2015.6.18 Now Playing

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2015.6.18 Now Playing


The Classified File (15)

Drama/ 108/ Korean

Based on a true kidnapping case that happened in 1978, “The Classified File” centers on the two men - detective Gong Gil-yong (Kim Yun-seok) and fortune-teller Kim Joong-san (Yoo Hae-jin) - who struggle to save an abducted girl and bring her back home alive.

Director Kwak Kyung-taek’s unique crime thriller contains emotional and heartwarming, rather than violent and thrilling, scenes that the genre usually depicts.

Veteran detective Gil-yong is asked by the parents of the missing 12-year-old girl to investigate her case.

While other fortune-tellers predict the girl will die, Joong-san says she is alive and that Gil-yong will save her.

The duo desperately tries to locate the child, but the clever kidnapper eludes the police for over a month.

The chemistry between Kim and Yoo also adds to the success of this film.



Jurassic World (12)

Action/ 125/ English

Steven Spielberg has returned to executive produce the fourth installment of the legendary Jurassic Park film series. “Jurassic World” is undoubtedly this year’s summer blockbuster. The film is full of CG spectacles, which is welcome news for “Jurassic” fans who have waited 14 years since the last movie’s release.

The movie hit No. 1 on the local box office last week.

The plot features the reopening of Jurassic World 22 years after the park with genetically modified dinosaurs first launched.

The newborn hybrid dinosaurs have all the traits of being perfect predators and go on a rampage.

Chris Pratt is the park’s dinosaur researcher Owen Grady, who trains a group of velociraptors. It is his second time taking on a big leading role in a feature film after “Guardians of Galaxy” (2014). Bryce Dallas Howard stars as the park’s operations manager Claire Dearing, whose nephews are visiting the island when the dinosaurs start to attack people.



The Silenced (15)

Mystery/ 99/ Korean

Directed by Lee Hae-young, upcoming mystery thriller “The Silenced,” filled with suspense and a distinctive use of mise en scene, depicts the story of a girl who witnessed her peers go missing at a boarding school in Seoul in 1938.

Set prior to the division of Korea, when the country was under Japanese colonial rule (1910-45), the film begins when a girl named Juran (Park Bo-young) transfers to an all-girls boarding school with a seemingly-perfect principal (Eom Ji-won).

Other girls avoid her because she has the same name as another student who mysteriously went missing before she arrived.

Afterwards, girls disappear one by one, and Juran, the only witness, tries to unveil a hidden secret.

Director Lee successfully captures the girls’ friendships, emotions and sensitivities in detail.



Midnight Diner (12)

Drama/ 120/ Japanese

Japanese award-winning comic book and hit TV series, “Midnight Diner” has been brought to the big screen. It was written and directed by Japanese filmmaker Joji Matsuoka, who was also responsible for many episodes of the three-season TV series.

The feature film stars many of the original cast members of the show, including the main role of Kaoru Kobayashi, the master chef of the diner, and internationally well-known actor Odagiri Joe as his sidekick.

Composed of three new episodes, the delightful movie conveys stories of the daily lives and hardships of three customers.

Located in a back alley of a shopping district in Shinjuku, downtown Tokyo, the small restaurant runs after midnight to 7 a.m., offering food to comfort people who are exhausted after a hard day.

Though only a few items - bottled beer, sake and a side dish called tonjiru (pork miso soup) - are written on the menu, the master makes any kind of meal that customers order, helping them to overcome their problems while enjoying a delicious dish.

The film may not have extravagant visuals, but instead of pleasing the eyes and ears, “Midnight Diner” will surely feed the audiences’ hearts and minds.



Miss Julie (15)

Drama/ 130/ English

Adapted from August Strindberg’s classic 1888 play, Liv Ullman’s “Miss Julie” is set at the end of the 19th century, on a country estate in Ireland.

Starring Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton, it had its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and was screened in the 2015 Jeonju International Film Festival.

The film portrays love, status, jealousy and desire in a variety of ways.

Directed by Ullman, the Norwegian actress and director said she approached the character of Miss Julie far differently when shooting the adaptation.

Chastain, who has received critical acclaim and awards for her performances in various movies, including “Zero Dark Thirty” (2012) and “Interstellar” (2014), plays the role of Miss Julie, the daughter of a nobleman, who falls in love with a servant named John.

Farrell, a box office guarantee in Hollywood through hit films like “In Bruges” (2008) and “Total Recall” (2012), stars as John, an ambitious valet who tries to use the relationship with her as an opportunity to move up in the world.



A Midsummer’s Fantasia (All)

Drama/ 97/ Korean, Japanese

Director Jang Kun-jae, who gained international acclaim for “Eighteen” (2009) and “Sleepless Night” (2012), has returned with his latest work, “A Midsummer’s Fantasia,” co-produced by Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase of “Still the Water” (2014).

Dubbed as the Asian version of Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” series, this romance drama with a tranquil ambience topped the diversity film section of the box office chart in Korea last weekend. Diversity films refer to non-mainstream movies.

Commissioned by the Nara International Film Festival in Japan, where it had its world premiere, the movie was also screened at various film festivals and received awards including Best Director Award by Director’s Guild at the Busan International Festival.

Divided into two chapters, the documentary-like first part starts in black and white, as Korean director Kim Tae-hoon (Lim Hyung-kook) visits Gojo, a small city in Japan, looking for new material for his latest work.

Along the journey to find inspiration, he is accompanied by his assistant director, Park Mi-jeong (Kim Sae-byeok). The city is old-fashioned, almost looking as if time has stopped ticking.

The second part depicts a sweet romance between Mi-jeong and a local farmer Yusuke (Ryo Iwase). By switching to color, “A Midsummer’s Fantasia” more vividly shows the two strangers’ awkward yet heart-pounding trip to nearby cities.

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