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

[rubie]

Source: Jason Bechervaise @Jasebechervaise

[rubie]

An unseen (deleted) footage from CINE21 pictorial feat. The Age of Shadows?

 

Thanks to @ILCHIRI

[rubie]

Source: Jason Bechervaise @Jasebechervaise

 

[rubie]

October 29, 2018

 

BONG Joon-ho's PARASITE Wraps Production
SONG Kang-ho-Led Drama Due Out in First Half of 2019

 

by Pierce Conran KoBiz

 

 

Following a pair of high profile English-language projects, director BONG Joon-ho has returned to home ground for his seventh project, the Korean language Parasite. The film reunited him with SONG Kang-ho, and also features LEE Sun-kyun, JO Yeo-jeong, PARK So-dam and CHOI Woo-shik. Distributor CJ Entertainment revealed on October 23 that the project had completed production following a total of 77 shooting days.

 

SONG, who has appeared in BONG’s previous works Memories Of Murder (2003), The Host (2006) and Snowpiercer (2013), plays father to a brother and sister played by CHOI Woo-shik (who featured in Okja) and PARK So-dam (The Priests, 2015). LEE Sun-kyun (A Hard Day, 2014) plays the head of an IT company while JO Yeo-jeong (Obsessed, 2014) appears as his wife. Specific details remain under wraps but the story is said to focus on a disaster that befalls SONG’s family.  

 

BONG is coming off his largest project to date, the Netflix-financed sci-fi Okja, which bowed in competition at the Cannes Film Festival last year and featured local actress AHN Seo-hyun surrounded by global stars such as Tilda SWINTON, Jake GYLLENHAAL, Paul DANO and Steven YEUN. 

 

The film will be released at some point in the first half of 2019, with many speculating that it could vie for another competition slot at the Cannes Film Festival.

[rubie]

 

November 3, 2018

 

From 'Parasite' to 'Unstoppable': 5 Hot South Korean Projects at AFM
Lotte Cultureworks' 'Intimate Strangers' and vampire period drama 'Rampant' are also hitting the fest.

by Lee Hyo-won THR

This story first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter's Nov. 3 daily issue at the American Film Market.

 
The Divine Fury
Sales Showbox
DIRECTOR Jason Kim 

STARS Park Seo-Jun, Ahn Sung-Ki 

BUZZ Kim reteams with his Midnight Runners star Park, who won the Grand Bell Award for best new actor (South Korea’s equivalent of the Oscars), for his role in the film, to offer more elaborate action set pieces — this time with a horror twist. Local cinema has seen a rise in exorcism tales, and this title follows an atheist martial arts champion who suddenly develops a stigmata. He turns to a local church for help but ends up saving a priest who is endangered during an exorcism and discovers his new calling.

 
Intimate Strangers

Lotte Cultureworks

Courtesy of Lotte Cultureworks
DIRECTOR JQ Lee

STARS Yoo Hai-Jin, Cho Jin-Woong, Lee Seo-Jin, Yeom Jung-A, Kim Ji-Soo 

BUZZ This dramedy brings together an ensemble cast of South Korea’s most beloved character actors. Yoo (A Taxi Driver), Cho (The Handmaiden), Yeom (Cart) and more appear in this story about two lifelong friends-turned married couple that invites their closest childhood pals for a housewarming dinner. All goes well until they start playing a game where they must share all their mobile messages and calls. Soon, awkward truths emerge and friendships are put to the test.

 
Parasite

CJ Entertainment
DIRECTOR Bong Joon-Ho 

STARS Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong 

BUZZ Snowpiercer auteur Bong teams with frequent collaborator Song Kang Ho for the fourth time in this drama about a family whose members are all unemployed. After wrapping in September, Parasite has already presold to North America (Neon), German- and French-speaking territories (Koch Films, The Jokers Films) and Japan (Bitters End) ahead of its 2019 release.
 
Unstoppable
Showbox
DIRECTOR Kim Min-Ho 

STARS Don Lee, Song Ji-Hyo, Kim Sung-Ho 

BUZZ Not to be confused with the 2010 Denzel Washington title of the same name, Unstoppable stars the highly sought-after Don Lee (The Train to Busan) — whom Jason Blum calls his favorite Korean actor and "Korea’s Dwayne Johnson" — in yet another testosterone-fueled role. The story focuses on the once-legendary gangster Dong-chul, who leaves the underworld and tries to start an ordinary life but gets his hands dirty again when a group of very unlucky human traffickers kidnap his wife (Song). The action film marks the feature debut of director Kim.

 
Rampant
New
DIRECTOR Kim Sung-Hoon 

SALES Content Panda 

STARS Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-Gun 

BUZZ This lavish period vampire drama headlined by Asian superstars Hyun (Confidential Assignment) and Jang (V.I.P., My Way, opposite Kate Bosworth and Geoffrey Rush) debuted at No. 1 at the South Korean box office during the Oct. 26-28 weekend with a dominating $7.7 million and 51.6 percent market share. Set during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), the film sees martial artist Prince Ganglim return from captivity in Qing China and shocked to discover that bloodsucking "Night Demons" are wreaking havoc in his home country.

[rubie]

Source: Jason Bechervaise @Jasebechervaise

 

Woo Min-ho’s DRUG KING starring Song Kang-ho will be cinemas in Korea in December.

 

[rubie]

November 10, 2018

 

Song Kang Ho’s Father Passes Away

Source: Soompi by L. Kim

 

Actor Song Kang Ho’s father has passed away.

 

On November 11, his agency HODU&U Entertainment stated, “Song Kang Ho’s father Song In Dae has passed away.”

 

Song Kang Ho is currently participating in the wake. The deceased’s mortuary was set up at a funeral home at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, and the funeral procession will take place on the morning of November 11.

 

Meanwhile, Song Kang Ho’s movies “The Drug King” and “Parasite” are about to be released, and he is in the middle of filming a historical movie titled “Naratmalssami” (literal title).

 

Our deepest condolences go out to Song Kang Ho and his family.

 

Source (1)

[rubie]

November 9, 2018

 

BONG Joon-ho's PARASITE Claims Early Sales
Neon to Distribute Korean Master’s Latest in North America

 

by Pierce Conran KoBiz

 

Korean master BONG Joon-ho’s Parasite, his highly anticipated return to the Korean film industry after ten years, recently wrapped production and has already locked several key sales deals. CJ Entertainment, which is financing and distributing BONG’s new film, also acquired the sales rights to The Garden of Evening Mists, the latest film from Starry Starry Night director Tom LIN of Taiwan.

 

Following English-language sci-fi titles Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (2017), BONG’s Korean-language Parasite will be distributed by Neon in the North America and Bitters End in Japan, while Koch Films has picked up the film for German-language territories, and The Jokers Films for French-speaking countries.

 

Frequent BONG acolyte SONG Kang-ho (Memories Of Murder; 2003; The Host, 2006; and Snowpiercer) takes center stage as Ki-taek, the patriarch of a family on the dole that take an interest in another family, which leads them to an unexpected incident.

 

Playing Kit-taek’s wife, daughter and son are JANG Hye-jin (Adulthood), PARK So-dam (The Priests, 2015) and CHOI Woo-shik (The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion), while LEE Sun-kyun (A Hard Day, 2014) and JO Yeo-jeong (The Target, 2014) appear as the Park couple. Parasite, which also reunites BONG with his Mother (2009) and Snowpiercer cinematographer HONG Kyeong-pyo, completed production in September and is due out at some point in 2019.

[rubie]

Source: Pierce Conran

 

Here's the first teaser for 70s crime saga DRUG KING. Think Korean SCARFACE with Song Kang-ho and Doona Bae from the director of INSIDE MEN. Hits local theaters December 19, a busy release day alongside AQUAMAN and SWING KIDS.

[rubie]

Source: Jason Bechervaise @Jasebechervaise

 

 

Source: TV Daily

 

[rubie]

November 15, 2018

 

DRUG KING: Retro Character Posters Revealed, Nationwide Release 19 December

 

Source: Sports Donga

 

 

MAIN POSTER

 

[rubie]

November 19, 2018

 

New film looks at dramatic life of notorious Korean drug kingpin of the 1970s

By Shim Sun-ah

 

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- Set in the 1970s South Korea "when even exporting drugs was praised as a patriotic act," according to promotional material, "Drug King" tells the true life story of an ordinary low-level narcotics dealer who becomes a notorious Korean drug kingpin.

 

"It's a fun movie about the ups and downs of a man who lived as a drug lord under the '70s nationwide slogan of 'Let's become wealthier,'" Woo Min-ho, director of the new film, said during a promotional press conference at a theater in Seoul on Monday. "I think it was a gloomy but glorious age at the same time. Our actors and filming staff tried to depict the era in multidimensional ways."

 

This image provided by Showbox is a scene from "Drug King". (Yonhap)

 

In the '60s and '70s, South Korea achieved marvelous economic growth, driven by exports, from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War, but endured military dictatorship by then President Park Chung-hee.

 

The movie's protagonist, Lee Doo-sam, was inspired by the notorious real-life figure with the same name, a drug kingpin based in the country's southern coastal city of Busan.

 

"I heard the story of him for the first time from the head of the production company behind 'Inside Men,'" Woo said, referring to his 2015 box office hit. "I felt it was ironic and exciting that South Korea had a heyday of meth because of Japan's strong anti-drug laws in the '70s. Korea produced meth with raw materials from Japan and exported the complete products back to the country under a system like today's OEM."

 

Song Kang-ho, of the 2017 smash-hit historical drama movie "A Taxi Driver," plays the title character, Lee, and Cho Jung-seok plays Kim In-gu, a righteous prosecutor who comes down from Seoul to Busan to apprehend Lee. Actress Bae Doo-na plays a lobbyist named Kim Jeong-ah who guides Lee into the upper echelons of the drug industry.

 

When questioned about the casting process, Woo said he initially thought that it would be impossible to cast Song, an A-list actor, but that if Song agreed to take part, it could open the way for participation from other talented actors.

 

"I now feel my dream has come true because Song chose to be in the film without hesitation."

 

It marks Song's first appearance on the big screen after "A Taxi Driver," seen by 12 million people.

 

"The film's opening was originally scheduled for this summer but was postponed to December for many reasons. But thanks to the delay, we became able to more intensely do the post-production work," said the veteran actor. "I think the result is a film in which director Woo gave his all, and I'm one of those who highly anticipate its release."

 

Song said since he has mainly taken roles of a petit bourgeois or folks who feel like ordinary neighbors he expects to show off his different side in the forthcoming film.

 

Bae of the Hollywood film "Cloud Atlas" and the Netflix series "Sense8" speaks three different foreign languages -- English, Japanese and French -- for the lobbyist role.

 

"I thought it would be a good chance to use what I have studied while filming in other countries so far. So it wasn't difficult to speak those languages," she said.

 

To reconstruct streets from the period, the production team made costumes for the cast members, whose total number was around 4,000, with '70s retro style fabrics from Japan.

 

The actress said it was really fun to shoot the film because the costumes team transformed her into a fashionable lobbyist of the period in a departure from her normal roles as plain citizens.

 

When asked how his new feature is different from "Inside Men," the director answered that he thinks they are two different films.

 

"It's a crime movie but not a typical one. It focuses on the people who lived in the '70s," he said.

 

He also emphasized that "Drug King" is a purely commercial film through which he intended to convey no specific social message.

 

"As an epic spanning a decade and multiple characters who lived in the '70s, it has much to see. You can have a new experience from the film, which is not too heavy but not too light."

 

The film is set to open in theaters on Dec. 19.

 

sshim@yna.co.kr

[rubie]

Source: CJ Entertainment USA

 

[rubie]

November 20, 2018

 

Star-Studded Crime Flick to Hit Theaters Next Month
 

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

 

 

A new crime flick is raising expectations with its star-studded cast ahead of its release next month.

 

Based on the true story of a Korean narco kingpin in the 1970s, the film stars Song Kang-ho in the lead role, Cho Jung-seok as a devoted prosecutor determined to track him down, and Bae Doo-na as an influential lobbyist who helps the main character's drug business.

 

The three attended a press conference in Seoul on Monday along with other cast members and director Woo Min-ho. 

 

Cast members pose at a press event for director Woo Min-ho's new film in Seoul on Monday. From left, Kim So-jin, Cho Jung-seok, Song Kang-ho, Bae Doo-na, Kim Dae-myung and Woo

 

Woo said, "I didn't think this cast was possible. But I knew if we could get Song to participate, we could put together a great cast around him."

 

Song downplayed his importance to the film, however, saying, "Woo says he was able to cast other actors because of me, but that's not true. I think actors trust him. I think this is the first film to deal primarily with the underground drug world, although it has been partially addressed in many other films. I think the actors, including myself, were attracted by this."

 

Woo's other works include "Inside Men," for which he won the best director award at the annual Daejong Film Awards in 2016. 

 

The new film will hit local theaters on Dec. 19. 

 

Source: OhMyStar

 

 

[rubie]

November 27, 2018

 

Korean Movie Actors with highest ticket power

 

Source: Naver via KoreanUpdates! @KoreanUpdates

 

Song Kang Ho claims his spot for 3 year in a row as the Korean actor with strongest ticket power.

 

Based on the survey conducted by media and movie portals MyDaily & MaxMovie from November 1 till November 23 involving 12,890 participants.

 

The top 10 actors:

 

1. Song Kang Ho

2. Ha Jung Woo

3. Ryu Jun Yeol

4. Lee Byung Hun 

5. Ma Dong Suk 

6. Kang Dong Won

7. Hwang Jung Min

8. Yoo Hae Jin

9.  Cho Jin Woong

10. Kim Yun Seok

11. Joo In Sung

12. Joo Ji Hun

13. Choi Min Sik

Spoiler

 

 

[rubie]

November 26, 2018

 

Song Kang-ho Is Terrifying in Newest Poster for "Drug King"

 

Source: HanCinema.net

 

 

"Drug King" (2017)

Directed by Woo Min-ho

With Song Kang-ho, Jo Jung-suk, Bae Doona, Lee Sung-min, Kim Dae-myung, Kim So-jin...

Wrapped up filming : 2017/10/10

 

Synopsis
Based during the Japanese invasion, a drug king sells drugs to China and Japan and uses the money on the Joseon Independence movement.

 

Release date in Korea : 2018/12/19

[rubie]

Published on November 27, 2018 by EonTalk

 

Drug King (2018) 마약왕 Movie Trailer 2 

 

 

Source: 10Asia

[rubie]

November 19, 2018

 

‘Drug King’ to bring out gritty side of Song Kang-ho

 

By Yoon Min-sik  The Korea Herald
 

Song Kang-ho, arguably the best actor in Korean cinema today, is definitely an artist of range. But many of his iconic roles are as the everyman caught up in extraordinary situations, which is why upcoming crime drama “Drug King” will be an intriguing change of pace.

 

“The audience is used to seeing (me portray) characters that look like an everyday man, the guy next door, so I think ‘Drug King’ will feel different,” Song said, during a press conference for the film in Seoul on Monday. “It is an unconventional subject, and as an actor I’m happy to deliver a unique cinematic charm through that story.”

 

“Drug King” / Showbox

 

In the film, he plays titular “drug king” Lee Doo-sam, a figure depicted as the kingpin of the illegal drug market in 1970s Korea.

 

While Hollywood has seen some truly iconic drug lords like Tony Montana, played by the great Al Pacino, such an attempt has been rare in a country where drug use is strictly punished by the law and more greatly stigmatized by society. 

 

Song said the film focuses on a realistic depiction of the drug world and 1970s Korea, adding his character is linked to the society of that time and problems it had.

 

Inspired by real-life events of the times, the flick will portray Lee’s rise to power and riches while depicting both the positive and negative aspects of Korea’s rapid economic growth.

 

Director Woo Min-ho said the film has many different aspects.

 

“It’s not the typical crime film, but more of an adventure,” he said. 

 

Comparing “Drug King” to “Inside Men,” another crime film he directed in 2015, he said this is a very different film.

 

“It is a film that focuses on the people. I think people of the 1970s have been depicted in various ways over a span of 10 years (in the film). It won’t be just a dark film, but it also won’t be light-hearted.” 

 

Bae Doo-na, playing the role of a lobbyist Kim Jeong-ah, said she had a blast filming it. 

 

“I’ve always played roles that are relatively ‘plain.’ But here I wear a lot of fancy clothing and makeup,” she said, adding that her character not being the rubber-stamp lobbyist stereotype helped make it more interesting.

 

Jo Jung-suk, playing prosecutor Kim In-goo, performs alongside Song for the first time since “The Face Reader” in 2013.

 

“Drug King” hits theaters on Dec. 19. 

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)

[rubie]

If not mistaken, the VIP screening will be held on December 17.

 

Source: CINE21

Source: Sports Donga

 

 

 

[rubie]

December 13, 2018

 

Movie Stars That Lit Up The Screen In 2018 According to Gallup Korea Poll

Source: Soompi by C. Hong

 

Ever since 2007, Gallup Korea has held polls to decide the entertainers/movie stars/TV stars/pop stars/sports stars of the year.

 

To kick off the end of 2018, Gallup Korea has revealed the results for their poll on “movie stars that lit up the screen in 2018.” The poll was conducted from November 7 to 30 and included 1,700 men and women over the age of 13 all over the country.

 

Ma Dong Seok took first place in the poll with his role in this year’s hit film “Along with the Gods 2.” The contrast between his tough-looking exterior and his soft personality has also earned him the nickname “Ma-vely” (Ma + “lovely”). The actor is also well-known for his never-ending body of work, many of which go on to become hits at the box office: “Veteran” (2015), “Along with the Gods” (2017), and “Train to Busan.” In 2018 alone, on top of “Along with the Gods 2,” he appeared in “Champion,” “The Soulmate,” “The Villagers,” and “Unstoppable.”

 

In second place was Ha Jung Woo, who also starred in both “Along with the Gods” movies. He is another heavy-hitter at the box office, with films like “The Handmaiden,” “Tunnel,” and “Assassination” under his belt, and has appeared in the Top 5 of Gallup Korea’s “Movie Stars of the Year” poll every year since 2012.

 

Third place was Lee Byung Hun, a global star who kicked off 2018 with the film “Keys to the Heart.” Although he gained acclaim this particular year for his first drama role in years with tvN’s “Mr. Sunshine,” he is still mostly known as a movie actor rather than a TV actor, even appearing in Hollywood productions like “Misconduct” and “The Magnificent Seven.” In 2009 and 2012, he had risen as high as No. 1 on Gallup Korea’s “Movie Stars of the Year” poll.

 

Rounding out the top 5 were Song Kang Ho and Joo Ji Hoon. Song Kang Ho has not yet released a film in 2018, with his latest movie “Drug King” awaiting a December 19 release, but is still riding high on his impressive career to date, not least with 2017’s box office hit “Taxi Driver.” “Taxi Driver” catapulted him to the top of the poll in 2017, a feat that he previously accomplished in 2008 and 2013.

 

Joo Ji Hoon also starred in the “Along with the Gods” series, but this has been a landmark year overall in the young actor’s career. 2018 saw the release of two other movies in which he has starred, after “Along with the Gods 2”: “The Spy Gone North” and “The Dark Figure of Crime.”

 

Like 2016 and 2017, the top 5 movie actors chosen in 2018’s poll were dominated by male actors. The last time a female actress appeared in the top 5 was in 2016 (Jun Ji Hyun). The highest that a female actress has ever placed on the poll was in 2012 (Kim Hye Soo was third). Despite 2018 being a landmark year for female-led films in South Korea, the highest an actress placed on 2018’s poll was No. 14 (Kim Hye Soo, tied with another actor), No. 16 (Son Ye Jin, tied with another actor), and No. 19 (Han Ji Min).

 

Here are the top 10 movie stars of 2018, as picked through Gallup Korea’s survey:

 

1. Ma Dong Seok
2. Ha Jung Woo
3. Lee Byung Hun
4. Song Kang Ho
5. Joo Ji Hoon
6. Yoo Hae Jin
7. Jung Woo Sung
8. Hwang Jung Min
9. Jo In Sung
10. Cha Tae Hyun

 

Source (1)