Tagged: South Korea

World War Z Blu-ray to Include Unrated Cut

WWZ_BD_3D_FNIt feels a little fast for us, especially considering how well it performed at the box office,but here’s the formal details for home video release of Paramount Pictures’ World War Z.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.  – August 2, 2013 –  “The suspense is killer!” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) in the fast-paced, pulse-pounding epic WORLD WAR Z, debuting on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D™, DVD and On Demand on September 17, 2013.  The pandemic begins one week early on Digital September 10th.  Due to overwhelming demand, the film has been digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and will be released in select IMAX theaters domestically for an exclusive one-week running beginning today.

Starring international superstar Brad Pitt and based on the best-selling and wildly popular novel, WORLD WAR Z took audiences by storm and was hailed by critics as   “thrilling, epic and spectacular” (Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly) and the “most gratifying action spectacle in years!” (David Denby, The New Yorker).  The tense and thrilling film follows a former United Nations investigator (Pitt) as he helps stop the chaotic pandemic that has gripped populations around the world.  WORLD WAR Z features stunning visual effects and edge-of-your-seat action and suspense that take the Zombie apocalypse phenomenon to a more extreme and electrifying level.

“I’m really excited for fans to see the new unrated version of WORLD WAR Z on Blu-ray,” said producer and star Brad Pitt.  “We were thrilled with the audience response to the film in theaters and wanted to give viewers even more of the action and intensity that they loved when they watch the film at home.”

WORLD WAR Z will be available on Blu-ray Combo or Blu-ray 3D Combo with an Unrated Cut packed with even more thrills and action too intense for theaters, along with the theatrical version of the film.  The combo packs feature UltraViolet™ and boast in-depth looks at the making of the film, the seamless blending of practical and digital effects, the science behind the Zombie outbreak and much more.  The film will also be available as a single-disc DVD.

WORLD WAR Z Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

The WORLD WAR Z Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The combo pack includes access to a digital copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

  • Feature film in high definition (Unrated version)
  • Origins—The filmmakers discuss collaborating with renowned actor/producer Brad Pitt to create a Zombie film the likes of which have never been seen.
  • Looking to Science—Explore the scientific realities of Zombie behavior in nature and learn more about Zombies in literature and film.
  • WWZ: Production
    • Outbreak—Go on set with Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster for a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s breathtaking first attack in Philadelphia.
  • The Journey Begins—Delve deeper into Gerry’s fight for survival during the dramatic escape in South Korea.
  • Behind The Wall—Explore the epic scene in Jerusalem and discover the incredible logistics of creating the elaborate stunts and crowd sequences.
  • Camouflage—Experience the final confrontation between Gerry and the Zombies and discover the phenomenal scope of the film’s production.

DVD

  • Feature film in standard definition (Theatrical version)

 

WORLD WAR Z Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

The WORLD WAR Z Blu-ray 3D combo pack includes all of the above, as well as the theatrical version of the film in high definition and 3D on a disc presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

WORLD WAR Z Single-Disc DVD

The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The disc includes the theatrical version of the film in standard definition.

The Blu-ray releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies.  With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – reliably and securely – to a variety of devices.

Review: Kyotofu – Japan in NYC

So you want a light bite, some coffee or tea or sake, healthy food, atmosphere cozy and unpretentious, but sophisticated, even romantic? Search no further than Hell’s Kitchen for the Japanese dessert bar Kyotofu (705 Ninth Ave. bet. W. 47th & W. 48th Sts.). Originally from Kyoto and other Japanese locations, you can also find a spot in Seoul, South Korea, plus the products are sold at Dean & Deluca and served on eastbound ANA flights from the US. Opened in 2006 here, they’ve been New York Magazine’s cupcake champs since ’10. And it’s all based upon the humble soybean. You’d never know it by the universal raves they receive and the always-happily occupied seats in the bar and dining areas.

The staff is mostly Japanese and totally knowledgeable about the authentic modern Japanese fusion menu (on my four dinner, sake, and dessert visits with a single gentleman friend on various weeknights), and the crowd is mixed but heavily Asian. This is the real deal, not an otaku novelty hang-out— beautiful, modern, clean-white décor, soft indirect lighting, fresh, like all the food and drink they serve. My in-house dinner favorites include the cha soba noodles or the curry rice (kurobuta sausage added) and warm sweet potato cake for dessert. My go-to sake there is the Ginjo Dewazakura “Oka” Yamagata with its light and delicate taste and aroma of cherry blossoms. (starters: $7-$12, sides: $4-$6, “comfort mains”: $10-$16, prix fixe sampler of starter + bento: $24, desserts: $8-$12, prix fixe sampler for 2 of 3-course dessert chef’s selection: $28).

For special occasions or just everyday opulence, they put together these lovely and abundantly filled gift assortment boxes that ship easily and safely ($14-$48). They are beautiful in their subtle and elegant attention to detail (e.g., hand-tied double ribbons to seal the box) and inside are neatly-sealed packages nicely shareable by 2 or just fine for tea for one.  There was nothing in their limited edition Valentine’s Day assortments (that can be purchased in other gift boxes year-round) that I didn’t like. The valrhona miso chocolate brownies are rich, soft, gooey—outstanding! My favs were anything with strawberry—cupcakes or little flower-shaped financiers that pop in your mouth and fill it with flavor that is like a soft fragrance—they tasted of freshly picked strawberries dancing on your tongue! The shortbread cookies did not taste like they were missing any butter (brown rice, black sesame, green tea, and my favorite – citrus) and were both a great balance of savory and sweet. The bite-sized cupcakes have lush and giant flavor and you cannot help but smile when you eat them.

Well worth the special trip that people tweet about and come from out of town to experience. Besides the restaurant, there’s online sales and a bakery for take-home delights. Let Date Night, Fun Night, Anything-Night Begin!

‘Priest’ Finds its Director

‘Priest’ Finds its Director

  • News
  • December 17, 2008

ScreenGems has announced that Scott Charles Stewart will direct their film adaptation of the manhwa (Korean comic) Priest according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie is being written by Cory Goodman (The Brood) and will adapt the initial storyline of the series which debuted in South Korea in 1998 and continues to today.  Tokyopop has produced 16 volumes for English-language readers. The series was created by Hyung Min-woo, after being inspired by a video game called Blood.

The story is set in a “world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampire and follows a warrior priest who turns against the church to track down a murderous band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece.:

Priest nearly made it before the cameras years earlier with 300’s Gerard Butler in the lead for director Andrew Douglas but it failed to gain a green light.

Stewart is also at work for the studio, making his directorial debut on Legion, a “biblical apocalyptic thriller” that he also wrote.  Prior to that, he worked at Industrial Light & Magic before forming special effects house the Orphanage with former ILM staffers Stu Maschwitz and Jonathan Rothbart.
 

Verbinksi and Bond to Remake ‘The Host’

Verbinksi and Bond to Remake ‘The Host’

  • News
  • November 24, 2008

Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski will remake the Korean thriller The Host for Universal Studios.  Verbinski will produce while commercials director Fredrik Bond will debut behind the camera. Mark Poirier (Smart People) will adapt the 2006 Bong Joon-ho-directed thriller according to Variety.

The film did record breaking business when it open in South Korea and the story “follows a town terrorized by a giant mutant squidlike creature hatched by toxins that flow into a nearby river from a military base. When the creature grabs a little girl, her dysfunctional family must band together to rescue her.”

Verbinski is at work on adapting the video game Bioshock while toying with the notion of Pirates 4. He and Bond knew each other and had been seeking something they could work on together. Previously, Bond’s commercial campaigns included the Nike, Adidas and Levi’s brands.

"It processes a few genres together, and visually it feels close to the stuff I’ve made over the last few years in commercials, the tonality of humor and the scale," Bond said.
 

Spider-Man 3 covers costs

Spider-Man 3 covers costs

When the ticket stubs were counted in 107 markets, Spider-Man 3 made $382 million this past week.  This covers the cost of production, variously estimated to be between $250 million and $350 million.  Marketing costs have been estimated to be as much as another $150 million.

SM3 set records as the biggest opening weekend in 29 different countries, including the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, China, Italy, Mexico anad Brazil. 

According to a company press release, the flick earned three times the money in South Korea as the previous record holder.  The film also set a record for the largest domestic gross at IMAX theaters, with $4.8 million.

So, what do you want to do next weekend?

Spider-Man 3 cures world hunger!

Spider-Man 3 cures world hunger!

It’s even more ridiculous, folks.

Nikki Finke updates the running tally with the global numbers: Spider-Man 3 has produced the biggest worldwide opening ever with $375 million, upsetting the previous record of $254 mil by Star Wars Episode 3. The overseas estimates from 107 countries total $225 mil; pic was the biggest film debut ever in at least 26 countries including Russia, China, Italy, South Korea, Japan.

SM3 also shattered all the North American records (U.S. and Canada) for biggest opening day ever, biggest second day of release and biggest third day of release. Though SM3 fell -14% Saturday compared to Friday, that number without the midnight shows is actually +4%. This means that, comparatively, the threequel almost did in two days what the original Spidey did in three days back in 2002.

Spider-Man shovels it in

Spider-Man shovels it in

Spider-Man 3 has already earned nearly $30,000,000 and it hasn’t even opened in the United States.

The blockbuster-in-making has taken in a bundle in such places as France, Italy, South Korea and Hong Kong, according to the Associated Press. You may have heard it’s opening in the States on Friday.

Then again, you may already be in line for the midnight showing.

 

Bureaucracy of robotics

Bureaucracy of robotics

  • News
  • April 7, 2007

When it comes to robots, it’s fairly well acknowledged that Japan’s been kicking other countries’ butts since the days of Astroboy.  Now, reports IESB, "the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has drafted a hugely complex set of proposals for keeping robots in check. The document, entitled Draft Guidelines to Secure the Safe Performance of Next Generation Robots, extends to nearly 60 pages of civil service jargon."

The document calls for the formation of a special study group — including lawyers — to draw up a set of firm proposals to govern the development of robots.  But they’re not counting on robot lawyers!

According to our step-sister website Engadget, "Under Japan’s plan, all robots would be required to report back to a central database any and all injuries they cause to the people they are meant to be helping or protecting. The draft is currently open to public comment with a final set of principles set to be unveiled as early as May." 

And did you know Japan is not the first country to draft ethical robot legislation?  South Korea and Europe had already unveiled their versions.  Apparently South Korea in particular has been wrestling with this for awhile.

South Korea comics controversy

South Korea comics controversy

  • News
  • March 15, 2007

Last month, blogger Tim Leong reported about South Korean comic author Rhie Won-bok, who wrote in Meon Nara, Yiwoot Nara (Far Countries, Near Countries), his so-called educational comic book series about different countries, that "The Jews are the invisible force that controls the U.S."  At the time, Rhie stood by his words, adding, "I wrote the chapter to let people know that you can’t understand the U.S. without knowing the Jewish community."

Now that he’s actually met some members of that community, he’s singing a different tune.

AP reports that Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the Simon Wiesenthal Center met with Rhie at Gimm-Young Publishers’ offices in Seoul, confronting him with copies of the early 20th century Nazi magazine Der Stuermer to show its similarity to caricatures in Meon Nara. Also present was Richard Choi Bertsch, a member of the National Korean-American Coalition, who condemned the book’s content, as well as raising questions about drawings of African-Americans (something Cheryl Lynn has noted on her blog and at the Black Panel at NYCC), prompting the publisher to pledge an extensive review of the entire series.

"I’m sorry to see things like a frog in a well," Rhie has now admitted, referring to a traditional Korean saying that a frog in a well is unaware of the larger world outside. "In the future, I will write books in a more responsible way."  In addition, Gimm-Young has agreed to translate into Korean a book by the Wiesenthal Center that aims to reveal anti-Semitic mistruths, as well as sending officials to the U.S. to meet with Korean-American and Jewish communities. 

So they can, you know, actually get to know them before writing about them.

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