2013.1.11 NOW PLAYING
My Little Hero (All)Drama / 145 / Korean
After a failed musical, director Yoo Il-han (Kim Rae-won) is relegated to working on children’s shows. Il-han, however, still believes he is a distinguished director and perseveres. When he finally finds a way to Broadway through an audition program, Yong-gwang (Ji Dae-han) is chosen as a partner for the musical audition program. Il-han thinks there is only a slim chance of winning the audition as Young-gwang has no distinguishing features. But though he lacks exceptional performing skills, he has a heavenly voice. Il-han starts training Young-gwang and implores to practice. While instructing the earnest boy, the protagonist grows as a director. Not many people recognized them at first, but later the pair win acclaim together.
The human drama by Kim Sung-hoon is heartwarming and witty. Ji, who plays the young boy in the film, comes from a multicultural family, making the story more believable.
Precious (19)
Drama / 110 / English
Based on the 1996 highly acclaimed novel “Push” by Sapphire, Clarice “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is an obese, illiterate 16-year-old living in 1987 Harlem.
She is constantly tormented by fellow high school students in public and physically and verbally abused in private by her alcoholic mother (Mo’Nique) and father. Her temporary escape is through imagination and fantasy, where she is appreciated. Her first child has Down syndrome and she is pregnant with her second - both conceived by her father’s incestuous abuses.
This second pregnancy turns out to be her salvation, however. When her situation becomes known, her high school principal places Precious into an alternative school, hoping she will find a new direction. Precious learns how to read and write thanks to the guidance of her new teacher, Blu Rain (Paula Patton), who also helps her come to terms with her life through writing. Through encounters with other benevolent people like social worker Ms. Weiss (Mariah Carey) and a nurse (Lenny Kravitz), Precious receives something that most teens never get - a chance to start over.
“Precious” is an emotionally striking movie about one girl who manages to find hope in a world that seems to be full of endless despair. This 2009 drama was nominated as Best Picture at the 82nd Academy Awards.
The Reef 2: High Tide (All)
Animation, Adventure / 80 / English, Korean
Here is an American-Korean co-produced family movie for you.
A sequel to 2006’s “The Reef,” the second adventure is back with fresh and old finny friends, beautiful aquatic environment and fast-paced action.
Pi (Drake Bell) and Cordelia (Busy Philips) return as proud parents of a fresh-faced fry named Junior (Frankie Jonas) just as bullying shark Troy (Donal Logue) and his gang, again on the hunt, wait for the high tide.
Pi can’t fight these enemies alone, so he rallies and trains his friends and neighbors for an underwater battle.
As they get ready to fight, a mysterious new reef fish, Ronny (Jamie Kennedy), appears, claiming that his ideas can save their lives.
Things hit an all-time low when Troy kidnaps Cordelia. Can Pi and Junior save not only their family member, but also the reef and its school of fish and friends from the marauding sharks?
Famous comedians like Kim Byung-man and Ryu Dam provide Korean voice-overs for Troy and Ronny, respectively.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (All)
Documentary / 90 / English
Werner Herzog provides us with an inside view of the Chauvet Cave, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man, in this 2010 3-D documentary.
Chauvet Cave in southern France contains pristine artwork created more than 30,000 years ago - almost twice as old as any previous discovery. Herzog’s initial interest in the cave was triggered by an article in The New Yorker by Judith Thurman. However, since its discovery in 1994, access to Chauvet has been heavily restricted due to concerns that exposure, even to human breath, could damage the priceless drawings.
The award-winning director and two others filmed the documentary under government surveillance.
The film shows the cave drawings that depict predatory animals, such as bison, rhinos, bears, mammoths and horses, all beautifully illustrated. The film also includes interviews with scientists and historians.
Herzog was initially reluctant to 3-D filmmaking, but the technique helps to “capture the intentions of the painters” who incorporated the wall’s subtle bulges and contours into their art.
Film critic Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times praised the “Cave” as “a sacred space where the human and the mystical effortlessly intertwine, and we are in Werner Herzog’s debt for that great gift.”
Love Is All You Need (15)
Melodrama, Romance / 116 / Danish
Ada (Trine Dyrholm) is a fortysomething Copenhagen hairdresser. After a course of chemotherapy and receiving the all-clear diagnosis from her doctors, Ada comes home and catches her husband Leif (Kim Bodnia) having an affair. This is all too much for Ada, but she decides to put on a brave face for their daughter’s upcoming wedding in Italy.
On the way to the airport, Ada bumps her car with Philip’s (Pierce Brosnan), who is a business tycoon. After conversing, they both realize that their offspring are marrying each other and even carpool to the wedding. Like many romantic comedies, it’s obvious what will happen next.
As final preparations for their children’s wedding nears, the flames of Philip and Ada’s love intensify.
With the beautiful backdrop of Italy, “Love is All You Need” draws comparisons to “Mamma Mia!” but is about finding love the second time around.
Les Miserables (12)
Drama, Musical / 158 / English
Brace yourself for the cinematic musical experience of a lifetime. Victor Hugo’s epic tale and beloved global stage sensation “Les Miserables” has been adapted to the silver screen. In 19th-century France, stealing a loaf of bread places Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) in prison for 19 years. Valjean is on the run from a ruthless police inspector, Javert (Russell Crowe), for violating his parole.
As an ex-convict, he is refused shelter until kind Bishop Myriel saves him in exchange for his promise to be an honest man. Valjean masks his identity to live a completely changed life under a pseudonym.
His life is reformed forever when he agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Anne Hathaway) daughter Cosette. He learns to love as the bitterness of years of injustice melt away. Now his sole reason for hiding and evading Javert is to protect Cosette.
More information is available on the Web sites listed below
Art Reon www.artreon.co.kr
Arthouse Momo www.cineart.co.kr
Broadway Cinema www.bc5.co.kr
Cine City www.icinecity.co.kr
Cinus www.cinus.co.kr
City Cinema www.citycinema.co.kr
CJ CGV www.cgv.co.kr
Daehan Cinema www.daehancinema.co.kr
Hanil Cinema www.hanilcinema.co.kr
Hypertheque Nada www.dsartcenter.co.kr
Joongang Cinema www.joongangcinema.co.kr
Land Cinema www.landcinema.co.kr
Lotte Cinema www.lottecinema.co.kr
Megabox www.megabox.co.kr
MMC www.mmc24.co.kr
Primus Cinema www.primuscinema.com
Seoul Cinema www.seoulcinema.com
Sponge House www.spongehouse.com
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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