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

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August 14, 2017

Song Kang Ho has an accumulated attendance of 100 million

Source: Nate via HanCinema.net

Song Kang-ho is the creme of the crop in the Korean movie industry.

The film "A Taxi Driver", which surpassed 8 million viewers in 13 days and stands at the threshold of the first 10 million film in 2017, depicts the painful history of the Gwangju Democratization Movement. It resonates with the audience with its thoughtful directing and story that touches the painful past. Above all, the reason why this movie was able to stay fast in the minds and hearts of audiences is the perfect performance of lead actor Song Kang-ho.

Song Kang-ho plays Man-seop, a widowed taxi driver with an 11-year-old daughter. He sets out to Gwangju with a foreign passenger who offers him 100,000 won, which is the same as his monthly rent, if he returns before curfew. In stilted English learned on a Saudi construction site, he barely communicates with the German journalist Peter (Thomas Kretschmann). He witnesses the serious situation in Gwangju and tries to turn around, but he is touched by the people of Gwangju and tries perform his duties as a human.

His performance channeled the actions, conflicts, and the train of thought behind a simple expression on his face and he infused realism and sincerity into the character of Man-seop. When he is singing and when he says, "Dad left a guest behind" to his daughter, it makes the audience cry.

Song Kang-ho made his debut in 1996 with "The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well" (Director of Hong Sang-soo) and became famous with Lee Chang-dong's "Green Fish" (1997). After playing the gangster role in "Green Fish", people criticized the movie maker for "casting a real gangster" for the role. He was completely one with his character.

He then worked with the best directors in Korea and starred in "No. 3" (1997), "The Quiet Family" (1998), "Shiri", (1998), "The Foul King" (2000), "JSA - Joint Security Area", (2000), "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance", (2002), "YMCA League" (2002), "Memories of Murder" (2003), "The President's Barber" (2004), "Antarctic Journal" (2005), "The Show Must Go on" (2007), "Secret Sunshine", "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" (2008), "Thirst" (2009), "Secret Reunion" (2010), "Hindsight" (2011), "Howling" (2012), "Snowpiercer" (2012), "The Face Reader" (2013), "The Attorney" (2013), "The Throne" (2014), "The Age of Shadows" (2016), and more. Last year's "The Age of Shadows" had an attendance rate of over 7 million and he's the only actor with a record of over 100 million accumulated viewers.

However, actor Song Kang-ho cannot be judged merely by cumulative audience numbers. The reason why moviegoers and audiences regard Song Kang-ho as "the most believable actor" is for reasons beyond his popularity and acting ability. It is because of his attentive and thoughtful attitude towards the messages in his works.

He is not afraid to appear in movies that will ring true with audiences, despite any potential pressure and stigmatization. His filmography shows Song Kang-ho's belief that one film can change the world. "I prepared for "A Taxi Driver" by consulting a number of experts and looking for photographs. It was a very cruel incident. I wanted to talk about such a real history, "he said.

"The world is going to change little by little if more movies with our wishes come out and we take it step by step", said Song Kang-ho. That's why he is the 'top actor'.

Meanwhile, "A Taxi Driver" released on August 2 and is still playing in theaters.

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August 14, 2017

Presidents' choice of films shows political messages 

 
President Moon Jae-in, center, watches "A Taxi Driver," a movie based on the true story of the late Jurgen Hinzpeter, a German journalist who covered the Gwangju pro-democracy movement in 1980, at a local theater in Seoul, Sunday, together with Edeltraut Brahmstaedt, left, the widow of Hinzpeter, and Song Kang-ho, right, the actor who played the main character in the movie. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

By Kim Rahn The Korea Times

President Moon Jae-in watched "A Taxi Driver," a movie about the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, Sunday.

The choice of the film was not random and he did not view the movie just as a pastime: watching a movie has been a way for a president to indirectly deliver his or her political message and state management philosophy.

"A Taxi Driver" is based on the true story of the late Jurgen Hinzpeter, a German journalist who reported on the Chun Doo-hwan military junta's bloody suppression of citizens in the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, and the Korean taxi driver who helped him.

The President watched the movie at a local theater in Seoul together with Edeltraut Brahmstaedt, the widow of Hinzpeter.

Since long before, he has highly evaluated the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, and he promised, as an election campaign pledge, to etch the spirit of the movement in the Constitution and find the truth about the suppression.

He also attended the commemoration ceremony in Gwangju about a week after his inauguration, while his predecessor Park Geun-hye had refused to attend.

After watching the film, Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae officials, "The truth about the uprising has not been fully revealed. This is the task we have to resolve. I believe this movie will help resolve it."

In 2012 before becoming President, Moon also watched "Masquerade," a film depicting a Joseon king learning to be a better ruler when he switches places with a poor clown. Moon, who cried a lot during the viewing, said on Facebook that the movie reminded him of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, his longtime friend for whom he served as chief of staff. "It made me think how a state leader should serve the people," he wrote.

In 2014, he watched "The Attorney," a film based on Roh's days as a human rights lawyer and a real event called the "Burim case" in 1981, when 22 students were falsely accused of espionage and tortured by the Chun regime. He then wrote, "Under the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, history has gone backward and the nation's democracy, which people achieved through blood, is in a crisis again."

Park watched several movies, mainly those focusing on patriotism: "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" (2014), a true story about Admiral Yi Sun-sin who fought against Japanese invaders in the 1592-98 Imjin War; "Ode to My Father" (2014) that depicts the nation's industrialization era after the Korean War; and "Operation Chromite" (2016), a true story about the war. 

She watched "Ode to My Father" together with former nurses and miners who worked in Germany in the 1960s-70s and sent hard cash to help their families and revive the economy. They went to Germany under the Park Chung-hee government, Park Geun-hye's father. She said, "The movie well depicted the old generation's sacrifice. I heard the film is helping communication between the old and young generations."

Lee, as president-elect, watched "Forever the Moment" in 2008, a film based on a true story of the women's national handball team during the Athens Olympics. He expressed hope for the Korean team in the upcoming Beijing Olympics. 

Roh also watched a film about the Gwangju uprising, "May 18," in 2007. After watching, he said, "I couldn't watch the movie comfortably as I had a lump in my throat."

rahnita@ktimes.com

Source: Heraldcorp

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August 14, 2017 

'A Taxi Driver' surpasses 8 million in attendance, becoming most-viewed film this year

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- A Korean film about a pro-democracy uprising in the country exceeded 8 million in attendance Monday, dethroning "Confidential Assignment" as the most-viewed film of the year to date, its distributor said.

"A Taxi Driver" passed the threshold at 7 a.m., on its 13th day of run, Showbox said, citing real-time box-office data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

It broke the record of "Confidential Assignment," a Korean comedy-action film that sold about 7.8 million tickets, as the most popular movie of the year to date.

The film topped the local weekend box office for the second weekend in a row, drawing 1.77 million views. Released on Aug. 2, the movie starring Song Kang-ho and German actor Thomas Kretschmann has topped the box office for the past 12 days.

The period drama directed by Jang Hoon tells the story of a Seoul taxi driver named Man-seop, who happens to take German reporter Jurgen Hinzpeter to Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, for a large offer of money and witnesses the horrors of the bloody military crackdown on the uprising.

On May 18, 1980, citizens of Gwangju rose up against military rule and general-turned-President Chun Doo-hwan. The revolt was brought to an end by the bloody government-led crackdown, which left hundreds of people dead or missing.

In this photo released by Showbox, three members of the main cast of "A Taxi Driver" -- Yoo Hae-jin, Song Kang-ho and Choi Gui-hwa (L to R) -- pose for the camera in celebration of the film attracting over 8 million viewers. (Yonhap)

sshim@yna.co.kr

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August 15, 2017

‘A Taxi Driver’ becomes most popular movie of 2017

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

“A Taxi Driver” stayed strong atop Korea’s box office over the weekend. The film hit the eight-million-ticket mark on Monday morning, making it the best-selling movie of the year so far. [SHOWBOX]

“A Taxi Driver” held on to the top spot at Korea’s weekend box office while “Midnight Runners” pushed “A Battleship Island” far down to take away the second spot. Newly released horror movie “Annabelle: Creation” also performed well to hit the third spot.

Director Jang Hun’s “A Taxi Driver,” starring Song Kang-ho, managed to maintain its place atop the top box office from Friday to Sunday, selling 1.77 million tickets at 1,410 screens. 

The movie, about the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement shown from the perspectives of a taxi driver and an ambitious German reporter, made up 40.3 percent of the entire weekend’s movie ticket sales. 

The film has been a box office hit since it was released on Aug. 2, and has so far raked in 62.7 billion won ($55.5 million). The movie has sold eight million tickets as of Monday morning to become the best-selling movie so far this year.

Comedic action flick “Midnight Runners” came in at second in its debut weekend with 1.33 million admissions sold at 1,058 screens, bringing its total sales to 1.95 million since it was released on Wednesday. 

Starring Park Seo-jun and Kang Ha-neul, the buddy movie revolves around two students from Korean National Police University, who take on a kidnapping case into their own hands after being frustrated by the police’s slow-paced investigation. 

Supernatural horror film “Annabelle: Creation” debuted in third at the weekend box office. In its first weekend, the movie sold 751,000 tickets at 1,006 screens, leading to a total of 935,000 admissions since the movie was released Thursday. The prequel to 2014’s “Annabelle” and the fourth installment in “The Conjuring” series, the movie is about a doll maker whose creation terrorizes a group of orphaned girls.

While animation “Despicable Me 3“ dropped a spot to come at fourth, period drama “A Battleship Island” surprisingly dropped three spots to round out the top five. 

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]

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Source: Jason Bechervaise‏ @Jasebechervaise

Source: The Korea Times‏ @thekortimes

August 16, 2017

Banks' movie investments bring mixed results 

Woori smiles with ‘A Taxi Driver,' Shinhan, IBK grimace with ‘The Battleship Island'

By Nam Hyun-woo The Korea Times

Korea's three major banks are seeing contrasting outcomes in their investments in movies now showing. While Woori Bank is smiling with the rising popularity of "A Taxi Driver," Shinhan Bank and Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) are grimacing with lower-than-expected ticket sales for "The Battleship Island."

According to Woori Bank, Tuesday, the bank and venture capital firm Company K Partners have set up a fund to invest in Korean movies in March. For the 12 billion won ($10.48 million) fund, Woori poured in 3 billion won and a number of large movie distributors also joined as partners. 

Including "A Taxi Driver," the fund has so far invested in six movies. It is seeking to plough up to 60 billion won into 100 Korean movies for the next four years.

The movie needs 4.3 million viewers to break even. According to Korea Film Council (KOFIC), it drew 8 million viewers in less than two weeks after its release. 

Given that it is attracting about 700,000 viewers every day, the film has a shot at topping 10 million viewers in days to come.

Initially, the fund sought an average 10 percent yield, but market watchers say the 10 million mark will bring up to a 70 percent yield to Woori Bank.

The movie documented a taxi driver's journey taking German reporter Jurgen Hinzpeter into Gwangju where a democratic uprising took place in 1980 asking for the end of military dictatorship. 

"From the perspective of banks, the investment may not be huge considering other deals. But box-office success of a movie not only brings profits but also promotes the brand image," a Woori official said. 

On the other hand, Shinhan Bank and IBK would be unhappy with the bitter box-office results of the highly anticipated film, "The Battleship Island." 

Spoiler

 

According to bank sources, Shinhan made a 5 billion won investment into a fund investing in cultural content. The fund has a good track record as it invested in a number of blockbuster movies but the choice on "The Battleship Island" might be a mistake. 

IBK has earmarked a 50 billion won budget for movie investments this year. Along with "The Battleship Island," IBK invested in "The King's Case Note," released in April, and "Along With The Gods," which will be released in December. 

Despite financial support from the two banks and 26 billion won in production costs, "The Battleship Island" is showing a shabby performance, after being mired in a series of controversies, including alleged distortion of historical facts to monopolization of screens.

With its star-studded cast and plot on a sensitive historical issue, the movie was expected to draw more than 10 million viewers and got off to a solid start. But it lost steam during the second week after its release, posting around 6.5 million viewers this week. 

Against this backdrop, market watchers say "The Battleship Island" may not reach its break-even point of 8 million attendance, which will result in losses for the two banks.

Film financing

With the scale of movies growing, costs for their production also soar. This makes film financing a viable investment option for banks.

According to bank officials, the basic principle of selecting a movie to invest in is similar to the process we choose which movie we should watch this weekend -- directors, actors and scenarios. 

Since it is about making an investment, banks put more weight on public taste than individual preference and also check rival films. 

"Even though we finish research on those factors, that would be guesswork and there is no guarantee of a movie's commercial success," a bank official said. "Thus, banks also make inquiries about the investment target to movie industry insiders to mitigate risks as much as possible." 

In Korea, IBK has been one of the leaders in film financing, after establishing a dedicated team in 2012, the first of its kind here.

Since then the bank has financed a string of movies, chalking up commercial success. 

Last year, it financed "Train to Busan," a zombie apocalypse movie which drew 11.57 million at the box office, and "A Violent Prosecutor," a crime comedy film which had 9.71 million viewers. The Seoul-based lender also invested in two movies that marked 10 million viewers at theaters in 2015 -- "Assassination" and "Veteran."

Not only IBK but also other banks do not disclose how much they earn from film financing. But the estimation is that banks earn more than what it seems because profits are coming not only from theater attendance but also from other distribution channels, such as TV and the internet.

IBK says profits are not the sole goal of its film financing. Its yield from movie investments is known to be about 3 percent as there are also failures. 

"The focus is to promote small and medium-sized Korean productions to produce good movies," said an official of IBK, the state-owned lender originally set up to financially support small companies.

 

namhw@ktimes.com

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August 26, 2017

August Movie Actor Brand Reputation Rankings Revealed

Source: Soompi by DY_Kim 

On August 27, the Korean Business Research Institute announced the August brand reputation rankings for movie actors.

The results are based on the analysis of interaction, media coverage, communication, and community indexes for 165,104,765 pieces of big data on 50 actors from July 25 to August 26. This is a 16.53% rise from the 139,284,258 pieces of big data for the July ranking.

Park Seo Joon took first with a total brand reputation score of 9,716,059. Song Kang Ho placed second with a score of 8,815,009, and Jang Dong Gun followed closely behind with a score of 8,174,818. All three actors star in popular movies that are currently in Korean theaters, with Park Seo Joon in “Midnight Runners,” Song Kang Ho in “Taxi Driver,” and Jang Dong Gun in “V.I.P.”

Check out the top 25 of the ranking below:

1. Park Seo Joon
2. Song Kang Ho
3. Jang Dong Gun
4. Song Joong Ki
5. Kang Ha Neul
6. Gong Yoo
7. Ryu Jun Yeol
8. Kim Myung Min
9. Han Ji Min
10. Lee Jong Suk
11. Lee Jung Hyun
12. Kim Nam Gil
13. Yoo Hae Jin
14. Park Hee Soon
15. Lee Byung Hun
16. Hwang Jung Min
17. So Ji Sub
18. Jun Ji Hyun
19. Kim Soo Hyun
20. Lee Jung Jae
21. Kim Yun Seok
22. Go Soo
23. Han Hyo Joo
24. Yeo Jin Goo
25. Im Siwan

Source (1) (2)

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August 29, 2017

A TAXI DRIVER Adds $1 Million to Tank in North America
SONG Kang-ho Hit Scores in the US 

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

JANG Hun’s summer hit A Taxi Driver, featuring SONG Kang-ho, is starting to find success abroad, after exceeding USD 1 million in ticket sales at the US box office. The film is the highest grossing film of the year in Korea, where it currently ranks second, with 11.37 million viewers banked (USD 79.61 million) in 26 days.

Distributed by Well Go USA, the film opened on 41 screens across North America on August 11 and passed the USD 1 million mark by August 24. A Taxi Driver had its North American premiere as the closing film of the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal on August 2, where it picked up the Cheval Noir for Best Actor for SONG’s lead performance.

The film follows a German reporter who travels to Seoul in May 1980 when he hears wind of protests down in Gwangju. He hires a cab driven by SONG’s character to take him there and what they find is beyond what both could have imagined. The film co-stars Thomas Kretschmann, YOO Hae-jin and RYU Jun-yeol.

JANG’s work, which follows hits such as Secret Reunion (2010) and The Front Line (2011), has been strongly received by the press in America. It currently has a 93% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes from 15 reviews, including positive notices from the New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily.

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Song Kang Ho's 3 movies in the 10 million club = The Host, The Attorney + A Taxi Driver

August 29, 2017

The Faster, the Higher
The Time Taken by Surpassing 10 Million Viewers

by CHO Meanjune / KoBiz

The speed at which popular Korean films are passing the 10,000,000 viewer “blockbuster” mark has tripled. At least this is the case in a simple, parallel comparison of the time it took Silmido (2003), the first Korean film to accomplish the 10 million admissions feat, and A Taxi Driver, the 15th and most current film to do so. The amount of days needed for a film to become a blockbuster has gradually and steadily been decreasing over the past 15 years with a few, but notable deviations. The fastest to reach the over 10 million admissions mark is Roaring Currents (2014), becoming the highest grossing local film of all time with 17,615,039 moviegoers while CHOI Dong-hoon’s independent fighter action flick Assassination (2015) surpassed 10 million viewers on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan on August 15th, 2015.

There is a close correlation between the time taken to exceed 10 million viewers and the number of screens. Masquerade (2012) and Miracle in Cell No.7 (2013), which had 810 and 787 screens respectively, took more than 30 days to surpass the milestone while The Thieves (2012), which was shown on 1,072 screens, managed the feat in only 22 days. The three Korean movies that surpassed the 10 million viewer mark within 20 days all started off with more than 1,500 screens. Among the 10 million viewer toppers, TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) recorded the highest screen share with 1,788 screens.

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September 4, 2017

"A Taxi Driver" entered into the Academy Awards

Source: Sports Donga via HanCinema.net

"A Taxi Driver" has been entered into the 90th Academy Awards Foreign Movie Section. The expression of Asian Human rights and democracy found in this film based on a true story is just one reason for its nomination. This is actor Song Kang-ho's third nomination for the Academy Awards Foreign Movie award after "The Throne" and "The Age of Shadows".

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Source: Pierce Conran‏ @pierceconran

September 5, 2017

News: A TAXI DRIVER Enter Oscar Race and All Time Top 10 at Korean Box Office

By Pierce Conran MKC

In addition to becoming the year's biggest film, Jang Hoon's Gwangju drama A Taxi Driver will now be hoping for Oscar glory as it has been selected as this year's Korean submission to the foreign language category of next year's Academy Awards. Meanwhile, the film overtook Taegugki to enter the all time top ten Korean films at the box office over the weekend. To date, the film has brought in 11.89 million viewers ($82.78 million).

The selection is star Song Kang-ho's third Oscar selection on the trot, following Lee Joon-ik's The Throne and Kim Jee-woon's The Age of Shadows. It's his fourth overall, including Lee Chang-dong's Secret Sunshine in 2007. Director Jang has also been a contender before with his 2011 Korean War film The Front Line.

To date, no Korean film has ever been shortlisted for the foreign language category at the Oscars, let alone made the final five nominees. Will A Taxi Driver be the film to finally end that streak?

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September 6, 2017

‘A Taxi Driver’ to vie for the Academy Awards

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

“A Taxi Driver,” featuring Song Kang-ho, was selected as the South Korean representative for the Foreign Language Category at the 90th Academy Awards according to distribution company Showbox on Tuesday.

This is significant news, as only one film per country may compete for the award each year.

This is Song’s third consecutive film that has been selected to be submitted as the country’s representative for the category, after “The Throne” and “The Age of Shadows.”

“‘A Taxi Driver’ was chosen because of factors such as being based on a true story, depicting Korean history of the democratic movement and its struggles,” said one judge who was a part of choosing the film as Korea’s nominee.

“The quality performances [in the film] will ring with audiences worldwide,” said the panel.

Song, widely considered as an accomplished actor for his performances in Korean film industry, is an Academy member, like other notable Korean cinema figures director Bong Joon-ho and actor Lee Byung-hun, which allows him to vote for the Academy Awards. 

“A Taxi Driver” depicts the journey of an unassuming taxi driver, who carried a German reporter to the scenes of Gwangju Democratic Movement in May 1980.

By Bae Seung-hoon

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September 10, 2017

'A Taxi Driver’ becomes 10th most-viewed Korean film

Song Kang-ho stars in “A Taxi Driver.” (Showbox)

“A Taxi Driver” has become the first film this year to surpass the 12 million-ticket mark as of Saturday, according to the Korean Film Council. 

The film has sold 12,023,670 tickets in total, becoming the 10th most-viewed Korean film in the country. It sold some 40,000 tickets on Saturday alone. 

The ninth most-viewed Korean film is “King and the Clown” (2005) by Lee Joon-ik, with 12,302,831 tickets sold. 

“A Taxi Driver,” directed by Jang Hoon, has been popular since it opened here on Aug. 2. 

It stars Song Kang-ho as Man-seob, a widowed taxi driver who takes the German journalist Peter, played by Thomas Kretschmann, to Korea’s southern city of Gwangju to witness the May 18 Democratization Movement. The film also stars Ryu Jun-yeol and Yoo Hae-jin. 

The movie was submitted to the 90th Academy Award for best foreign language film, its distributor Showbox said on Sept. 4. 

(doo@heraldcorp.com) 

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September 4, 2017

Oscars: South Korea Selects 'A Taxi Driver' for Foreign-Language Category

by Lee Hyo-won THR

The Asian country's top film of the year recently closed Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival.
A Taxi Driver will represent South Korea as its candidate for the 2018 Oscars' best foreign-language film category, its local distributor Showbox said Monday.

The historical drama sped through the local box office last month to become the year's biggest draw, hauling in $83.4 million as of Monday, according to the Korean Film Council's KOBIS database. South Korean industry observers primarily measure a film's market performance in terms of admissions, and the film became the 17th in local box-office history to cross 10 million admissions — a milestone figure in light of South Korea's population of 50 million.

South Korea Box Office: Local Drama 'A Taxi Driver' Becomes Top Film of 2017
The film, which closed the 21st Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal this summer, is inspired by true events of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. A German reporter (Thomas Kretschmann, Stalingrad, Avengers: Age of Ultron) receives the help of a local cab driver (Song Kang-ho, Snowpiercer), to cover a massive, state-sanctioned massacre against civilians during South Korea's democratization movement.

The incident remains a sensitive issue in modern Korean history, but film critics have noted that A Taxi Driver was able to resonate widely with viewers as it refrains from making any direct political commentary. Director Jang Hoon previously directed the Korean War actioner The Front Line.

"Based on a true story, A Taxi Driver ably expresses an inherent Koreanness as well as the progress of human rights and democracy in Asia," the Korean Film Council said in a statement. The state organization for promoting Korean films chooses the country's Oscar contender each year. "Moreover, we believed that the film's messages on universal human values could be easily delivered to international viewers. The film also boasts high cinematic values, and jury members unanimously agreed to choose it," said the statement.

While Korean films have gained prominence and international recognition in the past few decades, South Korea has yet to receive a foreign-language Oscar nomination.

Meanwhile, this marks the third consecutive year that a film starring Song Kang-ho in the lead role has been chosen as the Asian country's foreign-language Oscar contender, following last year's The Age of Shadows and 2015's The Throne.

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A clear (unseen behind-the-scene) photo of Lee Byung Hun and Song Kang Ho from 'The Age of Shadows' highlighted on IG, sourced from CINE21. Obviously capturing the light-hearted moment between the two GBW actors. 

Photo: __hello_stranger_

If I got the dates correctly, THE AGE OF SHADOWS (renamed THE SPY) is set to be released on November 11 in Japan which means that it will premiere back-to-back with another Korean movie, MA$TER. 

Source: Coco

Published on September 10, 2017 by ナタリー

THE SPY Japanese Trailer

 

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Photo List: Dynamic Acting Studio, Seoul  @d.a.studio_korea

 

Talented, admirable and respectable Korean actors

 

#HwangJungMin #JeonDoYeon # ChoJinWoong # ChunWooHee
#NaMoonHee #YooHaeJin #HanSukKyu # KimHyeSoo 
#SongKangHo #SulKyungGu# MoonSoRi #KwakDoWon 
#OhDalSu #BaeDooNa #JoSeungWoo #KimHyeJa  
#LeeSunGyun #GongHyoJin # KimYoonSeok #JangJinYoung 
#LeeByungHun #KimYunJin #GoHyunJung #ParkHaeIl

 

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September 27, 2017

 

President makes 2017 'Power People' list

 

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

Actor Song Kang-ho took first place in “Power People.” [YONHAP]

 

Ilgan Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, has chosen 30 “Power People” this year whose jobs range from acting, singing, producing and writing to running an entertainment company and even President Moon Jae-in for his huge influence on popular culture. 

 

The mass survey, which started in 2014, was conducted by 150 people - 50 each insiders from the broadcasting, film and music industries. Each person got to choose five people.Compared to last year’s survey, the spectrum of jobs has widened, which means there are more people than celebrities honored for their contributions to popular culture.

 

Actor Song Kang-ho of “A Taxi Driver” and “The Age of Shadows” won first place.

 

Scriptwriter Kim Eun-sook was selected as the fifth most powerful person. She had taken second place last year.  Kim has become particularly well known after the KBS2 drama “Descendants of the Sun,” and the tvN drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.”

 

Singer Lee Hyori ranked sixth, the highest score for any television personality. She premiered on the JTBC TV show “Hyori’s Homestay,” which aired from June 25 to last Sunday. 

 

Former Korean traditional wrestler and a current television personality, Kang Ho-dong, ranked 12th with his active roles in JTBC TV shows such as “Please Give Me One Meal” and “Knowing Bros.”

 

Meanwhile, the ranking of popular comedian Yoo Jae-suk dropped sharply to 18th from third place last year and second place from the year before. 

 

Actress Kim Hee-sun, who played a lead role on the JTBC drama “Woman of Dignity,” is now 17th, the only actress in the top 30.

 

Boy band Wanna One has been ranked second, as the power of these 11 boys seems stronger than ever. 

 

Not only are broadcasting companies striving to win their time and air them on their channels, but companies also compete to have Wanna One in their advertisements.

Global idol group BTS, or Bangtan Boys, now occupy seventh place. Their latest song, “DNA,” which was released last Monday, has ranked in the top 100 tracks on the American music publication Billboard magazine’s main chart. 

 

BTS became the second K-pop act to have their Korean-language song on the Hot 100, after Psy’s major hit track, “Gangnam Style.”

 

President Moon has found himself in 25th place. This is the first time for a president to be selected for the “Power People” survey. 

 

The result implies that Moon has had a significant and positive influence across the cultural

industry.

 

All in all, the results show that the trend in pop culture has constantly changed and that people with diverse types of jobs - from entertainer and CEO to producer and even the president - are all playing their part to shape the nation’s cultural character.

 

BY HONG YOU-KYOUNG [hong.youkyoung@joongang.co.kr]

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September 28, 2017

 

Song Gang Ho-Gang Dong Won Join ‘The Running Actress’ ...Invite Audiences in Busan and Gwangju

 

Source: BNTNews

 

 

[by Ent Team] A special invite event to support ‘The Running Actress’ has been prepared. 

 

The film full of actress Moon Sori’s self-rehabilitation live story, ‘The Running Actress (Director Moon Sori) has reached 10,000 audiences in 2 weeks by word of mouth and various CGV even though it was released at small-scale theaters on September 14th. 

 

In addition, on the 26th, actors Choi Minsik, Sol Kyunggu and Park Haeil became a topic of discussion as they arranged a special invite event in order to support ‘The Running Actress’. Today (28th), actors Song Gangho and Gang Dongwon also continued the relay of support for ‘The Running Actress’. 

 

‘The Running Actress’ is in the spotlight from receiving high praise from critics, the media, and audiences but the reality that there aren’t many screenings has caused seniors and juniors in the film industry to support the film. Starting with actor Choi Min Sik, Sol Kyung Gu, Park Haeil, Song Gangho, Gang Dongwon, these 5 actors that are outstanding just from hearing their names, supported the film and helped achieve the spectator numbers from 10,000 to 20,000. 

 

In addition the 2nd part of the free viewing comment event of ‘The Running Actress’ at CGV Arthouse provided by actors Choi Minsik, Sol Kyung Gu, Park Haeil, Song Gangho, and Kang Dongwon starts from today until the 29th and can be checked out through CGV Arthouse’s homepage. 

 

The day of free viewing is October 2nd, located in Busan and Gwangju. Song Gangho is inviting audiences to CGV Seomyun, Gang Dongwon is inviting audiences to CGV Gwangju Terminal for 100 people each. 

 

The event starts today on CGV’s Arthouse homepage. All you have to do is fill in the theater you want to go to along with the following “____ is___ today also” in the comment. A maximum of two tickets per person will be given to chosen people who write excellent comments and the winners will be announced on CGV Arthouse’s homepage on September 29th. 

 

Meanwhile, ‘The Running Actress’ that has surpassed 10,000 audiences in 2 weeks and is receiving warm support from the film industry now showing great acclamation. (photo by Showbox, YG Entertainment) 

[rubie]

October 8, 2017

 

Bae Doo-na, Song Kang-ho finish shooting ‘Drug King’

 

Filming of the much-anticipated crime flick “Drug King” featuring Bae Doo-na, Song Kang-ho and Jo Jung-suk has wrapped up, according to an Instagram post by Bae on Saturday. 

 

Bae uploaded a photo of herself receiving a bouquet of flowers from a member of the filming crew.

 

“That’s a wrap,” Bae captioned the photo. 

 

Actor Song is also seen clapping in the picture. 

 

(Bae Doo-na's Instagram)

 

The film set in 1970s Korea traces the story of the infamous drug kingpin Lee Doo-sam, who was a major distributor of drugs and a dangerous boss of a gang.

 

The film directed by Woo Min-ho -- who was behind “Inside Men” (2015) -- will open in theaters next year.

 

(doo@heraldcorp.com) 

[rubie]

October 13, 2017

 

Best Actor at 26th Buil Film Awards 

 

Song Kang Ho: Thank you to the 12 Million Audience watching 'A Taxi Driver'

 

Source: Busan.com / MyDaily / OSEN

 

 

 

[rubie]

October 17, 2017

 

A TAXI DRIVER Tops Buil Film Awards
SONG Kang-ho and YOUN Yuh-jung Nab Acting Prizes

 

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

 

The 26th Buil Film Awards, which are staged by the newspaper Busan Ilbo, took place in Busan on October 13th this year. The Best Film prize this year went to JANG Hun’s smash hit political drama A Taxi Driver. JANG’s film also picked up the Best Actor Prize for lead SONG Kang-ho, as well as the Buil Readers' Jury Award. A Taxi Driver is the year’s top grossing film in Korea, having welcomed 12.19 million spectators (USD 84.7 million).

 

Other multiple award winners during the night were RYOO Seung-wan’s The Battleship Island, which scored awards for Best Supporting Actress (KIM Su-an) and Best Art Direction (LEE Hwo-kyung), as well as LEE Joon-ik’s Anarchist from Colony, which scooped up Best New Actress (CHOI Hee-seo) and Best Screenplay (HWANG Seong-gu). Indie film Jane by CHO Hyunhoon meanwhile won for Best New Actor (KOO Kyo-hwan) and Best Music (Flash Flood Darlings).

 

Veteran director KIM Sung-su picked up the award for Best Director for last year’s hard-boiled thriller Asura : The City of Madness. Best Actress went to screen legend YOUN Yuh-jung for her part in E J-yong’s The Bacchus Lady. 

 

Other award winners included Best Supporting Actor KIM Hee-won for The Merciless, Best New Director LEE Hyun-ju for Our Love Story and PARK Jung-hun, who earned Best Cinematography for his work on The Villainess.

 

Finally, the YU Hyun-mok award, which is generally given upon a classic Korean filmmakers, was this year posthumously dedicated to KIM Ji-seok, the the Busan International Film Festival executive programmer who passed away this May.