Actor John Cho Aims to Break Stereotypes

I had my doubts about "Star Trek," since J.J. Abrams, the director, is a "Star Wars" fan. But it was awesome movie (not to mention that Spock is uber sexy). I got to interview charming Mr. Cho for a second time.

Yonhap Photo

It appears that the mission of John Cho, much like his ``Star Trek: The Beginning'' character, is ``to boldly go where no one has gone before.'' If the space pilot Hikaru Sulu seeks new life and new civilizations, then the Korean-American actor strives to break certain Asian stereotypes until one day it won't be necessary to do so.

``Part of my mission as an actor has been to define what an American is. I've played roles that aren't expected of an Asian,'' said the star of the cult comedy ``Harold and Kumar,' and' who popularized the term ``MILF'' in the ``American Pie'' trilogy, in an interview Monday in Seoul.

Asians being typecast as funny ``is a new stereotype,'' said the 36-year-old, explaining that Asian Americans had hitherto been labeled as ``cold, non-humorous and involved in our books.''

(Photo courtesy of First Look) But Cho, one of 2006 People Magazine's Sexiest Men Alive, said the ultimate goal would naturally be to not worry about stereotypes for choosing parts.

``Any role that gets repeated (by Asians) will be misinterpreted as a stereotype. The goal of Asians in the arts is plurality of roles. I've always been hindered by me over-thinking what is a stereotype and what isn't,'' he said. ``The more roles there are, the more actors there are. No (Asian) actor has to think about how is this affecting anyone except me, and just think about whether or not I want to do this role.''

In recent years, an increasing number of Korean actors have been cast in Hollywood films, such as Gianna Jun (Jun Ji-hyun) in ``Blood: The Last Vampire.'' ``Hollywood has been so impressed by Korean films, so there is an interest in Korean actors,'' he said, though carefully, not feeling comfortable about commenting definitively on the subject.

Cho does feel however that it is difficult for an actor or director's talents to wholly translate across borders, and something inevitably gets lost. He hopes that a new filmmaking hotspot will arise outside of Hollywood and rival it, so that cineastes wouldn't need to endorse a different culture in order to make a larger impact ― in 50 years or so it could be South Korea, he said.

The actor had appeared in the Korea-United States joint production ``West 32nd'' by Michael Kang, and said he would one day like to appear in a local project. ``I was impressed by the creativity of the concept in Korea cinema. There is a unique Korean vision happening right now. (…) I'd like to work on a Korean movie if I had the opportunity. Mostly (because) I'd like to stay here for an extended period of time,'' said the Los Angeles native.

Meanwhile, ``Star Trek,'' helmed by ``Lost'' and ``Mission Impossible 3'' creative brain J.J. Abrams, is currently topping the North American box office, drawing in more than $79.2 million during its opening weekend according to the Associated Press.

`` I'm very excited,'' he said. ``I know there was some level of suspicion about how we'd handle this franchise that was considered kind of dead.'' The action flick is based on the epic sci-fi television series tracing the adventures of the Federation starship U.S.S. Enterprise, a pan-universe version of the earthly UN.

``It's one of those series that has been consistently on re-runs for 40 years. It has become of part of the cultural fabric of America,'' he said. However, he stopped watching the original series; the lead actor, Chris Pine, who plays the role of Kirk, previously said the same thing to The Korea Times. ``I stopped because I knew much more (about `Star Trek') than I realized; it had been around for so long that I forgot I'd seen and had absorbed it.''

In the original series, Cho's character Sulu was ``very much in command of the spaceship,'' he said. In the prequel, Cho said he portrayed a young Sulu that is ``a little shakier, a little less secure.'' Indeed, the film invited some laughter when the highly trained pilot is unable to launch the spacecraft in one go.

As for playing a role originally played by Japanese American actor George Takei, Cho said it was ``fair game as an actor,'' since the part did not require a Japanese accent or Japanese lines. Unlike old TV series such as ``Mash,'' where non-Korean actors were forging Korean accents,'' he was ``happy my casting fulfills (the original TV series creator) Gene Roddenberry's vision of a multinational spaceship.''

[Mr. Takei was quote as saying in an interview that he did not mind a Korean American playing his former role -- Sulu is supposed to represent Asia, he said.]

In an interview with The Korea Times two years ago, in Busan, Cho said he always wanted to play roles such as a classic American cowboy that he played as child with his younger brother. Starring in ``Star Trek,'' something he grew up watching, seems to be a great start.

Born in Seoul in 1972, Cho immigrated to Los Angeles at the age of six. He stepped into the world of acting by chance while majoring in English literature at UC Berkeley.

>>Read my previous interview with John Cho.

>>Read about Mr. Cho's other film, "West 32nd."

Director Hong Sang-soo’s Realm of Comic Realism

New in local theaters and currently showing in the out-of-competition section of the Cannes Film Festival is Hong Sang-soo’s latest feature ``Like You Know It All.’’

Like Hong’s other films, ``Know’’ is told in a live journal-like format that is reminiscent of Eric Rohmer. While it is set in a couple of Korea’s top vacation spots, the movie, as typical of its minimalist director, features characterless hotel rooms and drinking spots and showcases more of the mirror-image structures inherent to Hong’s stories of frustrated ideals and sexual desires.
Modest, fragmented and meandering it may be, but the low-budget digital franchise stars some of South Korea’s most high-profile actors tangled up in mundane yet comic situations and engaged in phony talks about art, philosophy and love.

Like his previous feature ``Night and Day,’’ which was shown at last year’s Berlinale, ``Know’’ stars another one of the director’s archetypal womanizing anti-heroes. Actor Kim Tae-woo (Hong’s 2004 ``Woman Is the Future of Man’’) is Koo, a rising filmmaker known for his artsy works.

He is invited as a judge for the 2008 Jecheon International Music Film Festival (JIMFF). But the festival, set among the cascading mountains and scenic lakes of North Chungcheong Province, is just an excuse for everyone to have drinking parties. Here, Hong does not hesitate to bash the film industry, by depicting a know-it-all programmer (Uhm Ji-won) and superficial movie critics to the smug star director and the desperate actress trying to climb into his bed. Koo is at once the aloof observer and the passive participant in the shallowness.

Meanwhile, Koo runs into an old buddy, Bu (Kong Hyeong-jin), and is invited to his happy home. Joined by Bu’s wife Yu-sin (Jeong Yu-mi), the three start another round of drinking. A series of mishaps, however, result in Koo being labeled a sexual harasser, and back at the festival, he again gets blamed for another accident involving too much booze and compromised sexual morals.

Twelve days later, Koo is invited to give a lecture at a film school on Jeju Island. Of course, the camera foregoes the beautiful palm trees and beaches of Korea’s Hawaii, and instead takes viewers to more drinking parties. This time he reunites with a senior colleague, the elderly painter Yang, and is invited to his home.

Yang’s new wife turns out to be none other than Koo’s old flame, Koh (Go Hyun-jung). The two keep their past affair a secret from Yang, and end up in bed together _ a casual affair for Koh, while a pitiful, self-gratifying attempt for Koo to attach meaning to his frustrated past. Things become complicated, however, when the neighbor Jo (Ha Jung-woo), who swears a bizarre sense of loyalty to Yang, catches them.

``People don’t make use of all the gifts in life,’’ Hong once said. ``They can be ungrateful about the good things in life while they agonize over unnecessary desires, beliefs that are unfounded, self-destructive or oppressive, and misguided ideals. I am intrigued by such things.’’

In ``Know,’’ Hong explores the small yet affecting results of misunderstanding and misinformation, and how history is bound to repeat itself when people fail to understand their mistakes. Running as long as ``Night and Day,’’ the director’s longest film yet, ``Know’’ develops in a tangential yet natural, and moreover, extremely funny, way. Some say that the realist always makes similar movies; Hong is consistent but is also consistently evolving, bringing new dimensions of small and subtle yet delightful rhymes.

Read my review of Hong's "Night and Day"

Hernandez Converses With Images in `Rain’

This is really a beautiful film, and it was a great pleasure speaking with the director!

Director Paula Hernandez /Korea Times Photo by Lee Hyo-won

JEONJU - If a picture paints a thousand words, then Paula Hernandez’s ``moving images’’ depict an infinite stream of (un)consciousness. The Argentine director has brought her second feature film ``Rain’’ to South Korea to vie in the International Competition section of the 10th Jeonju International Film Festival, which comes to a close today in North Jeolla Province.

``It’s absolutely different and interesting,’’ Hernandez said about her first visit to Asia in an interview with The Korea Times Tuesday in Jeonju. ``I took a lot of photos of women in the market. You never see anything like that in Argentina, it’s so fascinating,’’ she said, showing images of middle-aged ``ajumma’’ gathered around, making food, in the local open air market.

The 40-year-old is always shooting her camera lens everywhere, and took many to write the script for ``Rain.’’ ``It was a conversation with words and images. Rain makes everything blurry and foggy. The rain in the movie is not melancholic rain but something that makes you feel stuck,’’ she said.

``Rain’’ features, most appropriately, endless streams of rain. In wintry Buenos Aires, a woman is stuck in wet weather and traffic. Suddenly, Roberto darts into her car. A mugger? Almar hesitates, but extends her hospitality to this confused-looking man who, dressed in fine clothing, has imported cigarettes, a silk handkerchief and a bleeding hand.

Roberto, who is from Madrid, may be feeling lost in the foreign apartment building of his late father, whom he never met, but Almar is the ``homeless’’ one who has left her husband and is living in her car, which is equipped with everything from a percolator to flower pot. The two strangers -- a man who doesn’t know where he is coming from and a woman who doesn’t know where she is going -- keep running in to each other in the following few days. The intervention of chance results in confusion, and, ultimately, clarity, when the rain stops and the traffic starts moving again.

The award-winning director of ``Herencia’’ (2001) presents a story akin to ``Once’’ (2006), where two lost souls share a small but intimate encounter, which may even be love, but one that is consummated in being unconsummated. But unlike the musical Irish movie, ``Rain’’ keeps everything minimal, from the score and palette to the characters and objects captured in the frame.

``Less is more,’’ said the director. ``Rain itself is a melody, along with the noises of cars and traffic jams.’’ Nevertheless, things utterly quotidian -- a traffic jam, greasy diner, deserted parking lot -- take on a striking elegance, and the things unsaid -- a transient smile, results of a pregnancy test never shown -- speak loudly.

Almar, who leaves her husband of nine years in the movie, perhaps reflects the director’s own divorce from a 10-year marriage. ``Filmmaking is not a profession, it’s what you are,’’ she said. ``It puts all my interests -- writing, reading, people stories and real things, images, and music -- all together with my sensibilities.’’

Born in 1969, Hernandez entered the film industry at the age of 18 as a production designer assistant. One thing led to the next and she studied at Agustin Alezzo’s drama workshop and Universidad del Cine (National Film University). She has directed commercials, short films, documentaries and advertisements.

Does being female matter in the Argentine film industry? ``It used to, in the generation before mine. Actually, even for my first film (in 2001), people asked me about being a woman director. I can’t say it was more difficult or easier. But today, there are many, many female students studying film,’’ she said, suggesting that gender is becoming less of an issue.

More problematic, however, is the financial crisis back home that is affecting filmmaking in general. ``You eventually find a way to fund a movie, but the problem occurs afterward with distribution,’’ she said. But Hernandez marches on with her passion.

Her next project will be a film adaptation of the novel ``Un Amor para toda la vida’’ by Sergio Bizzio, who inspired the Cannes award-winning film ``XXY’’ (2007). ``Filmmaking is slow in Argentina,’’ she said, and during the prolonged preparation for the movie, she plans to shoot a funky character-based documentary. ``It’s important to keep yourself busy rather than wait listlessly,’’ she said, smiling.

110 minutes. Distributed by Argentina Video Home, Buena Vista International. In Spanish.

Director Skolimowski Fetes 71st Birthday in Jeonju

``Four Nights With Anna’’ (2008)

JEONJU - South Korea’s foremost indie and art film event, Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), celebrates its 10th anniversary through Friday in the North Jeolla Province city -- and the big birthday coincided with that of one of its special guests, Eastern European master director Jerzy Skolimowski.

The honored Polish auteur marked his 71st birthday, which fell on Tuesday, with a party and a retrospective featuring nine of his 22 films. About his first visit here, he said he was impressed by Korea’s markedly different exoticism from the ambiance of Japan, Hong Kong or Macao. He was also happy with the selection of films in the JIFF retrospective, except for ``30 Door Key’’ (1991) -- it was based on a famous Polish novel and should never have been translated to film, he said in a statement released by JIFF.

Born in Lodz, Poland in 1938, Skolimowski studied anthropology, history and literature at the University of Warsaw and eventually film at the Polish National Film School. A man of many talents, he is also a writer, painter and boxer. He became reputed through films including ``Walkover’’ (1966), although ``Hands Up!’’ (1967) was banned in Poland for its critical, anti-Stalinist point of view. Nevertheless, he earned international acclaim through Cannes award-winning films ``The Shout’’ (1978) and ``Moonlighting’’ (1982).

His films are noted for their social criticism, often featuring antisocial or marginalized figures, but Skolimowski said he was not a social commentator. He never associated himself with any social group and some people have even accused him of being a misanthrope. He enjoys solitude and relates better with animals. ``I once cried watching Robert Bresson’s (mistreated donkey story) `Au hazard Balthazar,’’’ he said.

The ``lonesome’’ filmmaker had disappeared altogether from the film scene, retreating to a life as a painter for 17 years. He poured all his passion into painting and didn’t feel the desire to direct, he said. He has held exhibitions and industry icons such as Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper have acquired his work. ``It was a time to reestablish myself as an artist, and I felt reborn as a young artist,’’ he said, adding that he was able to rediscover his energy for filmmaking. >>More

'Thirst' Tops Box Office With 600,000 Moviegoers

*South Korea measures box office scores in terms of number of moviegoers, rather than revenue. It has a population of only 48 million, so 600,000 is a huge number!

"Thirst," director Park Chan-wook's latest film, placed top in the South Korean box office during the two consecutive holidays of the opening week.

The film attracted a total of 626,024 moviegoers during the first three days after the release, following 439,950 at 601 cinemas across the country for May Day and Saturday, according to the integrated computer network figure of the Korean Film Council.

The film also attracted 178,000 cinemagoers, Thursday, the largest number among new releases in the first day of their screening this year.

The film, which tells the story of a priest who becomes a vampire, is expected to hit 800,000 in total Sunday if the current trend persists, according to movie analysts.

This is incredibly impressive; Park is of course an icon here, but his movies have a cult following among only a rather limited group. This is doubly significant since April 30 marked the release of major competitors such as "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

>>Read my movie review of "Thirst," one of the first available in English.
>>Read about what director Park had to say about his movie.

"Cyborg She," One Man's Perverse Fantasy

Director Kwak Jae-yong has been giving less than stellar performances ever since the South Korean megahit ``My Sassy Girl’’ (2001) and the mellow romance ``Classic’’ (2003) ― and he makes an effort to redeem himself, rather fruitlessly, in ``Cyborg She.’’

The Korea-Japan joint production nevertheless held a top spot in the Japanese box office for five weeks and sold over 110,000 DVDs. The movie translates into real action akin to Japanese sci-fi anime, and is not without its charms, particularly with some striking visuals and top stars Haruka Ayase and Keisuke Koide giving endearing performances.

But this reporter ― having loved Kwak’s ``Sassy’’ and ``Classic’’ (2003), despised ``Sassy’s’’ prequel ``Windstruck’’ (2004) and felt pity for ``My Mighty Princess’’ (2008) ― was not at all convinced by ``Cyborg’s’’ perverse pursuit of an older man’s self-gratifying fantasy. ``This movie is like a gift to myself, to my lonely days as a young man without a girlfriend,’’ Kwak told reporters following the press preview in Seoul, Wednesday.

The 49-year-old filmmaker emphasized that the movie, despite its recurring theme of a quirky young woman shaking up and ultimately saving the life of a lonely, spineless man, should not be seen as part of a trilogy with ``Sassy’’ and ``Windstruck.’’ But the director relies too much on the premise of the emotional hinge of unrequited love beneath the surface of some pretty bad slapstick.

Lonely geek Jiro (Koide) is no longer so lonely when a femme cyborg (Ayase) crashes his birthday party. She has traveled back in time from the year 2133, to help him and all of humanity, and as an added bonus, has his ex-girlfriend’s pretty looks. She tries to blend into the local scene by shopping for clothes, even though it inevitably involves giving electric shocks to the cashier, and developing a taste for fried chicken, though eating them whole. Such third rate jokes set up the slapstick for the next few reels and are completed by her efforts to rescue Jiro and other humans like an anime Supergirl.

The story does pull at the heartstrings, however, when the cyborg arranges a time warp for them to visit Jiro’s hometown, which has been destroyed by an earthquake. The big budget franchise recreates a beautiful and nostalgic, storybook-like traditional Japanese town and conjures up childhood wonders. It’s quite ironic though that the most ``fake’’ (is it a time warp or a staged hypnosis? We don’t know) moment is the most compelling in the whole story.

Back in reality in Tokyo, our protagonist starts falling for the lovely robot. Jiro agonizes over whether, beneath her fixed smile, the cyborg can ever feel his growing attachment to her. When an earthquake hits the city, however, it's a question Jiro, rather than she, has to deal with. This is where the film’s 10 billion won is mostly poured into, and is indeed spectacular, but the climactic drama between the two characters is necessary to cover up some of the artifice.

Koide assumes the most expressive role, but it's Ayase who engages your attention as the always smiling, lovely cyborg who may have a blooming sense of human emotion. Kwak strongly emphasized that ``Cyborg’’ is a sci-fi movie and it was indeed featured as the closing film for the 2008 Pucheon (Bucheon) International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan). Given the plotline, one might have expected the cyborg to experience some kind of existential struggle like ``Bicentennial Man.’’ Instead, it’s about a young science major, who, frustrated about not having a girlfriend, creates a pretty robot that can stay by his side.

In theaters May 14. 100 minutes. 12 and over. Distributed by NEW.

Jung’s Musical Promenade Through Paris

Such a lovely man. It was a fun interview; we got carried away talking about Paris, being multilingual (not us but the crazy multilingual people we know), and being fans of the composer Unsuk Chin.

Singer-songwriter Jung Jae-hyung has released a new album, ``Promenade,’’ under the Sony Classical label, and some may be surprised to realize that this is actually the soundtrack for the currently showing ``What Brings You to My House.’’

The former pop star has written scores for several movies including ``Addicted’’ (2002) and ``Love Now’’ (2007), but Promenade involved a different creative process. The tracks may have been inspired by the quirky love story starring Kang Hye-jung, but the movie’s postponed release gave Jung a good year to work on the music as if it were a solo project.

``It functions as a film soundtrack but I wanted it to have a life on its own,’’ the 37-year-old told The Korea Times in a recent interview in Seoul.

Creating music for Promenade was ``like a picnic,’’ he said, and ``happened piece by piece,’’ and this is reflected in the meandering ambiance of the tracks. Piano, cello, flute, oboe, horn and viola tunes conjure up images of warm sunbeams on a lazy afternoon and the sight of light spring rain outside the window of a quiet café.

Singer-songwriter Jung Jae-hyung. (Courtesy of SonyBMG)

The classical instruments, however, take on a more contemporary and edgy -- and at times slurred and discordant -- texture through Jung’s electronic sound designs. There’s also a touch of pop featuring vocals by Lucid Paul and actress-singer Uhm Jung-hwa. Uhm, Jung’s good friend of over 15 years and who has starred in three of the movies he composed scores for, stopped by the venue to say hello.

His music is ultimately modern in language but is simple, poetic and unimposing. Despite the electronic mixing, the result is something whimsical and natural, perhaps similar to the Ahn Trio’s ``Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac.’’

``Electronic music often feels cold and mechanic, but I tried to draw out warmth,’’ he said. The artist intentionally added glitches to the melody by squishing together some of the rhythm even though it may not be immediately detectable by the naked ear -- perhaps like adding small rips to create fake vintage jeans? ``Yes,’’ he said.

It’s only natural that the album is impressionistic in color; like Impressionist painters who took the easel outside of the studio, the Paris-based artist went on an actual promenade through the city. He would settle down in an outdoor cafe and be inspired by the noise of passing breezes and pedestrians and the clinking of coffee cups.

Like the honored composer Chin Unsuk, of whom he is a big fan, Jung is a classically-trained pianist who speaks in electronic music. ``The beauty of electronic music is that it enables you to directly translate your intentions, to enliven the original ingredients and keep your color,’’ he said. ``Arranging sounds created with classical instruments is rather limited. Electronic sound design is actually easier for me.’’

Is it like working with a sharp pencil for drawing? ``Yes,’’ he smiled. ``Electronic sound mixing enables you to, if it were a drawing, draw a perfectly straight line using a fine-point pencil.’’ Electronic music, he said, is just a convenient tool that allows the artist more versatility in this multimedia age.

``What used to be one-way sourcing is now all open,’’ he said about today’s merging of genres. Jung, a prolific singer-songwriter, also writes prose and draws images such as the watercolor sketches featured in his album.

``It’s not that I’m multitalented or anything. They’re just different forms of self-expression, and these days I don’t think artists need to classify themselves. Ryuichi Sakamoto started out as an electronic musician but now writes music for movies,’’ he said. ``But at the same time, I’m scared. You can go so many ways, with video art and performance, etc,’’ he said.

When asked about his future plans, he already had the next two years mapped out, with a new film score and solo piano album, as well as publishing a book and getting involved with a musical.
``My dream is to simply live toward my dream, and to cherish it. I started out with the simple premise of wanting to do my own music and that’s the most important thing. I wish to become a good-hearted egoist,’’ he smiled.

Serial Hollywood Movies Tide In

Heavy May Lineup

Next month, local moviegoers can look forward to the releases of ``X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and other serial big budget American franchises, including the ``Star Trek’’ prequel, the latest Dan Brown movie ``Angels & Demons’’ and the fourth ``Terminator’’ movie.

On May 7, fans can see ``Star Trek: The Beginning,’’ the prequel to the popular sci-fi TV show. Director J. J. Abrams brings a visually striking, action-packed film chronicling the early days of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members. The star-studded cast includes Eric Bana, John Cho and Winona Ryder, and Leonard Nimoy as the older Spock.

``The Da Vinci Code’’ author Dan Brown inspired another movie, ``Angels & Demons.’’ Tom Hanks returns as symbologist Robert Langdon, who, after decoding cryptic codes in Da Vinci paintings in Paris, returns in a prequel set in Rome to help solve a series of murders in Vatican City. Ewan McGregor joins the cast for the film, which is slated for release May 14. [I read "The Da Vinci Code" during my first week in Paris when I lived there 2004-2005, and then read "Angels & Demons" right before leaving for Rome in March, 2005. I was there for Easter weekend, right after Pope Jean Paul passed away, so I got to see real life parallels from the book! Although I didn't enjoy the movie version of "The Da Vinci Code," I liked "Angels & Demons" much better so I'm hoping the movie will be better too]

Megastars are expected to bring some mega-action to the mega-expensive ($200 million) ``Terminator Salvation,’’ coming to theaters May 21. It’s the year 2018, when much of humanity is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. Christian Bale (the reason for watchig the movie) assumes the role of John Connor, who leads a group of survivors waging the last battle against the Terminator machines.

Moviegoers can also look forward to the sixth ``Harry Potter’’ film, ``Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,’’ on July 15.

>>Read my previous interview with John Cho

>>Read my review of ``Harry Potter 5''

'X-Men' Explores Wolverine's Humanity

``X-Men Origins: Wolverine’’ marks its theatrical release in South Korea Thursday, and will be followed in May by other highly anticipated Hollywood blockbusters.

``Wolverine,’’ the prequel to the popular mutant franchise, traces the origins of Logan-cum-Wolverine’s mysterious past. In recent years, prequels to superhero stories have focused on their humanity, showing their mortal flaws and existential concerns. While ``Wolverine’’ is not as sinister or thought-provoking as ``The Dark Knight’’ of the latest ``Batman’’ franchise, it features a more complex narrative than what moviegoers may be used to, with the protagonist constantly torn over what Hugh Jackman calls ``anger management issues.’’

The glossy, high-tech look of the first three ``X-Men’’ movies is also toned down. Director Gavin Hood opts for something that feels more rustic, raw and primitive. The screen is filled with the breathtaking natural scenery of New Zealand and Australia, and action sequences involve something more ``classic,’’ such as a vintage Harley Davidson, heightened by the fact that even actors Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber chose to do some of the stunts themselves.

Jackman returns to the role of the hot-tempered Wolverine, equipped with indestructible claws and superhuman stamina. The movie takes us back to the mid 19th-century America, when he was just plain James Logan. His fate takes a sharp turn however when his mutant powers awaken and a family tragedy ensues; his brother, Victor Creed-cum-Sabretooth (Schreiber), also turns out to be ``special,’’ and the two run away together.

The two immortal young men fight through the major wars of the past two centuries until they are recruited by William Stryker to serve in a special unit of mutants. When their job involves taking innocent lives, however, Logan calls it quits, while Creed succumbs to his darker side.

Logan is leading a peaceful life in the Canadian Rockies until Stryker asks him to be part of his new Weapon X project. He refuses, but when Creed murders his loving girlfriend, Logan agrees to being injected with a formula called ``adamantium,’’ making him nearly indestructible, to seek his revenge. But when he discovers that his new body, Weapon X, would be merely a puppet controlled by Stryker, he runs away, and Stryker orders Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) to destroy him.

The local press preview last Wednesday for ``Wolverine’’ buzzed with reporters and critics trying to catch the American debut of Korean heartthrob Henney. He gives a memorable supporting role, complete with some neat action sequences, for a character that could easily have been played by a non-Asian actor.

In theaters Thursday. 107 minutes. 12 and over. Distributed by 20th Century Fox Korea.

Bong Joon-ho Promises Something "Hotter" With "Mother"

From left, actors Won Bin and Kim Hae-ja and director Bong Joon-ho appear Monday at a promotional event in Seoul for their movie ``Mother,’’ which will premiere at the Cannes International Film Festival next month before its local release May 28. /Courtesy of CJ Entertainment

Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho promises something ``hotter’’ for his upcoming film ``Mother,’’ which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month before its local theater release May 28.

``If movies could be measured by temperature, then I imagine that `Mother’ is much hotter than my previous works,’’ the director of the blockbuster ``The Host’’ and modern classic ``Memories of Murder’’ told reporters at a Seoul theater, Monday.

When asked if he felt disheartened about not being in Cannes’ competition pool alongside countryman Park Chan-wook, he said it was too early for him to compete against big names like the ``Thirst’’ director and Quentin Tarantino. ``But I am greatly confident about the movie’s solidity and artistry. Once it’s revealed to the world at the festival, where I’ve had experience with `The Host,’ I am looking forward to people’s reactions,’’ said the 39-year-old about the film’s invitation to the prestigious event’s non-competitive ``Un Certain Regard’’ section.

But Bong was more diffident than confident about the movie, saying he needs more time to figure out whether or not ``Mother’’ is a ``convincing film.’’

``I was shocked to hear figure skater Kim Yu-na say, after winning the world championship, that she gave a `more convincing’ routine for the first time,’’ he said. ``Whenever I’m forced to watch my own movies, I’m constantly regretting, `Why ever did I shoot that scene like that.’ I’ll have to finish post-production and look back at my work.’’

``Mother’’ stars Won Bin as a dimwitted young man who is erroneously framed for a neighbor’s death while South Korea’s veteran actress Kim Hae-ja plays his distraught mother who struggles to prove his innocence by tracking down the real murderer on her own.

``There isn’t a more instinctive word than `mother.’ We say `eomma’ (mother) when we’re surprised,’’ he said, explaining that he chose the phonetic transliteration of the English word for the title because there was already a recent movie called ``Eomma’’ (Long and Winding Road, 2004) starring Ko Doo-shim. >>More

Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" Is Riveting

Song Kang-ho, the uncle next door, sheds 10 kilos and turns uber sexy (no fangs!) and bares all (literally? figuratively? I'll leave it to your imagination). I salute, thee, maestro Park Chan-wook!

Park Chan-wook's ``Thirst'' traces the downfall of a Catholic priest who gets a transfusion of mysterious blood and turns into a vampire. Song Kang-ho, an award-winning actor who starred in ``Secret Sunshine,'' said at the movie's press preview Friday that he hopes the film wins the Palme d'Or at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. /Courtesy of CJ Entertainment

Park Chan-wook’s latest work ``Thirst,’’ like other great movies, makes you forget you’re watching one, and you won’t be able to stop it from shaking up every cell in your body unless you dart for the exit. Park-brand films are undoubtedly an acquired taste, and this vampire-priest story, slated to compete in Cannes next month, is certainly not for those with weak stomachs. Nor is it, despite being replete with tasteful humor only Song Kang-ho (``Secret Sunshine’’) can pull off and being the first South Korean film to be co-produced by a major Hollywood studio, for those seeking light-hearted entertainment.

This reporter admits having had to close her eyes and plug her ears for some of the extreme scenes, but still had the ultimate audiovisual experience discovering ironic amusement and empathizing with the protagonist’s frenetic actions, disillusionment and despair, listless surrender and dissipation, and, finally, spiritual transformation.

In this story inspired by Emile Zola’s ``Therese Raquin,’’ Park creates a sinister parallel universe where 19th-century French realism and the Western vampire myth melt naturally into modern South Korea. Visually, things are familiar yet exotic, with local Catholic churches evoking a European flair; gaudy, outdated boutiques that are set in a Japanese colonial-era style home; and striking claustrophobic spaces a la Stanley Kubrick.

Regardless of one’s faith, the movie inspires you to look back to the Bible as well as literary classics on religious themes such as Graham Greene’s ``The Power and the Glory.’’

The movie most obviously alludes to the first three chapters of Genesis. Sang-hoon (Song) is a devout Catholic priest residing peacefully in the house of God, like Adam in the Garden of Eden. His only flaw is that he is overly zealous _ in the novel, which Park co-wrote with scriptwriter Jeong Seo-gyeong and novelist Choi In, we learn that Sang-hoon always had a dangerous propensity to sacrifice whatever means for salvation. Despite the behest of his father figure, Father Noh (Park In-hwan, ``The Quiet Family’’), Sang-hoon volunteers for a risky medical experiment in Africa that the Vatican has yet to approve. There, he contracts a virus _ most appropriately called Eve _ and dies, but a transfusion with mysterious blood returns him back to ``life’’ as a vampire.

When he comes home, news of Sang-hoon’s resurrection attracts a cult following of the desperate and the decrepit who are seeking miracles. But Sang-hoon eventually succumbs to his thirst for blood and other hitherto tamed human (or animalistic?) instincts, and begins a sexual relationship with his friend’s wife Tae-ju (starlet-turned-femme fatale Kim Ok-vin, ``Dasepo Naughty Girls’’). He casts off his vestigial collar and allows himself to be persuaded by Tae-ju to kill her impotent husband (most convincingly played by Shin Ha-kyun, a star of ``Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’’).

But like the whiskey priest of the Greene novel, who discovers the true meaning of being a ``father’’ through breaking the rules _ i.e. fathering an actual child _ the wickedly talented Song as Sang-hoon suggests that light shines brightest in the depths of darkness, and that deliverance is not a lost cause for even the damned. The director explores the murky line between faith and obsession, love and lust, martyrdom and suicide, and blessings and curses.

The cast and crew, including the most talented supporting actors such as Kim Hae-sook (``Viva! Love’’) as the hysterical mother-in-law, craft the story with great gusto and virtuosity. In spite of the dark subject matter, you will be laughing throughout the movie, and might agree with Tae-ju and gasp ``how cute’’ upon seeing Sang-hoon sip blood like Cool-Aid in a bottle and check in a hand mirror afterward to see if his lips are free of the scarlet stuff. (Ma questionne a Monsieur Park about the ironic humor and he said) ``Isn't that life? It can't be just serious all the time,'' said Park after the press preview in Seoul, Friday.

Of course ``Thirst’’ is incomplete without Park’s trademark juxtaposition of serene classical music and harrowing moments of violence. The director reunites with composer Jo Yeong-wook, and opts for J.S. Bach’s ``Cantata No. 82’’ this time. Park, having grown up in a Catholic environment, said that ``Thirst’’ is close to his heart, with the protagonist modeled after his own ``pathetic’’ personality, and the evocative background melody transforms into a monologue as Sang-hoon plays it himself on the recorder.

In his last film three years ago, ``I’m a Cyborg but That’s OK,’’ Park tampered with the digital Thomas Viper for a bubbly, surreal romance, and many say ``Thirst’’ marks his return, via analogue film, to the darker themes of his landmark ``Vengeance Trilogy.’’ ``Thirst’’ does speak a common gory tongue similar to the latter works, and Park said he wanted to create a certain ambiance and texture only analogue could capture. But this tale of redemption is ultimately a human love story, like ``Cyborg,’’ and suggests that all of his movies are as such.

A small regret is that the movie does not go as far as the novel to feature more character development, such as Sang-hoon’s orphaned childhood and frantic search for a father figure, and the computer graphic effects, such as Sang-hoon and Tae-ju’s crazed Superman and Lois Lane moments, are rather awkward.

In theaters April 30. 133 minutes. 18 and over. Distributed by CJ Entertainment.

>>Read about the novel

>>Read about what director Park, Song and Kim had to say about the movie

Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" the Novel

"Thirst" 박쥐
Park Chan-wook and others
That Book: 270 pp., 12,000 won


Award-winning director Park Chan-wook is making headlines with his upcoming film ``Thirst,’’ and presents the book version, co-written with scriptwriter Jeong Seo-gyeong and novelist Choi In.

``This piece was inspired by Emile Zola’s `Therese Raquin’ and is a product of two countries, three centuries and four authors,’’ Park introduces his book.

The book reads quickly and easily even though it is replete with lush, descriptive details in depicting the downfall of a man. Zola’s 19th-century realism and the Western vampire legend melt naturally and eerily into modern Korea.

Sang-hoon, a devout Catholic priest, risks his life to take part in a dangerous medical experiment. During the process he contracts mysterious blood and turns into a ravenous vampire. He starts breaking the 10 Commandments as he succumbs to his newly developed instincts, and what’s more, he becomes entangled in an affair with his friend’s wife, Tae-ju. Meanwhile, Tae-ju, sick of her hysterical mother-in-law and spineless husband, lures Sang-hoon into killing her husband.

The movie is slated for release April 30.

`Girlfriend’ Prevails With Small, Tactful Jokes

Actress Kim Ha-neul stars as a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent caught in a complicated romance with Kang Ji-hwan in Shin Tae-ra’s buoyant spy romance ``My Girlfriend Isn’t an Agent.’’ /Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment


Don’t be discouraged by the rather familiar plotline or the tacky English title. This reporter had been expecting the worst for what appeared to be a spin-off of ``Mr. and Mrs. Smith,’’ but Shin Tae-ra’s buoyant spy romance ``My Girlfriend Isn’t an Agent’’ is a promising asset to the South Korean romantic comedy genre.

It’s predictable and clichéd, but features some surprisingly good B-rate laughter, winning the audience with a series of small but tactile tickles rather than a big K.O. After dabbling with blood in the slasher film ``The Black House,’’ the director returns with something more digestible, while actors Kim Ha-neul and Kang Ji-hwan make their mark on the silver screen.

Following a few mediocre franchises, Kim reclaims her reputation as the romantic comedy queen in the tradition of her ``Too Beautiful to Lie,’’ while Kang’s charms, eclipsed by So Ji-sub’s charisma in his feature film debut ``Rough Cut,’’ shines through. While many homegrown romantic comedies make the mistake of switching genres _ Kim’s 2006 ``Almost Romance’’ drastically transformed from comedy into a tragedy _ ``Girlfriend’’ has a consistent tempo and flow in straddling slapstick, schmaltziness and speed.

Su-ji (Kim) is a National Intelligence Service (NIS) spy who poses as a travel agent. While she is adept with James Bond-style gadgets and pulling off Jackie Chan stunts in a wedding dress, she’s terrible when it comes to lying to her boyfriend Jae-jun (Kang). Tired of her cock-and-bull stories _ how she claims to be on one side of the country one minute and then on the opposite end the next _ he leaves her.

The movie portrays NIS agents as having very mortal flaws and problems. Our protagonist may strut around in a power suit on the job, but she’s also seen lounging around in thick glasses and sweats, crying over her broken heart. Her cozy house, like that of a typical young Korean woman, is decorated with cushions and stuffed animals stamped with pictures of her and her now ex-boyfriend.

The story resumes three years later when Jae-jun reappears as a high-profile accountant in a corporate bathroom where Su-jin is working undercover as a janitor. Old wounds reopen and emotions flare as they blame each other for the break-up. The two are, of course, still in love, but the fact that Jae-jun is actually a rookie agent of a different NIS branch complicates things.

In the ``Brangenlina’’ franchise, a husband and wife’s marriage problems escalate when their respective agencies, which happen to be rival companies, become involved with the same case. ``Girlfriend’’ is similar, and does some nice PR for the NIS by showing how different departments stick to the honor code in guarding their secrets from one another within the organization and even within the same department _ Su-jin and Jae-jun’s respective teams think the other is involved in a Russian spy case.

The beauty of the film lies in the details. In addition to the wickedly funny main cast, some of the most talented actors in the industry _ including Ryoo Seung-yong (``Hwang Jini’’) and Kang Shin-il (``Black House’’) _ play memorable supporting roles.

Now showing in theaters. 112 minutes. 12 and over. Distributed by Lotte Entertainment.

'Insadong' Can Go That Extra Mile

When it comes to replicas, modern Koreans may be familiar with fake Louis Vuitton handbags; the immaculate craftsmanship baffles even experts. But not many people realize that ``Mongyu Dowondo'' (Paradise in a Dream, 1447), displayed at the National Museum of Korea, is a mock-up. The original landmark painting of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) remains in Japan.

For ``Insadong Scandal,'' first-time director Park Hee-gon may have been inspired by that tantalizing fact, which inevitably points to sensitive Korea-Japan relations, but he opts for something purely entertainment-driven rather than stoop to sappy ``nationalism marketing'' to tell the story of lost treasures and misdirected ambitions. Like George Clooney and others in the ``Ocean's'' franchise, popular actor Kim Rae-won (``Sunflower'') and a host of colorful characters bring a stylish and speedy crime story, which in this case is set against the exotic art hub of Seoul, Insa-dong.

It all came from a dream. Angyeon immortalized the reverie of prince Anpyeong in ``Mongyu Dowondo'' and captured his own fantasies in ``Byeokando.'' But the painting of the Changdeok Palace pond disappeared along with the crown prince, who was overthrown and killed by his brother-cum-king, and its existence became known only 60 years ago through a Joseon artist's written account.

``Insadong'' imagines what would happen if the painting resurfaced after 400 years of Holy Grail-like existence. The minimum auction-bidding price is 40 billion won, and naturally, notorious art mogul Bae Tae-jin grabs at the lucrative opportunity. Sex symbol Uhm Jung-hwa (``Love Now'') plays the part of a young Cruella De Vil who unabashedly lobbies politicians and engages in illicit art exchanges to fund her fancies. ``Byeokando'' would enable her to conquer Insa-dong once and for all, but first she must find someone to restore the tattered painting ― the one and only genius restorer Lee Gang-jun (Kim).

A few years back, Lee had proved his devilish talents with the paintbrush in restoring a priceless Joseon treasure, but his career perished as soon as it bloomed when he was framed for its disappearance. Bae beckons Lee back to the art scene with ``Byeokando,'' waving 1 billion won for the year-long project. Lee accepts, though he asks for a fancy sports car as a bonus, and settles comfortably in the state-of-the-art restoration lab situated in Bae's gallery. Meanwhile, Bae puts on a show for the press about donating the priceless work to the state while scheming with a Japanese buyer, but Lee has some elaborate plans of his own.

The movie is fast-paced and visually enticing throughout, but it doesn't completely lure the viewer until the latter half. In the beginning, it's more about style than substance. The very talented Kim had hitherto touched hearts with dramatic roles, but keeps cool in ``Insadong'' as the charming antiheroic hero that is aloof yet way too suave. Of course, such is what one expects in entertainment, the protagonist is not only very young and good-looking but also possesses a sharp tongue and encyclopedic knowledge to match his magic fingers.

Uhm's sex appeal is unquestionable but her screen persona doesn't melt into the frame as Kim Hye-soo did in ``Tazza: The High Rollers.'' She's ravishing in her form-fitting, structured outfits, which naturally include cleavage-baring keyhole evening gowns, but her kabuki makeup often seems out of place as she tries to mingle with politicians. She's stomping over men in her killer stilettos, but the film, quite commendably, refrains from making her a stereotypical femme fatale; while some may be disappointed by the lack of romantic chemistry between Bae and Lee, it is refreshing to see a heroine whose edgy fashion defines her ambitions rather than sexuality.

Things pick up nicely in the latter half with idiosyncratic supporting characters like Ko Chang-seok (``Rough Cut'') spicing up the intrigue and exploring the fine line between restoration and replication, and artistry and finely crafted con artistry.

The director said he didn't explain characters' history because he wanted to capture the relevance of Insa-dong. However, the film could have relied more on editing to introduce the past as ``Ocean's 11'' did, also propelled by characters that feed directly into the narrative ― the movie is, ultimately, about items from a bygone era and truncating the characters' attachment with them distances the viewer from the story.

Life Imitates Art in Gay Mockumentary

Hollywood stuntwoman-turned-director Alison Reid /Lee Hyo-won photo

Imagine a world where children are fatherless in the procreative process. In the mockumentary ``The Baby Formula,’’ a lesbian couple succeeds in conceiving children of its own genetic mix.

The film’s notion of creating fake sperms from a woman’s skin particle, however, isn’t completely outlandish. ``Baby’’ is the classic mix of fiction and reality.

``The science is actually accurate and was successful in tests with mice. The (actresses’) pregnancy was real, too,’’ Alison Reid, the veteran Hollywood stuntwoman-turned-director, told The Korea Times in a recent interview. The Canadian filmmaker has been touring the festival circuit with her feature film debut, and was in town for the 11th International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS).

``Until recently, it has been impossible for gay couples to conceive of the idea of being able to combine their genetics and have their own biological children. That has always struck me as sad. When I read an article about some science that made it possible to create offspring from two female mice, it resonated with me, and inspired me to make this film,’’ Reid said in a statement.

The director spoke with scientists all over the world involved in the research. ``For the purposes of the story, we have assumed that the science is further along than it is in real life, however the scientific explanations are accurate. This scientific backdrop becomes a pallet for a story that is ultimately about family, and the common ground facing us all despite our diversity,’’ she said.

``Succubus,’’ the short prequel to ``Baby’’ that was screened at last year’s IWFFIS, traced the efforts of the same two characters, Athena and Lileth, to have their own biological child. Interestingly enough, both actresses became pregnant _ though happily married to men in real life, they conceived children in the traditional way. The film assumes that such lesbian mothers can only have daughters, and both actresses gave birth to the baby girls that appear in the movie.

``Life was imitating art,’’ said the director. ``We were able to take advantage of the pregnancy and show the 10-month period and the real babies at the end. When we were rehearsing the scene where Athena’s water breaks, Angela Vint (who plays Athena) actually had her water break,’’ she said.

The science may be stranger than fiction, but the movie’s utter believability shines through. Effervescent characters drawn in viewers into the story, which has no male bashing, ``feminazism.’’ In ``Baby,’’ two geek stem cell specialists claim that their breakthrough scientific experiment is not trying to ``make men obsolete’’ but rather simply render them ``unnecessary.’’ One day, women may become unnecessary in procreation, they add.

``The film is done in a non-threatening way so people wouldn’t be putt off by it,’’ said Reid. The delightful, ticklishly funny mockumentary drew packed screenings in Seoul, and one middle-aged male audience member found the story pleasantly surprising despite the fact that he came from ``a different generation.’’

The warm reception is great, said Reid, but she was actually hoping for a little negativity. ``Right wing protesters would be good PR for the film,’’ she said, smiling. The director hopes to start a TV series starring the same actors.

Will her next feature film be another dramedy? ``No, it won’t be as funny,’’ she said. But it will involve a love triangle set inside, rather appropriately for the stunt speicialist, ``a crazy, extreme stunt world.’’

Reid coordinated stunt sequences in major Hollywood films such as ``Blindness’’ and doubled for Monica Bellucci in ``Shoot ‘Em Up.’’ She said she vigorously pursued the ``excitement and the adrenaline’’ ever since doing her first stunt when she was 17. Getting caught in explosions and car crash sequences ``had its moments,’’ including neck and knee injuries and burns, but provided insight into the world of directing.

For more information about ``Baby,’’ visit thebabyformulamovie.com.

The IWFFIS comes to a close today. The closing ceremony at 7 p.m. at Artreon in Sinchon will feature the award-winning films of the Asian Short Film & Video Competition. Visit http://www.wffis.or.kr/.

Director Yang Shares Life Story in `Breathless’

One of the best movies of the year. And so far one of the most enjoyable personal encounters -- gotta love a guy who giggles like a girl while he speaks Nietzsche.

``Breathless'' director-producer-lead actor Yang Ik-june /Photo by Lee Hyo-won

``I also think it is a superb film,’’ director-actor Yang Ik-june told The Korea Times in an interview, Thursday, in Seoul, when this reporter complimented his multiple award-winning film ``Breathless.’’ ``Other directors are going to think I’m nauseating,’’ said the 33-year-old headline maker, exploding into another one of his distinct, high-pitched giggles.

While sporting the same short haircut and mustache, as well the Nike sneakers, from the film, Yang was nothing like the brooding, foul-mouthed thug he played. His feature directorial debut, ``Breathless,’’ has swept top awards at numerous film festivals, from Rotterdam to Las Palmas. Naturally, Yang had been giving non-stop interviews but he still beamed with energy at 8:30 p.m.

At the international events, he said he had fun being called ``_-nom (bastard)’’ _ a word that appears in almost every line of the movie _ by foreign cineastes and festivalgoers. In Deauville, France, ``Breathless’’ was never confused with the Jean-Luc Godard film of the same English title, and he even got to meet Pierre Rissient, who was the assistant director of the Nouvelle Vague masterpiece. He loved the movie and treated Yang to several meals.

Nevertheless, he seemed unperturbed by the sudden fame. ``The trophies look all the same,’’ he joked. He’s thankful and honored, but had experienced too many overwhelming emotions during the three years of making ``Breathless’’ to be besieged. Yang produced, directed and played the lead in the movie, and had to move three times to fund it. He casually mentioned that the numerous awards didn’t always include cash prizes. ``I mean, I need money to live,’’ chuckled Yang, who has been living in sunless subterranean flats with an annual income of less than 10 million won ($10,000) for almost a decade.

``You need to forget about (the fame and honor) in order to return to a normal life,’’ he said. ``A movie happens to get made when you’re just living life. It’s like you have to sleep with someone first in order to have a baby, without using contraceptives,’’ he grinned. ``If you keep thinking, `I want to make a movie, I want to act,’ then you just become enslaved by your intense desires. You have to live life.’’

What does he normally do? ``I just do normal things… I listen to music, go out and about town, meet friends, think about raunchy things, reflect on small moments of the day,’’ he said. ``It’s the small things in daily life that inspire me.’’

This attitude of being in touch with reality extends to the moviemaking process. As a director, he doesn’t ask anything of his actors. He allows them to color their characters with their own personalities, so their character becomes the actor rather than the other way around. Acting _ a word he said he hates but has no choice to use _ ``is something you can’t learn. I wanted my actors to pour their own life into the roles,’’ he said.

Portrait of a Family

``Breathless’’ is about a victim of domestic violence that grows up to become an aggressive brute, but rediscovers hope when he meets a girl. The movie features dark themes, but it is no Kim Ki-duk film and depicts a very human and warm portrait of the lowly life. It is a partly autobiographical story inspired by his family and friends in Namgok-dong, a poor town in Chungcheong Province.

Cinema, he said, was a form of self-expression. ``People think and feel things in a universal way, but at the same time, each person is so unique and special,’’ said Yang. ```Breathless’ is a story about Korea, a story about a family. People were able to relate because families are similar, although the degree of family problems vary of course.’’

He said the movie was like a ``diary’’ where he wrote everything he wanted to say all at once. ``It was an exorcism for me,’’ he said. Doesn’t he feel uncomfortable about revealing himself? ``No. It’s like being naked at a nude beach or sharing your worries with friends who can relate to you,’’ he said.

Yang’s friends and family are very proud, he said. On Friday evening, the director and the main cast members mingled with friends and fans as one-time waiters at a bar in Sinchon. A group of his closest friends spoke affectionately of Yang’s well-deserved success. While they were leading stable careers, Yang was always the broke artist. This was despite the fact that he came from one of the more prosperous families in town. ``His father runs a furniture store but he refused to succeed him. He wanted to be independent,’’ one friend, who asked not to be identified, told The Korea Times.

Actress Kim Kkobbi waits at a party celebrating the movie's release /Photo by Hyo-won Lee

The director has the amazing ability to make you feel at ease, as if you’re talking with your best friend over a drink even though we were drinking tea at a café. He would be serious one moment and goofy the next, but consistently surprised you with his unabashed honesty.

``I want to say `_ you’ to the world through my films,’’ he said. He also wants to show the male private parts onscreen someday. ``Koreans think it’s artistic when they see it in a foreign film, but here they censor it. We feel unstable in this world because we want things to be safe all the time, but we need to be courageous,’’ said the director, who respects cineastes like John Cameron Mitchell (``Shortbus’’). ``Sex is part of life,’’ he said.

The rising director said he wants to continue exploring life through movies. One project he has in mind is about children of the underworld, and he also wants to make love stories. Does he feel pressured about having set high standards for his future films? ``No, I’m just the human Yang Ik-june,’’ he said.

Yang was born in 1975 in Chungcheong Province. He studied acting at Kongju Communications Arts College and played minor roles in mainstream movies including ``Viva! Love.’’ He received awards and critical acclaim for the short films he starred in and directed such as ``Lovers.’’ ``Breathless’’ is his first feature film.

``Breathless’’ opens in theaters April 16. 130 minutes. 19 and over. Distributed by Jin Jin Pictures.

Jeonju Fetes Decade of Promoting Indie Cinema

In 2000, Jeonju, a small town in North Jeolla Province with a reputation for traditionally Korean things, became home to one of the country’s most future-thinking film festivals. Over the first decade of the new millennium, the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) has grown to become a major attraction for independent and art house cinema _ as ``the Locarno Film Festival of Asia.’’

JIFF celebrates its 10th birthday from April 30 to May 8 with a record lineup of 200 films from 42 countries. In addition to showcasing rare-to-see films from different corners of the world, various projects and events await festivalgoers for the special anniversary.

One of the JIFF’s unique features is that it commissions special films for the annual event, festival director Min Byung-lock told The Korea Times, Tuesday, in Seoul. This year, Korea’s Hong Sang-soo, Japan’s Naomi Kawase and the Philippines’ Lav Diaz take part in JIFF’s hallmark program, Jeonju Three Digital Shorts Project. Each year, the festival offers 50 million won to each of the three directors selected to produce a 30-minute work for the digital omnibus film.

``The Jeonju Three Digital Shorts Project has been like JIFF’s faithful child,’’ said Min. In 2007, the digital project won the Jury Award at Locarno. ``It was the first time an omnibus film ever won the prestigious prize, and the Jeonju Festival became internationally known because of it. We received positive feedback from foreign cineastes, who urged us to push on with this project which gives filmmakers an opportunity to experiment,’’ he said. For the festival’s anniversary, a special DVD set of all 27 shorts made over the years will be on sale.

This year’s event opens with another specially commissioned project, ``Short! Short! Short! 2009.’’ This omnibus film features works by 10 rising Korean directors. Choi Ik-hwan (``Life Is Cool’’), Kim Young-nam (``Don’t Look Back’’) and Yoon Seong-ho (``Milky Way Liberation Front’’) among others each contribute a 10-minute piece that offers creative social commentary.

In recent years, both omnibus projects have reached a wider audience as Three Digital Shorts was broadcast on cable TV in Korea and other Asian countries and ``Short! Short! Short!’’ was released online through the portal site Daum. This year however, the cable and Internet services won’t be available because both franchises will be released nationwide in theaters this fall.

The closing film is ``Machan,’’ directed by Uberto Pasolini, who co-produced ``The Full Monty’’ (1997). The neo-realistic comedy takes place in a slum town of Sri Lanka, where 23 people set out to become ``a national handball team’’ in order to secure visas to Europe.

Jeonju, Asia’s Locarno

JIFF has been committed to the discovery and promotion of new talent, and filmmakers are allowed to submit up to their second work for the competition sections.

``When I recently met the festival director of the Locarno Film Festival, he said our events are kindred spirits,’’ said Min about the prominent Italian event for independent cinema. Last year, the award-winning indie flick ``Daytime Drinking’’ premiered at JIFF and the Locarno programmer took notice and took it to Italy, where it won the top prize. >> Click here for more festival preview

Visit http://www.jiff.org/ for more information.

Yang’s `Breathless’ Is Breathtaking

Yang Ik-june directs, produces and plays the lead role in his feature film debut, ``Breathless.’’ The multiple award-winning family drama opens in theaters April 16. /Courtesy of Jin Jin Pictures

In an obscure alleyway at night, a man ruthlessly beats a woman. A shadowy figure emerges and intercepts the violent lover’s quarrel, but only to slap the victim repeatedly himself, reprimanding her for getting hit by her man.

Is he a hero or villain? It’s difficult to say. ``Breathless’’ explores the murky gray zone between compassion and cruelty, redemption and revenge, and the blessings and curses of family bonds. In a nutshell, it’s a family drama that’s inappropriate for children. While harrowingly violent, however, the multiple-award winning film by director-lead actor-producer Yang Ik-june seethes with warmth and humor.

The film is making headlines for entering almost 20 international film events and picking up top prizes, including, most recently, the SIGNIS Prize and the Audience Award, Wednesday, at the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival. And the movie does not disappoint, and establishes Yang as a name to watch out for.

``Breathless’’ has captured the hearts of French audiences at Deauville _ even though they are more than familiar with the Jean-Luc Godard masterpiece of the same title (``A Bout de Souffle’’ in French). It features over two hours of the discomforting subject matter of domestic violence against a rundown neighborhood of Seoul, but the movie glimmers with life. One is drawn to the protagonist, Sang-hoon, whom Yang plays compellingly as the most endearing antihero since Kang Cheol-jung of the ``Public Enemy’’ series.

Sang-hoon is someone you don’t want to run into on the street. Wearing a frown and an old-fashioned collar shirt with a pair of Nike sneakers, he’s prone to mindless fits of violence, punching a passerby if he feels like it. He leads a dreary existence working for an enforcement mob run by an old friend, Man-sik (Joung Maan-sik). When he makes money he pours it away at a pachinko parlor. He’s probably the only Korean still using a beeper rather than a cell phone.

But just when the jerky, handheld camera establishes him as a despicable thug, you see him looking after his young nephew, though he is careful not to get too close with his half sister, and making sure he steers clear of young children when beating people up. His irate temper turns highly volatile at the sole mention of his father, and we learn that Sang-hoon is a victim of a violent family tragedy that took the life of his mother and sister. ``So, does serving 17 years undo the fact that he killed two people?’’ he asks, enraged with his father.

But the darkest hours always yield to light, and Yeon-hee enters his life like a ray of sunshine. Actress Kim Kkobbi plays the role of the cheeky high school student who doesn’t even wince at Sang-hoon’s intimidations. The big bad thug is fascinated by the little sharp-tongued girl who goes as far as treating him like her junior, saying ``So I’m a senior. Have you even been to school?’’ He’s at a loss for words.

Yeon-hee says that her family life is so peaceful that she needs to be diverted by a lowlife thug. But in reality, they are kindred spirits, as her tough demeanor was crafted over the years of dealing with her violent, mentally disturbed father and rebellious younger brother. Her mother lost her life in a skirmish with thugs, but she finds solace in the presence of such people in a vicious cycle.

The film depicts the human repulsion against violence but also the disturbing yet cathartic emotional release from submitting to it, and thus the human propensity toward it. But it ultimately traces the human need for hope and redemption.

As Yeon-hee starts warming up his stark existence, Sang-hoon slowly begins to emerge from the dark side. The two unlikely friends find a niche of happiness in babying Sang-hoon’s little nephew. Sang-hoo, however, has committed sins for which there is a heavy price to pay.

In theaters April 16. 130 minutes. 18 and over. Distributed by Jin Jin Pictures.

Hugh Jackman to `Date’ Local Actresses in TV Show

Hollywood screen star Hugh Jackman and Korean-American heartthrob Daniel Henney will appear in a local matchmaking TV program, organizers of the SBS show ``The Gold Miss Are Coming’’ said Monday. The two actors will be in town Thursday to promote the action film ``X-Men Origins: Wolverine’’ in time for its release April 30.

After appearing at a press conference Friday morning, they will meet actress Yang Jung-ah, 37, and the other members of ``Gold Miss,’’ a matchmaking program for eligible female celebrities. The group includes comedienne Shin Bong-seon and singer Jin Jae-young, among others. Two will have the opportunity to watch a movie with either Jackman or Henney.

The show will air on April 19.

Meanwhile, the ``X-Men’’ stars will meet Korean fans on Friday evening. A performance will begin 7:30 p.m. at Cheonggye Plaza, downtown Seoul, and the red carpet ceremony will take place at 8:30.

Jackman has appeared in the other three films of the ``X-Men’’ franchise, and the Australian actor visited Seoul in 2006 fall to promote ``X-Men: The Last Stand.’’ The superhero franchise marks Henney’s Hollywood debut. The model-turned-actor became popular here and in other Asian countries through TV soaps like ``My Lovely Sam-soon’’ (aka. My Name Is Sam-soon), and received critical acclaim for his role in the film ``My Father.’’

See the World Through Women’s Eyes

The world’s largest women’s film event kicks off Thursday, featuring over 100 films from 23 countries until April 16. The 11th edition of the International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS) invites people of all ages and gender orientations to reexamine the world through female perspectives.

``Half-Life’’ (U.S.A.) will open the festival Thursday evening at Artreon in Sinchon, northern Seoul. Recently featured at the Sundance Film Festival, it is about a sister and brother’s reaction to their father’s desertion and the presence of their mother’s new, very young boyfriend. Asian American director Jennifer Phang will take part in the festival as a jury member in the competition section.

Moviegoers can also look forward to the world premiere of ``The Time of Our Lives,’’ which was made with funds from last year’s Documentary Ock Rang Film Award. This film documents the 14-day election campaign of Choi Hyun-sook, the first openly lesbian candidate who ran for the National Assembly.

There are films featuring youthful effeverence, such as ``The Cherry Road – Blossoming’’ (Japan) and ``Rain’’ (Bahamas), which was featured in the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. ``Rain's'' director, Maria Govan, will visit Korea for the occasion.

The festival also explores aging. One recommended piece is the documentary ``Maverick Mother’’ (Australia). Sick of waiting for the perfect partner, a 39-year-old filmmaker decides to become a single mom through artificial insemination. While waiting for the procedure, however, she becomes impregnated after dating a Swiss man. The director, Janet Merewether, will visit Seoul with her son.

Other special guests visiting from afar include Alison Reid, a Hollywood stuntwoman who directed ``The Baby Formula,’’ which will be screened in the Queer Rainbow section. The festival programmer recommends this ``funny, fake sci-fi documentary’’ about a lesbian couple that conceives their own biological child through groundbreaking scientific technology.

The winners of the Asian Short Film & Video Competition will close the festival. This year, more than 200 films from 12 countries were submitted and 18 finalists will compete. Among the contenders is a piece directed by Song Fang, the actress who starred opposite Juliette Binoche in Hou Hsiau-hsien’s ``The Red Balloon.’’

The festival also spotlights marginalized women. In addition to the film section Women’s Labor and Poverty, a forum on the subject will take place April 14 at Ewha Womans University. Another section, Media Workshop for Women Migrants, features eight pieces by foreign women living in Korea.

A day care center will be open for mothers throughout the festival. Visit http://www.wffis.or.kr/ (Korean and English) or call (02) 583-3098~9 for more information.

To learn more about the festiva, read my interview last year with the festival director Lee Hyae-kyoung.