“Kaiseki” dinner, referring to a style of traditional Japanese cuisine that comes with a series of intricate, small dishes, is a perfect way to get immersed in the savory and exquisite flavors of Japanese dishes. Chef Nobuhiro Yoshida, a veteran chef or a chef de cuisine at Japanese restaurant Kozue located on the 40th floor of Park Hyatt Tokyo, is in Seoul this week for a Park Hyatt Seoul’s guest chef promotion event – Tokyo Night in Seoul. Yoshida, with 30 years of expe

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Asia’s largest genre film festival that showcases an array of films, including thrillers and fantasy movies, officially concluded Friday, announcing “The Last Stop in Yuma County” and “Esper’s Light” as the best films at the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony followed the screening of the festival’s closing film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” by Hong Kong martial arts master S

Flattering colors How do you put together clothes, makeup and jewelry to look your absolute best is an everyday question for personal color consultants. They recommend colors that are flattering to you based on your complexion, draping fabric swatches across your shoulders to screen which shades -- there are numerous variations to a color -- light up or drain your face. At Color Signal in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, six such consultants -- some fluent in English or Chinese -- run personal color sessions

“Escape” (South Korea) Opened July 3 Action Directed by Lee Jong-pil North Korean soldier Gyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon) is about to be discharged after 10 years of service. Faced with no alternative other than a future of working on a farm or in a mine, he devises a plan to defect to South Korea in search of a better life. “Handsome Guys” (South Korea) Opened June 26 Comedy Directed by Nam Dong-hyup Two well-meaning carpenters and friends, Jae-pil (Lee Sung-min) and Sang-gu (Le

Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung is returning with the American disaster film “Twisters,” slated for August release in local theaters. Director Chung, who won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2021 with his autobiographical family drama "Minari," has collaborated with Steven Spielberg for this movie. Spielberg is the executive producer of this standalone sequel to the 1996 movie "Twister." “Twisters” follows the story

South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo's new work “By the Stream” will have its world premiere and compete at the Locarno Film Festival, Hong’s production firm Jeonwonsa Film said Thursday. The 77th Locarno Film Festival, which kicks off on Aug. 7, showcases artistic and experimental movies from around the world. Established in 1946, the festival is one of the longest film festivals in the world, taking place every August in the northeastern city of Locarno, Switzerland. It is

Stranded on a collapsed bridge shrouded in thick fog, a father and daughter on their way to the airport, an older couple returning from a trip, two sisters who missed a flight and a tow truck driver come together to escape the catastrophic scene. But it is not the 100-car pileup or helicopter crash that happened right in front of them that are threatening their lives. It is a dozen military dogs implanted with bot chips that were mistakenly released from a transport truck on the bridge. “P

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), Asia's largest genre film festival, awarded the Best AI Film to French film “Where Do Grandmas Go When They Get Lost?” in its newly established AI Film section. The winners were selected based on the creative use of AI, cinematic and audio artistry and originality, BIFAN said. The award ceremony took place at Bucheon Arts Center on Sunday. Directed by Leo, “Where Do Grandmas Go When They Get Lost?” centers on

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival which kicked off Thursday for an 11 day-run is holding a special exhibition on celebrated South Korean actor Son Ye-jin “One and Only Son Yejin” in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. “I’m so grateful for such an exhibition title. I just really think all actors must have their ‘one and only’ presence,” Son told reporters during a press conference held as part of the program at 28th BIFAN on Friday. She is th

“Handsome Guys” (South Korea) Opened June 26 Comedy Directed by Nam Dong-hyup Two well-meaning carpenters and friends, Jae-pil (Lee Sung-min) and Sang-gu (Lee Hee-jun) relocate with dreams of a peaceful suburban life, but are constantly mistaken for troublemakers due to their intimidating appearances. “Inside Out 2” (US) Opened June 12 Animation Directed by Kelsey Mann A now-teenaged Riley sees her mind headquarters undergo sudden renovations to make room for new emotio

Poised to be one of the most talked-about movies this summer, Marvel Studios’ first R-rated superhero flick “Deadpool & Wolverine” is expected to show off Ryan Reynolds' and Hugh Jackman’s long friendship on the big screen. The two, as well as director Shawn Levy who helmed the movie, are known as Hollywood best friends. Levy has also previously worked with each -- Ryan Reynolds in “Free Guy” (2021) and Hugh Jackman in “Real Steel” (2011).

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), Asia's largest genre film festival, will kick off its 28th edition Thursday, screening 225 short and feature films from around the world during its 11-day run. Opening the festival on Thursday is “Love Lies Bleeding,” a queer noir starring Kristine Steward and Katy O’Brien. Hong Kong action thriller “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” by Soi Cheang will close the festival. Both the opening and closing

Movies with an all-star cast are normally guaranteed hits, as fans flock to the theater to see their favorite actors. However, the talented cast of director Kim Tae-yong’s fantasy romance “Wonderland” couldn’t save it from its shortcomings. The film portrays people reuniting through AI in a simulated virtual world called Wonderland. South Korean heartthrobs Suzy and Park Bo-gum star as a couple, while Chinese actor Tang Wei boasts good chemistry with Gong Yoo. Jung Yu-mi

While most burger joints in Seoul pride themselves on high-quality beef patties and homemade buns, Le Freak takes a different approach as an unprecedented gourmet burger. Le Freak, which opened its first branch in Seongsu in 2019, specializes in chicken burgers. Its signature Nashville Hot Chicken Burger is a simple chicken burger filled with red cabbage coleslaw and a crispy hot-fried chicken thigh sprinkled with spicy powder -- you can choose from three different levels of spiciness. But Le Fr

As the country enters the monsoon season which typically lasts from late June to early August, watching feel-good, relaxing films at a cinema while there is heavy rain outside makes for a perfect weekend activity. According to the weather forecast, the rains will start his weekend and continue throughout next week and the following three movies currently playing or soon to be released at the cinema will keep you dry and put you in a tender state of mind. “Dauren’s Wedding”

Grand Bell Film Awards, the country’s oldest and once most prestigious film awards, announced its return to normalcy this year. According to the head of the Motion Pictures Association of Korea, the agency that hosts the awards, the 60th Grand Bell Film Awards will take place in December. Once regarded as the country’s top awards in cinema, the Grand Bell Film Awards has struggled to recover from a string of controversies, including over unfair selection of winners and poor event org

“Hijacking 1971” (South Korea) Opened June 21 Crime Directed by Kim Sung-han Former fighter jet pilot Tae-in (Ha Jung-woo) co-pilots a passenger plane bound for Seoul's Gimpo International Airport from Sokcho, Gangwon Province. But soon after takeoff, an in-flight emergency breaks out as the plane is hijacked. “Inside Out 2” (US) Opened June 12 Animation Directed by Kelsey Mann A now-teenaged Riley sees her mind headquarters undergo sudden renovations to make room

Actor Jo Jung-suk, who led the 2019 action comedy “Exit” has returned with comedy flick “Pilot.” In the upcoming movie, appears as Han Jang-mi, a female pilot. The trailer showing Jo dressed up as a female pilot and wearing colorful makeup quickly went viral upon its release Monday. In the film, Jo plays Jung-woo, a retired pilot who disguises himself as a woman – Jang-mi – to get re-employed. The 43-year-old actor said he referenced Robin Williams’ 1993

Despite the success of blockbuster films “Exhuma” and “The Roundup: Punishment” in the first half of this year, the majority of Korean films have struggled, with only six managing to surpass 1 million in admissions. According to Korean Film Council data, six films -- "Exhuma,” “The Roundup: Punishment,” “The Birth of Korea,” “Citizen of a Kind,” “Following” and “Alienoid: Return to the Future” -- had a

When it comes to films based on true events, whether a politically charged event or life of a heroic citizen, the biggest disappointment for the audience often comes in teary moments or an overly dramatic ending. Director Kim Sung-han’s crime action film “Hijacking 1971” follows a simple plotline centering on a good-hearted pilot Tae-in (played by Ha Jung-woo) over its 100-minute-long running time. Ha’s portrayal of a former fighter jet pilot Tae-in, who was dismissed fro