“Suspicious Paradise”: The dance show is inspired by the Demilitarized Zone, which looks like a paradise with untouched nature but is also a place deeply scarred by the Korean War. Organized by Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, it aims to offer a fresh experience to the younger generation who know little about the war. It will run from Aug. 5 to 7 at Seoul Arts Center’s Towol Center in ...

“The 7th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival”: As the first festival in Korea to celebrate films with the theme of music, Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) will take place from Aug. 11-16 at theaters and concert halls in Jongmin-dong in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province. With an aim to expand the new film genre and contribute to diversification of film festivals, the ...

“Summer Classics”: The Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra is to present educational performances for students to help them understand classical music and learn classical music concert etiquette. The orchestra consists of university students majoring in classical music and has been holding annual summer classic series since 2008. The program includes “Arirang,” “Peter and the Wolf” by Prokofiev, ...

“French Art Today: Marcel Duchamp Prize”: Latest trends in the French contemporary art world can be spotted at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. About 100 artworks by 16 artists who either won or were nominated for the prestigious Marcel Duchamp Prize, like Philippe Ramette, Camille Henrot and Michel Blazy are on display. The exhibition runs through Oct. 16...

“Temptation of Wolf”: Based on Guiyeoni’s 2004 novel of the same title, the musical “Temptation of Wolf” spiced up the story about high school students’ love and friendship with today’s hit songs by top idol groups like Girls’ Generation, TVXQ, SHINee, and also ‘90s K-pop groups like S.E.S. and GOD. It features stars such as Ryeowook from Super Junior, Park Hyung-sik from ZE:A and singer Lim Jeo...

Deva “Between Life and Dreams” Secretion Music Deva, a quintet band, has released the album “Between Life and Dreams” in Korea. The concept of the album is a combination of female opera vocals and progressive metal. The 11-track album is the band’s debut. The band consists of female opera vocalist Beatrice Palumbo ― who studied at the Conservatory of Milan G. Verdi ― guitarist Federico Salern...

Eric Church “Chief” EMI Records Nashville Most country music tough guys balance their snarl with lighter moments. But rising country music star Eric Church swaggers and scowls through his third album, “Chief,” without easing the bare-knuckled attitude with novelty tunes or love ballads. More than ever, Church’s songs revolve around drinking (“Jack Daniels,” “Drink in My Hand”) and fighting (“...

Kelly Rowland “Here I Am” Universal Motown Ever since her heyday with Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland has struggled to define her solo singing career, unlike former bandmate Beyonce, arguably pop’s ultimate superstar. Rowland’s first two albums showed promise, but were subpar on the whole. Now with her latest release, “Here I Am,” she makes another attempt to show she has finally found her mus...

Geez, there was never anyone, and I really mean anyone, who was more fun to talk to about movies than Polly Platt, who died last week at age 72 after a battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was the ultimate behind-the-scenes figure in Hollywood, the woman who was something of a svengali, mentor and sounding board for a variety of big-shot directors, from Peter Bogdanovich and Jim Brooks to Camer...

Blind (Korea) Opening Aug. 11 Thriller. Directed by Ahn Sang-hoon. A female university student goes missing one day and later is discovered as a victim of a hit-and-run. Assuming the kidnapper and the driver are the same person, the police begin their investigation but fail to capture the criminal. They then find there were two witnesses at the scene: Soo-ah (Kim Ha-neul), a visually impaired w...

Arrow, the Ultimate Weapon (Korea) Opening Aug. 11 Action. Directed by Kim Han-min. When the second Manchu invasion of Korea occurs in 1636, a young man named Na-mi (Park Hae-il) loses her sister Ja-in (Moon Chae-won) and her fianc on their wedding day. The Qing soldiers kidnap the couple after completely demolishing the town. Having a natural talent in archery, Na-mi takes the bow that used t...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (U.S.) Opening Aug. 17 Action. Directed by Rupert Wyatt. Will Rodman (James Franco), a San Francisco-based scientist whose father (John Lithgow) suffers from Alzheimer’s, develops a cure for the disease and tests it on apes. Rodman takes one of the tested baby chimpanzees, Caesar (Andy Serkis), to his house and starts to live with him. As the time passes by, Caes...

Larry Crowne (U.S.) Opening Aug. 18 Romance. Directed by Tom Hanks. Larry (Tom Hanks), a mid-aged man who just got fired from his work for lacking a college education, decides to attend a local community college to find more career opportunities. As a divorce who lives alone, Larry almost lost his house as he couldn’t find another job right away. Yet as he begins his college life, he soon start...

Hong Gil-dong 2084 (Korea) Opening Aug. 18 Animation. Directed by Lee Jeong-in. In 2084, a young man named Hong Gil-dong lives with a little boy named Cheol alone near a city named Yuldo. Gil-dong was abandoned by his older brother Il-dong as a child, and had to live on his own ever since. One day, Gil-dong happens to save the life of Ha-ryeong, a beautiful female warrior who was in danger in t...