Now THIS looks cool. The trailer and posters are out for the historical spy movie Coffee, which are totally different from what I was expecting, but in the best way — it’s historical action with a twist. And the character posters have a comic book feel that is totally different from what I thought this movie would be, but I’m digging the stylized look.

The preview is below, and what starts out as simple coffee-break happytime for Emperor Gojong soon takes an intrigue-filled turn when spies start running wild and people start dying. The background is late Joseon Dynasty, but the ambiance is total modernized thriller, with a stylish fusion bent.

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Read the rest of Coffee’s action-packed trailer and comic-inspired posters (219 words)

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Post tags: Joo Jin-mo, Kim So-yeon, Park Hee-soon, Yoo Sun

Death by coffee. That seems to be the main idea behind spy-intrigue-historical-thriller film Coffee (phonetically Kabi, per the old word for the drink). Well, I’m sure there are worse ways to go. Said the coffee nut who named herself after the addiction.

Above is the film’s newly released poster, which I find intriguing. It sets up the central premise of the story, which is an assassination attempt made on Emperor Gojong via his personal barista. Park Hee-soon reclines in his seat, playing the emperor, while served by the woman at the center of the conspiracy, Kim So-yeon. Watching is a mysterious man, Joo Ji-mo.

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Read the rest of Kim So-yeon turns into barista-spy for historical thriller Coffee (192 words)

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Post tags: Joo Jin-mo, Kim So-yeon, Park Hee-soon

Here’s some more news on The Client, the courtroom suspense movie with three big stars anchoring the three components of the taut thriller: prosecutor, defense attorney, and the client. And judging from these stills, they’re lookin’ good.

A surefire way to make sure we get the maximum conflict out of this triangle is to cast leading men capable of equal intensity and gravitas, which you get with Ha Jung-woo (The Chaser), Jang Hyuk (Midas), and Park Hee-soon (Barefoot Dream). Throw in a scene-stealing supporting star — delightfully bizarre Sung Dong-il (Chuno, My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho) — and you’ve got a must-see lineup.

Jang Hyuk is the suspect in a murder case without a body, who is represented by Ha Jung-woo. Presenting a fierce opposing case is prosecutor Park Hee-soon, which leads to intense legal clashing as both lawyers put forth vastly differing arguments. The film promises to keep audiences guessing all the way to its unpredictable verdict.

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Read the rest of Courtroom thriller The Client releases stills, sets premiere date (153 words)

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Post tags: Ha Jung-woo, Jang Hyuk, Park Hee-soon

Actress Park Shi-yeon (Coffee House) will be making her big screen comeback early next year opposite Park Hee-soon (A Barefoot Dream) in a thriller sex comedy (How’s that for a genre mashup?) called Scent of a Woman. Yeah, someone should tell them there’s a drama around with the same name. Wouldn’t that be your first order of business? Emergency title brainstorm meeting?

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Read the rest of Park Shi-yeon returns to film as a femme fatale (251 words)

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Post tags: Joo Sang-wook, Park Hee-soon, Park Shi-yeon

Lee Da-hae has been confirmed for a leading role opposite Joo Jin-mo in the big-budget period film 가비, described as a period spy-melodrama. (The title means “coffee” but isn’t the same word for coffee used in Korea today; modern Koreans pronounce coffee as “kuh-pi,” while this title is the older pronunciation of “ka-bi.”)

The movie is about a secret plot by Russian spies to assassinate Joseon’s Emperor Gojong, who was a man who knew how to enjoy his coffee. (He reigned from 1863 to 1907, which puts this movie in the twilight years of the Joseon era. It’s a slice of time I grew interested in when watching the excellent mystery-treasure-hunt drama Mixed-Up Investigative Agency, which is a modern-day comedy whose major plot point involved Emperor Gojong and his year of living in refuge at the Russian diplomatic house in Seoul.)

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Read the rest of Lee Da-hae cast with Joo Jin-mo in period film (160 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 51 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Joo Jin-mo, Lee Da-hae, Park Hee-soon, Yoo Sun

More awards!

The Blue Dragon Film Awards took place on November 26, and the many of the same films that have been winning lately were rewarded once again: Some of the big winners were for films such as crime drama Moss, dark thriller I Saw the Devil, romantic comedy Cyrano Dating Agency, stark action movie Ajusshi, and the much-lauded Poetry.

Kang Dong-won and Song Kang-ho’s Secret Reunion prevailed to win best picture over nominees Ajusshi, The Housemaid, Moss, and Jeon Woo Chi.

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Read the rest of 2010 Blue Dragon Film Awards (1,851 words)

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Post tags: awards, Choi Kang-hee, Daniel Choi, Han Hye-jin, Jin Gu, Jo Yeo-jung, Jo Yoon-hee, Jung Jae-young, Jung Soo-young, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Sung-soo, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Min-jung, Nam Gyuri, Park Bo-young, Park Hee-soon, Park Jin-hee, Park Min-young, Sohn Ye-jin, Song Joong-ki, Won Bin, Yoo Joon-sang, Yoo Sun, Yoon Shi-yoon

The 8th Korea Film Awards was a big night for the folks affiliated with dark thriller Ajusshi (aka The Man From Nowhere) and the Cannes winner (for screenplay) Poetry, both of which took home multiple awards.

To wit: Ajusshi was nominated in 11 categories and won in seven, including acting awards for both its leads, Won Bin and Kim Sae-ron. Meanwhile, Poetry won three, two of which were the top honors of the night, Best Picture and Director.

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Read the rest of 8th Korea Film Awards (1,470 words)

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Post tags: awards, Daniel Choi, Eom Ki-joon, Jung Yumi, Kim Sae-ron, Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Yo-won, Park Hee-soon, Park Joong-hoon, Park Shin-hye, Seo Ji-hye, Seo Woo, Seo Young-hee, Song Chang-eui, Song Sae-byuk, Won Bin, Yoon So-yi, Yoon Yeo-jung

Wow, with a cast like this, my interest is piqued: Ha Jung-woo (The Chaser), Park Hee-soon (A Barefoot Dream), and Jang Hyuk (Chuno, pictured above) have all been cast in a suspense thriller film called The Client.

Ha Jung-woo plays a lawyer struggling to prove his client’s innocence of a murder charge. Jang plays the suspect who is accused of killing his wife, and “holds the key to the truth.” His lawyer goes up against the public prosecutor in a fierce battle of wits and wills; the latter will be played by Park Hee-soon.
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Read the rest of Trio of talent headlines suspense thriller The Client (116 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ha Jung-woo, Jang Hyuk, Park Hee-soon

Aie, is it that time of year again? We’re heading into the holiday months, which also means that awards season is about to descend upon us. (It’s still early, but I bet you’ll tire of them soon enough!) Here we have the 47th Grand Bell (Daejong) Awards, which were held on the evening of October 29, giving out awards to films in 22 categories.

The event was emceed by comedian Shin Dong-yub and actress Kim Jung-eun (I Am Legend), and big winners included Poetry, which notably won the best screenplay prize at Cannes; Moss, the dark thriller from the director of Silmido; Ajusshi, the dark thriller starring Won Bin, who picked up two awards; and Lee Min-jung, who likewise took home two trophies.

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Read the rest of 47th Grand Bell Awards (1,045 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 97 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: awards, Cha Ye-ryun, Chu Ja-hyun, Daniel Choi, Eom Ki-joon, Hwang Jung-eum, Jeon Do-yeon, Jin Gu, Jung Jae-young, Kim Heung-soo, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Yun-jin, Lee Min-jung, Min Hyo-rin, Oh Ji-ho, Park Hee-soon, Seo Young-hee, Shim Eun-kyung, Song Seung-heon, TOP, Won Bin, Yoon Yeo-jung

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.

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Read the rest of Opening red carpet at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (241 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 81 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, Choi Jung-won, Eom Ji-won, film festivals, Go Eun-ah, Go Jun-hee, Ha Ji-won, Han Chae-young, Han Eun-jung, Han Hye-jin, Han Ji-hye, Han Ye-seul, Im Joo-hwan, Im Soo-jung, Jang Dong-gun, Jang Hyuk, Jeon Do-yeon, Jeon Hye-bin, Jo Jae-hyun, Jung Ryeo-won, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Haneul, Kim Kang-woo, Kim Nam-gil, Kim So-yeon, Kim Yun-jin, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Park Hee-soon, Seo Woo, So Ji-sub, Su Ae, Sung Yuri, Sunwoo Sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Wang Seok-hyun, Yeh Ji-won, Yoo Hana, Yoo Sun, Yoon Kye-sang