BUSAN ― Asia’s largest annual film festival opens with a glittering cast in South Korea on Thursday as it seeks to cement its place on the world cinema stage against growing competition. The Busan International Film Festival, now in its 16th edition, is moving into a new $140 million permanent home, the Busan Cinema Center in South Korea’s second city. New festival director Lee Yong-kwan is ple...

GALVA, Illinois ― One hundred and sixty miles southwest of Chicago, a man has planted a pair of reconditioned 20-by-48-foot drive-in movie screens in what used to be a cornfield. I went out there the other night, to Galva Autovue Drive-in (admission: $3 for anyone older than 3), owned and operated by a full-time factory worker, mellow drive-in fanatic and Peoria native named Justin West. “Cool” ...

Always (Korea) Opening Oct. 20 Drama. Directed by Song Il-gon. Former boxer Cheol-min (So Ji-sub) lives a mundane life after quitting the sport after an unfortunate event. While spending most of his time in a remote parking lot, he runs into Jeong-hwa, (Han Hyo-joo) a young and lively telephone operator who is always positive about life. While moved by Jeong-hwa’s passion for life, Cheol-min so...

When comedy writer Will Reiser got cancer, said actor Seth Rogen, it made his old friend a much better person. “He became much less annoying,” Rogen said. “It’s true,” Reiser agreed. “And it made Seth less of a jerk.” The abusive/affectionate back-and-forth is part of the brickwork of “50/50,” the “cancer comedy” arriving Friday, written by Reiser, produced and starring Rogen and with actor Jos...

“The Tiniest Place,” a debut feature film by Salvador-born Mexican director Tatiana Huezo, received the highest honor ― the White Goose Prize ― in the DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival’s international competition. The third edition of the peace-themed film bash ended on Wednesday. Taking place in the remote village of Cinquera, El Salvador, “The Tiniest Place” follows the survivors o...

Award-winning director Lee Jeong-hyang’s ‘A Reason to Live’ delves into questions of forgiveness After starring as the famous Joseon gisaeng ― female entertainer ― Hwang Jin-i and the mysterious daughter of a Korean shaman, Song Hye-gyo is returning to the big screen as a documentary filmmaker mourning the death of her fianc. “When I pick movies, I don’t really think about whether the film I’m ...

Ordinary Days (Korea) Opening Sept. 29 Drama. Directed by Lee Nan. Han-cheol (Song Sae-byeok), who hates his job as an insurance salesman, is sick of his mundane and uneventful life. He even tries to commit suicide several times but those attempts fail. He decides to continue living his boring life until he receives an unexpected call from a woman he barely remembers from his past. Meanwhile, ...

Brad Pitt knows the parallels are obvious: baseball and the movie biz ― two industries where the complex algorithms of stats and star power, home runs and box-office hits, are endlessly worked on and worried over. Old ways of doing business, based on gut instinct and high-priced players, give way to leaner, meaner, formula-driven concepts ― on the playing field, and on the screen. “Especially in...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Disney and filmmaker James Cameron announced plans Tuesday to bring the world of the Oscar-winning movie “Avatar” to the entertainment giant’s theme parks. The first “Avatar” land will open at the Walt Disney World in Florida, with construction due to begin by 2013, said Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment. “James Cameron is a ground...

GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) -- The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday that it has agreed on an exclusive deal to build attractions based on James Cameron's "Avatar" at its theme parks, starting with Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Fla. The first "Avatar" land, which begins construction in 2013 and is expected to open about three years later, is to be an immersive experience in a land spanning several acres. It w...

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― “Two and a Half Men” star Jon Cryer on Monday received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and thanked former co-star Charlie Sheen and the show’s co-creators for intervening during last season when troubles arose. Cryer, 46, was honored with the 2,449th star on the famed walkway. Among those who attended were “Two and a Half” creator Chuck Lorre and co-stars Ashton Kutcher a...