2013.5.10 Now playing
Melodrama, Romance / 110 / Korean
The movie is an off-the-wall melodrama that moves between the past and present, and the bizarre imagery makes the movie even more of a pleasure to watch.
It tells the story of a couple and a woman who secretly loves the committed man. Hyuk-geun (Lee Hee-Joon) and Cha-kyung (Han Ye-Ri) are a lovable couple, not knowing that Cha-kyung’s best friend Ki-ok (Rie Young-Zin) has been hiding her feelings for him to keep her friendship with Cha-kyung. The three spend happy days together until Cha-kyung dies in a road accident on her way to his home. One year after her death, Ki-ok slowly makes a move, pretending she has overcome Cha-kyung’s death, while Hyuk-geun is not yet ready to accept the reality, believing that Cha-kyung is just late and will surely come home. One day, Hyuk-geun and Ki-ok see an illusion of Cha-kyung, which blurs the line between reality and fantasy. The distraught Hyuk-geun gets to the point that he can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. But the overall ambience of the movie is not as melancholy as the story sounds with a number of flashback scenes in which the three seem happier than ever.
Thriller, Drama / 120 / Korean
The movie is well-scripted and acted by veteran actors Kim Sang-kyung, Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Young-chang. Kim Sang-kyung, who was highly acclaimed for his performance as a detective in the hit thriller movie “Memories of Murder,” plays the same role in the upcoming film.
The story centers on a mysterious abduction case that happened 15 years ago. The devastated mother (Uhm Jung-hwa) of the kidnapped daughter has been living in sorrow. One day, just five days ahead of the expiration of the statute of limitations, she is told about a clue by the detective (Kim Sang-kyung) who was in charge of the case.
The suspect in the case left one flower at the previous crime scene and shortly later kidnapped a little girl in almost the same way.
The two team up with the old man (Song Young-chang) who lost his granddaughter right in front of his eyes. Will they catch the suspect and rescue the kidnapped girls? You’ll have to watch to find out. The heart-pounding thriller surely shows the heartwarming nature of humanity and is full of twists and turns.
Boomerang Family (15)
Comedy, Drama / 112 / Korean
From its conception, this movie promised big things with names like Kong Hyo-jin, Park Hae-il and Yoon Je-moon.
The plot, which is also alluring, is about three misfit siblings with an average age of 39 who all decide to move in with their mom.
Based on the novel of the same name by Chun Myung-gwan, the film kicks off in hilarity with a thwarted suicide, two fully-grown brothers, Han-mo and In-mo, wrestling over a spot at mom’s as well as twice-married Mi-yeon fleeing her husband and moving into her mom’s with her teenage daughter Min-kyung (Jin Ji-hee) in tow.
The first part of the film focuses on the characters and changing alliances as the three siblings fight over everything from each other’s failures to pieces of pork. The exaggerations, the swearing and the unfortunate living situation will generate a lot of laughter, often resembling any other family. The second part of the movie, however, enters a more serious phase as the teenage Min-kyung runs away from home.
Iron Man 3 (12)
Action / 129 / English
It is not a story of a super hero who is always full of confidence. It focuses more on the human side of the hero. Iron Man loses everything from fame, love and friendship to suits of armor. Devastated Tony Stark confronts a question, “Do I make the suit or does the suit make me?”
In the aftermath of New York being attacked by aliens (in the last movie “The Avengers”), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) feels insecure for the first time in his life. He is haunted by nightmares and post-traumatic stress.
To overcome the fear, he spends days and nights developing stronger armor.
But soon, he is attacked and destroyed by his toughest enemy, AIM.
He loses everything he had except for one armor suit. Infuriated, he seeks vengeance against Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), the head of AIM. Now, he has to save the world and his lover (Gwyneth Paltrow) from terrorist threats. Bombs go off in crowds of people and buildings are destroyed in the film. The spectacular action effects deserve to be seen in 3-D. There’s also an after-credits stinger, so don’t leave too early or you risk being disappointed.
Drama, Romance / 143 / English
Long required reading in high school curricula, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novella from the Roaring Twenties has been met with both high praise and criticism. The same is true for the glitzy blockbuster film adaptation by Baz Luhrmann as critics are mixed about the star-studded movie. The director of “Moulin Rouge” and “Australia” did not disappoint those who were looking forward to his signature cinematic extravagance. The bombastic, over-the-top party scenes are wonderfully anachronistic - Jay-Z created the soundtrack. Inevitably compromised in the glitzy 3-D retelling of the tragic love story was the subtlety in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original work.
Though some scathing reviews say the film is “glib and shallow,” for filmgoers looking for an entertaining summer movie with an A-list cast - Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Tobey McGuire as Nick Carraway and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan - “Great Gatsby” is enough as it offers a dazzling spectacle of the Jazz Age for a whole 2 hours and 23 minutes.
Comedy, Drama / 101 / English
This comedy from the U.K. is a heartwarming tale about a new father who tries to turn his life around after a close run-in with the law.
Narrowly missing out on a prison sentence, Robbie (Paul Brannigan) makes a visit to a local distillery under the supervision of his community service coordinator Harry (John Henshaw), where he is complimented for his surprisingly discerning taste and skill in distinguishing between the brews.
It is here that Robbie, along with his buddies in the community service group, learn what an “Angel’s Share” is - the portion of wine or distilled spirits that evaporates during aging in oak barrels. Prompted by his newfound ability and his drive to turn his life around with the birth of his son, Robbie tries to make a living “turning to drink,” all the while struggling with ties from his former life of petty crime. It’s a bittersweet comedy directed by English director Ken Loach that’s been touted as “Scotland’s answer to the ‘Full Monty.’?”
The film is also full of picturesque scenery and is a breath of fresh air for those wanting a break from the big-budget Hollywood productions that have been saturating the box office recently.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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