Here’s the first still from the upcoming film The Demolished Man, starring Kim Myung Min as a church pastor. The film tells the story of a pastor whose daughter goes missing. Afterwards, he gives up his position in the church and divorces his wife, and after eight years, the kidnapper suddenly contacts him, revealing that his daughter is still alive.

The film is directed by Woo Min Ho (who appears not to have directed anything in the past ten years), and the super-talented Eom Ki Joon has been cast as the kidnapper, with Park Ju Mi playing Kim Myung Min’s ex-wife. Filming began in January. The Demolished Man plans to hit theatres in the first half of the year.

Kim Myung Min looks like he really suits the role, huh? Then again, when does he not suit a role? Heh. And I’m slavering to see Eom Ki Joon in character! Talk about great casting, huh? Two delicious men with amazing acting chops in one movie…I can’t wait!

(Via Newsen)

Oooh, delish.

The first official still from the upcoming Im Sang Soo film The Housemaid (which is a remake of the classic 1960 Kim Ki Young film) has been released. An erotic suspense film, it tells the story of an older housemaid who begins working for a young couple, and the illicit relations she falls into with the husband. This particular still is from a scene where Hoon, Lee Jung Jae’s character, enters Eun-yi’s (Jeon Do Yeon) room at night. Also cast are Seo Woo as the young wife and veteran actress Yoon Yeo Jung as an older housemaid who realizes what is going on between Hoon and Eun-yi.

Filming began on the 3rd, and plans to continue until the end of February. The Housemaid plans to hit theatres in the latter half of the year.

Love the atmosphere in the still. Love Jeon Do Yeon. And I think Lee Jung Jae seems to suit the atmosphere quite well. Can’t wait for some stills of Seo Woo and Yoon Yeo Jung to be released as well. This is definitely a film one can expect good things from, what with that cast and the director. Squee!

(Via Sports Khan)

OH MAH GAWD. What is with the amazing casting news lately?

Director Kim Ji Woon (of A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life, and The Good, The Bad and the Weird fame) and actor Lee Byung Hun are teaming up for the third time for the upcoming action noir film I Saw The Devil. It tells the story of a man who loses his fiancee to a psychopath, and his subsequent chase of the killer. Lee has yet to sign the final contract, but they’re under serious discussions at the moment.

Meanwhile, veteran actor Choi Min Shik has already been signed on to play the psychopath. I Saw The Devil plans to start filming next month.

I loved, I mean I LOVED A Bittersweet Life. Now that was a noir done right. Kim Ji Woon has already proven his proficiency for that, and while Lee Byung Hun has been starring in a few stinkers lately (G.I. Joe was literally painful to watch), he’s certainly proven that he can act well in a noir, and act the hell out of it, actually. And do I really need to mention Choi Min Shik? We all know he’s one of the best actors in Korea.

Now I’m just wondering who’ll play the fiancee (will she be a big role?)…

SQUEE.

(Via Seoul News)

Ah, it’s been a while. I’ve been internet-free the past few days due to personal matters, and it’s taking me a while to catch up on all the K-entertainment news I’ve missed. So I figured it was high time for a K-News Bites post. Don’t you agree?

• The producers of We Got Married (Season 2) would like everyone to know that the rumours of one of its current couples, Ga In (of girlgroup Brown Eyed Girls) and Jo Kwon (of 2PM) leaving the show are NOT true. We Got Married has been enjoying a rise in popularity lately, garnering top ratings for its timeslot. It currently has only two couples onboard, the aforementioned (very popular) couple Ga In and Jo Kwon, and the newly-”married” couple Hwangwoo Seul Hye and Lee Seon Ho. Netizens have been posting on the official website wondering if Ga In and Jo Kwon were really leaving the show, and the producers wanted to set these rumours to rest once and for all. But speaking from experience here, when it comes to We Got Married you never really know anything for sure. I’m frankly quite glad that I stopped watching long ago, but I’m curious: Anyone still watching this? Do the couples have any spark to them at all?
• Actress Lee Da Hae has posted self-taken pictures on her cyworld of her and co-star Oh Ji Ho behind the scenes of the currently airing (and madly well-made) sageuk Chuno (aka Slave Hunters). They look cute, don’t they? (And yes, I know this isn’t terribly newsworthy, but…but…It’s Chuno! How could I resist, really?)
• Top stars Jang Dong Gun, Hwang Jung Min, Kim Seung Woo and Lee Ha Na have recorded a song together. The men are all part of the celebrity baseball team Playboys, and decided to take part together as a result. The song is a ballad with a message of hope. They made the song in hopes of raising people’s spirits in difficult times. The song will be released soon. All proceeds will be donated to charity.
• Actor Bong Tae Kyu has been cast as the lead in the upcoming thriller film Existence. He plays Park Jung Hwan, an online game developer who kills people without feeling any remorse. Directing is Son Jung Hwan, a well-known music video director. Bong is currently acting in the play University of Laughs, and plans to start filming in late January.
• Actor Kim Sung Soo has been cast as the lead in an upcoming MBC sitcom, which is as yet untitled, and is set to air after the currently wildly popular sitcom Highkick Through The Roof ends its run in March. This will be his first sitcom in his 12 years as an actor. He plays the love interest of Ye Ji Won’s character. Other people cast include Choi Yeo Jin and Girls’ Generation singer Yuri.
• Comedian Jung Jong Chul has revealed that his wife, Hwang Kyu Rim, is currently pregnant with their third child. Their second child, a daughter, was born last March. The two got married in 2006. Congrats to them!
• Actor Yoo Ji Tae has been cast as the male lead in the upcoming thriller film Late Night FM, which has already cast Su Ae in its leading role as a radio DJ. Yoo plays a psychopath killer who kidnaps Su Ae’s niece/nephew and family and demands that she say the things he wants live on the air, or he will murder her family. The film is to be directed by Kim Sang Man (Girl Scouts). It will start filming in late January.

Han Jung Hun(Yoo Seung Ho) yang merupakan murid andalan sekolah dan sekaligus ketua kelas bersama murid lainnya gempar dengan teman sekelas nya Teu In yang hampir saja mati ketika meminum minuman yang ada racun nya. Teror pun hilang ketika Teu In sudah sembuh dan kembali bersekolah. akan tetapi Lee Da Jung(Kang So Ra), cewek rambut gorden yang ada di kelas nya dan suka membaca novel detektif masih mencurigai ada yang berusaha membunuh Teu In.

Walaupun dijuluki cewek aneh, Jung Hun sebenernya menyukai Da Jung. Kim Tae Gyu yang suka ribut dengan Jung Hun pun akhirnya terbunuh pada jam pelajaran ke 4, karena sebelum nya dia ribut dengan Jung Hun, dia pun dituduh yang membunuh Tae Gyu, walaupun pada jam ke 4 adalah jam olahraga, hanya Jung Hun dan Da Jung yang tahu bahwa Tae Gyu sudah bersimbah darah di kelas.

Da Jung pun membantu Jung Hun untuk mencari siapa pembunuh Tae Gyu, selama 40 menit jam pelajaran ke 4 di sekolah. Tersangka ada 3 orang dan semua nya mengarah kepada 3 guru yang punya masalah dengan Tae Gyu, dimana mereka mencari salah satu dari ke 3 nya yang terlambat datang ke sekolah.

Guru ‘MBC’ yang berselingkuh dengan sesama guru juga dikenal juga ada masalah karena Tae Gyu tahu tentang masalah selingkuh tsb dan ingin memeras uang nya. Ketika menyadari pembunuhan ini terlalu mudah, Jung Hun menemukan barang bukti kancing baju yang tertinggal di mayat Tae Gyu. ketika di menit terakhir jam ke 4 selesai, Da Jung yang mengirim SMS kepada semua murid menanyakan siapa yang terlambat datang ke sekolah, ternyata Pak Guk Man yang terlambat dan positif sebagai pembunuh asli.

Sejujurnya film ini cukup menghibur, walaupun cerita nya tidak begitu baru, ya tentang pembunuhan, dan Yoo Seung Ho bener2 masih muda dan cocok memerankan anak sekolahan. dari survey, film ini sih termasuk film terburuk di tahun 2009, akan tetapi klo mau melihat sisi lain Pangeran Kim Chun Chu(Yoo Seung Ho) dapat menonton film ini. hot kiss?? ya, Yoo Seung Ho yang belum cukup 17 tahun ini, sudah berapa kali ya yang gw ingat melakukan adegan ciuman?? dia ini seumuran sama Taemin, lho.

Source:  KoreanIndo

Aww, aren’t they pwetty?

The teaser poster for the upcoming Jang Hoon film Secret Reunion, which stars Kang Dong Won and Song Kang Ho, has been released. And while it’s nothing original or particularly striking, at least the stars look good?

The film tells the story of a secret service agent (played by Song) who goes after a North Korean spy and fails. Kang plays the North Korean traitor whom the spy is sent after to kill. Six years later, the agent and the traitor team up for…I don’t know what for (probably something about catching the spy?). But it oughta be interesting.

I enjoyed Jang Hoon’s debut film, Rough Cut. Sure, it had some awkward moments, and felt rather unfinished at parts (not to mention that I had a few moral issues with it), but it was certainly an accomplished debut, and I’m eager to see how this latest film will fare. Plus, Song Kang Ho? Guaranteed gold. And Kang Dong Won, while not an amazing actor or anything, is still certainly building up quite the career for himself, working for all these good directors.

Secret Reunion is set to hit theatres in February.

(Via Asia Economy)

This week I rewatched the 2000 Park Chan Wook film Joint Security Area. The reason for this rewatch was because my sister had never seen it, and she’s a huge Park Chan Wook fangirl, so this was unacceptable. But rewatching it, I was reminded yet again of how engaging and heartbreaking this movie is. And seeing it a second time, I noticed so many more of the hints and more subtle moments. Director Park may have gone on to greater and more “artistic” things after this film, but it still holds a rather special place in my heart. For those of you who’ve watched Park’s Vengeance trilogy and disliked them, I suggest watching this film. It’s a lot more “mainstream” and far less bloody than his Vengeance films. Mainstream with brains, shall we say?

Plus, Song Kang Ho’s amazing, as always. And all Lee Byung Hun and Lee Young Ae fangirls/boys will be satisfied, I’ll bet.

So let’s take a look at the official music video, containing the song “Letter of a Private” by the late, great Kim Gwang Seok:

• Actress Kim Ha Neul is reportedly “seriously considering” the upcoming So Ji Sub war drama Road Number One, which is set to start filming in January and air in June of 2010. She would, of course, play the female lead, aka So Ji Sub’s love interest. Woot! I’m all for Kim Ha Neul. I admit I like her best in comedies (she has such great comic timing), but she’s good in melodrama too, and she should do well here if she chooses to take part in this project (it’s looking likely). Pretty great cast so far, huh?
• In other casting news, actress Moon Jung Hee has been cast as the female lead of the upcoming SBS two-episode drama Father’s House, which is the comeback project for actor Choi Min Soo (who disappeared two years ago after the scandal where he reportedly physically attacked an old man, and then supposedly retreated to the mountains for meditation and self-inflicted penitence). The writer is Lee Sun Hee, and the PD is Kim Soo Ryong. Moon will play a beautiful pianist, while Choi will play the father of the title. The story will start in the year 1988, all the way to the present. Moon and Choi will portray their characters from their 20’s to their 50’s. The drama will air on December 21st and 22nd.
• Lee Seon Kyun and Jeon Hye Jin are now officially parents! Jeon gave birth to a baby boy on November 25th. Both son and mother are healthy, and the parents are reportedly thrilled. The baby also apparently looks a lot like both parents. Lee and Jeon got married in May. Lee recently started filming his upcoming MBC drama Pasta on the 24th. Lee’s co-stars and the drama’s staff all sent their congratulations. Squee!
• The musical Wedding Singer starring Hwang Jung Min and Park Gun Hyung (in the same role, played on different nights) officially begins its run on November 27th (it will end its run on January 31st). The musical held a press showcase to show off a few of its numbers today. Wish I could be there to see it. I miss Hwang Jung Min.
• Singer (rapper?) and boyband Big Bang member T.O.P. was recently given the offer to star in the leading role in the upcoming drama Zero Plus, which will be penned by Song Ji Na, she behind hits like The Sandglass, Eyes of Dawn, Legend, and The Slingshot. The drama is all about the campus life of university students. Due to his activities with Big Bang and conflicts with his schedule, he declined. THANK GOD. Not that the drama’s likely to be good, with that writer…
• PD Lee Jae Kyu, who directed hits like Beethoven Virus, Fashion 70’s, and Damo, is making his movie debut. It will be a short film entitled DJC, to be released online in January. “DJC” stands for “Diamond Jubilee Club”. It’s also being planned to eventually be aired on cable TV.

Genre : Action, Comedy
Starring : Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Ha-neul
Release date : April 23, 2009
Runtime :112 min.
Directed by : Sin Tae-ra

Synopsis:

A Russian organized crime group is set out to steal an advanced chemical weapon from Korea and two secret agents are out to stop them. One is a veteran secret agent named AHN Soo-ji who is a master of all forms of martial arts and envied by her comrades. Another is a rookie named LEE Jae-joon who’s never been out on the field and always goofs up on the job. The two agents don’t know each other’s secret identity. All that they know is that they hate each other. As a couple that is… Soo-ji and Jae-joon were once a passionate couple until Jae-joon couldn’t take her lies anymore. But all Soo-ji was trying to do was hide her secret identity. Nonetheless, the two went on their separate ways and by coincidence bump into each other years later while out on the job. As the two work out their screwy relationship, they go behind each other’s backs to fulfill their mission to save the world.

Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

Gallery:

Before, we only had a little taste for the movie with the teaser trailer. But now they’ve released the full-length trailer, and oh mah gawd it looks like SO MUCH FUN. I’m a little miffed that they didn’t release a little more footage of Im Soo Jung, but she still looks amazing. And oh em gee Kim Yoon Seok. *flail*

The film looks like there’s a bit of a danger of it hovering into cheesy territory and getting too caught up in its own action scenes (and action scenes tend to bore me when they don’t involve people beating each other up with their bare fists a la last year’s tvN drama Fight). But I’m not too worried. I’m salivating far too much to worry, really.

December 23rd! December 23rd! December 23rd!

Now here’s an interesting project that I’ve been keeping my eye on, but which hasn’t released all that much info until fairly recently.

Actresses is directed by Lee Jae Yong (Scandal), and stars Go Hyun Jung, Choi Ji Woo, Kim Ok Bin, Yoon Yeo Jung, Kim Min Hee and Lee Mi Sook. It tells the story of what transpires after six top Korean actresses gather in one place for a Christmas-themed photoshoot. The film promises to capture their conversation and subtle clashes, and mix fiction with reality.

At the press conference held on the 17th, director Lee Jae Yong revealed that they had over 40 hours of filming material that he had to somehow edit into an hour and forty minutes. He added: “Since this is a film about actresses, I wanted to cast top actresses of various generations…I thought that this would make the things they said seem more honest, rather than setting up a completely fictional setting and working with that. I figured it’d be more fun to present these actresses with situations, and let them fill in the rest (i.e. ad-lib).”

Actresses is set to hit theatres on December 10th.

I find this interesting because, well, I’m a sucker for any movie that prominently features women, and women only. It gets even more interesting when the movie purports to blur the lines between reality and fiction. If some interesting ideas and conversations can come out of this movie, and if it manages to portray Korean actresses in a realistic way, then I’ll be happy. I haven’t seen Scandal, but I’ve heard good things about it, so I’m hopeful. And all the actresses involved are good ones, with the exception of Choi Ji Woo, but I’m not too worried if she’ll just be acting as, well, herself.

Here’s the teaser trailer:

(Via Asia Economy and Asia Economy)

Oh man, seeing these pictures just ups my excitement levels by SO MUCH.

The cast of the upcoming action flick Jeon Woo Chi attended a press conference for the movie on the 16th. Present were director Choi Dong Hoon, and stars Kang Dong Won, Im Soo Jung, Kim Yoon Seok, Baek Yoon Shik and Yoo Hae Jin.

The cast talked a little about all the difficult wire stuntwork they had to do, with Kang Dong Won saying “When I first got the script, I had no idea this would become such a difficult film to shoot.” Director Choi Dong Hoon praised the star, saying “Kang Dong Won did very well with the wires, and because of that, he ended up doing more and more dangerous stunts. We seem to have created a new kind of action scene.”

On the long shoot itself, Choi added: “When we first started filming, I thought ‘I’ve entered hell’, and in the middle of shooting, I felt nervous about what the outcome would be. But as I continued until the end, I felt good about it all.”

On her character, which is described as a femme fatale type, Im Soo Jung said “The character I took on here is very different from the other characters I’ve been essaying until now. I had a lot of fun creating a new character.” She added: “Until now I’ve been playing only kind and pure characters, but this character swears sometimes and honestly shows all of her emotions, even when they’re evil or ambitious feelings. I felt so refreshed…This movie is a turning point for me as an actor.” She also said: “[My character is] mysterious, and is a bit of a strange woman. But the stranger I acted, the happier the director was.”

Director Choi didn’t spare any praise for his leading actress, saying: “I felt that I needed to work with Im Soo Jung in order to be given the title of a great director…All the directors I like have worked with Im Soo Jung, and all the directors I know want to work with her.”

Jeon Woo Chi hits theatres on December 23rd.

First of all: WHAT are Im Soo Jung and Kang Dong Won wearing? Seriously, I love Im Soo Jung, you know I do, but that outfit is just…strange. Particularly those heels. How on earth is she even WALKING in those heels? I’m shuddering just imagining it. And as for Kang Dong Won’s outfit, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised – he’s always wearing some strange outfit or another. But those shorts…Oh god, those shorts.

The rest of the cast look fine, though, and I’m still looking forward to this movie intensely (no, the cast’s questionable fashion choices did not change my mind, lol).

Pics!

Kang Dong Won:

Im Soo Jung:

Kim Yoon Seok:

Baek Yoon Shik:

Yoo Hae Jin:

Director Choi Dong Hoon:

Miscellaneous cast pics:

(Via No Cut News and Newsen)

Today’s a gray, rather depressing day, weather-wise. Thus, it’s the perfect kind of day to watch a Heo Jin Ho film!

I love Heo Jin Ho. I loved Happiness, One Fine Spring Day, and…this film. This short, eight-minute film made for the Twentidentity collection, starring Yoon Jin Seo, titled Alone, Together. It’s very short indeed, but it’s full of raw emotion and power. I’m pretty sure that anyone who’s ever broken up with someone will be able to relate.

It doesn’t have subtitles, but it doesn’t really need them – you can understand what’s going on perfectly well without them. Enjoy!

Don’t you just love the plethora of news coming out about dramas/movies I’m looking forward to nowadays? I do.

New character stills have been released of the four main characters in director Lee Joon Ik’s upcoming sageuk film Like The Moon Escaping From Clouds. They feature Hwang Jung Min (above, as the blind swordsman), Cha Seung Won (as the man fighting for social justice), Han Ji Hye (as the gisaeng who sacrifices all for love), and Baek Sung Hyun (as the young man out for revenge). I also discovered a still of Hwang Jung Min and Cha Seung Won’s characters in the midst of filming. I feel like I’ve won the lottery!

And to top it all off, all of these stills are gorgeous. Like, seriously. So this is what they mean by the phrase “a feast for the eyes”…

(Via Xports News and Cine 21)

OHMAHGAWDITHINKIJUSTPEEDMYPANTS.

Does that, or does that not, look kickass? And ohmahgawd Im Soo Jung’s so hot. I think my girlcrush on her just deepened twofold…and I didn’t think that was even possible! And Kang Dong Won sure looks like he’s having a blast, huh? And Kim Yoon Seok!! *fangirly sigh*

December can’t come quickly enough.

Happy Belated Halloween! And in celebration of the holiday, I figured I’d might as well highlight my favourite horror film (yes, Dahee has a favourite horror film!), director Kim Ji Woon’s A Tale Of Two Sisters. Starring Im Soo Jung, Moon Geun Young, Yeom Jung Ah and Kim Gab Soo, this hit Korean theatres in 2003, and went on to both commercial and critical success.

I normally stay as far away from the horror genre as humanly possible, but my girlcrush on Im Soo Jung is so unbelievably strong that I actually agreed to watch this with my sister a few years ago. (Then again, this was at a time when I was more open to the idea of watching horror films in general.) And while I admit I had my hands over my eyes for all the really scary parts, I was deeply impressed with the gorgeous look of the film, and the heartbreaking storyline. (The acting, of course, was phenomenal too.) When I think about this film, I think about that final tragic yet beautiful scene, and my heart still squeezes with sadness.

I was going to post the official trailer here, but I kind of hate the English subs provided for it, since they’re so incredibly inaccurate. Plus, the trailer kind of freaks me out.  So instead I present an unsubbed (but perfectly understandable even without subs) clip of the behind the scenes bond of stars Im Soo Jung and Moon Geun Young. It’s absolutely adorable, and a must-see if you’re a fan of both actresses.

Squee!

The first teaser posters for upcoming fantasy action flick Jeon Woo Chi have been released! At last! There’s the poster with all the main cast, like above, and then there are individual shots of each of the characters.

And okay, these posters are kind of…boring. And unoriginal. But still! It’s Jeon Woo Chi! It seriously feels like I’ve been waiting for this movie for eons. And I probably have, now that I come to think about it.

Is that a tougher, grittier atmosphere that I sense in Im Soo Jung there? Awesome! And Kim Yoon Seok’s eyes could set an entire planet on fire, I swear.

Jeon Woo Chi tells the tale of a taoist wizard living in the time of the Joseon dynasty who somehow ends up in modern day Seoul, and has to, in typical superhero fashion, beat up some bad guys. It’s directed by talented director Choi Dong Hoon of the highly entertaining Tazza. It also has an incredible cast, including Kang Dong Won, Im Soo Jung, Kim Yoon Seok, Yoo Hae Jin, Baek Yoon Shik, Yeom Jung Ah and Sun Woo Sun. Impressed yet? No? Then what are you smoking?

Jeon Woo Chi hits theatres on December 23.

More pics:

(Via Asia Economy, Star News and Joy News 24)