Dramabeans » Jung Yumi

Cafe Noir earns praise at Venice International Film Festival

javabeans — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:04:01 +0000

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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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: film festivals, Jung Yumi, Kim Hye-na, Moon Jung-hee, Shin Ha-kyun, Yozoh

The two Jung Yumis

javabeans — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:39:58 +0000

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

javabeans — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:04:42 +0000

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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Read the rest of Jung Yumi’s sexy transformation in GQ (185 words)

Big openings for films Haeundae, Chaw

javabeans — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:44:51 +0000

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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Read the rest of Big openings for films Haeundae, Chaw (103 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: box office, Ha Ji-won, Jung Yumi, Sol Kyung-gu, Uhm Tae-woong

Preview screening for horror movie Chaw

javabeans — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:46:21 +0000

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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Read the rest of Preview screening for horror movie Chaw (243 words)

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Post tags: Jung Yumi, press conferences, Uhm Tae-woong

Horror flick Chaw sells to 15 countries

javabeans — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:54:02 +0000

The horror movie Chaw [차우] always struck me as a B-list premise — killer pig runs wild! chaos and carnage ensue! — but the thing that kept me from writing it off was Uhm Tae-woong (Devil) and Jung Yumi (Que Sera Sera). Both are great actors who pick their projects carefully, and neither seems the type to go for a throwaway slasher flick.

And maybe it’s better than it sounds, because it has managed to sell to 15 countries, in advance of its theatrical release later this summer.

Chaw attracted notice amongst the European film market back in February at the Berlin Film Festival based on promotional trailers and has now sold to Germany, Austria, India, and Singapore, among others.

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Read the rest of Horror flick Chaw sells to 15 countries (68 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: horror movies, Jung Yumi, Uhm Tae-woong

Jung Yumi’s busy 2009

javabeans — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:24:47 +0000

I love quirky rising actress Jung Yumi for her ability to seem effortlessly natural and take on various different guises. Ever since her wonderful turn in 2007’s intense drama series Que Sera Sera, I’ve been eager to see her new projects, and now I’ve got a whole slew to choose from: She’s about to have a very busy year — with six film premieres set for 2009 alone.

First off was the February 19 premiere of the romance drama film Oishii Man [오이시맨] (with Lee Min-ki), followed by the March 12 release of The Room Nearby [그녀들의 방].

Coming up next in May is the film You Don’t Even Know [잘 알지도 못하면서], which stars Go Hyun-jung and Ha Jung-woo. Then, she has the horror flick Chaw [차우] in which she acts opposite Uhm Tae-woong.

As if that weren’t enough, she then takes on Heart of the Mountains [첩첩산중], followed by White Night [백야], which will release in the latter half of the year.

Tired yet? Jung still has another project on her slate: Billion, the star-studded thriller which pits eight reality-show contestants against each other for a billion-won prize, which turns into a life-or-death game at the hands of evil mastermind Park Hee-soon (also starring: Shin Mina, Park Hae-il, Lee Min-ki, Lee Chun-hee).

That’s a lot of titles for one year, but given the feast-or-famine nature of the biz, it makes sense to strike while the iron’s hot.

Via OSEN

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