Tag Archives: tribeca cinemas

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL: SECRET LOVE

Yeon’s (Yoon Jin-seo) and Jin-ho (Yoo Ji-tae) get caught up in complex family affair in SECRET LOVE

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: SECRET LOVE (Kwon Ji-yeon & Ryoo Hoon-I, 2010)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, July 10, free, 7:00
212-759-9550
www.koreanculture.org
www.subwaycinema.com

A soap-opera melodrama that morphs into an erotic thriller, Secret Love tells the intense story of a complex and dangerous love triangle in modern-day Korea. Shortly after a whirlwind courtship, Yeon’s (Yoon Jin-seo) new husband, Jin-woo (Yoo Ji-tae), lapses into a coma that he might never awake from. Yeon is soon shocked to meet Jin-woo’s twin brother, Jin-ho (also played by Yoo Ji-tae), who recently emerged from a coma himself. As Yeon and Jin-ho grow closer, their relationship threatens to go to the next level — but when Jin-woo suddenly and unexpectedly arises from his coma, the love triangle becomes overwhelmed by betrayal, uncontrollable passion, and mistaken identity. Directed by Kwon Ji-yeon and cowriter Ryoo Hoon-I (who penned the screenplay with Park Hyun-soo), Secret Love, which is also known as The Secret River, uses water as an underlying motif, with many scenes taking place over a river, in the shower or bath, or at an aquarium. Although it begins slowly and sappy, the film picks up speed as hidden passions explode and danger lurks at every twist and turn. Secret Love is screening for free July 10 at Tribeca Cinemas as part of the ongoing Korean Movie Night series as well as the New York Asian Film Festival, which continues through July 12 at Lincoln Center and July 15 at Japan Society in conjunction with Japan Cuts. As an added bonus, Yoon Jin-seo, who has also appeared in such films as Oldboy, Chihwaseon, and A Good Day to Have an Affair, will participate in a Q&A following the screening. She had to cancel an earlier appearance at a screening of Oldboy because she was rushed to the emergency room less than two weeks ago after an overdose of cold medication that was initially — and apparently falsely — reported to be a suicide attempt, so it should make for a lively discussion on July 10.

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: THE SWORD WITH NO NAME

Korean historical drama centers on a love that can never be

EPIC ROMANCE: THE SWORD WITH NO NAME (Kim Yong-gyun, 2009)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, June 19, free, 7:00
212-759-9550
www.koreanculture.org
www.tribecacinemas.com

Operatic in its emotional scale and shameless melodrama, Kim Yong-gyun’s The Sword with No Name is a sweeping romantic epic set in late-nineteenth-century Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. King Gojong (Kim Yeong-min) is taking a new queen, Min Ja-young (Soo Ae), soon to be known as Empress Myeong-seong. Before arriving at the palace, Min meets Moo-myoung (Cho Seung-woo), a local villager who takes her to visit the sea and then saves her from a vicious attack. Although theirs is a love that can never be, Moo-myoung earns a position as a low-level guard at the palace, determined to protect Min no matter what. The queen is interested in leading the nation out of its isolationism, becoming intrigued with European culture. However, as she sidles up with Russia, Japan starts feeling threatened, and the king’s father, Daewongun (Jeon Ho-jin), who is against change and modernization, challenges his son’s authority. As battles rage, loyalty is betrayed, jealousy reigns, and secret plots abound, the queen’s life is threatened, and it’s up to Moo-myoung to save her. Despite an increasingly sappy score, several ridiculous video-game-like fight scenes, a nationalistic fervor, and a choppy narrative, The Sword with No Name still manages to be an intriguing bit of historical fiction, based on actual events surrounding the Insurrection of 1882. The fiery passion between Min, who was Korea’s queen, and Moo-myoung, who is a made-up character, drives the film, even when the story gets way out of hand. The Sword with No Name is screening for free June 19 at Tribeca Cinemas, concluding the Korean Cultural Service film series “Epic Romance.”

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: FORBIDDEN QUEST

Epic Korean historical romance goes from titillation to tragedy

EPIC ROMANCE: FORBIDDEN QUEST (EUMRANSEOSAENG) (Kim Dae-woo, 2006)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, June 5, free, 7:00
Series concludes Tuesday, June 19
212-759-9550
www.koreanculture.org
www.tribecacinemas.com

Sex can be a very dangerous game, as clearly displayed in the epic Korean historical drama Forbidden Quest. After being labeled a coward for not filing an appeal after the brutal beating of his brother, investigations officer Kim (Han Suk-kyu) is summoned by the king to track down a forger who replaced an original painting by his favorite concubine, Jung-bin (Kim Min-jeong), with an exact copy. Kim seeks help from the Angel of Death, justice administrator Lee (Lee Beom-soo), the very man who was behind the near killing of Kim’s brother, to catch the forger, but in so doing he discovers the hidden world of erotic literature, where a mysterious figure named In Bong has become a hero to the women of the community as he churns out dirty book after dirty book that are sold in secret. A well-respected writer and scholar, Kim is at first taken aback by the existence of this illegal underground literary sensation, but soon he immerses himself in it, taking the pen name Chu Wol Sek and turning out hotly anticipated sordid tales involving a lady of the royal court, inspired by his continuing contact with Jung-bin. But when he takes things too far, a scandal breaks out that threatens violence and death. Written and directed by Kim Dae-woo (The Servant), Forbidden Quest is an engrossing, erotically charged drama of loyalty, fidelity, honor, betrayal, and responsibility, driven by a strong lead performance by Han (Green Fish, The President’s Last Bang), who is always cool, calm, and collected as things swirl around him, showing a Zen-like resolve even in the most extreme of circumstances. But even he can’t help but crack a few smiles when using his male copiers to act out potential sex scenes for his novels. Forbidden Quest is screening for free June 5 at Tribeca Cinemas as part of the Korean Cultural Service film series “Epic Romance,” which concludes June 19 with Kim Yong-gyun’s The Sword with No Name.

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: KING AND THE CLOWN

Korean smash KING AND THE CLOWN is based on the Royal Records of the Chosun Dynasty

EPIC ROMANCE: KING AND THE CLOWN (WANG-UI NAMJA) (Lee Jun-ik, 2009)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, May 15, free, 7:00
Series runs every other Tuesday through June 19
212-759-9550
www.koreanculture.org
www.tribecacinemas.com

Adapted from Kim Tae-woong’s award-winning play Yi (You) and inspired by the Royal Records of the Chosun Dynasty, Lee Jun-ik’s historical epic, King and the Clown, was a critical and popular smash in Korea despite its homosexual subtext. In the early sixteenth century, a troupe of traveling minstrels is making its way across the country when Jang-saeng (Kam Wu-seong) decides that he no longer wants Gong-gil (Lee Jun-ki), an androgynous member of the group who plays all the sexy female characters, to be pimped out to towns’ local leaders. After a deadly fight, the two clowns are on the run, soon taking up with another small troupe and getting arrested for mocking King Yeonsan (Jeong Jin-yeong) and his mistress, Jang Noksu (Kang Seong-yeon). Facing execution, they are saved when the king takes a liking to them, and especially to Gong-gil. But as they continue to stage routines criticizing important ministers and other VIPs, they make high-ranking enemies and once again find their lives in danger. While the first half of King and the Clown tends to be a bit goofy, it sets up the masterfully told second half, an intense, compelling combination of love, fear, politics, and power. Jeong is excellent as Yeonsan, capturing the yin-yang of a leader trying to break free of his late father’s far-reaching grasp, laughing at the clowns one moment, brutally killing someone the next. Lee is alluring as Gong-gil, a beautiful boy uncomfortable with his role but willing to do whatever is asked of him. But the film’s centerpiece is Kam as Jang-saeng, a confident, forward-thinking, risk-taking performer who believes in justice, honor, and creative and personal freedom. King and the Clown is screening for free May 15 at Tribeca Cinemas as part of the Korean Cultural Service film series “Epic Romance,” which continues June 5 with Kim Dae-woo’s Forbidden Quest and June 19 with Kim Yong-gyun’s The Sword with No Name.

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT

Soo-ji (Kim Ha-neul) and Jae-joon (Kang Ji-hwan) attempt to save the world and maybe salvage their relationship in MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT

IT’S A FINE ROMANCE: MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT (7KEUP KONGMUWON) (Shin Tae-ra, 2009)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, March 27, free, 7:00
Series runs every other Tuesday through April 10
212-759-9550
www.koreanculture.org
www.tribecacinemas.com

A box-office blockbuster in South Korea, Shin Tae-ra’s My Girlfriend Is an Agent is a goofy but fun mosh-up of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the television shows Get Smart and Mission: Impossible. As the movie opens, the weak-kneed Jae-joon (Kang Ji-hwan) is threatening to leave Soo-ji (Kim Ha-neul), tired of her many lies. What he doesn’t know is that she is actually a secret agent working undercover for the government, but she is not allowed to tell anyone, instead claiming she is a travel agent to explain all the time she spends away from him. Three years later, they accidentally meet up again — Soo-ji recognizes his, um, member in a men’s room while he is relieving himself at a urinal and she is pretending to be a cleaning lady — but now Jae-joon is a secret agent for a different department, working the same case but from another angle while telling her he is an accountant. Crazy hijinks ensue, including plenty of mistaken identity, a wacky car chase, and a shootout in an amusement park, with Soo-ji and Jae-joon continually bumping into each other as they get closer and closer to the international terrorists seeking to gain control of a lethal virus that could wipe out much of the country. My Girlfriend Is an Agent, which is getting the Bollywood treatment in a remake directed by Bosco, is screening on March 27 at 7:00 at Tribeca Cinemas as the second installment of the free Korean Movie Night series “It’s a Fine Romance,” which concludes on April 10 with Kim Jeong-hoon’s 2010 chick flick, Petty Romance.

IT’S A FINE ROMANCE: CYRANO AGENCY

Things get a little too personal for Byung-hun (Uhm Tae-woong) in Korean rom-com CYRANO AGENCY

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: CYRANO AGENCY (SHIRANO) (Kim Hyeon-seok, 2010)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, March 13, free, 7:00
Series runs every other Tuesday through February 28
212-759-9550
www.tribecacinemas.com
www.koreanculture.org

Desperate to raise cash so they can renovate an old theater and put on productions again, a small theater company resorts to matchmaking, writing real-life scripts and acting out parts in order to light a spark between their client and the object of his or her desire. Using the latest technological gadgetry, including a microphone in a pair of glasses, the secret company, known as the Cyrano Agency — named after the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand in which the ugly Cyrano de Bergerac writes love letters to help Christian capture the heart of the beautiful Roxane, the woman they both love — creates elaborately choreographed scenarios that slowly bring the man and woman together, led by director Byung-hun (Uhm Tae-woong) along with his associates, Min-young (Park Shin-hye), Jae Pil (Jun A-min), and Chul-bin (Park Cheol-min). The Cyrano Agency boasts a success rate of one hundred percent, but that record is suddenly in jeopardy when Byung-hun discovers that their latest client, fund manager Sang-yong (Daniel Choi), has fallen hard for Hee-joong (Rhee Min-jung), the director’s former girlfriend. A huge hit in its native Korea, Cyrano Agency is a silly but fun romantic comedy that riffs on Korean soap operas and the familiar Cyrano tale. The multilayered narrative works well through most of the movie, especially as Min-young starts to suspect something is up with Byung-hun, who seems to be sabotaging their current project. Writer-director Kim Hyeon-seok (When Romance Meets Destiny, YMCA Baseball Team) pours on the melodrama for the sappy finale, but Cyrano Agency is still a light and fanciful story of love and heartache. Cyrano Agency is screening for free Tuesday at Tribeca Cinemas, kicking off the next Korean Movie Night series, “It’s a Fine Romance,” which continues March 27 with the New York premiere of My Girlfriend Is an Agent and April 10 with the U.S. premiere of Petty Romance.

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: THE FRONT LINE

Lt. Kang Eun-pyo (Shin Ha-Kyun) sees the futility of war in Korean military epic THE FRONT LINE

THE FRONT LINE (Jang Hun, 2011)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, January 10, free, 7:00
Series runs every other Tuesday through February 28
212-759-9550
www.thefrontlinemovie.com
www.tribecacinemas.com

During the Korean War, the north and south did battle over a series of hills, with the key locations changing hands of over and over, sometimes multiple times the same day. Director Jang Hun tells the fictionalized story of one such hill, Aero.K, in the tense military thriller The Front Line. Shin Ha-Kyun (Thirst, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) stars as Lt. Kang Eun-pyo, an investigator who has been sent to the eastern front to uncover a possible spy. Upon joining Alligator Company, Eun-pyo is surprised to find his old college friend, Kim Su-hyeok (Ko Soo), a former scared grunt who had been captured by the North Koreans and has now blossomed into a strong leader — and quickly becomes the leading candidate to be the potential traitor. The hill has changed hands so often that each side has been secretly communicating with the other by leaving such materials as photos, letters, and alcohol in a hidden spot, developing a relationship that reveals their humanity but also could compromise them on the field. And as a possible armistice approaches, the brass ramps up the fighting in a series of last-ditch efforts to take the hill and expand the potential demarcation line in their favor. Park Sang-yeon’s script is filled with clichéd characters and familiar plot lines, leaning toward the melodramatic, but Jang still makes it work, building the violent film around the strong main characters and several powerful, unexpected twists. South Korea’s official entry for the Academy Awards, The Front Line is a gritty epic that reveals man’s inhumanity to man and the ultimate futility of war. The film opens at the AMC 25 on January 20, but you can get a free sneak peek at it tonight at Tribeca Cinemas, where its east coast premiere kicks off the latest installment of Korean Movie Night, “Jang Hun Plus One!” which examines the career of the director, who cut his teeth working with Kim Ki-duk. The series continues January 24 with 2008’s Rough Cut, February 15 with 2010’s Secret Reunion,, and February 28 with the North American premiere of Park Shin-woo’s White Night.