Jeon Ji Hyun 전지현 - Upcoming Drama : Polaris

demarchelier · July 1, 2015

Remembering Korea's unsung heroes

SEOUL - The year is 1933. A female sniper, a gun expert and a bomb expert are pulled into an unlikely ragtag team by a political mastermind to assassinate two key figures in the Japanese regime governing Korea. Their plan is revealed to a ruthless paid assassin, who begins to hunt them down.

The plot of the upcoming film Assassination, starring My Sassy Girl (2001) actress Jun Ji Hyun, is already thrilling enough to be a box-office success.

But, according to director Choi Dong Hoon, the aim of the movie is to tell the story of those who fought for justice in Korea's darkest era.

"I read a lot of books while preparing this movie," Choi said during a press conference at CGV Apgujeong on Monday. "When I was looking through photos of the independence fighters, I came across a lot of people that have gone down in history, but also photos of people whose names we would never know.

"It gave me a strange feeling. I began to wonder how they lived, where their courage came from. I wanted to make a film remembering those who should never be forgotten."

In order to bring those people to life, Choi - who helmed past hits like Tazza: The High Rollers (2006) and The Thieves (2012) - brought together an all-star cast.

Jun, also known as Gianna Jun, plays the female shooter leading the assassination plot.

She is reunited with her Il Mare (2000) and The Thieves co-star, heart-throb Lee Jung Jae, who plays the part of the mysterious mastermind in Assassination.

Ha Jung Woo (The Chaser, 2008; The Unforgiven, 2005), plays a mercenary assassin.

The film took a long time to make. Choi first had the idea for Assassination while shooting Tazza, and scrapped an earlier version of the script in order to create a movie with more depth.

"We actually spoke about the movie quite a bit when we were promoting The Thieves," said Jun.

"When he told me about the film, I knew that it would be a truly unique story. I suggested a lot of different ideas to him, but when the final script came out, I was so surprised," she said.

"The characters were so diverse, and the plot was riveting. I was amazed that the story we had talked about could end up like this."

Assassination was filmed over five months in Shanghai and Seoul, with elaborate action scenes taking place on sprawling, lavish sets recreating the ambience of 1930s Gyeongseong (Seoul's name at the time) and the provisional government of Korea in Shanghai.

"I felt that the best environment for the actors to bring out their characters required accurate re-creations of the clothing and spaces of the 1930s," Choi said.

The film cost an impressive 18 billion won (S$21.8 million) to make, bringing together South Korea's top names in costuming, set design, lighting and production.

"The Korean independence movement was a long fight, with heroes that are unimaginable for ordinary people like me," Choi said.

"I wanted to make this an entertaining and meaningful film. I tried my very best to express the rough, agonising and lonely emotion of those years."

Assassination is slated to open in Singapore cinemas on Sept 17.

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/showbiz/remembering-koreas-unsung-heroes#sthash.WRB4c1yN.dpuf

Edited July 1, 2015 by demarchelier

demarchelier · July 1, 2015

HADA LABO ~ 60s

Edited July 1, 2015 by demarchelier

demarchelier · July 1, 2015

cr: DC

July 1, 2015

Edited July 1, 2015 by queenjihyun

July 1, 2015

cto

Edited July 1, 2015 by queenjihyun

demarchelier · July 1, 2015

"The Assassination" VS "Veteran" VS "Memories of the Sword"

Summer is the time when the theaters are most competitive. July is near and blockbusters which cost more than 10 billion won, took the plates. Distributors of these blockbusters spend many sleepless nights during the summer season. "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" set a record last year that no one can break, but this year, it's different. Three distributors have come out with major films that no one knows of yet. There are only rumors. However, each of these movies have a story to tell. The three distributors have no choice but to hold it in until the public has a say.

Showbox – "The Assassination" Showbox was first to throw out a hat into the ring. Based in Shanghai in the 1930s, a group of assassins are called in to wipe out the pro-Japanese. "The Assassination" comes out on the 22nd of July. Showbox gathered 10 million people with "The Thieves" in 2012 and is challenging its own record with director Choi Dong-hoon. Showbox is determined to recover the loss of "KUNDO : Age of the Rampant" with "The Assassiantion". "Kundo" was first to come out last year but was no match for "The Admiral: Roaring Currents". "The Assassination" stars Ha Jeong-woo, Lee Jeong-jae and Jeon Ji-hyeon.

CJ E&M – "Veteran" The second distributor CJ E&M is out with criminal movie "Veteran". "Veteran" is about a group of investigators who track down a snobbish third generation plutocrat starring Hwang Jeong-min who starred in "Ode to My Father" last year. The movie is out on the 5th of August. "Veteran" was lined up for release in May but internal reactions pushed it to August. CJ E&M initially chose "Terminator Genisys" as its movie of the year but lost it and didn't have anything to bring about in the summer. However, "Veteran" came along and it became the savior that was going to recover the company image.

Lotte Entertainment – "Memories of the Sword " The final distributor is Lotte Entertainment. There were many ups and downs until it made its decision. Lotte is coming out with "Memories of the Sword" at the end of August. At the end of the Koryeo Times, the best female sword fighter was a woman who had to hide her identity and sought to avenge her teacher and mother's death. "Memories of the Sword" was initially scheduled to be released in fall last year but thanks to the Lee Byung-hun blackmail case, the movie was pushed from fall to winter, winter to spring and spring to summer. "Memories of the Sword" is unexplainable without Lee Byung-hun so it just waited for the right time. However, every good movie needs a good timing. Lotte Entertainment is the only one without a 10 billion audience record. This summer, it hopes to break the record. The public's view of Lee Byung-hun is still not so warm although they have to admit, he's a good actor.

Not trying to be the pretty girl

With a dramatic lead role, Jun Ji-hyun says she’s trying to find more nuanced parts

A major part of actress Jun Ji-hyun’s look is her stylish long hair. Say goodbye to all that: For the film “Assassination,” she cut her hair shorter.

And she learned how to shoot, too.

Short hair gave Jun the edgier look needed to play an activist who fights for Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule (1919-1945) in the film that opens on July 22. She plays an assassin named An Ok-yun living in 1930s.

“I wanted to express the character well instead of looking pretty,” she said in a recent interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

She shared more about how she’s pursuing a reputation as a serious actress rather than a pretty face featured in motion pictures. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Q. It’s said you didn’t hesitate to take the part. What made you so sure of it?

A. The movie isn’t something that solely focuses on delivering a certain message. I felt that the film would be a good mix of action and drama to depict the fighters for Korean independence who had a core belief. I would have said no if I was offered such a role when I was younger.

Why is that?

If I was younger, I don’t think I would have been able to express the gravity of the character. But after I decided to take the role, I made it a good fit. And I’m happy to play the lead in a movie that focuses on an actress, since there aren’t that many films that put female characters as the lead.

How did you analyze the character?

I think what’s important to understand about the character is the time period in which the movie is set. What was happening at the time really had an influence on the characters’ actions and way of thinking. An became a shooter to win back her country. She has to be spiteful.

What did you do to make your character look more natural?

It took forever for me to finally own this character. I practiced and practiced. The firearm An was carrying in the film was about 5 kilograms (11 pounds). I carried the gun and climbed a mountain on the first day of filming. Because it was my first day, I was full of excitement and rarely complained that it was heavy. Then I got sick the next day. Maybe I should have admitted that it was heavy!

What was it like to shoot a firearm?

The one we used in the movie was old school, so I had to load one bullet, shoot, load another and shoot again. It was important for me to not look awkward when I loaded the gun. I got used to it as I practiced. I feel like I can have a say now when men start talking about their shooting experiences in the Army.

You have been doing a lot of action scenes in your recent films. How do you like them?

Doing an action scene is part of acting. If emotive acting relies on facial expression and the things you say, action scenes depend on your body language. I feel ecstasy when I do action scenes. Almost every day I work out so I have a very sensitive body. My body is always under some sort of tension so I think I can show the most charm when I do physical actions.

How does it feel that this is your 12th movie?

It is embarrassing that I have already done 12 movies. And there have been some that didn’t really become so popular. Frankly speaking, it is better to have more successful ones in your filmography, but I don’t think I have that many I can be proud of. Before, I was choosing vague or amorphous characters, but as I get older, I think I choose characters that can help me stand out as an actor.

What are the things you consider when you choose a film?

When I was young, I needed to look pretty, and that was important. But things are different now. It’s been a long time since I debuted and sometimes I feel ridiculous if I try to look pretty at this age. The audience has seen many sides of me, and maybe they think they are tired of me. I can’t blame them because sometimes I feel tired of looking at myself. Of course I have to stay on a tight leash [to stay fit] because I am an actress, but I can’t always do roles that make me look pretty. I think now is the time for me to build up characters as a serious actress. I’m more attracted to roles that have multilayered characters than those that focus on what’s shown on the outside.

Does this mean that you have new agenda?

You can say that. It is hard to act. It isn’t easy to live with high-technology devices at home while trying to become an assassin living in 1930s on the set. So, the ability to focus is extremely important on a set. Acting is almost the only thing I can do with full concentration, and it brings me great pleasure. But I have a rule. I try never to be in character when I’m not in front of a camera. I want to be Jun Ji-hyun when I’m not filming. It would be too miserable if fictional characters seeped into my real life.

BY JI YONG-JIN [lee.sunmin@joongang.co.kr]

KOREA JOONGANG DAILY - 03 JULY 2015

Edited July 2, 2015 by demarchelier

July 2, 2015

I love that when she's doing an interview she gave a straight forward answers...no pretensions..hehe

Edited July 2, 2015 by queenjihyun

RachelleN · July 3, 2015

I love that when she's doing an interview she gave a straight forward answers...no pretensions..hehe
That's why i always look forward to her interviews. She always give honest answers. I love Jun ji Hyun!!!

saoirselmo · July 3, 2015

SHOWBIZ KOREA FILM DIGEST: ASSASSINATION

July 3, 2015

Naver livestream is not working for me..urgh..

Cto

demarchelier · July 3, 2015

NAVER MOVIE TALK LIVE

cr: osen

cr: tvreport

cr: newsen

Edited July 3, 2015 by demarchelier

July 3, 2015

GODDESS AT NAVER MOVIE TALK

cto

Edited July 3, 2015 by queenjihyun

July 3, 2015

JJH ANKLE VS HJW ANKLE....

Hahahah i love this...goddess stare remind me of my sassy girl days..

cto

Edited July 3, 2015 by queenjihyun

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