Lee Byung Hun 이병헌 Byunghun Lee

[rubie]

February 14 B.O. Update: Number 7 - 9,428 daily;  3,287,342 total 

 

With 5 new highly-anticipated movies released, KEYS TO THE HEART has dropped drastically to number 7 at the box-office with significantly much less admission. Still it's been a great time for the movie at the top two spots, gaining more than expected for a comedy family-drama. But let's not say never (yet).. who knows, the word-of-mouth could still provide some back-up and it's the long weekend again.   Anything is possible, FIGHTING!

 

Source: FLICKS.co.nz

 

Similar to the opening in Australia on February 9, KEYS TO THE HEART has also been released in New Zealand.

 

KEYS TO THE HEART (Geugeotmani Nae Sesang, 2018)
Byung-hun Lee (The Magnificent Seven) and Jung-Min Park (Dongju) are two adult brothers who meet for the first time in this South Korean domestic comedy drama.

 

[rubie]

February 15, 2018

 

Lee Byung Hun x Kim Tae Ri: MR SUNSHINE trailer released!

 

Source: Sports Chosun ++ / alatus_deus

 

[rubie]

Published on February 15, 2018 by YeoNiverse - Yoo Yeon Seok IFC 

 

[Eng Sub] Drama 'Mr Sunshine' first trailer 

 

Happy to meet EUGENE CHOI!

 

 

Thanks to the fan-sharing on twitter for the captures 

[rubie]

WOW... just wow!

 

Who would thought there'd be a MR.SUNSHINE teaser clip coming out so soon?!  Nope.. nope.. not complaining, of course.  Well, we knew that the production have started since late last year but as the airing would only be in July.. like.. who would have thought the teaser treat and what a clip indeed. It's so out of the blue.. just like when the news LBH was going to be the lead came out last year. But it's a great surprise, seems like something to coincidentally celebrate the Lunar New Year / Seollal. We'd probably won't get any NY greeting from LBH (hahaa.. still hoping every year  ), so.. this is just as good, perhaps better because we know the drama is coming along fine despite being in the (unnecessary) spotlight lately. Just a small hiccup in the production but have been settled quickly. Hopefully nothing will go wrong for everyone.. this being a highly-anticipated tvN drama series, not to mention a doubly-scrutinized project as well. Despite the snide and hurtful remarks here and there, we can only be more optimistic & positive. 

 

From the looks of the extensive movie-like quality for the first teaser, might be wrong but have a feeling that Sony Pictures Television would be taking MR.SUNSHINE as their first partnership project with BH Entertainment.

To @luwali 196 ~ @peonie ~ @p.v.wong ~ our friends celebrating the Chinese New Year, wishing everyone all the life's HAPPINESS, good HEALTH, abundance of WEALTH and continuous SUCCESS in the YEAR OF THE DOG!

 

           

[luwali 196]

Thanks to rubie very much.

 

I wish all of you rubie, peonie, pv wong and all Chinese fans BH fans and others , BH and his family

healthy , happy and safe.

 

 

HAPPY   CHINESE   NEW   YEAR  !!

 

[rubie]

February 15, 2018

 

Upcoming Drama “Mr. Sunshine” Releases Epic First Trailer

 

Source: Soompi by L. Kim

 

 

On February 15, tvN’s upcoming drama “Mr. Sunshine,” starring Lee Byung Hun, Kim Tae Ri, Yoo Yeon Seok, and Byun Yo Han, released a dramatic and impressive trailer.

 

“Mr. Sunshine” is written by Kim Eun Sook and director Lee Eung Bok, who previously created the popular dramas “Descendants of the Sun” and “Goblin” together. It tells the story of a Korean man who returns to his homeland as an American soldier after leaving for the United States on a warship in 1871.

 

The trailer is both awe-inspiring and tragic with scenes of a brutal war, mourning families, and dying soldiers. The four leading actors make an appearance, with Lee Byung Hun taking the role of Eugene Choi, a marine officer who was a slave by birth while Kim Tae Ri plays Go Ae Shin, the esteemed daughter of a nobleman. Yoo Yeon Seok plays Goo Dong Mae, the president of the Black Dragon Society, and Byun Yo Han plays Kim Hee Sung, who is Go Ae Shin’s fiancé.

 

Recently, it was confirmed that Kim Min Jung will join the cast as Hee Na, the owner of the hotel Glory.

 

“Mr. Sunshine” is set to premiere in July on tvN.

 

Source (1)

[rubie]

February 16, 2018

 

Wishing A Happy 36th Birthday to MINJUNG LEE!  

 

A SINGLE RIDER aka ETERNAL Opens in Japan.

 

KEYS TO THE HEART exceeds 3.3 million admission (Number 7 b.o - 17,402 daily; 3,304,742 total )

 

Photo: Hyunseok Choi

 

 

[rubie]

February 15, 2018

 

[Lily's Take] "Mr. Sunshine" Trailer Receive High Praises from Viewers

 

Source: HanCinema.net

 

 

On February 15th, tvN Station and Naver TV Cast aired the very first trailer of "Mr. Sunshine" that is about minute and a half long. As soon as the trailer was aired, the video received hundreds of comments and likes.

 

"Mr. Sunshine" has been gathering attention from the viewers ever since the drama was announced. Over the course of time, expectations for "Mr. Sunshine" seems to be climbing higher with each additional news release. Having Director Lee Eung-bok and screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, the duo behind popular drama "Goblin", was enough to make "Mr. Sunshine" amazing, but the "Mr. Sunshine" team wanted the best of everything - they enhanced the quality of the drama with some of the finest actors of the era: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri, and Yoo Yeon-seok.

 

The netizens were hyped by this stellar casting. Now with the newest trailer released on the 15th, "Mr. Sunshine" is about to prove that these high expectations won't be in vain.

 

The netizens are praising Director Lee Eung-bok's skills as the outstanding mise-en-scene (setting) powerfully grabs attention, leaving viewers speechless with its grand opening. Even from this short trailer, the netizens are already convinced that "Mr. Sunshine" will hit the drama world even bigger than "Goblin" did. Some of the comments on the trailer reads,

 

"Look at the mise-en-scene of this drama. Lee Eung-bok pours his soul in it yet again".

 

"Can't wait 'till July for this drama".

 

"The quality of this drama looks better than "Goblin" and that's amazing".

 

Along with the beautiful scenery, composition, tone and costuming, "Mr. Sunshine"'s cast members are earning praise on their own. There have been concerns over the huge age difference between Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-ri, but after watching the little snippets of their acting, netizens agreed that this unexpected couple will create a huge chemistry storm.

 

"Mr. Sunshine" is a romance, but it will also focus on humanity and a painful part of Korean history.

 

By: Lily Lee

 

Sources: (1) (2)

[peonie]

February 16, 2018

 

@rubie, @luwali 196, @pvwong

 

Thank you Rubie for your kind wishes!    I would like to wish Byung Hun -ssi,  Min Jung-ssi, Joon Hoo-ssi and  everyone much Happiness, Good Health, Good Fortune for the Year of the Dog!  

 

㊗️  恭喜發財，身體健康，萬事如意，青春常駐。
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[peonie]

February 16, 2018

 

Lee Byung Hun thanked his viewers via Weibo (a translation) 

 

 

 

 

"With your love, our movie  "KEY TO THE HEART" has exceeded 3 million viewers. Thank you very much!"

 

Source:   LeeByungHun0712@weibo

 

[peonie]

February 16. 2018

 

Chinese New Year greetings from Lee Byung Hun:   (A translation) 

 

 

"I hope all your wishes will come true and that everything will be done smoothly.  "

 

Source:   LeeByungHun0712@weibo

[rubie]

February 16 B.O. Update: Number 5 - 21,793 daily;  3,326,535 total 

 

After two days down at Number 7, KEYS TO THE HEART has moved up two spots to Number 5 in the Friday box-office tally. A good word of mouth and positive fan-reviews are helping the family drama-comedy to firmly hold on. Realistically, we hope KEYS TO THE HEART would exceed 3.5 million admission by the end of the New Year holidays. Optimistically, we hope it could reach the 4 million admission. FIGHTING! 

 

Photo: ghrelin_truck (Coffee-snack truck service)
 

A movie with best actors. If you do not watch the movie, you will regret it. 

 

[peonie]

February 17, 2018

 

KEYS TO THE HEART - Review by a Ariel Hsu  ( a translation) 

 

Keys to the Heart 121 minutes in Korean

Starts showing：2018-2-23

• 2018 New Year Korean blockbuster production
•  Korea’s heart warming  tear jerker version of “Rain Man”  produced by an  award winning production team.  
• Assembled international film star Lee Byung Hun, veteran best actress Youn Yuh Jung, writer of “The Fatal Encounter” Choi Sung Hyun, Han Ji Min, and Kim Sung Ryung 
• Lee Byung Hun, gave a moving performance.   He changed from his usual cool handsome image and played the brother, an angry washed-up boxer.
• Best New Actor awarded by Baeksang Arts Awards and Blue Dragon Film Award, Park Jung Min who practised hard at the piano for half a year. 

“Impossible is not a fact.  It’s an opinion.” - Muhammad Ali. 

I think the script of this movie is well written.   Although I was able to guess the story line, I have to say that the mood that I felt was rich and full with a humourous beginning, a middle section that was inspirational and moving followed by an enjoyable music feast. 

The movie “KEYS TO MY HEART” for me, each person should have his own world.  
All through life one should pursue one’s own true love;

Each seed should have it’s  own piece of dream land;  striving to contribute one’s life to what one really wants to do.  

Einstein said:  “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” 

 

What makes this movie so approachable is that it clearly shows the reality of society. 

Each person in the movie has his own imperfection.  Thereafter reality and the protagonist’s simple world is being compared.  Although I was able to guess  the plot correctly, but the script is easy to understand.  Certain parts are still inexplicable and I was moved to tears. 

In addition to laughter and tears there is also a music feast.  The story evolves around a mother and her two sons.  Earlier on, because of her husband’s domestic violence, the mother had to run away from home.
When the brother met his mother again, 17 years has passed and his younger brother suffers from severe autism.  The family is ordinary and can be considered even a broken family.   Perhaps because the family is not complete that people feel deeply sympathetic and acknowledge that life is so bumpy. 

Even though a benefactor appears in the plot, with beautiful appearance and superior family background, she is disabled.  I was touched by this movie because of my pure love of music.  However, I cannot deny the main reason that i saw the movie is because I am attracted by Lee Byung Hun.  It is rare that Lee who usually takes on strong protagonist roles would play an ordinary character. But I really would love to praise the Baeksang’s/Blue Dragon’s Best  New Actor Park Jung Min.  He has a lot of room to give free rein to his acting. 

 

 

(1)  Everyone should have their own world

Let me talk about the point where this movie  made me cry.  Although I was well aware that the younger brother Oh Jin Tae (played by Park Jung Min) was very talented at playing the piano, excellent at playing video games, and his communication skills somewhat adversely affected by his autism, I did not understand why the landlord’s daughter would be attracted to him.  However, when the elder brother scolded him that apart from playing the piano, playing games, eating and drinking, a man should make money and should engage in sports.  Such a saying is a very common vision. Therefore, his brother Jo Ha  (played Lee Byung Hun) took him to distribute flyers to make money.  Somehow in the process of distributing flyers, he started to play a piano on the street, not expecting to attract admiring passers-by.   I do not know why Jin Tae self immersion in his world of music suddenly moved me .. ……..

Everyone knows what they like?  If they are fortunate enough to insist on what they want to do?  Making money for a living is inevitable.  However, if you care too much what what other people’s vision and opinion,  the majority of us would not be able to live our lives as our true selves.  We spent a lot of time learning to get along with others, but forgot to get along with ourselves.  For Jin Tai, one of the main characters, his world is very simple because  of his autism.   The elder brother’s worldly vision on Jin Tai reminded me of the line from the movie “Three Idiots” “ Pursue excellence, and success will naturally follow you.”  

When he plays the keyboard with his fingers,  it touches people’s souls through the music.  Compared to the distribution of flyers, the value of the two is not the same, not to mention the performance accompanied by reward. This is the reason why his mother In Sook (played by Youn Yuh Jung) encouraged  him.   For Jin Tai who has never taken a piano class, he is indeed a genius in this field.  Like Einstein's saying about letting fish climb trees, if misplaced, he will be very much in pain.  If one find’s one genius, it is very important to place oneself in the right seat.  

In this movie, I think Park Jung Min’s acting is very good because he is able to emerge himself in the the protagonist who is intoxicated in his world of music and performed very well.  The music notes seem to float in the air and infected everyone’s soul.  One feels that art is valuable but being moved is priceless.   Compared to anything that emphasises the reality of pecuniary interest, perhaps Oh Jin Tai’s pure love of music in his heart is the most rare.    

 

 

(2) Hard life growing up
Talking about the brother Kim Jo Ha (played by Lee Byung Hun)  his role to a large extent is indeed very bitter:  he grew up in a broken family  therefore, he grew up like an orphan.  He chose the road of boxing which is not unlike what I witnessed at the Taiwan dome for the RFC competition. Many players shared their reason for choosing boxing which coincided to the road chosen by Jo Ha.  Most of them were orphans and were bullied.

Even if a person wants to pursue boxing, those who are protected as children in a very safe environment have difficulty to develop their career in this field.  However, Jo Ha did receive the WBC championship.  Not accustomed to living with his mother for many years, he managed to live together with them.  He gradually felt the family support and developed siblings emotions.  At the end of the movie, the two brothers held hands when crossing the road.  That felt very warm.

 

 

(3) Conclusion 
 Actually, in the course of the movie, interest and money are used as  the starting point, the reality of real living is shared with the audience. For example, in a car accident, how much is enough? As if all the things can be resolved with money.  However, for all body damage,  money cannot make up for all the shortcomings.  The protagonist’s poor communication and appearance, cannot be regarded in the secular view as 'bright and beautiful’.

And the story is not overly exaggerated allowing normal life to encounter “failures.”  Legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali’s saying:  “Impossible is not a fact.  It’s an opinion.” is nothing more than an encouragement to pursue one’s dreams.   'Impossible' is just an opinion of others.  For oneself, it is an undetermined fact until one has done one’s utmost.  In the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness” :  Those who cannot are the ones that say you cannot.” 

People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. ）

 

“KEYS TO THE HEART”  -  Favourite lines from the movie:

1.   Muhammad Ali:  “Impossible is not a fact.  It’s an opinion.” 
2.   Benevolence is also a kind of money, do not waste it casually.
3.   I would like to fly, but in reality it is not so. 
4.   “In a competition, everyone’s circumstances are the same.  Whether you have practiced since childhood or only practiced for a few hours, what is important is that you understand the song.” “To understand the world, he uses 88 keyboards.  And yet, I started to learn the piano at age six, what do I understand?  
5.  Please do not let me see you.  Otherwise in one day, I shall return all the beatings mother and I received from you. Please stay here to die.  If you are to come out, please do not tell me.  I just feel that I have to say this.  
6. I just want someone to care about him, to be concerned whether he is alive or not. 
7. For the disobedient guy, he will only pull himself together when beaten.

 

Story smoothness：8         
Plot：10                                 
Atmosphere：9                    
Acting performance：9      
Theme freshness：9         

 

Source :: www.movier.tw/post.php?SID=136888

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rubie]

@peonie What a detailed and insightful review by Ariel Hsu for KEYS TO THE HEART. Truly dissecting & exposing the wonderful gem hidden in the seemingly simple and plain family drama. Such a critical yet warm analysis that is an eye-opener at the same time. Thanks so much for finding this write-up to share with us, and especially for the full translation that is equally an awesome effort we can never thank you enough.

 

Also for the highlight on LBH's messages on weibo. The updates doesn't come very often but once there's anything, it's definitely something worth waiting. 

 

Now that KEYS TO THE HEART is in the slowdown phase, there's probably less news in the coming months except for MR.SUNSHINE ongoing filming before the July broadcast. But we can never say anything for sure, there could be reports of a new movie (hopefully) and more TVCFs, too. As the Baeksang Awards is  scheduled in the first half of the year, may be a nomination or two for KEYS TO THE HEART.

[p.v.wong]

@rubie @peonie @luwali 196  Thanks for the Chinese New Year wishes.

 

 祝大家新年快乐，身体健康，万事如意！

 

 

[peonie]

February 19, 2018

 

@rubie  I also find the review by Ariel Hsu very insighful and useful.  Although I saw the movie a number of times, sometimes in bits and pieces because we have to rush from one cinema to another, there were no sub- titles so I missed a lot of the details.  Her comprehensive review added pieces of the missing puzzles that I did not catch originally.  The translation took days but well worth the effort.  The fact that I have previously seen the movie certainly helped the process.  
 

 

[rubie]

February 19 B.O. Update: Number 7 - 7,769 daily;  3,376,115 total 

 

Even though the admission for KEYS TO THE HEART doesn't increase very much anymore, it's still in the top 10 list of the Korean box-office. The current Hollywood blockbuster at number 1, Black Panther is just too strong by itself. By tomorrow's tally, it will surely exceed 3.4 million (after just 7 days), the total admission that KEYS TO THE HEART took a month of screening to accumulate.

 

Anyway.. found this nice & spot-on belated article on KEYS TO THE HEART. While it may not reach Marathon's 5 million + admission (based on a true story), the performance & intensity between the two movies have been highly compared and praised a lot by the public.

 

February 12, 2018

 

Cheer Up, Our True Heroes!
Box Office Figures for Movies about Savant Syndrome

 

by HWANG Hee-yun / KoBiz
  

 

As of February 9, Keys to the Heart has surpassed 3 million moviegoers just 24 days after its release. The comedy drama had a slow start, passing the 1-million viewer mark two weeks after its opening and the 2-million viewer mark in three weeks. However, the film unexpectedly climbed the box office chart, beating its rivals two times. Keys to the Heart has won favorable comments, often being referred to as the Korean version of Rain Man (1989), while showing a new side of actor PARK Jung-min. Like Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, PARK played a man suffering from savant syndrome, and his excellent performance rivals that of his co-star, the great actor LEE Byung-hun.  

 

Savant syndrome is a condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates a high aptitude, often far in excess of the average, in certain abilities such mathematics, map making or music. In Keys to the Heart, PARK Jung-min’s character Jin-tae, who has savant syndrome, possess an extraordinary talent for playing the piano. Most films with characters suffering from this syndrome have done well in Korea, with the most popular movie being Marathon (2005). Based on the true story of autistic child KIM Hyeong-jin, this human drama attracted more than 5 million moviegoers when it was released in 2005. In addition, SPLIT (2016), which is about an autistic man who is a natural at bowling, drew about 760,000 moviegoers.

[rubie]

February 20, 2018

 

MR. SUNSHINE : First trailer receiving 1 million views

 

Source: SportsSeoul ++

 

 

The trailer, which was released through tvN channel, Naver TV and the official SNS on the 15th, posted a total of 1,040,000 online views by 9:00 am on the 20th. The stunning backdrop and spectacular opening that resembles a colorful movie-like project with an ensemble of actor line-up is becoming a hot topic among the drama fans with an overwhelming expectation. 

 

 

[peonie]

February 21, 2018

 

Lee Byung Hun’s and Kim Tae Ri’s “Mr.Sunshine” first trailer was released.  It is comparable to an epic movie and sent out super shock waves.

 (a translation) 

 

“Mr. Sunshine”, a joint collaboration between screenwriter Kim Eun Sook and director Lee Eung Bok, released the first version of the trailer.  It lasted 1 minute and 25 seconds.  Each shot has a sense of texture and dramatic tension, multiplying audience anticipation. 

 

“Mr.Sunshine” is about the story of a slave-born teenager who boarded a warship and went to the United States.  After he grew up, he returned to Korea as a US soldier at the time when Korea was invaded by foreign governments.

Lee Byung Hun plays the protagonist Choi Yoo Jin, currently an officer of the U.S. Marine Corps; Kim Tae Ri plays Go Ae Shin, the last descendant of the scholar and bureaucrat Go clan; Yoo Yun Suk plays Goo Dong Mae, the son of a butcher and the president of the Black Dragon Society of the Capital; Byun Yo Han plays Kim Hee Seung who proposed to Go Ae Shin; Kim Min Jung plays the role of Glory Hotel Boss, Hina.

 

Previously, owing to the rather large age differences between the two main leads, and other reasons, there were questions about this drama.  However, after the release of the first trailer, netizens found the production magnificent, sophisticated and the trailer comparable to a movie trailer, making them cannot help but look forward  to the drama.   

This drama, co-created  by Kim Eun Sook and Lee Eung Bok who collaborated on “Descendents of the Sun”,  “Goblin” will be broadcasted this July by tvN.

 

Source:  https://www.koreastardaily.com/sc/news/102880

[rubie]

 18/02/22 News compilation at EverythingLBH.com

 

    Lee Byung Hun and the California Winter Wave 2018
    With respect to popularity, it's important for it to slowly retreat
    English transcript: KEYS TO THE HEART Behind-the-scenes footage
    KEYS TO THE HEART 3 Million Admission: Special Stage Greeting
    Lee Byung Hun self-evaluation: I always remind myself to be alert
    ETERNAL Interview ~ Lost and Broken by RIVERIVER Magazine
    The Reel Bits: Keys to the Heart Review by Richard Gray
    February Male Advertisement Model Brand Rankings Revealed
    Lee Byung Hun x Kim Tae Ri: MR SUNSHINE trailer released
    2/16 tidbits: Chinese New Year greetings from Lee Byung Hun
    KEYS TO THE HEART: A Comprehensive Review by Ariel Hsu
    Cheer Up, True Heroes! B.O. Reviews for Savant Syndrome movies
    MR.SUNSHINE shock waves: 1st trailer comparable to an epic movie
 

Source: CINE21