Lee Byung Hun 이병헌 Byunghun Lee

[peonie]

August 13, 2023

 

REVIEW 'Concrete Utopia' is a gripping, 130-minute extravaganza

 

Production still from "Concrete Utopia / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

 

By Yoo Su-kyung

 

What would you do to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where everything has been reduced to ruins save for a single apartment building? "Concrete Utopia" is a film that lays bare some of the more uncomfortable truths about the dark side of human nature under extreme circumstances.

 

The film begins with a group of survivors gathering to seek shelter at an apartment building in Seoul, the only structure left standing in the city after it is destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake. Based on the popular webtoon "Amusing Neighbor," director Um Tae-hwa has added another film to his impressive resume that includes "Forest," for which he won the Best Film Award at the 11th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival, and "Vanishing Time" which netted him an award for Best New Director Award at the 54th Golden Bell Awards.

 

With a running time that clocks in at 130 minutes, "Concrete Utopia" is not short, but it is such an engrossing experience that some viewers may feel the end comes too quickly when the credits start rolling. The production team deserves a lot of credit here for portraying such an unlikely setting and scenario in a way that feels so close to home.

 

A massive, three-story-tall film set was constructed for the shooting, and the ruins of a city in the dead of winter was very realistically depicted, aided by the clever use of lighting to create a chilling, ominous atmosphere. The makeup and the attention to detail in creating the dust clouds from the earthquake are particularly impressive. Director Uhm said the visuals of the film were inspired by Pablo Picasso's oil painting "Guernica," which he showed to his production staff for reference.

 

"Concrete Utopia" is scheduled for release on Aug. 9. Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

The actors also deserve praise for filming the movie in the punishing heat while dressed in heavy winter clothes. Lee Byung-hun plays the lead role as Young-tak, the head representative of the apartment residents who is determined to do whatever it takes to protect their property from outsiders. Lee once again shows the versatility of his acting talent, showing audiences why he remains one of the most-sought-after leading men in Korean cinema.

 

Actor Park Seo-joon plays Min-sung, a man who is also committed to protecting the apartment and his family, and actress Park Bo-young plays his wife Myeong-hwa whose character is layered in subtleties. They both succeed in connecting with the audience with their range of emotional expressions, telling a story of adversity and a family's unbreakable bond.

 

Kim Seon-young provides the much-needed comic relief in the film as Geum-ae, the head of the women's association at the apartment. Other supporting roles are filled by actors Park Ji-hoo, Kim Do-yoon and others who all deliver outstanding performances to create an incredible synergy among the cast.

 

"Concrete Utopia," as Lee Byung-hun put it, is about ordinary people who are neither heroes nor villains, forced to make morally ambiguous choices under the most extreme circumstances. It will leave viewers wondering what they would have done in the same situation long after the film has ended. "Concrete Utopia" is scheduled to be released in cinemas across Korea on Aug. 9.

 

Source:  https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2023/08/398_356203.html

 

 

[peonie]

August 13, 2023

 

"Concrete Utopia"  topping the Box Office again.

[willenette]

2 hours ago, peonie said:

August 13, 2023

 

"Concrete Utopia"  topping the Box Office again.

 

 

@peonie  thanks for sharing this. The movie is a box-office HIT indeed! Ever since its release on August 9, it has enjoyed an uninterrupted four-day streak at No. 1 at the Korean box office. Even as of the day before (August 12), “Concrete Utopia” had officially reached a total of 1,118,508 moviegoers—meaning that it took just four days to hit the 1 million mark. Congratulations to the cast and crew of “Concrete Utopia”!  

[Ephoenix]

August 13, 2023 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA D-2 WEEKEND STAGE GREETINGS HIGHLIGHTS 

 

Whoever managed to take this pic... *bows* 

 

 

Our Con Uzz.... promoting strong despite the heat! 

 

 

I don't know who handed him the megaphone in the theater but LBH going around introducing himself like in the movie is so cute. LBH greetings: 

 

"Hello, this is resident representative, Lee Byung-hun. You guys must have been shocked to see me so handsome than in the movie, right?  I am grateful for everyone's interest in the movie and coming to watch on your precious resting time. After the movie, it might not register instantly, but eventually there would be numerous thoughts that'd cross your minds. Everyone might not necessarily have the same opinions and interpretation for sure, because everyone's perspective and situation they relate to could be different. I think this is a movie which can tell the ordinary life stories of everyone who are present here. I hope it becomes a movie that everyone of you can remember for a long long time. Thank you so much."  

 

Full video: 

Spoiler

 

 

Earlier, LBH made news when it was released that he was going to do stage greetings even during National Liberation Day of Korea on August 15, along with Dir. UTH and Actor Kim Do Yoon.

From Sunshiner's perspective, this feels emotional and proud. Good job, Eugene Choi…… our Con Uz!! 

 

Source: Here

(The headline is so funny. “Eurachacha! Even on National Liberation Day?” Haha 

(Note: Eurachacha: An encouraging cheering shout Young tak used to lift his chosen one’s spirit before they go for hunting) 

 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-5 

 

#1 Overall movies for 5 consecutive days. 

 

Audiences today - 427,692 viewers 

Accumulated: 1,546,195 audiences. 

2M Tomorrow!! 

 

Spoiler

 

Comparatively, weekend numbers altogether are surprisingly low than other times of the year despite rave reviews. I wonder if its because it's summer or because of the genre of the movie, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. C'mon people!!! 

 

Stage Greetings today. 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv4gdaArZli/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv4s5UhNkfo/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv4po90BaMM/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Edited August 15, 2023 by ferily
Maximum 3 images per post. please put any other in the spoiler tag. Thanks!

[Ephoenix]

August 13, 2023

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA: Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young and Director Uhm Tae Hwa confirmed to attend 48th Toronto International Film Festival next month. 

 

 

 

"Concrete Utopia" surpassed 1.54 million in its first week of release.an overwhelming first place for five consecutive days. 

 

View Source

 

Not only did it melt the post-disaster story into extreme reality, but the movie "Concrete Utopia" (director Um Tae-hwa), which is well-received for its solid narratives, actors' acting synergy, and heavy messages, is gaining momentum.

 

"Concrete Utopia," which has topped the box office with overwhelming numbers since its first day of release, has surpassed 1 million viewers on the fourth day of its release due to explosive box office success, and continues to run unrivaledly as time passes by attracting audiences with hotter heat.

 

In particular, "Concrete Utopia" is considered a "movie that must be seen in theaters" as it has made headlines for its explosive passionate performance and high-quality work of actors right after its release.As a result, "Concrete Utopia," which has been at the center of attention not only in theaters but also online, is adding momentum to the reservation rate even in the second week of its release, so the box office will continue to rise on the occasion of the Liberation Day holiday.

 

"Concrete Utopia," which has been praised as a new world of disaster films for its colorful attractions of original worldviews, realistic human groups, and actors' enthusiastic performances that perfectly express them, is being screened at theaters nationwide this summer.

 

Source: Here 

 

There are many great and interesting reviews from audiences and media, and interviews from Director Uhm and Climax studio CEO, but they just are so full of spoilers. It seems people aren't even holding back anymore as the movie is out domestically and internationally in some countries as well. Majority of them that I read had mentioned baduk references, and their interpretation just blew my mind on how meticulously it was used as a metaphor in the movie. Most of all, this coincidence just reminds me of our pending movie, The Match. It's really a shame if we think about the possibilities of not being able to experience this movie. 

I still have some hope left. Definitely not soon, but someday.... definitely. 

[willenette]

Korean Box Office for the Weekend 2023.08.11 ~ 2023.08.13

credit : https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/main/main.do

 

 

 

 

Films	Release date	Week-end	Total
1	"Concrete Utopia" (콘크리트 유토피아)	2023/08/09	1 129 649	1 546 191
2	"Smugglers" (밀수)	2023/07/26	425 405	4 355 425
3	"Elemental"		192 834	6 645 577
4	"Ransomed" (비공식작전)	2023/08/02	125 410	981 454
5	"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One"		61 258	3 962 952
6	"The Moon" (더 문)	2023/08/02	50 582	483 829
7	"Detective Conan The Movie: Black Iron Submarine" (名探偵コナン 黒鉄の魚影)		26 357	730 865
8	"Octonauts: Above and Beyond – Season 2"		23 841	39 651
9	"Barbie"		18 523	555 766
10	"Running Man: Revengers" (런닝맨: 리벤져스)	2023/08/10	18 247	25 532

[willenette]

'Concrete Utopia' tops box office in first weekend

 

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- The Korean disaster thriller film "Concrete Utopia" drew over 1 million moviegoers over the weekend, topping the local box office in the first week of its release, data showed Monday.

 

The film attracted 1.12 million moviegoers from Friday to Sunday, accounting for 53.4 percent of total ticket sales, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

 

The movie has posted a cumulative 1.54 million viewers since it arrived in local theaters on Aug. 9.

Starring Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young, the disaster thriller follows the residents of the only apartment building that survived a catastrophic quake in Seoul as they fight for their lives.

 

A scene from the Korean disaster film "Concrete Utopia" is seen in this photo provided by Lotte Entertainment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Director Ryoo Seung-wan's crime action thriller "Smugglers," which stayed atop the box office for the previous two weeks, slipped to second place with 425,000 admissions over the weekend.

 

"Smugglers" has garnered 4.35 million admissions since its release on July 26, having passed its break-even point of 4 million.

 

Pixar Animation Studios' "Elemental" took third place with 192,000 viewers over the cited period. It has attracted 6.64 million viewers since its release on June 14.

 

"Ransomed," a Korean action film based on the true story of a hostage crisis in Lebanon, ranked No. 4, followed by "The Moon," a Korean space survival drama.

 

 

 

ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

 

 

 

credit : Yonhap News

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230814002200315?section=culture/movies

[Ephoenix]

August 14, 2023 

"Concrete Utopia" stage greetings personnel changes on the 19th and 20th..."Scene stealer" Uhm Tae gu joins. 

No LBH that day!! 

 

 

On the 20th, Um Tae-hwa, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young, Kim Sun-young, Kim Do-yoon, and actor Um Tae-gu, who made a strong impact on the audience by making special appearances in "Concrete Utopia," will present various fan services at CGV Wangsimni, Megabox Seongsu, Lotte Cinema Konkuk University Entrance, CGV Songpa, and Lotte Cinema World Tower.

 

 

 

I had ONE EXTRA DESPERATE WISH to see LBH and UTG together in the movie.... that apparently didn't happen I believe because one is a resident representative and another played a begger 1. And then there's this one day where this 'scene stealer' is joining in, LBH is not among the attendees. 

 

Wow, unbelievable.... what an annoying start of the monday for me! I'll be sulking all day because of this!  

 

Source: Here 

[Ephoenix]

August 14, 2023 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-6 

 

#1 In Overall movies for 6 consecutive days 

 

Audiences - 287, 096 people today 

Accumulated - 1,833,356 people 

 

National Liberation Day holiday tomorrow. So hopefully 2M on a special day. Concrete Utopia has been trending for days now in Korean Twitter. This morning more than 4k tweets. Not that it helps in the chart but the word of mouth is going strong, with interpretations and reviews pouring in. 

 

Please continue the buzz and good rumors going like our Bunyeo Huijang Geum Ae asked for, and go watch as much as possible.  

 

 

Lee Byung Hun's IG update #ConcreteUtopia

 

 

Park Seo-joon IG update of LBH watching Young-tak

 

Spoiler

 

[Ephoenix]

August 15, 2023

CONGRATULATIONS, TEAM CONCRETE UTOPIA!!! 

 

"Concrete Utopia" surpassed 2 million on Liberation Day...The box office is getting hotter. 

 

View Source

 

The movie "Concrete Utopia" surpassed 2 million viewers on its seventh day of release.

According to Lotte Entertainment on the 15th, director Um Tae-hwa's film "Concrete Utopia" surpassed 2 million viewers at 11:36 a.m. on the seventh day of its release.

"Concrete Utopia" is a disaster drama about Seoul, which was devastated by a major earthquake, and it is the only remaining palace apartment that begins with survivors gathering.Not only has the story after the disaster been melted into an extreme reality, but it is also continuing its box office success with solid narratives, actors' acting synergy, and heavy messages.

Thanks to word of mouth, both reservations and seat occupancy remain high; Concrete Utopia' is dominating summer theaters with tireless box office fever.Since the release date of 230,000 viewers on the 9th, it has been on the rise over time, recording 280,000 viewers even though it is Monday on the 14th, the second week of its release.As a result, it has surpassed 1 million viewers on the fourth day of its release and 2 million viewers on the seventh day of its release, showing a strong box office performance.

The actors' overwhelming acting, development that raises the sense of immersion, and structured production are creating new interpretations, which is expected to be a long-term success.

 

source: here 

[willenette]

‘Smugglers,’ ‘Concrete Utopia’ score at box office while 'The Moon' is a bust

 

Homegrown blockbuster films are vying for viewers this summer, with their distributors hoping to see consecutive releases bring back moviegoers.

 

But moviegoers’ taste for “something new” over impressive visuals and star-studded casting have determined the fate of major film releases.

 

 

Following the success of “Smugglers” is director Um Tae-hwa’s “Concrete Utopia,” a dystopian thriller which tells a story of the residents of Hwanggung Apartment No. 103, the only building left standing after a devastating earthquake in Seoul.

 

On the first opening weekend, “Concrete Utopia” attracted 1.12 million moviegoers as of Sunday and looks set to break even, as the film, which has a similar budget to "The Smugglers," nears 4 million moviegoers.

 

"Concrete Utopia" is based on a webtoon, which is a risk, since a lot of webtoon-inspired films have flopped here. The predictable, melodramatic conclusions of disaster flicks may also work against "Concrete Utopia," but the unprecedented setting of the film seems ot be a draw.

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

 

credit ; Korea Herald

https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230815000161

[willenette]

3 hours ago, Ephoenix said:

August 15, 2023

CONGRATULATIONS, TEAM CONCRETE UTOPIA!!!

"Concrete Utopia" surpassed 2 million on Liberation Day...The box office is getting hotter. View Source

 

The movie "Concrete Utopia" surpassed 2 million viewers on its seventh day of release.

According to Lotte Entertainment on the 15th, director Um Tae-hwa's film "Concrete Utopia" surpassed 2 million viewers at 11:36 a.m. on the seventh day of its release.

"Concrete Utopia" is a disaster drama about Seoul, which was devastated by a major earthquake, and it is the only remaining palace apartment that begins with survivors gathering.Not only has the story after the disaster been melted into an extreme reality, but it is also continuing its box office success with solid narratives, actors' acting synergy, and heavy messages.

Thanks to word of mouth, both reservations and seat occupancy remain high; Concrete Utopia' is dominating summer theaters with tireless box office fever.Since the release date of 230,000 viewers on the 9th, it has been on the rise over time, recording 280,000 viewers even though it is Monday on the 14th, the second week of its release.As a result, it has surpassed 1 million viewers on the fourth day of its release and 2 million viewers on the seventh day of its release, showing a strong box office performance.

The actors' overwhelming acting, development that raises the sense of immersion, and structured production are creating new interpretations, which is expected to be a long-term success.

 

source: here 

 

@Ephoenix  thanks for sharing this.  The movie drew over 2 million admissions in its first week of release. The film attracted over 1 million moviegoers in just four days since it arrived in local theaters. The movie beat another Korean blockbuster “Smugglers” to top ticket sales at theaters. This means that one out of two people who visited the cinema bought a ticket for the film. This movie is expected to revive the stagnant film industry this summer.  

[willenette]

*** The stars and director of "Concrete Utopia"  have received official invites to the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, scheduled to take place from September 7th to 17th and they are attending. They will have the opportunity to interact with their global fans during the stage greeting and the red carpet events at the upcoming festival. Notably, Lee Byung Hun and Park Seo Joon will engage in meaningful interactions with their fans through TIFF’s 2023 In

 

Conversation With series at TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 10th.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Lotte Entertainment

[Ephoenix]

August 15, 2023 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA 2ND WEEK STAGE GREETINGS HIGHLIGHTS 

 

LBH and Lotte IG update. 

LBH caption: With Minsung (Young tak’s chosen one! )

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv9YHirOsrE/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv9bHhdrnwU/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv9lx1OreK-/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

[Ephoenix]

August 15, 2023 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-7 

 

#1 Domestic movies

#2 Overall movies 

 

Attendance - 303,103 people today. 

Accumulated - 2,136,502 people 

 

 

 

 

3 new releases (2 Domestic +1 International) on the same  day. Jung Woo Sung's Guardian and Yoo Hae jin's Honey Sweet. And Oppenheimer. Phew!

[Ephoenix]

August 15, 2023

 

 

Initially, I thought of posting this translation a bit later, but my bookmarks has been a mess with all the traffic of updates. So, I thought its best to just get it over with before I lose my coordination. We can always come back to this anyway. I have translated what OP wrote in her dictation thread except for the part where Director Park Chan Wook talks about LBH and his character Young tak. That I needed word for word, which wasn’t in the thread all together. So, I added mostly from the main interview video itself. Besides that, I have skipped parts that I thought aren’t necessary. If you guys are interested, you can continue on the thread of OP. I will share the link here. Here we go! 

 

Original thread : Here 

 

This Interview contains major spoilers! 

 

[Eng]Concrete Utopia special GV with Director Uhm Tae Hwa and Director Park Chan Wook 

 

 

Q: What is the relationship between the two directors?

 

Uhm: In 2004, I was the youngest member in the Director department of Dir. PCW’s movie, ‘Three Extremes.’ I worked as an assistant director up to ‘Lady Vengence.’, and I also acted as an assistant director for Dir. Park Chan Kyung’s movie ‘Night Fishing’, as well as a storyboard artist. It was the storyboard I wrote when I was the youngest member during ‘Lady Vengeance’, about 18 years ago. It was when Dir. PCW was around my age. (Takes out the clapperboard he took from the set of ‘Lady Vengeance.) 

Park: Are you allowed to take things away? 

Uhm: You are not, but I am not good at throwing things away. I still have the rubber band that LBH sunbaenim wore in three monsters at my house. Its all hardened, so I don’t think I can use it anymore. (PCW bursting into laughter) 

 

Q: Director park said he has seen Concrete Utopia twice. What are your impressions? 

 

Park:The first thing I saw was a rough edit, so there was a long way to go before the completion. The CG were also almost empty, so its all blue screen, same with music and other things. But, since I have read the scenario before, I know what the story is about. But even though I knew it, it was funny during comic scenes and intense when it was supposed to be. It’s not easy to immerse yourself in a sloppy version. As a director, you can imagine how it will be competed in your head, but people seeing it for the first time cant do that. Even through difficulties, I was able to immerse myself. I watched all those things and later saw the finished version. So even though I knew everything, there was nothing obvious. I will tell you later but it was like a classic…made with a very standard attitude. That’s why it was fun to watch it again. Since there were no tricks at all, I can say that it is a movie made with pure and simple attitude. 

 

Q: You returned to feature film 7 years after The vanishing Time. You filmed it during the period of COVID. At that time, I believe you had not imagined a conversation with the audience. How is your feeling now? 

 

Uhm: I didn’t know at that time that I’d be taking a break for this long. After I finished the first episode, I wrote the scenario for 2 years and it didn’t work out. I grabbed the item again and again and made it after using it for about 3 years. In fact, it should’ve been released last year, but it was postponed because of covid, and it somehow became 7 years. So I once told Dir. Park about my concerns in the middle, and he said, “Do not do one thing at a time, do several things together.” So now I am working hard on several works. After Concrete Utopia is over, I am working hard so I can do it without a break. 

 

Emcee was mentioning previous works of Dir. Uhm that he enjoyed and such, and at that time Dir. Park asked him where he watched those works of his, inducing emcee  to mention the name of the channel and OTT as an indirect promotion of his disciples’ work. Aww supportive master.) 

 

Q: I think there might be people who got to know Director Uhm Tae Hwa through Concrete Utopia. It is a work that could be viewed from various angles. What are the scenes that come to your mind first? 

 

Park: I really liked the scene where Kim Young tak, played by Lee Byung hun, grumbles as he dies, saying, “Why did he enter someone else’s house wearing shoes?”Moreover, it was so very korean, don’t you think? It really was. Initially, I thought it was very foolish not to choose this movie for Cannes, but on the other hand, it kind of make sense. I doubt they would be able to understand the korean sentiment of this insult of coming into someone’s house wearing shoes. This whole Imperial Palace Apartment and its surroundings represent Korean Society. However, I think this is the moment where it peaks as a customized disaster movie that is very specialized to Korean society. And you can evaluate the character Young tak in many ways, from his wish to buy a house, wanting to peacefully live at home with his family, all this is so natural. I think it’s a piece of work that everyone can relate to and that brings us back to the beginning of the tragedy where this person had no choice but to become the devil and feel that solidarity. 

 

Q: Please tell us the behind the scene. (questions include details of the scene including use of OST like Christmas)

 

Uhm: As many of the audiences here could probably feel, the most impatient scene when watching a foreign movie or a drama is the scene where they enter the house and put their shoes on the bed. Anyway, I tried to show Korean people’s unique Ondol floor culture (floor heating system) at the end. When Young tak entered Hye won’s house asking why she entered her house with her shoes on, of course she is a young kid who might not care for all of this, but through that scene I wanted to show what kind of straight forward person Young tak was, and wondered if putting that line at the end would convey the message to show Korean’s obsession with their homes. While saying that line as he grumbled, he was looking at family photos, and the music of ‘My Happy Home’ played on it, creating a warm atmosphere like the Christmas emcee mentioned earlier. I asked the music director to play the piano as if it was being practiced next door, and not to play too well. I wanted him to die in a familial feel and in a form without it being too grand. 

 

Q: If Young tak was wearing white socks, you could have seen the scruffy soles in the scene. But I felt thankful to director for keeping Young tak’s dignity by giving him black socks. I’d have cried if it was white. Going back to the beginning of the scene, it explains why Young tak was so obsessed with the fire hose and how important the space was to him. 

Young tak is actor Lee Byung hun, who had appeared in both director’s films in common. He is an actor who has appeared in works almost every year for about 20 years since JSA(2000). Dir. Park, what did you think after seeing his face for 20 years? 

 

Park: Among the audiences here, there must be a generation that has not seen JSA, but when interviewing with reporters about that movie, they asked for the reason for casting LBH in the movie. At that time, I honestly answered that I liked how ordinary looking guy he was. I remember the expression of the reporters, especially female reporters who had, “What is he talking about?”expression on their face. At that time, I didn’t realize LBH looked so handsome. We became close while filming the movie, so whenever I did a new project, LBH would ask me why I am no longer casting him in my movies. At that time, I said, ‘ Your skin is too tight. I am not fond of that kind of skin, come back when you grow a bit older.’ So while watching him in Concrete Utopia, I was reminded of that moment because Young tak is such an ordinary person. 

 

Lee Byung Hun is a human adornment. In A Bittersweet Life, he looked cool like Alain Delon in his prime, and in this movie, he is an ordinary person who isn’t like that at all. It was said as a joke, but when I told him ‘Let’s meet when you are old’, I meant rather than young, I wanted to see the inner aspect of a person who has experienced and learned a lot of bitter taste of the world and life, and I think he finally showed everything in this movie. After watching this movie, the first thing I said to him when I met him was, ‘ You didn’t need to perform so well, did you? Isn’t it done overly well?’ This Young tak isn’t a very likable character after all. Of course, by the end of the movie, if you know his history, and watch the reason for his downfall, you’ll feel pity for him, but, while he was at the top, growing in his power, I just hated to even look at him. And since LBH performed it so perfectly, I hated him even more. So, I told him that I know this movie is a high budget movie, an obvious blockbuster already, so why did he have to work so hard? 

 

I can really say that it opened a new chapter in the history of Lee Byung hun’s acting. It’s not just Lee Byung Hun’s acting, it really wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a new chapter has opened in the history of male actors’ acting in the Korean film industry. Every time I watched the whole process of downfall, knowing his relationship with all these different emotions, before and after the revelation of his true identity, and what his real family went through, I thought he managed to express those reasonable changes so dramatically. He never did this and that in a distracting way. I know he is clearly one person, yet he shows so many different sides. I couldn’t help but marvel that Lee Byung hun still surprises me so much, even though he’d been my friend for so long. 

 

Q: CU is based on the webtoon, but after watching the movie, it is difficult to imagine that it is based on a webtoon. I think it can be said that Dir. Uhm and actor recreated the character Young tak so that it seems to be a friendly person as Dir. Park said. What did you put while creating this Young tak character?

 

Uhm: In fact, the character representing the residents in the original work appears as a villain from the beginning. So, this person is a soldier or something like that which will be revealed later, but he is a overall a person who manages to hide his true feelings. When I first wrote the scenario, I also wrote it in that direction, and even when this person turns off the lights or acts like this, you’ll feel like there is something wrong. I wrote it as a character that feels like a fiery fox. In that state, I gave it to actor Lee Byung hun, and sunbaenim saw it and thought that it would be better to make it a character with a little more arc instead of making him look like a total villain from the beginning. However, since the scenario was already completed, I couldn’t increase the amount of footage, but to seek for the opportunity to change. So, as for the added scene, I added a scene in the middle of the filming with screenplay saying, “After the disaster scene, Young tak looks outside and looks at the apartment as if he has decided on something.” But before filming, I was worried that the character would be explained with this one. But since Lee Byung hun sunbaenim is more experienced he said he would at least try even if it could give away, and I said okay and filmed the scene. But the moment I filmed the scene, I was convinced. Seeing that this person completely changed Young tak’s values here and now, I remember thinking that was a truly cinematic moment. 

 

Spoiler

 

Q: I think CU is a well-made film because it manages to impress the audience with a single scene rather than a dialogue. And although you talked about actor Lee Byung hun, it seemed that all actors in the movie did more than their share. Dir. Park, are there any other actors whose acting left a deep impression on you? 

 

Park: Due to the nature of this work, it’s a work that can be completed only when everything is done well, right? That’s why the casting must be done with the same amount of effort, to make sure everyone did well without anyone falling behind. The two actors, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young seemed so believable and plausible. 

 

Actor Park Bo-young as Myeong-hwa can be seen by the audience as a frustrating character, especially until just before the end of the movie, right? “If you keep saying what is morally correct, what are you supposed to do?” Although Park Seo-joon’s character Min Sung tells that story, but when you look at the end, it becomes clear that forces called Cockroaches invade, fight, and you cannot live safely in an Imperial Palace Apartment forever. That’s how it turns out that Myeong-Hwa’s claim is ultimately practical. She did a great job playing a character that was so frustrating to watch, and as a result, when she got to the ‘Utopia’ where people lived in peace, she has that clean look on her face when she said, “They were ordinary people.” I thought that was a precious moment and it was a face that we couldn’t have seen without Park Bo-young. For the sake of that one moment, I endured the frustration and watched it. 

 

Park Seo Joon’s character Min sung has the same life as us. He has no choice but to rationalize by continuously asking himself questions on what he should do. He is worried, but in the end, he has no choice but to follow the trend, he has no choice but to pursue the immediate benefit, and make an inevitable choice for his family. Min sung is the kind of person who adheres closely to this movie while representing the position of us ordinary people, that we must live, no matter what. I think Park Seo-joon was wise when he said he would play this character, even though he is not a person who takes the lead in a dramatic action like Young tak. He performed his part very well. 

 

And Actor Kim Sun-young always does the best acting. Since she always performs well, I keep wondering the extent of her excellent performance in her work. As expected, she surprised me indeed. When her (Geum-ae) high schooler son died, if it is actor Kim Sun young, you’d think she would do it differently because you’ve seen too many howling scenes, but should I call it a straightforward method acting? She showed the kinds of screams and struggles that the real Korean mothers would do. I didn’t think it was a cliché. When you reach this level, it’s a residential performance, its out of ordinary. 

 

Q: If we point out one more actor, Uhm Tae goo, Director Uhm’s younger brother, appears twice in a very powerful role. It’s also a role that evokes the movie, and its an acting that I haven’t seen before for Uhm Tae Goo. How did you convince him to do that? 

 

Uhm: When I first gave him the scenario, he said, “Another Homeless role?” He has played a role of homeless a lot. But this character is like the one who appears in the middle of a musical or a play and explains the situation. We had only just immersed ourselves in the residents, inside of that apartment, but I wanted someone from the outside who could objectively explain the situation and the residents. Of course, its good to follow certain characters all the way, but I wanted to emphasize that this is the story of the people in this apartment. At the same time, I wanted to seek something that adds the tension rather than being just functional. So I talked about allusion. At first you see 4 homeless people, but later they are gone and you see him eating something by himself.(Is he implying he ate his homeless mates here? Because that definitely looked like a bone from legs. What? ) it was around the time at the end, when he meets Min Sung and Myeong Hwa, and I thought of creating some tense energy in the scene. For that, I wanted someone with a certain weight as an actor and an impactful voice. So I made a suggestion to him and he accepted it. And all the actors appearing there are members who were with him in movie “Intogi” So I think they had a good time meeting each other after a long time. 

 

Spoiler Alert: This blog contains special GV interview with Concrete Utopia Director and the cast. Moderator and the audiences directly ask the casts about the specific scenes from the movie and their thoughts. This would be interesting to watch after you are done with the movie.

 

https://m.blog.naver.com/hangeok/223179678890

[willenette]

*** The Korean Business Research Institute has revealed this month’s brand reputation rankings for film actors! The rankings were determined through an analysis of the consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness indexes of 50 popular movie stars, using big data collected from July 10 to August 10.  

 

Check out the top 30 for this month below!

1. Jung Hae In
2. Jo In Sung
3. Son Suk Ku
4. Ha Jung Woo
5. Lee Byung Hun
6. Ma Dong Seok
7. Park Bo Young
8. Go Min Si
9. Kim Hye Soo
10. Kim Tae Ri
11. Go Won Hee
12. Yum Jung Ah
13. Park Seo Joon
14. Gong Yoo
15. Jeon Hye Jin
16. Lee Joon Hyuk
17. Go Yoon Jung
18. Kang Ki Young
19. Lee Jung Jae
20. Cha Seung Won
21. Kim Sun Young
22. Lee Jong Suk
23. Han Hyo Joo
24. Hyun Bin
25. Park Sung Woong
26. Lee Je Hoon
27. Ahn Sung Ki
28. Seo In Guk
29. Jung Woo
30. Song Joong Ki

 

 

 

 

 

source : http://www.beyondpost.co.kr/view.php?ud=202308100828411793499def050a_30

[willenette]

*** Renowed writer Kim Eun Sook recalled one of her many hit K-dramas and revealed the interesting story behind "Mr. Sunshine"  during her guest appearance on KBS Happy FM's "Song Jin Woo's Brave Radio" for the celebration of the show's 100th episode. She mentioned an interesting story about Lee Byung Hun during the filming of the drama. She recalled how Lee Byung Hun's initial reaction upon reading the script. She said that she had a talk with him about his lines. Describing Lee Byung Hun as a "very decent person," she shared how he couldn't directly mention to her that the lines were too "cheesy." So instead, he tried to convey it in a nice way, to the point that "he beat around the bush." She then called him a "really great person" because he didn't want to offend her for her work.  

 

 

 

 

photos source : Kdramastars

[Ephoenix]

August 16, 2023 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-8 

 

#1 Domestic movies 

#2 Overall movies 

 

Today's attendance - 93,540 viewers 

Accumulated - 2,230, 068 viewers

 

 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TIFF2023 SCHEDULE 

 

Sept 9 + Sept 15- Press & Industry 

Sept 10 - Premium Screening

Sept 11 - In Conversation with Lee Byung Hun and Park Seo Joon (6pm KST) 

Sept 11, 15 & 16 - Regular Screening 

 

 

Source: tiff2023

 

13 hours ago, willenette said:

*** Renowed writer Kim Eun Sook recalled one of her many hit K-dramas and revealed the interesting story behind "Mr. Sunshine"  during her guest appearance on KBS Happy FM's "Song Jin Woo's Brave Radio" for the celebration of the show's 100th episode. She mentioned an interesting story about Lee Byung Hun during the filming of the drama. She recalled how Lee Byung Hun's initial reaction upon reading the script. She said that she had a talk with him about his lines. Describing Lee Byung Hun as a "very decent person," she shared how he couldn't directly mention to her that the lines were too "cheesy." So instead, he tried to convey it in a nice way, to the point that "he beat around the bush." She then called him a "really great person" because he didn't want to offend her for her work.  

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing @willenette

LBH also recently shared in MMTG about his difficulty adjusting to the unique way of expressions in writer Kim Eun Sook’s writing. But we all know he did an excellent job. It was refreshingly unique, and became a huge trend itself. And writer Kim Eun sook said despite his discomfort at first, he managed to convey the dialogue exactly as she wanted, to the point that he even acted the punctuation marks like ‘comma’ and ‘full stop’ perfectly. He is amazing.  Ofc..he is, ma’am. 

[Ephoenix]

August 16, 2023

 

LOTTE ent released a preview clip of LBH as Youngtak singing "Apartment". I got goosbumps, no kidding. Imagine watching it in the theater as the story unfolds. The control in his voice and that smooth groove of uncle dance. Amazing!! Can we expect a studio version anytime soon?

 

 

REVIEW 

[Film Critic Oh Dongjin's All about Movies] What's not in "Concrete Utopia" and what's in it?

 

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There is actually no utopia in the movie 'Concrete Utopia'. Instead, there is a dystopia. It is the title of the irony. There is not much concrete either. Because there is only one apartment building left. Many critics say that the movie contains a desire for Korea's unique real estate. That's true. The desire is there. However, there is no social structural approach to where such material greed originated. No, it looks like it was intentionally taken out. Then the baby becomes too complicated and academic. However, the movie would have been a icing on the cake if it had been mentioned once or twice about the nature of economic desire, whether it was structural or human, whether it was hierarchical or Freudian (psychological).

The basic narrative structure of "Concrete Utopia" feels like the same context as "City of the Blind" written by Jose Saramagu. Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles once made a movie in 2008, featuring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Gael Garcia Bernal. People get an unknown disease and everyone loses sight. The government's power quarantines them in mental wards, and soon the ward is in chaos, with bullies taking the right to distribute food and controlling the blind. Kill men and rape women in groups.

 

Humans suppress and exploit people with different thoughts and classes under the guise of survival if they are blinded by power and cannot see ahead. Soon, it creates a new self-centered class and freezes the community or the space to live together. The movie "City of the Blind" and "Concrete Utopia" are different, but they are talking about the same thing. It shows that director Um Tae-hwa, who created "Concrete Utopia," suffers from depression at the end of the century, not the end of the century, and is full of worries and concerns about the world we live in now.

It's here and there. Back to the debate, this film has such anguish and reason for the times. Unfortunately, however, there is no Shinpa, emotion, or resonance. That's right for the work itself and that's better.  There is a possibility that it will be negative in terms of movie success and popularity.Because it's dark. This is because the future world where the movie tries to move through the reality is darker than the reality that the movie depicts.
 

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For example, it is like the latter part of the drama of Min-sung and Myung-hwa couple, played by Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young. This movie is a movie where the characters of the two actors are alive enough to be said to be rediscovered by Park Seo-joon and reconfirmed by Park Bo-young. Perhaps the two are Alter-ego, who projected director Um Tae-hwa himself. The two are people who watch the "situation" in the apartment and do not separate intervention, neutrality, and critical eyes. Min-sung (Park Seo-joon) becomes loyal to Young-tak (Lee Bung-heon), who is in power, but Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young) eventually reveals his lies and hypocrisy. It preaches the truth of the paradox that abnormal power, the power that eventually turns dictatorship, also creates it on its own, but again, the person who revolutionizes it also comes from within such a public. The characters of Park Bo-young and Park Seo-joon are therefore much more important and more essential than the characters of Lee Byung-hun, who plays the powerful.

If the latter half of the two had drawn more tears from the audience, the movie would have been much more successful in the public eye .Audiences are bound to shed tears at the sacrifices, love and dedication portrayed by the characters in the movie, no matter how unrealistic it is and fantasy. "Concrete Utopia" is touching, but there are no tears, and it was thoroughly intended by director Um Tae-hwa. That has somewhat weakened the film's public volatility. The director's attitude is not a matter of right or wrong. It's just a matter of choice. In fact, it is a matter for critics to worry about, not a matter for nothing. It is unnecessary interference and nosy.

"Concrete Utopia" shows that the potential and durability of Korean films are formidable. Above all, I like subtexts. The performances of Kim Sun-young as CEO Dong and Lee Seo-hwan as apartment manager are still good. Park Ji-hoo of "The Hummingbird" is also working hard. Kang Ae-shim of the independent film "The Bathroom" also appears like a hide-and-seek, but it shows that there is a hidden actor in the film. Um Tae-gu and Kim Joon-bae's homeless performance is excellent. The movie flutters and shows that it's alive. In the summer movie market, which is in the atmosphere of collapse as if on Earth's Last Day, "Concrete Utopia" feels like the only surviving movie like an apartment in the movie. Is this something to be happy about or sad about?

 

Source: here