Chicago – Opening Night at the 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) on May 3rd will include the last film of popular South Korean (Sk) Actor Lee Sun-kyun, entitled “Sleep” (click here for tickets) The world was rocked on December 27th, 2023, when the report came through that that actor – who had a prominent role in the 2019 Oscar Best Picture “Parasite’ – had died at age 48 from an apparent suicide in Seoul (Sk), months after his appearance in Chicago during the Asian Pop-Up Cinema.
“Sleep” follows newlyweds Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), whose domestic bliss is disrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep, ominously stating, “someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, Hyun-su transforms into someone else, with no recollection of what happened the night before. Overwhelmed with anxiety that he may hurt himself or their young family, Soo-jin can barely sleep because of this irrational fear.
“Sleep” follows newlyweds Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), whose domestic bliss is disrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep, ominously stating, “someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, Hyun-su transforms into someone else, with no recollection of what happened the night before. Overwhelmed with anxiety that he may hurt himself or their young family, Soo-jin can barely sleep because of this irrational fear.
- 5/2/2024
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“Incredibly weird — but delightful” was one audience member’s indelible comment after the UK premiere of Lee Won-suk’s insane comedy Killing Romance on Friday. Starring Lee Hanee, a former Miss Universe recently seen in the sci-fi romp Alienoid, it tells the story of Hwa Yeo-rae, a viral internet star who becomes trapped in a controlling marriage to the evil Jonathan Na. To escape from Na, Yeo-rae teams up with her new neighbor Beom-woo (Gong Myung), a young superfan who dreams up a series of increasingly bizarre murder plots.
On paper, it sounds like a traditional neo-noir, but in Director Lee’s hands it becomes a delirious, twisted live-action Disney cartoon, complete with song-and-dance routines and a telepathic ostrich intent on spaghetti western-style revenge. The fact that it was shot during Covid didn’t help matters — turfed out...
On paper, it sounds like a traditional neo-noir, but in Director Lee’s hands it becomes a delirious, twisted live-action Disney cartoon, complete with song-and-dance routines and a telepathic ostrich intent on spaghetti western-style revenge. The fact that it was shot during Covid didn’t help matters — turfed out...
- 10/21/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
"Killing Romance" is an utterly amusing Korean absurdist comedy with romance, a revenge murder plot, and even musical numbers, in a clear love letter to the work of Wes Anderson. Add in some wonderfully over-the-top performances and a weird and hilariously campy script and you get one of the most fun times you can have at the movies.
The movie follows Yeo-rae (Lee Ha-nee), a woman who is shot straight to stardom after a clip of her drinking a soft drink at incredible speed goes viral, resulting in a Guinness World Record, merchandising, modeling deals, and a music and movie career. Sadly, this all comes crashing down when she stars in a disastrous sci-fi B movie that becomes a big flop. This prompts Yeo-rae to leave Korea in disgrace, finding refuge in the remote island of Qualla. Here, she meets an eccentric rich guy named Jonathan Na (Lee Sun-kyun) they instantly hit it off.
The movie follows Yeo-rae (Lee Ha-nee), a woman who is shot straight to stardom after a clip of her drinking a soft drink at incredible speed goes viral, resulting in a Guinness World Record, merchandising, modeling deals, and a music and movie career. Sadly, this all comes crashing down when she stars in a disastrous sci-fi B movie that becomes a big flop. This prompts Yeo-rae to leave Korea in disgrace, finding refuge in the remote island of Qualla. Here, she meets an eccentric rich guy named Jonathan Na (Lee Sun-kyun) they instantly hit it off.
- 10/2/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Mixing genres as easily as aspect ratios, Killing Romance gives a whirlwind tour of the largely toxic side of Korean culture. Opening this year’s New York Asian Film Festival, the film blends K-pop, animation, reality TV, and Internet memes to show how celebrity Yeo-rae Hwang rescues herself from a loveless marriage to billionaire Jonathan Na.
Framed as a fairy tale, Killing Romance opens with a biography of Yeo-rae (played by singer Lee Hanee), from her days shilling soda and parkas to her ill-fated movie career. After brutal reviews of her performance in “the most expensive movie ever made,” she flees Korea for the South Pacific island of Qualla. There she falls for Na (Parasite star Lee Sun-kyun), a control freak who ends up imprisoning Yeo-rae in a lavish mansion back in Korea. Fortunately, superfan and failed student Bum-woo (Gong Myung) lives next door. He is more than eager to...
Framed as a fairy tale, Killing Romance opens with a biography of Yeo-rae (played by singer Lee Hanee), from her days shilling soda and parkas to her ill-fated movie career. After brutal reviews of her performance in “the most expensive movie ever made,” she flees Korea for the South Pacific island of Qualla. There she falls for Na (Parasite star Lee Sun-kyun), a control freak who ends up imprisoning Yeo-rae in a lavish mansion back in Korea. Fortunately, superfan and failed student Bum-woo (Gong Myung) lives next door. He is more than eager to...
- 7/20/2023
- by Daniel Eagan
- The Film Stage
Returning to filmmaking after 2016 and “V.I.P. “, Lee Won-suk comes up with a completely different approach than both the aforementioned and its predecessor, “The Royal Tailor”. “Killing Romance” is a truly flamboyant comedy in a style that reminds of both of a fairy tale and Nobuhiko Obayashi's last works, also because it manages to “hide” a number of pointed comments about the entertainment industry under its impressive visuals and overall “silliness”. Let us take things from the beginning, though.
Killing Romance is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Hwang Yeo-rae used to be a popular actress, but after her last sci-fi movie bombed in the box office, she has essentially been ostracized from the industry. In an effort to make a change in her life and avoid the negative publicity, she decides to visit the remote island nation of Qualla. While there, she meets obscenely wealthy tycoon Jonathan Na,...
Killing Romance is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Hwang Yeo-rae used to be a popular actress, but after her last sci-fi movie bombed in the box office, she has essentially been ostracized from the industry. In an effort to make a change in her life and avoid the negative publicity, she decides to visit the remote island nation of Qualla. While there, she meets obscenely wealthy tycoon Jonathan Na,...
- 7/15/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Ha-nee get together in “How to Date Guys with Secret Tips” director Lee Won-suk’s new comedy “Killing Romance”.
Synopsis
Hwang Yeo-are is a popular actress, but she is often mocked due to her poor acting skills. She goes on a trip to an island in the South Pacific Ocean and meets Johnathan Na, who is extremely rich. She eventually marries Johnathan Na and announces her retirement from the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, Kim Beom-woo has been studying for 4 years to enter Seoul University. He learns that his favorite actress Hwang Yeo-rae has moved in next door to him. He finally has chance to meet her and spends time with her. Hwang Yeo-rae is not happy with her marriage. She wants to go back to her life as an actress and has a received an offer to act in a movie, but her husband Jonathan Na strongly opposes.
Synopsis
Hwang Yeo-are is a popular actress, but she is often mocked due to her poor acting skills. She goes on a trip to an island in the South Pacific Ocean and meets Johnathan Na, who is extremely rich. She eventually marries Johnathan Na and announces her retirement from the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, Kim Beom-woo has been studying for 4 years to enter Seoul University. He learns that his favorite actress Hwang Yeo-rae has moved in next door to him. He finally has chance to meet her and spends time with her. Hwang Yeo-rae is not happy with her marriage. She wants to go back to her life as an actress and has a received an offer to act in a movie, but her husband Jonathan Na strongly opposes.
- 3/31/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
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