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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is an action thriller film directed by Len Wiseman from a screenplay by Shay Hatten. The 2025 film is set in the world of John Wick, and it takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. It follows Eve Macarro, a Ruska Roma assassin who defies all orders to go after the people who murdered her father. Ballerina stars Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves. So, if you loved the explosive action, thrilling story, and compelling characters in Ballerina, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

John Wick Film Series (Peacock) Credit – Lionsgate

The John Wick Film Series is an action thriller media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. The films follow the titular John Wick,...

With their tight storytelling and beautiful, engaging main casts, K-dramas (or South Korean scripted television series) are steadily finding success worldwide. Many of the greatest K-dramas of all time are immaculately paced, especially with plot twists to catch audiences off-guard and on the hook for more. These range from sudden tragic developments just as a happy ending comes into focus to betrayals that leave our protagonists reeling in the lurch. Often coming at the heels of long-standing misdirection, a good plot twist is both shocking and makes perfectly logical sense to the story when revealed.

Some plot twists are given, especially when it comes to crime thrillers and murder mysteries trying to keep its audience guessing on identifying the culprits. But some K-dramas deliver their show-stopping turns out of nowhere, dramatically raising the narrative stakes and making the story all the more unpredictable. Those moments are precisely why we love shows like these,...

Kim Go-Eun Byun Yo-Han Chat Leak ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Kim Go-Eun and Byun Yo-Han’s past relationship surfaces after an alleged chat is leaked. Now, fans are divided and reacting mixedly to the whole fiasco. Read on.

On February 12, a post on the popular online forum for K-celebrity news circulated, stating Kim Go-Eun and Byun Yo-Han’s romance rumors after an alleged chat was leaked. The post featured an alleged screenshot of their conversation that fueled speculations about their reignited dating life. The chat showed a charged conversation between them, leading the fans to think about their past relationship.

Even though the authenticity of this leaked chat is unclear, the whole fiasco sparked mixed reactions from the fans. While Go-Eun is popularly known for her projects like Goblin, Exhuma, and others, Yo-Han is a well-known South Korean actor who worked in Mr. Sunshine, Uncle Samsik, and more. The conversation...

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Vigilante is a South Korean action crime thriller drama series created by Moon Yoo-seok. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Kim Gyu-sam, the Disney+ series follows Kim Ji-yong, a student at the police academy whose mother was killed by a criminal in his childhood. Now he secretly goes out at night as a vigilante to kill criminals. Vigilante stars Nam Joo-hyuk, Yoo Ji-tae, Lee Joon-hyuk, and Kim So-jin. So, if you loved the bloody action, intensely thrilling story, and compelling characters in Vigilante here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The Killing Vote (Prime Video) Credit – Sbs

The Killing Vote is a South Korean legal crime drama series directed by Park Shin-woo from a screenplay by Jo Yoon-young. Based on Kakao Webtoon National Death Penalty Vote by Uhm Se-yoon and Jung Yi-pum,...

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Doubt is a South Korean psychological crime thriller drama series directed by Song Yeon-hwa from a screenplay by Han Ah-young. The Mbc TV series follows Korea’s best criminal profiler who faces a dilemma after he discovers that his daughter might be connected to a murder case. Doubt stars Han Suk-kyu and Chae Won-bin in the lead roles with Han Ye-ri, Oh Yeon-soo, Noh Jae-won, Yoon Kyung-ho, Kim Jeong-jin, Yoo Eui-tae, Lee Shin-ki, and Han Su-a starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the intensely thrilling story, complex arcs, and compelling characters in Doubt here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Defending Jacob (Apple TV+) Credit – Apple TV+

Defending Jacob is a crime thriller drama miniseries created by Mark Bomback. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by author William Landay, the Apple...

Ahead of Squid Game season 2, there are plenty of entertaining K-dramas to watch starring the cast of the thrilling Netflix series. Squid Game features a variety of seasoned and up-and-coming K-drama actors, with many exciting additions being made to the cast in season 2. Actors Lee Jin-wook, Kang Ha-neul, and Park Gyu-young are just a few people audiences can expect to see introduced in season 2, while Lee Byung-hun and Gong Yoo are among the actors reprising their roles from season 1.

Squid Game, which revolves around a deadly contest with a life-changing amount of money as its prize, was a major success for its streaming service. Squid Game's spin on children's games and its bold portrayal of competition captivated audiences and led to an organic following. As Netflix's most-watched series, Squid Game helped launch its stars, both those established and new to acting, to a new level of fame. The premiere...

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Officer Black Belt is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Joo-hwan Kim. The Netflix film follows the story of Lee Jong-do, a skilled martial arts fighter as he is recruited by a probation officer to help closely manage the criminals wearing electronic ankle bracelets to stop them from hurting innocent people. Officer Black Belt stars Kim Woo-bin in the lead role with Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Hae Young, and Kim Yool-ho starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the thrilling action, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in Officer Black Belt here are some similar movies to watch next.

Midnight Runners (Tubi & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Lotte Entertainment

Midnight Runner is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Jason Kim. The 2017 film follows two new students at the Korean National Police University...

If you were waiting for John Woo‘s latest action thriller film The Killer, featuring his signature action style and a thrilling story. Then the wait is finally over as the Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy-led film is finally available to stream on Peacock. Based on Woo’s 1989 film of the same name, the Peacock film is co-written by Brian Helgeland, Josh Campbell, and Matt Stuecken and it follows the story of a deadly assassin as she refuses to kill a young blind woman and in turn her employer puts out a hit on her, forcing her to kill the people coming after her while being hunted by a relentless cop. So, if you loved the high-octane action, thrilling story, and interesting characters in The Killer here are some similar movies you should check out next.

The Killer (Buy DVD on Amazon) Credit – Magnum Presentation

The Killer is a...

The Frog is a South Korean psychological mystery crime thriller series written by Son Ho-young. The Netflix series tells its story in two different periods of time, the first one is of Gu Sang-jun, a middle-aged man running a motel in the countryside in the year 2000, and the second one is of Jeon Young-ha, the owner of a pension house in the forest in 2021 as both of them face unexpected incidents after a mysterious guest arrives. The Frog stars Kim Yoon-seok, Yoon Kye-sang, Go Min-si, Lee Jung-eun, and Ha Yoon-Kyung in the main roles. So, if you loved the thrilling story, complex and dark characters, and surprising twists in The Frog here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Hell Is Other People (Pluto TV)

Hell Is Other People is a psychological thriller series written by Jung Yi-do. Based on the Naver webtoon series of the same name by Kim Yong-ki,...

Top New K-Dramas of July 2024 and Where to Watch Them - Main Image

July might not have a ton of new K-dramas, but it will still be an exciting month for fans! With a few highly anticipated releases, there’s something for everyone. Whether you love sweet romance, thrilling mysteries, or intense corporate drama, these shows are sure to keep you entertained and hooked all month long.

Here’s what you can add to your K-drama watch list for July and where you can watch them.

Red Swan: The Action Thriller You Need to Watch on Disney+

Starring K-pop sensation Rain and the talented Kim Ha-neul, Red Swan is Disney+'s newest action-packed thriller. The story revolves around Oh Wan-Soo (Kim Ha-neul), a former top-tier golfer who marries the powerful Hwain Group, achieving her dreams of an upper-class life.

She becomes the chairperson of a renowned foundation, making her life seem perfect.

South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is the latest auteur making the migration to television. He previously dabbled in serialized narratives by directing all six episodes of the 2018 BBC spy thriller mini-series "The Little Drummer Girl." Adapting a John Le Carré novel, famous for their intricate plots, for his second English-language work? Park's pulled off that and more.

This year, Park co-created "The Sympathizer," a Vietnam War satire starring Robert Downey Jr. and Hoa Xuande. Adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen's 2015 novel (and Pulitzer winner), Park also directed the series' first three episodes. Most recently, it's been confirmed that he's producing a TV remake of his most famous film: 2003 revenge thriller "Oldboy."

Park is one of the most internationally known filmmakers from South Korea. The country has a thriving movie industry. (Check out /Film's picks for the best South Korean film directors here.) Before Park took off as a director,...

This isn't one to file under Most Surprising News Ever, but it appears that star Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos are looking to get the filmmaking band together again. Following the success of The Favourite and Poor Things, they already have one more film together under their belts via anthology Kinds Of Kindness, but with news that Lanthimos is looking at remaking South Korean fantasy comedy Save The Green Planet as his next film, Stone is in talks to join him in that endeavor as well.

The original, directed by Joon-Hwan Jang and released in 2003, is about Lee Byeong-gu (Shin Ha-kyun), who dives deep into conspiracy theories and starts to suspect that a number of political and big business types are secretly aliens, the reptilian first wave for an invasion of Earth. When he spirits some away to an underground command centre to torture information from them, he hits the Most Wanted list.

Given that he's largely stuck to wildly original material, the notion of Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos pivoting to a remake is an intriguing one, despite the alarm bells it might set howling online. According to Variety, the director is now aboard a new version of South Korean fantasy comedy Save The Green Planet.

Director Joon-Hwan Jang's 2003 debut follows Lee Byeong-gu (Shin Ha-kyun), who comes to believe that a number of Korean leaders and top business types are secretly reptilian aliens driving an invasion of his beloved planet Earth. When he abducts several and absconds with them to a basement command centre to start prying information from their scaly brains, the authorities hire a skilled private detective to track him and his victims down. All the while, Byeong-gu's devoted girlfriend aids his mission, even as she worries his crusade is born out of his traumatic childhood.

Jang himself was attached...

Cj Enm (Hong Kong), a channels and content distributor that is part of the Korean Cj Enm conglomerate, has picked up pay-tv rights in parts of Asia to a handful of Korean series that were co-financed by streaming platform Tving and Paramount+. The deal was struck with Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The productions are part of a global strategic partnership between Cj Enm and Paramount Global that was announced in December 2021.

The deal was announced on the eve of the Asian TV Forum (Atf), which kicks off next week in Singapore.

The series debut first on Tving in Korea and on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. They then move to the Cj Enm-owned channels tvN and tvN Movies in the first window pay-tv slot in Southeast Asia.

The titles that Cj Enm (Hong Kong) will represent include...

The public’s interest in both crime and drama isn’t confined to any one border or culture. Nowhere is that more evident than on Netflix. Thanks to its impressively deep roster of global titles, Netflix is home to an equally impressive list of crime drama series from the U.S., U.K., and beyond.

It’s such an impressive list, in fact, that it can be pretty daunting to anyone who is just looking for a decent show to stream past the first couple of clicks and scrollthroughs. To help those intrepid crime drama watchers out, we’ve compiled a list of some of the hidden gems you can find on Netflix.

Read on to discover the 11 titles – three of which hail from the U.S., three from the U.K., two from India, two from South Korea, and one from Finland. We told you this was a global operation!

Paramount+ revealed Thursday that it will be expanding its global Korean originals slate with the launch of two new series exclusively on the service in multiple regions around the world. Forthcoming K-dramas A Bloody Lucky Day and Queen Woo will be available on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The two series are the latest projects developed by Paramount+ and Korean streamer Tving, as part of Paramount’s global partnership with Korean entertainment powerhouse Cj Enm.

The announcement comes amid some early success for Paramount+’s Korean originals, with Bargain, an upcoming K-drama from the company, winning the best screenplay prize at last night’s Canneseries Awards Ceremony in France. The service also revealed that recently launched Korean drama series Yonder has become its most-watched international series in the U.S. so far this year. Yonder, which stars Shin Ha-kyun and Han Ji-min,...

It’s hard enough to let go of loved ones when they die. But when your brain convinces you they’re trying to contact you from beyond, it’s next to impossible. Unless…they really are trying to send you a message? Jae-hyun must try to separate fact from fiction in “Yonder,” the new original drama series coming to Paramount+ on Tuesday, April 11. You can watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Paramount Plus.

How to Watch 'Yonder' When: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 Where: Paramount Plus Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Paramount Plus. 30-Day Free Trial$4.99+ / month paramountplus.com

For a Limited Time, Get 1 Month of Paramount+ With Code: SURVIVOR44

About 'Yonder'

After his wife, Yi-hoo, passes away from an illness, Jae-hyun is left to pick up the pieces of his life and move on as best he can. But one day receives a message...

The Pink Ladies of “Grease,” the most colorful Rydell High students, are back on April 6 on Paramount+. However, this won’t be the same collection of young women from the original film — or even its cult classic sequel. This round, we see how the popular clique got its start. The girls now have a show of their own: “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,” a salute to 1950s teens who refuse to conform to conventional standards. The new musical series shows us Rydell High before Sandy and Danny start strutting down the halls. The show stars Marisa Davila, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso, and Tricia Fukuhara.

Watch the “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” trailer:

Paramount+ is also producing an original series “Fatal Attraction,” based on the 1980s hit thriller. The TV version refocuses the lens, exploring a modern approach to women, infidelity, personality disorders, and coercive control. It’s...

Paramount+ today announced that Yonder, its brand-new original drama series from South Korea, will premiere exclusively on the service on Tuesday, April 11 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. After his wife, Yi-hoo, passes away from an illness, Jae-hyun one day receives a message from her – an invitation to a world called Yonder, which was designed based on her memories. Jae-hyun goes to Yonder and reunites with Yi-hoo. But can they be together forever? Yonder is directed by Lee Jun-ik and stars Shin Ha-kyun (“Beyond Evil”), Han Ji-min (“Rooftop Prince”), Lee Jeong-eun (“Parasite”) and Jung Jin-young (“Ode to My Father”). Produced by Cj Enm and Doodoong Pictures, the series is the first local production out of Paramount Global’s strategic partnership with leading entertainment company Cj Enm. Last year, Paramount+ officially marked its entry to Asia with the launch of...

Streaming platform Paramount+ has set a release date for Korean series “Yonder” that is one of the first titles flowing from Paramount Global’s alliance with Cj Enm.

The show will premiere on April 11 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France.

Set in 2032, “Yonder” is a science fiction-drama series about a man who receives a message from his deceased wife inviting him to a mysterious space. The space is designed for the dead to be able to live on by uploading memories of their lifetime from their brain. The show raises questions about life and death and what it means to have eternal happiness as humanity faces a world altered by advancements in science and technology.

It was directed by Lee Joon-ik who has numerous hit film credits including “The King and the Clown,” “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet” and “The Book of Fish.

South Korean sci-fi drama series Yonder, the first local production under Paramount Global’s strategic partnership with Korean entertainment powerhouse Cj Enm, will launch globally on Paramount+, including in the U.S., on April 11.

The show will premiere exclusively on the streamer in the U.S. and, as previously unveiled, its international markets of Canada, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Switzerland Austria and France.

In addition, Paramount+ will also make available worldwide a collection of Korean thriller and mystery dramas produced by Cj Enm, starting on April 11.

They include Signal, about a criminal profiler from 2015 and a detective from 1989 who tackle crimes by communicating via a walkie-talkie that transcends time, seasons 1 and 2 of Voice, about the employees of an emergency call center and dispatch teams who try to help victims using only what they hear during their calls for help, and seasons 1 and 2 of Save Me,...

Should it not be fair to say in the minds of every soul seeking out an existence lies even a modicum of conspiratorial curiosity? That, even in open defiance of logic and rationality, what we consider to be truth is nothing more than a cleverly constructed illusion propped up by some faceless organisation to keep what is truth oblivious to all but a select few? Conspiracies have been abound for time immemorial but, in an age of flippant misinformation and “alternative truth” lunacy, such flirtations have become politicized, weaponized, and, in at least one particular instance, treasonous. In Jang Joon-hwan’s insatiably riotous debut, far-flung craziness runs amok in the guise of Byeong-gu, a young man who believes it is up to him to Save the Green Planet from an imminent alien invasion; shockingly, he has his audience hanging upon his every word.

on Amazon by clicking...

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The global television scene offered up an embarrassment of riches this year, with a seemingly endless supply of phenomenal dramas, comedies and crime procedurals as good as, or often better, than the best on offer Stateside.

The international expansion of Netflix, Amazon, AppleTV+ and others has meant many global talents now have the financial means to make their dream originals, while series from more traditional local broadcasters have access to global platforms, and a worldwide audience, on a scale never seen before.

Ahead of the winter break, The Hollywood Reporter continues its holiday tradition in picking out the best international series to binge-watch over the holiday season. Our favorite 2022 series stocking stuffers include a feminist spy thriller from Germany, a Korean take on a British romantic classic and a deep dive into the French hip-hop scene of the 1980s. (Check out our list...

Looking for fresh horror heading into holiday break? Jeong Ji-yeon‘s psychological horror The Anchor, another phenomenal hidden gem that hails out of South Korea, has just landed on the Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox!

In the film…

“When anchorwoman Sera receives a tip that the tipster is about to get killed, she goes out to report it, only to find the tipster and her daughter’s bodies!

“With an exclusive report on this case, she solidifies her position at the station. However, she begins suffering from hallucinations and makes errors on live television, and her role as the main anchorwoman is threatened.”

It stars Chun Woo-hee, Shin Ha-kyun, and Lee Hye-young.

The Anchor joins Screambox’s growing library of unique horror content, including Terrifier 2, Deep Fear, Pennywise: The Story of It, All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Masters of Horror, 13 Nights of Elvira, PussyCake, When the Screaming Starts, Toxic Crusaders,...

This week is not only the first week of winter, officially beginning on December 21st, but the week is also capped off by Christmas Day on Sunday, December 25th. As you might imagine, it’s not exactly going to be a big week for new movie releases, with James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water likely dominating any and all movie conversations these next several days.

And don’t forget that Tommy Wirkola’s Christmas genre movie Violent Night is also still playing in theaters through Christmas, the film thus far slaying its way to 55 million worldwide!

What about New genre movies for the week, you ask? Well, there are only four new ones remaining for the entire rest of the year, so let’s take a look at those in one fell swoop.

Here’s all the new horror arriving December 19 – December 31, 2022!

First up, Cinedigm, Bloody Disgusting, and...

Screambox has revealed the new films that will be joining the horror streaming service this December, including exclusive titles History of the Occult and The Anchor, and cult favorites like Tobe Hooper’s Night Terrors, American Mary, and the shocker Housebound.

Letterboxd’s highest-rated horror movie of 2021, History of the Occult, streams exclusively on Screambox on December 6. From Argentinian writer-director Cristian Ponce, the Lovecraftian faux documentary pulls viewers deep into a world of conspiracy and witchcraft. This is easily one of the best films of the year.

Bring the year to a close with South Korean mystery-thriller The Anchor beginning December 27. Writer-director Jung Ji-yeon‘s feature debut stars Chun Woo-hee (The Wailing), Shin Ha-kyun (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), and Lee Hye-young (Boys Over Flowers).

From The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist director Tobe Hooper, Night Terrors is streaming on Screambox today. The 1993 horror film stars A Nightmare on Elm Street...

Cinedigm, Bloody Disgusting, and Screambox are excited to announce they have picked up yet another horror title out of the American Film Market, Jeong Ji-yeon‘s psychological horror The Anchor, another phenomenal hidden gem that hails out of South Korea.

The Anchor will be reporting live from Screambox on December 27th.

In the film…

“When anchorwoman Sera receives a tip that the tipster is about to get killed, she goes out to report it, only to find the tipster and her daughter’s bodies. With an exclusive report on this case, she solidifies her position at the station. However, she begins suffering from hallucinations and makes errors on live television and her role as the main anchorwoman is threatened.”

It stars Chun Woo-hee, Shin Ha-kyun, and Lee Hye-young.

Screambox also acquired the Child’s Play franchise doc Living With Chucky, the haunting Dawning, and Vietnamese Horror Story, an awesome new horror...

Welcome to a new edition of Pop Culture Imports for the month of October! Now granted, this month's column may not be quite as spooky themed as past October editions, but you could argue that it does give us a taste of different kinds of horror — from the erotic horrors of "Thirst" and "La Piscine," to the horrors of war in "All Quiet on the Western Front," to the horrors of having a chainsaw for a head. Don't say I don't give you variety.

Let's fire up those subtitles and get streaming.

All Quiet On The Western Front – Netflix

Country: Germany

Genre: War drama

Director: Edward Berger

Cast: Daniel Brühl, Albrecht Schuch, Sebastian Hülk, Felix Kammerer, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic, Devid Striesow.

"All Quiet on the Western Front" opens with the aftermath of a massacre, as a young man is killed in the name of a war he doesn't understand,...

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance"

Where You Can Stream It: Tubi, Vudu

The Pitch: Ryu (Shin Ha-kyun) is a deaf-mute man in South Korea, slaving away at a grueling factory job to pay for his ill sister's (Im Ji-eun) kidney transplant. Frustrated by the hospital's bureaucratic inability to find a matching donor, he makes a foray into the black market that leaves him ripped off and down one of his own kidneys. Worse still, a donor for his sister is finally found, but now he doesn't have the money to pay for the operation. Ryu and his girlfriend, the anarchist Yeong-mi (Bae Doona), plot to extort local businessman Park Dong-jin (Song Kang-ho) by kidnapping his young daughter Yu-sun (Han Bo-bae).

From there,...

The launch marks the strategic partnership between Paramount and Tving parent company Cj Enm.

Paramount+ has launched its first service in Asia on South Korean streaming platform Tving, operated by media and entertainment company Cj Enm.

Tving subscribers are now able to watch Paramount+ content at no extra cost.

“The launch of Paramount+ today marks a pivotal moment in our expansion. South Korea is a vibrant market both for a streaming subscription business and for the content that we all know is taking the global stage,” said Mark Specht, executive vice president & managing director, Central & Northern Europe and Asia, Paramount,...

2002's "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" was Park Chan-wook's fourth film as a director, but it established a motif. "Mr. Vengeance" is about a man named Ryu (Shin Ha-kyun) who donates a kidney to a black market organ harvester in exchange for a matching kidney intended for his ailing sister. When he gets ripped off and can no longer afford the operation, he watches her die. When he takes her to the river to bury her, his daughter slips and drowns. It's understandable why he would want to take vengeance. 

In 2003's "Oldboy," a man named Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is kidnapped and thrown into a locked...

The post There's a Reason So Many Park Chan-wook Movies Are About Revenge appeared first on /Film.

Despite being prolific in a number of genres, South Korean cinema is probably best known the world over for its thrillers. The execution, aesthetics and subject matters that the filmmakers of the country seem to come up with within this genre are often cream of the crop and thanks to their success, it has also become a genre of choice for many first-time directors as well. One such director is Jeong Ji-yeon, who also chose to write and direct, as her first feature, a thriller that works in more genres than one.

Se-ra is a news reader on a national broadcasting network who anchors the highly sought-after slot of the nightly news show. A few minutes before she’s scheduled to go live one night, she gets a call offering a tip, wherein the caller, a young mother called Mi-so tells her that a man has broken into her house...

One of the most exciting young actresses in Korea, Chun Woo-hee, is back with ”The Anchor”, a film that has been awaiting release for quite some time now.

Synopsis

“I would love to have anchor Jeong Se-ra report the news of my death.”

Five minutes before a live broadcast, there is a tip-off call from someone who says he’s going to be murdered to the anchor of the broadcasting station, Se-ra. She tries to consider it a prank call but feels disturbed.

Her mother, So-young, tells her that it’s a chance to become a real anchor. Se-ra heads to the informant’s house and witnesses Mi-so and her daughter’s body.

After that day, the image of dead Mi-so begins to appear in front of Se-ra.

At the scene of the incident, she encounters In-ho, Mi-so’s psychiatrist. Se-ra’s suspicions about him also deepen…

Check out the...

Exclusive: Korean feature film The Villainess, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, is set to be adapted for television by Amazon Studios.

The streamer is developing a small screen remake of the movie with Dynasty and Sleepy Hollow writer Francisca Hu attached to write and exec produce the pilot episode.

It comes after Deadline revealed in 2019 that Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment, which is behind series including Fear The Walking Dead and Amazon’s Invincible, had teamed up with Next Entertainment World’s Contents Panda to adapt the movie.

Jeong Byeong-Gil, who directed the original film, is set to helm pilot and will exec produce alongside Star Trek Beyond writer Doug Jung.

The Villainess series will follow an Asian woman who believes she is adopted and raised by white parents in a small American town, but after a violent incident on a trip to Seoul, she discovers she...

One of South Korea’s most creative and fearless filmmakers, Park Chan-wook has made a celebrated career out of offering deep, complex genre films ever since he exploded on the international market with the ‘Vengeance trilogy’ of films in the early 2000s. Continuing his use of dark themes and bold, striking cinematography in this vampire tale, his turn to supernatural-themed works isn’t diminished in the slightest in this stellar effort.

In Korea, the dedicated Priest Sang-hyun volunteers for special research on the Emmanuel Virus, a strange virus that does not affect Africans, only Caucasians and Asians. However, he contracts the disease and dies, but after a blood transfusion, he surprisingly survives among the fifty volunteers and is considered a saint by the worshipers. Soon, Sang-hyun finds that the transfusion was made using vampire blood, that he is thirsty for blood but still tries to find a...

The Villainess is an upcoming action thriller. From Well Go USA Entertainment, this Korean film involves a female assassin, trained since childhood. Several years into her killing career, Sook-hee (Ok-bin Kim) now wants freedom and will stop at nothing to get it. The Villainess will be available, through several formats, this November. The title, from director Byung-gil Jung, also stars: Jun Sung and Ha-kyun Shin. A preview of the film's home entertainment launch is hosted here. The official trailer was released earlier this year (Aug. '17), for The Villainess. It shows Sook-hee partially via first person camera shooting. Similar to Hardcore Henry's (2015) shooting style, Sook-hee battles several foes on motorcycle or in the air. It looks like there is no end to this killing spree. The Villainess will be available on three formats this November. On November 21st, this action title will show on DVD, Video-on-demand and a Blu-ray/DVD combo.

Stars: Ok-bin Kim, Seo-hyung Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, Jun Sung Bang | Written and Directed by Byung-gil Jung

It’s been a while since a foreign language movie came out that truly blew me away, probably The Raid being the last one and we all know how much I gush over that movie. The Villainess brings us all the things I loved about The Raid and some intricate clever plot points that echo Infernal Affairs sprinkled with some Nikita… Add all this together and you get a damn good movie, that is in serious danger of being in my Top 5 movies of 2017!

The awesome folks at Arrow Video have brought us a shiny awesome Blu Ray and DVD release of this instant classic and its out today. Spoilers (I normally save this bit till the end): I absolutely recommend this movie to any fan of Korean Cinema, action fight sequences, stunning choreography,...

The Villainess Review The Villainess (2017) Film Review from the 16th Annual New York Asian Film Festival, a movie directed by Byung-gil Jung, and starring Ok-bin Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, Seo-hyeong Kim, Jun Sung, and Eun-ji jo. The Villainess was, at its face, a tribute to Luc Besson‘s Le Femme Nikita, and the latest [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: The Villainess: You’ll Root for the Bad Girl & Like It [Nyaff 2017]...

Stars: Ok-bin Kim, Seo-hyung Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, Jun Sung Bang | Written and Directed by Byung-gil Jung

Sook-Hee is a trained assassin who was born to kill. She was just a little girl when the training started in China. And after the death of her mentor, when the chance of starting a new life was given to her, she came to South Korea as a government agent. The National Intelligence Service promised her freedom after ten years of active assignments. So begins her new double life as a theatre actress-come-hit-woman until the dark secrets from her past start to reappear. Then she gets a new mission and it changes everything.

There’s been a lot of hype for The Villainess, ever since it first screened at Cannes; and as an action-movie fan and genre fan I was all ready to buy into that hype. But I should have known better! To...

"When I receive orders, I assign them. And you kill." Well Go USA has unveiled another official trailer for the badass Korean action film The Villainess, which opens in select theaters (NY & La) this weekend. So if you think this looks good, you can see it now! We've written about this film before and featured a trailer a few months ago. Ok-bin Kim stars as Sook-hee, a trained assassin who tries to become a stage actress after giving 10 years of service as an assassin. But her dark past comes creeping back and she must take things into her own hands to finish her work and be free once and for all. The full cast includes Eun-ji Jo, Seo-hyung Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, and Jun Sung. This trailer is packed full of intense action and quotes from critics, and will leave you more than excited to see this. I'm looking forward to catching it sometime soon.

"Let me show you what you made me into." Well Go USA has released the first official trailer for an action film from Korea titled The Villainess, which premiered out-of-competition at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this summer. I heard some rave reviews of this and I definitely want to check it out. Ok-bin Kim stars as Sook-hee, a trained assassin who tries to become a stage actress after giving 10 years of service as an assassin. But her dark past comes creeping back and she must take things into her own hands to finish her work and be free once and for all. The full cast includes Eun-ji Jo, Seo-hyung Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, and Jun Sung. One review from Cannes says that its "dynamically staged, blood-drenched action sequences are a highlight." Based on all the buzz and footage from this trailer, I'm very excited to see this film. Take a look.

Writer/director Byung-gil Jung sure knows how to open an action flick. Think Oldboy‘s hallway scene from the first-person perspective of Hardcore Henry spilling over through a non-descript doorway into a wide-open setting for a one-on-twenty bloodbath a la Kill Bill‘s House of Blue Leaves sequence. Only when the orchestrator of this carnage is picked up and shoved headfirst into a mirror does the camera stumble backwards to show Sook-hee’s (Ok-bin Kim) bloodied face and grimace for more. It’s the type of over-the-top, out-of-control set piece most films work towards as a finale nobody will ever forget and we receive it as soon as the lights go down. A breathtaking jump through a window augmented by police sirens in the distance later and this party has only just begun.

If it wasn’t one-take, it was shot to look like it. You become so wrapped up...

The Villainess Trailer Byung-gil Jung‘s The Villainess / Ak-Nyeo (2017) movie trailer stars Ok-bin Kim, Seo-hyung Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, and Jun Sung. The Villainess‘ plot synopsis: “Trained to be an assassin in Yanbian, China, from a very young age, Sook-hee has only ever known a life of killing. When South Korea’s Intelligence Agency captures her following [...]

Continue reading: The Villainess (2017) Movie Trailer: Ok-bin Kim is a Female John Wick...

A remake of director Chan-wook Park's 2005 thriller Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is moving forward at Silver Reel, Lotus Entertainment, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura's Di Bonaventura Pictures, and Cj Entertainment.

We reported back in 2010 that Warner Bros. had acquired a screenplay for the remake, written by Brian Tucker (Broken City). The writer is still on board the project, but it is not known if Warner Bros. is still involved or not.

The original Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance followed a deaf-mute who gets robbed when trying to come up with money for his sister's operation. This new English-language version centers on two grief-stricken men, both of whom have suffered recent losses in their life, who are hell-bent on getting revenge.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing, with Claudia Bluemhuber, Bill Johnson, Jim Seibel, Jacob Pechenik and Gero Bauknecht executive producing. No production schedule was given.

Oldboy, another movie...

Continuing on from part one, when comedy meets horror is an attempt to track the most interesting examples of films that mix comedy and horror together. As a genre, its possibly the one that can be pinpointed as the biggest perpetrator for bad horror movies. For example, Scary Movie is the film that comes to mind with people who have a less specialist interest in cinema. Just before we get into part 2, I can safely report that the aforementioned franchise won’t be getting its mits anywhere near these articles. Also, another worthy note of mention – look forward to part 5 in which the entries will be “the greatest horror comedies ever made”. Until then, we are just warming up.

Save The Green Planet

Save the green planet is quite the Korean eccentricity. Mixing together torture, slapstick comedy, highly stylised fight scenes, police procedural and sci-fi results in a concoction that defies definition.

As I wrote last week, the Korean Film Festival in Australia (Koffia) managed to smuggle some excellent, if not harrowing, crime films into the country, and fill me with an existential angst that has begun manifesting itself in increasingly troubling ways, such as the purple mohawk that I’m now sporting. I’m going through some stuff (I’d also like to take a moment to apologise to my neighbour about her late dog, Jabba the Mutt – I don’t know what came over me, but I now have some post-its stuck on all the knives in my house reminding me not to use them to hurt animals).

While The King of Pigs and Bleak Night were both set in high schools, and prominently featured social hierarchies, bullying and the general misery of being in high school as their central tenets, the films I’ll be looking at in this...

Best Of Korean Cinema is a new fortnightly article looking at the diverse world of the Korean New Wave. We’ll be looking at everything from romance to K-Horror and eccentricities to the revenge thriller that has become synonymous with the countries international reputation. In this first edition, we shall be looking back at a striking directorial debut which is an entity unto itself, Save the Green Planet.

Save The Green Planet

Directed by Joon-Hwan

2003, Korean

With only a writing credit on the 1999 film Phantom: The Submarine, to his name, Joon-Hwan made his directorial debut in 2003. The resulting film, Save the Green Planet is a tricky beast to pin down, in that it almost entirely evades classification. It incorporates qualities from sci-fi, action, comedy, police procedural, torture, and horror. The basic sets up sees Byung-Gu (Ha-Kyun Shin) kidnap the CEO of a big corporation, because Byung-Gu believes company head Kang...

Director: Hun Jang. Review: Chris Sawin. It's 1953 and The Korean War wages on. Negotiations for a ceasefire have been going on for over two years, but nothing has come of it. The South Korean group of men fighting at Aerok Hill is known as Alligator Company. Their commander was said to be shot with a gun from his own side and Intel says there's a spy residing in their midst. First Lieutenant Eun-Pyo (Ha-kyun Shin) of the Defense Security Command is sent to look into it. Once there, Eun-Pyo is reunited with his best friend from college Su-Hyeok (Soo Go) who Eun-Pyo thought had died at the beginning of the war. But Su-Hyeok is not the man he used to be as his humanity has been stripped away, he doesn't think twice about killing anyone, and has somehow moved up in rank to Lieutenant in just two short years. But...

The Front Line Trailer, Go-Ji-Jeon Trailer. Hun Jang‘s The Front Line / Go-Ji-Jeon (2011) movie trailer stars Ha-kyun Shin, Soo Go, Seung-su Ryu, Chang-Seok Ko, and Je-hoon Lee. The Front Line‘s plot synopsis: “Toward the end of the Korean War, an uneasy ceasefire is ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills, in an expanse of land called the Aero.K, fierce fighting continues. A race to capture this strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize. At the Eastern border stands the “Alligator Company,” known to be the best soldiers on the front line.

They are the only unit to have survived the worst battle of the war at Pohang. When a South Korean bullet is found in the dead body of a company commander, Lieutenant of Defense Security Command Kang Eun-Pyo (Shin Ha-Kyun) is ordered to investigate Alligator Company for the murder.

The first trailer and poster have been released for The Front Line, which will hit theaters January 20. Click on the video player below for your first look at the official South Korean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar award. You can also take a look at the one-sheet below the trailer.

Toward the end of the Korean War, an uneasy ceasefire is ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills, in an expanse of land called the Aero.K, fierce fighting continues. A race to capture this strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize. At the Eastern border stands the "Alligator Company," known to be the best soldiers on the front line. They are the only unit to have survived the worst battle of the war at Pohang. When a South Korean bullet is found in...