PARK CITY, Utah ― It takes a lot of faith to make an independent film. This year, independent films are showing a lot of faith.Among the roughly 120 features playing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, a surprisingly large number use faith ― and specifically Christianity ― as either a critical narrative fulcrum or a key expositional backdrop. And the dramas do not always take a neutral stance.K

Debut film ‘Heartbeat’ draws more than 1 millionFilm director Yoon Jae-geun has done a lot in the last 10 years. He studied art, made TV commercials for ramen and department stores, traveled across Europe, learned how to make films overseas, wrote movie scripts, and never gave up on becoming what he is today.“I watched ‘Star Wars’ when I was in fifth grade,” the 44-year-old director told The Korea

Actress attributes her international success to global outlookWhile showing obvious pride for her ethnic heritage, internationally acclaimed Chinese-born actress Gong Li says acting is not a “local” job.“I think an actress should go anywhere in the world to perform,” Gong told reporters Monday at The Shilla Seoul, ahead of the Korean premiere of her Hollywood mystery thriller, “Shanghai.” “I think

Hollywood may be the goliath of the movie industry, but Korean film director Shim Hyung-rae is not afraid to knock on its door.“I believe that Hollywood absolutely bought the idea of the main character in the recently released movie, ‘The Last Godfather.’” Despite critics’ skepticism over his entrance into Hollywood after a string of poorly received movies such as “Yong-gari” and “D-war,” Shim is

Ivan Reitman ― whose directing career (“Ghostbusters”) is so long in the tooth that he actually has a son, Jason, directing Oscar-worthy comedies ― has his best outing in decades with “No Strings Attached,” an amusing flip of the “friends with benefits” sex-leads-to-love romantic comedy formula.It’s a movie benefiting from another sparkling, sexy and emotionally available performance by Natalie Po

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― For Natalie Portman, 2011 is already shaping up to be an unforgettable year.The actress is getting big awards buzz for her turn as a ballerina gone mad in “Black Swan.” She already won a Golden Globe, she is up for a Screen Actors Guild award and she is sure to hear her name when Oscar nominations are announced next week.Portman also has four other movies slated for release this

Shanghai (U.S.)Opening Jan. 27Thriller. Directed by Mikael Hafstrom. Paul Soames (John Cusack) is an American agent from the Naval Intelligence Office. He arrives in Shanghai during World War II to visit his friend who also serves as an agent. But soon after his arrival, Soames finds out his friend has been murdered. In the process of investigating what’s behind his friend’s death, Soames falls in

‘678’ sheds light on everyday crime shrouded in silenceThe big screen shows a man eyeing a middle-aged woman on a jam-packed bus and sliding up quietly behind her. Even before his hands reach for her hips, the young women watching in the darkened theater squirm in their seats. They know the offending move all too well.In overcrowded, male-dominated Cairo, four out of five Egyptian women say they’v

George Clooney has recovered from the malaria he contracted in Sudan.  (AP)LOS ANGELES (AP) _ George Clooney has recovered from the malaria he contracted earlier this month during a visit to Sudan.Publicist Stan Rosenfield says it was the actor's second bout with the disease.Clooney is set to discuss the condition and his work in Africa on Piers Morgan's CNN show Friday.The actor says his own expe

A woman, who has been married for five years, one day tells her husband she wants to leave him for another man. The husband, an introvert who rarely speaks his mind, does not ask her why. On the day she moves out, he makes coffee and wraps her favorite teacup so she can take it with her.Starring Hyun Bin and Im Soo-jeong, director Lee Yoon-ki’s new film, “Come Rain, Come Shine,“ tells the story of

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Anne Hathaway has clawed her way into the latest Batman movie, nabbing the role of Selina Kyle and her alter ego, Catwoman.Warner Bros. announced the casting Wednesday for Christopher Nolan’s latest film in the superhero saga, “The Dark Knight Rises.” Hathaway will appear opposite Christian Bale, who is returning as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Anne Hathaway. (AP-Yonhap News)The stud

 A total of nine Korean films, including “Night Fishing,” a short film by director Park Chan-wook shot entirely with an iPhone, and “Love, or Not,” a feature-length film starring Hyun-Bin and Im Soo-jeong, have been invited to next month’s Berlin International Film Festival.Of the nine, three films have been invited to the competition section: “Night Fishing,” “Love, or Not,” and “Broken Night.”Pa

Gondry prefers to use computer-generated images to enhance the narrativeJames Cameron’s 2009 film “Avatar” may be seen as legendary by many, but for French director Michel Gondry, director of the newly-released superhero flick “The Green Hornet,” the 3-D technology of “Avatar” just does not appeal.“I personally don’t like using CGI technology when shooting the characters’ faces,” Gondry told repor

NASHVILLE, Tennessee _ Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have added a second daughter to their family, born through a surrogate mother.The couple announced Monday the arrival of Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, born on Dec. 28 at a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital. Nicole Kidman arrives with her husband Keith Urban for the Golden Globe Awards Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP-Yonhap News0K