Han Ji-hye’s next role takes her back to Joseon Korea, and for her role as a famous gisaeng, has begun taking a variety of classes. As gisaeng entertainers were often skilled in the arts of dance and music, her education includes classes in the gayageum (a stringed lute, the same instrument Honey Lee is known for playing) and singing in verse.

Han Ji-hye has mostly been known for acting in dramas (East of Eden, Likable or Not), but this project is the latest movie from director Lee Jun-ik (You’re Far Away, King and the Clown), called Like the Moon Escaping from Clouds [그르믈 버서난 달처럼, also written 구름을 벗어난 달처럼]. It’s an action-fighting period film based on a Park Heung-ryong manhwa of the same name and boasts quite an impressive cast list: In addition to the previously announced Hwang Jung-min it has added City Hall’s Cha Seung-won and Accidental Couple’s young Baek Sung-hyun. (Looks like Uhm Tae-woong and Ryu Seung-beom are out.)

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Read the rest of Han Ji-hye turns gisaeng in new film (305 words)

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Post tags: Baek Sung-hyun, Cha Seung-won, Han Ji-hye, Hwang Jung-min, Ryu Seung-beom, Uhm Tae-woong

Hm, interesting. They’re making another version of the famous folktale Story of Chun-hyang, called Story of Bang-ja [방자전]. The folktale tells of two young lovers in Joseon times, gisaeng’s daughter Chun-hyang and nobleman’s son Mong-ryong, and the trials and tribulations they overcome on their way to Happily Ever After. It’s already been made into several films and formed the basis for 2005’s trendy drama Delightful Girl Chun-hyang.

Then, there was the spoof-like Story of Hyang-dan starring Seo Ji-hye and Choi Siwon, which tweaked the story and played with the twist of Mong-ryong falling in love with Chun-hyang’s servant girl, Hyang-dan, instead. Purists may eschew this two-episode goof as a silly throwaway, but I loved the tongue-in-cheek humor of this near-parody version and the chemistry of the adorable leads.

As you can guess from the title, in this film version, Bang-ja is the protagonist and Mong-ryong his less-charismatic sidekick — and by “sidekick” I mean story-wise, not literally, since Bang-ja is still servant to his noble young master Mong-ryong. Playing Bang-ja will be Terroir’s Kim Joo-hyuk, while Ryu Seung-beom takes on the role of Mong-ryong. As the article points out, this is quite an interesting bit of casting, given both actors’ images.

Directing will be Kim Dae-woo, who wrote the screenplay for Untold Scandal and directed Forbidden Quest; already Tale of Bang-ja is garnering attention for its “bright, clever screenplay.”

Via Segye

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Post tags: Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, Kim Joo-hyuk, Ryu Seung-beom, Story of Hyang Dan

Jumong and Terroir actress Han Hye-jin has a new project lined up, and it’s a film called No Forgiveness [용서는 없다], which co-stars Sol Kyung-gu of such films as Public Enemy Returns and Voice of a Murder. He’s also the recently announced fiancé to On Air actress Song Yoon-ah.

No Forgiveness is described as a crime thriller involving a violent murderer. Sol Kyung-gu’s character investigates dead bodies as an employee of the National Scientific, Criminal & Investigation Laboratory and embarks on a hunt to catch the killer. Han Hye-jin plays a junior police officer who joins up with Sol in digging up the truth. Also cast is Ryu Seung-beom (Radio Days), who discovers the first clue and faces off against Sol in a fierce two-way psychological battle.

The film will begin filming at the end of May, at about the same time Sol marries Song Yoon-ah (on the 28th), meaning the couple will hold off on their honeymoon while the groom films.

Not sure how I feel about the description — there’s nothing wrong with it, but it doesn’t sound particularly striking, and I’m thinking it can go either way. I’ve never been a huge Han Hye-jin fan, but these two men squaring off against each other in a murder thriller just might be worth catching.

Via OSEN

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Post tags: Han Hye-jin, Ryu Seung-beom, Sol Kyung-gu

The actors: Uhm Tae-woong (Cell Phone, Devil), Hwang Jung-min (Happiness, Black House) and Ryu Seung-beom (Bloody Tie, Crying Fist).

The director: Lee Joon-ik (The King and the Clown, Shadows in the Palace).

The movie: Like a Moon Escapes From Clouds [구름을 벗어난 달처럼; a working title].

(Is this gonna be intense or what?)

For this latest project, Hwang Jung-min and Ryu Seung-beom, who have been friends since both were unknowns, are teaming up again three years after sharing the screen in Bloody Tie. Uhm Tae-woong rejoins Lee after having worked together on the Vietnam War-era You’re Far Away, aka Sunny (for which lead actress Su Ae won a bunch of awards last year).

The film is actually based on a manhwa of the same name by Park Heung-yong, and takes place following the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. Bringing on three such strong actors to work with director Lee makes this a highly anticipated project for the coming year — I don’t know about the plot, but the casting sure raises some expectations — and the film is scheduled to begin filming at the end of March.

Via DongA

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Post tags: Hwang Jung-min, Ryu Seung-beom, Uhm Tae-woong

Although I didn’t watch August 23’s broadcast of Mnet’s 20’s Choice awards (a wannabe VMA’s, really), looking over the full winners list, my first reaction is: “What were they smoking?”

Some choices made sense. I get why Jang Geuk-seok, shakin’ his thang above as the event’s MC, was awarded Hot Movie Star (Male) because he’s had a great year coming off the drama Hong Gil Dong and recent movie Baby and I. And Hot Sports Star is a topical choice, going to the recent gold-medalist female weight lifter Jang Mi-ran, while the annoyingly catchy, ubiquitous earworms “One More Time” and “So Hot” (by Jewelry and Wonder Girls, respectively) are no-brainers.

But even the fact that they’ve got a “Hot Schoolgirl” category (winner So-hee), or “Hot Comment” (I think they meant catchprase) are kind of, pardon my French, retarded. And don’t even ask me what “Hot Sweet Music” means.

Furthermore, I get that “American beef” was a hot topic this year, but to highlight it at an awards show as the “winner” of Hot Issuemaker seems a little crass. Or just stupid.

Check out the full list beyond the jump, along with pics of the show in all its tacky glory.

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Read the rest of Mnet 20’s Choice Awards makes weird choices (203 words)

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Post tags: awards, Baek Sung-hyun, Big Bang, Eom Ki-joon, Girls Generation, Jang Geun-seok, Jun Jin, Kim Ji-suk, Kim Min-hee, kpop, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Hyori, Park Min-young, Park Shi-hoo, Park Yong-ha, Ryu Seung-beom, Seo In-young, singers, Uhm Jung-hwa, Wonder Girls, Yoo Seung-ho

Park Shi-yeon (recently of dark drama La Dolce Vita) takes on the role of a spy in the new movie Dachimawalee: Bye, Villain! Take the Express Train to Hell [다찌마와 리: 악인이여 지옥행 급행열차를 타라], a comedic action spy film which from all appearances looks like a period Bond flick by way of Mr. Bean.

The movie, directed by Ryu Seung-wan, also stars Im Won-hee (M, Le Grand Chef), Gong Hyo-jin (Thank You), Hwang Bora (Rainbow Romance), and Ryu Seung-beom (Radio Days, Family Ties), with Im as the titular top-secret spy Dachimawalee who takes on a sexy new partner (Park Shi-yeon). Naturally hijinks ensue.

The movie opens August 14.

Via Joy News

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Post tags: Gong Hyo-jin, Hwang Bora, Im Won-hee, Park Shi-yeon, Ryu Seung-beom

Yeah, I knew that would get your attention. (The photo, I mean.)

Cast and crew gathered on July 15 for the press conference and screening of Summer Days. They’re calling this one a “crossover” film, but it’s not so much a film as it is yet more branded entertainment. They’re starting the branding with the description itself, calling it an “XNOTE crossover film,” XNOTE being a laptop put out by LG Electronics.

As I’ve mentioned before (regarding Anycall’s music videos, Anyband’s project group, Jang Geun-seok’s hair-product music video, and So Ji-sub’s cable-TV commercial), Korea’s got a way with branded entertainment. Western entertainment may produce engaging commercials, but they’re still always commercials first and foremost. Product placement is rampant and increasing everywhere (a friend who works on a U.S. television show tells me the writers routinely get notes from the studio about writing storylines around whichever cell phone they’ve got contracts with), but this kind of elaborate branding is something Korea’s integrated much more thoroughly (dare I say insidiously?).

Summer Days, for instance, is touted as ad campaign, short film, drama and music video all rolled into one, to unfold in seven episodes (each approx 4 minutes long; total running time is 30 minutes). They’ve brought on CF director Jo Won-seok and hired music director Yoo Hee-yeol, aka the singer-songwriter also recording under the name Toy. On top of that, we have three name actors, Hyun Bin, Shin Mina, and Ryu Seung-beom, acting out this adver-story about “love, friendship and conflict.”

In the “plot,” Ryu Seung-beom plays a “cheerful programmer,” Hyun Bin is an elegant architect, and Shin Mina takes on the role of a stylish film columnist. The first episode is titled “Morning After the Rain” and the second “The First Day of Summer” (wherein the three characters meet, unfolding like a short film). The third is called “A Day with Loud Cicadas” (featuring the notebook in a commercial-like format), and the fourth titled “A Day the Summer Breeze Blows” (a travel-themed music-video-like segment featuring a Yoo Hee-yeol song, “My Happy Day,” sung by Shin Mina). The fifth episode, “Tropical Night,” features the split between the three characters; the sixth is “Summer Night, Summer Day,” leading into the last segment, “The Day Before Autumn Starts.”

I’ve got mixed feelings about branded entertainment, but I guess everything’s selling something these days. So long as the product is entertaining (and honest about being quasi-advertisement), I suppose there’s no harm done. At least some of it produces (unintended) hilarity, like seeing Jang Geun-seok grooving along to pimp hair gel.

The LG XNOTE campaign launches mid-August via the Internet, broadcast television, cable TV, in theaters and in stores.

Via Consumer News, Arts News

Yoo Hee-yoel / Toy – “프랑지파니” (Frangipani, aka plumeria) [ Download ]

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Post tags: branded entertainment, CFs, Hyun Bin, Ryu Seung-beom, Shin Mina