Pretty badass, yo.

IRIS is an expensive drama, and it totally shows. I can’t say that the drama took my breath away, but it was very entertaining, and I can see why it burst on the scene with such a strong start. And then improved on it the following day.

I’m not surprised to see a lot of action, but I was a little surprised (in a nice way) to find that the first episode was actually pretty funny. I suspect that may fade as the story heads into more of its spy storylines, but it was a pleasant way to kick off the series — action mixed with beautiful cinematography, well-placed music, and oh yeah, Lee! Byung! Heon!

SONG OF THE DAY

LeeSsang – “Run” [ Download ]

IRIS Episode 1 >>

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 130 Comments →

On October 8, the 14th Pusan International Film Festival, or PIFF, opened in Busan. (Yes, the city takes a different official spelling than the film festival. Blame inconsistent Romanization.)

As the largest film festival in Korea, it drew a large list of attendees, as you can see from the long list of red-carpet walkers. It was definitely a star-studded opening night, and even included one familiar Hollywood face (Josh Hartnett).

This year’s PIFF features its largest lineup to date, screening 355 films from 70 countries, and closes on the 16th.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 81 Comments →

Looks like each of the characters in the main cast of spy drama Iris [아이리스] is getting his/her moment in the spotlight. With a name like Lee Byung-heon in the cast, it’s no surprise he gets most of the attention, as does his CF queen leading lady Kim Tae-hee, but this is one solid supporting cast.

First up: Kim So-yeon (Gourmet). Kim cut off her long hair to play Kim Sun-hwa, a North Korean spy who shows off lots of fierce action skills.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 40 Comments →

Upcoming spy drama Iris has had the same poster forever (you know, this one) so it’s nice to see them come out with a new look, just a month before its October premiere on KBS. This image is a little more active than the first one (which was fairly static) and shows a little more personality for each cast member. They are, from left to right: Jung Jun-ho, Kim Tae-hee, Lee Byung-heon, Kim So-yeon, Kim Seung-woo, and TOP.

The action-, betrayal- and romance-packed new drama is set in the world of the NSS, or Korea’s national security agency, and the agents who work within it. With a lot of hype and a production budget of 20 billion won, hopefully this’ll be a better expression of the spy drama genre than, say, 2007’s tepid Air City, in which Lee Jung-jae played an NIS (National Intelligence Service) agent. (Hopefully Korea has learned their lesson about producing dramas around buildings.)

The 20-episode Iris takes the Wednesday-Thursday slot over from My Fair Lady beginning October 14.

Via Arts News

RELATED POSTS

• Iris to be produced as a manhwa
• Iris gets a slot on the KBS schedule
• New posters for Iris
• Iris takes temporary break between overseas shoots
• Iris gets a drama and a movie

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 65 Comments →

KBS’s “blockbuster action spy drama” IRIS [아이리스] is scheduled to premiere in October, but even before it unveils itself to the public, it has confirmed that it is producing another iteration: a manhwa by well-known manhwa-ka Lee Hyun-sae.

The decision to publish the new manhwa comes after negotiations between the drama’s production company, Taewon Entertainment, and writer Lee’s agency, Creek & River. The manhwa version will be set in the same world as the television series, but will follow different plotlines unique to the manhwa. The details of publication are still being worked out.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 17 Comments →