Cafe Noir is notable for being the debut film for its director, film critic Jung Sung-il. It is also now notable for drawing praise at its world premiere screening at the recent Venice International Film Festival (as the only selection from Asia).

Cafe Noir was described by one of the festival’s executive committee members as showcasing a unique form, while a selection committee member praised it as “a film that you don’t often see from a new director.” A section director said, “When one discovers the hidden political message, which is sprinkled throughout the film, it would be difficult to suppress your astonishment at this film.”

The movie stars Shin Ha-kyun (Thirst) as a man who is addicted to sad love, Moon Jung-hee (My Sweet Seoul) as the woman who “loves him to death,” and Kim Hye-na (Yoga School) as the woman who loves him “more than life” (isn’t that the same thing?). Jung Yumi (Chaw, Que Sera Sera) and “Hongdae uljjang” singer Yozoh are two women who hurt him, whom he decides to meet again in order to get over his pain.

Cafe Noir will also screen at the upcoming Pusan International Film Festival in October, which will be its first showing to Korean audiences. After all that praise (and mention of a hidden message), this is one I really want to see! I suppose critiquing films for a living gives one particular insight into knowing what does and doesn’t work for a film.

Via Newsen

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Jung Yumi (26) and Jung Yumi (23)

If you’re confused by the two Jung Yumis currently active in the k-entertainment world, you’re not the only one. Apparently the two actresses, ages 23 and 26, have been on the receiving end of repeated confusion because of their shared name, as the younger Jung Yumi explained in a recent press conference appearance for her new drama, Assorted Gems (that would be the Jung Yumi to the right in the above pictures).

Coming off her recent drama series Friend, Our Legend, the younger actress explains that she had contemplated using a stage name to avoid this kind of mix-up (Jung Yumi is the birth name for both actresses). In the end, she decided to stick to her name, thinking, “Our periods of activity had briefly overlapped but then receded, so I thought it would be okay. However, recently we have both become busy again.”

She’s probably referring to the other Jung Yumi’s relatively low-key earlier career, which featured roles in films like Sarangni and a drama lead with 2007’s Que Sera Sera, after which things quieted down for a time. However, as we’ve seen, 2009 has been very active as she has returned with films like A Million (aka Billion), Chaw, Oishii Man, and Like You Know it All. The first two have raised her profile considerably; A Million boasts a star-studded cast and Chaw enjoyed a strong theatrical run.

Jung Yumi the Younger explained going as far as nearly registering for another name, having considered alternates like Jung Yi-jung and Jung Jin-ah. Her name has led to some disappointment, since she was roundly congratulated by friends for winning an acting prize at the Blue Dragon Awards — only it was the other Jung.

The younger Jung is now appearing in Assorted Gems, which premiered over the weekend. It’s a family drama from the scriptwriter of Lotus Flower Fairy and Mermaid that is set around four siblings who are named after four different gems (Jade, Ruby, Coral, Amber). The elder Jung has at least a couple more projects planned for release this year, Café Noir and Heart of the Mountain.

Via Newsen

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• Jung Yumi’s sexy transformation in GQ
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• Horror flick Chaw sells to 15 countries
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• Que Sera Sera: Episode 1

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Jung Yumi trades her easygoing, quirky image for a bolder, sexier look in the September issue of GQ magazine. It’s quite a step away from the roles that have brought her to fame thus far, as her characters in projects like horror-action film Chaw, mellow romance Oishii Man, and drama series Que Sera Sera have been rather oddball, cute types.

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Disaster movie “Haeundae,” horror-action film “Chaw”

Korean movies are doing well this week at the box office, with the just-released tsunami movie Haeundae [해운대] selling more than 166,000 tickets in its first day alone, beating out Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince in the latter’s second week out. (Granted, Harry Potter is most certainly going to win in overall numbers, but it’s a strong showing for a Korean film to premiere at #1 when it’s going up against international blockbusters like Potter and Transformers 2.)

Meanwhile, another Korean action movie opened big last week, the killer-pig-on-the-loose film Chaw [차우] starring Uhm Tae-woong and Jung Yumi. Chaw opened on the same day as Harry Potter and secured a second-place box-office slot for the day. By the end of its first week, Chaw had managed to break the 1 million mark, benefiting from word-of-mouth buzz.

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Just watch, I’ll bet that after all the razzing I’ve done about Chaw [차우], it’ll put me to shame and turn out to be a hit. It’s just that I can’t get past the dubious-sounding premise of a wild, people-killing boar going on the rampage near a small village that results in a hunt through some remote mountains. But I’m hesitant to write it off, if anything because the cast is so solid.

The film held its preview screening and press conference on the afternoon of July 8, attended by the film’s stars (Uhm Tae-woong, Jung Yumi, Jang Hang-seon, Yoon Jae-moon, and Park Hyuk-kwon) whose characters form a five-member hunting team to capture the murderous beast.

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