ACF 851: Korean sports comedy TAKE OFF screening for free in NY next Tuesday

TAKE OFF / Gukga daepyo
Written and Directed by KIM Yong-hwa

South Korea, 2009, 145 minutes
When: Tuesday, January 25 @ 7PM
Doors open at 6:30PM. No RSVP required
Where: Tribeca Cinemas,54 Varick Street
Near the A, C and #1 Canal Street subway stops

Admission: FREE!!!!!

Korean Cultural Service's Korean Movie Night series continues with this sports-themed comedy that's based on actual events.

It's 1997 in Muju, Korea. In an effort to bring the 2010 Winter Olympics to Korea, the country has to demonstrate that Koreans enjoy the sports of the Winter Olympics. One problem: no one knows squat about ski jumping. No problem, they assemble a team, train them on waterslides and send them into competition.

It’s a true story, and a lot like COOL RUNNING (the tale of the Jamaican bobsled team) but it’s given a distinctly Korean flavor in this popular, mainstream blockbuster that’s the flat-out funniest in this series and that stars four major Korean stars: Choi Jae-Hwan, Ha Jeong-Woo (the killer from THE CHASER), rapper Kim Ji-Seok, and Kim Dong-Wook from the popular Korean soap opera ‘Coffee Prince’.

ACF mini-review:
Yesterday I watched a DVD screener of this release and absolutely loved it! The movie has great heart and the irresistable appeal of rooting for a motley crew of underdogs whose personal reasons for joining the team vary widely.

The team leader and most experienced skier has returned to Korea from the U.S. (where he and his sister had been adopted) to seek his birth-mother. Others join to avoid military service, and one continues to stick it out because he has the hots for the coach's lovely daughter, who just happens to be a bit of a grifter.

The cinematography (which includes some incredible computer graphics) and the pacing & editing at the competition near the end of the film, is nothing less than brilliant. The suspense was palpable, and I was simply awestruck.

Take Off is a real find, a delectable gem. ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars, very highly recommended. And it's showing for free!!!