Category: Entertainment Files

BIFF to Implement New Dress Code

| October 1, 2014

This is horrible news because this was the best part of the Busan International Film Festival:

BIFF Image

Organizers of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) have decided to act as fashion police to deter actresses from “over-exposing” themselves. The fete will kick off its 10-day run tomorrow.

BIFF, the nation’s biggest international film fete, has drawn the media’s attention for the daring display of a skimpy wardrobe by female actresses, some of whom have become overnight celebrities.

“We’ve decided to switch the atmosphere in order to shift the spotlight to the directors, actors and actresses instead of some female celebrities who are new and receive more attention because of their revealing dresses,” BIFF public relations manager Kim Jung-yoon said.

To enforce this rebalancing act, the organizers have called off the troublesome “Blue Carpet” affair, the venue for photo-ops under the sponsorship of talent agencies, which are suspected of doing what it may take to promote their proteges.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but Oh In-hye has my vote for favorite BIFF dress.

ROK Drop Korean Movie Review: Champion (챔피언)

| February 27, 2012

I had heard of the Korean boxer Kim Duk-koo (1959-1982) before simply because he was one of the few boxers who was actually killed while in the ring.  Besides that I didn’t know anything about the guy until I watched the Korean movie Champion that was in my Netflix que.  This movie was released in 2002 and is directed by Kyung-Taek Kwak who I hadn’t heard of before.  However, the lead actor playing Kim Duk-koo was Oh-seong Yu who I have always liked as an actor.  Considering the number of tough guy roles he has played in the past I figure he would do a good job portraying a boxer which in this movie he did.

For those unfamiliar with Kim Duk-koo’s story this movie is a good way to get introduced to one of Korea’s most famous athletes.  Like many famous people in Korea’s modern history Kim is a rags to riches story.  He was a poor boy that worked hard to scrape by while growing up in Goseong, Gangwon-do.  In 1976 he got into boxing and eventually became good enough to where he was able to make some additional money with the sport.  As an amateur he compiled a 29-4 record before becoming a professional fighter in 1978.  Four years later in 1982 he won a major Oriental lightweight boxing title, which left him with a 17-1-1 record and the pride of Korea at the time.

His success was able to land him a premier WBA lightweight title fight against the famous American boxer Ray Mancini.  Kim was thought to be an easy bout for Mancini especially considering that Kim had to travel all the way to Las Vegas for the match which was also his first time in the US.  The fight proved to be anything but easy for Mancini who found himself in a brawl of a match against Kim.  The match would end up going to 14 rounds where in the later rounds Mancini was able to start to control the match and land some big punches.  After Kim received another big punch the referee stopped the matched and named Mancini the winner with a TKO.  However, Kim ended up collapsing in the ring and going into a coma.  Doctors would try to do emergency brain surgery, but it was too late and Kim died.  Kim left behind his grieving pregnant wife and mother.  The developing love affair between Kim and his wife is a major part of the movie.  Sadly a few months after Kim’s death both his mom and the referee of the match would commit suicide.  All around it is a pretty sad tale but Kim’s story is one that many Koreans can relate to which was make him so revered.  He was a guy that worked hard and never quit despite the odds, which is the story of South Korea itself.

Real life photo of the boxing match between Ray Mancini and Kim Duk-koo.

The movie didn’t really get into this, but Kim’s death did lead to major changes in boxing.  Basically both Kim and Mancini were two fighters that had no quit in them, which caused the match to go on to the point that someone was at risk of getting killed and that is what ended up happening.  After Kim’s death referees were trained to end matches quicker by using the standing eight count and the number of rounds was reduced to 12.  Something else the movie did not mention was how the death of Kim impacted Mancini.  He was devastated by Kim’s death and was never the same boxer afterwards.  Considering how Kim’s mom and the referee committed suicide, the death of Kim is indeed very tragic, but I thought this movie did a good job of not dwelling on the tragic and instead bringing out the inspiring story of Kim Duk-koo in a way that both Korean and foreign audiences will likely enjoy.

The World's Biggest and Smallest People Meet

| July 22, 2007

You would think this picture was Photoshopped if it wasn’t for the fact it is true:

The world’s tallest man has met one of the world’s smallest in China.  Bao Xishun, a 56 year-old herdsman from Inner Mongolia, is the world’s tallest man and measures 7′ 9" tall.

Meanwhile, He Pingping is applying to be entered in the Guinness World Record as the world’s shortest adult, standing at a mere 2′ 4".  According to the organiser of the meeting, it was He’s long-cherished dream to meet Bao.

Really amazing.  HT: AsianOffbeat

Transformers Opens in Korea

| June 30, 2007

The Transformers movie has finally opened in Korea and the turn out and reception according to the AP have both been positive:

Steven Spielberg‘s "Transformers" premiered Thursday in theaters in South Korea, after notching up the country’s highest online ticket bookings of any movie this year.  The action film — featuring vehicles that transform into warring robots — will initially be shown on some 530 screens nationwide, rising to around 700 by the weekend, distributor CJ Entertainment said.

Here is a quote from the AP article that I found quite interesting:

"Movies that do well in South Korea tend to do well in other parts of Asia," Kim said, attributing the trend in part to the growing popularity of South Korean movies, TV dramas and music across the region.

"A movie’s popularity in Asia seems to be affected by its popularity in South Korea," she said. "In that sense, South Korea has emerged as an important movie market in Asia in recent years."

Give me a break, the Transformer movie could have been screened in Bhutan and it still will do well world wide.  It is going to do well globally because it is a Steven Spielberg movie with advanced special effects during a time when the theatres are filled with crap movies other than Shrek 3.   

Kim Yun-jin Discriminated Against in LOST

| June 29, 2007

kimyunjin1

In the Chosun Ilbo today they have an interview with LOST actor Kim Yun-jin who answers a series of questions for the paper.  One of the questions and its answer caught my eye:

 In the first “Lost” advertising poster, the white actors were placed in the front and the actors of other races in the back row, right?

“I was so shocked, I couldn’t speak. I worked in Korea for about six years without being aware of the color of my skin, but I was stunned when it suddenly happened. After that, I object to whatever I feel is discrimination. If I accept it, there will be no change. When I speak out, the other side might think, ‘I never thought about it that way,’ and be more careful.”

It is times like these that I turn to the wisdom of the Party Pooper.  The overwhelming racism Kim feels is even more apparent after I read the answer to this question:

Money and fame follow from Hollywood. Do you earn a lot now?

“I earn a lot. I get US$100,000 per episode, and we shoot 24 episodes a year. ‘Lost’ is televised to 210 countries around the world.”

Yes, only in a racist country like America is a network willing to pay a supporting actress in their drama $100,000 an episode for a total $2.4 million bucks.  I want to be discriminated against like this.

I couldn’t find any similar comments from her in the US media so I have to wonder if Kim Yun-jin doing a Wie Byung-wook and telling the Korean media what they want to hear in order to promote herself and the Korean movie she is currently filming?

Lee Hyo-lee's Secret Weapon

| June 5, 2007

Seriously, what is so secret about this “secret weapon”?:

“I’ll seduce Japanese fans with my sexy looks,” promised Lee Hyo-lee, revealing her strategy for cracking the Japan market. Lee was speaking at a press conference on Monday at the Hotel Okura Tokyo in Japan ahead of the launch on Fuji TV CS of her soap “If in Love… Like Them.”

Yes quite the secret weapon. 

Movie Review: Spiderman 3

| May 21, 2007

I watched Spiderman 3 this weekend which continues to be the leading movie in Korean movie theatres.  In my opinion the movie was quite good, but not as good as the first two movies.  The special effects are in incredible as to be expected and all the main characters give strong performances, but the story line is what makes this the worst of three movies.  There are a variety of story line threads in the movie that just do not come together well in the end.  The story line thread involving Peter Parker turning into the dark Spiderman was just absolutely ridiculous and really took away from the movie. 

The movie has two new villains, the Sandman and Venom along with the old Hobgoblin villain from Spiderman 2.  The two new villains are very poorly developed, especially Venom, which can all be attributed to the poor story line.  One of the villains should have been left out for a future Spiderman movie which would have helped focus the story line.   All in all it is worth seeing just for the special effects alone, however I think Spiderman 2 is still the best Spiderman movie.Â