2018.11.1 Now Playing
Drama, Comedy / 115 / Korean / Oct. 31
When a group of childhood friends and their spouses gather at the fancy home of plastic surgeon Seok-ho (Cho Jin-woong) and his psychologist wife Ye-jin (Kim Ji-soo) for dinner, Ye-jin brings up the idea of playing a game.
The rules require everyone to reveal every text, phone call and social media notification that pops up on their smartphones throughout the night. She invites them all to join in on loudly reading out text messages and putting their calls on speakerphone for everyone to hear. Though a little reluctant, everyone’s desire to not be suspected of having any secrets, especially from their spouses, eventually leads them all to participate. In the end, the game turns out to be a complete disaster that leaves everyone feeling disappointed and betrayed.
Co-starring Lee Seo-jin, Song Ha-yoon and Yoo Hai-jin, the movie was directed by Lee Jae-kyu and is a remake if the 2016 Italian film “Perfect Strangers.”
Bohemian Rhapsody (12)
Drama / 134 / English / Oct. 31
A biopic about the British rock band Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” pays particular attention to the life of Freddie Mercury, the band’s lead singer.
The film starts with the band’s performance at the Live Aid concert held at Wembley Stadium in 1985. It then goes back to 1970, and shows the younger Freddie.
Led by Freddie (Rami Malek), the band was formed with his friends Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, as well as his supportive girlfriend Mary Austin. The movie depicts Queen’s rise to fame and popularity following the release of their hit songs, including “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
But problems begin to arise as Freddie, who struggles with revealing his homosexuality, battles with drug use and fame as well as an AIDS diagnosis, which threatens the band.
Horror / 106 / English / Oct. 31
Ever since the release of 1978’s “Halloween,” directed and scored by John Carpenter, Michael Myers has become one of the most iconic serial killers in film history. The classic American slasher has continued to be retold in sequels over the past four decades.
But this latest “Halloween,” from Blumhouse Productions, ignores 40 years’ worth of spinoffs, and is a direct sequel to the original film.
Directed by David Gordon Green, Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her iconic role as Laurie Strode, the sole survivor of Michael Myers’ killing spree in 1978. In the movie, Laurie is given one last battle with her arch-nemesis. Carpenter was involved in the film as a composer, executive producer and creative consultant.
The movie was introduced to local audiences at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival last month. Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, visited the festival in time for the movie’s premiere.
Documentary / 79 / Korean / Oct. 31
Directed by actor-turned-director Choo Sang-mee, “The Children Gone to Poland” explores the little-known story of North Korean war orphans who were sent to Poland during the 1950-53 Korean War.
At the time, North Korea’s leader Kim Il Sung sent thousands of orphans to many of the country’s communist allies, including the Soviet Union and Hungary, asking help to take care of the children. In 1953, around 1,200 orphans were sent to the small village of Plakowice in Poland, where they lived in a former hospital for the next six years under the attentive care of Polish teachers and caregivers. However, tragedy strikes when the children are later ordered to return and become a part of North Korea’s post-war reconstruction efforts. Many of the children resisted, intentionally making themselves ill in order to stay.
Romance, comedy / 120 / English / Oct. 25
“Crazy Rich Asians” is a rom-com based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novel of the same title about Singapore’s wealthy elite. A rare film with Asian-American characters at the center, the movie is the first Hollywood major studio film to feature an all-Asian cast since “The Joy Luck Club” was released 25 years ago.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the movie is about Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an economics professor in New York City, who agrees to go to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) to attend the wedding of his best friend. During the trip, she meets Nick’s family, including Nick’s mother (Michelle Yeoh) and learns that her boyfriend comes from an extremely rich family.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (G)
Fantasy, adventure / 152 / English / Oct. 24
Ahead of the release of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” next month, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” will arrive in local theaters this week. The “Fantastic Beasts” franchise is a spin-off and a prequel to the “Harry Potter” film series.
The first of the eight-movie “Harry Potter” series, “Sorcerer’s Stone” was originally released in December 2001.
Directed by Chris Columbus, the movie centers on the young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), as he lives his room underneath the stairs at his uncle and aunt’s house and enrolls in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, secrets that he did not know about his family and all about the evil forces that haunt the magical world.
Despite the dangers surrounding Harry, he overcomes these situations through the help of his teachers at Hogwarts, as well as his best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson).
First Man (12)
Sci-fi, Drama / 141 / English / Oct. 18
Another collaboration between award-winning “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle and actor Ryan Gosling, “First Man” tells the story of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong.
Based on James R. Hansen’s book “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,” the film chronicles Armstrong’s work with NASA and also explores how society benefits from those who put work over personal happiness.
The biopic avoids building up to the moment where an American flag is planted on the surface of the moon, instead shedding light on how Armstrong was partially motivated by his unspoken grief over the death of his young daughter, and how he escaped his role as a patriarch by working with NASA.
Miss Baek (15)
Drama / 98 / Korean / Oct. 11
A movie centering on a female protagonist, “Miss Baek” explores child abuse through the eyes of Sang-ah (Han Ji-min), a social outcast who was abandoned by her abusive mother in her youth and became a convict as a minor after trying to protect herself from the son of a powerful businessman who attempted to rape her. Having gone through such experiences at a young age makes her defensive and, at times, reckless.
However, her heart starts to melt when she encounters the young Ji-eun (Kim Si-ah), who is abused by her game-addicted father and his girlfriend.
Seeing herself in the girl, Sang-ah opens up to Ji-eun. She feeds her, dresses her up and takes her to fun places like a theme park. She gradually becomes protective of the girl, even at the cost of her own safety and future.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)