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2012.7.20 NOW PLAYING

Two Moons (15)

Mystery, Thriller / 86 / Korean

One man and two women wake up in a basement of a strange house deep in the woods.

None of these three people, mystery novelist So-hee (Park Han-byul), college student Suk-ho (Kim Ji-seok) nor high school student In-jung (Park Jin-joo), remembers how, when or why they got there. Ever since they woke up, time ceased to pass and they are confined within the house with weird keening sounds and unidentified presences.

As they strive to survive in the endless night and limited space, time reveals secrets about the house and about each other, drawing them to mistrust and madness.

“Two Moons” is directed by Kim Dong-bin, who formerly directed other horror films like “The Ring Virus”(1999) and “Red eye”(2004). Park Han-byul, who stars as So-hee in “Two Moons,” also has experience in horror films such as “Whispering Corridors 3: Wishing Stairs”(2003) and “Yoga School”(2009).

With blood and hair-raising sounds combined with a sound storyline and atmospheric synesthesia, “Two Moons” could be a perfect chill for the summer heat.

The Dark Knight Rises (15)

Action, Adventure, Crime / 164 / English

This summer’s most anticipated blockbuster does not disappoint. In the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, Christian Bale reprises his role as Batman for the last time. The film takes place eight years after the dramatic events of “The Dark Knight,” in which Batman selflessly took the blame for Harvey Dent’s abhorrent crimes. Branded a public enemy, Batman was forced into exile by the city’s police department. However, despite his tarnished reputation, Batman resurfaces when a new terrorist, Bane (Tom Hardy), and his mysterious cat-burglar associate, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), threaten to destroy Gotham City.

“The Dark Knight Rises” culminates the artful trilogy with brilliant suspense and ambition. Though the film runs almost three hours, viewers have been enthralled, deeming it a “true cinematic experience to behold.” Though some critics have found some aspects of the film to be overworked and unintelligible - particularly Bane’s heavy Romani-Latin based accent - “The Dark Knight Rises” is a reminder that great writing, direction and acting can make up for certain cinematic flaws. Nolan has been dubbed an artist, bringing magic to the screen: the score, visuals, editing and direction all exceed expectations. “The Dark Knight Rises” is an apt conclusion to the legacy and will certainly be up for Oscars.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World (12)

Documentary, Biography / 208 / English

HBO and Martin Scorsese bring a unique and moving documentary of one of the world’s most influential men to the big screen. Using archive footage, interviews with friends, family and associates, Scorsese takes viewers through the life of the iconic guitar player from Liverpool - from his early days with the Beatles right up to his death in 2001. Though there have been countless movies about the Beatles with the same, overused video clips, this film brings fresh new footage and material. The documentary explores the side of Harrison that has never been seen before; it explores Harrison’s spirituality, philosophy and the complexity of his character. Scorsese’s clear appreciation and love of the music is apparent as he presents Harrison’s songs chronologically throughout the film. Well researched, insightful and engrossing, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” is a sincere tribute to the iconic guitar player and a must-see for all fans.

Cafe de Flore (19)

Romance, Drama / 120 / English

“Cafe de Flore” is about two tragic love stories separated by both time and space. One story is set in present-day Montreal and follows Antoine (Kevin Parent), a club DJ who is torn between his new girlfriend, Rose (Evelyne Brochu), and his ex-wife, Carole (Helene Florent). The other story is set in Paris in the 1960s and follows Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis) and her daughter, Laurent (Marin Gerrier), who suffers from Down syndrome and has a crush on another friend with Down syndrome, Vero (Alice Dubois). Though the two stories are seemingly unrelated, the film builds toward how they are, in fact, inextricably linked.

“Cafe de Flore” is tragic but touching, fantastical but also incredibly real - reaching the audience on a deeply human level. Emotionally complex and beautiful, the split plot is imaginative and artistic. This Canadian-French drama film, directed and written by Jean-Marc Vallee, has already gathered 13 nominations for the 2012 Genie Awards.

Midnight in Paris (15)

Fantasy, Romance / 94 / English

After London, Barcelona and Rome, Woody Allen has returned with another cinematic treat. Eponymously set in nocturnal Paris, Allen’s serenade to his beloved City of Light is a time-traveling, escapist fantasy in which Allen’s film stand-in Gil (Owen Wilson), a wide-eyed Hollywood screenwriter, journeys to the Golden Twenties and meets the cohort of the Lost Generation and further to la Belle Epoque.

The protagonist, who has a reverent respect for the high culture, is misunderstood and feels out of place in the company of his yuppie fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her neoliberal parents. When asked to join Inez’s even more pretentious friends, Gil, who is deeply suspicious of intellectual snobbery, saunters off alone into the Paris night streets. When the bell of the nearby cathedral signals midnight, he is swept off in a vintage Peugeot to a jazz-flowing, flappers-replete fete to join his literary heros Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald and Djuna Barnes, along with Cole Porter, and their European peers Picasso, Dali and Bunuel. Gil relishes in the dream-like refuge from the post-9/11 America and yearns for his nightly escape to the ’20s literary expatriate community in Paris. Filtered through the innocent imagination of a young writer, Paris that Allen portrays inspires nostalgia for the past audience has not lived.

Everything Must Go (15)

Comedy, Drama / 97 / English

After another alcoholic relapse, Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) finds himself completely lost: He is fired from his sales job, only to come home and finds that his wife has left and kicked him out. With no money and nowhere to go, Nick resorts to living on the lawn, hopelessly drinking his beer.

When the police ask Nick to vacate the premises, his cop friend, Frank, gives him a five-day permit for a lawn sale. While trying to sell his belongings, he befriends neighborhood kid (Christopher Wallace) and new neighbor Samantha (Rebecca Hall).

Though the story line is simple, this film delves into what it means to climb your way up from rock bottom. Nick learns that in order to truly start over and let go, everything must go - starting with all of his old belongings.