Song Kang-Ho 송강호 [“Broker”, “Emergency Declaration”]

[rubie]

CHOSUN Feb.13,2008 06:00 KST

Park Chan-wook Chooses Heroine for Vampire Movie

Acclaimed director Park Chan-wook has chosen Kim Ok-bin as the star of his next film "Evil Live." The spotlight had been on just who the female star would be. The part involves many adult scenes alongside male heart throb Song Kang-ho, who claimed the main role in the international hit film "The Host."

"Evil Live" or "Bakjwi" in Korean is a melo-horror film of a human-turned-vampire's affair with a married woman. Director Park, known for his award-winning film "Old Boy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance", says he chose Kim for her unique talents that allow her to assume a vast range of characters.

Shooting will begin in March.

Arirang News

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0802130002.html

Thanks for the update, kdramafanusa. Appreciate it very much! mwah!

Are they really going to shoot those scenes?? Maybe no? =)

A very good question. Maybe.. yes?

After all the media exposure (pun intended) about the degree of explicity that the movie is going to have.. and comparing it with Lust, Caution.. no less.. people are especially going to expect something out of it. Obviously.

[Guest kdramafanusa]

A very good question. Maybe.. yes?

After all the media exposure (pun intended) about the degree of explicity that the movie is going to have.. and comparing it with Lust, Caution.. no less.. people are especially going to expect something out of it. Obviously.

Maybe the news was brought up to raise attention only? It won't happen afterall? *denial mode*

I can't handle it, let's pretend that we didn't hear of it. LOL.

[rubie]

Maybe the news was brought up to raise attention only? It won't happen afterall? *denial mode*

I can't handle it, let's pretend that we didn't hear of it. LOL.

.. you really got me in stitches..

Honestly.. *preparing to duck from coming snowballs*.. I'm actually (still) hoping no all-out scenes for Mr. Song. Just what Mr. Leung did in Lust, Caution is more than enough to last like.. ..

SKH is truly a certified and awesome actor... without having.. to.. ..

[rubie]

Found this at auctions.yahoo.jp, thanks to gorgorlove2008

Resized image from the magazine pic is very blurry .. but something GBW.. for now..

[Guest kdramafanusa]

February 13, 2008

PARK Chan-wook casts KIM Ok-bin

Director PARK Chan-wook finalised casting for his highly anticipated vampire film Thirst. KIM Ok-bin will tackle the female lead role alongside SONG Kang-ho. PARK motivated his choice by saying that KIMs talents allows her to take on a variety of roles.

KIM played in the films Dasepo Naughty Girls and Arang. Casting of the female protagonist took longer than other roles as the part includes explicit scenes.

Thirst is a tale about a priest who turns into a vampire, played by SONG whose latest acting award is this years FIPRESCI Best Actor Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Like KIM is praised for her versatility, SONG has also portrayed a wide array of characters in popular and artistic films.

PARKs previous film is Im a Cyborg, but thats Ok and he won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for his renowned Old Boy. PARKs status already ensured pre-sales of Thirst to France and Russia.

Yi Chang-ho (KOFIC)

Source: Korean Film Council

[rubie]

A bada** GBW clip courtesy Japanese angel-gomata

MBC 231207 GBW clip

sendspace » megaupload

Or watch it online here/here

A bit unclear on the audio though but a highly appreciated sharing

[rubie]

Fenruary 18, 2008

Fresh Footage From Kim Ji-Woon’s Korean Western

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD

Posted by Todd Brown at 10:19am

It’s over schedule and so badly over budget that it’s had to move to a larger production company to get the funds needed for completion but Kim Ji-Woon’s upcoming Korean western remains very high on our list of anticipated titles around here. Why? As a director Kim - at the controls of A Bittersweet Life, A Tale of Two Sisters and The Foul King - seems simply incapable of making a bad film and when you give someone with his immense visual talents a stellar cast that includes Song Kang-Ho, Lee Byung-Hun and Jung Woo-Sung and it seems like pure gold. Plus, it’s a full on period western. Made by Koreans.

The first footage from the film arrived online a while back thanks to a Korean news broadcast and now a more extensive reel of footage has arrived online via the same means. Yeah. Very, very cool. You’ll find the new clips embedded in the Twitch Player below the break.

Credits (and for clip online): twitchfilm.net

Original sharing at

cafe.naver.com/songkangho

via PlanetBH0712

Showdown between The Bad & The Weird!

3 Awesome Men 1 Lucky Baby!!!

[rubie]

Copied these monochrome captures from the GBW thread, thanks to our jicks for sharing them pics!

Doesn't these photos bring back that ol' western nostalgic moments? :blush:

>>>>>> A few more pics >.< !!

(source: Song Kang Ho Cafe)

[Guest kdramafanusa]

* HIGHEST PAID MOVIE STARS *

RANK / STARS / FEE PER FILM (Won)

1. Song Kang-ho, Seol Kyeong-gu -- 500-550 million

2. Lee Byeong-heon, Jang Dong-gun, Bae Yong-joon, Jeong woo-seong -- 500 million

3. Cha Seung-won, Jeong Jun-ho, Hwang Jeong-min, Lee Jeong-jae -- 400-500 million

4. Kwon Sang-woo, Song Seung-heon, Jo Seung-woo, Baek Yoon-shik, Jeong Jae-yeong -- 400+ million

5. Lee Young-ae, Kim Hye-soo, Jeon Do-yeon, Jang Jin-young, Jeon Ji-hyeon, Ha Ji-won -- 400 million

6. Park Hae-il, Shin Ha-gyoon, Jo In-seong, Kim Jeong-eun, Choi Ji-woo, Song Hye-kyo -- 350-400 million

7. Lee Seong-jae, Lee Na-young, Lim Soo-jung -- 300-350 million

Source: ISplus

[rubie]

February 27, 2008

Gritty psycho-thriller pursues audiences

Kim Yun-seok stars in "The Chaser." By Kim Tae-seong

Na Hong-jin's thriller "The Chaser" is now running at full throttle after a quiet start at the box office.

Since its release on Feb. 14, 1.7 million viewers as of last Sunday have bought tickets, edging the Hollywood sci-fi thriller "Jumper" from top spot.

The film was also sold to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Greece and Hong Kong at the Berlin Film Festival this year.

The film's success owes much to Kim Yun-seok, the award-winning supporting actor from "The War of Flower" (2006), "Like a Virgin" (2006), and "The Happy Life" (2006).

Kim, 40, plays former detective Jung-ho, who gets fired for taking bribes. He's now a pimp in charge of a bodobang, an illicit 'happy ending' massage parlor.

When the prostitutes under Jung-ho's management start to vanish, the former cop starts his own investigation.

He discovers that Young-min (Ha Jung-woo), posing as a customer, has seduced and killed them.

The JoongAng Ilbo interviewed Kim Yun-seok in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul earlier this month, before the movie attracted so much attention.

The actor said Jung-ho was his first lead role.

"I've been physically exhausted for the past five months but at the same time I am very happy with the way things are going," Kim said.

The shoot was tiring because filming went two months over schedule "bad weather caused huge delays" and the scenes were physically demanding.

"Most scenes were shot in the dark and in heavy rain," Kim said.

The role also required Kim to be in peak physical condition. As suggested in the film's title, there's a lot of running around in the film.

The script demanded that Jung-ho chase Young-min half-way around Seoul after Young-min demands a ransom for one of the abducted hookers (Seo Young-hee).

The chase sequences mainly take place in Mangwon-dong, but Kim's role demanded that he spend a good portion of the film sprinting through Oksu-dong, Pyeongchang-dong and Bugahyeon-dong.

Then there were the fight scenes. "The bloody punch-up between Jung-ho and Young-min at the end of the movie took 40 hours to shoot," Kim said.

Jung-ho is possibly the most complex role Kim has taken on. "He [Jung-ho] knows how to play around with law, order, ethics and morals," Kim said.

The interesting aspect of the lead character lies in his ambiguous morality. Is he a good or a bad guy? Or is he everyman?

"Jung-ho is a selfish character," Kim said, noting how the character leans more toward the dark side.

"But every man contains evil deep in his heart," Kim said. "In that respect, Jung-ho is as ordinary as other men."

Kim praised Na's commitment to getting the film made, explaining that Na devoted his early 30s to the feature, from initial concept to final production. "I truly felt Na wrote from the heart," Kim said.

The Chaser follows in the footsteps of Bong Joon-ho's mystery thriller, "Memories of Murder" (2003). Both are well-made murder-mysteries, but the connection runs deeper.

Song Kang-ho, 41, who plays Detective Park, the main character in Memories of Murder, is one of Kim's best friends. The two met when Kim came to Seoul from Busan to start an acting career.

They both worked at Theater Yeonwoo, an underground experimental theater company set up in 1977 that staged some political dramas in defiance of the military government at the time.

The two spent time together in Daehangno in central Seoul, sticking up posters advertising their plays and living on instant noodles.

These were tough times and Kim quit acting and went home. Song eventually persuaded him to come back, and cinemagoers are grateful.

At the end of the interview, Kim quoted the American actor and director Sean Penn, who once said there are no rules in acting.

"You just have to accept the world as it is, the smooth and the rough," Kim said.

"As an actor you have to maintain complete control. Everything falls to pieces if an actor's mind is distracted."

By Ki Sun-min JoongAng Ilbo/ Lee Eun-joo Contributing Writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2886677

[rubie]

February 25, 2008

Director Park Chan-wook, chose a new-face Filipino actress for his film "Thirst"

According to a respective Filipino media, ABS-CBN News on 25th, a 21st century's rising female actress, Mercedes Cabral was cast into the film "Thirst". The media reported, "From a group of Asian actors, the Cannes' Hero, Director Park Chan-wook selected Kabral in the final stage of the selection process".

Kabral is a beautiful student of an Art School in the Philippines. She appeared in a number of independent films and won the "Best female supporting actress of the Year" in a TV/Radio Festival last year.

Meanwhile, Kabral, who receive the news said, "I couldn't believe it when I first hear the news. The director was very impressed with my previous works".

Director Park Chan-wook had just completed casting main roles for his film, including Song Kang-ho (protagonist) and Kim Ok-bin (heroine). The film will commence shooting at the end of next month.

English translation courtesy hancinema.net

Original article at news.media.daum.net

[Guest kdramafanusa]

<translation of news article about Asia Film Award>

Song Hye-Kyo & Seung Seung-heon Invited to Attend Asia Film Award

(Mingpao) Saturday March 8 05:05AM

[Asia Film Award] will be held on March 17 in Hong Kong, many renowned/prominent directors and movie stars will be presenters and performers that night. A group of Korean stars are among the list of invited guests including Song Hye-kyo and Song Seung-heon - there's hope that this classic on-screen couple of <Autumn In My Heart> will reunite in Hong Kong. In addition, <Secret Sunshine>'s lead actor Song Kang-ho's also invited. Guest performer is Stefanie Sun. The award ceremony will be televised live by TVB Pearl Station.

Ang Lee is nominated for Best Director for <Lust, Caution>. He mentions in interviews that he has confidence in <Lust, Caution>; he also hopes that

lead actor Tony Leung and lead actress Tang Wei and others (nominated) will be able to win awards. He's currently in New York with his family and thinking about new scripts. He's making arrangements to be in Hong Kong for the award ceremony.

[rubie]

^ Thanks kdramafanusa for the wonderful update. Appreciate it very much, hope we'll see Mr. Song (KH) at the awards, huh.. and maybe hopefully, the junior Mr. Song, too. Last year it was BH presenting at the awards.. now it's his bro. :blush:

It'll be great to see him and Tony Leung together, best actors vying for Best Actor of Asia. :blush:

Can't wait to see how he looks for the new movie. Aish.. at least.. someone .. please come out (and show yourself) already.

[Guest kdramafanusa]

^ Thanks kdramafanusa for the wonderful update. Appreciate it very much, hope we'll see Mr. Song (KH) at the awards, huh.. and maybe hopefully, the junior Mr. Song, too. Last year it was BH presenting at the awards.. now it's his bro. :blush:

It'll be great to see him and Tony Leung together, best actors vying for Best Actor of Asia. :blush:

Rubie, I'm looking for some news articles right now. Some of them say that Mr. Song (KH) & Miss Song (HK) are confirmed, junior Mr. Song is still being invited.

I'm afraid to find out who will win the Best Actor award, please give us double winners (for Mr. Leung & Mr. Song).

And if junior Mr. Song can attend too, then I will smiling from ear to ear. Hehee.

How about I take it a step further? Haha. Well if I get all the of above, it would be even sweeter if our Mr. Lee will be there too. =)

[rubie]

Hahaa.. speaking of AFA.. I just remembered that I've been meaning to post this pic for soooo long.. :blush: .. but kept forgetting about it.. obviously..

SKH-ssi receiving his Best Actor award at the 1st AFA last year from Malaysian actress, Dato' Michelle Yeoh. Wished the image was bigger, though..

LBH and Daniel Wu & Nicolas Saputra came out after the Best Actor award to present the Best Director award and the first thing that BH said was 'Congratulations Song Kang Ho-ssi' in Korean. We didn't realized it at first. But it's so cute. We can see that BH was so proud of Mr. Song for winning the Best Actor award.

I'm afraid to find out who will win the Best Actor award, please give us double winners (for Mr. Leung & Mr. Song).

And if junior Mr. Song can attend too, then I will smiling from ear to ear. Hehee.

How about I take it a step further? Haha. Well if I get all the of above, it would be even sweeter if our Mr. Lee will be there too. =)

You know.. I would hope for anything to see BH making an appearance at the awards because he's obviously not a stranger to international film fests.. although if it does happen at AFA.. wouldn't it be the most 'unexpected' surprise? Hehee.

My personal opinion is that he would rather let the younger 'stars' feel the excitement & experience of being in such events.. but we'll see. ^^

[rubie]

March 11, 2008

Song Kang-ho, Song Hye-kyo Attend Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong

Song Kang-ho and Song Hye-kyo will attend the second annual Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on the 17th. They were invited as the main characters of "Secret Sunshine" and "Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007", respectively.

Tony Leung and Wei Tang from "Lust, Caution", Lee Yeon-gul, and Miki Nakatani, the winner of last year's Best Female in Leading Role award, will attend the ceremony to be held in the Hong Kong Convention Center at 8 PM.

In addition, Tadanobu Asano, who won at the 2008 Oscars for "Mongol", Japanese director Masayuki Suo of "I Just Didn't Do It", and Taiwanese director Ming-liang Tsai will be there. Stephanie Sun, who has been judged as an excellent Asian musical actress, will make a special appearance. There are also plans for a red carpet event starting at 6:30 PM.

This event will be broadcast live on the Hong Kong English channel TVB, which covers Asia, Australia, and some parts of Europe.

Original article at kr.news.yahoo.com

English translation by www.hancinema.net

[rubie]

March 9, 2008

Why the uncle-niece-like couples in dramas and movies?

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8877/20...18101090fl9.jpg

Movie actress Moon Geun-yeong (21)'s comeback drama, SBS "The Garden of Wind" might star Park Shin-yang (40) as the male leading role. Their age difference is 19 years.

Moon Geun-yeong has acted with Kim Joo-hyeok (36) in "Love Me Not" and Park Geon-hyeong (31) in "Innocent Steps". A ten year difference is standard. It is also interesting that she has acted with no one her age except when she starred as Song Hye-kyo (26)'s younger character.

The same goes for Ko Ah-ra (18). After graduating from the teen drama "Sharp", she acted with Yoon Kye-sang (30), who graduated from an idol group. Leaving her roles as the rebellious daughter and the innocent girl, she is acting with older men. She is currently acting in MBC "Who Are You??"

At first, it was surprising, but now, the age difference between actors and actresses are becoming natural. It is like getting used to scratchy old clothes after wearing them for a long time. It is also like how the stinging smell of ammonia in a clean bathroom becomes dull.

The title of being a top star makes the age difference less important. The headlines that Mr. so-and-so is starring replaces the fact that the actors are married or old. Age difference is becoming normal after passing time.

Dramas and movies are no exception. There are many leading actors and actresses that are more than 13 years apart. It is ironic that age difference is not a factor in hindering their love. It omits the difficulty that lovers ten years apart may experience.

Song Kang-ho (41) and Kim Ok-bin (22) are to star in Director Park Chan-wook's new movie "Evil Live". It also known that there will be excellent bed scenes. Seol Kyeong-gu (40) and Kim Tae-hee (28) appeared as a married couple in "Venus and Mars". Hwang Jeong-min (38) and Jeon Ji-hyeon (27) also drew interest in "A Man Who Was Superman". It was a meeting between experienced male actors with actresses known for their commercials. The age difference was, of course, more than ten years.

If lovers are more than ten years apart, the man is scolded as a "Robber". Even a seven-year age difference counts as being a "Robber". However, if you become an actor, the situation changes.

Lee Beom-soo (38) acted with Lee Yo-won (28) in "Surgeon Bong Dal-hee". They received the 'Best Couple Award' at the SBS Acting Awards and were acknowledged as a good couple. Another nominee was Park Shin-yang and Park Jin-hee from "War of Money". They have the commonality of having ten year differences.

There is no reason that actors would make a big deal out of something that the viewers do not care about. This is why the age difference of actors is not becoming a hot issue.

'Truthful guy' Lee Hoon (35) is an exception. He kept mention the age difference with Kim Hyo-jin (24) at press conferences for the SBS drama "Happiness - Drama".

"The actresses are becoming younger. As I'm acting with Hyo-jin, it seems like they're getting younger".

Of course, "Happiness" has nothing to do with the age difference. It is the story of a daughter of a rich household and an average man getting successfully married despite parents' oppositions. In order to match levels with Lee Hoon, Kim Hyo-jin raised her age in the drama by four years.

There are also couples who barely avoid the "Old man, young woman" situation. Lee Seo-jin (35) and Han Ji-min (26) of MBC "Lee San, Wind of the Palace" are nine years apart, and Joo Jin-mo (34) and Park Ji-yoon (26) of SBS "Bicheonmoo - Drama" are eight years apart.

The shortened acting experience of the actresses is the reason behind this age difference.

In a survey conducted by the Korean Film Archives, the only actress who placed as one of the "Best Korean Movie Stars" was Jeon Do-yeon (35). There were many older actors, such as Song Kang-ho, Ahn Seong-gi (56), Han Seok-Kyu (44), and Seol Kyeong-gu.

There are not many top star actresses that act into their 30s. It can be compressed to Jeon Do-yeon, Ko Hyeon-jeong (37), Jang Jin-yeong (34), Uhm Jung-hwa (39), Song Yoon-ah (35), Moon So-ri (34), and Kim Jeong-eun (32).

On the other hand, there are few top star actors in their 20s. Three years later, Jo In-Seong (27) will enter his 30s, and there will almost be none. It seems actresses get more recognition if they're young, and actors if they're old.

The "old man, young woman" situation is becoming reality. Kang Ho-dong (38) cannot stop showing off his wife, nine years his junior. Comedian Lee Soo-keun (33) will also have a bride nine years younger. Park Myeong-soo (38) is also looking to his marriage to a doctor eight years his junior.

However, this trend only applies to the celebrity world. A representative of 'Duo", a marriage information company, revealed that "there are few married couples who have large age differences. Like always, a four to five year difference is normal".

"Men in professional careers sometimes favor younger women. It seems like the mentality to reward his economic security with the woman's young age.

Original article at news.media.daum.net

English translation by www.hancinema.net

[rubie]

--- A double treat from Mr Song Kang Ho in 2008 to look forward to

Copied from koreanfilm.org, credits to Darcy Paquet

The year 2008 started with the industry still reeling from a very tough 2007. Nonetheless there was some good news early on, with two unexpected hits in January and February: Lim Soon-rye's handball drama Forever the Moment, which sold over 4 million tickets, and the low-profile thriller The Chaser, which thanks to strong word of mouth was well on its way to selling even more tickets. At the same time, Night and Day, the eighth film by Hong Sangsoo, was invited to screen in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was roundly praised by some critics, and criticized as being too long by others. Bad news awaited the film on its commercial release in Korea, though, with shockingly low box office returns.

Looking ahead, the year will see new films from several established names. Kim Jee-woon returns with his ambitious spaghetti Western The Good, the Bad, the Weird, scheduled for a July release, and Park Chan-wook's long-awaited vampire movie Thirst may be ready in time for December. Lee Yoon-ki of This Charming Girl fame will shoot a new film with acclaimed actress Jeon Do-yeon, and rising director Yu Ha is shooting an ambitious period film about a gay love triangle involving royalty (sound familiar?). Meanwhile Lee Joon-ik, director of King and the Clown, has a big-budget release lined up for summer in Sunny, about a woman who travels to Vietnam in the 1970s as a singer to entertain Korean troops fighting in the war. (written on Mar. 10)

Source: http://koreanfilm.org/kfilm08.html

[rubie]

Watch the trailer of the AFA NOMINATION LIST (Song Kang Ho for Secret Sunshine) at

http://www.asianfilmawards.org/eng/home.html

[rubie]

Thanks to Shirley at the Secret Sunshine thread -

Mr. Song didn't win the Best Actor award, it's Mr. Tony Leung's night but Secret Sunshine definitely shine the ceremony. :blush:

2008 2nd Asian Film Awards

results

Best Movie - Secret Sunshine

Best Director - LEE Chang-dong (secret Sunshine)

Best Actress - Jeon Do Yeon