Korean Entertainment News 2011

katt

May 13, 2009

Kim Dong-ryul Releases Live Concert Album  



Korea抯 most respected singer/songwriter Kim Dong-ryul announced that he will release a live album of last year抯 concert on May 18th. Titled 揔im Dong-ryul Concert Monologue Live Album,

katt

May 13, 2009

Q&A: Park Chan-wook


Park Chan-wook (Getty Images photo)

CANNES -- Park Chan-wook is the elder brother of a generation of contemporary Korean directors who took up filmmaking after a period in which the nation's classic films were unavailable. Weaned on videos from the most diverse sources, they took what they wanted and, with the lifting of political controls in the late 1990s, began again. Park's second feature, the 2000 thriller "Joint Security Area," was visually and politically intriguing and came to represent what the "Korean new wave" was all about. Park's "revenge trilogy" was even more stunning. It included "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," a stomach-churning exercise in abasement, and "Oldboy," a stylish and bloody effort that has become the kind of cult movie that still plays on at video clubs around the world. As elder brother, Park is used to setting precedents -- "Thirst" not least for being the first completed Korean movie with Hollywood backing. The helmer recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter contributing editor Asia Patrick Frater to talk about working in a new genre and the strength of this year's Korean presence on the Croisette.

The Hollywood Reporter: What is a vampire movie doing In Competition in Cannes? In fact, is "vampire movie" really the right term?

Park Chan-wook: This is one of the questions that trouble me the most. As soon as one starts to classify a film by genre, whatever it may be, people start to have unnecessary preconceptions. Furthermore, that kind of definition cannot embrace the whole film. For instance, if I said "Thirst" is a "vampire romance," most people will think of "Interview With the Vampire," or "Bram Stoker's Dracula," even though the romanticism found in those films has nothing at all to do with "Thirst." Also, no one will be able to conceive of the religious issues that are embedded in "Thirst." But if I really had to come up with an answer, I cannot think of any other than "vampire romance." If there is a more accurate way of classifying it, please let me know.

THR: Is "Thirst" a return to the highly structured, beautifully lit violence of your revenge trilogy after a career diversion in the "Three Extremes" segment and "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK"?

Park: "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK" was like a sweet dessert served at the end of a full course meal. I feel that the film marks the end of a chapter in my career. Would that mean that "Thirst" is the first film in a new chapter? I'm not sure yet. I think perhaps "Thirst" is a film that is like getting the bill after you've finished the dessert.

THR: Blood, priests and illicit longing sounds like a pretty sexy movie -- and classic vampire fare -- what new elements are you bringing to the party here?

Park: Rather than bringing new elements, there are more elements that I took out: elongated canine teeth, gorgeous male vampires with clear-cut features, bats, the old castle with a hunchback servant, mirrors, fear of garlic and the cross, the stake through the heart ... gone.

THR: You've cited Hitchcock, Bergman and Polanski as your cinematic influences and Shakespeare, Kafka, Dostoyevsky and Kurt Vonnegut as intellectual influences. Which are most at play in "Thirst"?

Park: Out of those people you mentioned, you might think that Vonnegut is an unexpected inclusion in the list. He is my favorite contemporary writer, but it does not seem that he has directly influenced my films. Actually, those names have come up during interviews with the Western media. But when I mention Korean names, they tend not to put them in print. If I can take this opportunity to reiterate, director Kim Ki-young has been a great influence to me. "Thirst" is a particularly good example of that. Anyone who has seen his film "The Housemaid," will be able to tell straight away.

THR: I've heard that you scare easily. Do you believe in the existence of vampires?

Park: Back in the days when I was poor, I watched a lot of horror films on a very old, small TV. They were on these VHS tapes that had been taped over a number of times and the picture quality was terrible. At the time I thought I was a horror film fan. But then came the age of DVDs, and my TV was replaced with a big new one. Only then did I realize that I scare easily. Ever since, I have not been able to watch horror films. Vampires are a metaphor for all kinds of exploiters. I certainly do believe in the existence of exploiters.

THR: Much of the action takes place in a single room. It this another visit to Oh Daesu's prison, Lady Vengeance's lock-up or the mental asylum from "Cyborg?" What is it with you and incarceration?

Park: It's not a single room, but a single house, and in "Thirst," incarceration is psychological rather than physical. It is probably true that I like the motif of incarceration. That's because these places are miniaturized universes. These are the spaces where existential circumstances that people face are more clearly revealed. Also, it saves on the budget to shoot on sets like these.

THR: "Thirst" is one of four Korean films in Official Selection. What does this tell you about the current state of Korean cinema, which has taken such a brutal plunge in the past two years?

Park: Including the Classics and the Short Film sections, there are total of 10 Korean films that made the official and unofficial selection at Cannes. The number of Korean films going to Cannes is the biggest in the history of Korean cinema this year. The most notable aspect of the recent trends in Korean cinema is the rise of independent films, which also can be noticed in Cannes selection. We hope that this year's Cannes will become the festival from which we see a reversal of the current mood in the Korean film industry.

THR: This was the first Korean film where a U.S. studio has had a major financial stake from a pre-production stage. What influence did that have on your movie?

Park: The domestic audience who for the first time saw a Korean film with a Universal logo found it very interesting. Some thought it awkward, and some were delighted to see it. For myself, I must say I'm very honored to have "Thirst" internationally distributed by the high-end boutique Focus Features. Other than that, there was no influence on my film.

THR: Does it make you more or less likely to work in Hollywood? We know you were offered "The Evil Dead."

Park: The issue of Universal's investing in "Thirst" doesn't seem to have too much to do with the issue of my going to work in Hollywood. The issue of whether I make a Hollywood film or not, is only related to the question of whether I can find a good enough script. Unless I have in my hand a script that is suitable for an English-language film (regardless of whether I or someone else wrote it), I won't be working on a Hollywood film. But if a script like that came my way right now, I would be prepared to go straight from Cannes to L.A. without stopping home in Seoul.

VITAL STATS:
Nationality: South Korean
Born: Aug. 23, 1963
Festival entry: "Thirst" (In Competition)
Selected filmography: "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK" (2006), "Lady Vengeance" (2005), "Cut" (segment of 2004 triptych "Three ... Extremes"), "Oldboy" (2003), "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (2002), "Joint Security Area" (2000)
Notable awards: Venice Film Festival Little Golden Lion for "Lady Vengeance"; Cannes Grand Prix and Bangkok International Film Festival Golden Kinaree for "Oldboy"; Deauville Asian Film Festival Lotus award for "Joint Security Area"

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

katt

May 13, 2009

Lee Byung-hun hops from 'G.I. Joe' to 'IRIS'
Spy thriller looks to be one of Korea's biggest movies of the year

By Patrick Frater



CANNES -- Lee Byung-hun, who next appears in "G.I. Joe," has been tapped to headline "IRIS: The Movie," a $20 million spy thriller that is set to be one of the biggest Korean movies of the year. International rights have been acquired by indie sales firm Fine Cut.

Lee, in Cannes last year with "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," plays a spy whose agency turns against him and who ends up as the love rival of his best friend.

Production is by Taewon Entertainment, which has set up the project as both a movie and a TV series. Directors are TV director Kim Kyu-tae and film director Yang Yun-ho ("Fighter in the Wind").

After kicking off in Japan, the project is now shooting in Korea and will wrap after further work in Hungary.

Lee also stars alongside Josh Hartnett in the forthcoming Franco-Asian picture "I Come With The Rain" and guest starred in Japanese hit "Hero."

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

katt

May 14, 2009

Major music firms join hands to overcome low sales

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- Five major South Korean music firms said Thursday, they will join forces under the title "Korea Music Power" to overcome the dwindling consumption of local pop music and the spreading use of illegal music downloads on the Internet.

   The project -- joined by local music power houses including SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, Line Media and Star Empire Entertainment -- aims to revise copyright laws and energize the local music market, participants in Thursday's press gathering said.

   "There is a need for us to reform the overall music industry," said Kim Young-min, head of SM Entertainment. "The problems have been existing for such a long time that we've all become blind and numb -- but we can't go on this way."

   The Korean pop music industry has been suffering from record low sales since 2000 due largely to the spread of illegal downloads on the Web.

   Top-rate popular South Korean musicians, who used to sell as many as one million discs in the 1990s, have experienced steep reductions in sales over the past few years, barely managing to sell a few hundred thousand CDs and tapes.

   The Korea Music Power project, sponsored by the Korea Entertainment Producer's Association, will together set up a music awards event and fund free-of-charge concerts throughout Korea and Asia, participated in by top singers. The first such concert is scheduled for Oct. 10.

   The South Korean government said earlier it would spend about US$9 million in propping up the country's pop music industry.

   Credits: [email protected] via english.yonhapnews.co.kr

katt

May 14, 2009

Yonhap Interview
Filmmaker draws on childhood memories in 'Treeless Mountain'

By Shin Hae-in

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- A colleague once told her she is more like a man, hardly a suitable description for a fragile woman like director Kim So-yong. But as a creator of two internationally-acclaimed soul-searching films, there were moments when she had to muster a force exceeding her femininity.


Director Kim So-yong

"I don't know if it was supposed to be an insult, but I thought it was funny," the 40-year-old filmmaker said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "I'm not sure if the status (as a female, Korean-American director) helps or hinders me yet, but I don't think about this unless someone points it out to me."

Racking up awards at international film fests in Pusan, Dubai and Berlin last year, Kim's second feature "Treeless Mountain" has been praised by film critics as one of the most noteworthy entries in the recent festival circuit. Released in New York last month, the film is expected to hit South Korean theaters in July or August. "I feel very fortunate," Kim said. "I've had people talk about 'In Between Days' and 'Treeless Mountain' together. What is surprising about that is that people have actually seen my first film!"

A follow-up to her debut "In Between Days," which earned a Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2006, "Treeless

katt

May 14, 2009

Movie Studios to Screen More Films on Internet

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

Entertainment companies and peer-to-peer networks have long been in a hate-hate relationship, but there are indications that the latest advancement in Web technologies will see them team up for a lucrative partnership.

South Korea has one of the largest digital content markets in the world thanks to world-leading broadband penetration rates, but movie studios have complained that rampant online piracy is preventing them from getting a fair cut.

However, with the government getting serious about copyright enforcement on the Internet, the studios are now smelling serious money and considering more ways to work with Internet companies to deliver their movies to the online audience, an idea that was repulsive to them just months ago.

CJ Entertainment, Korea's largest movie studio, which has about a 30 percent share as a distributor, is currently in talks with NHN, the operator of Naver (www.naver.com), the country's most popular Web portal and search engine, over the possibility of providing its movies exclusively to NHN sites.

Paran (www.paran.com), operated by KTH, the Internet unit of telecom giant KT, has become the first Korean Web site to provide downloading service for 700 films.

The Korea Film Producers Association (KFPA), which represents more than 60 movie studios, announced it will provide its movies to member companies of the Digital Content Network Association (DCNA), a group of 48 "Web hard" online storage operators.

The Web companies will be required to install filters based on the video fingerprinting tools of Enswers (www. enswersinc.com) and Mureka (www.mureka.co.kr), the two Web technology firms that were chosen by the KFPA. The online networks will jointly operate a 24-hour monitoring center to block illegal files that manage to escape the filtering programs.

Peer-to-peer sites that continue to fail to prevent users from trading unauthorized copies will see swift legal action, KFPA said. "There is no doubt that this is a landmark agreement, as we are now providing a standard for copyright protection for Web hard operators and this means we won't have to hear any more excuses," said Lee Jun-dong, the head of Nowfilms and the vice president of KFPA.

"The violating Web hard companies will be sued in a week or two, and we would be determined to drive them out of business. We chose Enswers and Mureka as the technology providers, as they were the only companies that passed our strict quality tests, but we will always be open to more companies."

It is still unclear how meaningful the alliance will prove to be. CJ Entertainment, which some believe owns nearly half of the copyrights of recent Korean movies, and some other major studios remain reluctant to touch the peer-to-peer networks and could opt to go their own way in establishing online channels. The winners would then be major Web portals such as Naver and Daum (www.naver.com), not peer-to-peer networks.

According to government estimates, illegal trading of movie files is estimated at 600 billion won (about $478 million) every year. Online piracy has also effectively killed the DVD market, evidenced by the withdrawal of Hollywood studios from Seoul.

The advancement in image fingerprinting technology, dubbed by industry people here as "DNA filtering" and used to identify and track the transmission of digital video files on the Web, is proving to be a game-changer, with movie studios now hopeful of finally locating their elusive Internet gold trial.

And with the government strengthening its clampdown on illegal copies on the Web, those filtering solutions are becoming a necessity for Internet companies, which is a boon to companies like Enswers and Mureka.

From July, the country will enforce a new anti-file sharing provision that allows regulators to shut down Web sites after a third warning over copyright infringement, with or without the complaints of copyright holders. Internet users accused of illegally sharing copyrighted files could also be severed from their Web accounts.

Early this year authorities arrested six chief executives of Web hard operators, including Son Chang-uk of Freechal (www.freechal.com), as they push forward their criminal investigation on online copyright infringement.

Enswers currently provides its fingerprinting tools to Daum (www.daum.net), which trails Naver in the search hierarchy, and SK Networks, the operator of Nate (www.nate.com) and the Cyworld (www.cyworld.com) social networking services. Mureka provides similar products to Naver.

"The business possibility is immense, and we are one of the companies that are providing the enabling technologies to help companies realize that potential,'' Jack Kim, the chief executive of Enswers, told The Korea Times.

"We think the Korean Web hard market is more than 800 billion won (about $630 million) and more than 200 companies are involved. Let's say we can clean up this market and establish a transparent structure where studios and Web hard operators could share revenue ― the money will certainly be worth the efforts.''

Credits: thkim@koreatimes.co.kr

katt

May 14, 2009



Director Lee with jury members at Cannes



Korean director Lee Chang-Dong, fifth from left, poses with other jury members during the opening ceremony of the 62nd International Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday. From left are Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, French Culture Minister Christine Albanel, Indian actress Sharmila Tagore III, French actress and President of the Jury Isabelle Huppert, director Lee, American actress Robin Wright Penn and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan./ AP-Yonhap

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

katt

May 14, 2009

'Know': Hong抯 Realm of Comic Realism

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter


Actor Kim Tae-woo, left, stars with Ko Hyun-joung in director Hong
Sang-soo抯 揕ike You Know It All.

katt

May 14, 2009

Q&A: Bong Joon-ho


Getty Images photo

CANNES -- Bong Joon-ho has previously suggested that he is not very good at making films. Audiences and critics may beg to differ. Since shifting from theater to movies and making his feature debut in 2000 with the astonishing comedy horror "Barking Dogs Never Bite" Bong has been firmly on the radar of Korean audiences and international film critics. His second film, "Memories of Murder," about a smart but bumbling cop on the trail of a serial killer, confirmed Bong's promise as a skillful technician and storyteller. But, despite a clutch of prizes at San Sebastian, the picture only emerged slowly to become a cult item among festival programmers and Asian film fans. There was nothing minimalist, however, about "The Host," a monster movie which ran away with Korea's all-time boxoffice record in 2006. Bong gave the monster genre a handful of socio-political twists, with the giant eel created as a result of an environmental abuse while the responses to the monster's rampage through Seoul were both hysterical and disorganized. The film premiered in Cannes and within Asia there are plans for local-language "Host" sequels, including one in Chinese. Bong spoke with The Hollywood Reporter contributing editor Asia Patrick Frater about his directing philosophy and an Un Certain Regard entry that promises to be another package that may not be quite what it seems at first sight.

The Hollywood Reporter: What should we know going into "Mother"?

Bong Joon-ho: They should know that this is a thriller and a crime drama that is different to previous work in the genre. I hope that audiences can accept this "Mother." Actually, I don't set out to break the conventions of the genre, but I really want to express the drama it holds.

THR: What in particular?

Bong: How the mother is such a fireball. This is the story of a mother and her son. He is wrongly accused of murder. The authorities give up on the case too quickly and the mother fires the lawyer. Then, in order to prove her son's innocence, she then looks for the killer herself.

THR: What does all that mean?

Bong: Well, the mother is not actually a detective. But what she is doing is following her maternal instincts. And I want to show how far she will go. How extreme she becomes. And in doing so, I want to push the audience too.

THR: Your stories are each very different, but possible recurring themes are human weakness and fragility and how we are trapped by poor communication. Are those the links you see in your body of work?

Bong: Those were not themes I set out to portray at the time I made "Memories of Murder," "The Host" or "Tokyo," but with hindsight they are there every time. "Mother" is different. Maybe communication problems are there again, but this time I want to show just how far a person will go.

THR: What is it you want to achieve with your audience?

Bong: Before being a film director, I'm also a member of the audience that watches films. And I want to make the kind of film that I'd watch myself.

THR: So you are an unreconstructed art house director?

Bong: Not really. I'm part of a pretty demanding commercial mainstream. What I'm trying to do is find fresh, new ways of appealing to a mass audience.

THR: So what films do you admire and enjoy?

Bong: These days I like watching American films from the 1970s, as they seemed to pay equal attention to artistic and boxoffice criteria. From the late 1960s, I like John Frankenheimer's "Seconds," and from the 1970s John Schlesinger's "Marathon Man," which is political, historical and extremely effective as a thriller.

THR: Korea has produced a generation of stunningly talented directors such as Park Chan-wook, Kim Jee-woon or Kim Ki-duk. Are you a group? I've heard that you critique each other's scripts.

Bong: The directors you mention are all talented and hard-working guys. I'd strongly deny that we are a group or even close personal friends. But I would say that we all talk about DVDs, our collections, who has borrowed what from whom and who is slow to return each other's discs. We are film fans.

THR: Even before the global credit crunch, the Korean film industry has been said to be in a state of crisis. Is crisis just something that journalists talk about or is it real?

Bong: Unfortunately, the crisis is real. Period. Consider the following. Korea dropped its Screen Quotas system at the wrong time, our second window of DVD and TV is shrinking rapidly and, third, we have a very serious piracy problem in Korea. Put those factors together and people are leaving the film industry to find jobs elsewhere and investors are providing less money. That, in turn, reduces the number of films being made. But, and it is a big but, while we are in crisis now it is not as bad as the one that Korean film faced in the 1970s and 1980s (when much of the industry was under state control). The future is still bright.

THR: Is the adaptation of French sci-fi novel "Le Transperceneige" still your next directing project?

Bong: Yes. That film should be released in 2012. So, right after "The Mother," I'll be going back to work on the screenplay.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

katt

May 14, 2009

Finecut sells IRIS to the world

By Liz Shackleton

Seoul-based sales agent Finecut has picked up worldwide rights to $20m thriller IRIS: The Movie, starring Korean heartthrob Lee Byung-hun and actress Kim Tae-hee.



Korean producer Taewon Chung is producing the project, through his production outfit Taewon Entertainment, as a feature film and TV series simultaneously. Yang Yun-ho and renowned TV director Kim Kyu-tae are co-directing both the film and TV series.

Lee plays a secret agent who is betrayed by his closest friend at his own agency. Then both men fall in love with the same woman

katt

May 15, 2009



S. Korean thriller 'Thirst' sold to three foreign buyers at Cannes

SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean film "Thirst" (Bakjwi) has been sold to three foreign buyers at the Cannes film festival and is expected to draw more overseas attention during the event, the movie's distributor, CJ Entertainment, said Friday.

The blood-soaked vampire film, created by Park Chan-wook, was sold to buyers from Brazil, Spain and Turkey as of the second day of the Cannes International Film Festival, CJ said.

"Thirst," which has drawn nearly 2 million viewers at home, was sold to 10 countries including France and Greece before its domestic release earlier this month.

The film will be competing for the top prize at the Cannes along with 19 other nominees. This is the second time Park has aimed for the top honor at the French contest, after his 2004 win with "Oldboy." The winner will be announced on May 24.

Credits: [email protected] via yonhapnews.co.kr

katt

May 15, 2009

Celebrity Couple Support 'Stop TB' Campaign


Choi Soo-jong (left) and Ha Hee-ra

Celebrity couple Choi Soo-jong and Ha Hee-ra were named PR ambassadors for a campaign to eradicate tuberculosis worldwide by Zero TB Incorp.

Founded in 2004, the organization is focusing on North Korea and waging a nationwide campaign to help children suffering from tuberculosis.

Credits: englishnews@chosun.com

katt

May 15, 2009

Steppin

katt

May 15, 2009

Korean Thriller 'Thirst' Sold to 3 Foreign Buyers at Cannes  



South Korean film "Bakjwi" or "Thirst" has been sold to three foreign buyers at the Cannes film festival and is expected to draw more overseas attention during the event, the movie's distributor, CJ Entertainment, said Friday.

The blood-soaked vampire film, created by Park Chan-wook, was sold to buyers from Brazil, Spain and Turkey as of the second day of the Cannes International Film Festival, CJ said.

"Thirst," which has drawn nearly 2 million viewers at home, was sold to 10 countries including France and Greece before its domestic release earlier this month.

The film will be competing for the top prize at the Cannes along with 19 other nominees. This is the second time Park has aimed for the top honor at the French contest, after his 2004 win with "Oldboy." The winner will be announced on May 24.

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

katt

May 12, 2009

'Breathless' Wins Top Prize at Barcelona Film Festival



South Korean director Yang Ik-june抯 movie 揃reathless

katt

News Index page 8

May 14, 2009: 62nd Cannes Film Festival Opens
May 14: Cannes Fest to Screen Record Number of Korean Films
May 14: Big Bang抯 G-Dragon to Appear in Japanese TV  
May 15: Korea TV Airs in Arab Region
May 15: Can Gianna Jun succeed overseas?
May 15: Shin Seung-hun Proves Profitable Abroad
May 15: 'Boys Over Flowers' star to debut film at PiFan / Goo Hye Sun
May 15: 10 Korean films to screen at this year抯 Cannes fest
May 15: Summer movie preview
May 15: Wedding bells ring for comedy star from 'Gag Concert'
May 13: Blood-suckers and blood-thirsty revenge: an interview with South Korean director Park Chan-wook
May 16: Jeon Ji-hyun Looks to Confound Critics in Vampire Film
May 15: Asian biz at Cannes reflects new prowess
May 17: Men Eat Up Chicken Breasts for Tight-Bodied Look
May 12: Rock star gets plastic surgery  
May 17: Female Film Producer Jung Dies
May 16: France Cannes MOTHER Photo Call
May 16: 'Thirst' a Hit at Cannes
May 15: THIRST at Cannes Red Carpet
May 16: France Cannes MOTHER Red Carpet

[ Last edited by  katt at 17-5-2009 23:49 ]

katt

May 14, 2009

62nd Cannes Film Festival Opens



The 62nd Cannes Film Festival opened on Wednesday with the world premiere of Pixar's 3D cartoon comedy "Up."

The annual event will run through May 24th in France抯 southern resort city, displaying movies from around the world.

Cannes rolled out the red carpet Wednesday to welcome movie megastars and directors during the opening ceremony, in which a thousand people gathered to get a glimpse of the celebrities.

Ten Korean films, including 揟hirst

katt

May 14, 2009

Cannes Fest to Screen Record Number of Korean Films



The 62th Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday in the glitzy town on the French Riviera. This year's festival features a record-breaking 10 Korean films, including "Thirst" by Park Chan-wook in the official selection, where 20 films compete for awards.

New films by many of world's big-name film directors made it into this year's official selection. Actress Isabelle Huppert is the president of the jury, and Korean director Lee Chang-dong is a member.

The festival ends with the award ceremony on May 24.

Credits: englishnews@english.chosun.com

[ Last edited by  katt at 15-5-2009 22:23 ]

katt

May 14, 2009

Big Bang抯 G-Dragon to Appear in Japanese TV  



Idol group Big Bang抯 G-Dragon (real name: Kwon Ji-yong) will appear on a Japanese TV program for the first time. He will be making his appearance in a popular NHK music program called 揗usic Japan

katt

May 15, 2009

Korea TV Airs in Arab Region  



A Korean cable channel which airs 揌allyu