`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!

Taegeukgi Flying Over the Croisette

Korean films will shine at the 60th Festival de Cannes, the creme de la creme of international film festivals.

In competition:

• For the presitigious Palme d'Or among over 20 contenders, includng four Asian films: ``Secret Sunshine'' by Lee Chang-dong and ``Breath'' by Kim Ki-duk.
• Short film: ``My Dear Rosetta'' by Yang Hea-hoon.

Out-of-competition pool:

• Cannes Classics: ``Bound by Chastity Rules'' (1962) by Shin-Sang-ok (digitally restored version). This is an amazin feat for Korean cinema history, that a classic masterpiece
• Cinefondation: Hong Sung-hoon's ``A Reunion.'' This section features up and coming talent.
• Un Certain Regard: ``Munyurangabo'' (Liberation Day) by up-and-coming Korean-American Lee Isaac Chung. Amazing movie -- the only film I got to see at the 12th PIFF. Less than 10 Korean films have been included in the lineup hitherto, including ``The Bow'' by Kim Ki-duk last year.

This year at Cannes, a total of about 50 feature films make up the Official Selection, chosen out of some 1,600 candidates from 95 countries. The festival will continue until May 27. For more information, visit the official Web site.

More details about Korean cinema in Cannes 2007.

‘Memories’ Strikes Emotional Chord

"Memories of Tomorrow" ("Ashita no kioku," Japan)

Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kanako Higuchi.

Ken Watanabe, the hero of ``The Last Samurai,'' ``Memoirs of a Geisha,'' gives an unforgettable performance as a forgetful Alzheimer's patient in his latest film ``Memories of Tomorrow.''

Memory is most crucial to human existence, from biological necessity to philosophical questioning. To be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a disease that eats away the ability to recognize loved ones and even oneself, would probably seem like the end of the world.

"Memories of Tomorrow'' shows that life does go on. Amidst the tragedy of losing one's memory, comical moments reflect the virtue of forgetfulness -- husband and wife fight rather terribly, but a minute later they're eating dinner as if nothing happened. More.

Green Cinema

Forget the stereotype that eco-friendly films are boring, and expect an exciting and enlightening experience at the 4th Green Film Festival in Seoul (http://www.gffis.org/), to take place from May 17 to 23 at the CGV Sangam, near the Seoul World Cup Stadium. More.