In his ludicrously entertaining 2014 science-fiction thriller, “Lucy,” French director Luc Besson gave us a chemically enhanced action heroine with the rare ability to harness 100 percent of her brainpower. Besson’s latest futuristic whatsit, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” seems determined to induce the opposite effect in the viewer. When you enter the theater, you can pick up your 3-D glasses with one hand and drop off your brain with the other.All in all, you might not consider

“Dunkirk” is not a typical war movie. There are no brothers in arms, no flashbacks to simpler times and pretty wives and girlfriends left behind, no old men in situation rooms pontificating about politics or helping with exposition. There’s no talk of Hitler, or Germans or battlefields or trauma or mothers. In fact, there’s hardly any talk at all, or, for that matter, even any characters in the traditional sense. 　 But don’t be mistaken: Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” is a stone cold masterpiece.

Ewha Womans University posted an old but hilarious clip on its Facebook page Friday. The clip, which dates back to March 2014, shows a group of nine professors performing on stage for their new class.  The professors, clad sharply in suits, give an energetic performance of a song by the hit K-pop group. (doo@heraldcorp.com)

Kim Yun-jin will foray onto the stage in the US with the play “Wild Goose Dreams.” 　“There is not only the one-dimensional everyday of Korean society but a deep reflection on everyday people and their love stories,” said Kim about the upcoming play.　“There’s a theme that the American audience can relate to as well. That’s what I like about it. I chose it right away,” she said.　The play is set in Seoul and centers on Yoo Nan-hee, a woman who has defected from North Korea. Through an online dating

Dunkirk(US)Drama, thriller. Directed by Christopher NolanIn May 1940 during World War II, Germany advances into France and traps the Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. A slow, methodical plan to evacuate the British and French troops began to be put into motion, using every naval and civilian ship that could be reached. Some 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were brought to safety after the completion of the mission. Flipped(US)Opened July 12Romantic comedy, drama. Direct

Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone” won the top prize in the international film category at the Jerusalem Film Festival on Friday. 　“Using the simplest of cinematic tools, Hong Sang-soo creates a mysterious magic, rooted in the heart of daily life,” said a jury consisting of Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, actress Evgenia Dodina and journalist Deborah Young on awarding the film, according to ScreenDaily. 　“Love, hatred, affection, rage, sexuality, loneliness and deep pain are reflected

CJ CGV, Korea’s largest cinema chain, opened the world’s biggest IMAX screen in its renovated CGV Yongsan multiplex in Seoul Monday.The screen measures 31 meters wide and 22.4 meters high -- about five times the size of the average multiplex cinema screen. The pictures projected are also some 50 percent brighter and twice as clear, according to CGV.  CGV Yongsan’s IMAX screen (CJ CGV)Previously, Australia boasted a 35 meter-wide IMAX screens but they are not currently in use. CGV’s CEO Seo Jung

It is inevitable that Korean cinema frequently retell the story of the Japanese occupation, a defining scar in the country’s history, in various ways. “The Battleship Island” is the most recent of such films, recreating Japanese atrocities on a massive visual scale. 　The film’s message is heavy and clear: it exposes the horrific torture of Koreans on Hashima Island from 1940 to 1945. Records show that around 500 to 800 Koreans were taken captive on the island and forced into slave labor, digging

Actress Yeom Jung-ah and K-pop diva Lee Hyo-ri will be the first guests on producer and singer Park Jin-young’s upcoming talk show, SBS announced Thursday.　It is the first time Park, commonly dubbed JYP, will host a talk show in the 25 years of the performer and songwriter’s career. 　The show is set break the traditional talk show format. Its set is staged like a club, with audience members enjoying themselves while standing in front of the stage. 　 Set of “Party People” (SBS)During the first sh

Much-anticipated war flick “The Battleship Island,” starring Song Joong-ki and others in a star-studded cast, was unveiled to press Wednesday at CGV Yongsan. 　Director Ryoo Seung-wan said he had always wanted to make an escape thriller.　“Escaping can be interpreted as an attempt to deal with the past,” Ryoo told reporters following the press screening.  Actor Song Joong-ki speaks at a press call for the film “The Battleship Island” held at CGV Yongsan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The war flick is set o

YG Entertainment’s CEO Yang Hyun-suk will be starring in an audition program again. The K-pop powerhouse’s CEO will be the judge of a singing audition program set to air this fall, local news outlets reported Wednesday.　The show, produced by the management agency, aims to search for the next trendy, YG-style artist to tread in the footsteps of K-pop icons Big Bang, iKon, Black Pink and others, reports said. 　 Yang Hyun-suk (YG Entertainment)It has been one year since Yang was featured in the six

Korea’s youngest hip-hop duo, Itaewon Kidz, released its debut song “Popo Song” Wednesday. The group consists of Ja-ul, age 10, and his younger brother Ja-on, 6.  Itaewon Kidz (Antworks Communication) The pair are the sons of producer Kim Tae-hoon, who decided to record their new track after watching them chant along to his beats. The music video features the two tiny tots swaggering down the Itaewon s

A star-studded cast has been confirmed for Kim Jee-woon’s upcoming film “Inlang.”Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Moo-yeol, Han Ye-ri and Huh Joon-ho are set to star in the director’s sci-fi flick.　The film’s production company Louis Pictures announced that casting had been completed and principal photography would kick off in August.　 (From left) Jung Woo-sung, Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo (Herald Pop)The film is a remake of the Japanese animation of the same title. It is set in a f

A buddy flick brimming with youthful energy and the classic opposites-attract bromance chemistry starring Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul will hit theaters this summer.“I play someone who acts before he speaks,” said Park, who is currently having a moment as the romantic lead in the KBS drama series “Fight My Way,” at a press conference for “Midnight Runners” in southeastern Seoul, Monday. Contrasting Park’s character Ki-joon is Hee-yeol, played by Kang, who is more of a thinker than a doer, Kang

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s families have not yet met ahead of the celebrity couple’s upcoming October wedding, according to Song Joong-ki’s agency Blossom Entertainment Monday.　Earlier Monday, local outlets reported that the two families had met last week in Seoul.　 Song Joong-ki (left) and Song Hye-kyo wave to fans at the Baeksang Arts Awards ceremony in Seoul on June 3, 2016. (Yonhap)The reports claimed that Song Joong-ki’s parents, who live in Daejeon, had come to Seoul to meet with Son

A slew of spy films centering on the tension between the two Koreas will be hitting local theaters later this year.　Three films, tentatively titled “VIP” starring Jang Dong-gun, “Steel Rain” starring Jung Woo-sung, and “Maneuver” starring Hwang Jung-min are set for release in Korean cinemas in the second half of 2017.　 Still from “VIP” featuring Kim Myung-min (left) and Jang Dong-gun (Warner Bros. Korea)“VIP,” which has been confirmed to open in August, is about a special joint investigation uni

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" became this year's most viewed foreign film in South Korea in just 10 days after its opening, its local distributor said Sunday.The latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise was watched by more than 5.37 million moviegoers as of Saturday, according to the film's distributor Sony Pictures. This surpassed American film "Beauty and the Beast" that drew some 5.31 million viewers in the first half of 2017. (Marvel Studios)The movie, starring Tom Hollan

This steamed perilla leaf side dish (kkaennip jjim) is enjoyed in the summer when fresh perilla leaves are plentiful. The fragrant perilla leaves are lightly seasoned with a simple mixture of seasonings. Briefly steaming mellows the taste of this strong flavored vegetable while keeping the freshness of the leaves. If you find fresh perilla leaves a bit too strong, try this steamed version. Once you clean the leaves, it only takes a few minutes to put the sauce together and steam the leaves eithe

Flipped(US)Romantic comedy, drama. Directed by Rob ReinerJuli Baker (Madeline Carroll) instantly recognizes that Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) is meant to be the love of her life, after meeting him for the first time as second grade students. Bryce continues to resists Juli’s enthusiastic advances until the sixth grade, dating other girls to ward her off. Juli finally begins to wonder if she was wrong about Bryce and their destiny, just when Bryce begins to look at his longtime admirer in a new

Korean YouTube channels with the highest rate of subscriber growth in the first half of 2017 were those featuring kids’ content or music, the online streaming platform announced. 　Of the 10 channels with the largest increase in subscribers, six were music channels while four were kids’ content channels, according to statistics released by YouTube Wednesday.　The channel that achieved the biggest growth in subscribers was Kids TV HD EggVideos.com. The channel’s videos feature coloring exercises, c