2014.2.21 Now Playing

Tabloid Truth (15)

Drama, Crime / 121 / Korean

In the entertainment business, image is the most crucial factor that determines a celebrity’s rise and fall, especially for women. “The Tabloid” focuses on one of the industry’s most serious issues, “jjirasi,” which comes from a Japanese word for the controversial rumors going viral among Korean actors.

The story kicks off with a promising actress committing suicide after being rumored to be in a relationship with a married politician. Her manager, Woo-gon (Kim Gang-woo), decides to get to the bottom of the tabloid and its distributors.

Woo-gon uncovers a more discreet world behind the circulation of the rumors, involving characters such as former reporter Park Sa-jang (Jung Jin-young) and Baek-moon (Go Chang-suk), a bizarre wiretap specialist.

Pompeii (15)

Action, Adventure / 104 / English

The movie depicts the disaster of Pompeii, a city in the ancient Roman Empire that was buried in ashes after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. But the movie also has a strong love story.

Milo (Kit Harington) is a slave turned gladiator who was the only Celt to survive a raid by Roman soldiers. While being taken to his next contest in Pompeii, he encounters Cassia (Emily Browning), a daughter of the city’s lord, and they both fall in love instantly.

However, theira difference in social status hinders their love, and Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland), who was the main culprit in killing Milo’s parents as well as the city’s senator, plans on marrying Cassia.

But before their love triangle resolves, the volcano explodes, spewing fireballs and blanketing the city in ash.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson of the “Resident Evil” series, the film’s 3-D effects are very realistic and provide a fascinating depiction of the disaster.

American Hustle (19)

Crime, Drama / 138 / English

Several of Hollywood’s A-list actors have teamed up to portray the Abscam scandal, which led to conviction of a U.S senator and several congressmen on bribery charges in the 1970s.

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his seductive con partner, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), are good at what they do: pulling off a con. However, when Prosser faces the prospect of being jailed by renegade FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), the two are forced to work for him to find corrupted politicians who are suspected of being involved in briberies.

But in the process, DiMaso is drawn to Prosser. And of course, Rosenfeld becomes jealous, even though he is married to someone else, Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence).

Director David Owen Russell took the megaphone again after 2010’s “Silver Linings Playbook,” which also starred Cooper and Lawrence.

The movie has received 10 Oscar nominations.

The Great Passage (ALL)

Drama, Comedy / 133 / Japanese

Based on a Japanese best-seller, the film explores the virtues of a slow and moderate life by shedding light on an unusual occupation: dictionary compiler.

Salesman Mitsuya Majime (Ryuhei Matsuda) is socially immature and very eccentric, but not in a good way. He likes to be alone and is an outcast at his job. One day, he is transferred to a small dictionary compiling team, where he helps to collect and define 30 million words.

Majime comes to realize that it takes as long as 13 years to compile a dictionary, looking for words and defining them. Gradually, he learns to communicate with people using the power of language.

With no experience of being in love, Majime finds himself attracted to a granddaughter of his landlord. Then, his chief editor assigns him to write a definition of the word “love.”

Starlet (19)

Drama / 103 / English

The story of sisterhood seems like an up-and-comer in the film industry these days. Directed by Sean Baker, the independent movie “Starlet” depicts the unlikely friendship of a 21-year-old porn actress Jane (Dree Hemingway) and an old widowed woman, Sadie (Besedka Johnson).

Jane lives in a small California city with a Chihuahua named Starlet and her two friends, who are addicted to drugs and video games. One day, she sets out to look for a garage sale to buy something for her room.

She spots Sadie and buys an old vase from her, who responds by repeatedly yelling “No refunds!” While washing the vase, she finds a bunch of $100 bills hidden inside. At first, Jane spends a little of the money, but out of curiosity, she returns to Sadie. When they meet, Jane suddenly wants to be friends with her. And Sadie, who was suspicious at first, starts to open up to Jane.

Venus Talk (19)

Drama, Comedy / 108 / Korean

“Venus Talk” is a story about love, work and the sex lives of three confident women in their 40s.

This is a smart film that is also pretty hot, with some intense love scenes making headlines even before the movie’s release.

Shin-hye (Uhm Jung-hwa) is a successful TV producer who is dating her much younger colleague, Jae-ho (Lee Sung-min). She tries to keep the relationship casual but cannot stop herself from falling for him.

Shin-hye has two best friends who are also going through their own romance-related ups and downs.

Mi-yeon (Moon So-ri) is a confident housewife who, now that her daughter has left home and is studying abroad, is happy for her husband to use Viagra so that they can recreate their honeymoon.

Hae-young (Jo Min-soo) is more immature; she is a single mother who is trying to keep her love life secret from her daughter.

With three different characters, “Venus Talk” explores the dreams and realities of middle-aged romance with a forthright and witty approach.

Robocop (12)

Action, Sci-fi / 121 / English

A bankrupt Detroit is plagued by crime - so how is this science fiction exactly? Oh, right, it’s 2028, and the solution offered by leading conglomerate OmniCorp is robot cops. The original “Robocop” from 1987 was a schlocky classic, featuring the uber-violence of director Paul Verhoeven and starring the enigmatic, intellectual Peter Weller as the half-man, half-robot, all-cop Robocop.

This time, Brazil’s Jose Padilha presents a decidedly mainstream vision, with less blood and a much bigger budget.

But the basic story is pretty similar. Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a diligent husband, father and police officer who gets seriously injured in the line of duty. Raymond Seller (Michael Keaton), the head of OmniCorp, persuades Murphy’s wife to let the company turn Murphy into Robocop.

At first, the transformation turns Murphy into a mindless robot, but gradually Murphy the cop comes out. And as he re-emerges, he discovers a dark conspiracy lying behind his metal suit and OmniCorp and decides to take action.