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While on the surface a film ostensibly focused on a burgeoning supernatural mystery surrounding an ominous yoga studio and the need to uncover it, there’s far more going on in Yun Jae-yeon‘s follow-up to the solid-if-by-the-book “Wishing Stairs”. Still retaining the same sense of atmosphere and theatrics, she adds a fantastic critique of beauty and physical aesthetics in Korean society for her second, and thus far final, directorial effort “Yoga Hakwon.”

Trying to stay competitive at work, TV presenter Hyo-jeong (Kim Yoo-jin) becomes jealous of the attention new co-host Seon-hwa (Lee Yeong-jin) receives from her studio bosses due to her youth and beauty as a former pageant contestant. After talking with boyfriend Dong-hoon (Choi Daniel), Hyo-jung decides to follow a rigorous yoga training class held at Na-ni’s (Cha Soo Yeon) resort with other participants Sung Yeon-joo (Park Han-byeol), Lee Bo-ra (Hwang Seung-eon), Seo In-soon (Jo Eun-ji), and...

Lovelorn student Kim Hyeon-gon falls for a waitress at a local coffee shop but unable to approach her, hires the “Cyrano Agency” a small company owned by theatre actor Lee Byeong-hoon to help win her affections. Through constructing scenarios and communicating through a headpiece, the agency is successful. Financially though, they are struggling and take on the case of fund manager Cheol-bin who has fallen for Kim Hee-joong a woman he met at the local church. Lee Byeong-hoon is reluctant as she is a former girlfriend and as the Agency set to work he finds his emotions starting to affect his professional ones.

The Original Cyrano De Bergerac story sees the titular character called upon by his colleague Christian to help woo Roxanne. Cyrano is also in love with Roxanne but feels unable to declare this due to his physical appearance.

Most variations of the Cyrano story...

"I'm after a killer. Not the one you want to catch." Signature Entertainment UK has debuted an official trailer for a Korean crime action thriller titled The Beast, which initially opened in Korea last summer. The film, which is apparently a remake of the French thriller 36 Quai des Orfèvres with Daniel Auteuil & Gérard Depardieu, is about two detectives in conflict who solve a murder that shakes up the Korean peninsula. To get a critical clue on catching a notorious murderer, Detective Han-Soo (Lee Sung-Min) covers up another crime. Rival detective Min-Tae (Yoo Jae-Myung) senses the cover-up and gets upset. As their competition reaches its peak, even Han is forced to change his methods while Jeong's closeness to the underworld finally takes its toll on him. It sounds like another dark, complex, twisty crime thriller, which is the most common film made in Korea these days. Also starring Daniel Choi,...

Every once in a while, a good supporting actor breaks through the mould and makes his or her place as a dependable lead actor. Like Kwak Do-won, for example, who broke out with Na Hong-jin’s “The Wailing“, another actor who has consistently impressed on the sidelines is Lee Sung-min. 2018 was quite the turning point in his career, with a very important role in “The Spy Gone North” and his first ever lead in “The Witness“. Both the performances were highly praised and he follows them up with “The Beast”, the newest film from director Lee Jung-ho.

Synopsis

A criminal action movie about two detectives in conflict who solve a murder that shakes up the Korean peninsula.

The film, apparently a remake of the French thriller “36 Quai des Orfèvres” starring Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu, will be the third time that Lee Sung-min will be collaborating with Lee Jung-ho, having...

1. The Guest

With its triangle of investigators, a Catholic Priest (Yoon Hwa Pyung), a Shaman (Choi Yoon) and a Police Detective (Kang Kil Yeong), “The Guest” can be best thought of as a loose spin-off of Na’s “The Wailing” (2015) even though the answers seem clearer cut in the former than the later. Like all good Gothic texts, the crisis in the present can be traced back to a trauma in the past at which the paths of the three intersect. As Bts tell us in “DNA” ‘this is not a coincidence’ (2017). In the present, an outbreak of violent crimes for no apparent reason bring the three together again as they search for the demon behind the outbreak whose capture would resolve their traumatic pasts. Much darker in its approach than many horror themed kdramas, “The Guest”’s tight scripting, clever casting and cinematography mark it out as a must see.

Baek Woon-hak's Chronicles of EvilSTORY70%DIRECTION72%ACTING75%VISUALS75%2016-06-2273%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (1 Vote)86%

“Chronicles of Evil” is another skillful thriller that uses the concept of revenge to present an elaborate but unoriginal story.

Detective Squad Chief Choi Chang-sik is a decorated officer who has the respect of both his subordinates and the people above him. As the former are preparing him for a big promotion, the latter throw a party for him that ends up with Choi half-drunk, half-asleep in a taxi. When he wakes up, he realizes that the taxi driver is taking him somewhere else and when the car stops, the guy is revealed to be someone from his past who wants to exact revenge. The two of them fight and Choi ends up killing him. However, in front of the prospect of his promotion, he decides to cover-up the crime. Alas, the next day the...

Korea’s M-Line Distribution has sold North American rights to Kang Hyo-jin’s comedy Wonderful Nightmare to Asia Releasing, along with a string of other territories.

M-Line has also sold the film to Cine Asia for Australia, Viva Communications for The Philippines and Mega Movie Technology for Myanmar, while Emphasis has taken inflight rights.

Starring Uhm Jeong-hwa (Dancing Queen) and Song Seung-heon (Obsessed), the film tells the story of a high-flying female lawyer who dies, but is returned to earth to live as a housewife with two children. Korean release is scheduled for July.

M-Line is also selling Im Sang-soo’s action comedy Intimate Enemies, starring Ryoo Seung-bum and produced by Fox International Productions; action comedy Untouchable Lawmen, starring Daniel Choi and Im Chang-jung; and Park Jae-sik’s medical thriller The Black Hand, starring Han Go-eun and Kim Sung-su.

The Seoul-based company has also picked up Korean-Estonian erotic drama Angry Painter, directed by Jeon...

Director: Kim Hyeon-seok. Review: Adam Wing. In the not-so distant future, researchers at a deep-sea laboratory have finally succeeded in inventing a time machine. Heavily burdened by financial stress, head researcher Woo-seok is promised more funding from a mega-corporation, but only if he can successfully complete a test flight. Ji-wan tries to stop his colleague and lover, Young-eun, from going on the dangerous flight, but Woo-seok and Young-eun carry out the mission and travel to 11 A.M. the following day. They arrive to find their deep-sea laboratory on the verge of collapse. All the researchers have gone and somebody is out to kill them. Jae-yeong Jeong (Moss), Ok-bin Kim (Thirst) and Daniel Choi (Cyrano Agency) star in Kim Hyeon-seok's taut sci-fi thriller, a new film that attempts to juggle complex human emotions with lean action thrills. The opening act is certainly intriguing, as a ragtag team of scientists learn that...