[Movie 2015] Memories of The Sword 협녀 : 칼의 기억

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December 19, 2013
Junho gets stitches after martial arts injury
By Summer Lee Korea JoongAng Daily

Junho of the boy group 2PM injured his right hand while practicing martial arts earlier this week, according to his agency JYP Entertainment yesterday.
The agency said Junho cut his index finger on his right hand while training on Sunday.
Although the injury was not serious, Junho had to get stitches on his hand and will need to continue getting medical treatment for another week or two. 
“He continues to focus on practicing some skills as he tries to forget that he is wounded,” an official at the agency told local media. 
Junho has been receiving martial arts training because he is playing an action role in the upcoming movie “Memories of the Sword,” along with actress Jeon Do-yeon of the film “The Housemaid” and Lee Byung-hun of “Red 2.”
The movie is scheduled to be released next year. 

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December 26, 2013
Period blockbusters to fill silver screens next year‘Hyeopnyeo,’ ‘Battle of Myeongryang’ included in 2014 film lineup
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald


A scene from the upcoming period drama “Battle of Myeongryang.” (Lotte Entertainment)
The Korean film industry attained a meaningful achievement this year by selling more than 200 million tickets for the first time in history. 
Following this year’s success, the country’s major film producers recently announced their lineups for 2014. And it seems like local moviegoers will be bombarded with period blockbusters next year.
Some of the most anticipated films of 2014 are period dramas, including Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon’s upcoming martial arts flick “Hyeopnyeo” and “Battle of Myeongryang,” a film about legendary Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598).
In the past few years, period dramas have been enjoying increasing popularity in Korea. In 2011, director Kim Han-min’s period drama “War of the Arrows” became the highest grossing Korean film of the year, attracting a total of 7,470,633 viewers. 
In the following year, another period drama “Masquerade,” a fictionalized account of King Gwanghae, the 15th ruler of Joseon, became a massive hit ― becoming the second highest grossing film of that year.
“I think the genre is popular because it lets (the moviemakers) combine what is fiction and what is non-fiction,” said Jeong Seong-yeop from Lotte Entertainment. “It gives you a lot of room for imagination, while also giving an opportunity to offer glimpses into Korean history.”
Among the period dramas to be released next year, “Hyeopnyeo” stars top actor Lee Byung-hun, whose performance as the hapless king in “Masquerade” received much praise, alongside Jeon. Emerging actress Kim Go-eun, who swept Best New Actress prizes in 2012 for her role as a beautiful, reckless teenager in director Jung Ji-woo’s sensual drama “Eungyo,” will appear as Jeon’s daughter. 
Jeon, who stars as swordswoman and a mother during Korea’s Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) in the upcoming movie, worked with Lee Byung-hun in 1999 for director Lee Young-jae’s “The Harmonium in My Memory.” It is the first time that the two are co-starring in the same film since then.
Following his success with “War of the Arrows,” director Kim Han-min is to return next year with “Battle of Myeongryang.” The film stars “Oldboy” and “I Saw the Devil” actor Choi Min-sik as the iconic Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin. It mainly follows the famous 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), where Yi managed to destroy a total of 133 Japanese warships with only 13 ships remaining in his command. The battle, which took place in the Myeongryang Strait off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula, is considered one of the greatest victories of Yi.

A scene from the upcoming film “The Pirates.” (Lotte Entertainment)
Meanwhile, popular actress Son Ye-jin (“My Wife Got Married,” “White Night”) is returning as a pirate in upcoming period blockbuster “Pirates.” The 10 billion-won project, directed by Lee Seok-hoon (“Dancing Queen”), features adventure with two groups ― one made of pirates and the other of bandits ― who desperately try to hunt down a whale that swallowed the royal seal of Joseon.
Local fans of popular actor Hyun Bin (“Come Rain, Come Shine,” “Late Autumn”) will be delighted to hear that he is returning next year as King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of Joseon, in a period drama titled “Yeogrin” (The King’s Wrath). The fictionalized film, directed by former TV producer-director Lee Jae-gyoo (“The Legendary Police Woman,” “Beethoven Virus”), deals with the death of the king, who is regarded as one of the most successful rulers of the Joseon Dynasty. 

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January 1, 2014
What to watch in 2014 the most anticipated Asian films for 2014…
LONGNOS EasternKicks.com
It’s the time of the year when we look forward to what is in the store for the next 12 months. As actors and directors have been discussing their upcoming projects, we’ve an idea of some of the new films that will be hitting the cinemas in 2014. Firstly, here are 10 films that we think will be the most hotly anticipated in the coming year.

Perhaps top of the list, if only because of the impact of the original, is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II: The Green Destiny directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh; announced by The Weinstein Company back in May 2013. The trend for epic dramas is going strong in China and John Woo is making a comeback with highly anticipated film The Crossing, starring an international cast with Zhang Ziyi, Song Hye-kyo and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Other notable period actions include Once Upon a Time in Shanghai by Wong Ching-po starring Sammo Hung and Andy On, and new adaptation of Chinese classic, The Monkey King written by Pou-Soi Cheang, with a stellar cast including Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok.
South Korea is also expected to deliver a range of high profile period action films. That includes the new film by Nameless Gangster’s director, Yoon Jong-Bin, that Ha Jung-woo recently told us about when he visited the BAFTA: Kundo: Age of the Rampant. We are also looking forward to Battle of Myeongyang in which Choi Min-sik stars. Both actors mentioned that those are their first appearance in period action films. Other previous guests of the KCCUK, Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Byung-hun also appear in an upcoming period action, Memories of the Sword by Park Heung-sik (My Mother the Mermaid).
Other interesting genres will come out of China, with period drama Yang GuiFei by Cheng Shiqing, starring Fan Bingbing, Leon Lai and Oguri Shun and college romantic comedy Wu Wen Xi Dong by Li Fangfang, starring Zhang Ziyi, Huang Xiaoming and Wang Leehom – which builds on recent success of So Young.
As for Japan, adaptations of manga and animations will dominate, with live-action version of Kiki’s Delivery Service by Takashi Shimizu (Ju On: The Grudge), starring Asano Tadanobu, Rie Miyazawa and Machiko Ono, being the most notable project. Otherwise, Japanese remake of Korean film Haunters by Hideo Nakata, Monsterz, and the 2 upcoming Rurouni Kenshin sequels could prove of interest.
Several famous Asian actors are also making their debuts in foreign-language films. Top of this list could be Choi Min-sik appearance in Luc Besson’s Lucy. We could also note other appearances in Hollywood movies, mostly due to Chinese-US coproduction agreements. As announced in Cannes, Fan Bingbing will be a star of the new X-Men sequel X-Men: Day of Future Past directed by Bryan Singer. Other China’s leading actress, Li Bingbing, will appear in the new Transformers sequel Age of Extinction directed by Michael Bay. Finally, Zhang Ziyi is the lead in Legendary East’s first project in China, The Great Wall. Two other major Asian stars, Tang Wei and Wang Lee Hom will show their faces in Michael Mann’s new action drama Cyber.

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January 7, 2014
Highlighted at PlanetBH0712, a couple of art concept visuals for "Memories of the Sword" in an article from CINE21.

Can't really see the characters in the captures but they sure have that eerie feeling in the images.. in a good way.


Translation of Hyeopnyeo related gist from the article, thanks to mistymorning
If 2013 "the year for Men's movie" was a bit lacking in attractive female character, we have 2 movies in 2014 that'll satisfy us. Park Heunsik's martial art period drama "Hyupyeo: The Memory of the Sword" and Park JeHyun's "Joseon 3 Beauties" 
First, Park Heungsik's <Hyupyeo> is in the same sense of movie like Ang Lee's <Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon>, combines strong drama with action closely. The lover (LBH), at the moment of realizing great cause (大義) betrayed their big brother (BSB) that lead him to death. Because of the event the woman (JDY) lost her eyesight, left with the man's daughter - translator note: not sure whose daughter HongYi (KGE) is - , leaving "You, no, you and I will be killed by the hand of HongYi"
Dir. Park HeungSik remarked " Two women should kill one man for vengeance. The moment vengeance is complete is the moment the love is complete"JDY plays the role of woman who is in the pit of her life, promising vengeance, the man who should die to complete her love is LBH.

[Guest adikkeluangman]

우리 팬분들 ㅜㅜ 협녀 촬영장에 맛있는 먹을거리 엄청 고마워요. 다들 행복해하고 계세요 ㅋㅋ 고맙습니다! 인증샷은 미안하게도 분장한상태로 찍으면 안되서 없음. 아무튼 땡큐!!

— REAL JUNHO LEE (@dlwnsghek)

January 9, 2014

[suchadiva42]

I'm not really into dramas like this but it looks very interested for me to check it out once it airs and just take my time by watching it anyway I like Kim Go Eun when she played in Beautiful..

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Welcome & thanks @adikkeluangman for the sharing of Junho's fans' treat bags to the cast of Hyeopyeo. The fans are really amazing to be able to track the movie filming site which are usually quite the top secret hush-hush. Nonetheless, kudos to the warm-hearted fans for the wonderful support not only to Junho but also for the rest of the cast.
It's a pity there's no selcas to share but it's true that in order to keep the surprise element to the maximum, we would have to bear with the no-photos situation for now till the production is ready to release the pics and updates.
Anyway, copied these from LBH DC some days ago but really can't see who is who in the faraway blurry captures.



@suchadiva42, welcome to the thread, too! This is not really a drama series with episodes to follow each week. It's a film that should be released sometime in the second half of 2014.

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January 11, 2014
[HanCinema Feature] Historical Hysteria: Korean period films coming in 2014
By CJ Wheeler via Hancinema.net


Joseon pirates, legends, swordsmen, angels and more coming our way in 2014...
Cinematic journeys back to Joseon and beyond have rewarded the Korean film industry with a string of profitable historical yarns, a trend that has got producers drooling with the prospect of tapping deeper into this regenerative cash cow. Recently, it's been Han Jae-rim's "The Face Reader" (9.1M admissions) that has had locals flustered and, in 2005, it was Lee Joon-ik's "The King and the Clown" that became the first Joseon-era flick to pass the 10 million admissions mark. It's big business with a cultural twist that locals enjoy supporting, international audiences love lapping up, and a trend that 2014 is keen to take advance of as a host of new retrospectives are getting raring to go.
Currently, the king of historical cinema belongs to Choo Chang-min's "Masquerade" (2012) which starred Lee Byeong-Heon as the pauper come 15th Joseon dynasty royal; the paranoid and cruel King Gwanghae (1574-1641). The film is also the fourth highest grossing Korea film of all-time, and the top period yarn strung to date with over 12.3 million admissions. A month before Choo's film was released it was Kim Joo-ho's "The Grand Heist" (4.9M) that was getting all the attention, and the year before that Kim Han-min's "Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon" (7.4M) was reminding local audiences that old is awesome. The five films mentioned thus far ("Masquerade", "The King and the Clown", "The Face Reader", "Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon", and "The Grand Heist") are the current champions of their genre; the top five Korean period films that have caused producers and filmmakers to scramble to conceive of the next big retrospective they can take to the bank.
So where is this trend heading in 2014? What kind of features are coming our way and, more importantly, are any of them going to be any good? Most of the following films haven't finalised their released dates as of yet (let alone a poster to muse over or teaser to taunt us), but let's take a look and see what 2014 has in store…
Park Je-hyeon's "The Huntresses" is the first flick to hit cinemas and will be released in Korea on 29 of January. The film stars Ha Ji-won, Kang Ye-won, and Son Ga-in as 'three Joseon angels' (as the film was previously known) with skills sharp enough to defend the crown from a powerful group of deviants. These deadly divas were originally bounty hunters and, from what I can find, the team get caught-up in a hunt for some prized artefact. Each of the woman have their own personality, deadly talents and specialities, and together will make for some fun fighting action that historians should best stay clear of. The trailers released so far confirm the "The Huntresses" firmly finds footing in the action-comedy realm, and has the team (alongside actor Ko Chang-seok) taking on masses of men with swords, arrows, some sort of yo-yo, and plenty of kicks and acrobatics as they romp around Joseon taking names (I also like the use of metal scuba suit as protection, a useful tactic some will remember from Kim Jee-won's "The Good, the Bad, the Weird"). It's ancient(ish) antics with plenty of fun and femme-fuelled panache.

Park Heung-sik's "Memories of the Sword" also puts the fairer sex into the action, this time travelling along a more familiar Korean theme: revenge. The film is set sometime during the Goryeo era (918-1392) and opens with a brutal betrayal when, on the verge of a successful uprising, Deok-gi (Lee Byeong-Heon) turns on his trio of swordsmen. He kills Jon-gul, leaving Seol-rang (Jeon Do-yeon) to flee the scene with a lingering grudge. 18 years later Seol-rang is now, obviously, older, blind, and running a tea house; but she has not forgotten the treachery and manages to train a younger woman (Seol-hee played by Kim Go-eun-I, who claimed the 'Rising Star Award' at the 12th New York Asian Film Festival for her performance in "A Muse") to master the sword in order to enact revenge against Deok-gi (who is now an extremely powerful military ruler called Yoo-baek). The film has some serious star power behind it, and in addition to Lee Byeong-Heon, Jeon Do-yeon, and Kim Go-eun-I, "Memories of the Sword" also calls upon Kim Tae-woo, Junho (2PM member), and Bae Soo-bin to help improve its chances of box office success. There are no images or trailers out yet, but the plot, martial arts genre, revenge theme, and cast make it one of the hottest of the historical bunch. Again, historians need not apply.
Yoon Jong-bin's "KUNDO : Age of the Rampant" runs along the lines of a Joseon-style Robin Hood adventure. It's 1859 and Korea is suffering from natural disasters, a poor harvest season, poverty, hunger, death, and the citizens are suffering as rich nobles continue to exploit them. Dol Moo Chi (Ha Jeong-woo), however, has had enough of the corruption and abuse and joins a band of thieves set on levelling the scales in favour of the people. He and Joo Yoon (Kang Dong-won), the son of a nobleman but whose mother was a concubine, ride with the rebel group to steal from rich and give to poor. The two are unlikely teammates given their background, but join team KUNDO believing that their own lives are less important than the needs of others. Director Yoon Jong-bin has directed three others features prior to "KUNDO", the most successful being the 2011 gangster comedy "Nameless Gangster" (4.7 million admission). "KUNDO" also includes the talents of Lee Kyeong-yeong, Ma Dong-seok, Jo Jin-woong, Jeong Man-sik, Yoon Ji-hye, and is currently set for release sometime in July.
There are a few other exciting features that we really don't have much information on at this stage in the game. Kang Woo-seok's "Two Cops Zero: Two Constables", starring Seol Kyeong-gu, is set during the reign of Seongjong of Joseon (1457-1494) and follows two cops (a veteran and rookie soldier) who put the fear is the noblemen of the time; "Pirates", by Lee Seok-hoon, stars Kim Nam-gil, Son Ye-jin, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Kyeong-yeong, and sees two groups of pirates (one led by a male, the other a female) who are after a whale that has swallowed a royal and rare stamp bestowed on Joseon from China; and Lee Jae-gyoo's "The King's Wrath" stars Hyeon Bin as the young King Jeongjo (1752-1800) struggling during a highly unstable politically period in the nation's history. (An honourable mention to this list, but one that is not set in the past, is Lim Pil-seong's "Madam Bluff" which takes one of the five classic pansori stories-that of Simcheongga by Manjae Song-and retells it this classic tale in the modern era). But the most exciting period feature scheduled for release this year has to be Kim Han-min's "Battle Of Myeongryang": The story of Korea's, if not the world's, greatest admiral Yi Sun-sin and his divine victory against the Japanese in 1597.
There is a lot of fascinating history behind this iconic Korean military leader and his life, and to have his greatest battle enshrined in celluloid is exciting, really exciting! Kim Han-min (who brought us the visually gripping "Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon") has recruited veteran actor Choi Min-sik to play the great man, and the film focuses on the admiral's legendary victory in the Myeongnyang Strait (near Jindo Island) against the Japanese navy. It was a decisive maritime moment that had significant consequences for not only Korea, but also the whole region as one man, commanding just 13 Panokseons, comprehensively defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 133 Japanese warships (with at least 200 ships supporting his fleet). This film really has the historical fodder to make this one of the most iconic historical films to come out of Korea. This intelligent, loyal, and honourable hero has an epic story behind him that involves political conflict, spies, betrayal, bravery, seeming divine intervention, and with Kim at the helm "Battle Of Myeongryang" is ready to set the Korea summer on fire. I've been doing a lot of research into Admiral Yi Sun-sin, and if you are, like I am, bitten by the history bug you might enjoy this detailed article I came across about the life and times of this great and inspirational leader: "ADMIRAL YI SUN-SHIN, THE TURTLE SHIPS, AND MODERN ASIAN HISTORY"
A sceptic with a Western lens might simplify this year's release as simply "Charlie's Angels" ("The Huntresses"), "Kill Bill" ("Memories of the Sword"), "Robin Hood" ("KUNDO : Age of the Rampant"), "Pirates of the Caribbean" ("Pirates"), "Bad Boys" ("Two Cops Zero: Two Constables"), and "300" ("Battle Of Myeongryang"), and although a few of these may indeed be trying to cash in on the historical hype, there is a lot of exciting acting and directing talent here to make anyone think twice of simply equating most of these films to previous foreign flicks and legends. The fact is that historical features are big business and producers are looking for those quick flips that will attract mass interest. Some of the films here are doing that through star power and creative storytelling, others through historical significance; but time will indeed tell us which of these period yarns will have the thread count to mount a meaningful assault on the current historical champs.

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Happy Lunar New Year 2014! 
Lee Byung Hun sends his new year message at the BH Ent Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=590016674417177&set=vb.113828472036002&type=2&theater

Be Healthy (because that's the most important thing) May all your wishes be fullfilled and good luck for the new year, He will meet all his fans with new movie "Hyupyeo" (thanks to mistymorning for gist)

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Thanks to the highlight by @czakhareina at Jeon Do Yeon soompi thread ^^
January 28, 2014
Jeon Do-yeon in Way Back Home and Memories of the SwordFrom Actress to Mother, and Mother to Actress
by Song Soon-jin KOFIC
 
JEON Do-yeon doesn’t like to be coined as the "Queen of Cannes.” The only instance she uses it is when she is jokingly showing off to her husband. Still getting nervous every time she works on a new project, she braces herself for the two newest projects. Way Back Home (directed by PANG Eun-jin) and Memories of the Sword (directed by PARK Heung-sik) are the two. What is interesting is that her role in both films is a mother. In Way Back Home, JEON plays an ordinary house wife, who is also a mother of a little girl that is about the same age as her own daughter, and she is wrongly accused of drug trafficking when she is briefly travelling France and is put into jail for two years. Here, she shows a portrait of a strong mother who never gives up on hope. Also in Memories of the Sword, she turns into a sword warrior, trying to bring up her step daughter as a secretive weapon for revenge. From Happy End (1999), Secret Sunshine (2007), The Housemaid (2010) and Countdown (2011), one gets to wonder how many faces this mother has.

- Since Countdown, it took two years till Way Back Home.
I have had numerous interviews. It has been pretty hard but I am happy that I am getting healthier now. It’s probably because I am in the middle of shooting Memories of Sword, which involves a lot of action. Thanks to that, I don’t get as easily tired even when I am not feeling very well. (laughs) The question I frequently get in an interview is what I have been doing for the last two years. I just lived, I guess, everyday life, just like everyone else. I have a little daughter, so I go to the kindergarten and back home, go grocery shopping, and work out. I have a few drinks sometimes with my friends. Just like others. (laughs)
- JEON Do-yeon as a mother is already familiar on the screen. But in Way Back Home, you look more natural than ever as a mother. Just like in the film, I often sing with my daughter. The person I was in the film is part of my real life, too, and that is how it is reflected, without trying too hard. However, I didn’t think of my daughter when the character I played cried thinking of her daughter. I can tell you one thing for sure: now that I am a mother, I am not afraid of playing a mother on the screen. In Secret Sunshine, I didn’t have a child and I was not married. It made me feel as if my acting as a mother was fraud. The director, LEE Chang-dong, would tell me “just do what you can do,” but it was extremely hard for me. I had no idea why he casted me in the first place. Now I think that maybe, every woman has innate motherhood, and although not usually shown in everyday life, it kicks off with a cue. I guess that’s what he expected when he casted me in Secret Sunshine. - In Way Back Home, Jeong-yeon is scared and desperate at first but becomes calmer and stronger as time goes by. We shot for three weeks in Dominican Republic for the jail scenes and one week at Orly Airport in France. What was three weeks for me was in fact, for Jeon-yeon, two years. Moreover, very tiring and sad things keep happening to her. Her husband is having a hard time too, but he is at least in the real world and has familiar people around him. It is completely different for Jeong-yeon. For her, it is just a chain of drastic episodes, one after another that she has to cope with. That is when I stopped and asked myself, “would she be just sad?” If you get beaten on the same spot several times, your body kind of gets used to it; you endure it better and feel less pain. You become strong, and in a way, indifferent, even asking yourself, “is that all?” That is reality. Jeong-yeon used to be a trusting soul, a naïve housewife, but after two years in the Martinique prison, she must have become stronger and tougher. Towards the end of the movie, she says “I am guilty.” Her resentment on others is now finally on herself. That is how she grew up. 

- Memories of the Sword is your first attempt at a period action drama and the atmosphere is quite different from Way Back Home. 
It has a deep and vast scope of narrative, so for the time being, it’s hard for me to understand the big picture. There are many characters and episodes and I guess it is a story about the feeling of justice in people. I am one of the people with the strongest sense of justice. Does that sound as though I am the main character? (laughs)
- It is your third work together with PARK Heung-sik, along with I Wish I Had a Wife (2000) and My Mother, The Mermaid (2004). He had the idea of Memories of the Sword already when we were working on My Mother, The Mermaid, which was back in 2004. The film is to have three female characters, and he said he wanted one of them to be me. I naturally agreed to take the part. I like his perspective and filmic details very much. Now that I look back on things, I was not at all good enough in I Wish I Had a Wife. For example, there is a scene where Wonju, the main character that I played, had to go back home because she left her cell phone at home when she was already late on her way to work. The director asked me, “don’t you think she would be really mad?” but I didn’t act it well enough. That makes me want to do well in Memories of the Sword all the more. I want to make a clear difference this time. You may want to call it grudge, if you like. (laughs)
- It is somewhat like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) in that she brings up the child into a warrior so she can revenge Dukki (played by LEE Byung-hun) who betrayed his teacher and friends to become the King.
In a way, yes. However, I am not sure if it is going to be a better film than Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but certainly a very different one. PARK has prepared for it for a long time. In his imagination, he has already completed shooting this film several times. (laughs) Unlike in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon where the action is beautiful like a dance, in Memories of the Sword, you will see action that is full of power and emotions.
- Since you received the prize at Cannes, you are praised as one of the most successful actresses in Korean cinema.
I only use the expression “the Queen of Cannes” when I want to playfully show off to my husband. I even tell him that I am among the 100 most influential film people selected by Variety. (laughs) But I have a long way to go. I still have to wait and endure. Actors and actresses have to get chosen, it’s not like they choose their roles. Going through marriage and raising a child, I came to think a lot about life as a mother and a wife. I have lived without too much difficultly, both as a person and as an actress, but marriage has made a big difference. Moreover, I now have a child. I have no choice but to mature as a person. I see clearly how insufficient and incompetent I am as a person and an actress. That makes me shaky and even scared. It is the same when I work. I keep asking myself if I can do it well, and become nervous. People who have been with me long enough say that I am just whining, but it’s really how I feel. However, when I actually start working I manage to do it well, but the worries and anxieties are what propel me. (laughs) By SONG Soon-jin

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새해 복 많이 받으세요 

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February 4, 2014
South Korean cinema aims to make history
THE KOREA HERALDASIA NEWS NETWORK 
SOUTH KOREA'S film industry attained a meaningful achievement in 2013 by selling more than 200 million tickets for the first time in history.
Following this year's success, the country's major film producers recently announced their line-ups for 2014. And it seems like local moviegoers will be bombarded with period blockbusters next year.
Some of the most anticipated films of 2014 are period dramas, including Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon's upcoming martial arts flick "Hyeopnyeo" and "Battle of Myeongryang", a film about legendary Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598).
In the past few years, period dramas have been enjoying increasing popularity in Korea. In 2011, director Kim Han-min's period drama "War of the Arrows" became the highest grossing Korean film of the year, attracting a total of 7,470,633 viewers.
In the following year, another period drama "Masquerade," a fictionalised account of King Gwanghae, the 15th ruler of Joseon, became a massive hit - becoming the second highest grossing film of that year.
"I think the genre is popular because it lets (the moviemakers) combine what is fiction and what is non-fiction," says Jeong Seong-yeop from Lotte Entertainment.
"It gives you a lot of room for imagination, while also giving an opportunity to offer glimpses into Korean history."
Among the period dramas to be released in 2014, "Hyeopnyeo" stars top actor Lee Byung-hun, whose performance as the hapless king in "Masquerade" received much praise, alongside Jeon. Emerging actress Kim Go-eun, who swept Best New Actress prizes in 2012 for her role as a beautiful, reckless teenager in director Jung Ji-woo's sensual drama "Eungyo", will appear as Jeon's daughter.
Jeon, who stars as swordswoman and a mother during Korea's Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) in the upcoming movie, worked with Lee Byung-hun in 1999 for director Lee Young-jae's "The Harmonium in My Memory." It is the first time that the two are co-starring in the same film since then.
Following his success with "War of the Arrows," director Kim Han-min is to return next year with "Battle of Myeongryang." The film stars "Oldboy" and "I Saw the Devil" actor Choi Min-sik as the iconic Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin. It mainly follows the famous 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), where Yi managed to destroy a total of 133 Japanese warships with only 13 ships remaining in his command. The battle, which took place in the Myeongryang Strait off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula, is considered one of the greatest victories of Yi.
Meanwhile, popular actress Son Ye-jin ("My Wife Got Married," "White Night") is returning as a pirate in upcoming period blockbuster "Pirates". The 10 billion-won (Bt308.5 million) project, directed by Lee Seok-hoon ("Dancing Queen"), features adventure with two groups - one made of pirates and the other of bandits - who desperately try to hunt down a whale that swallowed the royal seal of Joseon.
Fans of popular actor Hyun Bin ("Come Rain, Come Shine," "Late Autumn") will be delighted to hear that he is returning next year as King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of Joseon, in a period drama titled "Yeogrin" ("The King's Wrath"). The fictionalised film, directed by former TV producer-director Lee Jae-gyoo ("The Legendary Police Woman", "Beethoven Virus"), deals with the death of the king, who is regarded as one of the most successful rulers of the Joseon Dynasty.

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January 28, 2014
Kim Go-eun, Star of MONSTER and MEMORIES OF THE SWORDTo be Remembered as a Good actress, Not as an Overnight Star by Tae Sang-joon KOFIC



Literally, KIM Go-eun has become an overnight success when it comes to her acting career. As a rising actress, KIM swept almost all of the movie awards in Korea with her role in Eungyo (2012), directed by JUNG Ji-woo (Modern Boy [2008], Happy End [1999]). What is more surprising is that she had no previous experiences in commercial movies before Eungyo, but her performance in the film immediately positioned her as a leading actress of future Korean cinema. It is agreeable when tracing back at what projects she was involved in last year. She took a lead role with LEE Min-gi in director HWANG In-ho’s second film Monster following Spellbound (2011). In this newest title, Memories of the Sword, she is co-starring with two of the most global Korean stars to date, LEE Byung-hun and JEON Do-yeon in Memories of the Sword, directed by PARK Heung-sik (I Wish I Had a Wife [2001], My Mother, the Mermaid [2004]).
“It feels great to hear about my growth in reputation and fame. But since I’m not as widely known as TV celebrities, it doesn’t affect my lifestyle very much. There are not many people that recognize me on the streets. However, one thing that changed after Eungyo is that I’m getting good scripts from renowned directors and screenwriters these days. Now I have a greater chance for my acting career and am very thankful for that.”
Although she is grateful to have been a part of Eungyo, the film was not an easy choice for an actress in her early twenties to make. KIM had decided to pursue her acting career back in high school. She was learning the joy of acting at Korea National University of Arts when she got offered the title role of Eungyo, JUNG Ji-woo’s new project. JUNG, one of the most technically accomplished directors in Korea, was casting the lead role for his new film based on the original story by the distinguished novelist, PARK Bum-shin. Prominent actor PARK Hae-il (The Host [2006], War of the Arrows [2011]) was already casted as her opposite. There seemed to be no reason to turn down the role except that the film required her full-frontal nudity. It was risky especially because Eungyo was going to be her first feature film. Strong nudity in the film might give audiences the wrong impression and could give her a tagline of ‘being naked since the debut film’ throughout her career. 

“While offering the role, director JUNG told me that I should take enough time and make a careful decision, since there was a possibility that this film could become the worst start of my career. I wasn’t sure whether I should do the film or not, but my father gave me the decisive advice. I’ve always told my parents that I don’t want to be a beautiful or a popular actress, but what I want is to be a really good one. The one that doesn’t expose their personal life, but can always be seen in good films. Initially, my father wanted me to start my career in a TV sitcom or a cute coming-of-age film with a fresh and charming role. My father didn’t talk much about Eungyo when I was considering it. He just told me that I would never be able to go back to where I was once I do Eungyo. It was his tacit approval to do the film. That’s when I knew I had to challenge it with a do-or-die attitude, and I was determined to do it.” KIM Go-eun and JEON Do-yeon have special ties. Back in 1999, JEON was starred in JUNG Ji-woo’s Happy End and gave an exceptional revealing performance. Her overall performance in the film received universal acclaim from critics and audiences. However, there were also numerous sensational reports and rumors from yellow journalism offending her on-screen exposure and sex scenes. As a result, JEON had to suffer nervous breakdowns and went into a slump. When she saw KIM’s performance in Eungyo, JEON was naturally reminded of herself in Happy End. “JEON is a great actress full of passion for acting and cinema. She also has an enormous affection for good actors and actresses. She once told me that she was concerned that I might get bad influences or get hurt because of the sudden rise in attention from the public and media, but then was relieved when she found out that I dealt with it quite well. She also told me that she liked me because I seemed tenacious.”, said Kim and smiled.
Furthermore, KIM’s leading role as Bok-soon in the upcoming thriller, Monster, was offered to JEON at first. But JEON had to turn down the role due to the schedule conflicts between Monster and her recent film Way Back Home (2013). Since JEON found the script very intriguing, she was curious about who would land Bok-soon, and it turned out to be KIM Go-eun. “I’ve never seen such a unique character as Bok-soon in Korean cinema so far. Monster follows Bok-soon’s revenge on an inhumane serial killer who took her only sister’s life. Bok-soon is very eccentric that she contains both sides of sanity and insanity. She talks in a much exaggerated manner as if she were an anime character, especially the one from Slam Dunk, an extremely popular Japanese animation series from 1990s about high school basketball team. It was crucial to keep a consistent tone in acting and dialogues. I thoroughly realized the virtue of moderation in acting thanks to Monster.” 

Now she is in the middle of filming Memories of the Sword. To be a part of the film feels almost surreal to her, since she could be in the same frame with JEON Do-yeon, her long time role model. “Each actor have different filming schedules, and I haven’t had a chance to be in the same scene with JEON Do-yeon or LEE Byung-hun yet. One day, I went to the set and director PARK Heung-sik showed me some scenes with JEON and LEE together filmed from the day before. It was so touching that I bursted into tears, even though it wasn’t a super emotional scene. That’s when I finally realized I was in the same film with those two great actors. I felt tremendous responsibility at the same time since I have to meet their standards, and not get a free ride on their reputation.”
Now at the age of 24, KIM is particularly keen on watching romance movies. She loves tear-jerking The Notebook (2004) and witty 500 days of Summer (2009). Someday, she wants to do a serious romance movie like KIM Tae-yong’s Late Autumn (2010) as well, in which TANG Wei and HYUN Bin created impressive chemistry. “I want to bring out the sensitivity that I can express the best at my age, such as pain of love and anxiety about the future. There is a time for everything and I think I can do it very well now. The problem is, I never get romance movie scripts. Directors out there, please contact me when you are planning one,” she said and smiled again. Audiences may be able to anticipate seeing her in a delightful romance movie in the near future.
By TAE Sang-joon

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January 28, 2014
Jeon Do-yeon, Korean Cinema's Leading ActressHer Past, Present and Future   by Kim Hyung-seok KOFIC


When asked who their role model is, rookie actresses will mostly mention the name JEON Do-Yeon. Not only is she looked up by many young actresses and is among the most trustworthy names that audiences of Korean cinema rely on, she is a world star who has won a prize at Cannes International Film Festival. However, it is not to say Jeon is flawless. She is far from being charismatic or glamorous on the screen. Her nasal voice is often made fun of by comedians. She is not a defined character who only fits for a specific genre film. Being rather short and smallish, she is not remarkably impressive and strong looking, she is more like an audience than a star. Among her fellow actors and actresses, she probably received the least attention at first. However, she is currently almost the only survivor of them all, and now is the time to think over her real power.
Looking back on her filmography from the vantage point of view, it seems her acting career is divided into before Secret Sunshine (2007) and after Secret Sunshine. From her debut The Contact (1997) to You Are My Sunshine (2005), her consistent theme was love. “The reason why I am obsessed with love is..… my lack of it,” says the actress, and creates her personas based on such lack. It was rather natural for her, because she is the type of actress who only acts with what she already has in her. “For some actors and actresses, a total creation of a persona would be possible, but that is not the case with me. I have never played a character that is completely different from myself.” 
Suhyun in The Contact believes in fatal love, just like her line suggests: “you always meet the one that you are meant to meet.” Hee-su in The Promise (1998) risks everything for love. The 17 year old girl Hong-yeon in The Harmonium in My Memory (1999) is anxious about her love for her teacher. Bora in Happy End (1999) is a married woman but secretly falls in love with another man. Wonju in I wish I had a Wife (2000) slowly grows her love for a man in her banal, quotidian life. A brutal action genre movie as it is, No Blood No Tears (2002) is still a love story for her. “I wanted to be in this movie because of the desperate love between Sujin and Dokbul (played by JUNG Jae-young). I don’t think I’ll ever get away from a love story. Whatever genre scenarios I may read, I’ll always go for a love story.” Her following steps prove this. Lady Suk in Untold Scandal (2003) discovers hidden love inside her. In My Mother, The Mermaid (2004), where she played both the daughter and the mother, Na-young goes back to the past and helps her mother complete her first love. Eunha in You Are My Sunshine (2005) falls in love as if she was destined to.
 JEON’s filmography is somewhat odd, when you think of the fact that most top class actors and actresses are known for their ability to switch from one character to another. Of course she presented a wide variety of films, she even played in extremely different films like The Harmonium in my Memory and Happy End in the same year, and acted in all kind of genres including period film and action genre. However, her characters were within one consistent theme of love, and they were pretty much the same person with different ways of expressing her love. The audiences still do not complain for the narrowness of her acting because she is so freely moving in each persona. She acts without obsession. There is no such thing as Jeon’s acting principles. She once said that her every character is like her real person in one way or another. Her acting is powerful because of this. She does not attempt to transform herself into a new character, and does not refer to any texts. She is self sufficient, and is stimulated by her own self. Maybe that is why she confesses that “I suffer from depression every time I am done with a film” 
However, her filmography meets a big turn after her 10th film, Secret Sunshine. Now love is not the absolute value for her anymore. In Secret Sunshine, she came out of fantasy and went towards the extremity of suffering. LEE Chang-dong, the director, demanded the kind of emotion that she never expected to have, and she finally broke her own shell. Even if her acting career stopped at You Are My Sunshine, Jeon would still remain a great actress in Korean cinema. Indeed, many actors and actresses bump into a plateau every now and then, and slowly go down once they hit the peak of their career, being fully satisfied. However, since her wedding and award at Cannes International Film Festival, Jeon became even stronger, challenging harder. In My Dear Enemy (2008), she is a spinster in a lowly life, and Euni the housemaid in The Housemaid (2010) is an ambitious woman with desire for success, and she even played a swindler in Countdown (2011). And finally, in Way Back Home (2013), she is a housewife who lost her home, husband and child and put in a jail for two years in a foreign country that she had never been to. A spinster, housemaid, swindler and housewife… If you compare them to her previous characters as a woman in love, her current personas have a coarse skin and many wrinkles. As KIM Haery, a film critic, once said, she now has “the kind of beauty that can be mistaken as being ordinary.” As if replying to such evaluations, JEON once said in an interview: “What is  the most beautiful is when I do my best in what I can.”
Her next film is Memories of the Sword, directed by PARK Heung-sik (My Mother, The Mermaid and I Wish I Had a Wife) where she partners with LEE Byung-hun again who she acted with in The Harmonium in My Memory. And be warned, this is a martial art action film, and this actress in her 40s is busy with her martial art training. And this is how Jeon tries to overcome her own self.
By KIM Hyung-seok(Film Critic)

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A couple of Hyeopyeo captures highlighted at LBH DC<3
If not mistaken, it's the chamber of Deok-gi (LBH's character)

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February 21, 2014
Kim Go-eun to come back in vicious revenge tale
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald
Actress Kim Go-eun, who made an impressive breakthrough in filmmaker Jung Ji-woo’s critically acclaimed 2012 sensual drama “Eungyo (A Muse),” is making a comeback as a vengeful mad woman in her upcoming movie. 
Kim made her acting debut in Jung’s 2012 film as Eun-gyo, a teenager who becomes the subject of desire for Lee Jeok-yo (Park Hae-il), a renowned poet in his 70s. The film received much attention for its subject matter as well as its depiction of sexuality. Kim, who had never appeared in a film or TV series before shooting “Eungyo,” won the role through an audition, beating some 300 contestants. 
After sweeping best new actress awards for her performance as the teen in 2012, including at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards, Kim is making a comeback in her second feature film, which is a vicious revenge thriller. 
In the upcoming film “Monster,” Kim stars as Bok-soon, a young woman whose younger sibling was brutally murdered by ruthless killer Tae-soo (Lee Min-ki). The grieving woman has a developmental disability, and almost becomes psychotic when she finds out her brother is dead. With uncontrollable anger, madness and limited mental ability, she plans revenge against Tae-soo. Actor Lee Min-ki, who gave a memorable performance last year in Roh Deok’s romance “Very Ordinary Couple,” is starring as the cruel killer. The film is slated to open in early March.
Kim is also starring in “Hyeopnyeo,” an upcoming period epic that takes place in Korea’s Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). Prominent actress Jeon Do-yeon and hallyu star Lee Byung-hun co-star in the film. Kim plays the role of the daughter of a master swordswoman, who will be played by actress Jeon.

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January 25, 2014
[HanCinema's Afterwords] KOFIC Podcast Review - Ep. 5http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-afterwords-kofic-podcast-review--ep-5-65393.html

In this Episode: Pierce has a chat with film critic Jason Bechervaise about six period films coming in 2014…
KOFIC recently launched "Korean Cinema Today", a bimonthly podcast that's all about the wonderful world of Korean cinema. Hosted by Pierce Conran, the show features the latest Korean cinema news, features, discussions, and interviews with special guests from the industry.
In episode 5 Pierce has Korean film critic, journalist and academic Jason Bechervaise in studio to discuss the host of period films coming our way in 2014.
Before the two get to discussing some of this year's hottest historical flicks, Pierce starts the show by mentioning some current Korean film news. The two winners of CJ E&M's "Butterfly Project" were announced this month (an initiative launch back in 2010 to support up-and-coming filmmaking talents) and the competition chose Jo Seul-ye for "Young A's Silence" and Choi Jeong-yeol's "Glory Days" as the winners. These nascent filmmakers where selected from 79 submission (then whittled down to 11 hopefuls), and may still be awarded KRW 300 million ($290,000) to help fund their features.
North American audiences will soon have the chance to watch the big blockbuster "The Attorney". Yang Woo-seok's hit came in late last year to claim a top ten finish, and has recently pass the 10 million admissions mark locally. The film, which stars that unstoppable Song Kang-ho, will be released in 14 major cities on Feb. 7-so if you in that side of the world be sure to catch it when and where you can. Pierce then gives us some festival news from around the world, mentioning Korea's best indie film "The Fake"; a film Jason describes as a "stupendous feature" that's dark, disturbing, and "full of substance".
Some casting news was also shared. Ryoo Seung-wan's "Veteran" (the story of a detective on the trail of a plutocrat) will star Hwang Jeong-min alongside Yoo Ah-in in an exciting crime drama. The final figures for 2013 (Korea's biggest year to date) were also given. 213 million tickets were sold during the record-breaking year, 127 million of which came from Korean features. Nine of the country's top ten films were local flicks, a truly remarkable achievement that few countries can claim and it's a testament to the growing support local flicks are receiving.  
"The Face Reader" was the only period film to be released last year, but 2014 has a host of them lined up that will be hoping to attract big crowds throughout the year. Before presenting six of this year's hopefuls, Pierce and Jason briefly mention some of the period yarns that have done extremely well in the past and that they enjoyed. The big past hits include "Masquerade", "The King and the Clown", "The Face Reader", "Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon", and "The Grand Heist". Korean period films have been a constant feature in Korea's film history, but they have become scrumptious cash cows that many producers and companies are hoping to see slaughter this year. Jason and Pierce note that modern period films have become fast-paced, are less didactic, contain more "body humour", and are generally more contemporary in their story-telling style and approach to the genre.
The big six period films coming in 2014 include: "The Huntresses", "KUNDO : Age of the Rampant", "The King's Wrath", "Pirates", "Memories of the Sword", and "Battle Of Myeongryang" (aka "Roaring Currents"). Jason has his eye on Kim Han-min's "Battle Of Myeongryang" and Park Heung-sik's "Memories of the Sword", while Pierce adds that "KUNDO : Age of the Rampant" is likely to do rather well. Be sure to take a listen to the podcast to hear these two insiders share their thoughts on them all though.
Pierce closes this episode out by putting Park Chan-kyong's "Mansin: Ten Thousand Spirits" in focus; a documentary by Park Chan-wook's brother that made its world premiere at the DMZ film festival last year. Although the film is about Korea's national shaman, Pierce tells us that the film doesn't go into too much detail about actual shamanism and instead personalises its impressive tale through colourful and immersive/dynamic filmmaking, percussive music, and extensive reconstructions. Should be worth a watch.

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Lee Junho and Kim Goeun, last day of shooting in Damyang

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February 18, 2014
PM’s Junho wants to get closer with Lee Byunghun
by dini Ttwigo.com
2PM’s actor-singer Junho wants to be closer with South Korean megastar actor Lee Byunghun. He has the opportunity to co-star with the actor who debuted in 1995 1991, in the historical-action latest movie “Memories of the Sword”.
“It was an honour for me in this movie to work with Lee Byunghun whom I really like and admire,” the idol said, during an interview with Japanese magazine “Shukan Josei”.
Junho who has gained a lot of attentions since he acted in movie “Cold Eyes”, is also very happy to receive many advises from his idol.
“He is a very humorous person, and I found his advices really helpful!” he continued.
“I really want to become closer with him in general as well,” he uttered.

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February 25, 2014
임태훈‏@taehoon1815
얼마전의 영화 '협녀-칼의기억'의 촬영을 모두 끝냈습니다.모든스텝분들 수고많으셨습니다.좋은 추억하나 간직합니다. pic.twitter.com/B4BplzPw9F
Filming of Hyeopyeo: Memories of the Sword has ended. Thank you to all the hardworking staff, let's keep the good memories.