2008. 9.26 NOW PLAYING

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (12)

Action, Adventure / 119min. / English

See full review, left.

The Life Before Her Eyes (18)

Thriller/ 90 min. / English

Diana (Evan Rachel Wood), a wild teenager, and her conservative friend Maureen (Eva Amurri) live an ordinary life until a shocking shooting terrorizes their high school. Luckily, Diana survives. After 15 years, Diana’s (Uma Thurman) shattered mind somehow comes together to make a fine family. However, the underlying fear and trauma that she has lived with peaks on the anniversary of the fateful day. As Diana loses her hold on reality and fades away into darkness, her family begins to fall apart. This is a story about how one simple decision can change an entire life.

It’s a Free World (15

Drama / 96 min. / English, Polish

Angie (Kierston Wareing), a single mom, finds herself unjustly fired from her job at a recruitment agency after she becomes a victim to sexual harassment from her boss. Instead of looking for another job, Angie decides to start a new recruitment agency with her roommate Rose (Juliet Ellis) to help desperate migrant workers find employment. Although the new venture has good intentions, the firm is operating illegally. In this film, director Ken Loach criticizes labor law not from the employees’ view, but the employers’. Through Angie’s story, the audience sees how the government exacerbates labor problems that cause the exploitation of migrant workers.

Donkey Xote (All

Animation / 83 min. / Spanish

The classic Spanish tale by Miguel de Cervantes of capricious knight Don Quixote comes to the screen as a cartoon. In “Donkey Xote,” the story is told from the atypical point of view of Rocinante (David Fernandez), the steed of Don Quixote (Jose Luis Gil), and Rucio (Luis Posada), the donkey mount of the Don’s squire, Sancho Panza (Andreu Buenafuente). This comical journey takes on a zany air with the quirks of Rocinante, who hates to leave his stable, and Rucio, who wants to be a horse, taking center stage. Don Quixote and Sancho travel far and wide to battle the Knight of the Moon in his quest for love. Will he defeat the knight and find the identity of his true love Dulcinea (Sonia Ferrer)?

The Children of Huang Shi (12

Drama, War / 124 min. / English

“The Children of Huang Shi,” the product of a China-Australia-Germany film alliance, tells the story of George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a little-known British journalist who sought to infiltrate 1930s Nanjing, China to report on Japanese atrocities there. But after witnessing mass murders and brutal violence at the hands of the Japanese, Hogg is captured and nearly executed before a band of nationalist guerillas, led by Chen Hansheng (Chow Yun Fat) swoops in to his rescue. At the recommendation of an Australian nurse, Lee Pearson (Radha Mitchell), Hogg is shipped off to a Chinese orphanage in a town called Huang Shi, where he must care for a group of recalcitrant boys. Slowly, but surely, Hogg finds new meaning in his life as the boys inspire him to become their surrogate father in a brutal time of war.

Mirrors (18)

Thriller, Suspense / 111 min. / English

A disgraced former New York City police officer, Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland) now works as a security guard on the night shift at a department store almost burnt down by a big fire. While he’s on duty, he feels sinister spirits behind the walls trying to connect to the human world by carving messages on the mirrors. As they discover Ben, they go after his family. To cut off the connection with the malicious souls, Ben has to take a stand.

The film is a remake of the Korean feature “Geoul Sokeuro” (2003). Director Alexandre Aja reprises the film with higher tension and edge-of-your-seat moments.

Bangkok Dangerous (15)

Thriller, Action / 97 min. / English

In this remake of a 1999 Thai hit of the same title, hit man Joe (Nicolas Cage) touches down in Bangkok targeting four local crime lords. Upon arrival, he hires Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm), a pickpocket, to run errands and to cover his tracks. As Joe quietly plans the assassination, he ends up mentoring Kong, whom he sees as a younger version of himself. But when Joe’s hit doesn’t go as planned, his boss changes his intended target and the city of Bangkok is put in serious danger.

Singijeon (The Divine Weapon) (15)

Historical Drama / 134 min. / Korean with English subtitles

The Joseon Dynasty of the 1400s is in great governmental turmoil. China’s Ming Dynasty has an army of 3,000 encroaching upon Joseon, increasingly demanding more tribute from King Sejong and his court. With the Joseon court under surveillance, military official Chang-gang (Heo Jun-ho) seeks help elsewhere. Enter Hong-li (Han Eun-jeong), a tragic, brainy heroine who’s the only person in Joseon who knows how to craft the state’s secret weapon, the singijeon, “the divine weapon.” Chang-gang has decided to keep Hong-li at the home of Sul-ju (Jeong Jae-yeong), the leader of a band of merchants. Can Hong-li and Sul-ju overcome their significant differences and build a singijeon to save Joseon?

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