Lee Byung Hun 이병헌 Byunghun Lee

[rubie]

There're quite a few updates on the movie but most of THE MAN STANDING NEXT news are being posted at the movie thread instead. 

 

February 2, 2020

 

“The Man Standing Next” Cast Shares Handwritten Messages Of Gratitude For Surpassing 4 Million Moviegoers

 

Source: Soompi by J. Lim

Lee Byung Hun’s new movie “The Man Standing Next” continues to excel as it surpassed four million moviegoers.

 

On February 1, the film reached the four million moviegoers milestone on the 11th day since its release. This record is one day faster than other films that deal with modern historical events such as “1987,” which ended up recording 7.23 million moviegoers during its run, as well as “The Spy Gone North,” which brought in 4.97 million moviegoers.

 

 

Along with the news, the main cast of “The Man Standing Next” shared handwritten messages expressing their gratitude. Director Woo Min Ho said, “Thank you for the nationwide support,” while Lee Byung Hun said, “Thank you for four million.” Lee Sung Min used a line from the film and wrote, “‘The Man Standing Next,’ four million, thank you, friends.” Kwak Do Won wrote, “Four million! I hope everyone stays healthy this year,” and Lee Hee Joon said, “Four million. Thank you. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

“The Man Standing Next” tells the story of Kim Kyu Pyeong (Lee Byung Hun), the Director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) in the 40-day period leading up to President Park Chung Hee’s assassination in 1979.

 

Congratulations to “The Man Standing Next”!

 

Source (1)

 

February 3, 2020

 

Graphics ONE SHOT

January Box Office Winner: The Power of True Background Film 'Chiefs of Namsan'

 

Source: JoongAng Ilbo (Google translate)

 

BH's movies at the number 1 and number 2 spots.

 

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 Belated updates from KOFIC posted today, many of the Korean movie critics are preoccupied with PARASITE since late last year and even more now as the Oscars is approaching.

 

January 29, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT Edges Out HITMAN in Busy Lunar New Year Weekend
MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP Trails in 3rd
 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

 

 

Business shot up 150% as the Lunar New Year celebrations got underway, with 3.72 million admissions counted over the three-day weekend, with business spilling over into Monday, which is also a holiday. With three major local releases launched for the festivities, the domestic industry accounted for a roaring 91% of all sales.

 

WOO Min-ho’s political drama The Man Standing Next gave LEE Byung-hun his second consecutive major hit, following ASHFALL (2019), as it opened to a stellar 2.01 million entries (USD 15.63 million), with 2.64 million seats (USD 19.77 million) filled over its first five days. With little immediate competition, it should have no trouble notching a few other milestones in the coming days and weeks.

 

Also impressing in its debut was the local action-comedy HITMAN: AGENT JUN, the third film headlined by KWON Sang-woo in as many months, following Love, Again (2019) and The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful (2019). Despite little built-up interest the film has turned into a crowd-pleaser and claimed second place with a robust 929,000 admissions (USD 7.17 million), with 1.15 million sales (USD 8.76 million) recorded since Wednesday. The film is well positioned to add significantly to that total going forward.

 

The only misfire among the new trio was the talking animal crime-comedy MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP with LEE Sung-min (who also stars in The Man Standing Next). The film had a lackluster debut with 289,000 viewers (USD 2.2 million) over the weekend and 394,000 spectators (USD 2.87 million) counted in its first five days.

 

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Meanwhile Will SMITH was back in theaters in the animation Spies in Disguise, which opened with a middling 175,000 sales (USD 1.27 million), with 234,000 entries (USD 1.67 million) counted since its midweek debut.

 

Last year’s chart-topper SECRET ZOO, another Lunar New Year hopeful, was unable to build into the holidays as it crashed a hefty 77% in its sophomore frame, with 131,000 new admissions (USD 981,000) counted. The film has now amassed a soft 1.13 million sales (USD 8.09 million) and should be wrapping up its run very swiftly.

 

Meanwhile, the acclaimed French drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire claimed its second weekend win on the limited release chart, which translated into an eighth-place rank on the main chart after dipping just 28%. The film added 16,000 viewers (USD 127,000) to bring its total to an impressive 73,000 entries (USD 532,000) to date, making Korea the film’s third best market so far, behind France and the Netherlands.

 

The biggest release this week is actually a re-release of Christoper NOLAN’s beloved Inception but the top of the chart should once again be controlled by this year’s local Lunar New Year hits.

 

[rubie]

Apart from the FromBIO endorsement, Lee Byung Hun is also featured as PR model for DK (Develop Korea) Urban Development, a construction corporate company if not mistaken. The news came out late last year but there was no photos to share then.

 

Thanks to awesome_hyeminee for the highlight

 

February 5, 2020

 

International Survey Shows Who Comes To Mind When People Think Of Korea + Further Evaluation Of Country’s Image

Source: Soompi by J. K

Government agencies have shared the results of their survey of Koreans and foreigners about the country’s image, which revealed that Korea’s most representative figures around the world are President Moon Jae In and BTS.

 

On February 4, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliate the Korean Culture and Information Service released the results of their survey titled “2019 South Korean National Image.” The online survey gathered the opinions of 8,000 people from 16 countries (including South Korea) in July and August 2019, and it found that 76.7 percent of non-Koreans evaluated Korea’s overall image positively. Korean respondents showed a more than 10 percent increase in positive evaluations of their own country’s image (from 54.4 percent in 2018 to 64.8 percent in 2019).

 

Overall, the positive evaluations of the country have gone down 3.6 percent compared to the previous year. There was an increase in negative evaluations of Korea’s image in almost all countries surveyed, including England, the United States, South Africa, and Mexico. Nevertheless, the evaluation remains positive in the majority for almost all countries. Positive evaluations were over 86 percent in countries including Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, India, and the United Arab Emirates.

 

Japan has been in conflict with Korea recently over the Supreme Court’s ruling about compensation for Koreans drafted into forced labor by Japan during the colonial period, as well as over issues about export regulations. Negative evaluations of Korea from Japanese respondents went up 9.8 percent in 2019 to 53.2 percent.

 

Factors that encourage a positive image of Korea for foreigners are listed as popular culture such as K-pop, films, and literature (38.2 percent), followed by the country’s economic level (14.6 percent), cultural heritage (14 percent), and Korean products and brands (11.6 percent).

 

The sources of information on Korea included broadcasts such as via television or radio at 66.6 percent and the internet and social media at 63.9 percent.

 

Respondents were also asked to name the people who came to mind when they thought of Korea. Many of the responses were singers or actors, followed by politicians and athletes. 50.8 percent of respondents stated no one came to mind.

 

In first place was President Moon Jae In with 7.9 percent of responses, and BTS came in second with 5.5 percent. BTS rose from being in the No. 5 spot in 2018.

 

See the Top 20 below:

 

1. President Moon Jae In (7.9 percent)
2. BTS (5.5 percent)
3. Lee Min Ho (4.3 percent)
4. Song Hye Kyo (4.1 percent)
5. PSY (3.6 percent)
6. Park Geun Hye (3.2 percent)
7. BLACKPINK (3.1 percent)
8. Song Joong Ki (3.1 percent)
9. Ban Ki Moon (2.3 percent)
10. Son Heung Min (2.3 percent)
11. Bae Yong Joon (2.1 percent)
12. Kim Yuna (1.9 percent)
13. Park Ji Sung (1.7 percent)
14. Girls’ Generation (1.6 percent)
15. Kim Dae Jung (1.5 percent)
16. Rain (1.3 percent)
17. EXO (1.3 percent)
18. Super Junior (1.1 percent)
19. Park Shin Hye (1 percent)
20. Lee Byung Hun (0.8 percent)

 

Respondents were also asked to do a free association and name what came to mind when they heard “Korea.” K-pop or singers were the top result at 12.5 percent, followed by Korean food (8.5 percent), culture (6.5 percent), technical skills/cutting-edgy technology (4.8 percent), and corporate brands (4.5 percent).

 

Source (1) (2) (3)

[rubie]

Photos: Develop Korea via awesome_hyeminee

 

 

 

 

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[rubie]

February 5, 2020

 

ASHFALL Opening Today in The Philippines!

 

Source: VIVA International Pictures @VIVA_Intl

 

January 29, 2020

 

Korean Volcano Disaster Film “Ashfall” To Screen In PH Cinemas
 

BY DAN GAMBE  KStreetManila

Korean disaster movie “Ashfall” (Korean title: 백두산 “Baekdusan,” lit. Mount Paektu) will be screened in Philippine cinemas starting February 5.

 

 

“Ashfall” was first released in South Korea in December 2019 and stars Lee Byunghun, Ha Jungwoo, Ma Dongseok, Bae Suzy, and Jeon Hyejin. It is about a fictional eruption of Mount Paektu, a volcano that has been stagnant since 1903. Its eruption caused earthquakes across the peninsula, endangering both North and South Korea.

 

The screening comes a few weeks after the eruption of Taal Volcano which caused extensive damage in property and displacing thousands in Batangas.

[rubie]

February 4, 2020

 

Welcome to Hallyuwood:

10 South Korean films to watch after Parasite

From South Korea’s first big budget blockbuster to a revenge flick with a deadly assassin, here’s a cinematic guide for those who loved Bong Joon-ho’s hit

James Balmont DAZED Digital

 

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite recently made history after becoming the first South Korean film to receive nominations for best picture, best director and best international feature film at the Academy Awards, and has cleaned up across this awards season. A masterful amalgamation of family drama, black comedy, and psychological thriller, the film marks the apex of a South Korean film industry that has been steadily establishing itself as one of the world’s best over the past two decades.

 

Despite a tendency to frequently place as “runners up” at some of the world’s biggest competitions, films of the South Korean New Wave, or “Hallyuwood” (with “Hallyu” roughly translating as “flow from Korea”) are no stranger to global acclaim. The South Korean cinema renaissance has seen directors like Kim Jee-woon and Park Chan-wook pick up countless international awards, while native acting stars like Choi Min-sik, Ma Dong-seok and Lee Byung-hun have capitalised with successful ventures into Hollywood.

 

Parasite has already bagged a Palme d’Or, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors’ Guild Award. In February 2020 it may take home the biggest gong of them all at the Oscars ceremony. But beyond Parasite, South Korea is home to a broad host of cinematic excellence. In the words of Bong Joon-ho, “once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

 

Here are ten of Dazed’s favourite films of the Korean New Wave to watch after Parasite.

 

SHIRI

For fans of: The Rock, Heat, Hard Boiled

A BITTERSWEET LIFE

 

 

Award-winning psychological horror A Tale of Two Sisters established Kim Jee-woon as a force to be reckoned with in 2003, but it was 2005 revenge thriller A Bittersweet Life that really cemented his place as one of South Korea’s leading directors.

 

The film tells the tale of a conflicted mob enforcer, hunted by his own gang after he refuses to kill the boss’s unfaithful mistress. The sensational Lee Byung-hun stars in the leading role, in one of the coolest and most memorable performances on this list. Smartly dressed and played with charismatic subtlety, Byung-hun also excels as a robust action star in the film’s many ultra-stylised combat scenes. The film’s final shot superbly combines the two sides of his character, with the protagonist smiling as he shadow-boxes with his own reflection while gazing out over the Seoul skyline at night.

 

Brilliantly combining film noir and western genre tropes, A Bittersweet Life also features an Ennio Morricone-influenced orchestral score by Dalpalan, who would later score the psychological horror The Wailing. The film takes plenty of tips out of the book of Kill Bill – with a live burial scene that mirrors a scene from Kill Bill: Volume 2 being a notable nod to the Tarantino classic.

 

For fans of: Kill Bill, A Fistful of Dollars, Oldboy

THE HOST

For fans of: Godzilla, Jaws, Cloverfield

OLDBOY

For fans of: Leon: The Professional, Straw Dogs, Death Wish

DONGMAEKGOL

For fans of: Life Is Beautiful, JSA, The Bird People of China

THE VILLAINESS

For Fans of: La Femme Nikita, John Wick, Atomic Blonde

BURNING

For fans of: Lost Highway, The Machinist, Audition

TRAIN TO BUSAN

For fans of: 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, Snakes on a Plane

NEW WORLD

For Fans of: The Departed, The Godfather, Infernal Affairs

THE WAILING

For fans of: The Wicker Man, The Exorcist, Memories of Murder

[rubie]

Source: KoBiz 

 

 Day 15:  2020.02.05 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 3 Korean Box Office with 4.39 Million Audience Admission 

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT is now down to number 3 at the Korean Box Office as new movies were released yesterday. However, the opening-day admission for the number 1 movie is less than 100K. The ticket sales are especially low this week as more are reluctant to go out to crowded(confined) public places such as cinemas etc. Though unsure, we hope things will get better soon. Can't say if TMSN will regain the number 1 spot these coming days.. just too bad that the current situation had some cinemas closing down and less people going out to the movies.

 

On the other hand, there's a new article saying that TMSN's break-even point is actually at 4.3 million and not 5 million as earlier stated. Still not confirmed on this but if that's the case, it's a really good thing and we've already achieved that. The movie is really getting a lot of good response.. just unable to continue to go far despite the positive feedback.

 

It looks like Byunghun is in LA for the Oscars weekend. He probably have been in the States for awhile.. perhaps, right after Seollal taking a break with his family. The IG post about the movie 'Judy' is a sure indication as he'll most likely be watching the nominated movies as part of the Academy members. If Dir. BJH and PARASITE win, Lee Byung Hun would surely want to be there to celebrate Korea's success. 

 

Now that the 56th Daejong Awards have been postponed to a later date (initially set for Feb 25), maybe BH would stay awhile longer in LA/US before the March filming of the new movie. Even that, we can't be sure of the production going on planned schedule... maybe it will.

 

Photos: SHOWBOX via ISplus, Newsen

 

 

 

[rubie]

There's a number of Korean media articles on this today but still not much confirmation as yet. We hope PCW-LBH will materialize because news on this keeps coming out without direct denial from BH Entertainment. Byunghun will start filming Emergency Declaration this March and if things go smoothly, may take 3-4 months of filming.. or it could even be less than that. There's been some talks that the drama 'Here' will only air in 2021 with filming in the same year as well. So, the rest of this year seems a good timing for another movie.. or two. Ok.. ok.. trying not to be greedy here. 

 

A lot of things can happen unexpectedly but hopefully the movie with PCW will happen eventually.

 

February 6, 2020

Director Park Chan Wook corrects information inviting Tang Wei to join new work

 

Source: JTBC PLUS via Channels.Vlive

 

Moho Film side gave the official stance about the news that Tang Wei would appear in the new work of the director Park Chan Wook.

On February 6, Momo Film said, "The new drama of director Park Chan Wook mentioned in today's report is one of the projects that are in preparation, however, the original script has not been completed. Therefore, the casting has not started yet. We will have an announcement when the next work is decided in the future."

 

Previously, also on February 6, a newspaper reported on Tang Wei confirming to star in the new work of director Park Chan Wook and added that Lee Byung Hun was also in talks about taking on the lead role. Regarding this, Tang Wei shared the official stance, "Despite having yet to receive the invitation, we were asked about the actress's schedule."

 

Director Park Chan Wook affirmed his excellent world-class directing ability through such movies as "The Handmaiden", "Stoker", "Thirst", "Lady Vengeance", "Oldboy", etc. 

 

Reporter Hwang So Young hwang.soyoung@jtbc.co.kr
Everything Idol, Everyday Exclusive

 

Source: @BillyRocks_13

 

[rubie]

FromBIO Red Ginseng chosen by Lee Byung Hun

 

Source: 헤이 @heysuit

 

 

Source: Gwangju Daily Newspaper

 

[rubie]

February 7, 2020

 

Sources Respond To Report That Lee Byung Hun And Tang Wei Will Star In Park Chan Wook’s New Film

Source: Soompi by J. K

 

Following a report stating that Lee Byung Hun and Chinese acress Tang Wei had been cast in Park Chan Wook’s upcoming film, his production company has clarified that nothing has been decided yet.

 

His company Moho Film stated, “That film is one of several projects that Director Park Chan Wook has in the works right now, but the script hasn’t been completed yet. Therefore, the casting process has not begun yet. We will share information on his new project once it’s concrete.”

 

Lee Byung Hun’s agency BH Entertainment also replied, “We have only received a question about his schedule. Nothing has developed after that.”

 

A source representing Tang Wei also said, “We haven’t received an offer. We’ve received a question about her schedule.”

 

Park Chan Wook is a famous director known for his films such as “Joint Security Area,” “Oldboy,” “Lady Vengeance,” and more.

 

Source (1) (2)

[rubie]

Photos with BH posted by

 

Maki Tamaru // dazzling02_calgel // redshoes0522

 

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[rubie]

Today, Byunghun posted 2 filming pics from THE MAN STANDING NEXT

 

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[rubie]

Thanks to the fans' highlight on twitter, ranking list translated by ハズキ @cloverblossoms_ from Japanese article here.

 

Korean Actor Popularity Ranking in Japan (vote by women 10s-50s)

 

① Lee Byung Hun
② Kwon Sang Woo
③ Jang Geun Suk
④ Lee Min Ho
⑤ Song Seung Hoon
⑥ Lee Junki
⑦ Ji Sung
⑧ Changmin
⑨ Gong Yoo
⑩ Park Bo Gum

⑪ Lee Jong Hyun
⑫ Park Seo Jun
⑬ Hyun Bin
⑭ Kim Nam Gil
⑮ Kim Hyun Joong
⑯ Jang Hyuk
⑰ So Ji Sub
⑱ Lee Jong Suk
⑲ Kim Jae Joong
⑳ Jung Yunho

[closetserialaddict]

Ok, i know t his is not the place but i am so happy an Asian (korean) film won best picture at the Oscars! Parasite won not one but four awards! Hooray! Hope to see LBH in a movie directed by Bong Joon Ho in the near future!

[rubie]

12 hours ago, closetserialaddict said:

Ok, i know t his is not the place but i am so happy an Asian (korean) film won best picture at the Oscars! Parasite won not one but four awards! Hooray! Hope to see LBH in a movie directed by Bong Joon Ho in the near future!

 

It's amazing indeed that for years Korean movies had come so close yet so far to (even) be nominated at the Oscars and now Parasite won not only one but four of the most/significant accolade at the Academy Awards. Really happy that Dir. Bong's movie finally won Korea's first and four Oscars all at once. While Parasite may not be my fave (personal preference), Dir BJH's movies have always been different and it's not hard to see why it's such a rave. 

 

BH had hinted many times in his interviews that Parasite has been getting a lot of praise (from the Academy insiders) that it's not impossible to win and it did. However, it doesn't look like he attended the ceremony this year.. unless we see some photos later. At this moment the Parasite team is on cloud 9 and rightfully so. However, with this major achievement, Dir. Bong especially might feel pressured by renewed anticipation for his next movie.

 

It'll be great to see BH working with Dir. BJH but the film-maker already has his favorite leading man & muse that is actor Song Kang Ho. He even said that if SKH didn't approve of the script, Parasite would not have been made. But who knows.. maybe one day..

 

In the meantime, we sure hope that LBH will confirm the movie with Dir. Park Chan Wook. It feels like the project is set considering the news updates (no denial) but just waiting for the right moment to announce it. SKH will be back in Korea now that the quest for the Oscars have been achieved, filming for Emergency Declaration can start filming in March. So, that's the movie in the works for LBH this year as the drama 'Here' will only happen in 2021. Hopefully instead of one, we'll have two movies in 2020.. although it's likely the filming in production. The actual movie release date is another story.. usually a new movie would take about a year to be ready.. we might end up with nothing to watch, from LBH for the rest of this year. 

[closetserialaddict]

7 hours ago, rubie said:

 

It's amazing indeed that for years Korean movies had come so close yet so far to (even) be nominated at the Oscars and now Parasite won not only one but four of the most/significant accolade at the Academy Awards. Really happy that Dir. Bong's movie finally won Korea's first and four Oscars all at once. While Parasite may not be my fave (personal preference), Dir BJH's movies have always been different and it's not hard to see why it's such a rave. 

 

BH had hinted many times in his interviews that Parasite has been getting a lot of praise (from the Academy insiders) that it's not impossible to win and it did. However, it doesn't look like he attended the ceremony this year.. unless we see some photos later. At this moment the Parasite team is on cloud 9 and rightfully so. However, with this major achievement, Dir. Bong especially might feel pressured by renewed anticipation for his next movie.

 

It'll be great to see BH working with Dir. BJH but the film-maker already has his favorite leading man & muse that is actor Song Kang Ho. He even said that if SKH didn't approve of the script, Parasite would not have been made. But who knows.. maybe one day..

 

In the meantime, we sure hope that LBH will confirm the movie with Dir. Park Chan Wook. It feels like the project is set considering the news updates (no denial) but just waiting for the right moment to announce it. SKH will be back in Korea now that the quest for the Oscars have been achieved, filming for Emergency Declaration can start filming in March. So, that's the movie in the works for LBH this year as the drama 'Here' will only happen in 2021. Hopefully instead of one, we'll have two movies in 2020.. although it's likely the filming in production. The actual movie release date is another story.. usually a new movie would take about a year to be ready.. we might end up with nothing to watch, from LBH for the rest of this year. 

 

 

And hopefully the Coronavirus epidemic will be quashed soon, so we can go to the cinema! I hope Singapore brings in Next Man Standing. No news yet but i know the cinema is an easy place for infections if someone infected goes.. 

[rubie]

Published on February 10, 2020 by [fromBIO] 프롬바이오

 

The Making of FromBIO TVCF feat. Lee Byung Hun

 

 

The actual CF from FromBIO

 

 

BH Captures from the official site

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

[irilight]

Thank you for all the updates, @rubie.  Hello to everyone

I find it exciting that Lee Byung-Hun tops Japan's popularity list.

Sending a prayer that this new project by Park Chan-Wook with Lee Byung-Hun materializes...

We have new recommendation for "Mr.  Sunshine."   I wonder why he waited so long, or maybe it is aftermath of "Parasite" win at the Academy Awards...

~~~~~~~~~

USFK commander 'strongly' recommends Korean epic drama 'Mr. Sunshine'

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams recommended that American service members watch a South Korean TV drama series about a Korean man becoming a U.S. officer and being embroiled in the national resistance movement against Japanese colonialists.
 

The 2018 series, "Mr. Sunshine," which starred big-name actor Lee Byung-hun and aired on tvN, recorded the fourth-highest ratings for cable TV and won the top prize at the inaugural Asian Content Awards of the Busan International Film Festival last year.
 

"Fair warning. If you are coming to Korea you are legally required to watch Mr Sunshine before you arrive. It's on NetFlix. That is all," Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe, deputy commanding general of the Eighth Army, tweeted Sunday.
 

Retweeting the post the following day, Abrams said: "Not quite legally required. More like 'strongly encouraged.' You will be glad you did."
 

Known for its delicate mixture of dramatized history and tantalizing romance, the period drama centers on a Korean boy born into slavery in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) who escaped to the U.S and became a Marine Corps officer.
 

During the 1871 Shinmiyangyo (U.S. expedition to Korea), he returned to his homeland and was involved in the national movements against attempts by Japanese imperialists to colonize the peninsula.

 

This image provided by CJ E&M shows a poster for the upcoming television series "Mr. Sunshine." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)



source

[rubie]

6 hours ago, irilight said:

Thank you for all the updates, @rubie.  Hello to everyone

I find it exciting that Lee Byung-Hun tops Japan's popularity list.

Sending a prayer that this new project by Park Chan-Wook with Lee Byung-Hun materializes...

We have new recommendation for "Mr.  Sunshine."   I wonder why he waited so long, or maybe it is aftermath of "Parasite" win at the Academy Awards...

 

Hello.. hello.. 

 

The Japan popularity list is quite a surprise (although BH has always been well-known & well-liked there).. considering all the new talents/young faces these days, thought it was a previous update but it's not. So, it's a nice list that we like & approve, of course. 

 

Btw, thanks for the highlight on the interview clip of The Korean Englishman feat. THE MAN STANDING NEXT. It's indeed a really funny interview+mukbang session. Obviously it's really nothing like the usual movie interview we see all the time. So, it was a nice change to see a casual and relaxed kind of interaction. The actors have been informed beforehand about the interviewer's not speaking Korean well but they're up for it, proving that not only they're very talented but extremely patient as well.  Showbox might not be as extensive as CJE when it comes to promotions but they chose a great promo 'tool' and also held the VIP Premiere photo-session for TMSN.. so, two thumbs up for them. Too bad though, TMSN could have been a great hit to start 2020 but unfortunately all the good reviews and positive word of mouth could not fight the new virus. 

 

At the moment everyone is still basking in the Parasite fever and nothing else  .. once the euphoria settles, only then we'll hear about all the other movies and hopefully, the PCW-LBH-(TW) collaboration.

 

Major Gen. Patrick Donahoe tweeted today that he is still watching MR.SUNSHINE. Wonder what he will think when he sees that scene on-the-you-know-what.. by someone who was once an ..

 

[rubie]

Throwback

 

#OriginalBromance #JointSecurityArea #KoreanFilm101 #Classic #JSA

 

Thanks to @ByungBlue for the highlight

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

[rubie]

Awesome BH movies selected for the list, it'll be nice if A Bittersweet Life is added as well but JSA and ISTD are definitely & already perfect choices! 

 

February 11, 2020

 

ROAD TO PARASITE: THE RISE OF KOREAN CINEMA IN 11 MUST-SEE MOVIES
A brief history of the Korean New Wave.

 

Source: Inverse.com

 

THE AWARD WAS GIVEN TO PARASITE, BUT ALL OF KOREA FELT ACCOMPLISHED.

 

The mountainous rise of Korean cinema reached its highest peak on Sunday when the American-centric Oscars crowned Korean director Bong Joon-ho and his acclaimed drama Parasite as the year's Best Picture (not best international, just best).

It was a historic moment, not just for foreign language cinema, but for the wide breadth of the Korean film industry that has seen pictures regularly transcend language and cultural barriers, from cult classics like Old Boy to sci-fi blockbusters like Snowpiercer. The list goes on, but we've whittled it down to an essential eleven.

 

For the unfamiliar, it may be hard to understand how this happened, and why Korean cinema is now the darling of the worldwide film community. While Japan boasts legends like Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki, and Hong Kong has Wong Kar-Wai, Ann Hui, and John Woo, the most renowned artists of South Korea didn't emerge until the 2000s. Out of the 1997 financial collapse and a boost from screen quota laws, the East Asian nation of 51 million found their voices in directors like Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Jae-yong, and more, who helped kick off the Korean New Wave that's now lasted nearly two decades.

 

The can't-miss films below illustrate a region's cinema that carved its identity through blending overly familiar genres into pointed social commentaries. Spy movies, monster movies, zombies, vampires, and rom-coms are remixed with uniquely Korean flavor that all point to a nation, and a people, who fell hard in the global economy only to resurge amidst grand, sweeping technological shifts. By the second decade, Korean filmmakers began to reckon with the unfair income inequality that continues to plague the nation.

 

Below is a brief history of the Korean New Wave, as illustrated by 11 must-watch movies that all led to the crowning of Parasite. If you're less "#BongHive" and more "Bong Joon-who?" let this be your starting point.

11. JOINT SECURITY AREA (2000)

 

It is commonly understood that the Korean New Wave kicked off in 1999 with South Korea's first Hollywood-style blockbuster, Shiri. A spy film directed by Kang Je-gyu, Shiri had the highest budget of a South Korean film at the time ($8.5 million) and still broke box office records upon its release. It was the reason James Cameron's Titanic sunk in South Korea, the only Asian nation the movie bombed.

 

But while Shiri was the first punch, Park Chan-wook's Joint Security Area (2000) was the haymaker. A mystery thriller that helped cement the careers of actors Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, and Lee Young-ae, the film explores the circumstances of a murder at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border separating North and South Korea. In its microscopic view of the war-torn region, the film looks far and wide to the irreconcilable differences between two nations still at war today.

 

The fourth release from Park Chan-wook, Joint Security Area was a smash hit at home, becoming the highest-grossing movie in Korean film history in 2001. It developed an international cult following thanks in part to American directors like Quentin Tarantino giving it public praise.

 

Fun fact: When the film was released on DVD, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun gifted the movie to North Korea's Kim Jong-il at the 2007 Inter-Korean summit.

 

10. MY SASSY GIRL (2001)

 

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Before Tom met Summer in (500) Days of Summer, director Kwak Jae-yong adapted a popular online blog written by a lovestruck boy obsessed over the perfect, if not quirky, girl.

My Sassy Girl, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Chae Tae-hyun, was a major hit that spawned one of the most popular Korean franchises of all time, earning acclaim across all of Asia. The inevitable American remake was produced in 2008 with Elisha Cuthbert, while other adaptations and remakes have popped up in Japan, India, China, and Nepali. In 2014, The Korean Wave author Jennifer Jung-Kim wrote of My Sassy Girl that it's a film that "deserves to be called a global success" based on its numerous localized adaptations.

 

 

9. VOLCANO HIGH (2001)

 

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When misfit teenager Kim Kyung-soo (Jang Hyuk) is transferred to a secret martial arts school, he literally fights to survive in a mashup of teen dramas and kinetic action movies that all pay homage to Korea's homegrown manhwa (comics).

You won't find much praise for Volcano High outside the most niche action movie blogs. If it wasn't for an MTV-produced dub starring hip-hop musicians like André 3000, Lil Jon, Snoop Dogg, and Method Man, Kim Tae-kyun's martial arts teen comedy would be forgotten to time.

But it was precisely because of MTV and the movie's wide distribution in the US on DVD that Volcano High become a cult hit among American teens — and the first real dose of Korean action for a mass, impressionable audience. (I knew about the movie because it was always so cheap at Walmart.)

Peep the YouTube comments and you'll find people reminiscing about discovering it on MTV and DVD in their youths. While not the highest of brows, the availability of Volcano High may have been the untold Westerners' first dose of Korean cinema.

 

 

8. OLDBOY (2003)

 

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Easily one of the most renowned movies of the Korean New Wave, this neo-noir thriller from Park Chan-wook adapts the Japanese comic of the same name. The film tells the story of a man mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years. When he's finally released, he's given only five days to figure out the reason for his torture.

Choi Min-Sik, Yoo Ji-tae, and Kang Hye-jung star in a gritty revenge tale whose reach and influence went far beyond its homeland. The film played a direct influence on American movies and shows like John Wick and Marvel's Daredevil.

Like Park's Joint Security Area, Old Boy's praise from Western voices like Quentin Tarantino and Roger Ebert — who in his review called the film "powerful ... not because of what it depicts, but because of the depths of the human heart which it strips bare" — helped cement the movie as a must-see and the real barn burner for the Korean New Wave around the world.

 

 

7. THE HOST (2006)

 

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By the time Bong Joon-ho got to making his political monster thriller, The Host, he was already a veteran with film credits like Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) and Memories of a Murder (2003). But it was The Host that put Bong on the global map. Merging together the styles of Japanese monster films with Korean social commentary, Bong tells the story of a Korean family that tries to stay together when a mutant monster emerges from the Han River.

Eschewing the spectacle of blowing things up in favor of family drama, The Host won acclaim and proved the Korean New Wave's tendency to mesh and reinvent genres like science fiction and horror into something more profound. The film is also proudly Korean, with scathing depictions of American imperialism. (The film was in part inspired by an international incident in 2000, when the United States military dumped formaldehyde into the drinking water of Seoul.)

 

 

6. THIRST (2009)

 

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Amid the height of the West's obsession for vampires, thanks to the Twilight phenomenon, Park Chan-wook directed Thirst. A loose adaptation of the 1868 French novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, the movie stars Song Kang-ho as a Catholic priest who volunteers for a medical experiment that turns him into a vampire. The priest must then resist his bloodlust as he falls in love with an old childhood friend.

The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 and debuted at number one at the South Korean box office upon its release. While not the capital-B biggest movie in the Korean New Wave, the film's buzz — supported by Park who was still floating internationally thanks to the popularity of Oldboy — kept Korean film popularity going into the 2010s.

 

 

5. I SAW THE DEVIL (2010)

 

A movie seemingly made for the Reddit crowd, Kim Jee-woon's gruesomely morbid thriller, I Saw the Devil, took the Korean New Wave into its darkest territory yet. Flipping the manhunt movie on its head, the movie stars Lee Byung-hun (by now known to Americans for his role as Storm Shadow in 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) as a heroic NIS agent who pursues a serial killer (Choi Min-sik) for the murder of his fiancé.

 

What the movie does differently than other hunt movies, to unnerving effect, is a downward spiral journey revealing what, or who, is a real monster. Praised by Rolling Stone for "relentless nastiness" that's "hard to watch and even harder to turn off" and by Taste of Cinema as "a modern masterpiece of South Korean cinema," the film endures thanks to discussions on places like Reddit.

 

4. SNOWPIERCER (2013)

 

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Bong Joon-ho went international with Snowpiercer, a Korean-Czech financed movie with a majority English-speaking script and cast all based on a French comic book. Fresh from The Avengers, Chris Evans fights for freedom as the leader of a revolution aboard a high-speed train that circles a frosted Earth — an apocalypse from an overcorrection of reversing climate change. Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Go Ah-sung, Alison Pill, and Ed Harris also star.

A critical favorite when it was released in 2013, the film not only proved the international appeal of Korean cinema, but it also became a bonafide franchise. An American TV series will premiere on TNT in 2020.

 

 

3. TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016)

 

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Like The Host before it, Yeon Sang-ho's Train to Busan takes another horror genre (this time zombies) and again explores the meaningful bond of a family and class warfare when a zombie outbreak occurs on a train to the second-most populous city in South Korea.

Amidst the decorations for the film, the biggest praise came from English director Edgar Wright, of the 2004 comedy Shaun of the Dead, who tweeted Train to Busan was the "best zombie movie I've seen in forever. A total crowd-pleaser. Highly recommend."

 

 

2. THE HANDMAIDEN (2016)

 

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Another erotic thriller from Chan-wook Park, this adaptation of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters changes Victorian England to Korea, dominated by colonial Japan, and is notable for borderline "pornographic" sex scenes between two main female characters. The film made numerous critics' end-of-year top 10 lists and included a nomination for the Palme d'Or. Just halfway past the 2010s, movies like The Handmaiden proved Korean cinema was here to stay.

 

1. BURNING (2018)

 

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Lee Chang-dong's Burning adapts Haruki Murakami's short story "Barn Burning" into a mystery drama that, according to The Atlantic, "rejects the glamorization of Asian wealth and the notion of a universal Asian identity."

With two opposing characters — one working-class native Korean and one "Americanized" wealthy Korean played by The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun — the film imbues suspense into another harrowing tale of class warfare.