Playing a video game is fun, but watching someone else play one can become tiresome pretty quickly. This is the most rational explanation as to why any action film that aims to mimic the medium’s aesthetic, be it 2015’s Hardcore Henry or the collected oeuvre of Neveldine and Taylor, will become exhausting by the end…
Will the Real Jung Ho-seok Please Stand Up: “Jack In The Box” Album Review
While Jack In The Box is J-Hope’s first solo album, it is not his first outing without the other BTS’ members. On 2nd March 2018, the triple threat (rapper, dancer, vocalist) released his debut mixtape, Hope World, which peaked on the Billboard 200 at 38, despite being a free mixtape, available on SoundCloud as well…
“Kingmaker” Review
Released in January 2022 just weeks before the presidential election in South Korea, writer-director Byun Sung-hyun’s fourth directorial effort, Kingmaker, is as much a character drama as it is a political film. It is 1961, Seo Chang-dae (Lee Sun-kyun), a local pharmacist who fled the North, meets Kim Woon-bum (Sol Kyung-gu), an eloquent small-time politician…
“[In the Future] I May Experiment with Music, but I Want to Find My Own Path Even Though That Is a Long Way Journey.” – In Conversation with Paul Kim, a Singer-songwriter
“I have never done a show in English before, that was a big challenge for me,” Paul Kim candidly admits when asked about his performance during the HallyuPopFest at Wembley Arena. Although English is not Paul’s mother tongue, he surely has an excellent command of the language. His entire performance in London was conducted in…
MIK Festival, the 1st and the Largest Outdoor K-pop Festival is to Take Over Southwark Park in London
The largest Korean music festival, the MIK Festival, is coming to London. Taking place in Southwark Park on the 30th and 31st of July, the festival will feature acts such as Red Velvet, SUHO of EXO, Pentagon, VIVIZ, CHUNG HA, Golden Child, Cherry Bullet, and Billlie, as well as showcasing some of South Korea’s finest…
In Conversation with Sam Kim, a Singer-songwriter and Producer
Who is Sam Kim? Born in the United States, Sam attended a high school in the state of Washington. At the age of 15, he moved to South Korea where he participated in a talent show, K-pop Star. After placing second in the competition, the singer signed with Antenna Music, a record label that is…
We Move Our Feet to the Beat – HallyuPopFest Takes Over the Wembley Arena in London
HallyuPopFest, the first and the biggest indoor K-pop festival in the UK, was mainly aimed at fans of K-pop music. TEG MJR, the worldwide producers, venue operators, and entertainment industry innovators, also ambitiously hoped to create an event that would be a great introduction to the universe of Korean pop for those unfamiliar with the…
In Conversation with Ryutaro Nakagawa, Director of “One Day, You Will Reach the Sea”
Ryutaro Nakagawa sits with his hands clasped together, listening intently and speaking passionately with View of the Arts ahead of the international premiere of his film: One Day, You Will Reach the Sea. The drama, which is based on Maru Ayase’s novel of the same name, focuses on themes that Nakagawa has wanted to explore…
BTS Club Night Brings Huge Excitement to The Garage in London.
“It’s my first time at the BTS Club Night”, says Charlotte, then adds: “It’s very nice, the organisers are friendly and quick to respond – there’s a good atmosphere and it’s a great night out with friends.” There is no denial that the BTS Club Night might be one of the hottest K-pop events in…
“Deciding to Venture into an Acting Career Was up to Me Alone.” – In Conversation with Sung Hoon, a South Korean Actor
Originating from South Korea, Sung Hoon had always dreamed of being an athlete. He was a promising swimmer, but his career abruptly ended due to a spinal injury. Nevertheless, he managed to move on from professional swimming to a more unexpected career: acting. Sung Hoon debuted in 2009 with White Brown’s Because I Love You….
In Conversation with Pil Gam-sung, Writer and Director of “Hostage: Missing Celebrity”
In recent years, Korean cinema has been very successful not only with releasing hits on the big screen, but also with producing a new generation of superb, first-time filmmakers. One of those talented filmmakers is Pil Gam-sung, writer and director of Hostage: Missing Celebrity, starring Hwang Jung-min. “Hostage: Missing Celebrity is Pil’s feature film debut,…
Remembrance of Things Past: BTS’ “Proof” Album Review
Since the release of the studio album BE in November 2020, BTS has released three English language singles: “Dynamite”, “Butter” and “Permission to Dance”. Proof is their first substantive album in nearly two years. Marketed as an anthology album, Proof is perhaps best understood as a ‘memory-box’, combining mementos from the past with promises of…
In Conversation with Yoon Jong-seok, Director of “Confession”, and Won Dong-yeon, Producer of “Confession”
The 2022 Udine Far East Film Festival was a real treat. Not only because of the great films in the programme, but because it was the first year that film guests were able to attend the event since Covid restrictions had been lifted. Mostly consisting of producers and filmmakers, we had a very productive and…
“Yaksha: Ruthless Operations” Review
On paper, it sounds like a recipe for a formulaic crime caper. One lawmaker who has always followed the rules and played everything by the book is forced by circumstance to team up with a maverick who will happily ignore standard procedure if it means getting results. It’s no surprise that, over the course of…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 