Lee Byung Hun 이병헌 Byunghun Lee

[closetserialaddict]

3 minutes ago, closetserialaddict said:

 

 

[rubie]

Hello @BlancheNeige, welcome.. welcome to LBH@soompi, you've made it here. Will get back to to your great post later and the interesting discussion with @closetserialaddict about Mr.Sunshine, too. Not to say that physical intimacy doesn't exist in the previous era because clearly it did or we wouldn't be around. Whether it's publicly permitted, we can't be certain as we were not there & then to witness anything. They're of course records and data.. but for Mr.Sunshine which is a Kdrama first and foremost. Even the normal modern-day Kdramas doesn't even hint the bedroom scenes (not necessarily exposing anything) although there have been a few Kdramas taking a bold approach these days. Of course it's still no match with the incredibly explicit content of some Korean movies.. whether in the modern plot-setting or even more shocking in period pieces, as far as the imagination of the screenwriter goes based on some sort of reference.. right?

 

But for the case of Mr. Sunshine, it's likely that way because KES wanted it that way. The way Eugene was brought up (as a slave) and knowing the boundary between him and an upper-class noble lady most probably played an invisible 'fence' between them. But as the story progresses and they became closer, it would be better to see them trusting each other more and throwing that wall away. They don't have to be affectionate publicly.. but together, seems that they're not at the lovers' stage but still just close comrades. Don't know why KES doesn't explore this feeling of 'love' a bit more (particularly when EuShin got married) when she specifically  introduced the word l-o-b-e-u in the first place but decided to destroy everything so cruelly.

 

Anyway, please continue with more discussion as we wait for more news on the upcoming movies. Now that the LACMA event is over, LBH would be back in Korea.. and start promoting & filming again. We have been waiting so long now. 

 

Photo: T1ny 타이니

 

Two of my fav big bros #LeeByungHun #JangDongGun #OG #Legends #FriendshipForDecades

 

[BlancheNeige]

9 hours ago, closetserialaddict said:

 

 

 I beg to differ. People back then were a lot more discreet and conservative, but it didn't mean that they were completely reserved when it came to sexual intimacy or expressions of passion.  There are countless records in historical annals across cultures (including Asian) of intimacy outside marriage and even  promiscuity in both famous men and women. There are also many famous tomes in Chinese, Japanese, Korean  and even Indian culture  that give us an inkling of the sexual appetites and habits of people of ancient times. If you think ancient unmarried Asians didn't kiss in private as it would be equivalent to sex, I wonder how there were children born  out of wedlock back then. And yes, they did exist. If Asians didn't know about kissing, then how did the Chinese come up with The Golden Lotus? That's quite a leap, isn't it? We were not complete prudes. It's also well documented that in times of war and strife, people live for the moment.  The portrayal in Mr Sunshine is unrealistic, to say the least. It is simply the screenwriter using her "artistic" license. 

 

Oh of course! I didn't want to imply that people back then all were prudes. As you've said, there were enough children born out of wedlock. Still it wasn't the norm as it is today (given that protection back then wasn't as good as it is today, the number would be far higher if everyone did this). It was also far more common for people of lower classes to engage in such activities, especially when women are concerned (totally different case for man of course). Just because people engaged in such activities doesn't mean that society as a whole functioned like that. This goes especially for women of noble birth, who often had a sheltered upbringing and barely learned about these topics (and also were discouraged from exploring their sexuality. Especially women of higher birth were to be married off without a saying in it and were not taught to and mostly did not look forward to engagement in sexual activities and god forbid if they weren't virgins anymore on their wedding night. For the longest time, the female orgasm wasn't even a thing that was encouraged -aside from curing hysteria in Victorian England ... - That doesn't mean of course that there weren't exceptions to this and of course, the pruder the society, the more is lurking under the surface).
When I compared touching to the equivalent to sex I meant it more in the metaphorical sense, simply because it was absolutely scandalous for a woman of noble birth to hug or hold hands with a man who was not her husband. Again, of course there were people who went against these social rules in private, but that doesn't mean all people back then did that since tradition and religion also played a big part in those things and many people didn't joke around with that back then (and many are firm on religious and traditional believes even now)
Taking Ae Shins upbringing into account, which was extremely sheltered, I see her more as the former one (especially since she's been shown to be very traditional in many ways, aside from her tendencies to dress as a men and shoot people of course). What plays a far bigger part in this however is Eugenes attitude in this. He of course doesn't have the excuse of a sheltered upbringing and being a high ranking American soldier, no one would have batted an eye at him being more forward. However, as rubie already said, the class difference and Eugenes stance on their class difference (which came with big insecurities from his side) played a big part in him being this reserved and I never saw him completely letting go of this thinking that was burned into his mind from childhood on. He also suffered great trauma back in Joseon and America (and had a missionary as his only parental guardian for a long time). There are no indicators that he had any form of sexual relationships before he met Ae Shin, which makes complete sense given the circumstances he found himself in in America and it becomes very evident that he has problems with intimate physical contact. Which again is completely normal given his past. Not everybody is able to express their sexuality in a "normal" way, and not everybody is even interested in it.
I don't think it is as easy as to say there were people back then had sex in private before marriage, and taking this as an indicator that a relationship that looked more like something society approved upon (I mean aside from the fact that no one would have approved of their relationship) can be called unrealistic, especially if one part of the couple had a sheltered upbringing and the other one deeply seated traumas.
That aside, I know couples even today who won't kiss or have sex before marriage, simply because religion and upbringing taught them to do it like that and they are perfectly happy. This concept exists still today even in Europe (again, not every couple follows those rules in private, but many do simply because it is what they are believe to be right), so I don't see how this didn't hold true back then when people as a society were far more strict on matters like this.
Granted, I wouldn't have cried "Unrealistic!" had they kissed in one of the last episodes (it would have been totally out of place for those two before their trip to Japan tho in my opinion). I guess the biggest contributing factor for them not kissing was the controversy with LBH and KTR acting together, but I also don't see how the absence of a kiss makes everything else they shared unrealistic. Movies and the media today are way to focused on the physical aspect of an relationship, without often taking the human part into account. We are completely numb to the finer nuances that really are the core of a functioning relationship. In their relationship, especially for Eugene, the comfort of human touch, as in finally finding belonging somewhere, was far more important than anything else, and nothing conveys that better than a hug, not even a kiss or sex.
This is also how most stories from back in the day portrayed relationships and KES imo payed great homage to that. 99% of the classics I've read told the romance without a single kiss.. Now that doesn't mean that that completely reflects how people acted with each other in private back then before marriage, but there are also enough books who were absolutely scandalizing for the time and in some cases even got banned, who portray relationships that go against those norms and even in those books it becomes evident that not everyone back in the days threw conventions out of the window once they were in private).
 

But all the historical context aside, there are relationships that are not overly sexual, no matter the age. Does that make the love of those people any less realistic or real? Not in my opinion at least (this isn't to say of course that they went with hyper realism in approach of the love story, but that of course is something completely different altogether).
Anyway, I guess it's also just a matter of opinion of course and I mean no offense here. I personally just found it a very deep and honest representation of the values of love that rings more true to me than what we normally get presented these days and no kissing scene could take that away or even improve upon that, but of course everyone has different views on this:)

 

 

@rubie Thanks for the welcome again:) Hope this drought on LBH news and appearances will finally end. It really has been going on for far too long:)

[rubie]

On 11/4/2019 at 1:05 AM, closetserialaddict said:

I wish LBH will stop dying in his shows.. cos i don't think it's necessary sometimes.

 

Ok, i don;t like the writer in Mr Sunshine.. first, no passionate scenes at all. I roll my eyes at what she thinks is tasteful and arty.. or whatever.. it's disgraceful for viewers to have to imagine and draw from the depth of emotions portrayed between the two. 

 

I think Eugene being a sharpshooter, could have shot at the links, and sent off the carriage with the Japanese. So there you go, he didn't have to do die.. 

 

Re Iris, it's just sad.. tho i can see how it serves a purpose.. cos Iris was not fully eradicated. They didn;t find out who Mr Black was, right? BUT it was still heartbreaking! How could they do this to the viewers?? 

 

Oh wait a minute.. You mean Kim So Yeon's character killed him? WHY? i thought she loved him.. she suddenly got angry and hateful??

 

No worries, many of the Sunshiners felt the same way, Eugene has managed to survive before with just one bullet left but ironically not on the train when there was still chance to escape. He might be shot, it's a risk but it wasn't something he's not familiar with.. as a captain in the US Marines, he must have encountered even more dangerous situation. Wonder if he lost all his military experiences & capability having been in jail in America? Sadly it seems that he was willing to give up the fight plus the promise to protect Ae Shin.. just like that. He did protect her and the rest of the freedom fighters from the Japanese soldiers on their way to Manchuria but what about protecting her in the future?  At the time the ending was broadcast, everyone was too shocked to say much but now.. it really seem rather sloppy writing to finish off the series. Yes, it was based on a sad history and the character were mainly fictional.. but why the name Mr.Sunshine.. KES is just so sadistic..  

 

IRIS had an abrupt ending.. the series was riding high on the ratings till the very end but the conclusion rises more questions instead. Obviously a sequel is inevitable but without the main character the anticipation definitely went down quite a bit.

 

Kim So Yeon was awesome in IRIS and her pairing with LBH gained a lot of fans' support. So much that it for awhile overtook the writers' preferred loveline with KTH as the designated female lead. It's weird how the writers first made the North Korean Agent wanting to kill Hyun Jun at all cost in the beginning but instead became his trusted partner/sidekick throughout most of the drama complete with a teary parting scene.. only to be the assassin in the end. The writers or PDs might wanted to show the agent's believable 'act' alongside HJ to gain his full trust. But what happened was Kim Hyun Jun and Kim Sun Hwa really made a perfect team together that overshadowed the main drama couple (well, blame the writing that separated them for 10 episodes).. the better than expected second pairing was what the production failed to anticipate. I think.. just my opinion though, they wanted to steer back the attention to LBH & KTH and made KSY as the initial villain. This through poor writing just like when Sun Hwa 'fell' for Hyun Jun in Akita.. really made IRIS a mess. For me, Lee Byung Hun and Kim So Yeon really stood out in IRIS but the drama itself is not a big favorite.

 

Source: Sindy Kao

 

[rubie]

Source: Insight Korea

 

 

Maybe he's saying.. just wait a little while longer.. MOUNT BAEKDU is definitely coming. Soon. 

 

Source: HeraldPop

[closetserialaddict]

3 hours ago, rubie said:

Source: Insight Korea

 

Maybe he's saying.. just wait a little while longer.. MOUNT BAEKDU is definitely coming. Soon. 

 

 

*clap*clap

 

@BlancheNeige Apologies i havent really read your replies re the portrayal (or lack of) of  sexual intimacy  in Mr Sunshine. so I will just speak of what i know,.. the thing about sex and love is... the forbidden fruit tastes sweeter.. and this has been the case since time immemorial. People were always finding a way to have sex, despite social norms. Despite the repercussions if they were to get caught. The noble classes were not spared from the stirrings of the heart and the desires of the flesh. This is the case even amongst unmarried, highborn people, as we have seen in historical accounts of famous noblemen and women. And love was probably simpler and more straightforward than it is now. They didn't play games. They just went with their feelings. I also know that Ae Shin's character in the drama is not someone who will be dictated by the conventions of her social class. I don't think the screenwriter meant for her to be one. So that's also one of the reasons why i don't agree with the way the screenwriter took license and I feel it's not realistic.  

But of course, the issue of you liking it this way is a separate matter. We are all entitled to our own preferences and views. And our exchanges is what keeps the forum alive.   So the above is just my opinion. 

 

And i totally agree with @rubie .. There was also a very palpable build up of their feelings for each other! 

 

 

Sigh, i think it's in the Korean movie culture to torment the viewers. A negative or unsatisfactory ending certainly gets us talking more than a happy one will. 

[rubie]

On 11/4/2019 at 2:13 AM, BlancheNeige said:

I'm not that familiar with how promotion for Korean movies work, but I guess it's not normal for it to start THAT late, ? No trailer and not even official movie stills less than 2 months before a movie starts sounds like a really short time for promotions, especially for a movie with that kind of budget. I mean, maybe that's the angle they are going for, creating as much hype as possible so shortly before the movie comes to cinema?
I really hope we will get something on the man standing next soon. Tho if they wait to prepare it for international film festivals that at least is a good sign for the quality of the movie. I doubt it's gonna be the next Parasite and win all the fame at Cannes (simply judging by the directors other works) but who knows.

 

Finally found my way here as well:)

Not much to say about LBH that I didn't already say at the Mr. Sunshine site. Incredible actor, imo next to SKH the best Korea has at the moment. I wish there were more english speaking actors who are as versatile as he is and are able to portray this depth of emotions. It's really great to see how he is able to completely transform in his different roles. Even if he looks similar in some of his roles, the vibe he gives off is completely different for every character and there the devil really is in the details with him.
Tho I think he gives an incredible performance in all of his movies (the one exception for me is The good, the bad, the weird. I didn't like his character and portrayal there) and always plays interesting characters, I'm often a little meh on the movies itself. He has some good ones, some kinda meh ones, but very few I would title as great. Let's hope the man standing next will fall in the last category.

Performance wise my favorite of his (after his portrayal of Eugene ofc, which is the absolute best he ever was imo. But it's hard to compare with his movies ofc, since he has much more time to work out the fine details of his character) my favorite is without a doubt is performance in ISTD. Surely not the most complex character he ever played, but he gave such a raw and emotional and more subdued performance, it's hard to match that.
There are many other great performances of his I'd like to go in detail about. Maybe another time:)

 

Not really an official announcement but one media site posted yesterday that Mount Baekdu will be released on December 18 which is roughly about a month to go. Come to think of it, this is probably the slowest promo set for a LBH' movie. Usually there would be a teaser already out months ahead plus a few movie stills or even posters before the release date is announced. So, it's really unusual for such late planning for a supposedly blockbuster big-budget movie that's distributed by CJ. We can only hope that everything will go smoothly now that there's already a date. Still waiting for the trailer now.. 

 

About GBW (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) as a movie..it being his first major villain role which was more like a flamboyant rockstar badboy of the desert.  The movie was set to mainly feature the 'Weird' despite the three main characters. However, it felt that the Bad is the more interesting one compared to the other two..  not being bias, haha . Overall it was a loud but fun long cat+mouse pair chasing the hound dog. 

 

Love his role in ISTD (I Saw The Devil) too. The movie undoubtedly is the most bloody, gory and absolutely gruesome to date  (it's the kind that people will really like or really hate.. audience at the San Sebastian film fest reportedly walked out of the screening).. there is no hint of any happiness in the end or any spark of hope at all but a man going all out to express his pain and anger. Despite being an agent, he let his grieving emotion took over his mind in catching the culprit and to make him pay. an eye for an eye. Indeed it was one of his best roles but the almost banned R-rated film took all the limelight. Kinda feel that he didn't win any major awards for the role as not to glamorize the brutality of the movie.. but CMS did win Best Actor award selected by the Korean movie directors, if I'm not mistaken.

 

However, LBH received a lot of praise and recognition for Masquerade despite it's his first ever period piece. And this is the movie that he did not die in the end, similar to ISTD. What's your thoughts about Gwanghae?

 

Besides HERE, we also have EMERGENCY DECLARATION (filming) to look forward to in 2020. Not sure if the movie with SKH for the 4th time will be released the same year, at least the drama would be tentatively broadcast in the middle of the year. Indeed it will be interesting to watch him in a new role since it's not a romance drama or an action series either. Hmm.. how come we're still counting movies to be released but nothing is ready yet. 

 

 

October 4, 2019

 

16 Best Korean Movies of This Decade

 

by Diksha Sundriyal TheCinemaholic

 

In international cinema, there are a couple of countries that have made their presence felt strongly. While European cinema continues to excel, in the Asian market, Korean filmmakers have taken charge. Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook and Kim Ki-duk are just a couple of directors that have made excellent films while succeeding in breaking into the international market. Their films are commercially successful without compromising with the soul of the story. In the past decade, this trend has been followed by a number of other directors. Here, we have compiled the list of the best Korean movies of this decade, from 2010 to 2019. that you must watch:

16. Train to Busan (2016)
 

15. The Man from Nowhere (2010)

 

14. The Day He Arrives (2011)

 

13. Masquerade (2012)

 

 

‘Masquerade’ is a historical drama that focuses on a strange event that takes place in the court of the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. King Gwang-hae is suspicious of everyone around him. He doesn’t trust anyone because he fears that everyone is trying to kill him, and no matter how many assassination-attempts he dodges, it will only take one to be successful to bring him down. He asks his secretary of defense to find a lookalike who can fill in for him, in case something happens and he needs to go into hiding. As the king feared, he is poisoned by one of his consorts. Until he recovers, the minister grooms a man to take his place. The problem starts when the begins to take his role as the king seriously.

 

12. The Wailing (2016)

 

11. I Saw the Devil (2010)

 

 

‘I Saw the Devil’ is a psychological thriller that blurs the line between the hero and the villain. The story begins with Jang Joo-yun. She is stranded on a highway in the middle of a snowy night with a flat tire. Just in time, a school-bus driver, Jang Kyung-chul happens to pass by. It looks like he wants to help her, but that is not his true intention. A couple of days later, Joo-yun’s severed head is discovered which breaks the heart of her fiancée. The brutality of her murder makes him vow the same fate for her killer. His background as a secret agent helps him track down Kyung-chul, but he doesn’t kill him. Not straightaway.

 

10. The Handmaiden (2016)

 

9. House of Hummingbird (2018)

 

8. The Age of Shadows (2016)

South Korea’s official entry for Academy Awards in 2017, ‘The Age of Shadows’ follows a complex game between its characters, as they try to manipulate each other to serve their own purpose. The first spoke of the wheel is Lee Jung-chool. He is a Korean police officer and a turncoat who provides information to the Japanese to earn their favours. His lifestyle receives a blow when the Japanese government accuses him of working against them. This thoroughly confuses him but also brings him to the attention of some major players in Korea and Japan. While one tries to recruit him to his cause, there is another who plays a psychological game to establish his prominence. Who will win and how far will this game go?

 

7. Burning (2018)

 

6. Planet of Snail (2011)

 

5. Poetry (2010)

 

4. The Bacchus Lady (2016)

 

3. Hope (2013)

 

2. Silenced (2011)

 

1. Parasite (2019)

[BlancheNeige]

21 hours ago, closetserialaddict said:

*clap*clap

 

@BlancheNeige Apologies i havent really read your replies re the portrayal (or lack of) of  sexual intimacy  in Mr Sunshine. so I will just speak of what i know,.. the thing about sex and love is... the forbidden fruit tastes sweeter.. and this has been the case since time immemorial. People were always finding a way to have sex, despite social norms. Despite the repercussions if they were to get caught. The noble classes were not spared from the stirrings of the heart and the desires of the flesh. This is the case even amongst unmarried, highborn people, as we have seen in historical accounts of famous noblemen and women. And love was probably simpler and more straightforward than it is now. They didn't play games. They just went with their feelings. I also know that Ae Shin's character in the drama is not someone who will be dictated by the conventions of her social class. I don't think the screenwriter meant for her to be one. So that's also one of the reasons why i don't agree with the way the screenwriter took license and I feel it's not realistic.  

But of course, the issue of you liking it this way is a separate matter. We are all entitled to our own preferences and views. And our exchanges is what keeps the forum alive.   So the above is just my opinion. 

 

And i totally agree with @rubie .. There was also a very palpable build up of their feelings for each other! 

 

 

Sigh, i think it's in the Korean movie culture to torment the viewers. A negative or unsatisfactory ending certainly gets us talking more than a happy one will. 

 

Well it is probably a discussion that will not really end anywhere anyway, since there are many different records that describe life back then in completely different ways, so it probably really is a matter of taste here. So let's just agree to disagree on this topic and move on:)

The negative and unsatisfactory endings in KDramas (and CDramas) is definitely something that gets a little tiring over time. Tho I completely understand that Mr. Sunshine couldn't have ended any other way, but for Dramas that don't portray a specific time in history and don't have to pay respect to that, it is really unnecessary most of the time. Thank god I'm most of the time not that emotionally invested in those dramas or else it would be really depressing:/

 

1 hour ago, rubie said:

About GBW (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) as a movie..it being his first major villain role which was more like a flamboyant rockstar badboy of the desert.  The movie was set to mainly feature the 'Weird' despite the three main characters. However, it felt that the Bad is the more interesting one compared to the other two..  not being bias, haha . Overall it was a loud but fun long cat+mouse pair chasing the hound dog. 

 

Funnily, this is the only movie of his I've watched where I feel someone else stole the show from him lol I mean it's not the worst thing if it is SKH who's doing it since he's a phenomenal actor in his own right but yeah, I was not a big fan of the whole movie overall, so the characters in general also didn't do much for me. I'm generally not a fan of the overly cool bad boy characters, so thank god he mostly stays away from them and normally manages to give some kind of awkward aura even to the character so his that otherwise would have been the typically cool gangster as well (like in a bittersweet life or Inside Man for example).
Tho the absolute bore of that movie was the Good for me. Probably what made that one so hard to watch for me lol

 

1 hour ago, rubie said:

Love his role in ISTD (I Saw The Devil) too. The movie undoubtedly is the most bloody, gory and absolutely gruesome to date  (it's the kind that people will really like or really hate.. audience at the San Sebastian film fest reportedly walked out of the screening).. there is no hint of any happiness in the end or any spark of hope at all but a man going all out to express his pain and anger. Despite being an agent, he let his grieving emotion took over his mind in catching the culprit and to make him pay. an eye for an eye. Indeed it was one of his best roles but the almost banned R-rated film took all the limelight. Kinda feel that he didn't win any major awards for the role as not to glamorize the brutality of the movie.. but CMS did win Best Actor award selected by the Korean movie directors, if I'm not mistaken.

 

I so wish ISTD would have toned it down a little on the explicit content. If it wasn't that gory I would have recommended it to so many people already. I get that it was necessary to show some of the things the killer had done in an explicit way for the audience to be on board with the things LBH's character does to him later on, but many things really went a little too far. Which is a shame since it is a masterfully directed and edited movie and from a technical standpoint and writing wise I can find no fault with it. I absolutely hate gory movies but I was unable to pause this one even for a second. Also great musical composition and the last 2 minutes were such a powerful ending. Really a shame:/
Yeah I think CMS did win some award for the role. I mean he was great as well, but I feel like he did the typical CMS thing he often does in those kind of roles. It was a Joker like performance (the crazy out there performances tend to get all the spotlight) , and while it was powerful, I'm always more for the down to earth subtle performances, which are far harder to do right in my opinion and sadly often get overlooked next to those more showy performances. So while I would never arguer that CMS gave a great performance in this movie and many others, in this case the clear standout for me still was LBH. There was much more gravitas and subtle rawness to his performance.

 

1 hour ago, rubie said:

However, LBH received a lot of praise and recognition for Masquerade despite it's his first ever period piece. And this is the movie that he did not die in the end, similar to ISTD. What's your thoughts about Gwanghae?

 

I loved his performance in that movie and would probably rank it in his top 5 movie performances, but the movie itself fell short on being the masterpiece everybody praised it to be for me for one simple reason: The love story imo was absolutely unnecessary to the plot and was as shallow as it gets. Every time it came on, it totally dragged. I felt like it was the typical kind of shallow lovestory that was only there to have one, without making any real effort (tho the scene of him coming up with that unfortunate love poem was really sweet). I just saw no reason for him to fall for her other than him thinking she's beautiful and looks sad. His relationship with all the other characters tho was really great and the servant girl and his bodyguard dying in the end was really hard to watch. It's really rare that side characters grow on me in such a short amount of time, but they certainly did.
Aside from that, his double performance was great to watch and I really loved the goodhearted nature of his character. Overall it reminded me a little of those Shakespeare tragic comedies and those historical movies that were done in the 90, when it was still more important to tell a powerful story with a positive and hopeful message than to simple go for gritty, dark and edgy. Hard to tell tho if I like this one or the Fortress better.

 

2 hours ago, rubie said:

Besides HERE, we also have EMERGENCY DECLARATION (filming) to look forward to in 2020. Not sure if the movie with SKH for the 4th time will be released the same year, at least the drama would be tentatively broadcast in the middle of the year. Indeed it will be interesting to watch him in a new role since it's not a romance drama or an action series either. Hmm.. how come we're still counting movies to be released but nothing is ready yet. 

 

Oh right, Emergency Declaration! So glad to see him team up with SKH again. I just really hope this is not another action driven disaster movie but more on the suspenseful thriller side. I'm glad he kinda went away from all the action heavy movies he did a lot in the last 10-15 years. I mean he is great at those but I like his movies were he can show of his nuanced dramatic acting far more. I'm glad the man standing next seems to be more focused on the relationship between the characters (at least from what he told in that one interview).
Still looking forward the most to HERE and while it's probably not heavy on romance like most KDramas, there (hopefully) still might be a little bit of it in there like in LIVE. I kinda miss him in his more romantic roles and with Mr. sunshine he definitely proofed that he still is able to be convincing (which is a clear understatement lol) Tho ofc I know that it is more complicated now due to different reasons, so lets see:)

[rubie]

Well-said @BlancheNeige very well-said indeed. Totally agree with the points on ISTD and Masquerade. Re: CMS in ISTD, it felt that he won because of the crazy psychotic portrayal of a serial murderer which many a time went completely overboard. Looking like it's a stronger performance because of the unthinkable things he did in the movie. What you said really hit the nail on the head.

 

It's true that his choices of roles are getting more varied lately.. from Master to Keys to the Heart and the upcoming Mount Baekdu, still an action-thriller but (hopefully) nothing like IRIS or the like. A bit surprised that SKH and LBH taking on the disaster-theme Emergency Declaration, there must something that attracted the actors to the script.

 

Anyway.. we now have the release confirmation and main poster for Mount Baekdu.

 

November 6, 2019

 

MOUNT BAEKDU Reveals Poster and Confirms December Release Date

 

Source: NEWSIS

 

[rubie]

Here it comes.. movie is now called ASHFALL.. the new title for Mount Baekdu.

 

Release date 

 

Main Poster 

 

Official name 

 

Trailer ? TRAILER ????

 

Source: Jason Bechervaise @Jasebechervaise

 

Poster for Lee Hye-jun & Kim Byung-suh's disaster film ASHFALL featuring A-list cast: Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, Ma Dong-seok & Suzy. Seismologist, bomb squad agent and N.Korean elite officer come together to stop devastation as Baekdu Mountain (#백두산) erupts. Released in Dec.

 

[rubie]

The Baekdusan TRAILER is finally here!!    #Ashfall

 

Published on November 6, 2019 by K-Movie

 

 

[rubie]

Cool BH captures by hhminee @hhminee

 

[rubie]

Another photo of LBH-HJW released today

 

November 7, 2019

 

Lee Byung Hun - Ha Jung Woo, first collaboration since acting debut

 

Source: Naver

 

[BlancheNeige]

On 11/6/2019 at 3:01 AM, rubie said:

Well-said @BlancheNeige very well-said indeed. Totally agree with the points on ISTD and Masquerade. Re: CMS in ISTD, it felt that he won because of the crazy psychotic portrayal of a serial murderer which many a time went completely overboard. Looking like it's a stronger performance because of the unthinkable things he did in the movie. What you said really hit the nail on the head.

 

It's true that his choices of roles are getting more varied lately.. from Master to Keys to the Heart and the upcoming Mount Baekdu, still an action-thriller but (hopefully) nothing like IRIS or the like. A bit surprised that SKH and LBH taking on the disaster-theme Emergency Declaration, there must something that attracted the actors to the script.

 

Not to belittle CMS performance, he was very convincing in the role. But yeah, it was a very stereotype interpretation of a psychopath (which might be partly the directors fault tho). I mean he totally gave me the creeps in the intro, but after that he went a little overboard way too much. But yeah, audiences love those loud and very out there performances. And ofc the Oldboy fame is helping him as well and I guess LBH is often not taken as serious as some of his colleagues for various reasons, tho he isn't any less talented then them. But as soon as he's in a movie with SKH or CMS, they will probably automatically get the attention:/

 

Yes I'm very curious about those 2 taking on a disaster-themed movie. Esp. SKH, who we rarely see in more action heavy movies. I mean disaster movie can mean a lot of things. I would guess they have to stop the plane from crashing or something, that could also make for a very good thriller or drama with not too much action and explosions. Hollywood loves to make those kind of movies and they have gotten very stale over the last 10 years or so. It'll be interesting to see if a SK movie manages to bring something new and refreshing to this genre (like they did with train to busan). Whatever it may be, I'm looking forward to those two teaming up again and I'm sure there was something in that that made it worth both their time:)

 

Finally a trailer! Or probably more a teaser, bc imo it was a little too short for a trailer? I hope we will get a full trailer soon. But it looks not bad so far. I hope they can pull off the CGI convincingly, didn't see much of that in the trailer. It at least looks more promising than most american disaster movies we have seen so far. Hope this will be big enough to be played in a cinema near me:/

I'm still very meh on LBHs look in that movie. Not sure if the hair or the beard is worse? But at least this only proofs that he doesn't need to rely on his look to leave an impression and steal the show (not that I ever thought that lol). Anyway, it's not as bad as it looked on that one pic and I'm sure his performance will be interesting enough as always to make me overlook that awful beard

[rubie]

Sighting of Lee Byung Hun and Song Seung Hun ..

 

Photo: silver.yk

 

Cr: 팽입니다!@_paeng2

[rubie]

18 hours ago, BlancheNeige said:

Not to belittle CMS performance, he was very convincing in the role. But yeah, it was a very stereotype interpretation of a psychopath (which might be partly the directors fault tho). I mean he totally gave me the creeps in the intro, but after that he went a little overboard way too much. But yeah, audiences love those loud and very out there performances. And ofc the Oldboy fame is helping him as well and I guess LBH is often not taken as serious as some of his colleagues for various reasons, tho he isn't any less talented then them. But as soon as he's in a movie with SKH or CMS, they will probably automatically get the attention:/

 

Unlike LBH..  both CMS and SKH did not start or ever acted in Korean dramas, they started acting in films and have been doing so till now. From their wikis, they already acted together in several memorable Korean films including the 1999 blockbuster hit Shiri. Though a bit younger, BH started in Korean dramas in various supporting roles. His early foray into Korean movies were not positively received. Maybe it was too soon for him, maybe it's the script.. it just didn't take off well as he hoped. He was even 'blacklisted' because his Korean movies in the 90s bombed so bad. Somehow..  these things happen to spur patience, improvement and better management, for instance. Plus his consistent hard work and passion throughout the years, the initial hardship has finally all paid off.

 

SKH used to be the second lead to CMS before but wonder how it will be these days, if they're cast in a same movie. LBH used to be and still is a Korean drama leading man but he had to start again when he did JSA. Good for Dir. Park Chan Wook, he took a chance on LBH and he truly showed his movie-acting worth. In any same movie SKH will of course get the top-billing but nowadays BH himself has proved his strong acting performance and moved up a lot in the tough industry hierarchy which is no easy feat. He's been praised by a lot of movie veterans for breaking the door to enter Hollywood which is considered impossible before. However, despite the blockbuster successes of the GI Joe movies, his advancement had been a double-edged sword. He's more known internationally but the mediocre Hollywood roles are shadowing his true acting talent in Korean movies. 

 

Spoiler

I think .. it's appropriate to say that before all the rave about Parasite, it was Oldboy that got a lot of international movie fans interested about the (then) up & coming Korean films and entertainment as the whole. Oldboy won the Grand Prix at Cannes and that catapulted CMS and Dir. PCW particularly into worldwide movie recognition, all that happened in 2003. I tried but couldn't make myself watch the movie, it's too gloomy and dark, in every sense of the word. However I remember reading how everyone (through the reviews and feedback) the live-octopus scene. It's actually normal in the Korean culture but the scene particularly got non-Koreans interested.

 

Coming back to Ashfall (Baekdusan), I saw this convo on twitter (you're right that this is just the teaser).. perhaps this will answer all our queries.. provided by Jason Bechervaise  . Hopefully the word-of-mouth will be strong for the movie.

 

 

 

BEFORE  vs AFTER 

 

[rubie]

LBH cut by コっ子 @ByungBlue, translation by @mistymorning

Lee Jun-Pyung
He is a secretary of embassy at Beijing, we recruited him. 
He is the first step(or goal) of this operation
(In the screen) Will take over both South and North
Trying to prevent volcano eruption?
Too much imagination
(In the screen) Lee Byung-Hun
(In the screen)Mount Baekdu
(In the screen) 2019. 12

[rubie]

Thanks to SindyKao for the highlight on twitter, ASHFALL will be released in Hong Kong on the first day of 2020. Here's the trailer with Chinese and English subs.

 

 

[rubie]

 

November 8, 2019

 

AFM 2019: the buzz titles from South Korea

With international hit Parasite gaining momentum into awards season, South Korean sales agents come to AFM full of confidence.

BY JEAN NOH ScreenDaily

 

South Korean cinema has had a watershed year, with Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite picking up the Palme d’Or in Cannes and jumping past 10 million admissions at home soon after its local release. Opening internationally, the film has also been breaking records and picking up buzz as an Oscar contender for more than just the international feature category.

 

South Korea had other local hits such as Extreme Job, which clocked up more than 16.2 million admissions and sits atop the Korean box-office chart for the year. Behind it in second place is Avengers: Endgame, which opened on April 24 and has taken 13.9 million admissions.

 

Also notable this year, Train To Busan actor Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee) has joined the Marvel cinematic universe after being cast in The Eternals. The prolific actor features in two of the Korean projects profiled here and hitting AFM: disaster thriller Ashfall and coming-of-age drama Start-Up.

 

South Korean sales agents will be showcasing other hot new features such as Ryoo Seung-wan’s Mogadishu, Chung Ji-young’s Black Money and a pair of comedies starring Na Moon-hee, the irrepressible old lady from hits such as Miss Granny and I Can Speak.

 

Ashfall
Dirs Lee Hae-jun, Kim Byung-suh

This disaster action drama stars Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee), Jeon Hye-jin and Bae Suzy. When Korea’s tallest volcano — which is situated on the border between China and North Korea — erupts unexpectedly, the peninsula is left in chaos. A seismologist (Ma) suggests a way that could potentially stop a further explosion, while the help of a rogue North Korean officer (Lee Byung-hun) is sought to stop the imminent devastation. Currently in post-production, the film is set for local release later this year.
Contact CJ Entertainment

 

Source: @WhiteBunny9410

 

Lee Byung Hun, Ha Jung Woo, Jeon Hye Jin, Bae Suzy will attend Baekdu mountain presscon at CGV apgujeong-deong on 19th November at 11 a.m kst.

 

 

[closetserialaddict]

Just finished with Masquerade! (Thanks @rubie for "showing me the way").. hehe

 

It's good and LBH proved yet again how flexible his acting chops are. He had to make both the characters of the real king and the fake king appear diametrically opposite. and he did a good job. I feel the character of the fake king he portrayed actually had more in common with some of the characters he played before - a compassionate side. The king, on the other hand, was dark, brooding and devoid of empathy.

 

I am now watching Gabi.. i used to like Joo Jin Moo.. but i am now wondering if it was because of some characters he played. He looked and played the part of the stoic prince in Empress Ki very well, and that won him many fans.. but his star power seems to have faded a lot lately. He doesn't seem to be scoring many scripts.. I watched Lady with a Suitcase sometime back and i felt his acting fell flat.. I hate to admit this but i  think a lot of his appeal (for me too!) was his chiselled, manly looks.. He looked good in Gabi too.. unfortunately, with age.. he is losing his looks. (but still good to know he has not yet succumbed to industry pressure to go under the knife).. perhaps that's why his star power has waned... 

 

Anyway, enough of JJM.. since this thread is about LBH. I will watch LBH again in Master when I am done with Gabi.

 

Then i will look forward to Mt Baekdu.. in the trailers, LBH looks like he's playing his age (finally!) and looks rather worse for wear.. I like the idea though.. . He's evolving and it's great to know that he will have career longevity.