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Review: 'Omniscient Reader' bets big on franchise dreams, comes up snake eyes
"Honestly, I'm quite desperate. Please help us out here." Director Kim Byung-woo's closing plea at Tuesday's press conference for "Omniscient Reader: The Prophet" at Megabox Coex carried more weight than your typical promotional patter. With a reported 30 billion won ($22 million) production budget requiring at least 6 million admissions to break even, Kim has every reason to sweat. In a year where theaters are experiencing their worst slump in decades, with "Mission: Impossible's" 3.39 million
July 16, 2025 -
'KPop Demon Hunters’ cast and directors break down Netflix hit’s worldbuilding
The creative team behind Netflix's record-breaking animated hit "KPop Demon Hunters" pulled back the curtain on their demon-slaying spectacle in a new behind-the-scenes video released Friday. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, alongside voice stars Arden Cho, May Hong, Yoo Ji-young and Ahn Hyo-seop, dished on everything from character design to cultural representation in the clip, which details the meticulous world-building that went into the project. "I've always wanted to make an anima
July 11, 2025 -
Frederick Wiseman's complete works to tour Korea in landmark retrospective
The 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) announced Thursday a complete touring showcase of Frederick Wiseman's 45-film catalog, set to launch this September and continuing through July 2026. The 95-year-old Boston native, often called America's greatest living documentarian, has spent nearly six decades creating what he terms "reality fictions" -- observational studies of American life through the lens of its institutions: schools, hospitals, welfare offices, courts and mi
July 11, 2025 -
Review: 'Spring Night' a drink-soaked exercise in aesthetic masochism
If alcoholism is a pathology that corrodes the soul with insidious inevitability, "Spring Night" -- director Kang Mi-ja's second feature after a 17-year hiatus -- is cinema's manifestation of that harrowing condition, in both form and content. Fresh from its run at the Berlinale's Forum section earlier this year, this 67-minute exercise embodies the endless cycle of addiction down to its very bones. Rarely does a film mirror its subject matter with such uncanny fidelity, but the effect proves de
July 10, 2025 -
Lim Yoon-a leads genre-bending 'Pretty Crazy' from hitmaker behind 'Exit'
Never mind red flags — picture the girl next door turning into a demon at night. In "Pretty Crazy," Lim Yoon-a takes on a dual persona in this genre-blending summer entry from the team behind "Exit." "Pretty Crazy" centers on Gil-goo (Ahn Bo-hyun), who falls for Seon-ji (Lim Yoon-a), a new tenant living one floor below. But the budding romance takes a sharp turn when Gil-goo discovers that Seon-ji transforms into a demon each night. Her father soon ropes Gil-goo into the part-time job of protect
July 9, 2025 -
Award-winning Korean short films set to screen at Paris cinematheque
Four award-winning Korean short films from the 41st Busan International Short Film Festival will screen at the prestigious Cinematheque Francaise in Paris, festival officials announced Monday. Scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m., local time, the special program marks the third consecutive year the festival has been invited to present its selections at the renowned Paris venue. The screening will take place in the Cinematheque’s Jean Epstein room, named after the French avant-garde cinema pioneer. Lea
July 7, 2025 -
We’re seeing AI-enhanced workflows, not replacement: Storytek CEO Sten-Kristian Saluveer
BUCHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival opened Thursday with a bold statement on cinema's future, selecting as its opening film "About a Hero" -- a hybrid documentary by Piotr Winiewicz featuring an AI-generated screenplay trained on Werner Herzog's complete filmography. The festival's commitment to exploring artificial intelligence runs deep, with 11 AI films among its 217-title program and a three-day conference dedicated to examining how the techno
July 6, 2025 -
Gat returns as ‘it’ item with viral cultural moments
When "Kingdom," Netflix’s first original K-drama series, was released in 2019, the sight of zombie-fighting noblemen wearing a variety of hats sparked global curiosity, with “Joseon hats” even showing up in Amazon shopping carts. The Joseon-era thriller ignited a fascination with "gat" — an umbrella term for traditional Korean hats. Historically, gat came in a wide range of styles, each tailored to the wearer’s social status, profession and occasion. What’s commonly recognized today as a gat — t
July 5, 2025 -
Director breaks down Saja Boys' soul-stealing performance of 'Your Idol'
With traditional gat, glowing eyes and a lethal dose of K-pop attitude, the performance of Saja Boys’ soul-stealing “Your Idol” in Netflix’s breakout hit "K-pop Demon Hunters" is the moment that keeps both hypnotized audiences and viewers obsessed, just like the lyrics say. From the candy-colored energy of “Soda Pop” to a dramatic turn into sleek, jet-black silhouettes, the fictional boy band’s transformation reveals their true selves in full demon form. The villain anthem’s music video has rack
July 4, 2025 -
Movies in theaters this week
"Jurassic World: Rebirth" (US) Opened July 2 Sci-fi/Adventure Directed by Gareth Edwards A covert operative (Scarlett Johansson) and her team encounter mutated dinosaur experiments that have thrived in isolation for decades during their expedition to a forbidden island. "F1: The Movie" (US) Opened June 25 Sports/Drama Directed by Joseph Kosinski Former Formula One driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) comes out of retirement to mentor a rookie prodigy (Damson Idris) for a struggling team. "Noise" (Sout
July 4, 2025 -
Heo Ga-young didn’t expect to get on course —then she won at Cannes
When Heo Ga-young applied to the Korean Academy of Film Arts with a bare-bones seven-minute film about sweet and sour pork, she figured she'd blown it. The school was Korea's most prestigious film program, the kind of place where industry veterans compete for spots alongside wannabe auteurs hoping to follow alumni like Bong Joon-ho. Her portfolio consisted of two amateur actors arguing over the ubiquitous Korean-Chinese dish — specifically, whether to pour the sauce on top or dip each piece. Tot
July 3, 2025 -
What you need to know about Saja Boys, Korea’s grim reapers in K-pop form
When the Saja Boys appeared on screen for the first time, dressed in floor-length black hanbok and wide-brimmed hats casting shadows over pale, painted faces, Kang Chan-mi, a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul, immediately recognized the look. “I knew instantly what they were,” she said. “If you’re Korean, it’s almost impossible not to.” The Saja Boys, a fictional K-pop group in Netflix's new animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” may appear to be just another stylish boy band debuting for a global
July 3, 2025 -
‘The King of Kings’ arrives in Korea after record-shattering US run
Joy to the world, the Lord has come to offer eternal salvation, Christian tradition tells us. What He likely never foresaw was becoming the star of a South Korean animated feature that just swept the US box office and is now coming home on a wave of buzz. Created by VFX specialist-turned-rookie director Jang Seong-ho, "The King of Kings" was the outsider no one had on their tracking sheets. In a 17-day sprint, the film leap-frogged "Parasite" to become the top-grossing Korean title ever released
July 2, 2025 -
Korean film veterans share insights on cinema’s growth and freedom at Da Nang Film Fest
DA NANG, Vietnam -- Leading figures in Korean cinema gathered at the Da Nang Asian Film Festival on Monday to reflect on the evolution of Korean cinema and how film festivals have supported its rise over the decades. The special panel discussion featured Kim Dong-ho, former chairman of the Busan International Film Festival; Park Kwang-su, filmmaker and current BIFF chair; Kim Hong-joon, director of the Korean Film Archive; Kim Han-min, director and screenwriter; Choi Seung-jin, director of the K
July 2, 2025 -
'K-pop Demon Hunters' soundtrack makes strong showing on global, Korean music charts
The soundtrack to Netflix's hit animation "K-pop Demon Hunters" is making major waves on music charts worldwide. As of Wednesday, two songs from the film — “Your Idol” and “Golden” — ranked on Billboard’s Hot 100, landing at No. 77 and No. 81, respectively. The album also scored the highest-charting debut for a soundtrack in 2025 on the Billboard 200, opening at No. 8. It marks the first soundtrack to debut in the top 10 since the "Wicked" film soundtrack bowed at No. 2 on the chart for Dec. 7,
July 2, 2025