Lee Byung Hun 이병헌 Byunghun Lee

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Our thanks to @BillyRocks_13 on twitter for the translation

 

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Published on December 20, 2019 by BH Entertainment

 

Lee Byung Hun ASHFALL Poster Shoot
 

Source: CINE21

 

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Source: ViBLE @vible_official (ViBLE blog)

 

 

 

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December 20, 2019

'Their acting really good,' Ha Jungwoo and Lee Byunghun talks about their new movie 'Ashfall' in the new interview.

Source: Naver via StoryKpop

 

Netizens comments:

(+260,-14) The acting of Lee Byunghun is like the top of nation .

(+162,-7) I just came out and saw it, and Lee Byunghun acting iz the best... I thought actor Ha Jungwoo was good at acting, but actor Lee Byunghun is just really good at acting.

(+69,-3) Lee Byunghun acting is the best!

(+58,-2) Ha Jungwoo's voice is so good. Honey voice.

(+66,-14) Suzy was naturally good. Lee Byunghun and Ha Jungwoo, not to mention their acting. It's amazing . ㅠㅠ

(+41,-1) Lee Byunghun's acting was great. He speaks North Korean too.

 

Clip: HighCut

 

 

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2019.12.20 ASHFALL at # 1 Korean Box Office  

F I G H T I N G ! 

 

Source: KoBiz

 

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December 21, 2019

 

 ASHFALL Exceeds 1 Million Audience Admission

 

 

“Ashfall” Starring Lee Byung Hun, Suzy, And More Surpasses 1 Million Moviegoers

Source: Soompi by R. Jun

 

“Ashfall,” starring Lee Byung Hun, Suzy, Ha Jung Woo, Ma Dong Seok, and Jeon Hye Jin, has already surpassed 1 million moviegoers!

 

“Ashfall” follows what happens after a volcano on Mount Baekdu erupts, leading to pandemonium from fear of a final eruption that could wipe out both North and South Korea. A team of people set out to stop the terrible disaster from happening.

 

The film, which premiered on December 19, hit the 1 million mark on December 21, its third day in theaters. It’s on pace with “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds,” which went on to record a total of 14.41 million moviegoers, and “Extreme Job,” which recorded a total of 16.26 million.

 

To celebrate the milestone, the cast of “Ashfall” thanked viewers with a video:

 

 

Congratulations to the cast and crew of “Ashfall”!

 

Source (1)

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12/21 The cast and directors of ASHFALL have been busy attending the meet and greet the audience & fans at various locations today. Even though the bodyguards are pretty strict in handling approaching fans while the Ashfall team is moving, BH as we've always seen, would never decline fans' wanting to shake hands or to accept gifts from them. He will always try to get closer to accommodate them.. as he walks by. When he can't walk slower & get closer,.. then, he will still wave or nod instead.

 

Fan-clips: @edwd695 // @AlatusDeus // @redcarpet_712 // @do1ce__

 

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December 20, 2019

 

New Korean Academy Members Boost Oscar Prospects for "Parasite"

 

By William Schwartz on HanCinema.net

 

"Parasite" appears primed to be South Korea's first nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The widely accoladed film may even have a good shot at being nominated for the Best Film overall.

 

One of the factors improving South Korea's standing this year is the recent enfranchisement of many Korean members into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, giving them a vote on this year's awards.

 

 

Lee Byung-hun is the most prominent Korean member of the delegation, having appeared in several American movies in addition to his strong South Korean film reputation. Lee Byung-hun even stated in a recent interview, as part of a press junket for "Ashfall", that he had been hearing strong praise for "Parasite" not just from the normal viewing public, but also Hollywood insiders. He described "Parasite"'s chances for getting an Oscar as optimistic.

 

Spoiler

 

Other Korean members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences include directors Im Kwon-taek, Lee Chang-dong, and Park Chan-wook. Actors Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho are also members of the organization that will vote on the Oscars next year.

 

Written by William Schwartz 

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December 22, 2019

 

ASHFALL Surpasses 2 Million Moviegoers In Impressive Time

Source: Soompi by L. Kim

 

 

New film “Ashfall” has achieved another impressive feat!

 

On December 22 at 11 a.m. KST, “Ashfall” officially

surpassed 2 million moviegoers, taking just four days to reach the milestone. Notably, the film had just reached 1 million moviegoers just the day before.

 

“Ashfall” has hit the 2 million milestone at almost same pace as the box office hits “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” and “Extreme Job.”

 

“Ashfall” follows what happens after a volcano on Mount Baekdu erupts, leading to pandemonium over fear of a final eruption that could wipe out both North and South Korea. A team of people set out to stop the terrible disaster from happening. It was released in theaters in Korea on December 19.

 

Congratulations to the cast and crew of “Ashfall”!

 

Source (1)

 

ASHFALL Stage Greeting on 12/22, clip courtesy alatus_deus

 

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December 22, 2019

 

Yonhap Interview

Lee Byung-hun confident about his choice of entertaining disaster movie

By Kim Boram

 

SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Yonhap) -- Since his big and small screen debuts in the 1990s, Lee Byung-hun has had dozens of Korean films and dramas to his credit and appeared in a few Hollywood productions.

 

With many ups and downs in his near 30-year career, he has been critically acclaimed for his work in a wide range of genres and characters, especially in crime films "A Bittersweet Life" (2005) and "Inside Men" (2015) and period TV series "Mr. Sunshine" (2018).

 

In his latest disaster blockbuster "Ashfall," the veteran actor's reputation stands out again and measures up to the expectations of film buffs.

 

"It's a typical disaster movie, like a Hollywood-style blockbuster, filled with clichés, and a predictable ending," Lee said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Friday. "Nevertheless, it has something different."

 

The flick, which was released on Thursday, is about a fictional eruption of Mount Paekdu, the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and an active volcano on the Chinese-North Korean border.

 

It is the first disaster movie that the veteran actor has participated in throughout his decadeslong silver screen career. For this movie, Lee, who has more than 30 movies in his filmography, learned North Korean accents and even Chinese and Russian.

 

His character, Lee Joon-pyeong, a North Korean intellectual agent who once spied for the South, teams up with Jo In-chang (Ha Jung-woo), the captain of an explosive ordnance disposal team. They start a journey to the active volcano carrying a nuclear explosive at full throttle in order to stop the imminent eruption.

 

Lee displays his acting originality in the many-faceted personality of Joon-pyeong. He makes silly jokes with airs and grace and wears a deceitful smile to In-chang, while also being an anxious father of an aphasic daughter.

 

"Joon-pyeong never presents his emotions and past history in front of In-chang and his teammates," Lee said. "But there are scenes in which he has to show his hidden family history to the audience. I think this makes Joon-pyeong look more appealing."

 

Moreover, he said the deepening relationship between Joon-pyeong and In-chang is the pivot of the storyline. They get along as poorly as cats and dogs but recognize that they need each other to achieve the goal. The two actors' on-screen chemistry, although it is the first time that the two have starred in the same film, works here.

 

"It's unusual to see the combination of a disaster movie and a buddy film. It appealed to me a lot," Lee said. "I joyfully looked forward to starring in this buddy film with Ha."

 

He also praised the film's quality computer-generated visual effects of the volcanic explosion and urban destruction, which make the disaster more realistic and valid.

 

Dexter Studios, a leading visual effects production house in South Korea, reportedly spent an estimated 26 billion won (US$22.3 million) for the breathtaking visual effects of the volcanic explosion and urban destruction.

 

He said he will be satisfied if audiences feel interested and pleased after watching "Ashfall" because of his performance, the ensemble of star actors or the lifelike computer-generated visual effects.

 

"A movie should be entertaining and enjoyable. Entertainment comes from many things like humor, emotion, action scenes or spectacular visual effects," he said. "I like my movie, and I hope the audience will feel the same."

 

brk@yna.co.kr

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December 22, 2019

 

Actor Lee Byung-hun says 'fantasy is what makes us watch film'

 

Actor Lee Byung-hun poses for a photo while sharing his story behind the scenes in an interview held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of BH Entertainment

 

By Jung Hae-myoung The Korea Times

 

Actor Lee Byung-hun came back with a new film "Ashfall" ― also known as "Baekdusan" in Korea ― after a year hiatus. On Thursday, Lee met with several media at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, to talk about the behind scenes of the film and his perspective on acting.

 

The film "Ashfall" revolves around a fictional catastrophic situation in which Mount Baekdu explodes. Lee takes on the role of Rhee Jun-pyung, a North Korean double agent who is imprisoned after his identity was disclosed by his wife. He takes part in a secret plan with EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) agent Cho In-chang (played by Ha Jung-woo).

 

"I like how the character Rhee Jun-pyung did not share any interests with any party. He was not on any side, neither North nor South, communism nor capitalism. He was only acting for himself, and that's what made me choose this role," Lee said.

 

"At first, it felt burdensome to speak with a North Korean dialect from beginning to end, but there was a teacher who taught me along the say so it wasn't as concerning as I thought it would be," he said.

 

Dialects aside, regarding what he focused on the most preparing for the character, he said: "As it is shown from the beginning, Rhee is a very ambiguous character, and that was the most attractive part. At one point he is very on edge, very chill in other parts, and sometimes very scary."

 

Trying to stop the mountain exploding may seem an absurd concept to some, but Lee said that is one of the reasons that people go to see a film.

 

"When selecting a film, I try to see the whole story rather than choosing it for the role. This film sure has some unbelievable parts, but I think that imagination and fantasy is what makes us watch films. Although realistic films almost like documentaries, are charming, I think fantasy is why people still go to the theater. In the end we are trying to experience something through other people's experience," Lee said.

 

On whether there was any competition with fellow actor Ha Jung-woo, who is also a top actor in in Korea, Lee said: "I think competing with fellow actors is dangerous. Rather there is more synergy when the fellow actor is better than me because they will give me motivation to do better. I believe the synergy between the two actors is passed on to the audience, giving them a better experience of watching film. The audience does not enjoy a film if one actor is better than the other."

 

Lee has experienced Hollywood film sets as well.

"In Korea they are faster in terms of changing certain aspects during filming. The actors can ad-lib and change some scenes under the director's guidance. But it is harder to do that in Hollywood. In terms of quick reactions I think it may be the driving force for Korean films to improve," Lee said. "Although Hollywood is not quick regarding change, they are more precise during preproduction stage, and more precisely on schedule."

 

Lee debuted in 1991 through KBS open recruitment, and since then he has been working in TV and film productions, building his acting career through various roles for over 28 years.

 

"There are some fun and stressful moments, but I try to enjoy it rather than stress about what I am doing," Lee said. "I think it is different every time. Sometimes I feel so good after filming one good scene, and the other I feel down when my feelings don't seem to portray well on the screen."

 

"Ashfall" was released Friday, and more than a million people have watched the film four days after it was released.

hmjung@koreatimes.co.kr 

 

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December 22, 2019

 

Byung Hun-ssi  posted on his IG:     "End of Stage Greetings"  

 

He looks a little tired.  

 

 

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@peonie, Thanks Barbara for sharing BH's latest IG post. He does look tired indeed. Finally the first round of Stage Greeting session have ended, the first weekend events were undeniably tiring with non-stop events in the afternoon till nightime.. we can only imagine. Byunghun, the cast and the ASHFALL pr team have busy since last week, even earlier on with strings of press conferences plus interviews, followed by the showcase and stage greet starting from the 18th.  Fans as well.. as you've experienced 2 years ago, have to be really fit & fast to catch the cast at the cinemas. But we can see that BH really enjoyed and loved seeing the fans coming to watch his movie. He definitely remembered their faces and took great care to communicate with everyone.

 

So glad to see that the movie is getting an awesome response at the box office. Hopefully it will continue the good run till January ++. We might even see ASHFALL and TMSN being screened at the same time.

 

2019.12.22 ASHFALL at # 1 Korean Box Office with 2.4 million audience admission.

 

Source: KoBiz

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THE MAN STANDING NEXT

New poster and interview clips (@rmflrhdhsmf // Showbox)

 

Magnesium deficiency Eye acting?

 

 

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December 24, 2019

 

"Ashfall"  reached another important milestone :   3 Million viewers

 

 

 

Source:  cjenmovie IG

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Thanks for the great update Barbara, we hope ASHFALL will be watched by many more moviegoers in Korea and for repeat viewings as well. It's a good thing that the movie is released during the year end holiday season as a family treat. There's been some mixed feedback but as a whole, it's certainly an enjoyable well-made movie in terms of CGI. So far, LBH and HJW's performances do not disappoint, which is a really good thing. Even if some critics may not feel highly for the movie, Lee Byung Hun's excellent acting totally surpassed and surprised the fans & non-fans' expectation

 

CJ Entertainment also released some more unseen stills from the movie.

 

 

 

 

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Have to say it's really really hard keeping up with the news these days.. with 2 movies coming out back to back.  The Korean news update is a bit slow as well.. because.. ASHFALL already passing the 3 million admission mark.  

 

December 24, 2019

 

Volcano Disaster Film Draws over 2 Million Viewers in Less Than a Week

 

Source: The ChosunIlbo

 

Actor Lee Byung-hun's latest film "Ashfall" drew more than 2 million viewers in less than a week since its release last week.

 

According to the Korean Film Council, the volcano disaster flick attracted 2.46 million viewers as of Monday, just four days after its release on Dec. 19.

 

With its star-studded cast including Lee, Ha Jung-woo and Su-zy and high production value, "Ashfall" depicts a group of people who try to stop a volcanic eruption of Mt. Baekdu in North Korea.

 

Published on December 22, 2019 by YTN KOREAN
 

YTN Interview with Actors of ASHFALL

 

 

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From Helen Seremetis @h_seremetis on twitter

 

To all my fellow #LeeByunhun fans, I send warm greetings and wish you a blessed holiday season.

 

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December 25, 2019

 

Interview with Lee Byung Hun (a translation) 

 

 

 

“The movie scene is magnificent and the shock-grade special effects are comparable to Hollywood blockbusters.” Lee Byung Hun, the star of “Ashfall” released on December 19th,  said at an interview in a Seoul coffee shop.    

 

Before deciding to accept the role, Lee Byung Hun said he received an invitation call from Ha Jung Woo.  Therefore, he had deep interest in playing.  He said, as the work has features of a buddy movie, he very much looked forward to the collaboration.

 

Power actors:  Lee Byung Hun, Ha Jung Woo. Ma Dong Seok, starring in “Ashfall” tells the story of the joint efforts of South and North Korea in the rescue and relief after the eruption of Baekdusan.   This was the first time that Lee had challenged the role of a North Korean agent, who was arrested and jailed for spying in South Korea.  He later stopped the eruption with a South Korean blasting expert played by Ha Jung Woo.   The spark created by these two best actors was highly anticipated.

 

Lee Byung Hun’s performance in the entire movie is eye catching, showing multi-faceted acting.  On one hand, he can suddenly looked cold amidst laughter and on the other, showed strong fatherly love in front of his daughter.  Furthermore, he could switch easily between a North Korean accent and a Jeolla-do dialact.  Lee’s  assessment of the role is somewhere between sleek and calm, perfect and negligent, it is difficult to generalize.

 

Lee also created a lot of "abbreviations" in the movie, and with Ha Jung Woo showed a sense of humour full of tacit cooperation.  He said unlike the characters in “Masquerade” and “Inside Men”, he wanted to show a happy side to his audience.  In his first collaboration with Ha Hung Woo, he praised praised him for his explosiveness and quick-witted resourcefulness.

 

With respect to Jeon Do Yeon’s guest appearance, Lee Byung Hun said he was worried that Jeon Do Yeon’s influence would be too strong and would hinder the audience emotional input.   However, once they have collaborated, he wished their collaboration would continue.  When he spoke about his regrets for the movie, Lee said that as the post-production schedule is tight, it is regrettable that many wonderful shots were deleted.

 

As far as his personal acting skills are concerned, Lee said modestly that he still did not know much about acting. He was always questioning himself.  He would be happy all day for performing well and frustrated all day if he did poorly.  Lee said he thought the public would look forward to his comedy or action skills but very unexpectedly the audience felt that I had brought the character alive because of some kind of lack of compassion.

 

Lee Byung Hun who made headway into Hollywood with films such as 'G.I. Joe,' said due to overlapping schedules, he will appear in more Korean works in the next two years.  As for the movie “The Man Standing Next” which will be released next month, he said the release of two movies  starring the same person may not be a good thing for the audience but the images of the characters in the two works are completely different.

 

Source : https://cn.yna.co.kr/view/ACK20191219003600881

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December 25, 2019