TAIPEI ― The famous “Varekai,” a Cirque du Soleil touring production, last week kicked off its first Asia tour in Taipei, Taiwan. And Korea is next on the troupe’s itinerary.Premiering in Montreal in 2002, the show, a happy, acrobatic version of the Greek Myth of Icarus, has attracted over 6 million people worldwide. The troupe has visited more than 60 cities in 12 countries in the last nine years

Debut film ‘Heartbeat’ draws more than 1 millionFilm director Yoon Jae-geun has done a lot in the last 10 years. He studied art, made TV commercials for ramen and department stores, traveled across Europe, learned how to make films overseas, wrote movie scripts, and never gave up on becoming what he is today.“I watched ‘Star Wars’ when I was in fifth grade,” the 44-year-old director told The Korea

Actress attributes her international success to global outlookWhile showing obvious pride for her ethnic heritage, internationally acclaimed Chinese-born actress Gong Li says acting is not a “local” job.“I think an actress should go anywhere in the world to perform,” Gong told reporters Monday at The Shilla Seoul, ahead of the Korean premiere of her Hollywood mystery thriller, “Shanghai.” “I think

 Among the many kingdoms of Korea, Silla (57 BC ― 935 AD), along with its neighbor Gaya, was the one that artfully used gold for its royal crafts. Its gold crowns, in particular, are known as some of the most spectacular national treasures uncovered in Korea.Korea Foundation’s newly released English book, “Gold Crowns of Silla: Treasures from a Brilliant Age,” features five Silla gold crowns disco

Ivan Reitman ― whose directing career (“Ghostbusters”) is so long in the tooth that he actually has a son, Jason, directing Oscar-worthy comedies ― has his best outing in decades with “No Strings Attached,” an amusing flip of the “friends with benefits” sex-leads-to-love romantic comedy formula.It’s a movie benefiting from another sparkling, sexy and emotionally available performance by Natalie Po

1. Megamind Opened Jan. 13Directed by Tom McGrathStarring Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt2. Hello GhostOpened Dec. 22Directed by Kim Yeong-takStarring Cha Tae-hyeon, Kang Ye-won 3. The Last GodfatherOpened Dec. 29Directed by Shim Hyung-raeStarring Shim Hyung-rae4. Love and Other DrugsOpened Jan. 13Directed by Edward ZwickStarring Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway5. Season of the WitchOpened Jan. 13Directed b

‘678’ sheds light on everyday crime shrouded in silenceThe big screen shows a man eyeing a middle-aged woman on a jam-packed bus and sliding up quietly behind her. Even before his hands reach for her hips, the young women watching in the darkened theater squirm in their seats. They know the offending move all too well.In overcrowded, male-dominated Cairo, four out of five Egyptian women say they’v

Illustrious Iraqi familyLate for Tea at the Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi FamilyBy Tamara Chalabi(Harper, $27.99)In this sweeping, enchanting memoir, Tamara Chalabi pieces together her illustrious family’s history and exile from Iraq in an attempt to uncover her own, fractured identity.The author’s father, Ahmad Chalabi, is the character readers may be most curious to learn about; a key

In exile and wanderingDeep Blue NightBy Choe In-hoTranslated by Bruce and Ju-chan Fulton(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)Disillusioned by every aspect of his life, the protagonist, once a renowned writer, leaves Korea for Los Angeles. There, he runs into Jun-ho, a popular singer who escaped from Korea after being accused of smoking marijuana. The protagonist thinks Jun-ho is pathetic for not being able to s

He’s written more than 30 books, including the popular Easy Rawlins mysteries, science fiction, literary fiction and a novel for young adults. He’s been translated into 21 languages and won a host of honors, among them PEN America’s lifetime achievement award. He’s the author of essays, political monographs and several plays, one of which, “The Fall of Heaven,” is wowing audiences at the Repertory

For many, wine is nothing more than just a drink. But for actor Kam Wu-seong, it is the only alcoholic beverage he is allowed to drink, the main source of his literary inspiration, and special paint he uses for his art. Kam’s unique travelogue about Bordeaux, a historical French city famous for its wine and vineyards, has been published this month.The book, “Kam Wu-seong’s Little Note on Wine,” co

A woman, who has been married for five years, one day tells her husband she wants to leave him for another man. The husband, an introvert who rarely speaks his mind, does not ask her why. On the day she moves out, he makes coffee and wraps her favorite teacup so she can take it with her.Starring Hyun Bin and Im Soo-jeong, director Lee Yoon-ki’s new film, “Come Rain, Come Shine,“ tells the story of

 A total of nine Korean films, including “Night Fishing,” a short film by director Park Chan-wook shot entirely with an iPhone, and “Love, or Not,” a feature-length film starring Hyun-Bin and Im Soo-jeong, have been invited to next month’s Berlin International Film Festival.Of the nine, three films have been invited to the competition section: “Night Fishing,” “Love, or Not,” and “Broken Night.”Pa

Gondry prefers to use computer-generated images to enhance the narrativeJames Cameron’s 2009 film “Avatar” may be seen as legendary by many, but for French director Michel Gondry, director of the newly-released superhero flick “The Green Hornet,” the 3-D technology of “Avatar” just does not appeal.“I personally don’t like using CGI technology when shooting the characters’ faces,” Gondry told repor

Prominent Chinese-born actresses Gong Li and Tang Wei are to visit Korea in promotion of their upcoming films.Gong, who last year finished shooting her latest film “Shanghai,” a mystery thriller co-starring American actor John Cusack, will make her very first visit to Seoul on Jan. 23. Chinese-born actress Gong Li’s latest film is “Shanghai,” a mystery-thriller co-starring John Cusack and Chow Yun

What’s the buzz on “The Green Hornet”? Enough to make Michel Gondry as mad as one. After the director of the new action-comedy about a masked crime fighter, a cool car and a high-kicking sidekick saw fans stampeding out of the movie’s Q&A panel at Comic-Con International this summer, Gondry lit into them with a vengeance not unlike that of the hero himself.“Their values are Fascistic,” he seethed

I Am Love (Italy)Opening Jan. 20Drama. Directed by Luca Guadagnino. The polished rooms of a Milanese villa ignite with anxious activity as a wealthy industrial family, the Recchis, prepare to celebrate the birthday of their patriarch. It is an occasion designed to ensconce family traditions -- the handsome grandson, Edoardo, introduces his new girlfriend; his sister presents another piece of her a

Box office rankJan. 7-Jan. 91. The Last GodfatherOpened Dec. 29Directed by Shim Hyung-raeStarring Shim Hyung-rae2. HeartbeatOpened Jan. 5Directed by Yoon Jae-geunStarring Kim Yun-jin, Park Hae-il 3. Hello GhostOpened Dec. 22Directed by Kim Yeong-takStarring Cha Tae-hyeon, Kang Ye-won4. The Yellow SeaOpened Dec. 22Directed by Na Hong-jinStarring Ha Jeong-woo, Kim Yoon-seok5. Harry Potter and the De

Peter Yates, the British director of “Breaking Away,” “The Dresser” and “Bullitt,” the 1968 Steve McQueen movie whose landmark car chase sequence over the hilly streets of San Francisco was a career-defining moment for both director and star, has died. He was 81.Yates died Sunday in London after an illness, his agent, Judy Daish, said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.In a career tha

Strict Chinese parentingBattle Hymn of the Tiger MotherBy Amy Chua(The Penguin Press, $25.95)Amy Chua is an American-born daughter of Chinese immigrants from the Philippines. She’s a professor of law at Yale, married to another law professor at Yale who comes from an Orthodox Jewish family. So it’s no surprise that her first two books dealt with minorities and governments.Her third book, “Battle H