[movie 2009] Closer To Heaven 내사랑 내곁에

[Guest kdramafanusa]

Lots of pics..Thanks.

Some more from the VIP premiere...

Seol Kyung-Gu, Kang Ye-Won

Ga In

Jeon Do-Yeon

Kang Shin-Il

Uhm Jung-Hwa

Kim Boo-Seon

Shin Sin-Ae

Lim Sung-Min

Kim Kwang-Gyu

Kim Ji-Hoon

Seo Hyo-Rim

Jyu-Ni

YahooKorea

[Guest piano_lady]

Lots of pics..Thanks.

Some more from the VIP premiere

Seol Kyung-Gu, Kang Ye-Won

So it was Seol Kyung Gu!

I managed to take a photo of his back only! LOL!

Will post it soon!

I also so Ko Soo but again, I only took a photo of his back! LOL!

Anyways...

Reposting from MyungMin International

Here are the photos of the VIP Premiere last night at 8pm.

The first set was taken at Cinema 3.

I was lucky to be seated right in front but why did my camera not function as it should! Ah...anyway, enjoy the photos ^^

And again, no cropping, trimming please.

Kindly credit MMI for these

I'll post more soon ^^

Cinema 2

Will post the celebrity photos tonight.

Again, I just wanna say the Lee Min Ho is really cute and Kim Ji Hoon is smokin'!

[Guest piano_lady]

LOL nina! That's the quote for the year, indeed!

Don't worry, I have photos of LMH and SSH too...and a few more.

Janie, KJH is DARN HOT! Really! I didn't spot him again after the movie finished.

I moved to the other cinema where LMH was in and I didn't regret it!

Ah, I'll post a few Min Ho photos soon. I'll post them in a few minutes.

Janie, yes, that guy is a real patient. He was also in KMM's documentary, remember?

Honestly, I think there were only 2 of us who followed KMM upstairs cos the rest were packing up! LOL

There was one camera guy who was able to capture that moment too so I guess there aren't a lot of these photos floating around!

[Guest piano_lady]

Some celebrity photos from the VIP Premiere of " My Love By My Side" last night.

Will post the rest tonight

Please, no cropping and removing of logo.

Credit MyungMin International please

[Guest kdramafanusa]

S. Korean actor Kim Myung-min

Sept. 16, SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean actor Kim Myung-min, one of the stars of the new movie "My Love By My Side." The movie, a melodramatic romance centering around a man who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, will be released in South Korea on Sept. 24. (Yonhap)

S. Korean actress Ha Ji-won

Sept. 16, SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean actress Ha Ji-won, one of the stars of the new movie "My Love By My Side." The movie, a melodramatic romance centering around a man who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, will be released in South Korea on Sept. 24. (Yonhap)

Source: Yonhap News

[Guest kdramafanusa]

By kdramafanusa at 2009-09-16

By kdramafanusa at 2009-09-16

By kdramafanusa at 2009-09-16

By kdramafanusa at 2009-09-16

Source: DAUM

please do not hot link pictures.

[Guest purpleZ]

Thanks kdramafanusa, piano lady for the pics!

Wow, piano lady, you're so lucky to be able to attend the VIP premiere and sit at the front. Your photos are just fine and clear. Why were some of Ha Ji Won's buddies not coming, like Kwon Sang Woo, Kang Dong Won, Ahn Jung Ki?

[Guest kdramafanusa]

Source: JoongAng Daily

Another stab at big-screen success

TV star Kim Myung-min hopes to make waves in the film world.

September 17, 2009

Actor Kim Myung-min. By Im Hyun-dong

Actor Kim Myung-min is returning to the big screen. And this time he hopes to make a larger splash than his last effort, the 2008 crime film “Open City,” which had an average showing at the box office.

Kim actually made a name for himself - and gained legions of fans - for his recent work as a coldhearted doctor in the TV series “The Great White Tower” and as an aggressive conductor in the program “Beethoven Virus.”

Now, he is again looking to gain a foothold in the movie world, taking on an extremely challenging role as Jong-woo - a Lou Gehrig’s patient - in the upcoming film “Closer to Heaven.” The movie, which hits theaters Sept. 24, depicts a tragic love story between Kim’s character, Jong-woo, and his wife, Ji-soo - played by actress Ha Ji-won, the heroine of the summer blockbuster “Haeundae.” The director is none other than Park Jin-pyo. who was behind the 2005 hit movie “You Are My Sunshine,” which starred actress Jeon Do-yeon as an AIDS patient.

The 37-year-old Kim is well known for his rigorous self-discipline and his ability to adapt to different roles. His latest film is no exception: Kim actually lost a whopping 20 kilograms (44 pounds), reaching a skeletal 52 kilograms, which is extremely thin for someone who’s only 180 centimeters tall (5-foot-9 5-foot-11).

Kim Myung-min plays a Lou Gehrig’s patient in the upcoming film “Closer to Heaven.” He actually shed 20 kilograms (44 pounds) for the role. Provided by Zip Cinema

“I’ve gained back about 10 kilograms in three months since filming ended,” Kim revealed in a recent interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. “However, I’m not in shape yet, and I’m still confused about whether I’m Kim Myung-min or Jong-woo.”

A Lou Gehrig’s patient has never been featured in Korean films before, in part because it’s hard for actors to portray the struggle against the disease. Kim said the three-month shooting process was indeed a trying experience.

“The hardest part was not that I had to lose weight before the shoot, but that I had to keep losing it through the course of filming because I was playing this guy who is getting sicker day by day,” Kim said. “So it was more like filming a documentary.”

The drastic weight loss required not only following an extremely strict diet, but also getting as little shut-eye as possible, according to Kim.

“I slept no more than two hours every day,” Kim said. “That lack of sleep brought about depression, and that in turn brought about less sleeping and less eating. When there were about 10 days left until the end of shooting, director Kim told me to stop losing weight, saying, ‘You may actually die if you keep going.’”

What troubled the actor more, however, were the side effects of his rapid weight loss.

At times, the actor said, he fell unconscious and occasionally even “failed to recognize people.”

The film producers originally planned to make a dummy for Kim’s role and fix it up with the help of computer generated graphics. But they changed the plan when Kim actually shed about 10 kilograms in 20 days after shooting started.

“I didn’t want to turn to CG technology,” he said. “If I acted as if I was ill when I wasn’t actually sick, audiences wouldn’t be able to feel the pain the character suffers. Acting is an attractive job, but it is painful at the same time.Getting back to my original state has been harder than I expected.”

By Yang Sung-hee [spark0320@joongang.co.kr]

[Guest kdramafanusa]

The 37-year-old Kim is well known for his rigorous self-discipline and his ability to adapt to different roles. His latest film is no exception: Kim actually lost a whopping 20 kilograms (44 pounds), reaching a skeletal 52 kilograms, which is extremely thin for someone who’s only 180 centimeters tall (5-foot-9).

180 centimeters = 5-foot-11

52 kilograms (114.4 lbs)

[rubie]

kdramafanusa, please unblock my message. Thanks.

[Guest purpleZ]

What a dedication. KMM is certainly a very dedicated actor. I hope his hard work will be paid off and hope this movie will do very very well. Hope he'll get fit again soon.

[LeMoN_sQuEeZy]

Piano Lady,

did you get to watch the movie?!

How was it?

Can you give us a review and maybe some spoilers!

[Guest kdramafanusa]

Source: The Korea Times 09-17-2009 16:56

http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/09/141_51997.html

'Closer' Doesn’t Get Close Enough

Actors Kim Myung-min, left, and Ha Ji-won in a scene from “Closer to Heaven,” a film about a man fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease coming to screens Sept. 24.

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

Director Park Jin-pyo had moviegoers reaching for the Kleenex in the romantic tearjerker "You Are My Sunshine," in which love prevails over AIDS, and the family drama "Voice of a Murderer," in which a couple does not give up hope for their kidnapped child.

In his latest feature, "Closer to Heaven," he aims to mix heartbreaking melodrama with sympathy-provoking family bonds, buttressed by crowd-pleasing insurances ― charismatic screen personality Kim Myung-min shedding 20 kilograms to portray a dying man and unfailing actress Ha Ji-won sticking by his side as his devoted, doting wife.

A handkerchief would seem handy for the inevitable tragic ending and compelling mortal theme ― the resilience of hope and stubborn determination, in the name of love, to face a cruel reality.

The story is set in a hospital wing where patients agonize over their inviable state of being, and is designed to wring poignancy. But something goes amiss despite the natural performances by the talented leads and the amusing cameos by star actors such as Sul Gyoung-gu. The two hours crawl by rather painfully, in the wrong sense.

The story opens with a funeral. Jong-wu (Kim) has lost his mother and reunites with a childhood friend, Ji-su (Ha), who is the funeral director, and he proposes to her with a white chrysanthemum, the Korean funeral flower.

Contrary to what one might expect, the film is not about a happy couple dealing with the sudden onset of terminal disease.

Jong-wu is already an emaciated patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) ― the motor neuron condition also known as Lou Gehrig's disease ― from which the patient loses muscle control while still retaining mental and sensory capacities. Ji-su has a history of her own, having twice divorced because her ex-husbands no longer wanted to be touched by hands that embalm the dead.

Yet, the attraction is undeniable between Ji-su, who wears a most winsome smile despite her personal troubles, and tough guy Jong-wu, who boasts about rebelling against life's obstacles and persists in his studies to become a lawyer.

The two fall in love and even consummate the marriage, but on the condition that Ji-su will stay by Jong-wu's side only as long as she wants. But callings of the heart are often at odds with what one wants or needs, and Ji-su refuses to leave him.

The film packs in subplots involving fellow patients and family members: the dejected mother who tolerates verbal abuse from her teenage daughter, a paralyzed figure skating champion (played by Brown Eyed Girls member Son Ga-in); a grandmother who unwaveringly devotes herself to her unconscious husband; a young man who has given up everything for his coma-struck brother, but is forced to demand euthanasia; and a hopelessly romantic husband who still dresses up his "sleeping beauty" wife on her birthday.

The director knows what he's doing, and even though weepy montages and sentimental songs are very much present, he makes a deliberate effort to keep things "unsentimental." The film progresses with its fair share of comic relief, unexpected twists and memorable supporting characters.

However, it tries to pack in a bit too much and yields a rather anticlimactic finale that doesn't get close enough to the idea of heaven for the viewer to wish desperately, through cascades of tears, for an afterlife reunion of the star-crossed couple.

In theaters Sept. 24. Distributed by CJ Entertainment.

hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

[Guest puppyiz]

[VOD] VIP Screening ' Closer to Heaven' [sept15,2009] :

Visit HERE

[Guest piano_lady]

hi pupz...thanks for posting the VOD. haven't seen it yet.

you know what, am not sure but I think I saw Ko Soo at the premiere.

He was with 2 guys...and I only took a photo of his back.

He was wearing dark clothes and had a beanie on as well.

Was it him?

--------

lemon, yes, i did watch the vip premiere...and uh..no spoilers allowed for now

i think i posted my thoughts about the movie earlier

_____________

here's the rest of the celebrity photos from the VIP premiere

Uhm Jung Hwa

Cha Tae Hyun

The girl from BOF -- Jandi's best friend. She's too elusive! Didn't really get a good photo of her

Beethoven Virus' Ha Yi Duen

She's a famous radio broadcaster but I duno her name. She's a friend of KMM

Jeon Do Hyeon

Cast interviews:

[lilcrash]

From- http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=200909181525301001

Thanks for all goodies & updates! I can't wait to see this film. ^^

[LeMoN_sQuEeZy]

that's really cute!

KMM looks really healthy there:)

HJW, what is she wearing???Who's her stylist!?

[Guest kdramafanusa]

Source: The Korea Herald 2009.09.22

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/dat...00909220014.asp

Fall offers a diverse film line-up

Summer has all but gone, but that doesn't mean there aren't good movies headed our way.

And because this year's Chuseok unfortunately falls on a weekend, those who just want to kick back instead of making the grueling pilgrimage back home can perhaps check out what's on the bill at their local multiplex instead.

So send out those giant gift boxes of SPAM and make a checklist of upcoming films to see because the fall movie season is here and from now until November expect everything from tearjerkers about patients with Lou Gehrig's disease to Nazi hunting Jews.

And for action junkies who hadn't gotten their fix of blow'em-ups over the summer, all will be happy to know veteran curmudgeon Bruce Willis is back with the Jonathan Mostow-helmed sci-fi actioner "Surrogates" along with "300's" Gerard Butler, who makes a return to the genre that shot him into the A-list. Those who were wondering what happened to the butt-kicking Leonidis of "300" Butler portrayed, he's back from his hiatus as a burgeoning rom-com stud to headline "Gamer," a high octane no-frills bloodbath of a flick.

Domestic titles

When it comes to Korean films during this time of year, tearjerkers and romance are the traditional genres that saturate local cinema screens.

This year is no different.

"Naesarang Naegyeotae" directed by Park Jin-pyo who scored a minor hit with the 2005 melodrama "You Are My Sunshine" is back at it again. This time, instead of AIDS, he tackles Lou Gehrig's disease.

Kim Myung-min took a page out of the method acting guide by losing 20 kilograms to portray a man stricken with the debilitating motor neuron disease. The pic also co-stars Ha Ji-won as the devoted lover.

"The Sword with No Name" starring Jo Seung-woo and Su Ae will premiere the same weekend.

The film is a total re-imagining of the final years of Queen Min, the last empress of the Chosun Dynasty who was murdered by Japanese assassins at the turn of the century before the Japanese annexation in 1910.

The story, based on a comic book of the same name, imagines the queen falling in love with her bodyguard, a man with no name ala spaghetti westerns, played by Jo Seung-woo.

Both films open nationwide on the 24th.

Hollywood onslaught

In "Surrogates" Bruce Willis plays an FBI agent put in charge of investigating a mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create technology that allows people to purchase robotic versions of themselves that are fit and better-looking remotely controlled doppelgangers.

These avatars ultimately assume their roles enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Fans of Willis will no doubt show up to throw their support behind the man who thrilled them during his hey-day as John McClane in the Die Hard films.

"Gamer" is the type of actioner that used to be made in the 1980s and '90s when Don Simpson was at the height of his career and, well, just high from doing handstands on mountains of cocaine.

The high-concept action thriller starring Gerard Butler, is set in a near future when gaming and entertainment have evolved into a new hybrid. Humans control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online games. Mind-control technology is widespread and at the heart of the controversial games is its creator, reclusive billionaire. His latest first-person shooter game allows millions to act out their most savage fantasies online in front of a global audience using real prisoners as "avatars" with whom they fight to the death.

In one of the most anticipated films of the year, Quentin Tarantino returns with his first full-length feature since the Kill Bill movies restores his cinematic relevance.

He's back with "Inglourious Basterds" a WWII-set action thriller about a band of Jewish-American soldiers captained by Brad Pitt hunting for Nazi scalps -- literally.

The film has picked up plenty of buzz, especially for Christoph Waltz's chilling portrayal of a "Jew hunter."

The actor picked up a best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and has already been earmarked for a Oscar nomination.

For fans of musicals, the "Fame" remake will provide plenty of song and dance numbers to fill the void after by last year's sleeper musical smash "Mamma Mia!"

"Fame 2009" is an update on Alan Parker's seminal '80's international sensation that spawned a generation of fans from all over and also spun-off a hit television series and stage production of the same name.

The remake follows a new crop of students attending the renowned New York School of Performing Arts.

The story chronicles their every step from auditions through their graduation as they hone their talents and define their identities.

(kws@heraldm.com)

By Song Woong-ki

[Guest acinam17]

Credits to Myungminlove Daum cafe

[potensvita]

ah. they looked so cute together. Hahaha. wow.