2012.9.28 NOW Playing
Action, Comedy / 115 / Korean
Section chief Kim (Kim Myung-min) was dispatched to South Korea 22 years ago to spy for the North Korean government. But spying is not his job anymore, or at least, it’s not what he does in daily life.
Now, Kim makes a living by selling fake Viagra pills smuggled from China and returns home every night to his wife and two loving children. When Kim unexpectedly receives an assassination order from his boss (Yu Hae-jin), he gathers his teammates which consist of assistant manager Kang (Yum Jung-ah), a single mother and real estate agent, adviser Yoon (Byun Hee-bong), a retired senior citizen who specializes in making forged IDs, and assistant manager Woo (Jung Gyu-woon), a farmer whose expertise lies on hacking computers.
Although these four people no longer want to be part of the assassination coup, they have no choice but to follow the order.
While performing a reconnaissance routine, the protagonist enters the residence of their target as a cable repairman and notices a large safe in one of the rooms.
Later, he meets his fellow spies and devises a secondary plan to steal the safe’s money. No one knows if they will actually be able to get hold of the money as they in turn have become the target of the South Korean government.
Comedy, Fantasy/ 106 / English
Seth MacFarlane, the creator of “Family Guy,” debuts his first motion picture “Ted” in theatres now.
All John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) wanted was a friend and with a childhood wish upon a star, Ted (Seth McFarlane), his teddy bear miraculously comes to life. But after 27 years, he begins to pose a problem. Ted is now dirty, vulgar and obnoxious and refuses to leave John’s side, affecting John’s relationship with his four-year-long girlfriend, Lori Collins (Mila Kunis) who hopes to marry him one day.
When John and Lori walk into their home to find Ted with four prostitutes, the situation becomes the straw that broke the camel’s back. Lori has had it, and John, who was reluctant prior to the discovery, decides to find Ted his own home and work. Nevertheless, John and Ted still can’t seem to be apart from each other with John even skipping work to hang out.
Pressures may prevent John and Lori to have a happy ending and confrontation leads to a destructive brawl between John and Ted. Will the trio be able to make amends? “Ted” has received generally favorable views from the critics with praises of Seth MacFarlane’s comic performance and Mark Wahlberg’s role as John. Viewers can also expect a sequel to “Ted” which Seth MacFarlane announced during the 2012 Comic-Con.
Animation, Fantasy / 102 / English
“Brave” is Pixar’s first fairy tale with some dark scenes but enough adventurous and fantasy for your imagination.
In the Scottish kingdom of DunBroch, Princess Merida is a reckless, free-spirited girl who prefers to be a skilled archer than to learn the proper etiquette befitting a future queen. She wants freedom yet, Merida’s mother Queen Elinor is determined to change her into an elegant princess and even imposes the unthinkable, marriage!
Irritated, Merida defies her mother’s warning, fleeing to a secret forest where she encounters a witch and asks for help, only to be granted a curse, changing her mother into a bear. Merida now must rely on her courage and archery skills to save her mother from the spell before it become permanent.
Common Sense Media commends the movie for carrying a message of strong familial relationship and communication between parents and kids, especially of mothers and daughters.
Drama, Mystery, Thriller / 94 / English
Jill Parrish (Amanda Seyfried) has a traumatic past - a year ago, she had been kidnapped with several others but was the only one to escape. Even after returning back to civilization, she lives in constant paranoia.
She is obsessed with unraveling any kind of hint of the others’ disappearance. One night when she returns home to go out to dinner with her sister Molly (Emily Wickersham), Molly is nowhere to be found. Jill is convinced that her past kidnapper has come back to abduct her sister. She turns to the police for help but with no evidence of her past story to be found, it becomes harder to believe Jill’s story to be true. With only 12 hours on the clock until Molly may be killed, Jill sets out on her own to face the killer to save her sister.
Viewers can expect to see the talented Jennifer Carpenter of “Dexter” in this movie as Jill’s fellow waitress and friend. The film has not received much positive reviews, but you can be the judge of that.
Take this Waltz (19)
Comedy, Drama/ 116/ English
The story centers on Margot (Michelle Williams), a freelance writer who is in a dilemma due to her undeniable attraction to Daniel (Luke Kirby), a handsome artist in this 2011 Canadian romantic comedy-drama film.
On her plane ride back to her cozy home in Toronto, Margot meets an attractive man by the name of Daniel. There is only problem: Margot has been married for five years to Lou (Seth Rogen), a vibrant and humorous cook in progress of publishing his own book. Despite the comforting and tolerant husband by her side, Margot is obviously unsatisfied with her marriage.
Margot’s perplexity intensifies when she realizes that the person who just moved into the neighborhood is no one other than Daniel. She is initially resistant to Daniel’s advances but later sits in a bar listening to erotic desires Daniel has for her. What will her ultimate decision be?
“Take this Waltz” is the second work of a young Canadian actress-turned-director, Sarah Polley. The Washington Post cites the film as “almost perfect portrait of someone hooked on a feeling, someone high on believing.”
The Tree (12)
Drama, Romance / 100 / English
Based on the novel “Our Father Who Art in the Tree” written by a renowned Australian author Judy Pacoe, “The Tree,” or “L’Arbre,” is a joint French and Australian production. Trying to cope with the sudden death of her husband, Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is burdened with raising four children alone. Eight-year-old Simone (Morgana Davies), who believes she was her father’s favorite, is convinced that she hears her father whispering through the massive tree next to the house.
Dawn, aware of Simone’s belief, finds solace in her imagination and starts to believe in it herself. The tree strengthens the two, but is soon threatened by Dawn’s growing relationship with the local plumber, George (Marton Csokas).
At the same time, the tree’s enormous roots slowly begin to encroach on the house’s foundation and plumbing even onto a neighbor’s property, who demand the tree be chopped down.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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