So Ji Sub 소지섭 - Best Korean Actor & Rapper -

[myhaneul]

Always so caring and sweet... 

 

 

[myhaneul]

 

[myhaneul]

 

[killarhee]

 

[killarhee]

 

 

[willenette]

7 hours ago, myhaneul said:

 

 

Hi myhaneul, thanks for sharing this. Can't wait for the movie - so near - this week!I hope it will be a box-office HIT!

[salad71]

more pictures coming up....Happy Monday 

 

[willenette]

(Movie Review) 'The Battleship Island': World War II summer blockbuster underwhelms

 

By Chang Dong-woo

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- A lot is riding on the success of "The Battleship Island," one of this year's biggest homegrown summer tentpole movies. The project has attracted huge attention since first announced for its inspiration from the atrocities and ordeals faced by hundreds of forced Korean coal miners and sex slaves at Japan's Hashima Island, nicknamed "Battleship Island" after its resemblance to a warship, during World War II.

Written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, the action drama movie is the latest in the series of TV shows and movies from South Korea that shed light on Japan's problematic past, especially amid the controversial listing of the site as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2015. UNESCO recommended Tokyo implement measures to explain its full history, but no action has been taken yet.

Besides its inherent political-diplomatic cause, "The Battleship Island" is also a big bet for CJ E&M, being one of the more expensive South Korean films to-date. Against a budget of 25 billion won (US$22.3 million), the movie has to sell more than 7 million tickets to break even.

Spoiler

Ryoo, a critically and commercially well-respected filmmaker whose works include "The Unjust" (2010), "The Berlin File" (2013) and "Veteran" (2015), was handed several balls to juggle: craft an emotional-yet-persuasive prosecution of Japan's past war crimes that the world can relate to, and also deliver a satisfactory summer popcorn blockbuster that ensures financial success. Similar to last year's "Operation Chromite," its a "too big to fail" type of movie for CJ and -- depending on who you ask -- for the country as well.

The film is based on and inspired by records of the island, but the story itself is from Ryoo and co-writer Shin Kyung-il's imagination (there is no record of a massive evacuation like what happens in the film). With an ensemble cast, the plot, set near the end of the war in 1945, is carried out from the perspective of ordinary characters who come from different walks of society.

Hwang Jung-min plays Kang-ok, a talented musician who boards a ship to Hashima with his band mates and young daughter, So-hee, played by child actress Kim Soo-ahn. He believes he's heading to mainland Japan with the dream of making it big in the music scene there.

 

So Ji-sub plays a former gangster named Chil-sung, and actress Lee Jung-hyun is cast as Mal-nyeon, a comfort woman who becomes the spiritual leader among the Korean women brought to the island. Song Joong-ki portrays Moo-young, a special forces agent with the Korean Liberation Army, who infiltrates the island to rescue a key independence movement figure.

The expose-style storytelling is heavy on depicting the harrowing working conditions on the island. Ryoo successfully visualizes the hell-like conditions to which Koreans were subjected. Workers are thrust into dark and cramped underground tunnels, arousing a feeling of claustrophobia to viewers. Laborers are forced to work with zero safety equipment and hence, as expected in such a film, hell breaks loose via an accidental gas explosion, leading to mass casualties.

Women are subject to working at brothels and bars. People at times do attempt to flee the island but those who successfully breach the security perimeter meet their doom on the high seas.

As dire as things are, the Koreans do form a community led by Yoon Hak-chul, played by Lee Kyung-young, who acts as their spiritual leader and mediator when interacting with the Japanese bigwigs. They are also portrayed as human, as in placing personal interest ahead of common sense, sometimes at the expense of kowtowing to their oppressors. Ryoo said he didn't want to make a movie where the good-evil division was so obvious.

The Japanese oppressors, on the other hand, are your typical brutal and authoritative figures. As expected, they are ruthless and exploitative. And without exception, they all come off as one-dimensional, which seems a rather dull approach, especially in comparison to how the Koreans in the film are multi-faceted.

The production is highly detailed and intricate, with CJ having created a full-size set, albeit scaled two-thirds to the real-life Hashima Island, spanning 66,000 square meters in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The structural layout of Hashima -- which was basically a city divided into the subjugated Korean population and the privileged Japanese community -- was reconstructed 1:1 to the actual site as much as possible including coal mines, a dock, a school building for young Japanese children and a red light district.

A still from "The Battleship Island" provided by CJ E&M (Yonhap)

The cinematography is mostly dark and bland but it's obviously by choice. Viewers never feel visually bored thanks to the range of environments on the set. But the movie could have done a better job in conveying a sense of scale of the island, as a lot of shots, besides the final battle sequence, were filmed in underground caves or in rooms with intentionally bleak lighting.

So how does the movie stack up? With a huge budget and an star-studded cast, it's obvious that "The Battleship Island" is trying to do a lot of things at once. But the film ultimately ends up falling on its own sword, leaving viewers unimpressed by what could have been both an exciting and emotional summer blockbuster.

The problem that stands out the most is that it's hard for viewers to emotionally invest in any of its major characters. Supposedly Kang-ok is the main figure that anchors the film throughout. But the character, for the most part, comes off as too light-hearted and comedic for the part. Song and So's characters are also underwritten and so one-dimensional that they seem derivative, with their actions and behavior hardly bearing any meaning or weight.

It's not just the character development but also the overall screenwriting and editing that could have been drastically improved. The movie has a major plot twist that leads to Song's character deciding to abort his given mission and evacuate all Koreans. But it comes out of nowhere with zero foreshadowing and fails to emotionally register with viewers, leaving them almost indifferent to his cause.

Another big problem with "The Battleship Island" is that the movie lacks a sense of reality and practicality when it comes to action. This is seen eespecially during the final battle sequences, to the point of breaking the movie's suspension of disbelief. Song's character is unrealistically invincible even by Hollywood blockbuster standards. It is hard to discuss the details without getting into spoiler territory, but logistics-wise an operation of evacuating hundreds should feel much more difficult to pull off.

Given the subject matter, the film's strong anti-Japanese message is clearly an unavoidable aspect. But it's hard to shrug off the impression that the producers intentionally dialed up the anti-Japanese sentiment -- there is a highly choreographed scene in which Kang-ok slashes a giant "Rising Sun" flag in half during the evacuation -- for the purpose of supposed "patriotic marketing."

   "The Battleship Island" hits theaters July 26.

The cast of "The Battleship Island" poses during a publicity event in Seoul on July 19, 2017. From left are cast members Song Joong-ki, Lee Jung-hyun, So Ji-sub, Kim Soo-ahn and Hwang Jung-min. (Yonhap)

 

odissy@yna.co.kr

(END)

credit : Yonhap News

Spoiler

 

 

 

[willenette]

[Movie preview] 'Battleship Island' portrays battle between history and commercialism

 

By Yun Suh-young

The title of the movie "The Battleship Island" (Gunhamdo) refers to Hashima Island, off the coast of Nagasaki in Japan which was said to look like a battleship. The island was owned by the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi who turned the entire island into a coal mining factory with which they made huge sums of money.

In the 1940s, during Japan's colonization of Korea, the Japanese brought in Korean laborers to the island, tricking them into thinking that they would make a good living, when the reality was they would be forced into harsh underground labor (1 kilometer below sea level) mining coal. A large number of Koreans were drafted to work there from 1943 to 1945.

Many individual attempts were made to escape the island, but in vain, as the fierce tides swallowed them up. Even those who did manage to swim to Nagasaki, did not live long _ they died from the United States' bombing of the region.

The story of this tragedy was made into a film by Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan and will open in theaters July 26.

In Ryoo's version of the story, however, the Korean laborers make a bold attempt to escape the island, not individually, but as a group. It more or less becomes a "battle" between the escapers and the Japanese enslavers inside the "battleship" island as well as a battle between history and fiction and commercialism as the storyline begins to blur in confusion.

"Since I am not a documentary producer, I wanted the Koreans in my world to escape from that island. I think that's the prerogative of a movie director. It's also my personal hope expressed through imagination," said Ryoo during a press preview held Wednesday.

"I did not intend to educate people on the history of the island in the beginning. That was not my first intent. But as I filmed, I felt an urge to let the word out, more out of responsibility. What initially inspired me to create this film was a photograph of the island which made me imagine what would have happened inside it."

As evident in Ryoo's past works such as "Berlin" and "Veteran," the director's work is more about action than anything else. Battleship Island is no exception. Whereas it begins looking like a historical film, it turns into an action thriller half way through and resembles a Hollywood blockbuster with superhero characters.

The film features a star-studded cast including Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong-ki, Lee Jung-hyun and Kim Soo-ahn but because of the multi-casting of several big names, none seem to stand out. Song Joong-ki is the superhero character in this film, suddenly appearing out of nowhere to lead the mass out of the mess. He is a member of the Office of Strategic Services, trying to rescue independence fighters. So, who used to play main characters in other movies, now seems secondary to Song. He is the macho hero, leader of a Korean gang, who backs up Song to protect the crowd. Singer-turned-actress Lee Jung-hyun's existence is buried under other characters. She plays a comfort woman who is strong and courageous. But the real gems in this film are Hwang Jung-min and the 11-year-old Kim Soo-ahn, who plays his daughter. The father and daughter combo, who perform in a band, makes this film come to life, giving the audience laughter and warmth.

Why did Ryoo turn this into an escape film?

"Three reasons. First, I interpreted escaping the island as escaping from the tangled past. There's future only when the past is cleared," he said.

"I also thought it was an escape from Hell Joseon. I think I subconsciously desired that," he said, expressing a rather pessimistic view.

"But I also like escape films. I have watched them since I was young and desired one day to make one of my own."

Ryoo said there is "no such thing as a must-see movie."

"It is your choice to see it or not. But I think it is necessary to know the history of Gunhamdo," he said.

The Hashima coal mine and 23 industrial relics of the Meiji Revolution were listed as UNESCO's World Heritage in 2015, under great difficulty. It was accepted, however, under the condition, strongly demanded by the Korean government and supported by UNESCO, that Japan clearly states the unbiased history of the island including the forced labor of Koreans and that they establish an information center on the island.

The Japanese government had to accept this demand and is obliged to report to the UNESCO on its plan of action by the end of the year. The international community is keeping an eye on it to ensure that the Japanese government implements its commitments made to UNESCO in July 2015 so that the world cannot forget the atrocities perpetrated by imperial Japan.

 

credit : Korea Times

[willenette]

So Ji Sub Talks About Yoo Seung Ho’s Resemblance To Him And Describes Him As An “Angel”

 

 

On July 24, at an interview for his new movie “The Battleship Island,” So Ji Sub talked about his look-alike, Yoo Seung Ho, and asked if they still looked alike.

During his child actor days, Yoo Seung Ho had gathered attention for his uncanny resemblance to So Ji Sub. The two actors seem to be quite close today as well. Yoo Seung Ho mentioned So Ji Sub at a recent interview to support “The Battleship Island” and attended the movie’s VIP press conference on July 20.

So Ji Sub said, “He called me after the VIP press conference and said he enjoyed the movie,” and continued, “He’s like an angel. He grew up so upright that I thought it would have been better for him to have some more fun. I’m thinking he’s probably having a little more fun now.”

The interviewer asked So Ji Sub if he himself is having fun and enjoying his life, to which he responded, “I try to enjoy [life]. Making music and doing exercise are the efforts I’ve been making to do so.” So Ji Sub has been periodically releasing albums as a rapper since 2008. He explained that he could talk about himself in his music, and doing so made it easier for him when he’s acting.

Regarding exercise, he stated, “I like exercising so much that it’s a stress reliever. I use a lot of my energy on working out. My joints aren’t in good condition, and somehow they hurt more when I don’t exercise. I try to work out everyday.”

Meanwhile, “The Battleship Island” premieres on July 26 and stars Song Joong Ki, Hwang Jung Min, Lee Jung Hyun, and Kim Soo Ahn.

 

Source (1) / soompi news

[mabelialong]

[rubie]

July 24, 2017

(Yonhap Interview) So Ji-sub: Filming 'The Battleship Island' was mentally tense

By Chang Dong-woo and Kim Hee-sun

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- Before he was offered a major role in "The Battleship Island," So Ji-sub admitted he wasn't aware of exactly what he was getting himself into. Back then, all So cared for was the chance at collaborating with his long-time filmmaker hero, director Ryoo Seung-wan.

Only after agreeing to join the project and receiving the screenplay did So realize what he was about to face: an epic war movie about the atrocities faced by hundreds of forced Korean coal miners and sex slaves at Japan's Hashima Island during World War II. He suddenly realized this wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

Actor So Ji-sub, star of upcoming South Korean blockbuster movie "The Battleship Island," poses for the camera in a photo provided by the 51K Company. (Yonhap)

"I accepted the offer without even reading the screenplay because I wanted to work in a movie with director Ryoo Seung-wan. It was physically difficult, but more grueling was the pressures from the fact that the real-life Battleship Island was its subject matter," So said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

"After news came out of the film's production, the pressure intensified after Battleship Island itself became a big issue," he added, referring to the controversial listing of the site as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2015. UNESCO recommended Tokyo implement measures to explain its full history, but no action has been taken yet.

The actor said he asked himself, "Can I serve this movie, can I deliver my character well?" In his first acting job in two years, So plays Choi Chil-sung, a former gangster who ends up on Hashima Island as one of the hundreds of forced Korean coal miners.

The 41-year-old actor, who's first big breakout role was in KBS 2TV's "I'm Sorry, I Love You," said Chil-sung's character resembles that of his own. But the role was distinctive from his past works.

"Compared to my past characters who tended to have a cold heart and were mostly quiet, Chil-sung has fiery emotions," So said.

"It was cathartic to deliver a burning performance, but it seems as if there's not much left inside of me. It's as if I've coughed out everything that was inside."

With an all-star cast, including Song Joong-ki and Hwang Jung-min, and a massive production, "The Battleship Island" is one of the more expensive South Korean films to date. Against a budget of 25 billion won (US$22.3 million), the movie has to sell more than 7 million tickets to break even.

"I hope the combined audience surpasses 10 million. It has to break even in order to produce similar movies in the future. I hope those who have worked hard on the movie can be compensated."

  

Actor So Ji-sub, star of the upcoming South Korean blockbuster "The Battleship Island," poses for the camera in a photo provided by the 51K Company. (Yonhap)

When asked about his thoughts on marriage, So said he has no plans for the time being.

"Until a while ago, I was burdened with the pressure of having to get married. But being over 40 now, I'm finding my current state comfortable," said So, adding that he wants to find a person to date for now.

"The Battleship Island" is expected to make a strong opening day performance on Wednesday, becoming the most reserved film, with a 65.1 percent reservation rate, as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.

odissy@yna.co.kr

[mabelialong]

Korean stars Song Joong-ki, So Ji-sub and Hwang Jung-min are coming to KL!

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Ultra-popular South Korean heartthrobs Song Joong-ki and So Ji-sub as well as award-winning actor Hwang Jung-min will be making their way to our shores on Aug 9 to promote their latest war action flick The Battleship Island.

Also attending the promotional event is the motion picture’s high-octane writer-director Ryoo Seung-wan (Veteran, The Berlin File, The Unjust).

i'm so happy to hear this newa

below so ji sub 2008

[salad71]

Fans of Singapore and Malaysia.....our Hero is coming to town. The dates have been confirmed 8th Aug - Singapore and 9th Aug - Malaysia. Definitely not a drill... Let's welcome our One and Only with warm love and loud bang.

Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong Ki and director Ryoo Seung-wan will be in Kuala Lumpur for the The Battleship Island Star Tour. The Battleship Island tells the story of how three men come up with plan to escape a forced labour camp in Hashima Island in Nagasaki, Japan with hundreds of other captives during the Japanese colonial era.

 

 

[willenette]

 

*** SJS is busy nowadays promoting the upcoming movie............. He's really watching the show consistently since he knows what's going on in the show.

 

***************************************************************************

So Ji Sub Talks About His Love For “Show Me The Money 6” And Predicts The Winner

 

 

Known to be a huge fan of hip hop, actor So Ji Sub recently expressed his love for Mnet’s hit program “Show Me the Money.”

When asked whether he’s been watching the latest season, he answered, “I’ve been watching the show consistently. I think Nucksal will win this season.”

So Ji Sub has actually released quite a few hip hop albums during his career. When asked if he had any plans to go on “Show Me the Money,” he responded, “I don’t want to be stressed.”

The actor then implied that he was planning on releasing more tracks in the future, saying, “I make music because I love it.”

Have you listened to any of So Ji Sub’s music?

 

Source (1) / soompi news

[willenette]

Song Joong-ki and So Ji-sub in 'The Battleship Island' press preview Q&A session

 

 

 

 

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- Actors Song Joong-ki and So Ji-sub attended a news conference for their new film "The Battleship Island" on July 19.

Written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan of "Veteran" (2014), the local historical action film depicts Koreans' desperate attempt to escape coal mines on Japan's Hashima Island where they were forced to work during World War II, when Korea was a colony of Japan. It also features Hwang Jung-min, Kim Soo-ahn and Lee Jung-hyun.

The movie is set to open on July 26.

 

(END)

 

credit : Yonhap News

[willenette]

4 hours ago, salad71 said:

Fans of Singapore and Malaysia.....our Hero is coming to town. The dates have been confirmed 8th Aug - Singapore and 9th Aug - Malaysia. Definitely not a drill... Let's welcome our One and Only with warm love and loud bang.

Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong Ki and director Ryoo Seung-wan will be in Kuala Lumpur for the The Battleship Island Star Tour. The Battleship Island tells the story of how three men come up with plan to escape a forced labour camp in Hashima Island in Nagasaki, Japan with hundreds of other captives during the Japanese colonial era.

 

 

 

Hi salad, thanks for sharing this info - Ye, I heard that they will have a Malaysia Star Tour for the movie & this will be happening on August 9, 2017. The movie opens nationwide on August 17, 2017.

[willenette]

So Ji Sub and Song Joong Ki ''Battleship Island' Media Interview Photos 24 July 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

source : http://sunshineemine.blogspot.com.tr/2017/07/so-ji-sub-and-song-joong-ki-battleship.html

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[salad71]

Very stylish by our Jisub ssi...Man of Today in Hugo Boss during the CGV Star Live Talk. 

Credit : IG

An another in Christian Dior....worn during the Movie Media Premier VIP Event. They both looked good in slim ties but nonetheless polka dot is always my favourite

 

 

 

[willenette]

3 hours ago, salad71 said:

Very stylish by our Jisub

An another in Christian Dior....worn during the Movie Media Premier VIP Event. They both looked good in slim ties but nonetheless polka dot is always my favourite

 

 

 

Hi salad, thanks for sharing the details of SJS's clothes.....NICE brands................Like you, I also love anything polka dot.....

 

________________________________________________________

 

 

July 26, 2017

 

'The Battleship Island' headed towards big opening at box office

 

"The Battleship Island," a new South Korean World War II blockbuster film, is set to make an opening day splash on Wednesday, with nearly 600,000 tickets having been reserved on the release date.

According to the computerized tally from the Korean Film Council, the number of ticket reservations for the film stood at 594,370 as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, accounting for 70.1 percent of all movie reservations for the day.

The film, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and starring Hwang Jung-min, Song Joong-ki and So Ji-sub, is expected to overtake "Dunkirk," the current No. 1 film at the box office. 

 

(CJ E&M)

"The Mummy," a Hollywood film starring Tom Cruise, holds the record for the biggest opening day performance in South Korea, drawing in 872,965 moviegoers on its premiere day. "Roaring Currents," the biggest-grossing film in the country to-date, was watched by 682,701 viewers on release day.

"The Battleship Island" is one of the more expensive South Korean films to-date. Against a budget of 25 billion won ($22.3 million), the movie has to sell more than 7 million tickets to break even.

The movie has attracted huge attention since it was first announced for its inspiration from the atrocities and ordeals faced by hundreds of forced Korean coal miners and sex slaves at Japan's Hashima Island, nicknamed "Battleship Island" after its resemblance to a warship, during World War II. (Yonhap)