2015.01.02 Now Playing

The Tenor Lirico Spinto (12)
Drama/ 114/ Korean
Based on the true story of famous tenor Bae Jae-chul, “The Tenor Lirico Spinto” is the story of a man who overcomes everything to achieve his dreams.
“Lirico Spinto” is a term used to describe a tenor who can easily reach high notes and Jae-chul (Yoo Ji-tae) was the first Asian performing in Europe to receive such high praise.
The press has eulogized him as the best tenor of the past century.
In the movie, he collapses while practicing for a performance and is later diagnosed with thyroid cancer, all while he was planning a tour of Japan with his fellow music producer Koji Sawada (Iseya Yusuke).
Just as it seems that Bae will have to give up his career as an opera singer, Koji suggests that he undergo an operation on his vocal cords, even though a positive result cannot be guaranteed. After the surgery, Bae is only able to use 30 percent of his vocal cords, but he never gives up his life on the stage and realizes that a true singer should sing with his heart and does not rely entirely on talent.
The film’s music doesn’t disappoint, with renowned operas such as “Turandot” and “Il Trovatore.”

The Penguins of Madagascar (All)

Animation, comedy/ 92/ English
The four adorable penguins from the Madagascar series return in this spin-off.
Skipper, Kowalski and Rico save an unhatched egg that their families left behind when they migrated to a new habitat. Private, a cute baby penguin, hatches and the four penguins start a journey together.
The story picks up where the last movie, “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” left off, and the penguins head on their way to celebrate Private’s birthday.
The birthday party becomes an adventure after they are kidnapped by a villainous octopus named Dave. Dave wants to get revenge on the penguins because they stole his thunder when they lived in the zoo together.
But a mysterious elite task force called “North Wind” arrives to save the penguins.
The wisecracking, military-disciplined penguins and the North Wind team are front-and-center in this exhilarating Madagascar adventure.

How To Steal A Dog (All)

Drama/ 109/ Korean
Based on Barbara O’Connor’s best-selling novel “How To Steal A Dog”, the said but touching family tale has a stunning cast including Choi Min-soo of “Holiday”, Kim Hae-ja of “Mother” and Kang Hae-jung of “Welcome To Dongmakgol.”
The film marks Choi Min-sik’s return to the silver screen after an eight-year absence.
Ten-year-old Ji-so (Yi-rae) has lived in a van with her mother Jeong-hyeon (Kang Hae-jung) and her younger brother Ji-suk since her father disappeared with a simple message saying that he would come back soon, but he has been gone for a month. Then, Ji-so finds a poster about a missing dog with a $5,000 reward.
She believes the money on the poster would be enough to buy a house for her family and creates a plan with her friend to steal a dog from a rich family.
They finally find a dog named Wolly owned by an old rich woman (Kim Hae-ja) who owns the restaurant that Ji-so’s mother works at.
While they carry out their plan, the elderly woman’s nephew chases after the dog in order to make sure he gets his aunt’s inheritance.
It is rare to see a domestic movie that features a pet in so many scenes, making it perfect for animal lovers.

The Royal Tailor (15)

Drama/ 127/ Korean

“The Royal Tailor” is set in a sanguiwon, an 18th-century Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) palace atelier.

Dol-suk, the head of the sanguiwon, is looking forward to becoming an aristocrat after 30 years of serving the royal family.

But he starts to worry about his status after the queen (Park Shin-hye) decides to employ Gong-jin, an unconventional hanbok (traditional Korean dress) designer from outside the palace.

At first, Dol-suk doesn’t take Gong-jin seriously because he used to make clothes for gisaeng, or Korean courtesans.

However, Dol-suk eventually admits that Gong-jin has talent and the two hold a competition to see who can create the best clothing.

The film depicts the power struggle within sanguiwon.

Beautiful hanbok feature heavily in the film, so the costume makers went all out with glitter and colorful embroidery.

The movie’s costume budget was almost 1 billion won ($909,000), a large portion of the 7.2 billion won production fee.

Seasoned actor Han Suk-kyu of “The Berlin File” plays Dol-suk, while Go-su plays Gong-jin.

Taken 3 (15)

Action, thriller/ 112/ English
The heart-wrenching story of fatherly love told in the Taken series has been popular in Korea. “Taken 3” is the third and final installment in the trilogy. Director Olivier Fontana is back again after “Taken 2” and Liam Neeson returns as ex-CIA agent turned bodyguard Bryan Mills.
Bryan comes home after receiving a phone call that his ex-wife was coming to visit him.
But the reconciliation with her is tragically broken when he finds her corpse, brutally murdered.
Soon, the police swoop in and he is framed for the murder of his ex-wife. Then, he is the one being hunted by the NYPD, CIA, FBI and the Turkish mafia who are looking for vengeance.
For one last time, Bryan risks his life to protect the only thing that matters to him now - his daughter.
Spectacular scenes such as a car chase and a scene of Bryan’s car ramming into an airplane are highlights of the film. Liam Neeson’s performance in the action scenes is very convincing.

Two Days, One Night (12)

Drama/ 95/ French

The Belgian filmmaking duo renowned for their artistry, the Dardenne brothers, return with this wrenching story. The two have won the Palm d’Or, the highest prize at Cannes, twice, for “Rosetta” and “The Child.”

The world star Marion Cotillard plays the lead role in “Two Days, One Night.”

The story unfolds in a small industrial town in Belgium. Sandra (Cotillard) is a wife and mother who suffers from depression and works in a small solar-panel factory with 16 coworkers.

One day, they realize that they are able to cover her shifts by working slightly longer hours.

The owner of the factory suggests that they choose between keeping her onboard or making 1,000 euros ($1,210) more per person.

She finds out that her fate is in their hands, and starts to visit each of them over the course of a weekend, two days and one night, to persuade them to select her instead of the bonus. The directors show that each of her co-workers needs the money for their own family.

The Dardenne brothers said they wanted to tell a story that ordinary people can relate to.