[movie 2008] A Man Once A Superman 슈퍼맨이었던 사나

[rubie]

INTERVIEW CHOICE at SCREEN Movie Magazine

Article in Korean HERE

The press preview on Jan 21, 2008

http://vod.innolife.net/2008/01/080122_2.wmv

http://vod.innolife.net/2008/01/080122.wmv

Source: http://www.innolife.tv/index.php

[rubie]

January 24, 2008

English subtitles coming to Korean films at CGV

CJ Entertainment and CGV have announced that they will begin providing current Korean movies with English-language subtitles, starting with director Jeong Yun-cheol's "A Man Once a Superman," reflecting the increasing demand from foreigners here.

"Initially, the selected movies will show on one screen at Yongsan CGV theaters for the duration of the films' domestic theatrical run," CJ said in a statement. "The lineup of chosen films will consist of big-event movies that will appeal to foreigners, and will give them a unique chance to watch noteworthy Korean films when they are released."

CJ and CGV will select certain Korean titles -- currently estimated at four to six this year -- and will release concurrent with their domestic release.

"A Man Once a Superman" will be screened with English subtitles on Jan. 31, the same day the movie is set to be released to Korean viewers. The movie, produced and distributed by CJ, depicts a cynical reporter whose life is changed by her encounter with a man who thinks he is Superman. Hwang Jung-min plays the central character, while Jun Ji-hyun takes up the role of the reporter.

CJ said it will show more movies with English subtitles, including "Modern Boy," "The Divine Weapon," "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" and the untitled upcoming Park Chan-wook project.

CJ is one of leading movie production companies in Korea and has the largest domestic film library -- over 200 films --with 30 new titles being added each year. Established in 1998, CGV is the biggest multiplex operator here.

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com)

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/

[rubie]

umm, but what is the prupose of having this actor .. i don't mean anything bad.. i don't see anything special .. is there any?

January 24, 2008

'Superman,' the Good Samaritan

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

Jeon Ji-hyun, left, and Hwang Jung-min star in “A Man Who Was Superman”

In "A Man Who Was Superman" director Chung Yoon-chul, the tear jerking maestro behind "Marathon" (2005), teams up with superstars Jeon Ji-hyun (aka Jianna Jeon) and Hwang Jung-min. It's a multi-dimensional story that, while buttressed by the safety net of the American superhero's iconic cultural appeal, is reborn with an unconventional Superman -- a modern-day hero who battles urban apathy and preaches the virtues of lending a hand.

Soo-jung (Jeon) is a producer of human-interest TV documentaries. Cynical, worn out and shrouded in cigarette smoke, she doesn't believe in the product she sells, and even resorts to throwing in bits of fabrication to heighten the schmaltziness of her lame subject matter. Sick of contrived drama, she decides to leave with the firm's camera instead of her overdue payroll to shoot ruthless lions in Africa.

But things don't work out, and to make matters worse, a thief runs off with her camera. But then along comes Superman (Hwang) -- a rather odd fellow clad in a Hawaiian shirt to the rescue.

And so Soo-jung returns to her dead-end job with a new story. She starts documenting the mystery man and his chronic willingness to help others, like helping the elderly cross the street and rescuing puppies, as well as his obsessive environmental activism, like hand-standing in the middle of the street to "push off" the rays of the sun.

What's more, Superman claims he cannot use his superpowers due to a piece of kryptonite (the fictional element in the original cartoon that weakens Superman's powers) stuck in his head. But when an X-ray reveals that there really is some foreign object rooted in his brain, Soo-jung knows she has a hit story.

But even greater surprises await Soo-jung, as Superman starts knocking at her frigid heart.

The film's conquering tactic is fairly simple: overwhelm and amuse the audience with Superman's utterly bizarre existence, while Soo-jung's cynicism and disheartening practicality downplay the absurdity. Viewers will fall in love with the characters and have their hearts broken by the revealing of the tragic secrets of the characters. There's also a biting moral lesson about something we're all guilty of.

The movie explores the "bystander effect" -- how individuals are less likely to help others when in a group _ and its traumatizing aftermath. But "Superman" is not a bitter social commentary. It's a fuzzy human drama, and counters that feeling of uneasiness by throwing in a ray of hope, thus wrapping it up with a smile.

It works how we expect a movie to. Sure, it's ridden with fairytale conventions, but has a modern edge that make you want to believe in it. The director also showcases a new directorial style by adding elements of fantasy. You need to let go of your inhibitions and just tune into the fun, like the parody of the original comic strip and other surreal scenes.

But despite the comic relief, the first half of the two-hour flick seems to drag out a little too much before reaching the climax. But Hwang works his magic and saves the script.

The director has said Hwang ("Happiness," 2007) is the one and only actor in Korea to pull off Superman, and indeed the actor surprises viewers with yet another unforgettable role as he maps out an endless array of emotions. His Hawaiian shirt, strange dance routines and giddy comments might give birth to a new superhero figure.

Jeon, on the other hand, manages to pull together a convincing character. But despite her disheveled hair and makeup-less face, her sarcastic character still strongly reflects the oddly lovely girl from "My Sassy Girl" (1999).

The film basically says that being Superman isn't difficult. "The film made me realize I too can be Superman (and change for the better). But I haven't taken action yet, but the thought that I must change, I think, is the beginning. And a good beginning is half the battle, right?'' said Jeon at a recent press preview in Seoul.

In theaters Jan. 31. English subtitles available at CGV Yongsan.

Credits: hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2.../203_17928.html

[shirley]

MV

http://www.mediafire.com/?bemdxwdwefj

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9CFqOQ_khs

[rubie]

^ Thanks for the Superman MV, Shirley.. really appreciate the sharing. ^^

---

January 25, 2008

Jeon Ji-hyun Takes a Big-Screen Gamble

Many Korean star actresses of the small screen have dismally flopped in movies although they achieve brilliant success and earn astronomical amounts of money in TV commercials. Now Jeon Ji-hyun is taking the gamble, returning to the silver screen with “A Man Once a Superman” directed by Chung Yun-chul.

She follows in the perilous footsteps of Kim Tae-hee , who recently appeared opposite Seol Kyung-goo in “Fight.” It attracted a mere 300,000 viewers amid controversy over Kim’s poor acting skills, which have been in question since her debut.

Ko So-young, whose beauty defies age, was also unlucky in films. Her movies “A.P.T” and “Go Go Sister” were both failures. And Moon Geun-young, once considered the queen of the small screen and the nation’s little sister, fell flat on her face with “Love Me Not.” After a long rest, she announced her return to TV soap opera.

From left Jeon Ji-hyun, Kim Tae-hee, Ko So-young and Song Hye-kyo

Song Hye-kyo, meanwhile, did not meet the expectations of fans in the movie “Hwangjiny”, although her performance was slightly better than those of some fellow actresses and it drew 1 million moviegoers. But that was not enough for the producer to make profit from the production, which cost W10 billion (US$1=W937).

Jeon Ji-hyun is well aware of what she is up against. In fact, she has been there before, with the failure of “Daisy” two years ago. So the new movie is clearly a critical juncture in her career: that is why she chose to work with director Chung Yun-chul and actor Hwang Jung-min, both renowned for their superb achievements.

But the road ahead is not easy. “A Man Once a Superman” will be released on Jan. 31, coinciding with other potential blockbusters like “Once upon a Time”, “Radio Days” and “The Game.” Will she be able to break the jinx?

Credits: englishnews@chosun.com

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0801250012.html

[rubie]

January 28, 2008

Major Korean Films Offered With English Subtitles

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

"The Good, The Bad, The Weird"

CGV Yongsan in central Seoul will devote a screen to the exclusive showing of popular domestic movies with English-language subtitles, an unprecedented move by a movie theater.

"It's to serve the many foreigners in Korea who want to watch Korean films. They won't have to wait for DVDs with English-language subtitles anymore," Chong Choe from CJ Entermatinment's International Strategy team told The Korea Times.

The country's largest motion picture studio, CJ Entertainment and multiplex theater giant CGV have teamed up for this long-term project, and will begin with "A Man Who Was Superman," starring high-profile actors Jeon Ji-hyeon ("My Sassy Girl's" Gianna Jeon) and Hwang Jung-min ("Happiness"). Coming to CGV Yongsan Jan. 31, it will have regular showings for the entire duration of the film's run in Korea.

For the time being, there will be seven showings per day through Feb. 4. "That's a lot of showings, and we plan to maintain this for the entire duration of 'A Man Who Was Superman.' This shows how committed we are," said Choe.

"This is just the beginning, not just a one-time deal," he said. The entertainment giants will select movies with mass appeal to show at the exclusive screen throughout the year.

Following "A Man Who Was Superman," this year's line-up include the retro film "Modern Boy," starring Kim Hye-soo and Park Hae-il, due for release in April; "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," with superstar trio Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho and Jung Woo-sung in June; and the historical epic drama "The Divine Weapon" and director Park Chan-wook's upcoming (unnamed) film project later on in the year.

The Yongsan chain will be a pilot program for English-language subtitle project. "We'll have to see how this goes," sad Choe, when asked about the possibility of offering such services at CGV theaters in other parts of the country.

Until now, small independent movie theaters have offered a handful of homegrown works with English-language subtitles, such as the critically acclaimed indie flick "In Between Days" by Kim So-yong last fall.

Large multiplex theaters serve as barometers of the popularity of films, and even highly anticipated works disappear in less than a week if they fail to attract large audiences. To devote an entire screen is significant, especially given that the Yongsan chain is a major location among the CGV chain. Building such a framework is only possible if there is a demand.

It signals the increasing recognition of Korean films' international appeal. By releasing a Korean film subtitled in English, the film is no longer limited to the local market, and may even speed up exports of Korean films to other countries. Entertainment giant CJ seems to have recognized this and taken action, and if other companies follow suit it will considerably affect the Korean film industry and its globalization.

For the time being, expatriates in Seoul may now expand their movie-going habits to include not just Hollywood blockbusters but local films as well.

CGV Yongsan is connected to Yongsan station on subway line 1 and near exit 4 of Sinyongsan station on line 4.

Credits: hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2.../141_18052.html

[melusine]

Movieweek article

Film2.0 article

Good job on the thread, rubie! (edit: Kudos to huangsy, yum yum dimsum, shirley as well; didn't mean to overlook anyone's contribution. Thanks guys!) I haven't read all the articles (didn't want to spoil myself), but I did watch the trailer and man oh man I was just cracking up all the way through. *thumbsup*

I know the Korean critics are pretty harsh on Jeon JiHyun, but no matter the outcome, I think this was a smart career move for her (I'm not a big fan, but yeah I'll always have a soft spot for Sassy Girl). There's no time like the present to fight typecasting and try something new (like she did in the underrated "The Uninvited") and it must've been a blast working with a super actor (couldn't resist the pun ) and (what looks like) a fun script.

God I love Hwang JungMin. That Hawaiian shirt! All the running around doing crazy stuff! His face! The curl! If anyone can sell this premise, he can.

Can you tell I'm really really looking forward to watching this movie?^^

[rubie]

^ Thanks so much Melusine for the warm words :blush: but all I did was copy and paste the (only) English articles easily available as it's a daily routine. A lot of the credits should go to Huangsy, yum yum dimsum and Shirley especially for getting everything else, especially clips and pics from the more extensive Korean media resources. To that I'm just in awe.

I just love the promo pics from Movieweek and Film2.0 (HJM's just an adorable superdork! ^^) .. they're awesome. Hope you don't mind me sharing some at HJM's thread, credits assured. I hope you'll also post Movieweek, Film2.0 .. even Cine21 movie pics/feature for GBW when it opens later. :blush: I just can never figure it out.. all the codes & stuff for Movieweek and Film2.0 articles, pics etc. Again, I'm in awe.. how do you do it?

Can't agree more that HJM is simply hilarious and he's indeed a super actor.. from doing every character to everything.. he's done it. I sure hope the movie will be well received & thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. It's opening tomorrow with some of the highly-anticipated Korean movies around.. Radio Days, The Game, Once Upon a Time.. with Forever the Moment still going strong at the box-office.

Thanks so much for the warm comm, appreciate it a lot... I really miss some good ol' fan talk like this so much..

[Guest yum yum dimsum]

Premiere Magazine

Mr & Mrs Superman - #1 #2

[Guest kdramafanusa]

(source: http://www.kobis.or.kr/index_new.jsp )

Weekly Box Office 2008.02.01 ~ 2008.02.03

1. The Game (South Korea)

http://www.thegame2008.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 358,176 / 365,884

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 2,395,328,500 / 2,432,007,000

Screen : 446

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Yoon In-ho

Main Cast : Shin Ha-kyun, Byun Hee-bong, Lee Eun-sung

2. Forever The Moment (South Korea)

http://www.foreverthemoment.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 309,012 / 3,030,957

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 2,006,710,000 / 19,595,621,000

Screen : 408

Opening Date : 2008/01/10

Director : Lim Soon-rye

Main Cast : Moon So-ri, Cho Eun-ji, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Ji-young, Uhm Tae-woong

3. Once Upon A Time (South Korea)

http://www.onceuponatime.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 277,717 / 311,297

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,854,801,500 / 2,035,670,000

Screen : 396

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Jung Yong-ki

Main Cast : Park Yong-woo, Lee Bo-young, Kim Eung-soo

4. A Man Who Was Superman (South Korea)

http://www.superman2008.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 204,924 / 218,640

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,364,462,000 / 1,424,937,000

Screen : 518

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Jung Yoon-Chul

Main Cast : Hwang Jung-min, Jeon Ji-hyun

5. The Warlords (China / Hong Kong)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 119,978 / 128,721

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 806,674,500 / 858,101,000

Screen : 292

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Peter Chan

Main Cast : Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro

6. Radio Days (South Korea)

http://www.radio-days.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 83,502 / 87,702

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 556,792,000 / 571,862,500

Screen : 315

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Ha Gi-ho

Main Cast : Ryoo Seung-bum, Lee Jong-hyuk, Kim Sa-rang, Hwang Bo-ra, Kim Roi-ha

7. Cloverfield (U.S.)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 61,037 / 511,512

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 409,386,500 / 3,393,051,500

Screen : 255

Opening Date : 2008/01/24

Director : Matt Reeves

Main Cast : Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Michael Stahl-David

8. Happily N' Ever After (U.S.)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 46,967 / 227,832

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 274,086,000 / 1,292,913,000

Screen : 211

Opening Date : 2008/01/24

Director : Paul Bolger, Yvette Kaplan

Main Cast : Sigourney Weaver, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Patrick Warburton, Andy Richard

9. Open City (South Korea)

http://www.open-city.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 36,354 / 1,567,488

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 240,353,500 / 10,289,485,000

Screen : 159

Opening Date : 2008/01/10

Director : Lee Sang-ki

Main Cast : Son Ye-jin, Kim Myung-min

10. Bee Movie (U.S.)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 21,493 / 1,147,557

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 129,040,000 / 6,801,745,000

Screen : 118

Opening Date : 2008/01/03

Director : Stephen Hickner, Simon J. Smith

Main Cast : Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Kathy Bates, Oprah Winfrey, Matthew Broderick

MOVIES OPENING ON 2008/01/31 [photo=spn.edaily]

A Man Who Was Superman

Soo-jung, a human documentary maker, gets tired of the genre and decides to go film African lions. However, the plan goes awry and her camera gets stolen. A man wearing a Hawaiian shirt chases the robber and retrieves the camera for her. He calls himself 'Superman'. All ages admitted. 114 minutes. No English subtitles except at CGV Yongsan.

The Game

One day, Hee-do, a poor artist on the street, gets an offer from No-sik, a fat cat in the financial world, to play for high stakes. When Hee-do loses he is deprived of everything. No-sik, on the other hand, gets not only a healthy body but also wealth and honor. Hee-do prepares the game again to restore his change of destiny. No English subtitles. 15 and over. 116 minutes.

Radio Days

In the 1930's under the Japan's colonial rule, a Radio Producer Roid, is a born idler who is only interested in Mari, a jazz singer. One day, he gets a scenario titled 'A spark of Love'. They make the first radio drama with it, but are off to a rocky start with its footloose actors. No English subtitles. 12 and over. 111 minutes.

Once upon a Time

In the 1940's under the Japan's colonial rule, Bong-gu, a swindler, and Chun-ja, a jazz singer, are both after ``the Light of the East,'' a diamond on the Buddhist statue in Seokguram cave. However, Japan's head gets it and he holds a party to celebrate and move it to Japan as soon as possible. Bong-gu and Chun-ja participate to steal 'the Light of the East'. No English subtitles. 12 and over. 123 minutes.

The Warlords

During the Qing Dynasty, politicians are corrupt and people are starving. Three blood brothers get involved in a struggle. In Chinese with Korean subtitles. 18 and over. 116 minutes.

source: Korea Times

[rubie]

Despite that premiering at a not-so-high spot at the box-office (#4 on the first week, #5 for the second week), I think the movie is doing alright. But obviously.. there has been some hot-cold responses to the movie, as mentioned by Darcy Paquet at koreanfilm. We'll hope that everything will soon pick up for 'A Man Once A Superman'. Fighting!

Anyway, please enjoy this NG clip.. HJM & JJH were hilarious .. so was the director. Good to hear them laughing, clearly enjoying their time filming the movie.

http://vod.innolife.net/2008/02/080205_11.wmv

Copied from http://www.innolife.tv/list.php?ac_id=12&ai_id=2974

[rubie]

March 19, 2008

Man Who Was Superman

A tragicomedy about a crazed hero falls flat on humor, but a certain warm humanity remains

By Maggie Lee

Hong Kong Filmart HAS Screenings

A TV producer gets on the case of a man who goes around being a Good Samaritan while claiming that he is Superman sans power due to Kryptonite in his brain. As she uncovers more about his past, she realizes that he has been linked to tragedies on both personal and national levels. "Superman" satirizes the callousness of modern society, and expounds the traditional moral that by helping others, anyone can get in touch with the superman (or wonder woman) inside.

Jeon Yoon-chul, who directed the earthy domestic comedy "Skeletons in the Closet," is a little out of his depth in this big CJ Entertainment production about a man who thinks he is superman. Even having Asian sweetheart Gianna Jun (a.k.a. Jun Ji-hyun of "My Sassy Girl," "Windstruck") and respected Korean actor Hwang Jeon-min ("Happiness," "You are My Sunshine") as leads couldn't rescue the film from bombing at the domestic boxoffice. Actually, Jeon penned a fine script, and as inane slapstick and poorly integrated fantasy/dream sequences give way to serious drama midway, performances as well as thematic development actually take a turn for the better. It packs an emotional punch at the final climax, but as if unable to leave it at that, it goes on for another five to 10 minutes with reductive scenes that overstay their screen time.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

[rubie]

Wednesday, 6 August 2008

KOFIC to support films overseas

Written by Han Sunhee

L - R: Secret Sunshine, The Chaser, Dream, The Man Who Was Superman, Happiness

Posters in clickable-thumbnail format, please click to expand the images

SEOUL – The Korean Film Council (Kofic) Wednesday announced $54,000 of financial support to overseas distributors releasing Korean movies. Stichting Nederlands Filmmuseum was awarded Euros12,000 ($18,700) aid to help with its Netherlands release of Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine" on Sept 12. Hong Kong's Golden Scene receives $12,000 to underwrite its Sept 4 release of Na Hong-jin-helmed "The Chaser" and a further $23,000 to assist November outings of "A man who was Superman," Hur Jin-ho's "Happiness" and the December release of Kim Ki-duk's "Dream."

Source: Variety Asia

http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/6650/

[Guest valley girl]

i dunno this movie already released. hwang jung min so Grounded he said he so ashamed with JJH because He really bad @ memorizing Script and make many NG"s . i think he was lying :lol: "oh come on mister hwang You Got a bunch of Awards " hahhaa.. he even got Best actor + best supporting Actor in same Year + Same awards in Koren Film Festival.

[Guest valley girl]

i just watch this movie..

JJH so Pretty, i like that her face not that flawless.. hehehe.. i just Realize that she's so bright, white too

hwang jung min what ever movie he watch his acting skill so Amazing ,, wow he is a Great Actor really

this movie really silly Esp Hwang jung min, the characther of supermman kind odd but since HJM who plays it's so cool

[Guest regy]

saw this movie

it was really great!

and sad....

oh JJH looked so pretty

[strawberrii chuuu]

does anyone know where i can dl this from clubbox or anything??

[ione]

This movie really made a mark!!

What a touching ending... and a perfectly-written script!!! IMHO

JJH was great in here too. Especially the guy that played Superman.

[Guest huangsy]

Yup, I finally saw it 2 days ago at movie's premiere in Singapore.

Good movie but somehow not popular, such a pity.

[Guest mywuyen]

Do you watch the new movie A Man Who Was Superman?

Link of the film here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z8F0D0GW ( HQ )

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4B0Q8CUW - English sub

Enjoy ! I love Ji Hyun so much!