by Bastian Meiresonne
“Cobweb”, Kim Jee-woon's tenth feature film, marks the director's return to comedy for the first time since the beginning of his career. This satire on the film industry is a true cinematic layer cake: one can dig into it with hearty bites for the sheer pleasure of the visual feast, or one can peel it apart, layer by layer, to unveil a fascinating portrayal of the dark period of Korean history in the 1970s and a profound introspection by the director on creativity and the filmmaking profession.
Kim Jee-woon began his career in the 1990s as an actor and a theater director before directing his debut feature film, “The Quiet Family”, in 1998. He is part of a new generation of filmmakers, along with Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, who no longer followed the traditional apprenticeship model of old studios, but are authentic cinephiles who came to cinema out of pure passion.
“Cobweb”, Kim Jee-woon's tenth feature film, marks the director's return to comedy for the first time since the beginning of his career. This satire on the film industry is a true cinematic layer cake: one can dig into it with hearty bites for the sheer pleasure of the visual feast, or one can peel it apart, layer by layer, to unveil a fascinating portrayal of the dark period of Korean history in the 1970s and a profound introspection by the director on creativity and the filmmaking profession.
Kim Jee-woon began his career in the 1990s as an actor and a theater director before directing his debut feature film, “The Quiet Family”, in 1998. He is part of a new generation of filmmakers, along with Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, who no longer followed the traditional apprenticeship model of old studios, but are authentic cinephiles who came to cinema out of pure passion.
- 8/31/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
After the lukewarm “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” and his largely well-received foray into tv with “Dr. Brain”, Kim Jee-woon is back with his latest feature film “Cobweb”. Written by indie director Shin Yeon-shick, who was initially also attached to direct, “Cobweb” is the first production of the newly set up production house by Kim Jee-woon and his long-time collaborator and actor extraordinaire Song Kang-ho.
Synopsis
In 1970s Korea, when both art and dreams are censored, a film director dreams of a masterpiece.
After his successful debut, Director Kim endures scathing attacks from critics who call him a specialist in trashy dramas. After finishing his latest feature ‘Cobweb’, he has vivid dreams over several days of an alternative ending to the film. Sensing that if he can just shoot those scenes as he envisioned them, a masterpiece will surely emerge, he tries to arrange just two days of additional shooting. However,...
Synopsis
In 1970s Korea, when both art and dreams are censored, a film director dreams of a masterpiece.
After his successful debut, Director Kim endures scathing attacks from critics who call him a specialist in trashy dramas. After finishing his latest feature ‘Cobweb’, he has vivid dreams over several days of an alternative ending to the film. Sensing that if he can just shoot those scenes as he envisioned them, a masterpiece will surely emerge, he tries to arrange just two days of additional shooting. However,...
- 5/13/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Kim Jee-woon. The name itself comes with a whole bag of expectations. Even if his last output “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” did not live up to them, fans have nonetheless been looking forward to how he moves on from that. Never one to shy away from experimenting in different genres, Kim has now taken up the challenge of trying a new format as he makes the leap to television with his first series “Dr. Brain” for Apple TV+.
Synopsis
When Lee Se-won was a child, his mother died in a hit and run accident. He decided afterwards to become a brain scientist. He is a genius and remembers everything he sees. 20 years after his mother’s death, Lee Se-won has become a famous Ph.D scientist in the brain science field. One day, a mysterious person contacts him and asks him to extract information from the brain of a man who committed suicide.
Synopsis
When Lee Se-won was a child, his mother died in a hit and run accident. He decided afterwards to become a brain scientist. He is a genius and remembers everything he sees. 20 years after his mother’s death, Lee Se-won has become a famous Ph.D scientist in the brain science field. One day, a mysterious person contacts him and asks him to extract information from the brain of a man who committed suicide.
- 11/3/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
International and indie film distributor Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Korean film Escape From Mogadishu. It will open in theaters in the U.S. and Canada August 6 following a July 28 release in Korea.
The film is based on true events and chronicles the harrowing experience of bitterly opposed North and South Korean diplomats trapped in the city of Mogadishu at the advent of the Somalian civil war in 1991. The dramatic years-long conflict, which exploded following the rebel-led ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, was introduced to American audiences through blockbuster film Black Hawk Down, which picks up the narrative in war-torn Mogadishu in 1993.
“The film portrays this almost unfathomable event that throws the horrors of war into sharp relief,” said Well Go CEO Doris Pfardrescher. She noted the production team’s careful study of surviving embassy records and historical accounts to create the most realistic possible depiction.
The film is based on true events and chronicles the harrowing experience of bitterly opposed North and South Korean diplomats trapped in the city of Mogadishu at the advent of the Somalian civil war in 1991. The dramatic years-long conflict, which exploded following the rebel-led ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, was introduced to American audiences through blockbuster film Black Hawk Down, which picks up the narrative in war-torn Mogadishu in 1993.
“The film portrays this almost unfathomable event that throws the horrors of war into sharp relief,” said Well Go CEO Doris Pfardrescher. She noted the production team’s careful study of surviving embassy records and historical accounts to create the most realistic possible depiction.
- 7/13/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Kim Jee-woon is set to make his return since 2018’s lacklustre “Illang: The Wolf Brigade“, although it is not quite as one might expect. The hitmaker is not making a feature film at the moment and is instead going the Park Chan-wook way by finally making his debut on the small screen. His latest project, “Dr. Brain”, is confirmed to air on Apple TV+ by the end of this year.
“Dr. Brain” is Apple TV Plus’s first original Korean drama, a science-fiction thriller based on a webtoon, and is described as a medical mystery thriller about what a genius brain scientist goes through while accessing the brain of a dead person. Lee Sun-kyun, who international audience will now be very familiar with thanks to “Parasite”, plays the leading role, and he is joined by Teo Yoo (“Vertigo”), Lee Yoo-young (“Grass”) and Seo Ji-hye (“Rampant”).
Sourc webtoon “Dr. Brain”
“The...
“Dr. Brain” is Apple TV Plus’s first original Korean drama, a science-fiction thriller based on a webtoon, and is described as a medical mystery thriller about what a genius brain scientist goes through while accessing the brain of a dead person. Lee Sun-kyun, who international audience will now be very familiar with thanks to “Parasite”, plays the leading role, and he is joined by Teo Yoo (“Vertigo”), Lee Yoo-young (“Grass”) and Seo Ji-hye (“Rampant”).
Sourc webtoon “Dr. Brain”
“The...
- 4/8/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Apple has ordered a live-action series adaptation of the Korean webtoon “Dr. Brain.” The series will be the first completely Korean-language project at the streamer.
Kim Jee-Woon will write and direct, with “Parasite” star Lee Sun-Kyun set to star. The series is currently in production in South Korea and is slated to debut later this year.
“Dr. Brain” is an follows a brain scientist who is obsessive about figuring out new technologies to access the consciousness and memories of the brain. His life goes sideways when his family falls victim to a mysterious accident, and he uses his skills to access memories from his wife’s brain to piece together the mystery of what actually happened to his family and why.
Kim serves as an executive producer in addition to writing and directing. Samuel Yeunju Ha, who executive produced Kim’s film “Illang: The Wolf Brigade,” will also executive produce the series.
Kim Jee-Woon will write and direct, with “Parasite” star Lee Sun-Kyun set to star. The series is currently in production in South Korea and is slated to debut later this year.
“Dr. Brain” is an follows a brain scientist who is obsessive about figuring out new technologies to access the consciousness and memories of the brain. His life goes sideways when his family falls victim to a mysterious accident, and he uses his skills to access memories from his wife’s brain to piece together the mystery of what actually happened to his family and why.
Kim serves as an executive producer in addition to writing and directing. Samuel Yeunju Ha, who executive produced Kim’s film “Illang: The Wolf Brigade,” will also executive produce the series.
- 3/3/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
“Peninsula,” a Korean-made zombie horror action movie, has unveiled an 8K trailer ahead of its premiere in theaters this summer. The film is a four-years-later sequel to “Train to Busan,” which smashed multiple records around Asia.
Despite its genre film status “Train” got its launch at the 2016 Cannes festival as a midnight screening, before conquering the summer season in Korea and the Asia region. “Peninsula” is set for a similar course, having been named in the official selection of this year’s virtual Cannes.
It is aiming for a July release, but the exact date has not been locked in due to the uncertainties in the releasing calendar caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Distributor Next Entertainment World and its rights sales unit Contents Panda say that international releases will be closely co-ordinated as soon as the Korean outing is confirmed.
Korean cinemas reopened last month. And, after an initial hesitation,...
Despite its genre film status “Train” got its launch at the 2016 Cannes festival as a midnight screening, before conquering the summer season in Korea and the Asia region. “Peninsula” is set for a similar course, having been named in the official selection of this year’s virtual Cannes.
It is aiming for a July release, but the exact date has not been locked in due to the uncertainties in the releasing calendar caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Distributor Next Entertainment World and its rights sales unit Contents Panda say that international releases will be closely co-ordinated as soon as the Korean outing is confirmed.
Korean cinemas reopened last month. And, after an initial hesitation,...
- 6/16/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Major local film titles are beginning to appear on the Korean releasing schedule as Covid-19 retreats and the peak summer season approaches.
Since Korean cinemas began reopening earlier this month, cinemas schedules have relied heavily on re-runs, mixed with a handful of foreign, smaller new releases. That is about to change.
Since the coronavirus ran rampant from February, local distribution giants Cj Entertainment, Lotte and Showbox canceled or postponed dozens of theatrical outings. “Time to Hunt” was rescheduled multiple times and then switched to a straight to streaming release via Netflix. The pattern was repeated in May.
What has changed is the retreat of the virus threat, effective social distancing measure sin cinemas and the arrival of the summer season, which is traditionally a peak period, especially for genre and horror. That’s because school is out and audiences retreat into theaters to escape the heat.
Acemaker Movieworks’ mystery thriller “Intruder,...
Since Korean cinemas began reopening earlier this month, cinemas schedules have relied heavily on re-runs, mixed with a handful of foreign, smaller new releases. That is about to change.
Since the coronavirus ran rampant from February, local distribution giants Cj Entertainment, Lotte and Showbox canceled or postponed dozens of theatrical outings. “Time to Hunt” was rescheduled multiple times and then switched to a straight to streaming release via Netflix. The pattern was repeated in May.
What has changed is the retreat of the virus threat, effective social distancing measure sin cinemas and the arrival of the summer season, which is traditionally a peak period, especially for genre and horror. That’s because school is out and audiences retreat into theaters to escape the heat.
Acemaker Movieworks’ mystery thriller “Intruder,...
- 5/30/2020
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Kang Tae-ho takes on the prison drama, a sub-genre that has had some great films released in South Korea, for his debut film “King of Prison”.
Synopsis
Man-hee, imprisoned for being caught up in an accidental violent case, will be admitted to a violent room where the king of prison can be found. On the other hand, with Tae-soo, the opposition leader being admitted to the same prison, a group of people who are unhappy with the king gather one by one, and the gang members face a desperate crisis…
The film stars Lee Sol-gu (“Illang: The Wolf Brigade”), Yoo Sang-jae (“Default”), Lee Hyung-woong (“The Mayor”), Kang In-sung, Lee Si-hoo and Cho Myeong-yeon. It releases in South Korea some point in May, 2020.
Synopsis
Man-hee, imprisoned for being caught up in an accidental violent case, will be admitted to a violent room where the king of prison can be found. On the other hand, with Tae-soo, the opposition leader being admitted to the same prison, a group of people who are unhappy with the king gather one by one, and the gang members face a desperate crisis…
The film stars Lee Sol-gu (“Illang: The Wolf Brigade”), Yoo Sang-jae (“Default”), Lee Hyung-woong (“The Mayor”), Kang In-sung, Lee Si-hoo and Cho Myeong-yeon. It releases in South Korea some point in May, 2020.
- 4/22/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Korean talent management agency Saram Entertainment is producing the project
Korean talent management agency Saram Entertainment and Leaving Las Vegas director Mike Figgis announced that they are collaborating on an Asian omnibus project called Shame.
Figgis is working with Korean scriptwriter Uni Hong on the Korean-language omnibus which will begin casting after the script is done. Saram is planning to release Shame as both a theatrical omnibus feature and an Ott episodic series.
Saram Entertainment handles artists such as Cho Jin-woong (The Handmaiden), Han Yeri (Illang: The Wolf Brigade) and Hanee Lee (Extreme Job). The company’s previous production credits include Ghost Sweepers,...
Korean talent management agency Saram Entertainment and Leaving Las Vegas director Mike Figgis announced that they are collaborating on an Asian omnibus project called Shame.
Figgis is working with Korean scriptwriter Uni Hong on the Korean-language omnibus which will begin casting after the script is done. Saram is planning to release Shame as both a theatrical omnibus feature and an Ott episodic series.
Saram Entertainment handles artists such as Cho Jin-woong (The Handmaiden), Han Yeri (Illang: The Wolf Brigade) and Hanee Lee (Extreme Job). The company’s previous production credits include Ghost Sweepers,...
- 10/5/2019
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Kim Jee-woon is known to be one of the most successful directors coming from South Korea. Best known for genre masterpieces like “A Bittersweet Life” and “I Saw the Devil”, among others, his last output, the anime adaptation “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” was met with a lukewarm response both commercial and critically. Never one to stay stuck to a genre or formula, he looks to bounce back to winning ways with his next project “Klaus 47”, a French-Korean co-production tv series.
Actress Lee Ha-nee, best known internationally for starring roles in the smash hit “Extreme Job” and the Choi Min-sik starring thriller “Heart Blacked“, is presently said to be considering an offer for a leading role in the series, according to her agency.
Lee Ha-nee on the set of “Heart Blackened”
“Klaus 47” is based on real events surrounding a lobbyist in the arms industry who shook up the world of French politics.
Actress Lee Ha-nee, best known internationally for starring roles in the smash hit “Extreme Job” and the Choi Min-sik starring thriller “Heart Blacked“, is presently said to be considering an offer for a leading role in the series, according to her agency.
Lee Ha-nee on the set of “Heart Blackened”
“Klaus 47” is based on real events surrounding a lobbyist in the arms industry who shook up the world of French politics.
- 8/27/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
The second film to be released in South Korea in as many months with the words “The Battle” in its title, “The Battle of Jangsari” is the second instalment in a trilogy, following 2016’s “Operation Chromite”.
Synopsis
A guerrilla army unit led by Captain Lee Myung-joon and 772 student soldiers, including Choi Sung-pil, are on the ship Moonsanho and their destination is Jangsari. Their mission is to deceive the North Koreans into thinking opposition forces would launch a decisive invasion there. The real invasion and battle will take place in Incheon one day later. The average age of the 772 student soldiers on the ship is 17 and they have had only 2 weeks of training. They try to land in Jangsari under a shower of bullets.
Once again, Lee Man-hee writes the script based on a real-life war battle. Directed by “Friend” helmer Kwak Kyung-taek and as well as kdrama director Kim Tae-hoon,...
Synopsis
A guerrilla army unit led by Captain Lee Myung-joon and 772 student soldiers, including Choi Sung-pil, are on the ship Moonsanho and their destination is Jangsari. Their mission is to deceive the North Koreans into thinking opposition forces would launch a decisive invasion there. The real invasion and battle will take place in Incheon one day later. The average age of the 772 student soldiers on the ship is 17 and they have had only 2 weeks of training. They try to land in Jangsari under a shower of bullets.
Once again, Lee Man-hee writes the script based on a real-life war battle. Directed by “Friend” helmer Kwak Kyung-taek and as well as kdrama director Kim Tae-hoon,...
- 8/13/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Illang: The Wolf Brigade
Stars: Woo-sung Jung, Dong-won Gang, Hyo-Joo Han, Ye-ri Han, Minho Choi, Jun-ho Heo, Jin-ho Choi, Moo Yul Kim, Eun-soo Shin, Chul-Hyung Im, Hong-In | Written by Kim Jee-Woon, Jun Chul-Hong, Lee Ji-Min | Directed by Kim Jee-Woon
In the year 2029, South and North Korea agree to set up a unified government. They have prepared for the unification for the past 5 years. Meanwhile, demonstrators, supporting and opposing the unification, become more fierce. A terror organization known as Sect” appears. They are against unification. A special police force is formed in response, while a powerful government intelligence agency is also against unification.
Illang: The Wolf Brigade, directed by Kim Jee-woon and based on the 1999 anime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade which was directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and written by Mamoru Oshii, has so much potential at its fingertips but loses it all in a meandering tale of social malevolence and melodrama...
Stars: Woo-sung Jung, Dong-won Gang, Hyo-Joo Han, Ye-ri Han, Minho Choi, Jun-ho Heo, Jin-ho Choi, Moo Yul Kim, Eun-soo Shin, Chul-Hyung Im, Hong-In | Written by Kim Jee-Woon, Jun Chul-Hong, Lee Ji-Min | Directed by Kim Jee-Woon
In the year 2029, South and North Korea agree to set up a unified government. They have prepared for the unification for the past 5 years. Meanwhile, demonstrators, supporting and opposing the unification, become more fierce. A terror organization known as Sect” appears. They are against unification. A special police force is formed in response, while a powerful government intelligence agency is also against unification.
Illang: The Wolf Brigade, directed by Kim Jee-woon and based on the 1999 anime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade which was directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and written by Mamoru Oshii, has so much potential at its fingertips but loses it all in a meandering tale of social malevolence and melodrama...
- 8/2/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
Seoul-based sales firm Finecut has picked up international rights to the “The Battle of Jangsari,” a Korean-produced war action film starring Megan Fox and the K-pop star Choi Min-ho and star of Netflix film “Illang: The Wolf Brigade.”
“Jangsari” is directed by renowned Korean filmmaker Kwak Kyung-taek (“Friend”) and Kim Tae-hun, with production by Taewon Entertainment, and presentation by Warner Bros. Pictures Korea. Taewon previously produced 2016 hit “Operation Chromite,” another Korean War movie, which starred Liam Neeson as U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
“Jangsari” depicts the 1950 Jangsa Marine landing operation during the Korean War. It involved 772 student soldiers — whose average age was 17 and had only received two weeks of boot camp training — who were deployed to pave the way for the larger Incheon Landing Operation, which was led by MacArthur and turned the tide of war against communist-backed forces from the North.
Fox depicts Marguerite Higgins, a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune.
“Jangsari” is directed by renowned Korean filmmaker Kwak Kyung-taek (“Friend”) and Kim Tae-hun, with production by Taewon Entertainment, and presentation by Warner Bros. Pictures Korea. Taewon previously produced 2016 hit “Operation Chromite,” another Korean War movie, which starred Liam Neeson as U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
“Jangsari” depicts the 1950 Jangsa Marine landing operation during the Korean War. It involved 772 student soldiers — whose average age was 17 and had only received two weeks of boot camp training — who were deployed to pave the way for the larger Incheon Landing Operation, which was led by MacArthur and turned the tide of war against communist-backed forces from the North.
Fox depicts Marguerite Higgins, a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune.
- 5/15/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Korean thriller, directed by Lee Won-tae and starring Don Lee, will premiere in Cannes Midnight Screenings.
South Korean production company BA Entertainment has reached an agreement with Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions for a remake of upcoming Cannes Midnight Screenings title The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, starring Don Lee, aka Ma Dong-seok (Train To Busan).
In an announcement issued today (May 6), BA Entertainment said that Balboa Productions had noted the film’s strong concept, in which an organised crime boss teams up with a police detective to catch a serial killer - after the boss becomes the sole surviving...
South Korean production company BA Entertainment has reached an agreement with Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions for a remake of upcoming Cannes Midnight Screenings title The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, starring Don Lee, aka Ma Dong-seok (Train To Busan).
In an announcement issued today (May 6), BA Entertainment said that Balboa Productions had noted the film’s strong concept, in which an organised crime boss teams up with a police detective to catch a serial killer - after the boss becomes the sole surviving...
- 5/6/2019
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
The 17th edition of the Florence Korea Film Fest is opening its doors to the public. The festival dedicate to the South-Korean cinematography will be held from March 21st to to the 28th at Cinema La Compagnia in Firenze, Italy.
As explained by the Festival organisers: “The aim of the Florence Korea Film Fest, is to promote the seductive Korean cultural universe through the magnifying glass of the big screen, art exhibitions and conferences”.
Unique in its kind throughout Italy, the Festival, offers premieres and contemporary classics, documentaries, short films, and extensive retrospectives of the leading directors of Korean cinema, often with the participation of the authors themselves.
The 17th edition of the Festival will present 45 titles, between shorts and feature films, most of them in Italian and European premieres.
Jung Woo Sung, one of most beloved performers in his country (and also in Japan) will be honored by a...
As explained by the Festival organisers: “The aim of the Florence Korea Film Fest, is to promote the seductive Korean cultural universe through the magnifying glass of the big screen, art exhibitions and conferences”.
Unique in its kind throughout Italy, the Festival, offers premieres and contemporary classics, documentaries, short films, and extensive retrospectives of the leading directors of Korean cinema, often with the participation of the authors themselves.
The 17th edition of the Festival will present 45 titles, between shorts and feature films, most of them in Italian and European premieres.
Jung Woo Sung, one of most beloved performers in his country (and also in Japan) will be honored by a...
- 3/5/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
2018 was, by most accounts, a mixed bag of a year for South Korean cinema. Where critics darling Lee Chang-dong returned to the scene after an eight-year hiatus to much fanfare and applause with “Burning”, small films like “Little Forest” and “Intimate Strangers” ended up being more well received than tentpole blockbusters like Kim Jee-woon’s “Illang: The Wolf Brigade”, for example. 2019 has begun very strongly, with “Extreme Job” going on to become the 2nd highest grossing South Korean film of all time on the domestic box-office. Here’s a list of some films we can look forward to with much anticipation in the remainder of the year.
Bad Police (Lee Jeong-beom)
It’s Lee Sun-kyun vs the world in “Bad Police”
Six years after the action packed “No Tears for the Dead”, the director of the iconic “The Man from Nowhere” is back with “Bad Police”. Telling the story of...
Bad Police (Lee Jeong-beom)
It’s Lee Sun-kyun vs the world in “Bad Police”
Six years after the action packed “No Tears for the Dead”, the director of the iconic “The Man from Nowhere” is back with “Bad Police”. Telling the story of...
- 2/25/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Not to be confused with the thriller “The Witness” which released earlier this year starring the excellent Lee Sung-min, director Lee Han’s newest film takes a more dramatic approach to the story of a witness to a crime.
Synopsis
Soon-ho is a poor lawyer who takes on the case to defend a suspect in a murder case. While working on the case, Soon-Ho meets Ji-woo, who is the only witness in the murder case and she has autism.
After the lukewarm response to tentpole blockbuster “Illang: The Wolf Brigade”, Jung Woo-sung is back as Soon-ho. This will be his first drama since 2016’s “Remember You”. Fresh from the trials of hell in both the “Along With the Gods” films as well as a critically-appreciated turn in indie hit “Youngju”, Kim Hyang-gi joins Jung Woo-sung as Ji-woo, which might be her most artistically challenging role to date. This is the...
Synopsis
Soon-ho is a poor lawyer who takes on the case to defend a suspect in a murder case. While working on the case, Soon-Ho meets Ji-woo, who is the only witness in the murder case and she has autism.
After the lukewarm response to tentpole blockbuster “Illang: The Wolf Brigade”, Jung Woo-sung is back as Soon-ho. This will be his first drama since 2016’s “Remember You”. Fresh from the trials of hell in both the “Along With the Gods” films as well as a critically-appreciated turn in indie hit “Youngju”, Kim Hyang-gi joins Jung Woo-sung as Ji-woo, which might be her most artistically challenging role to date. This is the...
- 1/4/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
South Korean cinema has a history of strong, engrossing female action leads. Films like “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”, “Bedevilled” or last year’s “The Villainess” successfully mined the revenge thriller genre to give us memorable female characters. 2018 sees director Im Kyung-taek give us another action female lead in his sophomore effort “Sister”.
Synopsis
“Sister” is an action movie about a woman settling her secretive past and taking revenge for her sister who was abandoned by the world.
“Sister” stars former Champion-level amateur boxer Lee Si-young, who was last seen in “The Divine Move” and “Killer Toon”, as the titular elder sister. Also featuring Choi Jin-ho (“Illang: The Wolf Brigade”), Lee Jun-hyuk (“Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days”) and Park Se-wan (“Omok Girl”), “Sister” releases in South Korea in December, 2018.
Synopsis
“Sister” is an action movie about a woman settling her secretive past and taking revenge for her sister who was abandoned by the world.
“Sister” stars former Champion-level amateur boxer Lee Si-young, who was last seen in “The Divine Move” and “Killer Toon”, as the titular elder sister. Also featuring Choi Jin-ho (“Illang: The Wolf Brigade”), Lee Jun-hyuk (“Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days”) and Park Se-wan (“Omok Girl”), “Sister” releases in South Korea in December, 2018.
- 11/29/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
A near-future dystopia yarn that tries to tell about two stories too many, “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” nevertheless goes gleefully all-in with its action, production values, and plot twists. Which is to say that director Kim Jee-woon has thrown everything at the wall with his newest film, and while a few entertaining things stick, most everything else peels off and lands with a thud.
An extended opening narration sequence fills the audience in on the world ‘Illang’ inhabits, where Korea of 2024 is split apart between ideological factions in favor of, and opposed to, unification.
Continue reading ‘Illang: The Wolf Brigade’ Is A Visually Stunning Sheep Bogged Down By Bloated Wolf’s Clothing [Review] at The Playlist.
An extended opening narration sequence fills the audience in on the world ‘Illang’ inhabits, where Korea of 2024 is split apart between ideological factions in favor of, and opposed to, unification.
Continue reading ‘Illang: The Wolf Brigade’ Is A Visually Stunning Sheep Bogged Down By Bloated Wolf’s Clothing [Review] at The Playlist.
- 11/8/2018
- by Warren Cantrell
- The Playlist
South Korea loves a good true story movie, even more so when it explores financial foul-play or political corruption. With an impressive star-cast, “Sovereign Default” aims to take a look at the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
Synopsis
Only one week left until South Korea will go under sovereign default. Han Shi-Hyun (Kim Hey-soo) is a leader of the monetary policy team at the Bank of Korea. She was the first to predict the possible sovereign default. Han Shi-Hyun is then assigned to a crisis team. Yoon Jung-Hak (Yoo Ah-in) works in the finance field. He bets everything under the real possibility of a sovereign default. Gab-Soo (Her Jun-ho) struggles to protect his company and family during the crisis.
“Sovereign Default stars the brilliant Kim Hye-soo alongside Yoo Ah-in, who’s coming in hot off the success of Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning”, and Heo Jun-ho as well as French superstar Vincent Cassel in a prominent role.
Synopsis
Only one week left until South Korea will go under sovereign default. Han Shi-Hyun (Kim Hey-soo) is a leader of the monetary policy team at the Bank of Korea. She was the first to predict the possible sovereign default. Han Shi-Hyun is then assigned to a crisis team. Yoon Jung-Hak (Yoo Ah-in) works in the finance field. He bets everything under the real possibility of a sovereign default. Gab-Soo (Her Jun-ho) struggles to protect his company and family during the crisis.
“Sovereign Default stars the brilliant Kim Hye-soo alongside Yoo Ah-in, who’s coming in hot off the success of Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning”, and Heo Jun-ho as well as French superstar Vincent Cassel in a prominent role.
- 10/24/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Five years after “The Last Stand” — Korean director Kim Jee-woon’s one-off attempt at American filmmaking, a throwaway shoot-’em-up co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Johnny Knoxville — Kim is back home, applying what he learned in Hollywood to anime adaptation “Illang: The Wolf Brigade.” An obsidian-black sci-fi thriller all but consumed with corruption of the state and of the soul, the film opens stunningly enough, reminiscent of such late-’80s comics-to-screen transfers as Tim Burton’s “Batman” and the original “RoboCop” in its darkly atmospheric depiction of a grim near-future, but it gets confusing quick and never quite regains the promise of its first half-hour — which accounts for a disappointing local performance (“Illang” did fewer than one million admissions last summer in South Korea).
But that’s not the end of the road for “Illang,” which will next head to Netflix in all other territories. There, it may find a cult following,...
But that’s not the end of the road for “Illang,” which will next head to Netflix in all other territories. There, it may find a cult following,...
- 10/8/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
South Korean director Kim Jee-woon received the Arts and Letters Officer’s decoration for his contribution to the arts at the French Night party on Oct. 6, during the Busan International Film Festival.
Best-known for his Korean Western “The Good, the Bad, the Weird,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, Kim launched his career with 1998 feature “The Quiet Family,” and continued with 2000’s “The Foul King,” 2003 horror drama “A Tale of Two Sisters,” 2005’s “A Bittersweet Life” and two Warner Bros. Korea releases — 2016’s “The Age of Shadows” and 2018’s “Illang: The Wolf Brigade.” “Illang” is screening at Busan’t Korean Cinema Today — Panorama section. In 2013, Kim made his U.S. directorial debut with Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring “The Last Stand.”
While much has been written about Kim, here are some things that might have been overlooked:
Kim started his career as a stage director and actor. He had a...
Best-known for his Korean Western “The Good, the Bad, the Weird,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, Kim launched his career with 1998 feature “The Quiet Family,” and continued with 2000’s “The Foul King,” 2003 horror drama “A Tale of Two Sisters,” 2005’s “A Bittersweet Life” and two Warner Bros. Korea releases — 2016’s “The Age of Shadows” and 2018’s “Illang: The Wolf Brigade.” “Illang” is screening at Busan’t Korean Cinema Today — Panorama section. In 2013, Kim made his U.S. directorial debut with Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring “The Last Stand.”
While much has been written about Kim, here are some things that might have been overlooked:
Kim started his career as a stage director and actor. He had a...
- 10/6/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
After a relatively fallow 2017, European sales companies at Busan’s Asian Film Market, which runs Oct. 6-9, appear to be headed back to the halcyon days of 2016, despite the damp weather conditions. Statistics from European Film Promotion (Efp), a constant presence at the market since 2006 via their Europe Umbrella business hub for European sales companies, tell the tale.Europeans Get Back to Business at the Asian Film Market
At the 2016 market, 27 European companies represented 105 films, of which 48, or 45.71%, were sold across Asia. These included “Night of a 1000 Hours,” sold by Germany’s Picture Tree Intl., and “Porto,” sold by Poland’s New Europe Film Sales. In 2017, 30 companies represented 119 films, of which 47, or 39.49%, were sold to Asian territories, including “Bpm (Beats Per Minute),” sold by France’s Playtime, and “The Insult,” repped by fellow French outfit Alpha Violet.
In 2018, reflecting what has been a strong year for European cinema, there are...
At the 2016 market, 27 European companies represented 105 films, of which 48, or 45.71%, were sold across Asia. These included “Night of a 1000 Hours,” sold by Germany’s Picture Tree Intl., and “Porto,” sold by Poland’s New Europe Film Sales. In 2017, 30 companies represented 119 films, of which 47, or 39.49%, were sold to Asian territories, including “Bpm (Beats Per Minute),” sold by France’s Playtime, and “The Insult,” repped by fellow French outfit Alpha Violet.
In 2018, reflecting what has been a strong year for European cinema, there are...
- 10/5/2018
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
South Korea does some of the best dark high school dramas. Films like “Bleak Night”, “Han Gong-ju”, “Thread of Lies” and even “Silenced” are incredibly hard to sit through yet exceptionally engaging and very relevant even today. Director Kim Ui-seok takes on another high school tragedy and its aftermath in his debut feature “After My Death”, which received universal praise when it premiered at the 2017 edition of the Busan Film Festival.
Synopsis
A missing high-school girl is suspected of committing suicide. When it is discovered that somber Yeong-hee was the last to see her, troubling questions arise. Yeong-hee is quickly thrown into a maelstrom of accusations, leading to a witch hunt encouraged by the missing girl’s mother and her quick-to-condemn classmates. While Yeong-hee searches for the truth, she must solve her own existential crisis before spiraling out of control. “After My Death” wraps its drama in a mantle of...
Synopsis
A missing high-school girl is suspected of committing suicide. When it is discovered that somber Yeong-hee was the last to see her, troubling questions arise. Yeong-hee is quickly thrown into a maelstrom of accusations, leading to a witch hunt encouraged by the missing girl’s mother and her quick-to-condemn classmates. While Yeong-hee searches for the truth, she must solve her own existential crisis before spiraling out of control. “After My Death” wraps its drama in a mantle of...
- 9/19/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Leading South Korean production house, Taewon Entertainment has confirmed that Hollywood actress Megan Fox will appear in “Jangsa-ri 9.15” movie.
“Jangsa-ri” depicts the Jangsa landing operation during the Korean War in 1950. The landing was a key part of the Battle of Incheon, commanded by U.S. General, Douglas MacArthur. In 2016, Taewon previously produced “Operation Chromite,” another Korean War movie, starring Liam Neeson as MacArthur.
Fox will play Marguerite Higgins, a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune who covered the Korean War and called on the international community for assistance. With her book “War In Korea: The Report Of A Woman Combat Correspondent,” Higgins became in 1951 the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Foreign Correspondence.
“Fox is very passionate about her role and has spent time studying Higgins and preparing visual concepts,” said a spokesperson for Taewon.
Alongside Fox, veteran Korean actor Kim Myung-min (“V.I.P.”) and rapper-turned-actor...
“Jangsa-ri” depicts the Jangsa landing operation during the Korean War in 1950. The landing was a key part of the Battle of Incheon, commanded by U.S. General, Douglas MacArthur. In 2016, Taewon previously produced “Operation Chromite,” another Korean War movie, starring Liam Neeson as MacArthur.
Fox will play Marguerite Higgins, a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune who covered the Korean War and called on the international community for assistance. With her book “War In Korea: The Report Of A Woman Combat Correspondent,” Higgins became in 1951 the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Foreign Correspondence.
“Fox is very passionate about her role and has spent time studying Higgins and preparing visual concepts,” said a spokesperson for Taewon.
Alongside Fox, veteran Korean actor Kim Myung-min (“V.I.P.”) and rapper-turned-actor...
- 9/12/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Tom Cruise-starring “Mission Impossible-Fallout” debuted on top of the South Korean box office. Opening on Wednesday, the sixth installment of the “Mission Impossible” series earned $3.53 million on opening day. That was the franchise’s best opening score in Korea. The Lotte-distributed Paramount movie earned $25.1 million from 3.23 million admissions between Wednesday and Sunday, accounting for 66% of the total weekend box office.
“Incredibles 2” slipped to second place, representing drop of 58%. The Walt Disney release earned $3.64 million from 492,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a cumulative of $16.8 million after two weekends on release.
Korean sci-fi actioner “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” opened in third. Opening on Wednesday, the Kim Jee-woon movie earned $5.29 million over five days. Warner Bros.’ sixth local-language production in Korea, “Illang” is a live-action adaptation of a 1999 Japanese animation. The futuristic story revolves around a special unit set up to quell a terrorist sect rebelling against a unified government of North and South Korea.
“Incredibles 2” slipped to second place, representing drop of 58%. The Walt Disney release earned $3.64 million from 492,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a cumulative of $16.8 million after two weekends on release.
Korean sci-fi actioner “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” opened in third. Opening on Wednesday, the Kim Jee-woon movie earned $5.29 million over five days. Warner Bros.’ sixth local-language production in Korea, “Illang” is a live-action adaptation of a 1999 Japanese animation. The futuristic story revolves around a special unit set up to quell a terrorist sect rebelling against a unified government of North and South Korea.
- 7/30/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has picked up the next Kim Jee-Woon film for international release. The Korean auteur behind acclaimed works like A Tale of Two Sisters and The Good, the Bad, the Weird, will soon be thrilling South Korean audiences with his adaptation of the classic manga series Kerberos, but a global release was nowhere in sight — until now. Illang: The Wolf […]
The post Netflix Picks Up Kim Jee-woon’s Action Thriller ‘Illang: The Wolf Brigade’ appeared first on /Film.
The post Netflix Picks Up Kim Jee-woon’s Action Thriller ‘Illang: The Wolf Brigade’ appeared first on /Film.
- 7/19/2018
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Netflix has acquired international distribution rights for South Korean film Illang: The Wolf Brigade (previously known by its working title Inlang) but will allow a 10-month holdback time for streaming the actioner at home, a source close to the deal confirmed for THR on Wednesday.
The latest South Korean local production from Warner Bros. is set to hit theaters in the Asian country on July 25. It has yet to be revealed when the film will be made available on Netflix for the rest of the world, but there will be a holdback time of 10 months for South Korea,...
The latest South Korean local production from Warner Bros. is set to hit theaters in the Asian country on July 25. It has yet to be revealed when the film will be made available on Netflix for the rest of the world, but there will be a holdback time of 10 months for South Korea,...
- 7/18/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We've posted a couple trailers for the upcoming futuristic action thriller Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade over the past month. The Korean film comes from director Kim Jee-woon, who previously directed the films I Saw The Devil, The Good the Bad the Weird, and The Last Stand. A lot of fans love what they have seen from these trailers and are excited to watch the movie! Well, Netflix has picked up the rights to it, which will make it easy for everyone to watch!
The news comes from Variety, and even though we've been calling the movie Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, they say that the title of the film will Illang: The Wolf Brigade.
The film is a live-action adaptation of 1999 Japanese-made animation Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, which is based on the Mamoru Oshii manga. The story is set in 2029 and follows the actions of a special forces squad set up...
The news comes from Variety, and even though we've been calling the movie Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, they say that the title of the film will Illang: The Wolf Brigade.
The film is a live-action adaptation of 1999 Japanese-made animation Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, which is based on the Mamoru Oshii manga. The story is set in 2029 and follows the actions of a special forces squad set up...
- 7/17/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Big news from Variety this morning. Streaming powerhouse Netflix have acquired nearly all global rights for Kim Jee-woon's Illang: The Wolf Brigade. This new film from the director of such hits as The Good The Bad The Weird and I Saw The Devil is a live action adaptation of Okiura Hiroyuki's animated film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. The film, previously also known as “Inrang” is a live action adaptation of 1999 Japanese-made animation “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.” Set in 2029, it follows the actions of a special forces squad set up to quell a terrorist sect which opposes the formation of a joint government between North and South Korea. The news is bittersweet because as new media has changed the way we watch...
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- 7/17/2018
- Screen Anarchy
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