2019.12.12 Now Playing

The Snob (15)

Drama/ 107/ Korean/ Dec. 12

Painter Woo-jung and her boyfriend Hyung-joong make a living by shamelessly plagiarizing other artists’ works and giving them titles such as “Plagiarism 1,” “Plagiarism 2,” and so on.

Although Woo-jung is always being sued for her plagiarism, she holds her head high and coolly says that her creations are art too.

A curator named Jin-ho strikes up a deal with Woo-jung to let her take a peek at an upcoming special exhibition consisting of art by aspiring new artists for new ideas.

While Jin-ho continues to seduce Woo-jung even after they sleep together, her high school friend So-young finds out and suggests that Woo-jung let her seduce Hyung-joong in return for keeping the secret. Eventually, Hyung-joong becomes director of the museum that Jin-ho works in.

The four people’s paths continue to cross while they each hide their true desires and goals.

The film stars actors Yoo Da-in, Shim Hee-sup, Song Jae-lim and Ok Ja-yeon.

The Two Popes (12)

Drama/ 126/ English/ Dec. 11

A biographical drama about a period of transition in the Roman Catholic church, in which Pope Benedict XVI resigns insisting that he cannot “take on the job” anymore due to his age and health, and a new pope is being selected.

By publicly announcing his resignation, Pope Benedict XVI becomes the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and first to do so on his own terms since Celestine V in 1294.

Cardinal Jorge, the future Pope Francis, is the most likely candidate to become the next pope, but he refuses, arguing that the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI cannot be accepted because it could damage the papacy forever.

However, the pope tells him that the church needs to change and he firmly believes that the cardinal is the right choice to lead the church in the right direction.

The two popes are convincingly portrayed by Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce. The film can be streamed on Netflix beginning Dec. 20.

Jumanji: The Next Level (12)

Action, Adventure/ 122/ English/ Dec. 11

Bethany, Fridge, Martha and Spencer will always have a special connection because they each played the Jumanji video game - and are some of the few survivors to make it back to the real world.

After they destroy the game to prevent anyone else from playing it and becoming sucked into it, Spencer keeps the broken pieces of the game and repairs it in the basement of his grandfather’s home, unbeknownst to other three.

Bethany, Fridge and Martha visit Eddie’s home to find the game running and Spencer gone, and once more, they decide to enter the deadly game. However, Spencer’s grandfather and his friend, Milo, are sucked into the game as well after they visit the basement. Now the three friends must help the two elderly men get used to their in-game avatars while also searching for Spencer and hoping for another miracle - that all six of them make it out of the game alive.

Actors Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan reprise their roles as Jumanji avatars from “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017). This time however, Johnson will be portraying Eddie’s avatar, and Hart is Milo’s new avatar.

Last Christmas (12)

Romance, Comedy/ 103/ English/ Dec. 5

The holiday season is finally here, and what better way to celebrate than with a Christmas rom-com?

Kate works a hopeless job as an elf at a year-round Christmas shop that sells Christmas ornaments. Kicked out of her home by her roommate, she grudgingly returns to her parents’ home.

Although she wants to become a singer, she doesn’t really try to pursue a music career at all. Her boss, whom Kate refers to as “Santa,” tells Kate that she is falling apart, spiraling away from the ambitious and kind person she used to be.

One day she comes across Tom, an attractive but strange man. Influenced by Tom’s ways, little by little, Kate starts to reorganize her haphazard life. But strangely enough, no one else seems to recognize Tom.

Kate and Tom are played by Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. Emma Thompson helped write the script and also plays Kate’s mother, Petra.

Ford v Ferrari (12)

Action, Drama/ 152/ English/ Dec. 4

Loosely based on a real story, the failing Ford Motor Company attempts to strike a deal with Ferrari, which they reject.

His pride hurt, the furious Henry Ford II demands his racing division build a car that would defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most prestigious car races in the world, and one that Ferrari has won for the past five consecutive years.

Carroll Shelby, a retired racing driver who won Le Mans in 1959, is hired. In turn, Shelby hires Ken Miles, a struggling British mechanic and racer. Although the company’s board of directors try to get the duo to comply to their ways, they build their own car that they say will get Ford to the top.

Shelby and Miles are portrayed by actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale.

A Little Princess (All)

Drama/ 104/ Korean/ Dec. 4

Seventy-two-year-old Mal-soon is relishing her peaceful single life in Busan when out of nowhere, her two granddaughters - 12-year-old Gong-ju and newborn Jin-ju - that she’d never met before suddenly appear at her door.

Although everything from their looks, personality, and preferences are completely opposite, Mal-soon and Gong-ju gradually form a bond, relying on each other during difficult times. But just when everything seems to settle, Mal-soon wonders if she is the proper guardian for her young granddaughters.

Mal-soon is played by actor Na Moon-hee and Gong-ju is played by child actor Kim Su-an. Although she is only 13 years old, Kim has been pursuing an acting career since 2011. She is best known for her role in “Train to Busan” (2016).

Bring Me Home (15)

Thriller/ 108/ Korean/ Nov. 27

Jung-yeon is a mother struggling to live a normal life after losing her son six years ago. However, she does not give up hope that her son Yoon-su might still be alive and spends all her free time traveling across the country putting up flyers to find her son.

One day, she receives a call about a boy who fits the physical characteristics of Yoon-su - even down to his scar - and rushes to the quiet seaside town of Moonsan, Gyeonggi. When she arrives there to ask questions, the townspeople are strangely hostile to her, arguing that they have never laid eyes on a boy similar to her son. Sensing that the entire town is hiding something, Jung-yeon is determined to get to the bottom of their secret in the hopes of finally bringing her son home.

The film is actor Lee Young-ae’s first film project in 14 years. Her last film was director Park Chan-wook’s “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” in 2005.

Frozen 2 (All)

Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Musical/ 103/ English/ Nov. 21

Elsa grows distraught when she begins to hear a mysterious voice, which can evidently be heard only by her, calling out to her. Not wanting to disrupt the peace in the kingdom of Arendelle that has lasted for three years since her coronation, she tries to ignore it, but unintentionally wakes the elemental spirits.

The wakening turns Arendelle into an inhospitable place, and the sisters manage to temporarily evacuate their people from the kingdom.

Once again, Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven set off on an adventure beyond the borders of their kingdom to find out what the spirits want, discovering Arendelle’s and their parents’ past along the way as they try to resolve the spirits’ unrest.