Although the “kimchi Western” The Good, the Bad, the Weird already had its international screening at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year (to general praise), its official Korean release doesn’t come until later this month. The cast was on hand at the press conference for the film on July 7 in Seoul: Jung Woo-sung (the good), Lee Byung-heon (the bad), and Song Kang-ho (the weird).
The film is helmed by acclaimed director Kim Jee-woon, who showed his talent for creating riveting drama and beautiful, atmospheric cinematography in prior films A Tale of Two Sisters and A Bittersweet Life, and is set in 1930s Manchuria.
The Good, the Bad, the Weird opens in Korean theaters on July 17; take a look at the preview below:
SONG OF THE DAY
Trans Fixion - “불의 전차” (Chariots of fire) [ Download ]
Ara and Jang Geun Seok are dolling up and gettin’ down in an online teaser ad for a cosmetics brand, showing off what is being dubbed their “techtonic” Tecktonik dance. Touted as sexy and cute, I’d use any another term — dorky-cute, disco-lite, uber-goofball? — instead.
21-year-old Moon Geun Young opens up in an interview about her feelings about how her fame has affected her younger sister, who has explained that it’s hard being the little sis of Korea’s Little Sis — she’s always being compared or treated with awkward curiosity. Now a high school student, younger sis lives abroad and studies in Australia, where Moon Geun Young explains that she can hopefully “stand on her own without being in my shadow.”
According to the director of Rain’s company JTunes, Rain hasn’t mentioned any interest in a woman in the past seven years. (What about guys?)
Fashion designer Andre Kim (who’s had a long career but hasn’t seemed to have a new idea in years) tells The Star Show that of all the numerous celebrities he’s worked with, sob queen Choi Jiwoo is the star with the perfect body. (He lists Lee Byung Heon as the most charismatic male actor.)
Yoo Seung Ho (that young cutie who played young Yonsama in Legend) has been cast in the music video for “Don’t Go, Don’t Go,” R&B duo Brown Eyes‘ comeback single. (Starring opposite is new Japanese actress Ishizaka Yuri.) His role entails “emotional” and “heartbroken” acting; looks like he’s trying his best to shed the child-star image.
With only a week till his new drama airs, Lee Dong Gun is lining up the CF offers, promoting pre-harvest rice sales and fielding more proposals from beverage, clothing, and construction companies. While it’s common for a new drama to bring the CF offers, it’s cited as being unusual for the offers to come in before the drama has even begun. Maybe they’re just happy to see him back onscreen after his recent rough patch.
Some of JYP’s teen-sex-kitten proteges the Wonder Girls had a few words to share about their Svengali-master on MBC’s Brain Battle (isn’t that shooting a little high?). Apparently JYP gets “sensitive” when he’s hungry (unlike the rest of us robots); Yoo Bin explained that while recording their album, he’d gotten so hungry once that he’d scolded her. After a snack, she saw him being affectionate with another member and felt sad. (Maybe he was upset with, I don’t know, her work? I’ve seen her performing.)
Singer JOO cites an occasion prior to her debut when JYP had commented on her weight, saying, “What’s with this [flab]? It’s like tofu.” Because teenage girls don’t already have enough issues about their looks — thanks, Mr. Monkey-man.
SONG OF THE DAY
Alex - “깍지껴요” (hold hands), from his recent first solo album “My Vintage Romance.” Overall, the album sounds a lot more mainstream than his previous work, going more into ballad and pop territory. He does have the voice for it, even though I prefer the more innovative music of Clazziquai. [ Download ]
Um. I know it’s hardly accurate to judge a movie based on a 30-second trailer, much less a few photo stills. But, erm, based on these stills of the upcoming action flick G.I. Joe… it looks kinda lame.
Which is too bad, since, as usual, Korean fans are excited about the inclusion of another big-name star (this time actor Lee Byung Heon) in a Hollywood production. And G.I. Joe does boast some well-known Hollywood names, starting with director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) and actors Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jonathan Pryce, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Marlon Wayans.
I was more optimistic about Lee’s chances being cast as Storm Shadow (a ninja assassin with dual loyalties to both Cobra Commander and G.I. Joe) than, say, Rain’s criticized performance in Speed Racer, because Lee Byung Heon has at least distinguished himself more as an actor than Rain. But Rain will get another chance to redeem himself, playing (sigh) a ninja assassin in the upcoming Wachowski brothers production of the same name. Yeah, I know Lee’s role was supposedly changed from Japanese to Korean, but that’s just something to appease the Koreans — to the rest of the world, a ninja is a ninja.
Well, fingers crossed for more successful Hollywood crossovers for Jeon Ji Hyun (Blood: The Last Vampire) as a vampire-hunting warrior and Jang Dong Gun (Laundry Warrior) as an “Asian warrior assassin.”
(Seriously, Hollywood? Are you running down the Asian Stereotype Checklist and all just happened to get stuck in the “warrior assassin” mode? What next? A slew of movies about nerdy Asian scientists who speak Kong-Ching-Japlish (hey, they all sound the same, right?) who decide to engage the world in a new Red Terror and revitalize communism with the help of their doll-faced, subservient women? While acing the SAT, running convenience stores and bemoaning their lesser-endowed sexy parts? ‘Cause… yeah, we are not impressed. And by “we” I mean “me,” but I’m pretty sure also “we.”)
Filming began in February in L.A., and G.I. Joe plans to release in Summer 2009.
Best Actress winners Yoon Eun Hye (drama), Kim Min Hee (film)
The 44th Baeksang Arts Awards were held in Seoul on April 24, handing out top honors to the films and television programs of the previous year.
Big winners included films The Chaser and Forever the Moment (aka The Best Moment In Our Lives); Yoon Eun Hye won for her trend-setting turn as Go Eun Chan in last year’s smash drama Coffee Prince, while War of Money took home Best Drama.
SONG OF THE DAY
MC Mong - “옛날 옛적에” (Once upon a time) from his recently released fourth album. [ Download ]
Prominent Hallyu star Lee Byung Heon is also gearing up for his Hollywood debut in the film G.I. Joe, in which he was cast as a Japanese ninja. But before you can gripe, “What the fuck, Hollywood?” — the role has been amended to that of a Korean warrior instead. A source explained that the role had been written as a Japanese ninja (the script includes one Western warrior, one Eastern), but at the time of casting, the primary condition on Lee Byung Heon’s side was that the character be altered to a Korean one.
Not meaning to sound excessively ethnocentric, which is unlikely of me since (1) I’m 100% American, although my Korean background is important to me, and (2) I’m incredibly critical of many things Korean, not least the Korean tendency to overdo the nationalistic pride bit. But can I say that this move — although it probably seems so minor on the surface — gives me a tiny bit of hope amidst the skepticism (and there’s plenty of that, too). I don’t expect all of America or the Western world to know much or even care about the nuances of Korean culture, but a little respect is always appreciated. The reason many Koreans knee-jerk in excessive patriotism is, in my opinion, largely because we’ve/they’ve been required to demand respect, so little has it been freely given.
And I’ve done enough race-related ranting this week so I’ll leave it there.
Lee Byung Heon’s Hollywood debut is actually twofold — he also appears with Josh Hartnett (so pretty, so dull) in I Come With the Rain, and with Sienna Miller (ditto on the pretty-dull combo) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (cute! and so talented) in G.I. Joe.
Epik High - “Love Love Love.” I know, I know. It’s Valentine’s Day — how obvious, right? Well, nobody could ever accuse Valentine’s Day of subtlety, so what the hell. [ zShare download ]
Eternal Morning - “Love Is.” I’m still struck with how similar-yet-totally-different both groups (Epik High and Eternal Morning) are, which I suppose is a credit to Tablo’s contribution to both. [ zShare download ]
This isn’t too different from the Hollywood system of things, if you substitute “talk show circuit” for the Korean variety programming mentioned below. You know, if an actor or personality appears on Letterman, Conan, or any of the other late-night (or early-morning) programs, chances are they’re hawking something, whether it’s a new movie, new book, new fragrance, new vanity athletic shoe line, new healthy-cooking meat griller, whatever. And similarly, in Hollywood, the bigger the star, the rarer the appearances (and the bigger the deal when they do appear). So to the following, I say, (1) makes sense, and (2) DUH.
Active stars who don’t appear on variety shows…?
“I’m not close with Jang Dong Gun. Please talk with his management.” “Please ask Mr. Jang Dong Gun and get him to appear.” Those are the words of [host] Kang Ho Dong on MBC’s popular program Goldfish. Kang Ho Dong never fails to ask for Jang Dong Gun to appear whenever the opportunity arises or a star connected to him comes on the show. In truth, he’s said that PD Lim Jung Ah is negotiating to get Jang Dong Gun to appear.
