2018.11.8 Now Playing

The Villagers (15)
Action, thriller / 99 / Korean / Nov. 7

Gi-cheol (Ma Dong-seok) is a temporary physical education teacher who has been hired at a high school in a small, sequestered town. As soon as he arrives, he senses that there’s something strange about the town. His suspicion grows upon seeing how calm people are after a girl goes missing from his high school. He attempts to dig into the case, but keeps getting told by people, including the police, to mind his own business.

The missing girl’s only friend was Yu-jin (Kim Sae-ron). Believing that her friend was kidnapped, she also gets herself involved in the case. Working together with Gi-cheol, they realize that someone is trying to erase traces of the missing girl.

Directed by Lim Jin-sun, the movie also stars Lee Sang-yeob and Jin Sun-kyu.

Ode to the Goose (15)
Drama / 121 / Korean / Nov. 8

A former poet named Yun-yeong (Park Hae-il) is very happy that his former crush Song-hyeon (Moon So-ri), the ex-wife of his friend, is single again. One day after drinking, the pair travels to Gunsan, North Jeolla.

After having some drinks at a local diner, the two check into a Japanese style guest house to stay a night. They are not the only ones at the accommodation, since the owner of the bed and breakfast, an unnamed man played by Jung Jin-young, has an autistic daughter (Park So-dam), who does not feel comfortable around strangers.

There, Song-hyeon shows an interest in the widowed owner, who is also an amateur photographer that spends hours working on photos in his darkroom. This clearly makes Yun-yeong feel uncomfortable and jealous.

The film is directed by Zhang Lu, who was behind “A Quiet Drama,” which opened the 2016 Busan International Film Festival.

The Wrath (15)
Horror, mystery / 94 / Korean / Nov. 8

A remake of the 1986 historical horror masterpiece “Woman’s Wail,” this period thriller, set in Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), follows a naive girl named Ok-bun (Son Na-eun) who happens to stumble into a cursed house, where a series of mysterious killings occur.

There, the girl encounters Lady Shin (Seo Young-hee), who lays out a set of unexplainable house rules that Ok-bun needs to follow during her stay. These rules are intended to prevent the girl from finding out the truths behind the house’s paranormal activities. But they don’t stop Ok-bun from investigating.

Directed by Yoo Young-seon of “The Wicked” (2014), the film also stars Lee Tae-ri and Park Min-ji.

Intimate Strangers (15)
Drama, Comedy / 115 / Korean / Oct. 31

When a group of childhood friends and their spouses gather at the fancy home of plastic surgeon Seok-ho (Cho Jin-woong) and his psychologist wife Ye-jin (Kim Ji-soo) for dinner, Ye-jin brings up the idea of playing a game.

The rules require everyone to reveal every text, phone call and social media notification that pops up on their smartphones throughout the night. She invites them all to join in on loudly reading out text messages and putting their calls on speakerphone for everyone to hear.

Though a little reluctant, everyone’s desire to not be suspected of having any secrets, especially from their spouses, eventually leads them all to participate. In the end, the game turns out to be a complete disaster that leaves everyone feeling disappointed and betrayed.

Co-starring Lee Seo-jin, Song Ha-yoon and Yoo Hai-jin, the movie was directed by Lee Jae-kyu and is a remake if the 2016 Italian film “Perfect Strangers.”

Bohemian Rhapsody (12)
Drama / 134 / English / Oct. 31

A biopic about the British rock band Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” pays particular attention to the life of Freddie Mercury, the band’s lead singer.

The film starts with the band’s performance at the Live Aid concert held at Wembley Stadium in 1985. It then goes back to 1970, and shows the younger Freddie.

Led by Freddie (Rami Malek), the band was formed with his friends Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, as well as his supportive girlfriend Mary Austin. The movie depicts Queen’s rise to fame and popularity following the release of their hit songs, including “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

But problems begin to arise as Freddie, who struggles with revealing his homosexuality, battles with drug use and fame as well as an AIDS diagnosis, which threatens the band.

Halloween (15)
Horror / 106 / English / Oct. 31

Ever since the release of 1978’s “Halloween,” directed and scored by John Carpenter, Michael Myers has become one of the most iconic serial killers in film history. The classic American slasher has continued to be retold in sequels over the past four decades.

But this latest “Halloween,” from Blumhouse Productions, ignores 40 years’ worth of spinoffs, and is a sequel to the original.

Directed by David Gordon Green, Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her iconic role as Laurie Strode, the sole survivor of Michael Myers’ killing spree in 1978. In the movie, Laurie is given one last battle with her arch-nemesis.

The movie was introduced to local audiences at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival last month. Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, visited the festival in time for the movie’s premiere.

The Children Gone to Poland (G)
Documentary / 79 / Korean / Oct. 31

Directed by actor-turned-director Choo Sang-mee, “The Children Gone to Poland” explores the little-known story of North Korean war orphans who were sent to Poland during the 1950-53 Korean War.

At the time, North Korea’s leader Kim Il Sung sent thousands of orphans to many of the country’s communist allies, including the Soviet Union and Hungary, asking that they take care of the children. In 1953, around 1,200 orphans were sent to the small village of Plakowice in Poland, where they lived in a former hospital for the next six years under the attentive care of Polish teachers and caregivers. However, tragedy strikes when the children are later ordered to return and become a part of North Korea’s post-war reconstruction efforts.

First Man (12)
Sci-fi, Drama / 141 / English / Oct. 18

Another collaboration between award-winning “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle and actor Ryan Gosling, “First Man” tells the story of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong.

Based on James R. Hansen’s book “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,” the film chronicles Armstrong’s work with NASA and also explores how society benefits from those who put work over personal happiness.

The biopic avoids building up to the moment where an American flag is planted on the surface of the moon, instead shedding light on how Armstrong was partially motivated by his unspoken grief over the death of his young daughter.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (G)
Fantasy, adventure / 152 / English / Oct. 24

In anticipation of next month’s “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” , “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” will return to local theaters this week. The “Fantastic Beasts” franchise is a spin-off and a prequel to the “Harry Potter” film series.

Directed by Chris Columbus, the movie centers on the young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) as he enrolls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns the truth about himself, secrets that he did not know about his family and about the evil forces that haunt the magical world.

Despite the dangers surrounding Harry, he overcomes these situations through the help of his teachers at Hogwarts, as well as his best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson).