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.

PIFF’s red carpet >>

Tags: 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 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

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 45 Comments →

…and it hasn’t even aired yet!

That’s it. Triple has just shot up — over Song Hye-gyo and Hyun Bin, over the Korean Hana Yori Dango — as my new most anticipated drama. Because on top of casting Lee Seon-kyun, then following with Yoon Kye-sang, they’ve now rounded out their lead trio with…

…Kang Ji-hwan!

I don’t know if I could’ve picked a dreamier ideal dream lineup. Sure, there are a few other actors I’d put in my “top picks” bag, but these three are at the top of the list of those still doing dramas.

And lest I sound like a hormonally driven fangirl (which, hey, don’t judge), all three are actually — gasp! — good actors.

They all bring a different kind of energy, which should be interesting to see together. Kang Ji-hwan has done both slapstick and tearjerker — he can be goofy and comically spot-on, but turn on a dime into heart-wrenchingly intense. Lee Seon-kyun has spent much of his recent career playing to type as the reserved, thoughtful introvert. And Yoon Kye-sang can be both outrageous and wonderfully emotive.

Kang Ji-hwan will take on the role of a short-track speed skater (talk about upgrading, huh?), while Yoon Kye-sang and Lee Seon-kyun are ad-agency execs. With the three male stars being so much older than young newbie actress Min Hyo-rin, who barely registers a blip on the radar in comparison, I’m starting to think (hope?) that the tone of Triple won’t skew quite as young (read: green and awkward) as previously feared.

Now we can only wait to see what Coffee Prince producer/director Lee Yoon-jung whips up. For the first time, I look on Triple without dread.

Via OSEN

RELATED POSTS

• Maybe Triple will be watchable after all
• Triple-teaming the Triple team
• Trading one regret for the other
• Casting roll call: Iljimae, Triple
• Jung Il-woo scores a triple
• From pretty boys to figure skates

Tags: Kang Ji-hwan, Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Yoon-jung, sports dramas, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 86 Comments →

The 24th was press preview day for the cast of upcoming movie Sa-kwa [사과, which could mean apple or apology], and while this doesn’t necessarily look like my cup of tea, I do like the actors involved: Moon Sori (Legend), Lee Seon-kyun (White Tower), and Kim Tae-woo (Woman on the Beach).

The preview (below) also looks cute — in the film, directed by Kang Yi-kwan (A Smile), Moon Sori’s character is dumped by Lee Seon-kyun after seven years. She then marries Kim Tae-woo’s character, who’d long had feelings for her, but is confronted with doubt and worry when her first love returns.

[Read more →]

Tags: Kim Tae-woo, Lee Seon-kyun, Moon Sori

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 12 Comments →

Wait, what in the hey-what-now?

Yoon Kye-sang has been cast in the figure-skating trendy drama, helmed by the director of Coffee Prince, Triple?

First, talented director Lee Yoon-jung managed to sway Lee Seon-kyun (Coffee Prince, My Sweet Seoul) into joining her for this latest drama venture, featuring a young and inexperienced new singer in her acting debut, Min Hyo-rin of the “luxury nose.” Now she’s got Yoon Kye-sang (Who Are You?, Crazy in Love) onboard as well.

(I loved Yoon Kye-sang in Who Are You? Was it a groundbreaking or even artistically challenging drama? No. But it was poignant and often engagingly funny, and he was the best thing in it.)

Yoon Kye-sang is described as taking the lead male role, but it doesn’t sound like he’s taking Jung Il-woo’s recently vacated spot as a speed skater. Instead, he’s one of three employees in an ad agency (another being played by Lee Seon-kyun).

Huh. Triple just jumped up from being an embarrassing guilty pleasure to being a shameless guilty pleasure. Although I’m still not sold on Min Hyo-rin. Can we ditch her and just have our two lovely leading men fall in love instead? It’ll be like Coffee Prince: What Could Have Been if the Girl Who Looked Like A Dude Was Actually A Dude (on Skates).

Triple is scheduled for a January premiere on MBC.

Via DongA.com

RELATED POSTS

• Triple-teaming the Triple team
• Casting roll call: Iljimae, Triple
• Jung Il-woo scores a Triple
• From pretty boys to figure skates
• Who Are You?: Episodes 1 & 2

Tags: Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Yoon-jung, sports dramas, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 31 Comments →

August 28 saw the VIP preview of the comedy Our School E.T., which opens in wide release on September 11.

The title’s “E.T.” is both a cheeky reference to Spielberg’s extraterrestrial and to the lead character played by funnyman Kim Su-ro, who takes on the role of a not-so-bright physical education teacher. As a result of the growing pressure for students to stress an English-language education, he needs to switch to teaching English (becoming the “E.T.,” or English Teacher). Alas, his limited talents aren’t quite up to the task. But he tries — and what he lacks in brainpower, he makes up in determination.

The cast also features a crop of young actors — Baek Sung-hyun (pictured above, with lead actor Kim Su-ro), Park Bo-young, Lee Min-ho, and Moon Chae-won — as well as veteran comedic actor Lee Han-wee.

There were a slew of familiar faces at the VIP screening, including those of actors Kim Rae-won, Lee Seon-kyun, and Oh Man-seok, as well as recent Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Park Tae-hwan. More beyond the cut.

Here’s the preview, which is in Korean, but worth watching just for the last two lines (preceding them, starting at the 1:57 mark, Lee Han-wee’s character tells Kim Su-ro’s to speak only in English):

More cast and VIPs at the OUR SCHOOL E.T. screening >>

Tags: Kim Rae-won, Kim Su-ro, Lee Chun-hee, Lee Seon-kyun, Oh Man-seok, Park Tae-hwan, press conferences

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 8 Comments →