[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Wonderland” (South Korea) Opened June 5 Sci-fi/Drama Directed by Kim Tae-yong Wonderland, an artificial intelligence service that allows people to communicate with departed loved ones through simulated video calls, causes mixed emotions for Jeong-in (Suzy) as her comatose boyfriend Tae-joo (Park Bo-gum) wakes up. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (US) Opened May 22 Action/Sci-fi Directed by George Miller A young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy), left with only fury after her mother i

June 14, 2024

Late Lee Sun-kyun’s ‘Project Silence’ confirms July 12 opening

“Project Silence,” an action thriller by director Kim Tae-gon, confirmed its theatrical release on July 12, according to the movie’s distributor CJ ENM. The film revolves around a national security officer Jung-won (the late Lee Sun-kyun), who is stranded on a collapsed bridge shrouded in thick fog on his way to send off his daughter at the airport. Ju Ji-hoon appears as a tow truck driver Jo-bak, who appears on the scene to clear crashed cars from the bridge. Veteran actor Kim

June 13, 2024

Canneseries-invited 'TAROT' will tell stories of people attempting to defy fate

Structured within a unique omnibus format, horror flick "TAROT" will tell the stories of individuals who try to challenge their destinies, the director said Wednesday. Produced by Studio X+U, "TAROT" is originally an omnibus drama series consisting of seven episodes. The series follows the stories of individuals who face ominous events predicted by tarot cards. For the movie version, three episodes from the series -- "Do You Believe in Santa?," "Going Home"

June 13, 2024

Bucheon film fest unveils 2024 lineup

BUCHEON, South Korea -- The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) on Wednesday unveiled the list of movies to be screened at this year's edition, with "Love Lies Bleeding" selected as the opening film and "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" chosen as the closing film. In addition to that, the annual film fest, a celebration of genre films from around the world, will showcase 255 short and feature films from around the world. The opening film, "Lo

June 12, 2024

[Herald Review] Son Suk-ku’s 13-minute-long ‘Night Fishing’ a dynamic one-man show

South Korean actor Son Suk-ku’s upcoming film, “Night Fishing,” is a sci-fi thriller short with a running time of 12 minutes and 59 seconds. The number of cameras used for this short film is seven, all of which are built-in cameras integrated into an electric car. The movie, which unfolds a story from the car’s point of view, revolves around an anonymous agent (Son) who is on a mission to track down an unidentified creature flying in the sky. As the sun sets, he lies in w

June 12, 2024

Sci-fi drama, thriller, occult comedy films coming to cinema in June

Three movies of distinctive genres are coming to the cinema in June, in the hope of gaining attraction by avoiding the summer blockbuster season which falls in July and August. On June 5, director Kim Tae-yong’s sci-fi drama flick “Wonderland” hit local theaters. After his romance drama “Late Autumn” (2010), he has returned with a cast as impressive as his previous feature film. “Wonderland,” starring Tang Wei, Suzy, Park Bo-gum, Jung Yu-mi and Choi Woo-

June 9, 2024

Stray Kids win award at short film festival

Stray Kids won the prestigious Global Spotlight Award with their self-produced "SKZFLIX" at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2024 in Japan. The prestigious international short film festival is one of Asia's largest such festivals and is officially recognized by the Academy Awards. The festival, which began in 1999, held its awards ceremony Tuesday in Shibuya, Japan. From over 4,936 entries submitted from 114 regions worldwide, 270 works were selected based on this year�

June 7, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Wonderland” (South Korea) Opened June 5 Sci-fi/Drama Directed by Kim Tae-yong Wonderland, an artificial intelligence service that allows people to communicate with departed loved ones through simulated video calls, confuses Jeong-in (Suzy), as her comatose boyfriend Tae-joo (Park Bo-gum) wakes up from the hospital. “The Plot” (South Korea) Opened May 29 Crime/Thriller Directed by Lee Yo-sup It is Yeong-il's (Gang Dong-won) job to arrange commissioned contract ki

June 7, 2024

[Herald Interview] Suzy, Park Bo-gum boast real chemistry in ‘Wonderland’

South Korean heartthrobs Suzy and Park Bo-gum said they were satisfied with their romantic chemistry as portrayed in upcoming AI fantasy romance movie “Wonderland.” Helmed by Kim Tae-yong of “Late Autumn” (2010), the movie revolves around people reuniting through AI in a simulated virtual world called Wonderland. Suzy and Park, who have developed special rapport as emcees of the Baeksang Arts Awards for many years, showed their special on-screen chemistry in “Wonder

June 5, 2024

[New on the scene] Director Lee Yo-sup remakes his favorite film into ‘The Plot’

A few years ago, Lee Yo-sup, who directed the 2016 small-budget film“Queen of Crimes,” had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remake his all-time favorite movie “Accident” (2009). While he changed the majority of the plot and added a different array of characters, one thing he wanted to keep was the original work’s mood. “I wrote the scenario (of the remake version) as a big fan of the original work. That gave me a lot of things to consider, and it took some

June 3, 2024

[What to Watch] Three movies that will warm your heart with seniors’ wisdom

The 16th Seoul International Senior Film Festival kicked off Thursday, showcasing 75 movies from home and abroad. The festival, dedicated to works with fresh insights from seniors that raise questions not just about elderly life but also death, relationships and generations, has established itself as an international film festival. The festival has evolved into a forum for exchanging ideas and concerns about seniors as the issue of the aging population has become one of the world's top topi

June 1, 2024

Korean Film Archive screens classic films from Philippines

A special exhibition on the golden age of film in the Philippines will continue until June 12 at the Cinematheque in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Nine films that have been digitized by LVN Pictures, a Philippine film studio, will be screened during the exhibition entitled, “Golden Age of Philippine Cinema: LVN Pictures,” the Korean Film Archive said. LVN Pictures, founded in 1938, is regarded as one of the most influential motion picture and post-production studios in Philippine cine

May 31, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (US) Opened May 22 Action/Sci-fi Directed by George Miller A young Furiosa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), left only with fury after her mother is ruthlessly killed by warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), embarks on an 18-year-long vengeful journey home. “Following” (South Korea) Opened May 15 Mystery Thriller Directed by Kim Se-hwi Real estate agent Gu Jeong-tae (Byun Yo-han) has a strange, if not perverse, habit of peeping into other people&rsq

May 31, 2024

Byeon Woo-seok’s debut film ‘Soulmate’ back in cinemas

Thanks to the skyrocketing popularity of TV series “Lovely Runner” and its lead actor Byeon Woo-seok, local multiplex chain CGV is bringing back Byeon’s debut film “Soulmate.” Starting Friday, 21 CGV cinemas across the countries will screen “Soulmate” which premiered in March 2023. A special edition of the movie poster will be given to moviegoers on a first-come first-served basis. Fourteen more CGV theaters including those in Gangneung, Mokpo and Jeju w

May 30, 2024

'Handsome Guys' to depict Hollywood occult vibe

South Korean comedy occult flick "Handsome Guys," starring veteran actors Lee Hee-jun and Lee Sung-min, will set itself apart from recent occult box office hit "Exhuma" by incorporating a Hollywood occult vibe, alongside a narrative rife with comedic scenes, said the director, Monday. "Handsome Guys" tells the story of Jae-pil (played by Lee Sung-min) and Sang-gu (played by Lee Hee-jun), two friends who decide to move to a new house in a rural area. In there, they d

May 27, 2024

[Herald Review] ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ expands gripping universe of ‘Mad Max’ franchise

The hit action blockbuster "Mad Max" franchise has returned after nine years. This time, instead of releasing a sequel to 2015's “Mad Max: Fury Road,” director George Miller decided to create a prequel to that film with a young Furiosa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) narrating her 18-year-long vengeful journey back home to find warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” What’s unique about this grand-scale movie is the universe desig

May 27, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Imagination’ key to acting, says Gang Dong-won

In his 21-year acting career, actor Gang Dong-won has played many different types of characters, hardly any of them overlapping. While his previous roles have been somewhat witty, easygoing characters with boyish charm, “The Plot,” his latest film, portrays the actor at his coldest. With no smile on his face, Gang plays Yeong-il, the mastermind of contract killings that appear to be accidents. Many of his scenes involve tight shots showing his dry and sharp eyes. He also has few line

May 27, 2024

‘Escape’ featuring Lee Je-hoon, Koo Kyo-hwan to open in July

The action thriller “Escape” featuring Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan confirmed its local theatrical release for July 3. The movie will hit theaters in North America on July 5. The movie, helmed by Lee Jong-pil behind “Samjin Company” (2020), “The Man from Nowhere” (2010) and “Hindsight” (2011), revolves around two North Korean soldiers – Gyu-nam (played by Lee) who wants to defect for a better future and Hyun-sang (played by Koo) who chases af

May 24, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Following” (South Korea) Opened May 15 Mystery Thriller Directed by Kim Se-hwi Real estate agent Gu Jeong-tae (Byun Yo-han) has a strange, if not perverse, habit of peeping into other people’s lives. Whether it is a neighbor or a client at his office, he thinks nothing is wrong with his secretive life as a voyeur. “IF” (US) Opened May 15 Family/Comedy Directed by John Krasinski A girl discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends. With her new sup

May 24, 2024

‘Hijacking’ depicts in-flight emergency based on 1971 incident

Helmed by director Kim Sung-han, crime action film “Hijacking” centers on a real-life airplane hijacking incident from 1971, when two South Korean pilots were forced to redirect their plane carrying 51 passengers toward North Korea. A star-studded cast including Ha Jung-woo (“Saint Narcotics"), Yeo Jin-goo (“The Crowned Clown”), Sung Dong-il (“Reply” series) and Chae Soo-bin (“Sweet and Sour”) depicts the in-flight emergency in the movie

May 22, 2024