The situation between the two Koreas is ripe for spy stories and yet, very little films on the subject happen to materialise. However, “The Prison” director Na Hyeon’s sophomore feature does just that, placing the action in China for the action adventure “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations”.
Synopsis
Kang-in leads a secret Nis operation team in Shenyang, China. His nickname is Yacha, which refers to a fierce ghost who harasses or kills people. Kang-in is cold-blooded man. He achieves his objectives by using any means necessary. Meanwhile, Ji-hoon is a prosecutor in the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. He follows the law no matter what. He gets demoted to Shenyang, China. There, Ji-hoon comes up against Kang-in.
Leading the pack of spies is actor par excellence Sol Kyung-gu, who plays Kang-in. His team of spies include Yang Dong-geun (Feng Shui”), Lee El (“Intimate Strangers”), Song Jae-rim (“On Your Wedding Day”) and Jin Young.
Synopsis
Kang-in leads a secret Nis operation team in Shenyang, China. His nickname is Yacha, which refers to a fierce ghost who harasses or kills people. Kang-in is cold-blooded man. He achieves his objectives by using any means necessary. Meanwhile, Ji-hoon is a prosecutor in the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. He follows the law no matter what. He gets demoted to Shenyang, China. There, Ji-hoon comes up against Kang-in.
Leading the pack of spies is actor par excellence Sol Kyung-gu, who plays Kang-in. His team of spies include Yang Dong-geun (Feng Shui”), Lee El (“Intimate Strangers”), Song Jae-rim (“On Your Wedding Day”) and Jin Young.
- 3/11/2022
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Intimate Strangers: Szumowska & Englert Explore Despondency & Isolation
Our innate capacity for constructing the vehicles of our own alienation and ennui inform the backdrop of Never Gonna Snow Again, the latest title from Poland’s prolific Malgorzata Szumowska, once again collaborating with her cinematographer Michal Englert who also steps into the co-director’s chair on this project.
Set in a well-heeled, if ultimately cookie-cutter gated community treated by the healing hands of a foreign interloper in their midst, the narrative plays like a microcosm for Poland at large, the ex-Communist country which is notoriously anti-migrant.…...
Our innate capacity for constructing the vehicles of our own alienation and ennui inform the backdrop of Never Gonna Snow Again, the latest title from Poland’s prolific Malgorzata Szumowska, once again collaborating with her cinematographer Michal Englert who also steps into the co-director’s chair on this project.
Set in a well-heeled, if ultimately cookie-cutter gated community treated by the healing hands of a foreign interloper in their midst, the narrative plays like a microcosm for Poland at large, the ex-Communist country which is notoriously anti-migrant.…...
- 8/4/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Leading South Korean film sales firm Finecut has boarded “Toxic,” a fact-based drama-thriller about a mysterious outbreak that killed thousands. The firm, which is also representing Hong Sang-soo’s Berlin competition title “Introduction,” will unveil the new title to buyers at next month’s European Film Market.
The film is the dramatization of events between 1994 and 2011 in which at least 1,600, and possibly as many as 14,000, people in Korea died. Consumer goods companies including the U.K.’s Reckitt-Benckiser sold tens of millions of humidifier-disinfectants for everyday use. Some included medicinal claims such as the suggestion that they would be good for people suffering from the common cold. Instead, with possible government complicity, the products skipped proper testing and were later found to contain chemicals that caused irreversible lung damage.
The film centers on an ER doctor whose wife may have lost her life because of the product. Along with other victims,...
The film is the dramatization of events between 1994 and 2011 in which at least 1,600, and possibly as many as 14,000, people in Korea died. Consumer goods companies including the U.K.’s Reckitt-Benckiser sold tens of millions of humidifier-disinfectants for everyday use. Some included medicinal claims such as the suggestion that they would be good for people suffering from the common cold. Instead, with possible government complicity, the products skipped proper testing and were later found to contain chemicals that caused irreversible lung damage.
The film centers on an ER doctor whose wife may have lost her life because of the product. Along with other victims,...
- 2/19/2021
- Variety Film + TV
The last time Ryu Seung-ryong was on the big screen back in 2019, he defied all expectations and records with the box-office juggernaut that was “Extreme Job”, which currently sits as the 2nd highest-grossing domestic film in Korea. His next release, “Life is Beautiful”, is an oddity in itself- a Korean musical. Though there are a few projects in the genre currently in production, a musical is not something you see often out of the Korean film industry, which makes “Default” director Choi Kook-hee’s film one to look forward to.
Synopsis
A musical about a wife named Oh Se-yeon who asks her husband to help her find her childhood sweetheart, and a husband named Kang Jin-bong who doesn’t have a choice but to set out on this journey with her.
The script is written by Bae Se-young, who is also responsible for having written “Extreme Job”, “Intimate Strangers” and...
Synopsis
A musical about a wife named Oh Se-yeon who asks her husband to help her find her childhood sweetheart, and a husband named Kang Jin-bong who doesn’t have a choice but to set out on this journey with her.
The script is written by Bae Se-young, who is also responsible for having written “Extreme Job”, “Intimate Strangers” and...
- 9/30/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
The London Korean Film Festival (Lkff) is proud to be returning in 2020 for its milestone 15th edition. Taking place from 29 October – 12 November the festival will be going digital for the first time, with 30+ films available online to audiences across the UK, prerecorded interviews, live Q&As and other virtual events, along with a selection of special cinema screenings taking place in London. Despite this year’s many uncertainties, the Lkff is pleased to be back, sharing its annual celebration of Korean cinema with fans all over the UK.
In a special treat for both committed cinephiles familiar with Bong Joon Ho’s feature film work and newcomers eager to discover more after the razor-sharp thrills of Parasite, the festival will be screening two shorts from the great director featuring his now trademark blackly comic social satire, available online and throughout the UK for the very first time. Incoherence (1994) marked the...
In a special treat for both committed cinephiles familiar with Bong Joon Ho’s feature film work and newcomers eager to discover more after the razor-sharp thrills of Parasite, the festival will be screening two shorts from the great director featuring his now trademark blackly comic social satire, available online and throughout the UK for the very first time. Incoherence (1994) marked the...
- 9/30/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Everyone lives three lives: a public life, a private life, and a secret life.” Appearing in the film’s closing sequence, it is this quote which perfectly captures the theme of “Intimate Strangers”. Glimpsing into the confidential areas of the lives of seven long-time friends, Lee Gae-yu’s dramatic comedy remake of the 2016 Italian release “Perfect Strangers” explores the off-limit portions of ordinary people’s persona, and subtly ponders upon the status we in society give our smartphones. Shortly set for a brief stint on the festival circuit, this momentum-building scrutiny on whether honesty can definitively remain the best policy is undoubtedly worth one’s attention.
“Intimate Strangers” is screening at Florence Korea Film Fest 2020
After a long-winded introduction to each character, their surface-level personalities, and a flashback to when the four men in the story watched a lunar eclipse 34 years ago, the movie begins its overriding narrative at the...
“Intimate Strangers” is screening at Florence Korea Film Fest 2020
After a long-winded introduction to each character, their surface-level personalities, and a flashback to when the four men in the story watched a lunar eclipse 34 years ago, the movie begins its overriding narrative at the...
- 9/23/2020
- by Nathan Sartain
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: The London Korean Film Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary from October 29– November 12 in both digital and physical forms. This is the first year the event will offer online screenings available to audiences across the UK, along with a selection of special cinema screenings in London.
The festival showcases major Korean titles as well as indies and comes at a time when Korean cinema has been riding a global high with the success of Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar winner Parasite (as well as recent local breakouts Deliver Us From Evil and Peninsula). This year, Lkff will screen two of Bong’s shorts, mockumentary Influenza (2004) and early work Incoherence (1994); also showing will be a a rare on-screen Bong performance in Kang Dae-hee’s Some Light? (2009). These will be made available online and throughout the UK for the first time.
The opening gala on October 29 will present the European premiere of...
The festival showcases major Korean titles as well as indies and comes at a time when Korean cinema has been riding a global high with the success of Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar winner Parasite (as well as recent local breakouts Deliver Us From Evil and Peninsula). This year, Lkff will screen two of Bong’s shorts, mockumentary Influenza (2004) and early work Incoherence (1994); also showing will be a a rare on-screen Bong performance in Kang Dae-hee’s Some Light? (2009). These will be made available online and throughout the UK for the first time.
The opening gala on October 29 will present the European premiere of...
- 9/22/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
For many years now, the highly competitive domestic Korean film market shows a exponential growth. The Oscar winning streak of “Parasite” (2019) was one of the well-deserved results of this process. Celebrating its 101th birthday, the Korean film seems to be on its peak in terms of international recognition. “Parasite” gained a huge amount of attention and people start to turn their eyes to the foreign country. In 2019, “Parasite” had many other national competitors. For example the action thriller “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” starring Ma Dong-Seok and the historical blockbuster “The Battle: Roar to Victory” by Won Shin-Yun. Nevertheless, “Extreme Job” by Lee Byeong-Heon was the most successful film in Korean last year and outperformed “Parasite” with more than 16 Million moviegoers. It is more than surprising that Lee Sang-Geun’s debut film “Exit” took the third place of Korea’s movie market. Following the tradition of other apocalyptic Korean...
- 6/27/2020
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
South Korean cinema, though prolific in a number of genres, has been fairly bereft of science fiction films. But that’s about to change soon, with a number of films already in various stages of production and the first one getting ready for release is “A Werewolf Boy” director Jo Sung-hee’s newest film “Space Sweepers”.
Synopsis
Tae-ho is a pilot of Spaceship Victory, which is led by Captain. Tae-ho will do anything to make money, but he is always broke. Tiger Park and a robot are crew members of the spaceship. “Space Sweepers” is a space drama set to combine Korean actors with an international cast.
Jo Sung-hee reteams with his “A Werewolf Boy” actor Song Joong-ki once again, who plays Tae-ho. “The Handmaiden” herself Kim Tae-ri will portray Captain. This will be the first of two sci-fi projects for the actress, the other being blockbuster director Choi Dong-hoon...
Synopsis
Tae-ho is a pilot of Spaceship Victory, which is led by Captain. Tae-ho will do anything to make money, but he is always broke. Tiger Park and a robot are crew members of the spaceship. “Space Sweepers” is a space drama set to combine Korean actors with an international cast.
Jo Sung-hee reteams with his “A Werewolf Boy” actor Song Joong-ki once again, who plays Tae-ho. “The Handmaiden” herself Kim Tae-ri will portray Captain. This will be the first of two sci-fi projects for the actress, the other being blockbuster director Choi Dong-hoon...
- 5/6/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Touting a “fresh take” on the Korean zombie genre, Netflix has announced plans for All Of Us Are Dead, a series based on the popular webtoon Now At Our School. The streamer has teamed with Lee Jq to produce the new original.
All Of Us Are Dead is focused on a group of high school students who are faced with an extreme crisis situation when they become trapped in their school, while a zombie virus spreads like a wildfire. The source material webtoon has been successful in Korea and also well-received in Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan as digital comics have seen significant uptake.
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All Of Us Are Dead is focused on a group of high school students who are faced with an extreme crisis situation when they become trapped in their school, while a zombie virus spreads like a wildfire. The source material webtoon has been successful in Korea and also well-received in Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan as digital comics have seen significant uptake.
More from DeadlineNetflix's 'Hannah Gadsby: Douglas' Comedy Special Sets Launch DateNetflix To Launch Latest Jerry Seinfeld Special '23 Hours To Kill', Reveals Premiere'The Batman' Director Matt Reeves On DC Pic During Covid-19 Hiatus; Unraveling 'Tales From The Loop...
- 4/13/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The Florence Korea Film Festival is back on the 19th of March 2020. Now in its 18th edition, it’s a moment of well-deserved celebration and recognition for South Korean cinema which – as every year – is presented with the usual enthusiasm and pride.
Guest of honor is the star Cho Jin-woong, an extraordinary interpreter with one of the most formidable careers of his generation to his credit. From a terrible “bad guy” in numerous thriller films, in recent years he has explored more dramatic and intimate roles with unchanged talent. A retrospective and a master class will be dedicated to him. Cho Jin-woong is also the protagonist of the opening film “Black Money” by Master Chung Ji-young.
“Parasite” is scheduled as an event out of competition: an opportunity to watch, or watch again, on the big screen a film that has already entered the history of cinema.
The most successful films...
Guest of honor is the star Cho Jin-woong, an extraordinary interpreter with one of the most formidable careers of his generation to his credit. From a terrible “bad guy” in numerous thriller films, in recent years he has explored more dramatic and intimate roles with unchanged talent. A retrospective and a master class will be dedicated to him. Cho Jin-woong is also the protagonist of the opening film “Black Money” by Master Chung Ji-young.
“Parasite” is scheduled as an event out of competition: an opportunity to watch, or watch again, on the big screen a film that has already entered the history of cinema.
The most successful films...
- 2/29/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Bob Iger, Geraldine Laybourne, Seth MacFarlane, Jay Sandrich and Cicely Tyson are the five people chosen for induction into the 25th TV Hall of Fame. The Television Academy will host the 25th ceremony on January 28, 2020, at the Saban Media Center.
Iger is the current Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company. He follows founder Walt Disney and former chairman Michael Eisner for induction. Laybourne led the team that originally founded Nickelodeon and Oxygen Media. MacFarlane is a five-time Emmy winner best known for “Family Guy.” Sandrich is a five-time Emmy winner as a director of such shows as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Cosby Show,” “The Golden Girls” and more. Tyson has won three Emmys in her career and is best known for her TV movies and miniseries.
SEECicely Tyson movies: 10 greatest films ranked from worst to best
The first induction was held in 1984 and it’s been...
Iger is the current Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company. He follows founder Walt Disney and former chairman Michael Eisner for induction. Laybourne led the team that originally founded Nickelodeon and Oxygen Media. MacFarlane is a five-time Emmy winner best known for “Family Guy.” Sandrich is a five-time Emmy winner as a director of such shows as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Cosby Show,” “The Golden Girls” and more. Tyson has won three Emmys in her career and is best known for her TV movies and miniseries.
SEECicely Tyson movies: 10 greatest films ranked from worst to best
The first induction was held in 1984 and it’s been...
- 12/3/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
2019 is a festive year for Korean cinema. Not only did “Parasite” by Bong Joon-ho win the first Golden Palm in its film history in Cannes last May, but it was also 100 years ago that the first Korean film “Fight for Justice” was released. Those who want to celebrate can do so at to the Korean Film Festival Brussels from 31 October to 9 November.
The theme of this year’s festival 100 Years of Korean Cinema: Portraits of Korea offers the opportunity to become acquainted with its varied character. The program is divided into two parts: Historic Classic & Modern Classic. The Historic Classic section consists of five classics while the Modern Classic part highlights six recent releases. The festival also shows a compilation of short films and there is attention for animation and documentaries.
Opening film 31st October
Miss & Mrs. Cops (2019, Jung Da-won).
This crime comedy is a feminist version of the buddy cop film.
The theme of this year’s festival 100 Years of Korean Cinema: Portraits of Korea offers the opportunity to become acquainted with its varied character. The program is divided into two parts: Historic Classic & Modern Classic. The Historic Classic section consists of five classics while the Modern Classic part highlights six recent releases. The festival also shows a compilation of short films and there is attention for animation and documentaries.
Opening film 31st October
Miss & Mrs. Cops (2019, Jung Da-won).
This crime comedy is a feminist version of the buddy cop film.
- 10/31/2019
- by Nancy Fornoville
- AsianMoviePulse
Showbox, one of South Korea’s leading studios, is launching sales of disaster comedy “Sinkhole” at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Market. Helmed by “The Tower” director Kim Ji-hoon, the film is the story of the events that follow the appearance of an urban sinkhole that swallows an entire apartment building.
It stars fashion model-turned-actor Cha Seung-won, Kim Sung-kyun (“Fengshui”) and Lee Kwang-soo (“Tazza: One Eyed Jack”). Aiming for a 2020 release, “Sinkhole” started shooting in August and is currently in production.
Showbox is also handling international sales of “The Man Standing Next,” a film by “Inside Men” director Woo Min-ho. Based on the fact-based novel of the same title, “Man Standing Next” tells an untold story of Korean Central Intelligence Agency and its political maneuvering in the 1970s. With a star-studded cast that includes Lee Byung-hun (“Inside Men”), Lee Sung-min (“Spy Gone North”), and Kwak Do-won (“Steel Rain...
It stars fashion model-turned-actor Cha Seung-won, Kim Sung-kyun (“Fengshui”) and Lee Kwang-soo (“Tazza: One Eyed Jack”). Aiming for a 2020 release, “Sinkhole” started shooting in August and is currently in production.
Showbox is also handling international sales of “The Man Standing Next,” a film by “Inside Men” director Woo Min-ho. Based on the fact-based novel of the same title, “Man Standing Next” tells an untold story of Korean Central Intelligence Agency and its political maneuvering in the 1970s. With a star-studded cast that includes Lee Byung-hun (“Inside Men”), Lee Sung-min (“Spy Gone North”), and Kwak Do-won (“Steel Rain...
- 10/4/2019
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Extremely versatile actors Cho Jin-woong and Sol Kyung-gu both have sharp comic timings, but are rarely cast in comedic roles. Though Cho Jin-woong has had two such roles on the trot with “Intimate Strangers” and the recent “Jesters: The Game Changers“, Sol Kyung-gu hasn’t featured in one since 2013’s “The Spy: Undercover Operation”. The two will, however, be seen together in drama/comedy “Man of Men” from debutant director Yong Soo.
Synopsis
Jang-soo is a lawyer at a top law firm who will do anything for money. A medical diagnosis reveals that he doesn’t have much time left to live. Yeong-ki is a good-for-nothing gangster, but he dreams of having a perfect life. He performs court-ordered community service and meets Jang-soo, who decides to offer money to Yeong-ki if he will helps him complete his bucket list.
Though Cho Jin-woong has starred in films with a majority of South Korean superstars,...
Synopsis
Jang-soo is a lawyer at a top law firm who will do anything for money. A medical diagnosis reveals that he doesn’t have much time left to live. Yeong-ki is a good-for-nothing gangster, but he dreams of having a perfect life. He performs court-ordered community service and meets Jang-soo, who decides to offer money to Yeong-ki if he will helps him complete his bucket list.
Though Cho Jin-woong has starred in films with a majority of South Korean superstars,...
- 9/1/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
“The Grand Heist” was a hugely successful historical comedy caper when it released back in 2012. Seven years after the film, its director Kim Joo-ho occupies the director’s chair once again for historical comedy “Jesters: The Game Changers”.
Synopsis
Deok-ho and his gang make ends meet by racketeering around the country. Han Myeong-hoe, King Sejo’s right-hand man, thinks highly of their talents and encourages them to work for the country. Funded by the government, Deok-ho and his men use more theatrical and sophisticated devices to create incredible events, such as a pine tree lifting its branches by itself, sweet rain falling from heaven, and rainbows forming wherever King Sejo goes.
The star cast comprises of Cho Jin-woong as Doek-ho, Son Hyun-joo as Myeong-hoe and Park Hee-soo as King Sejo, with Ko Chang-seok, Choi Won-young and Kim Seul-gi making up the rest of Doek-ho’s gang. Cho Jin-woong was last...
Synopsis
Deok-ho and his gang make ends meet by racketeering around the country. Han Myeong-hoe, King Sejo’s right-hand man, thinks highly of their talents and encourages them to work for the country. Funded by the government, Deok-ho and his men use more theatrical and sophisticated devices to create incredible events, such as a pine tree lifting its branches by itself, sweet rain falling from heaven, and rainbows forming wherever King Sejo goes.
The star cast comprises of Cho Jin-woong as Doek-ho, Son Hyun-joo as Myeong-hoe and Park Hee-soo as King Sejo, with Ko Chang-seok, Choi Won-young and Kim Seul-gi making up the rest of Doek-ho’s gang. Cho Jin-woong was last...
- 7/26/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Festival will open with Lee Jong-un’s ‘Birthday’.
Far East Film Festival (Feff), the Asian cinema event held in Udine, Italy, has announced a line-up of 76 films from 12 countries for its 2019 edition (April 26-May 4).
The festival will open with Lee Jong-un’s debut feature Birthday, a story set around the Sewol ferry tragedy in South Korea when 304 passengers and crew lost their lives. The film looks at one family’s experience of public and private mourning after losing their eldest son in the disaster.
The film is produced by Lee Chang-dong, whose Burning played at Cannes last year and set...
Far East Film Festival (Feff), the Asian cinema event held in Udine, Italy, has announced a line-up of 76 films from 12 countries for its 2019 edition (April 26-May 4).
The festival will open with Lee Jong-un’s debut feature Birthday, a story set around the Sewol ferry tragedy in South Korea when 304 passengers and crew lost their lives. The film looks at one family’s experience of public and private mourning after losing their eldest son in the disaster.
The film is produced by Lee Chang-dong, whose Burning played at Cannes last year and set...
- 4/11/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The times are a-changin’ with more and more female-centric action films. Films like “The Villainess”, “A Special Lady” and this year’s “No Mercy” have flipped the genre on its head with engaging plots backed by its solid female leads. Director Jung Da-won’s new film “Girl Cops” takes the once exclusive-to-male genre of buddy-cop action comedies with a female duo of characters getting together to bash baddies and fight crime.
Synopsis
Mi-young was a once-legendary female police officer who used to work on the police squad, but moves to the Public Service Center after getting married. Ji-hye, her sister-in-law, is a rookie detective who gets assigned to the same Public Service Centre after she causes trouble. The two team up to solve a case when a revenge porno victim commits suicide.
Ra Mi-ran, whose impeccable comic timing we saw recently in last year’s “The Dude Inside Me” and...
Synopsis
Mi-young was a once-legendary female police officer who used to work on the police squad, but moves to the Public Service Center after getting married. Ji-hye, her sister-in-law, is a rookie detective who gets assigned to the same Public Service Centre after she causes trouble. The two team up to solve a case when a revenge porno victim commits suicide.
Ra Mi-ran, whose impeccable comic timing we saw recently in last year’s “The Dude Inside Me” and...
- 4/9/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
While it is not very common to see South Korean actors dabble in film direction, it is not completely unheard of. Yoo Ji-tae, Ha Jung-woo and lately actress Moon So-ri have all directed films before, to name but three. The latest to follow in their footsteps is Kim Yoon-seok, whose debut film “Another Child” (literal Korean title “Underage”) is ready for release.
Synopsis
Not much is known of the story of the film yet, but it is said to be a family drama that portrays the experiences of A 17-year-old girl and her friend take on the world of abnormal adults in this family drama.
Based on Kim Yoon-seok’s track record as an actor, boasting of films like “The Chaser”, “Tazza: The High Rollers”, “The Yellow Sea”, “Sea Fog” and “Dark Figure of Crime”, the tone of the film in the trailer, which seems to come across as a dramedy and a coming-of-age story,...
Synopsis
Not much is known of the story of the film yet, but it is said to be a family drama that portrays the experiences of A 17-year-old girl and her friend take on the world of abnormal adults in this family drama.
Based on Kim Yoon-seok’s track record as an actor, boasting of films like “The Chaser”, “Tazza: The High Rollers”, “The Yellow Sea”, “Sea Fog” and “Dark Figure of Crime”, the tone of the film in the trailer, which seems to come across as a dramedy and a coming-of-age story,...
- 3/17/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
2018 was, by most accounts, a mixed bag of a year for South Korean cinema. Where critics darling Lee Chang-dong returned to the scene after an eight-year hiatus to much fanfare and applause with “Burning”, small films like “Little Forest” and “Intimate Strangers” ended up being more well received than tentpole blockbusters like Kim Jee-woon’s “Illang: The Wolf Brigade”, for example. 2019 has begun very strongly, with “Extreme Job” going on to become the 2nd highest grossing South Korean film of all time on the domestic box-office. Here’s a list of some films we can look forward to with much anticipation in the remainder of the year.
Bad Police (Lee Jeong-beom)
It’s Lee Sun-kyun vs the world in “Bad Police”
Six years after the action packed “No Tears for the Dead”, the director of the iconic “The Man from Nowhere” is back with “Bad Police”. Telling the story of...
Bad Police (Lee Jeong-beom)
It’s Lee Sun-kyun vs the world in “Bad Police”
Six years after the action packed “No Tears for the Dead”, the director of the iconic “The Man from Nowhere” is back with “Bad Police”. Telling the story of...
- 2/25/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Hoping to bring a “The Fast & The Furious” vibe to South Korean cinema is director Han Jun-hee (“Coin Locker Girl”) with his latest action film “Hit-and-Run Squad”.
Synopsis
Eun Shi-yeon is a police lieutenant. She is demoted to a hit-and-run investigation team from the regional investigation unit at the National Police Agency. At the hit-and-run investigation team, Eun Shi-yeon works with Police Constable Seo Min-jae, who has a knack for cars, and Woo Sun-young . They try to catch Jung Jae-cheol. He is the first Formula One racer in South Korea, but he suddenly retired as a race car driver. He is now businessman.
Han Jun-hee has been able to call upon an able starcast for the project. Gong Hyo-jin, who was recently seen in the hit urban thriller “Door Lock” as well as in a special appearance in “Be With You” earlier last year, plays Eun Shi-yeon. Ryu Jun-yeol, who...
Synopsis
Eun Shi-yeon is a police lieutenant. She is demoted to a hit-and-run investigation team from the regional investigation unit at the National Police Agency. At the hit-and-run investigation team, Eun Shi-yeon works with Police Constable Seo Min-jae, who has a knack for cars, and Woo Sun-young . They try to catch Jung Jae-cheol. He is the first Formula One racer in South Korea, but he suddenly retired as a race car driver. He is now businessman.
Han Jun-hee has been able to call upon an able starcast for the project. Gong Hyo-jin, who was recently seen in the hit urban thriller “Door Lock” as well as in a special appearance in “Be With You” earlier last year, plays Eun Shi-yeon. Ryu Jun-yeol, who...
- 1/6/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Korean-made financial drama, “Default” remained on top of the South Korean box office for the second consecutive weekend. The Cj Entertainment release earned $4.95 million from 631,200 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a total of $19.9 million after two weekends on release. “Bohemian Rhapsody” also remained in second. The Fox release earned $4.79 million to extend its total $54.5 million from 7.08 million admissions after six weekends.
Opening on Wednesday (Dec. 5), Korean thriller, “Door Lock” debuted in third. The Megabox release earned $6.13 million over five days, including $4.38 million over the weekend. Starring Kong Hyo-jin (“A Single Rider”), the film is the story of a woman who finds signs of a stranger entering her house, where she lives by herself. The top three films accounted for a total of 74% of the total weekend box office.
Disney’s Thursday opener, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” debuted in fourth. It earned $1.72 million in four days. “Mortal Engines” and “Running Man,...
Opening on Wednesday (Dec. 5), Korean thriller, “Door Lock” debuted in third. The Megabox release earned $6.13 million over five days, including $4.38 million over the weekend. Starring Kong Hyo-jin (“A Single Rider”), the film is the story of a woman who finds signs of a stranger entering her house, where she lives by herself. The top three films accounted for a total of 74% of the total weekend box office.
Disney’s Thursday opener, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” debuted in fourth. It earned $1.72 million in four days. “Mortal Engines” and “Running Man,...
- 12/10/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Opening on Wednesday, local drama “Default” debuted on top of the South Korean box office. The Cj Entertainment release earned $11.5 million from 1.57 million admissions over its five opening days. Over the Friday-Sunday weekend, it earned $8.44 million from 1.07 million admissions and accounted for 42% of the total weekend revenues.
Starring some of South Korea’s top stars including Kim Hye-soo and Yoo Ah-in, and French actor Vincent Cassel, the film depicts the back story of the Imf negotiations during the financial crisis in South Korea in 1997.
Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” slipped to second place, earning $6.53 million between Friday and Sunday for a total of $47.5 million after five weekends. The biographical film accounted for 32% of the weekend box office.
Showbox’s “Unstoppable” also slipped to third from the previous weekend’s second. The crime actioner earned $1.74 million for a total of $11.0 million after two weekends.
Wednesday opener, “Robin Hood” debuted in fourth. It...
Starring some of South Korea’s top stars including Kim Hye-soo and Yoo Ah-in, and French actor Vincent Cassel, the film depicts the back story of the Imf negotiations during the financial crisis in South Korea in 1997.
Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” slipped to second place, earning $6.53 million between Friday and Sunday for a total of $47.5 million after five weekends. The biographical film accounted for 32% of the weekend box office.
Showbox’s “Unstoppable” also slipped to third from the previous weekend’s second. The crime actioner earned $1.74 million for a total of $11.0 million after two weekends.
Wednesday opener, “Robin Hood” debuted in fourth. It...
- 12/4/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Opening on Wednesday (Nov. 14), Harry Potter spinoff-prequel “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” debuted on top of the South Korean box office. The Warner Bros. release earned $11.8 million from 1.52 million admissions over its opening five days.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” remained in second spot for the third consecutive weekend. The biographical film about Queen earned $6.5 million from 816,200 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a total of $24.7 million from 3.14 million admissions after three weekends. The two top films together accounted for 69% of total weekend box office.
“Intimate Strangers” slipped from first place the previous weekend to third, with a week on week drop of 51%. The Lotte Cultureworks release earned $3.83 million from 498,400 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a three-weekend total of $32.5 million from 4.35 million admissions.
“Burn the Stage: The Movie” landed in fourth place. A documentary following K-pop sensation Bts’s world tour, the Walt Disney Korea release earned $1.77 million between Thursday and Sunday.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” remained in second spot for the third consecutive weekend. The biographical film about Queen earned $6.5 million from 816,200 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a total of $24.7 million from 3.14 million admissions after three weekends. The two top films together accounted for 69% of total weekend box office.
“Intimate Strangers” slipped from first place the previous weekend to third, with a week on week drop of 51%. The Lotte Cultureworks release earned $3.83 million from 498,400 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a three-weekend total of $32.5 million from 4.35 million admissions.
“Burn the Stage: The Movie” landed in fourth place. A documentary following K-pop sensation Bts’s world tour, the Walt Disney Korea release earned $1.77 million between Thursday and Sunday.
- 11/19/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Local comedy “Intimate Strangers” remained on top of the South Korean box office, earning $7.88 million from 1 million admissions between Friday and Sunday. The Lotte Cultureworks release has earned a total of $25.3 million from 3.38 million admissions after two weekends on release. Directed by Lee Jae-kyoo (“The Fatal Encounter”), “Strangers” is a Korean remake of the 2016 Italian film, “Perfect Strangers.”
With a rare week-on-week increase of 47%, Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” remained in second place. The biographical film earned $6.43 million for a total of $14.7 million after two weekends on release. The two top films accounted for 79% of the total weekend box office.
Opening on Wednesday (Nov. 7), “The Villagers” landed in third. The Little Big Pictures release earned $2.64 million from 352,000 admissions over five days. Starring Don Lee, “Villagers” is a Korean action thriller about a teacher and a girl who questions the disappearance of her friend.
Next Entertainment World’s “The Wrath” opened on Thursday and took fourth spot.
With a rare week-on-week increase of 47%, Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” remained in second place. The biographical film earned $6.43 million for a total of $14.7 million after two weekends on release. The two top films accounted for 79% of the total weekend box office.
Opening on Wednesday (Nov. 7), “The Villagers” landed in third. The Little Big Pictures release earned $2.64 million from 352,000 admissions over five days. Starring Don Lee, “Villagers” is a Korean action thriller about a teacher and a girl who questions the disappearance of her friend.
Next Entertainment World’s “The Wrath” opened on Thursday and took fourth spot.
- 11/12/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
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