Hunnie treat collection H

[Hallyu Prize 2006] “The first time I feel such heavy sentiment..”
“It is a wonderful moment of an actor’s life.
In future I would still continue to work passionately in my vocation.”
1st “Korean Wave Cultural Prize” awarded to Lee Byung Hun
Translated by Hyc from articles at Sports Korea, navernews, Japanese Chosun – Oct 27, 2006

[Japanese Star; Kimura Takuya] I have seen Lee Byung Hun in TV commercials and the movie “Everybody Has Secrets,” which he starred with Choi Ji Woo, and I think of him as an actor with a great influence. In Japan, he is called the “Prince of Smiles,” which I think is a fitting nickname. Before the interview, I had a brief chat with him, but it felt so comfortable as if you would think that we knew each other before. I expect that the filming will be enjoyable.
Interview With Lee Byung Hun and Kimura Takuya About “Hero” May 26, 2007-Broasia.com

» Clips courtesy various fan-sharing, compiled by EverythingLBH

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[GBW] Why did you take the role of Chang-I in ‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’? Isn’t it your first villain role? Were you concerned about being portrayed as a villain?
One day I thought I had been too careful why was I so careful in my choice of role even though I was still young? I should have been learning by trial and error so I thought it’s not too late to change. I wanted to open myself up wide. The character Ching-I in ‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’ was the first villain I have played in my 17 years as an actor. However, it is interesting that, coincidently, SOO Pong-po in ‘I Come with the Rain’ is also a villain and Storm shadow in ‘G.I. Joe’ is also a villain, at least superficially
Spotlight on Lee Byung Hun – Between Reason & Sensibility; Between Beauty & Evil. Translated by MOON-Seok/Cine 21 (February 2008)

» Clips courtesy various fan-sharing, compiled by EverythingLBH

IRIS and Taewon

IRIS-related mention from Variety Asia

Taewon Entertainment quits stock market

Written by Han Sunhee

SEOUL – Influential South Korean producer Chung Taewon is to quit his eponymous production powerhouse Taewon Entertainment.

Chung, who personally held 17% of the company, and other major shareholders FireWorks International (35%) and Cannizaro Asia Master Fund Ltd.(17%), have sold their shares to private buyers Cho Jung-ho and HC Partners, Inc. Transaction was valued at $18.5 million.

Share sales appear to mean the end of the road for the stock market- listed Taewon Entertainment as an entertainment and media operation. Company changed its articles of association this month to make energy and resources its business activities. On Sept 5 it will change its name to MPlus I.

Chung, however, has other plans and has already established an unlisted film company named Taewon Production and will continue to produce and co-produce films.

Projects include the previously announced Yuen Wo-ping comedy actioner “Spaghetti Versus Noodle” and Lee Byung-hun starring TV series “IRIS.” Chung expects to be able to reclaim

Hunnie treat collection F

[Message from LBH to fans]
Sometimes there’s a moment like climbing to the top of a mountain, and sometimes we come down from a mountain.
You and I will be mutually dependable and inspiring each other with our presence,
just walking together and just be there together.
Well, I feel that our mutual presence could cheer up each other.
I want to have such emotional ties with you.
Recorded TV talk show ‘Tetsuko’s Room’ on 9th May, 2006. Translated by lee.lena & Hyc

» Clips courtesy various fan-sharing, compiled by EverythingLBH

Hunnie treat collection E

[EHAS] Intially, I chose this project with ease and relaxing mood, treating it as a warming-up exercise. I am not undermining comedy actors. I really thought that being in a comedy project is relaxing, but in actual fact it is not so. To make someone laugh without use of exaggerating (comedy) physical movements, is not an easy task. I felt.. the closer my acting is to reality, the more it obstruct my performance in a comedy which puts me in a dilemma
A 2004 interview from chosun.com – “Romance comedy is not easy”, translated by Shirley

Clips courtesy various LBH fans-sharing, compiled by EverythingLBH

Time for a break, finally!

Gist in English provided by ylin at EverythingLBH-soompi.com from article at news.empas.com

Byunghun is back in Korea after more than (accumulated) 200 over days of filming overseas. He has recently finished filming for GI Joe: Rise of Cobra in the US and returned home after few weeks finalizing his scenes in the movie.

LBH will finally have a break of 2 months before starting on the filming of ‘IRIS’, presumably in November.

Welcome back Mr. Lee, and have a great break that you so deserves! We can’t wait to see you at the upcoming Toronto Filmfest and for IRIS to start, too!

Hunnie treat collection D

Excerpt from article ‘LBH REBORN AS GENUINE ACTOR’

When analyzing LBH’s face carefully, the writer feels the bright cheery warmth of a playful kindergarten child, instead of a high-spirited youth. LBH’s looks are a dead giveway for the mischievous brat he was when he was little. It was common for him to break an arm while playing with his sister or to break someone’s windows while playing baseball in the neighborhood. Despite all that, he was a little movie-crazy fan who says that he held his mother’s hand while watching the movie Papillon and became an actor because he could not get over the movie.

In the movie Elegy of the Earth, one of LBH’s lines from the script goes, “when I get the Academy Award for Best Actor, I will definitely show it to my father.” This was a line that expressed his own thoughts precisely as he had decided to become such an excellent actor that he would not be embarrassed in front of his late father.

LBH has now risen to become a leading actor with an important position in the Korean movie world, but he has not become complacent or lazy. He builds up his physical strength with exercise and makes time for books and movies. All these show that he is working hard to carry out the promise he made to his father in the movie. Now the day when LBH becomes an actor representing Korea at the Academy Award Ceremony and rules the world with his trademark cool peppermint smile doesn’t seem too far away.
Article No. 690 of Movie Entertainment News 2004-09-07 via Neul Pulreun Namu of leebyunghun.com ~ Translation by Splash

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The Order of Arts and Letters was established in l957 to recognize eminent artists and writers, and people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world.
Recipients of this distinction receive a certificate from the French Minister of Culture and Communication and are entitled to wear the insignia of this order, a medal suspended from a colored ribbon of white stripes against a green background. For informal occasions, a discreet lapel pin may be worn in lieu of the medal. ambafrance-us.org

» Clips courtesy various fan-sharing, compiled by EverythingLBH-

Hunnie treat collection B

[BEAUTIFUL DAYS] Raining.. running short of time of shooting schedule.. worried about the shooting of cherry blossom scene at night.. jumping into the chilling seawater..the unrelievable tense moment of the seaside scene due to the big crowd of fans.. difficult to move forward.. On the other hand, it helped the shooting of the Victory Record scenes. Shooting during the day, and lots of time at night, were difficult. The crew members struggled to work with tears. But from the screen, we could see and relive all the shooting moments, we were filled with joy. Till now, those memories are still fresh and clear in my mind.
I would like to take this opportunity to give my heart-felt thanks to all the crew members, the cast and director of BD, and the fans who continue to give their love and support. I am greatly touched by those unforgettable shooting scenes.
Beautiful and sadden love..Minchul and Yensoo..remains an important memory deep in my heart.
Beautiful Days Final concert May 2005 – Tokyo; credits to nhk, leeruu, byunghun.seesaa.net, Leelena, Ping-bhjwlove.com, Hyc, River, lovelbh.com[LBH 7.12] Words of Byunghun on the birthday gift of 1970 French-Bordeaux vintage wine from Japanese publisher Kadokawa magazines
Thank you very much. I love wine. When you present me with the wine the feeling is really good. Don’t you think so? Always welcome the flowers, but the only regrettable thing is that it is not possible to take them into the plane though.

Hunnie treat collection A

[INSPIRATION] ‘From very small, my father’s dream is to raise me to be an actor’
Lee Byunghun at the 25th Yeongpyeong-sang (Critics’ Choice) receiving the Best Actor award for A Bittersweet Life
Thanks to Hyc & Ping-bhjwlove.com for the translated gist[A BITTERSWEET LIFE] Lee Byung Hun has both the character and acting ability of a star. He is perceptive and astute in his thinking. When filming “A Bittersweet Life”, he’s at his top form, very smart and full of passion. Whenever there is a special event, he’s surrounded by Japanese fans. This honour and blessing are the result of his dedication to work. His smile has captured women’s heart. I like Lee Byung Hun, the actor, the person.
Director Kim Ji Woon’s account on actor, Lee Byung Hun from article published in Bazaar Korea, August 2006 – translated by Hyc & Ping-bhjwlove.com

[ALL IN] He is a really smart actor. While writing, scriptwriters usually wonder “How would an actor express this scene? Could the actor understand my intention? LBH picks up even what I didn’t think about. Sometimes, he acts unbelievably well that I scream from amazement. Analyzing the script, he often asks me in person about what he doesn’t understand. There were many cases that I changed the lines after I listened to his opinion. In a word, He shows 120% better than the character in my script.”
Interview with Choi Wankyu, Scriptwriter of ALL IN. Sportsseoul-Feb 18, 2003, translated by jonie-dotcom

»

SITGES special

 

Update by Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC) with images from Sitges 2008 & empas.com

The Year’s 2 Top Films Head to Sitges

The 2 top-grossing Korean films of 2008 thus far have both been invited to the 41st Sitges International Film Festival in Catalonia, Spain. KIM Ji-woon’s kimchi-western The Good, The Bad, The Weird, and NA Hong-jin’s debut thriller The Chaser will both screen in the fest’s main program, ‘Official Fantastic Selection.’

Sitges, which this year runs October 2 – 12, is a primary member of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and one of the top 3 fantasy fests worldwide. The two Korean hits will compete for various Maria awards. They will be joined by director BONG Joon-ho’s first non-Korean production, Tokyo!, an omnibus film also featuring French directors Leos Carax and Michel Gondry, which screens in the same section.

NA’s The Chaser recently won Best Film at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea. The tough crime-thriller, about an ex-cop-turned pimp chasing down an elusive prostitute killer, was a sleeper hit taking in over 5 million admissions during its local release earlier this year.

KIM’s The Good, The Bad, The Weird is the year’s box office champion so far with over 4 million admissions in just its first two weeks of release. The film revolving around a treasure map, stars Korea’s top male leads, SONG Kang-ho, LEE Byung-hun, and JUNG Woo-sung,and is set in Manchuria

GBW Top 10!

Congratulations to GBW & co., well done indeed!

Our thanks to .X. at twitchfilm.net for this awesome report from Star News for something totally GBW high!

August 21, 2008

Kimchi Western Joins All Time Top 10, Stars Head for Toronto

Posted by X at 10:27pm

You don’t need any supernatural powers to guess Kim Ji-Woon and company might actually feel a sense of relief now, more than anything else. It was a crazy shoot in the kind of conditions most directors wouldn’t even touch with a ten foot pole; and, despite the huge release, 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 (The Good, The Bad, and The Weird) wasn’t exactly running alone, what with the onslaught of Hollywood blockbusters like The Dark Knight or The Mummy – Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, along with the surprise hit 고死 (Gosa: Bloody Midterms) – which got past the 1 million mark despite the critics’ trashing.

But, now, everything those Manchurian cowboys end up writing will be in the black, as the film reached its break even point (take off the theater’s cut of the pie and the marketing fee, and all you get from 6.6 million tickets is enough to cover the budget). And, perhaps more pleasing to the ears, the film entered the all time Top 10 list, knocking 미녀는 괴로워 (200 Pounds Beauty) off the 10th spot.

Distributors CJ Entertainment just announced the Kimchi western starring Song Kang-Ho, Jung Woo-Sung and Lee Byung-Heon sold 6.62 million tickets up to August 21, making the top 10 in only 36 days (since its July 17 release). The film is still screening at over 200 screens, and bringing in an additional 20,000 tickets a day, which should soon allow it to reach even 타짜 (Tazza: The High Rollers)’s 9th place.

Director Kim Ji-Woon, Jung Woo-Sung and Lee Byung-Heon will be present at the upcoming TIFF screening of the film