I was hesitant to watch MBC’s new series Hon because I’m a big wimp when it comes to horror, but I was curious enough to give it a shot. And I found that while it has its jumpy moments, it’s not actually so scary that I can’t watch it. The fright comes more from ambiance and mystery than from actual scary moments — which on a psychological level may be more nerve-racking than a slasher.

What Hon does well is creating a mood, making moments out of little details. It’s very well-directed, confidently paced, and the music is downright fantastic — sometimes eerie, sometimes gentle, and often lovely.

SONG OF THE DAY

Mot – “Ghost” [ Download ]

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Post tags: episode recaps, Hon, Im Joo-eun, Lee Jin, Lee Seo-jin, Park Gun-il

Not that this is unusual for a kdrama, but I’ll say it again: This is one good-looking cast.

On August 3, the cast of MBC’s Hon gathered at the Ilsan MBC Dream Center for the drama’s production press conference. And while the drama’s two marquee names are Lee Seo-jin (Yi San) and ex-FinKL member Lee Jin (Hometown of Legends), a lot of attention was paid to the drama’s new face, Im Joo-eun, who was selected after an audition process that beat out more than a thousand competitors. Something tells me that whether or not Hon does well, she will be the buzz name the comes out of the project.

Plus, if you’re like me, perhaps your interest level in the supernatural thriller was on low until the recent announcement that the drama drew a 19-and-up age rating, which suddenly made it seem a lot more interesting.

Lee Seo-jin with Im Joo-eun

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Post tags: Hon, Im Joo-eun, Ji-yeon, Lee Jin, Lee Seo-jin, Park Gun-il, press conferences

Since horror is supposed to offer a chill in the hot summer months, we can see why there’s such a sudden burst of horror material these days. Two television dramas will soon add to the tally, giving us a Monday-thru-Thursday lineup of horror through August and September.

MBC’s Hon (”Soul”) is first, premiering next Wednesday and starring Lee Seo-jin (Yi San), Lee Jin (King and I), and newcomer Im Joo-eun. The drama recently released its latest teaser posters in anticipation of its August 5 airdate.

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Post tags: Hometown of Legends, Hon, Jeon Hye-bin, Kim Ji-suk, Lee Jin, Lee Seo-jin

Former ’90s pop group FinKL kick-started a couple acting careers, namely with Sung Yuri and Lee Jin, who are set to star in competing dramas this summer. (Fellow FinKL member Ok Joo-hyun has had a successful career as a musical actress, while Lee Hyori — well, no explanation needed for her.)

Sung Yuri’s drama Swallow the Sun airs first, premiering on July 8 and taking up residence in SBS’s Wednesday-Thursday broadcast slot. Lee Jin will join in the ratings battle a month later with her horror series Hon [혼], which means Spirit or Soul; it also stars Lee Seo-jin.

In Swallow the Sun, Sung Yuri plays a young woman whose family meets with ruin and decides to head off alone to the States to study and make money (which probably explains how she ends up in Vegas). She’ll form a love triangle with a rich chaebol’s son (Lee Wan) and orphan Ji Sung. (And we’ve got at least five clichés right off the bat! Poor girl studies abroad and works to support family, has a chaebol suitor and forms a love triangle contrasting rich and poor.)

Meanwhile, this is Lee Jin’s second summer horror series in as many years; she appeared in last year’s summer horror anthology series Hometown of Legends. In Hon, she plays the prosecutor girlfriend of Lee Seo-jin’s criminal psychologist character. The story that begins when the soul of a murdered high school student enters the body of the main character.

Swallow the Sun has the higher budget and the bigger hype, but I’ve never really been onboard with the story. Too bad I don’t have the stomach for horror, because I’d throw my vote to Hon / Soul.

Via E Daily

RELATED POSTS

• Sung Yuri stalkers fans, take note
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• Swallow the Sun preps for July premiere
• Hyori gets some old-school backup

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Post tags: Lee Jin, Lee Seo-jin, Sung Yuri, Swallow the Sun

Kpop girl group Fin.K.L’s been disbanded for several years now, but its members all reunited to support former member Lee Hyori’s first solo concert on December 18.

Fin.K.L was quite popular in its own right back in the day, but the group’s members have all gone on to greater success in their solo careers: Ok Joo-hyun in musicals, and Sung Yuri and Lee Jin in dramas. Lee Hyori also came into her own as a kpop sex symbol after going solo.

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Post tags: Lee Hyori, Lee Jin, Ok Joo-hyun, Sung Yuri

Stars came out on November 1 to the 2008 Korea Drama Awards in the South Gyeongsang province city of Jinju, although there were a few notable absences (Bae Yong-joon, Kim Rae-won).

The top winner of the night was Kim Myung-min for his portrayal of Maestro Kang (affectionately, Kang-mae) in currently running hit drama Beethoven Virus. Kim Myung-min rocks, so this is no surprise and is certainly deserved. (Also, whether you love or hate Beethoven Virus, we can probably agree that he is the best thing in it.)

In the next “tier” of acting awards below Kim’s Daesang were the Best Acting award winners, consistently solid sageuk actor Choi Su-jong for Dae Jo Young and Kim Haneul for playing a difficult actress in On Air. In the next tier for Acting Excellence were Kim Rae-won of Gourmet and Han Ji-hye for Likable or Not (who may pull in yet more awards this time next year for her performance in East of Eden).

Musical acts included performances by R&B ballad duo Fly To the Sky, balladeer Shin Hye-sung, and members of idol group Super Junior.

SONG OF THE DAY

Fly to the Sky – “혼자하는 약속” (A promise with myself) [ Download ]

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Post tags: awards, Bae Yong-joon, Choi Su-jong, Han Ji-hye, Kim Bum, Kim Haneul, Kim Myung-min, Kim Rae-won, Lee Jin, Park Min-young, Shim Eun-kyung

It’s kind of unnerving how all the news right now is either Choi Jin-shil’s sudden death or the 13th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), and sometimes while looking through the news listings, it’s easy to confuse the two based on the thumbnail images. (Given the timing, as far as I can see, there were no overlaps in attendees — or at least, very few — between PIFF and Choi Jin-shil’s funeral viewing.)

October 2 saw the opening night to the nine-day festival; PIFF closes on October 10 and is the largest film festival in Korea, and one of the largest in Asia. Over the course of the week, more than 300 films will be screened from 60-plus countries.

Kim Rae-won and Han Eun-jung, above, came as brand models for PIFF sponsor L’Oreal. Other famous name actors showed up to the red carpet night; the opening film was Kazakhstan’s The Gift to Stalin, as well as the Hyun Bin & Lee Bo-young film I Am Happy.

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Post tags: Baek Sung-hyun, Cha Seung-won, Choi Jung-yoon, Choi Kang-hee, Eom Ji-won, Eugene, fashion, film festivals, Go Ara, Gong Hyo-jin, Han Eun-jung, Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun, Joo Ji-hoon, Jung Ryeo-won, JYP, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Ji-soo, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Rae-won, Kim So-yeon, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Bo-young, Lee Dong-wook, Lee Jin, Lee Jung-jin, Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Wan, Lee Yeon-hee, Oh Ji-ho, Park Eun-hye, Park Hae-il, Park Jin-hee, Shin Hyun-joon, Shin Mina, Song Chang-eui, Yeh Ji-won, Yoon Jin-seo