Huh. Another one: Scandal Makers (aka Speed Scandal, 과속스캔들), which has enjoyed tremendous success in the past few months, is being remade by Hollywood.

The film has sold over 8.2 million tickets in Korea and catapulted young star Park Bo-young to household-name status (and earned her a Baeksang Award just a few days ago). It also stars Cha Tae-hyun (My Sassy Girl) and a very young Wang Seok-hyun. It is directed by Kang Hyung-chul.

Attached to direct the U.S. remake is Barry Sonnenfeld, director of films like Men in Black and RV and producer of Get Shorty, Ladykillers, and Pushing Daisies, who had the following to say about the Korean movie: “What a fabulous movie. It is funny, intelligent, and full of heart and values. It is also a movie with universal themes. I am honored to have the opportunity…” According to the CEO of M Line, which handles overseas sales and distribution, remake offers came from multiple studios, such as Universal, Sony, Disney, and Paramount.

The thing is, from everything I’ve heard, Scandal Makers is a great, fun, quality movie. The story seems remake-able. But it’s almost TOO remake-able — the plot doesn’t sound all that unusual for an American film: A 36-year-old bachelor finds his life upturned when he is surprised by the appearance of an unknown 22-year-old daughter… and her 6-year-old son. (The reason for the “speedy” scandals? Cha’s character, now a successful DJ and happy bachelor, was once an idol star in his teens with lots of female fans.) What keeps it afloat is its charm, and we know from past experiences that Hollywood tends to kill THAT elusive quality straightaway (case in point: My Sassy Girl, Il Mare, Tale of Two Sisters).

Via Mk.co.kr

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Pop star Hyori is designing her own T-shirt. And I use the word “designing” loosely.

The shirt is to commemorate her upcoming concert(s) on the 19th and 20th (her first since going solo) and will be presented to all the concertgoers as an expression of Hyori’s appreciation. And when I raise a skeptical eyebrow to the labeling of Hyori as a designer, it’s not just because that T-shirt is fugly, but because the shirt is really just a sketch version of her third-album promotional “Hyorish” poster anyway, which she did not design.

I mean, fine, we all know that stars like to flaunt their artsy hobbies, whether it’s through cooking, or
singing (or singing, or singing some more, or rapping), or writing (fiction, essays, or *cough*allegedly* nonfiction), or photography, or songwriting, or other artistic endeavors (sketchbooks, crafts, and paintings). And so on and so forth.

But sometimes these things don’t correlate to actual artistic talent so much as they are lame promotional gimmicks or vanity exercises. Then again, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised; this is Hyori, whose success has never had anything to do with originality.

Via OSEN

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I hadn’t intended on posting about actress Ok So-ri’s current adultery case, because South Korean law is one subject that I freely admit is beyond me. But the news has hit the international newswire, so here we go:

The 39-year-old Ok, who enjoyed most of her popularity in the ’90s (her last film was 1996’s Karuna), admitted to having an affair. That alone was scandalous enough, but in Korea, adultery is still a criminal offense. Korea’s adultery rate is high, but rarely is it actually prosecuted. (Imagine the overcrowding of prisons were that true!) However, a 55-year-old adultery law has enabled Ok’s husband to press charges. Ok has attempted to overturn the law, but the prosecution is now looking to send her to jail. TO JAIL. FOR ADULTERY.

Reuters says:

“South Korean enacted its adultery law more than 50 years ago to protect women who had few rights in the male-dominated society but critics say now it is a draconian measure no longer fit for a country with an advanced civil and family court system. …Last month, the Constitutional Court said adultery damaged the social order and therefore was a criminal offence.”

Now, I’m not condoning cheating, but the problem is that this is an archaic law and is being misapplied here as a revenge tactic more than a protection of rights. It’s also pretty damn hypocritical given that Korea’s got a booming sex trade (with the vast majority of johns being men, married and otherwise) and an extremely high (and ever-increasing) divorce rate.

Way to punish one person for the “crimes” of an entire nation, Korea. This here is some fecking messed-up shiz, people.

Via Arts News, Chosun Ilbo, Reuters

Filed under: Pop Culture & Society by javabeans - 53 Comments →

This episode both exasperated me and provided some satisfaction. Warning: long rant ahead.

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Ji Hoon – “Goodbye” [ Download ]

 
MY SWEET SEOUL Episode 9 >>

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 19 Comments →

Hmm. I didn’t really love the first half of Episode 7, although that wasn’t because it was bad. I think we’re just in that phase where plot setups start to bear results, and some of those can lead to uncomfortable moments. The developments are necessary, of course, and we get some nice acting amidst a more somber tone. And this scene (with Eun-soo and Young-soo in the rain) was a definite highlight.

Also, last week only aired one episode, so tomorrow we’ll be back with Episodes 8 and 9.

SONG OF THE DAY

VEIL – “Special” [ Download ]

 
MY SWEET SEOUL Episode 7 >>

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 15 Comments →