Maestro, Son to Hold Charity Concert

With a group of energetic boy musicians, maestro Chung Myung-whun will wield the baton for the Boystown Symphony Orchestra in a charity concert in August.

The fundraising concert is expected to strike an emotional cord with the audience as Chung’s youngest son Min, 23, will accompany his father and will also swing the baton for the orchestra while the 54-year-old musician appears on stage as a soloist.

Internationally acclaimed as a virtuoso, Chung has conducted the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic. He will now guide a group of children from Boystown, a welfare center in Busan run by the Sisters of Mary who provide a loving home, education and medical care for boys aged between three and 18 years.

Concert to Strike an Emotional Cord

The Boystown Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1979 under poor conditions __ lacking a proper rehearsal space and even decent instruments. But propelled by the determination of the Sisters of Mary, the orchestra has since gone on to perform with world-class musicians such as violinist Sarah Chang.

``We wanted the children to develop lifelong talents, whether it be a sport, instrument or drawing,’’ Sister Kim Sophia, the head of Boystown in Busan and high school principal, told reporters during a private luncheon on Thursday at a restaurant in Insa-dong, northern Seoul.
``By participating in the orchestra, the children have developed concentration, cooperation and endurance,’’ Kim said. ``It also greatly helps the boys’ emotional growth.’’

Kim added that some 10 former members of the Boystown orchestra have continued on to join the country’s city orchestras, such as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Others who were recruited to work at Samsung Group became part of the Samsung Philharmonic Orchestra.
The boys of Boystown were elated when Chung visited them in November 2005. Since then, the conductor and his son have guided the young musicians to play Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 1-4 in small concerts.

Classical music transcends aesthetics and possesses a depth that musicians must strive to fathom, explained Chung. In doing so, technique and talent are important, but fine-tuning the very spirit is crucial. In terms of spirit, Chung said at the luncheon that the children of Boystown are unmatched. ``They possess an incredible purity and balance.’’Furthermore it’s great, he said, if musicians try hard enough to demonstrate 50 to 60 percent of their fullest potential. It’s outstanding if they manage to get 70 percent.

``Of course you cannot compare these amateur musicians with students fully committed to studying music.’’ The musician expressed concern that many music students focus too much on the drive for success rather than searching for their own voice.

From Father to Son

The conductor is also famous for the Chung Trio with his sisters, celebrated cellist Myung-wha and violinist Kyung-wha. Now his youngest son has entered the classical music scene.

At the fundraising concert, Chung Min will conduct the Beethoven Triple Concerto, Op.56 with his father at the piano. Chung Myung-whun will then guide the boys to perform Beethoven’s 5th Symphony ``Destiny” in C minor, Op.67. Chung Min studied music and literature at the Lycee Internationale Racine in France and currently majors in instrumental music and violin at Seoul National University.

``It’s not (Min’s) `debut’ as a conductor per se,’’ Chung insisted about his son’s musical career. ``It’s more along the lines of volunteering and a part of his studies, so we’ll have to see. He’s not unfit (to become a conductor),’’ the father said rather humbly, but with much affection and even sharing anecdotes about his son’s early artistic ``signs’’ as a baby.

But the conductor also expressed concern about his fame eclipsing Min’s career.
Born in 1953 in Seoul, the pianist Chung debuted at age seven. After moving to the United States, he won second prize at the 1974 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow and graduated from the Julliard School in New York.

The former music director of Opera Bastille in Paris (1989-1994), he now serves as music director and principal conductor of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra (since 2000), the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (since 2005) and Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as special artistic advisor to the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Chung also revealed his hobby of making batons by hand, using olive trees that grow in his yard. Unable to find a baton with the perfect balance and grip, he decided to make his own and also gave one to his son.

The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m., August 20, at the National Museum of Korea. Two types of tickets are available: ``Hope’’ tickets cost 70,000 won and can be purchased online at www.ticketlink.co.kr and www.interpark.co.kr. Or by donating an amount of your choice, you can purchase ``Love’’ tickets by calling (02) 518-7343.

For more information about Boystown in Busan and ways to support the children, visit www.bsboystown.or.kr.

`Black House': Bloodbath Dilutes Suspense Factor

"The Black House"
(검은집; Geomeunjip)
Directed by Shin Tae-ra (신태라)
Starring Hwang Jung-min (황정민), Yu Sun (유선), Kang Shin-il (강신일)

Rusty, run down and remote except for the sporadic purr of a passing train, ``The Black House’’ is no haunted mansion but a sinister place where lies the darkest secret of a psychopath __ a monster devoid of any human feeling or conscience.

Featuring a dungeon with nooses hanging down from the ceiling and tainted tubs oozing with blood and dismantled limbs, and a psychopath nearing its next prey with a butcher’s knife while humming an eerie song, ``Black’’ offers chills and frill-free gore.

For portraying the ``truth’’ about psychopaths, the film touches upon some childhood trauma-related matters but gives a one-dimensional generalization. While ``Black’’ tries to strike your nerve by suggesting that there could be a psychopath living next door, it’s not so arresting.

As the thriller fathoms the depths of man’s ``fascination of the abomination,’’ the bloodbath dilutes some of the suspense factor. The film’s suspense factor is slightly drained as it relies more on gore to keep viewers aghast. Like ``master of suspense’’ Alfred Hitchcock famously said, ``there is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it.’’

But the film is deeply disturbing as it unravels from the eyes of a protagonist who is almost as disquieting as the psychopath. Hwang Jung-min (``You Are My Sunshine,’’ 2005) gives an impressive performance that shines through the heavy blood shower.

On his first day of work at a life insurance company, consultant Jun-oh (Hwang) answers a phone call from a woman asking about compensation for suicide. Only after hanging up does he see the employee handbook warning against revealing personal information and expressing sympathy to such inquirers.

A few days later, Jun-oh is lead to a decrepit house sitting in the outskirt of a sleepy neighborhood, where he finds a seven-year-old dead, hanging by the neck. But even more disconcerting is the darting glance of the boy’s stepfather, Park (Kang Shin-il).

Though all evidence point to suicide, Jun-oh is convinced otherwise and postpones the insurance payment. Park stops at nothing to recover his money. Discovering that Park’s wife, Shin (Yu Sun), is covered by a 300 million won plan, Jun-oh tries to warn her before another murder ensues.

As Jun-oh ventures on a harrowing journey to unlock the truth underlying ``the black house,’’ he must protect not only his life but that of his lover.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Yusuke Kishi, ``Black’’ received much attention from international buyers at Cannes in May for its strong script and acting. A Japanese version of the film was made in 1999, and Dimension Film of the United States also plans to film the story.

Popular horror novelist Yusuke Kishi wrote the creepy tale based on his own experience at an insurance company. The writer is said to have expressed great surprise at Hwang Jung-min’s portrayal of Jun-oh, for the actor brought to life the precise image the author had in mind.

Hwang’s role as the unlikely life insurance consultant is probably the most amiable one after Mr. Incredible from Walt Disney’s ``The Incredibles’’ (2004). But his abnormal degree of sympathy is troubling.

Haunted by the skeletons in his own closet, Jun-oh goes out of his way to help others, endangering not only himself but his loved ones. As he battles the stoic psychopath, he desperately tries to locate a trace of humanity in the monstrous being.

This is the third Korea-Japan joint venture following the Cannes award-winning ``Old Boy’’ (2003) by Park Chan-wook and Asian box-office hit ``200 Pounds Beauty’’ (2006) starring Kim A-jung, both inspired by Japanese comic books and brought to screen by the best Korean filmmakers and actors.

Korea-US Joint Film Speaks of Love

One of my all-time favorite films. Gina Kim rocks, and Vera Farmiga is amazing and Ha Jung-woo is just wickedly talented.

From left, producer Lee Chang-dong, actor Ha Jung-woo and director Gina Kim

``Never Forever'' translates onto screen the language of love, through which Korean-American director Gina Kim hopes to connect with the audience. ``I wish my film will be a means of establishing mutual understanding with the public,'' she said during a press conference last Thursday at a Seoul theater.

Before the film's release on June 21, Kim and actor Ha Jung-woo enthusiastically discussed their work, along with co-producer Lee Chang-dong, the celebrated director of ``Secret Sunshine'' (2007).

Kim, a noted rookie filmmaker, also wrote the love story, and explained that ``Never'' is about mutual understanding.

``Two individuals sharing affection is in the end mutual understanding,'' she said. ``It's not just a simple form of communication. Love equals passion plus compassion, and I believe mutual understanding is the plus sign that joins the two elements together,'' Kim said.

Jointly produced by Korea and the United States, the film traces the emotional journey of Sophie, an American woman (Vera Farmiga), who, believing that only a child will save her shaky marriage with her Korean-American husband, begins an illicit sexual relationship with Jihah, an illegal immigrant (Ha Jung-woo).


Kim explained that it was difficult to cast Vera Farmiga, who made a breakthrough in ``The Departed'' (2006) opposite Leonardo Dicaprio and Matt Damon and is often praised as the next Meryl Streep.

``It was difficult to find an actress for the role, but I fell in love with Vera Farmiga after seeing her in `Down to the Bone' (2004). But she had grown to become a highly demanded actress sought after by Martin Scorsese, Anthony Mingella and others.

``But I heard she was an intellectual, so I sent her the screenplay and got an okay. Vera said she liked the strong script, and the fact that I was a woman made her feel at ease,'' said the director.

``Vera called me this morning and was deeply sorry she could not be here,'' Kim said on the actress' behalf. Farmiga is currently in Budapest, Hungary shooting another film.

As for choosing Ha for the male leading role of Jihah, Kim explained that producers Lee Joon-dong and Andrew Fierberg had previously met at the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival. ``The one film we saw was `The Unforgiven' (starring Ha, 2005), and the three of us thought `What a charismatic actor,' '' she said.

``After casting Vera, we were searching for an actor who would complement her. We suddenly thought of Ha Jung-woo. It's usually not easy to agree, but the two producers and I unanimously decided to cast him.''

Ha said he accepted the offer because the script moved him. Though he admitted feeling uneasy about acting opposite Farmiga, he explained that their first encounter extinguished his fears.

``We met at a coffee shop. She was reshooting and promoting `The Departed' at the time, and showed up carrying her costumes and make-up box herself,'' Ha said.

``She came across as being very open, humane and warm, and maintained this first impression throughout the whole of the filming. Vera is a big actress who encompasses an equal amount of absorption (with her work) and is very considerate of her co-stars.''

Though Ha worked in a foreign environment, much like his character in the film, he learned how to ``act using all the five senses'' by intensely concentrating on his co-star and reacting to her every move.

Lee Chang-dong co-produced the film with Now Film representative Lee Joon-dong and New York-based producer Andrew Fierberg (``Keane,'' 2006).

Lee praised Ha's performance: ``It's very difficult for a young actor to possess such powerful presence and depth. I believe he's a very special actor, and look forward to what he has to offer in the future. He is an actor who will mature along with the Korean film industry.''

Lee decided to take part in the film project after reading the screenplay.

``Despite being a Korean film with Korean characteristics, the film takes place in the United States and embraces the American culture and system,'' said Lee. ``I wanted to see what we (Korean and American filmmakers) could offer each other, and I learned a lot about the American independent film industry.''

Lee complimented Kim's ability to put the film together with enormous speed, concentration and calculation. ``She created a good film full of intensity that also manages to loosen up when it needs to,'' he said.

It is also noteworthy that composer Michael Nyman, renowned in Korea for his soundtracks for films such as ``The Piano'' (2003), created the beautiful piano score for ``Never.''``I had met Michael as a fan of his when he performed in Korea,'' Kim said. ``I immediately thought of him for the music, and got a `yes' two hours after e-mailing him. It was a great honor for a rookie like me to work with such a great artist.''

`Shrek 3' Is Bigger, Greener Than Ever

Courtesy of DreamWorks SKG

The world's favorite green ogre couple is back in ``Shrek the Third'' (``Shrek 3''), and the animated film is bigger than ever with more laughs and larger-than-life characters.

Shrek (narrated by Mike Myers) has matured, and is faced with a lot of choices and decisions to make, with prospects of becoming a father and possibly the next king of Far Far Away.

Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz)'s queen mother (Julie Andrews), cousin Arthur (Justin Timberlake) and lo and behold, three adorable triplet ogres have joined the cast.Shrek's two sidekicks Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and dewy-eyed Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) are back with more groove, and Prince Charming (Rupert Everette) and Cameron Diaz's favorite character Gingerbread Man (Conrad Vernon) also make reappearances.

The animation continues to stand apart the third time around for breaking fairytale conventions and bashing stereotypes. Princesses, including Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, run around rescuing others, and even a one-eyed monster can have a warm heart and happy family.

``All of us grew up hearing fairy tale stories from our youth, and there's always perfect setting, simple stories about beauty and heroism,'' said director Chris Miller during a press conference at a Seoul hotel on Wednesday. ``Life is so much more complicated than that, and things are not so black and white. There are areas of gray everywhere,``Beauty comes in all kinds of different forms and everyone should be celebrated,'' he said. Miller believes ``you can make your own destiny, your own `happily ever after.' So really, that's the reason why we wanted to make these old stories and just update them, and make them contemporary.''

The film appeals to a wider audience in terms of age range. ``There are certain jokes that only the kids will laugh at and some that an older audience will laugh at, and share laughs,'' he said.

Many adults may empathize with Shrek's anxiety of expanding his family, but ``The amazing thing is that if you ask a four-year-old what's this movie about, and they'll say it's about Shrek being nervous about becoming a daddy,'' said Aron Warner, the producer of the movie.`Shrek 3' also features a medieval high school complete with cheerleaders (or ``cheermaidens'' rather), jousting jocks and ``Just Say Nay'' anti-drug campaigns.

The teen scene with the medieval twist, however, may lose some of its comic factor since it doesn't necessarily translate across non-American audiences. But the core strengths of the film -- quintessential characters and universal themes about self-trust -- will surely win the hearts of viewers in Korea and elsewhere. When asked how many moviegoers ``Shrek 3'' might draw here, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg grinned, ``How many people are in Korea, about 48 million? Then 47 million.''

Shrek fans, eat your heart out, Katzenberg announced that ``Shrek 4'' and ``5'' are on their way. Cameron Diaz said she didn't know what to expect or how far the project would go when she first joined the Shrek crew, ``but then I saw how special it was and it doesn't surprise me that people want more.''

Cameron Diaz Kicks Royally in `Shrek 3’

(Yonhap photo) This was my first interview with a Hollywood star. Ms. Diaz was gorgeous, though I could tell she's had too much fun in the sun by her bronzed up, slightly wrinkly skin. She impressed me with how down to earth she could be while being very smart about answering some questions and not answering others.

Tall, blonde Cameron Diaz and stocky, green Princess Fiona may not look alike, but are kindred spirits: the modern-day princess kicks butt in ``Shrek the Third’’ in a style reminiscent of ``Charlie’s Angels.’’

In DreamWorks' third of the much-adored animated series, Fiona rescues her beloved husband Shrek instead of waiting around like a helpless damsel in distress.

``Fiona says that if you want something to happen in your life, you have to take care of your self, you can’t just wait for somebody to do it for you,’’ Diaz said during a private press interview at a Seoul hotel on Wednesday.

``I think that I relate completely with that -- that is how I live my life. I am a proactive person and that is a really valuable message, not just for girls but for boys as well and its something that everybody cares about.’’

Yet, Diaz values the tradition and lessons that age-old fairy tales teach. She believes that they are representatives of a certain time and mindset that the mass own at the moment. Hehe she's answering my question here :)

``You need your history, you need to see where we came from. I don't think that we should discard those ideals because that's how we learn,’’ she said during an open news conference.

``One of the things that I love about `Shrek’ is that, the princesses that we all grew up on, we get to bring them with us. That's the genius of these filmmakers. They didn't force us to leave them all behind," she said.

Diaz explained that Snow White and other classic princesses reappear in the film as ``contemporary princesses’’ and are thus ``relevant again. So we get to have them with us without having to let go of them __ so allow them to be authentic, and also represent the women of today.’’

But Fiona does the kicking onscreen in computer graphics, while Diaz has to narrate using her imagination, though she said it ``can never actually create what the amazing animators are creating for the actual film.’’

Further explaining the recording process, the actress said ``The things that are challenging are the things that make it very exciting and fun__ acting out scenes but not in the physical world, in the world that it takes place in, being there with a microphone that is challenging, to create that world in your mind. But it is also a lot of fun to imagine.’’

Because actors do not record together, Diaz did not, for those who are curious, get to work with former boyfriend Justin Timberlake (who voiced Arthur, a new character) __ nor with Mike Myers (Shrek), with whom she shares the majority of her dialogue.

She added that director Chris Miller, who read the parts of the other characters during the recording, was especially hilarious when narrating Donkey.

``I'm glad it doesn't get caught on film what I have to do to put up the voice,’’ laughed Diaz, ``because oftentimes I am sort of just kicking at the air, kissing the back of my hand, or calling out for Shrek and he's not there. So it's actually kind of silly.’’

The blue-eyed actress also said she had creative control over her character. ``The one thing that I made my biggest note was at one point, after Fiona and Shrek get married, there is a bit of a tone that she would take with him that was a little impatient and naggy,


``She all of a sudden became a wife and I was like, that’s not true to her, she bigger than that, she is smarter than that,’’ she said. ``The guys (director and producer) needed a girl’s perspective, and so it was easily changed.

About her first visit to Korea, Diaz said ``there is a lot of culture and growth here,’’ and added ``I am always excited about finding a place that possess those qualities and it would definitely be one of the reasons to draw me back.’’

Quintessential Korean Horror Returns

"Evil Twin" ("전설의 고향/Jeonseolui Gohyang," Korea)

Directed by Kim Ji-hwan. Starring Park Shin-hye, Jae Hee.

"Evil Twin'' heads the series of scary movies due this summer, giving audiences a whiff of nostalgia as it signals the rebirth of quintessential Korean ghost stories in cinema.

Retaliation, reconciliation and redemption are the three classic formulas of the movie, which features Korea's iconic specter of the vengeful virgin, out to scare others in her white robe and long, black hair.

Unlike American or Japanese horror films such as "The Ring,'' in which the ghost is a source of evil that the hero must fight off, "Evil Twin'' portrays reconciliation between the living and the dead.

Horror movies in the traditional Korean style abounded when the domestic film industry peaked in the 1960s, but disappeared in the 1980s. These tall tails aimed to deliver moral messages rathe than chills. Then, starting in the mid-1990s, modern scary movies such as the "Whispering Corridors'' took firm ground as prime summer season entertainment. More.

Right to Watch Movies

The 11th Seoul Human Rights Film Festival (SHURIFF) opens Friday to provide the capital’s residents with films carrying a special message -- the significance of human value. More.

In the spirit of supporting human rights and the right to freely access art, all films can be viewed free of charge. The festival will be held at Seoul Art Cinema, located in Jongno-gu. For more information, visit www.sarangbang.or.kr/hrfilm.

Afternote: Okay, free movies, human rights... great. But as hoardes of people flocked to the theater, mayhm ensued and the press wasn't even able to watch movies for reports!