Dramabeans » Kim Hye-sung

Movie Review: Boy Meets Boy

only1tony — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:13:47 +0000

Oodles of cute is all I have to say. This short film was just so charming I had to tell everyone about it. It’s from 2008, but the message it sends is still relevant today, especially in Korea. This is definitely a quick, fun, must-see film. It’s only 13 minutes long (16 minutes for the director’s cut) and I promise you won’t regret seeing it.

Because it’s such a short film, this review will be relatively short, and I have included links to the film posted on YouTube, so you can go and have a look-see following the review.

Genre: LGBTQ Short Films

Rating: 9/10

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Post tags: featured, Kim Hye-sung, Kim Jo Gwang-soo, Lee Hyun-jin, Yeh Ji-won

Baseball movie Glove releases to strong box office numbers

javabeans — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:00:39 +0000

The baseball film Glove released this week and enjoyed the top spot at the box office, setting itself up for a strong theatrical run. And looking at the trailer and description, I can add yet another film to my growing list of MUST SEE NOWs.

Glove, which is based on a true story, unfolds around the neglected baseball team at a high school for the deaf. Jung Jae-young (Moss, Castaway on the Moon) plays a former pro ball player who comes to the school and takes on the challenge of coaching them to #1.

Glove opened on Thursday and beat out the second-place finisher by nearly double, which was Hollywood animated feature Megamind, last week’s No. 1. In third place was Cha Tae-hyun’s comedy Hello Ghost, while fourth and fifth were Hollywood films Love & Other Drugs and Season of the Witch. Within its first two days, Glove has drawn more than 160,000 admittances.

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Post tags: Jo Jin-woong, Jung Jae-young, Kim Hye-sung, Lee Hyun-woo (2), Yoo Sun

Early 2011 enlistment for Kim Hye-sung

javabeans — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:26:55 +0000

While it’s commonplace for celebrities to delay their mandatory military service as long as possible, young actor Kim Hye-sung (Boy Meets Boy, Unstoppable High Kick), currently 22, is going against the grain and plans to enlist early next year. (Men are sometimes granted deferrals after receiving their first notice to serve, but must enlist by the end of the year in which they turn 28, which is 29 by the Korean system.)

Several media outlets are reporting that Kim will enter service in February, but a few others take a more tentative line, stating that the date is not confirmed. His management company, Namoo Actors, responded to initial reports by saying that Kim plans to enlist early next year and is indeed considering doing so in February, but that the date may change once he receives his official draft notice. He will be assigned to active duty.

Kim Hye-sung made the leap from citizen to celebrity first as an uljjang, and then as an actor. He debuted in the 2005 movie Jenny, Juno in which he gets his girlfriend pregnant while they’re both still in middle school. He also starred in the much-buzzed-about short film Boy Meets Boy, which portrayed the sweet, adolescent budding attraction between two young gay students. He also had a part in the recent war film Into the Fire.

But still, Kim’s biggest claim to fame is probably his role as the nerdy older brother to Jung Il-woo in the hit family sitcom Unstoppable High Kick. That show, which aired in 2006, served as a springboard for several of today’s rising stars: in addition to Jung, the show also introduced us to a boyish Kim Bum (with whom Kim Hye-sung’s character had a hilarious and adorable bromance that was often written directly into the plotlines), as well as Sungkyunkwan Scandal’s Park Min-young, who was Kim Hye-sung’s pretty bimbo of a girlfriend. (A particular highlight: Her rivalry with Kim Bum for Kim Hye-sung’s affections.)

Although it’s more common for budding stars to delay their army service as much as possible, it looks like Kim would rather get it over with. Which is a good thing, if you consider that when his colleagues start heading off to fulfill their two years of service (such as Lee Min-ho, Jung Il-woo, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Bum, and Baek Sung-hyun), he’ll still be around.

Via Mk.co.kr

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Kim Hye-sung signs on to G-Love

javabeans — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:46:57 +0000

Kim Hye-sung (Boy Meets Boy, Unstoppable High Kick has a new project in the works, a movie called G-Love [글러브].

He’ll be working with director Kang Woo-seok (who directed Silmido and Public Enemy Returns and produced Into the White Night and No Mercy), and has been cast alongside actors Jung Jae-young (The Divine Weapon) and Yoo Sun (Bok-shil of Sons of Sol Pharmarcy).

G-Love is described as a “human drama” that takes place amidst a rural high school baseball team, which sees the arrival of an ex-pro baseball player and female teacher. Kim Hye-sung plays a deaf high schooler who has put up a wall against the world and purposely rejects communicating with others. The pro (Jung Jae-young) takes the reins as coach and teaches him how to play, and he starts to dream of the future. What ensues is a story of “heartwarming friendship and love.”

(I groan a little at the explanation of the title; the Korean title is pronounced “glove,” which makes sense given the baseball motif, but an alternate meaning attributes words like “great” and “give” to the “G” of the title, to mean “great love” or “give love.” Barf.).

G-Love will begin filming at the end of June. Kim Hye-sung is currently busy practicing baseball with the other members of the team. (Also: Did you know he has a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo?) His most recent role prior to this is as a student soldier in war movie Into the Fire.

Via OSEN

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Post tags: Jung Jae-young, Kim Hye-sung, Yoo Sun

Kim Hye-sung considers early army entry

javabeans — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:20:40 +0000

This is rather late to be hearing about casting news, but rising actor Kim Hye-sung (Unstoppable High Kick, Boy Meets Boy) is another notable young face to look for in the upcoming Korean War movie Into the Gunfire, which is currently filming and stars a number of well-known names. (Kwon Sang-woo and TOP play soldiers who lead a small but determined corps of student troops who fight invading North Korean forces. Kim Seung-woo and Cha Seung-won play military officers on opposing sides of the conflict.)

Kim Hye-sung plays one of the 71 student soldiers defending their home turf against invaders. The film is said to hold particular meaning for the actor, because he is considering fulfilling his military obligation this year, which is on the early side for a celebrity. (While most citizens complete their army duty out of high school or college, often actors choose to cram as much work as possible into their schedules before enlisting at the last possible moment, in the year that they turn 28. Kim is 22.)

Into the Gunfire is currently filming and is planning for a summer theatrical release, to coincide with the 60-year anniversary of the Korean War.

Via Star News

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High Kick is no longer unstoppable

javabeans — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:32:07 +0000

Lee Soon-jae, Kim Hye-sung

…but it IS “through the roof.”

The producers of Season 2 of Unstoppable High Kick have decided to christen the new show with a different name; rather than calling it “Season 2,” it’s being tentatively renamed High Kick Through the Roof [지붕뚫고 하이킥]. (They are entertaining other options, but “Through the Roof” is a top contender.)

This name change is probably a good idea when considering that while Through the Roof is using a similar format to its predecessor as well as one of its main actors (grandpa Lee Soon-jae), the new series is not a spinoff, or even a sequel. It’s simply a similar setup being produced by the same folks of the original, but employs different characters and storylines.

Still, expect to see some familiar faces from the original: For insance, Kim Hye-sung, who played the smart, well-adjusted “Min-ho” in the first season, will be making a cameo in Through the Roof. It’s being reported that “most of the main actors of Unstoppable High Kick will be making cameo appearances” throughout the sitcom’s planned 120 episodes. (This ought to come in handy for ratings purposes — a reunion with Kim Hye-sung, as well as Jung Il-woo, Park Min-young, and Kim Bum? I bet they won’t all come back at once, but one can hope.)

Episode 1 airs on September 7.

Via Asia Economy, Today Korea

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Post tags: High Kick Through the Roof, Kim Hye-sung, Lee Soon-jae, Unstoppable High Kick

Unstoppable High Kick ponders Season 2

javabeans — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:27:11 +0000

Apparently the folks at MBC had been looking to revisit their hit family sitcom from 2006-07, Unstoppable High Kick, according to some reports. However, an MBC rep stated on the 16th that a Season 2 is looking unlikely. My question is: Was anybody expecting one?

The show had pulled in high ratings, and though it was built around three generations of one family, the new faces made it particularly popular with the young set. I had heard they were considering making it into a High Kick movie, but that didn’t work out.

The rep explained that while they’d like to make a Season 2, the greatest difficulty would be in reassembling its cast. The older actors would probably be easier to get back (Lee Soon-jae, Na Mun-hee, Jung Jun-ha, Park Hae-mi), but one crucial leg of the love triangle in the middle generation (and youngest generation), Seo Min-jung, got married, had a baby, and moved to the States.

And then there are the youngsters, who were all unknowns back then and now all budding stars in their own right. (By the way, if you’re a new fan of Kim Bum, you’ve gotta see how adorable he is in High Kick, particularly because he and Kim Hye-sung love each other — they’re best friends — so unabashedly it’s a scream. The characters are both straight, but their bro-love is played up for laughs.) For instance:

(I took this fanmade vid from youtube; credits and thanks to shykiwi1132.)

A quick rundown of the young stars now: Jung Il-woo is headlining his own drama, Return of Iljimae. Kim Bum is experiencing a fresh wave of popularity for Boys Before Flowers. Park Min-young is about to kick off her new drama, Princess Ja-myung. And Kim Hye-sung has been busy with film work and a role in Kingdom of the Wind.

It’s possible that PD Kim Byung-wook will helm a new sitcom instead, though the MBC rep didn’t completely rule out the possibility of a High Kick 2. But really, two years after it shot to popularity, is anybody thinking about the show anymore?

Via Star News

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Post tags: Jung Il-woo, Kim Bum, Kim Hye-sung, Park Min-young, sitcoms, Unstoppable High Kick

Boy Meets Boy in theaters soon

javabeans — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:41:56 +0000

I’ve been talking about the short queer film Boy Meets Boy for a while now, and it’s finally being released.

The nearly wordless short film, starring Kim Hye-sung (Unstoppable High Kick) and Lee Hyun-jin (Kimchi Cheese Smile) as 18-year-old high school students, is billed as a queer romance about first love, and bears the tag “based on a true story.”

The film held its press conference on November 5, and will have a theater release in six theaters — unusual for a short — starting on November 20, which will also feature a segment on the making of the film. (Because it won’t be shown with other shorts, the ticket price is also lower, at about half the price of regular movie tickets.)

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Post tags: Kim Hye-sung, Kim Jo Gwang-soo, Lee Hyun-jin, short films

Boy Meets Boy at PIFF

javabeans — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:13:31 +0000

On October 5, the short film Boy Meets Boy held an open discussion at the Pusan International Film Festival with its stars Kim Hye-sung (Jenny, Juno) and Yeh Ji-won (Mixed-up Investigative Agency) and director Kim Jo Kwang Su.

I remember being intrigued when I first heard about Boy Meets Boy [소년, 소년을 만나다], which marks Kim Hye-sung’s departure from his family-friendly image in Unstoppable High Kick. His early career had been marked by an emphasis on his pretty face more than anything (he rose to fame as an internet uljjang with thousands of fans, got a couple movies, and then the hit sitcom High Kick), but he seems to have a grounded perspective of his fame (as he explained in the interview linked above).

Not only is he portraying half of a gay romance in the short film, the narrative is expressed without dialogue — the director opted instead to tell the story mostly in the characters’ gazes.

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Post tags: film festivals, Kim Hye-sung, Lee Hyun-jin, press conferences, short films, Yeh Ji-won

Kingdom of Wind aims young with some idol faces

javabeans — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:15:24 +0000

I’ll admit I haven’t paid much mind to KBS’s upcoming sageuk (and manhwa adaptation) Kingdom of Wind because, well, I never cottoned on to Jumong and felt no particular thrill to see Song Il-kook back in his old-fashioned threads playing Jumong’s grandson.

But I will say I’m a little surprised at the casting of two up-and-coming new pretty boys who have hitherto been known mostly for their good looks, in their first sageuk roles: Coffee Prince’s Kim Jae-wook, pictured above, and Kim Hye-sung, who’s just started expanding his repertoire (Jenny, Juno; Unstoppable High Kick) to more daring roles, like the queer short Boy Meets Boy. (Well, everyone knows that when you want to prove your acting mettle, you either go theater or sageuk.)

Furthermore, three of Kingdom of Wind‘s main cast are also making their first sageuk attempts: lead actress Choi Jung-won (Infamous Chil Princesses), supporting actress Oh Yoon-ah (Old Miss Diary, Someday), and actor Park Gun-hyung (Dancing Princess). Generally I find that an actor’s first time in a sageuk is often marked by stiff, awkward acting (because the cadence of a historical drama is so different from a modern one), but the mark of a versatile actor is one who adapts to the new milieu quickly.

Must be their strategy to try to rope in the younger viewers, I suppose? The drama’s competition will be MBC’s Beethoven Virus, with whom it shares a premiere date — this Wednesday, the 10th — and SBS’s Painter of the Wind, which premieres two weeks later on the 24th.

Via My Daily

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Post tags: Kim Hye-sung, Kim Jae-wook, Kingdom of Wind, manhwa adaptations, Song Il-kook