films and blockbusters over the last 25 years. But Russ Campbell can hardly turn on the television or go to a movie theater without seeing something he’s made a mark on ― including the high-profile films “J. Edgar,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” “The Rum Diary,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “A Single Man,” “Catch Me if You Can” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” as well as such TV shows as “Mad M

More best-selling books to be made into movies in 2012We saw its success on the silver screen last year, with the hits “Punch” and “The Silenced.”Following the box-office triumph of the two bestsellers-turned-films, Korea’s publishing scene is seeing more of its output being turned into motion pictures this year. The film rights to about 10 popular books have been sold to production houses so far. The books to be turned into films include author Park Bum-shin’s romance novel “Eungyo,” Kim Tak-hw

“Unbowed,” a low-budget South Korean film based on the true story of the so-called “crossbow terror”incident of a college professor, is heating up the local box office, drawing renewed public debate over the 2006 incident.The movie claimed the No. 2 spot by bringing in more than 1 million viewers at local cinemas as of Wednesday, a week after making a robust debut, the Korean Film Council, a government agency in charge of promoting domestic films, said on Thursday.The 1 million viewers is double

Eighth Japanese Film Festival features top worksThis will be a thrilling week for Japanese movie buffs in Korea, as the annual J-cinema event returns to Seoul on Thursday, bringing with it some of the most celebrated Japanese anime filmmakers. The 8th Japanese Film Festival, which is being hosted by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, along with Korea’s CJ CGV, Busan Cinema Center and Japan Image Council, features 18 films this year. Notably, a separate event will be held in Busan for the first

Mobile gadgets become new source of experience for pro and amateur filmmakersIt’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s accessible. Welcome to smartphone-filmmaking, which has become the new trend for both amateur and professional filmmakers in the past year. The trend ― which started about a year ago upon the domestic release of Apple’s iPhone 4 and its local carrier KT’s aggressive-creative promotion of the products ― is becoming even bigger as more capital and talents are getting involved.In the beginni