2012.8.17 Now Playing
Action, Drama / 113 / Korean
Tae-hoon (Rain) is a gifted pilot, but he is also a troublemaker filled with curiosity and playfulness. After joining the South Korean Elite Black Eagles Air Force, Tae-hoon finds himself transferred to a combat flying unit after ruining an air show demonstration. On the first day of his transfer to F15K, he meets Cheol-hee (Yu Jun-sang), the unit’s own top gun. As Tae-hoon is free-spirited and Cheol-hee plays by the rules, the two get on each other’s nerves and are in a constant fight. Nevertheless, Tae-hoon continues his free-spirited ways, and his antics get the entire unit suspended from duty. However, real troubles arise when a North Korean MiG jet fighter is discovered heading toward the South, and Tae-hoon and the rest of the squad are put back on active duty. No one knows what will happen during the reconnaissance mission, but the F15K needs to prepare to vanquish the enemy. “R2B: Return to Base” is a remake of director Shin Sang-ok’s “The Red Muffler” (1964). The movie, which is principally centered around the soldiers’ friendship, is supported by the Korean Air Force and will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Action, Sci-Fi / 121 / English
Starring Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale, director Len Wiseman’s 2012 film is a remake of the 1990 film of the same name by Paul Verhoeven, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. While the 1990 film grossed $261 million worldwide, achieving a box office success, Wiseman’s remake seems to be drawing a more lackluster response from audiences at home and abroad. Perhaps it is the political overtones or the absence of the trip to Mars that happened in the original - censored possibly due to the successful NASA project to the Red Planet. But the movie is different from the 1990 version in more ways than one, and not always to its benefit. In this post-apocalyptic tale following a chemical war that devastated most of the world, a factory worker named Quaid (Farrell) visits a company that implants artificial memory and makes life-changing revelations involving his true identity and those of the beautiful women in his life. After his rude awakening, assassination attempts and police chase quickly ensue unfolding a secret plot of a coup d’etat of which Quaid was a part. While the action sequence is impressive and entertaining enough, the film sorely lacks the wry humor or intelligent plot twists necessary of successful sci-fi action films. But if you’re looking for a no-brainer action film, “Total Recall” is the way to go.
Drama, Comedy / 80 / English
Four is a crowd for the two parents who meet after their sons get into a fight at a local park. Penelope (Jodie Foster) and Michael (John C. Reily) are parents of the 11-year-old “victim” son. They invite over the parents of the “bully,” Nancy (Kate Winslet) and Alan (Christoph Waltz) to make amends. Their civilized manner, however, is short-lived as the night progresses. The parents become increasingly childish devolving into chaos - their talk on child rearing soon escalates into verbal warfare. Eventually the couples turn on each other and even on their own spouse, revealing all four parents’ true colors. Nancy at one point even vomits profusely as she is overwhelmed by the gradually intensifying tension.
The movie shows how down and dirty any human beings can get, even parents who generally are thought to resolve problems amicably, especially involving children. You may find yourself at the edge of your seat, waiting to see who cracks first during the battle. The chaotic fights may also have you howling and applauding with delight.
Drama, Music, Romance / 98 / English
Another movie with upbeat dance and music steps up to heat up your summer!
Emily (Kathryn McCormick), the star from the sixth season of “So You Think You Can Dance” television series, plays the daughter of an affluent businessman who arrives in Miami aspiring to become a professional dancer. Before long, sparks fly with Sean (Ryan Guzman), the leader of an elaborate flash dance mob crew called “The Mob,” which drives to win a major sponsorship opportunity.
When Emily’s father threatens to demolish the Mob’s historic neighborhood for his development plan, the crew risks their dreams as Emily attempts to unite Sean and the Mob to turn their dance performance art into protest art in defense.
As the fourth installment of the “Step Up” film series, “Step Up Revolution” has undergone a complete makeover. With a different production, distribution companies, a new director and fresh faces for leading roles, audiences can expect crazy visuals collaborated by four different choreographers also viewable in all in-your-face 3-D.
Project Nim (12)
Documentary / 98 / English
“Project Nim” is a British documentary that follows a research project conducted during the 1970s which aimed to teach chimpanzees how to communicate in American sign language.The project itself surrounded a chimp named Nim Chimsky, which researchers attempted to raise like a human child in a brownstone in the Upper West Side of New York City.
The film shows the effect this had on the chimp and the emotional experiences of the trainers he was passed between as he grew older. It also explores the informal way in which the Nim research was carried out and raises ethical issues brought up by critics of the study. As viewers of the film, we are asked what it means to be human, and where to draw the line between a person and an animal in the eyes of people who were raised alongside one.
The film comes from the same team that produced the award-winning “Man on Wire,” and has been generally well received since its debut at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Comedy / 113 / English
Jim, Michelle, Stifler and their buds are back for the latest in the “American Pie” series. One might think that with the added years the infamously immature bunch would have moved on from their high school days. But the masturbation-filled opening scene complete with Jim’s lubed sock assures us though that our now mythical band camp nerds are as sex-crazed and emotionally unstable as ever. And really, how could they not be? Without Stifler’s sexist jabs and Finch’s darling awkwardness, “American Reunion” wouldn’t be true to its pedigree.
The shenanigans, booze and sex will be quite familiar to fans of the previous films, though additions throw a few wrenches into the mix.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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