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Korea Herald
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
[Graphic News] ‘Parasite' tops NYT's 100 best movies of 21st century
Korean director Bong Joon-ho's 2019 film 'Parasite' has been named the best movie of the 21st century by The New York Times. The top 100 list was compiled based on votes from 500 directors, actors and film fans. The Times praised 'Parasite' as 'delightful yet twisted, unsettling and shocking,' noting that it 'tells the story of the haves and have-nots and offers a fierce critique of neo-liberalism.' Two other Korean films also made the list: 'Oldboy' (2005) by Park Chan-wook ranked 43rd, while Bong's earlier film 'Memories of Murder' (2005) placed 99th. Korean Canadian director Celine Song's 2023 film 'Past Lives' was also included at No. 86. don@
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Insiders' delay: Reason for Song Kang Ho's sudden exit revealed
The highly anticipated Korean drama Insiders has hit a snag in its production, as veteran actor Song Kang Ho has officially stepped away from the project. The actor, known for his roles in films like ' Parasite ', ' Memories of Murder ', and 'The Host', recently confirmed that he will no longer be taking on a leading role in the upcoming Korean drama. As per reports shared on July 11 from popular K-Media news outlet My Daily, the star's exit. According to the reports, due to his exit, the production process of the show has been significantly delayed. It was also reported that the delay is expected to last for at least 2 to 3 months as well. The actor made his exit official and reportedly left the series in order to redirect all of his focus and strength to his next upcoming project instead. The show's schedule also changed by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Initially, 'Insiders' was set to have 2 seasons. However, according to the production team, the plan has been changed, thus delaying production. Sources told the portal, 'Insiders was originally divided into seasons 1 and 2, but we are reorganising it to go all in at once as a 12-episode series'. 'The filming schedule has become longer as it has become a 12-episode series, and Song Kang Ho has decided to leave due to his schedule for his next work', the statement continued. About 'Insiders' 'Insiders' is a direct adaptation of the popular 2015 film ' Inside Men ' and is a political and thrilling drama series. Set in the 1980s and 1990s, the show continues on the film's story and explores different themes such as politics, corruption and power imbalance, to name a few.
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite' titled Best Movie of the 21st Century
Bong Joon Ho 's cult classic Korean film 'Parasite' has been named as the Best Movie of the 21st century! The title has been given to the film alongside other big names such as ' Oldboy ', 'Past Lives', and ' Memories of Murder '. The New York Times released a report titled 'The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century' on June 27. The list analysed films released after January 1, 2000, and even analysed survey data that had been collected from over 500 different people. People who work as directors, actors, producers, and film enthusiasts were involved in the study and gave their survey answers. According to the report, 'Parasite' ended up claiming the 1st spot. As per the publication, the movie was called 'a story of the haves and have-nots', adding, 'A twisted shock flows from the poor household to the wealthy one.' On the other hand, Bong Joon Ho was labelled as 'a superstar in the making, a master of genre unconstrained by convention (who) burnt everything down in a blaze of inevitable violence.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เทรดทองCFDsกับโบรกเกอร์ที่เชื่อถือได้| เปิดบัญชีวันนี้ IC Markets สมัคร Undo Another one of Joon Ho's films ended up on the list, securing the 99th spot with its intriguing plot and star cast. 'Memories of Murder' is another fan favourite from the famed director. More about 'Parasite' 'Parasite', released in 2019, explored the disparity between the rich and the poor while taking everyday instances into account. The film was made as a social commentary on such class differences and how low one can sink when it comes to money and other luxuries. At the time of the release, the film collected a total box office of $258.1 million as per Box Office Mojo. It even won the Palme d'Or award, which is one of the most prestigious film awards at the Cannes Film Festival, in the same year. The film also won a Golden Globe Award at the 77th edition of the event for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture, making it the first Korean film to do so!
Korea Herald
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'Mickey 17' crosses 3 million mark in Korea in underwhelming theatrical run
Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi gamble heads to streaming in North American markets after falling short of commercial expectations Director Bong Joon-ho's big-budget sci-fi venture "Mickey 17" officially crossed the 3 million admissions mark in Korea Tuesday, a milestone that comes as little consolation for a production struggling to meet financial expectations. According to the latest data from the Korean Film Council, the film reached 3,000,592 viewers after 39 days in theaters as of Tuesday. Daily ticket sales have dwindled to around 2,200, suggesting the film essentially limped across the threshold. The worldwide box office performance paints an even more dismal picture. In North America, where the film opened March 7, "Mickey 17" has pulled in just $44.7 million, with global earnings totaling $122.4 million, according to Box Office Mojo — far short of its estimated $300 million breakeven point. Industry analysts expect the film to top out at the box office at approximately $143 million, potentially leading to losses of $75-80 million, according to Variety. Following lackluster ticket sales, the film's distributor Warner Bros. announced earlier this month that the film will be released on digital streaming platforms via premium video on demand starting Tuesday, less than a month after its theatrical debut. In North America, it will appear on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango. While most films these days don't achieve profitability solely through theatrical release — typically relying on TV licensing and streaming deals to reach the black — "Mickey 17" faces an uphill battle as these downstream agreements are often influenced by initial box office performance. Bong has typically found box office success on home turf. Since his 2003 breakout hit "Memories of Murder," which drew 5.26 million viewers here, the director has carved out a strong commercial track record in Korea. "The Host" (2006) cemented Bong's commercial appeal with over 13 million admissions, earning a permanent spot among Korea's top 10 highest-grossing films. "Snowpiercer" (2013) continued the trend with 9.35 million Korean viewers, while his Oscar-winning "Parasite" (2019) attracted over 10 million admissions domestically and went on to gross $258.1 million worldwide. "Mickey 17" stars Robert Pattinson as a disposable worker (or "expendable") who is reprinted. The narrative follows his 17th incarnation as he faces death, only for his employers to print "Mickey 18," believing him to be dead. The film also features Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo. The film's reception has generally been positive in Korea, where it scored 91 percent on multiplex chain CGV's website, while users on the local search engine Naver rated it 8.23 out of 10.
Korea Herald
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'Even sci-fi can't match this': Bong Joon-ho on Korea's brush with martial law
Oscar winner's decades of political observations come full circle Even for auteur Bong Joon-ho, whose films have imagined everything from mutant river monsters to genetically engineered superpigs, South Korea's brush with martial law felt like science fiction run amok. When now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency powers on the night of Dec. 3, the Oscar-winning director found reality outpacing his wildest scenarios. "The whole thing was more surreal than any sci-fi film," Bong told local broadcaster JTBC's news program on Sunday. The director described a surreal night of text messages from concerned colleagues abroad. "I was at home when friends started sending updates. At first, it didn't feel real," he recalled. "One minute we're talking about BTS and Rose's 'Apartment' and next thing you know it's martial law." While this marked Bong's first public comments on the event, Bong had already made his position clear when he joined more than 2,500 film industry figures in signing a petition demanding Yoon's impeachment on Dec. 7. The petition statement did not mince words: "Even with a filmmaker's imagination, this would be considered delusional — yet it happened in our reality." For Bong, politics has been a steady current throughout his work, one that informs rather than dominates his storytelling. His political consciousness took shape when he attended Yonsei University in the late 1980s, where student protests were the order of the day. The demonstrations swept through campus as activists rallied for democratic freedoms and rights, labor unions and reunification with North Korea. "Every day was the same: Protest during the day, drink at night," he told Vulture in 2019. "Sometimes I still smell tear gas in my dreams," he said. Though he describes himself as "a bad activist" who would often slip away from protests to watch movies, that spirit of resistance never left his work. His activist leanings found more formal expression in the early 2000s, when Bong, alongside the likes of fellow director Park Chan-wook, joined the progressive Democratic Labor Party. His political involvement continued through 2012, when he publicly supported the New Progressive Party in that year's general elections, though his direct political activities have since receded from public view. The director's last notable political involvement came in 2014, when he joined other artists in a one-day fast in support of families of the Sewol ferry disaster victims. Yet Bong's films have maintained a consistent political edge, earning praise from critics for their sophisticated blend of genre thrills and scathing social commentary. "Memories of Murder" (2003) used a serial-killer investigation to probe authoritarian trauma, while "The Host" (2006) wrapped criticism of American military presence in monster-movie clothing. "Snowpiercer" (2013) and "Parasite" (2019) expanded this critique into broader interrogations of capitalism and class. Such pointed themes drew the ire of South Korea's conservative establishment, who viewed his work as dangerously subversive. During the Lee Myung-bak administration, Bong found himself on a government blacklist restricting artists and cultural figures from access to state funding. The list would later expand under President Park Geun-hye to include thousands of artists, writers and filmmakers the administration deemed ideologically suspect. The blacklist, later ruled illegal by the court, cited his films' tendency to "highlight government incompetence" and "incite social resistance" -- charges that, ironically, only confirmed their global relevance. At a recent press event for his upcoming film "Mickey 17," which continues his examination of exploitative power structures through the story of an expendable clone, Bong discussed crafting "a new form of dictator" in Mark Ruffalo's colonial administrator. Examining power and politics through the lens of his latest villain, he noted how the science fiction genre offers a potent vehicle for political commentary. "Mark plays a new kind of dictator with this unprecedented, cute charm -- but then, every dictator has that charisma," Bong said. "That's what makes sci-fi so powerful for political satire. You can approach the real world, real politics, with both serious contemplation and humor."
