South Korean Non-Stop Action Thriller YADANG: THE SNITCH

Well Go USA

presents

Yadang: The Snitch

 Directed by: Hwang Byeong-gug

South Korea, 2025, 123 minutes

Debuts on Digital September 9th, 2025

Also hits Blu-ray^™ and DVD exclusively through Amazon^® on September 9th, 2025

A drug informant is framed by the ambitious prosecutor he serves and winds up crippled and in jail in the action-packed crime thriller YADANG: THE SNITCH, debuting on Digital September 9 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Upon his release, the one-time informant is determined to get his life back by any means necessary.

First-time director Hwang Byeong-gug helms this “fascinating tale of pervasive corruption in the Korean narcotic enforcement,” starring a trio of actors Horror Movies Uncut called  the “perfect trifecta of acting” -- Kang Ha-neul (“Squid Games”), Yoo Hae-jin (Exhuma), and Park Hae-joon (Emergency Declaration). YADANG: THE SNITCH also hits Blu-ray^™ and DVD exclusively through Amazon^® on September 9.

Synopsis: 

Framed and left for dead by the ruthless prosecutor he once served, Kang-su (Kang Ha-neul) -- a cunning drug informant—finds himself crippled and locked away. Years later, freed but broken, he teams up with a disillusioned detective to take down the corrupt power structure that betrayed him. Fueled by vengeance and a fierce will to reclaim his life, Kang-su’s fight for justice blurs the line between hero and villain. YADANG: THE SNITCH —a gritty tale of betrayal and redemption.

 

South Korean action thriller EMERGENCY DECLARATION coming to Digital, Blu-ray & DVD on November 29th

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents

 

Emergency Declaration / Bisang seoneon
Directed by HAN Jae-rim
South Korea, 2021, 141 minutes

When an unprecedented terror threat occurs inflight, a passenger jet must declare an emergency in the action-packed hostage thriller Emergency Declaration, coming to Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD November 29th from Well Go USA Entertainment. Writer/director Han Jae-rim (Rules of Dating, The King) assembled a strong cast, including Song Kang-ho (Parasite, Snowpiecer), Lee Byung-hun (“Squid Game,” G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Jeon Do-yeon (No Blood, No Tears), Kim Nam-gil (Pandora, Public Enemy 3), Kim So-jin (Escape from Mogadishu, The Drug King), and Park Hae-joon (Believer, Bakugan: Battle Force) for his “…easy dose of disaster movie joy.” (The New York Times)

Synopsis:

While investigating a terroristic threat that goes viral online, Korean authorities discover that a suspect has recently boarded an international flight bound for the United States. When a healthy passenger on the same flight suddenly dies a gruesome death of unknown cause, panic erupts both in-flight and on the ground. With steadily decreasing fuel and international refusals to offer aid, the captain and crew will be forced to take unprecedented emergency measures in an attempt to save the lives of their passengers.

HANSAN: RISING DRAGON coming to Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 15th, 2022

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents

Hansan: Rising Dragon / Hansan: Yongui chulhyeon
Directed by KIM Han-min
South Korea, 2022, 130 ,inutes

Writer/director Kim Han-min creates a prequel to his breakout hit The Admiral: Roaring Currents with the epic war drama Hansan: Rising Dragon, sailing onto Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD November 15 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Based on the historical Battle of Hansando​ depicting the emergence of Korea’s legendary dragon head ships called “geobukseon,” and loaded with spectacular CGI and VFX action effects, Hansan: Rising Dragon stars Park Hae-il (Decision to Leave, War of the Arrows), Byun Yo-Han (The Book of Fish) and Ahn Sung-ki (The Divine Fury, The Hunt).

The bonus content on Hansan: Rising Dragon includes “Character Highlights,” “Secrets of Makeup,” staff commentary and an optional English dub.

Synopsis:

A prequel to The Admiral: Roaring Currents—the most-watched film in Korean cinema history—HANSAN: RISING DRAGON depicts the historical Battle of Hansando. In 1592, Admiral Yi and his fleet face off against the might of the invading Japanese navy and its formidable warships. As the Korean forces fall into crisis, the admiral resorts to using his secret weapon, the dragon head ships known as geobukseon, in order to change the tide of this epic battle at sea.

Watch the Trailer

DELIVER US FROM EVIL reviewed

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents

Deliver Us from Evil / Daman akeseo guhasoseo
Directed by Hong Won-chan
South Korea, 2020, 109 minutes

Deliver Us from Evil is a high octane action, crime thriller from South Korea. It debuts on digital & Blu-ray today, May 25th from Well Go USA Entertainment.

 

Synopsis:

After the shocking kidnapping of a little girl in Thailand, Kim In-nam (Hwang Jung-min), a mercenary with a murky past as a government black ops agent, is forced to re-emerge from the shadows when he learns the incident is closely connected to him. With the help of expat Yui (Park Jeong-min) he flies to Thailand and begins tracking the girl’s whereabouts, moving ever closer to the notorious child trafficking ring responsible for her abduction. However, when an infamous gangster nicknamed The Butcher (Lee Jung-jae) learns just who has entered the country and is finally within his grasp, he goes on a bloody rampage to thwart the ex-agent’s rescue mission as retaliation for a killing that he will never be able to forget—or forgive. 

 

There's no shortage of exciting action sequences in this thriller. Fists, feet, knives, guns, etc. all come into play at one time or another. 

 

Disc Specs:

-- Audio

  -- Korean DTS-HDMA 5.1

  -- Korean Stereo

-- Subtitles

  -- Full English

  -- English

  -- Off

-- Bonus

  -- Making Of

  -- Filming Location

  -- Teaser

  -- International Trailer

  -- U.S. Trailer

-- Previews

  -- The Paper Tigers

  -- The Swordsman

  -- Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula

 

AsianCineFest Rating of Deliver Us from Evil: 3.5 out of 4 stars, very highly recommended; a highly entertaining actioner.

KCCNY and NYAFF present: A MERRY ZOMBIE XMAS

KCCNY and NYAFF
Present

A MERRY ZOMBIE XMAS
When: December 24, 2020 - January 7, 2021
Where: koreanmovienight.org

Celebrate the holiday season with brains, blood and guts!
WATCH hit Korean Zombie Films starting X-Mas Eve for free!

'Tis the Season to run for your life as Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) and the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) are in the giving spirit to present a free streaming series that highlights one of the sweeping film genres to grace the big screen that will aim to leave you dying for more...literally.

What lurks in Winter's breath is the stillness of the undead creeping upon an unknowing populace. Keep your loved ones close and your enemies as a human shield as they take the first bite from a relentless zombie horde! Don't wait up for Santa. He probably didn't make it.

Full Lineup:
TRAIN TO BUSAN
TRAIN TO BUSAN PRESENTS: PENINSULA
RAMPANT
ZOMBIE FOR SALE (also known as: ODD FAMILY: ZOMBIE FOR SALE)

A MERRY XMAS SERIES Streaming details:
Free and unlimited run of the films for 15 days
December 24, 2020-January 7, 2021 at koreanculture.org

SECRET ZOO reviewed [NYAFF 2020]

capelight pictures

presents

Secret Zoo

Directed by SON Jae-Gon
Starring AHN Jae-hong, KANG So-ra,
PARK Yeong-gyu, and KIM Sung-oh

South Korea, 2020

Based on the webcomic series Haechijiana by Hun that ran from 9/20/2011 - 4/27/2012, Secret Zoo is a charming and delightful comedy about a zoo struggling to stay afloat. The film is playing as part of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which this year is running online only from August 28th to September 12th. Secret Zoo, like two other offerings, will only have two screenings: Saturday, September 5 at 8:00 PM and Tuesday, September 8 at 5:00 PM. My review is based on watching an online screener back in January, 2020, in conjunction with the film's theatrical opening in the U.S.A. that month.

KANG Tae-soo (AHN Jae-Hong) is a young lawyer who has worked as a temp at JH Law for eight months and fervently wants to secure a permanent position in the firm's Mergers and Acquisition (M & A) department. It looks like his opportunity has arrived when he is tasked with normalizing and maintaining the failing Dongsan Park Zoo within three months for one of his employer's clients. The trouble is, all the viable animals have been sold off by loan sharks to pay the zoo's debts!

Undeterred, Tae-soo comes up with a plan to used somewhat realistic-looking animal costumes for the four remaining members of the staff to wear and fool the public. Not surprisingly, things don't go well; until, that is, a chance event goes viral on the internet and transforms the zoo into a major attraction.

Given the nature of the genre, one knows that things are basically going to turn out alright at film's end. It's really a matter of how convincing the rather outlandish premise is depicted and how interesting the twists and turns are. On all these accounts, the film succeeds admirably.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars, a fine comedy that's well-worth watching.

The official movie trailer is available at https://youtu.be/WPdCjA2Gfys.

Also, a February 4, 2020, interview with director SON Jae-Gon at KoBiz can be found here.

THE MAN STANDING NEXT coming to Digital and Blu-ray & DVD on May 26th

The Man Standing Next

Directed by WOO Min-ho & LEE Ji-min

Written by WOO Min-ho

Starring LEE Byung-hun, LEE Sung-min, KWAK Do-won,
LEE Hee-jun, and KIM So-jin

South Korea, 2020, 113 minutes

MPI Media Group has announced the May 26, 2020 theatrical/digital release of The Man Standing Next.

Film Synopsis:
In the 1970's, Korea is under the absolute control of the President Park (Lee Sung-min) who controls the KCIA, the organization with an edge over any branch of government. The director of KCIA, Kim Gyu-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun), is the seemingly most prospective second-in-command. In the midst of reign of fear, a former KCIA director, Park Yong-gak (Kwak Do-won) who knows all about the government's obscure operations, exiles to the U.S where the investigation of 'Koreagate' is underway. As the tension escalates, the stifling political maneuvering by the all second-in-command's unfolds.

In my February 7, 2020 review I gave The Man Standing Next a 3.5 out of 4 star rating, highly recommended. Read that review here.

Watch the trailer here.

THE CLOSET reviewed; currently playing at two Californa venues

capelight pictures

presents

The Closet

Written and directed by KIM Kwang-bin
Starring HA Jung-woo, KIM Nam-gil and HEO Yul

South Korea, 2020, 97 minutes

The South Korean supernatural thriller The Closet, director KIM Kwang-bin's feature film debut, opened yesterday, February 14th, at CGV Los Angeles and CGV Buena Park. My review is based on watching an online screener.

YEON Sang-won (HA Jung-woo) is an architect and a widower with an eleven-year-old daughter, Ina (HEO Yul). His wife died in a tragic accident and since then YEON has been prone to panic attacks. While working on a museum, he and Ina move into a new house at some distance from the work site. The situation is complicated by their strained relationship and Sang-won's inability to secure a nanny for his daughter. Not to mention the strange noises that begin to trickle out of a closet and Ina beginning to exhibit increasingly weird behaviors.

Worst of all is Ina's sudden disappearance without a trace. Fortunately for YEON, a self proclaimed "exorcist hero" named HEO Kyung-hoon (KIM Nam-gil) appears on the scene.Turns out that thirty-two children have similarly disappeared over the previous twenty-or-so years. The parents of one of them, a girl named Hyun-soo, had set up a ritual performed to determine if the child was dead. HEO's mother performed the ritual and died during it, and he has been trying to solve the mysteries of the disappearances for the last ten years.

Initially skeptical, YEON decides to enlist HEO's assistance in trying to locate his missing daughter, before it's too late.

The film is well paced and has some nice "scare moments." I'm not a big fan of this particular genre, but I definitely enjoyed watching The Closet.

I must mention that there is a cute tongue-in-cheek reference made to the Along with the Gods films (Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds and Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days); HA Jung-woo starred in both films.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; a good, solid supernatural thriller.

The Closet is produced by CJ Entertainment (Parasite) and distributed by capelight pictures.

Watch the official movie trailer here.

South Korean horror mystery THE CLOSET opening at two venues in California on February 14th

capelight pictures

presents

The Closet

Written and directed by KIM Kwang-bin
Starring HA Jung-woo, KIM Nam-gil and HEO Yul

South Korea, 2020, 97 minutes

Mystery and the supernatural lie at the center of The Closet - a hotly-anticipated new thriller from South Korea. The film, which marks the feature film debut of KIM Kwang-bin, will open at CGV Los Angeles and CGV Buena Park on February 14th. His feature film debut.

When a tragic accident leaves Sang-won (HA Jung-woo) and his daughter Ina (HEO Yul) without their wife and mother, he moves to a new home to restore his relationship with his daughter. Despite all his efforts, nothing he does seems to work but she makes a new friend who makes her laugh. This moment of peace doesn’t last long, as strange noises trickle out of their closet and Ina begins displaying strange behaviors.

A few days after Sang-won starts having eerie nightmares, Ina disappears without a trace. While searching for her, Sang-won comes across enigmatic Kyung-hoon (KIM Nam-gil), who seems to know where Ina has disappeared to: the closet. Kyung-hoon tells Sang-won that he’s been looking for whereabouts of missing children for the past 10 years and believes that the key to finding Sang-won’s daughter is inside the closet. Desperate to find his daughter, Sang-won reaches out to open the forbidden closet…

The Closet is produced by CJ Entertainment (Parasite) and distributed by capelight pictures.

Watch the official movie trailer here.

THE MAN STANDING NEXT reviewed; expands to nationwide release today

capelight pictures

presents

The Man Standing Next

Directed by WOO Min-ho
Written by Lee Ji-min
Starring LEE Byung-hun, LEE Sung-min, KWAK Do-won,
LEE Hee-jun, and KIM So-jin

South Korea, 2020, 114 minutes

The South Korean political thriller The Man Standing Next opened at CGV Buena Park on January 24th and CGV Los Angeles on January 31st. Today, Friday, February 7th, the film goes into nationwide release, including such venues as the AMC Empire 25 on West 42nd Street. My review is based on watching an onine screener.

The film tells the story of scandals in the KCIA, the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, and is based on the non-fiction hit book KCIA Chiefs, although "creative liberties were taken for certain settings." Specifically, the film concerns the forty days leading up to the assassination of President PARK Chung-hee on October 26, 1979.

Back on May 16, 1961, the army began a military coup d'etat. The Third Republic was established and Korea's first intelligence agency was founded. The KCIA, based in Namsan, Seoul, used its absolute power to insure PARK's autocratic rule for eighteen years. The so-called "Directors of NAMSAN" were PARK's right-hand men.

KIM Gyu-pyeong (LEE Byung-hun) plays the current KCIA director thoughout the film's "present time" in the fall of 1979. PARK Yong-gak (KWAK Do-won). a friend of KIM as well as a predecessor in the post, has fled the country and is testifying against President PARK (LEE Sung-min) in the U.S. Congress. In his efforts, he's assisted by Deborah SHIM, a lobbyist. The other major character is GWAK Sang-cheon (LEE Hee-joon), chief of presidential security and a total toady to the president.

Tension escalates over PARK Yong-gak's revealing many of the leadership's sordid secrets. Political maneuvering by those wanting to maintain what power they have and by those aspiring to increased power, as well as by those who have at least somewhat decent intentions, leads to rising levels of conflict.

The film is a tense and dense thriller. Director WOO does an admirable job of keeping the developments clear and understandable. The cast is uniformly fine.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars, highly recommended.

For the official movie teaser visit: https://youtu.be/rODF85LAUcg

SECRET ZOO reviewed; film set to expand from two California theaters to nationwide release today

capelight pictures

presents

Secret Zoo

Directed by SON Jae-Gon
Starring AHN Jae-hong, KANG So-ra,
PARK Yeong-gyu, and KIM Sung-oh

South Korea, 2020

Based on the webcomic series Haechijiana by Hun that ran from 9/20/2011 - 4/27/2012, Secret Zoo is a charming and delightful comedy about a zoo struggling to stay afloat. The film opened on January 24th at CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles and Buena Park. My review is based on watching an online screener.

KANG Tae-soo (AHN Jae-Hong) is a young lawyer who has worked as a temp at JH Law for eight months and fervently wants to secure a permanent position in the firm's Mergers and Acquisition (M & A) department. It looks like his opportunity has arrived when he is tasked with normalizing and maintaining the failing Dongsan Park Zoo within three months for one of his employer's clients. The trouble is, all the viable animals have been sold off by loan sharks to pay the zoo's debts!

Undeterred, Tae-soo comes up with a plan to used somewhat realistic-looking animal costumes for the four remaining members of the staff to wear and fool the public. Not surprisingly, things don't go well; until, that is, a chance event goes viral on the internet and transforms the zoo into a major attraction.

Given the nature of the genre, one knows that things are basically going to turn out alright at film's end. It's really a matter of how convincing the rather outlandish premise is depicted and how interesting the twists and turns are. On all these accounts, the film succeeds admirably.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars, a fine comedy that's well-worth watching.

The official movie trailer is available at https://youtu.be/WPdCjA2Gfys.

Also, a February 4, 2020, interview with director SON Jae-Gon at KoBiz can be found here.

ASHFALL reviewed

capelight pictures / MPI Media Group 

presents

 

Directed by LEE Hae Jun and KIM Byung Seo

Starring LEE Byung Hun, HA Jung Woo, Don LEE,

JEON Hye Jin, and BAE Su Zy

South Korea, 2019, 130 minutes

Ashfall, a disaster action-drama from South Korea, opened nationwide on January 17th. I watched an online screener on my iMac at home.

Captain CHO In-chang (HA Jung Woo) is about to end his dangerous field career in the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit of the South Korean Army, which is a good thing as his wife Ji-young (BAE Su Zy) is do to have their first child soon.

Unfortunately Baekdu Mountain, along the border between North and South Korea, undergoes a 7.8 volcanic eruption, with more to follow. This at a time when a US. warship is en route to pickup North Korea's last six nuclear warheads, ending the demilitarization of the North.

Professor KANG Bong-rae (MA Dong Seok, a.k.a. Don Lee), a Korean-American seismologist, has identified three more lava layers, the first two small, but the third is really big and will lead to massive devastation. Fortunately he thinks he has a plan that will minimize the eruptions. Unfortunately it involves CHO leading a time into North Korea, stealing the six nuclear missiles and detonating them at a precise place in the labyrinth on mines near the volcano.

Jun-pyong (left) and In-chang (right); photo credit: capelight pictures

To locate the warheads, In-chang's team needs the assistant of a North Korean military officer, RI Jun-pyong (LEE Byung Hun) He's a master of betrayal, making him an unreliable ally with an agenda of his own. Oh, and he has to be recovered from a North Korean military prison! Later in the film, as In-chang and Jun-pyong drive towards the mountain with the nukes, I couldn't help but thinking of Frodo and Sam going to Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings. The difference here being that Jun-oyong is not the ever-reliable friend that Sam was.

The premise of the movie admittedly is pretty far out there, but then again so was that of John Woo's Face/Off, one of my all-time favorite action movies, and within a few years of its release, doctors began performing facial transplants, albeit not as complex as those depicted in Woo's film. So Ashfall viewers have to really suspend their disbelief and go along with this fine flick on its own terms. It's well worth the ride.

Click here to watch the official trailer.

The list of theaters at which Ashfall was scheduled to open on January 17th can be found in my release announcement post that day by clicking here. Check local listings to see if it's still playing in your area.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars (good); a solid action flick.

BATTLE OF JANGSARI reviewed; now available on home video

Well Go USA
Entertainment

presents

 Battle of Jangsari
 Directed by Kyung-taek Kwak

Starring: Kim Myung-Min, Minho Choi, George Eads, and Megan Fox

South Korea, 2019, 104 minutes

Battle of Jangsari, a fact-based Korean War film, has come to digital-on-demand, Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and DVD today, Tuesday, January 28th from Well Go USA Entertainment. I watched the Blu-ray version.

To support General MacArthur's planned landing at Inchon, several diversionary attacks were to take place elsewhere on the peninsula. One of these was at Jangsari in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, on the eastern coast of the Korea peninsula. The attack was carried out by minimally-trained student soldiers who had not even been issued military service numbers. Basically they were being used as "cannon-fodder".

KIM Myung -Min portrays LEE Myung-Jun, the officer in charge of the attack. This character is based on Lt. LEE Myung-Heum, who spent years trying to get the student soldiers their well-deserved service numbers and recognition.

Megan Fox (Transformers, Jennifer's Body, and Prudence in a memorable episode of Two and a Half Men) portrays Maggie, a character inspired by Marguerite Higgins, an American reporter and war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune, and, to a lesser extent, photographer Margaret Bourke-White. Fox does a decent enough job in her role, although she is perhaps a bit too eager and earnest in her portrayal.

George Eads has a small but significant role as an American general who does right by Maggie.

The film is well shot and edited. It makes effective use of Maggie's part of the story to occasionally take a break from the plight of the student soldiers. The Blu-ray version was visually stunning, a real godsend in immersing the viewer in the overall story, but especially in the combat sequences.

The Wikipedia entry for the film says that it is the second installment, after Operation Chromite,(a.k.a. Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite), in a trilogy, though there's no source sited or information about the third film. Whether there actually is, or will be, a third film, Operation Chromite and Battle of Jangsari do make for a good home video double feature.

Disc Specs:
-- Audio
    -- Korean DTD-HDMA 5.1
    -- Korean Stereo
-- Subtitles
    -- English
    -- Off
-- Bonus
    -- "Making of" featurette
    -- Trailer A
    -- Trailer B
    -- U.S. Trailer
-- Trailers
    -- The Divine Fury
    -- T-34
    -- Swing Kids

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars, good; a solid, interesting and well-made war film

South Korean political drama THE MAN STANDING NEXT opening soon in two California venues

Capelight Pictures

Presents

The Man Standing Next

Directed by WOO Min-ho
Written by Lee Ji-min
Starring LEE Byung-hun, LEE Sung-min, KWAK Do-won,
LEE Hee-jun, and KIM So-jin

South Korea, 2020, 114 minutes

The Man Standing Next, a South Korean political drama, will open at CGV Buena Park on January 24th and CGV Los Angeles on January 31st. The film tells the story of a 1970 scandal in the KCIA, the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, and is based on the non-fiction hit book KCIA Chiefs.

In the 1970s, Korea is under absolute control of President PARK (LEE Sung-min) who controls the KCIA, the organization with an edge over any branch of government. The director of KCIA, KIM Gyu-pyeong (LEE Byung-hun), is a shoe-in for second-in-command. In the midst of reign of fear, a former KCIA director, PARK Yong-gak (KWAK Do-won) who knows all about the government’s obscure and illegal operations, exiles to the U.S., where he opens the floodgate to the investigation of ‘Koreagate’. As tension escalates, stifling political maneuvering by those desiring power collide explosively.

For the official movie teaser visit: https://youtu.be/rODF85LAUcg

BATTLE OF JANGSARI coming to home video on January 28, 2020

Well Go USA
Entertainment

presents

 Battle of Jangsari
 Directed by Kyung-taek Kwak

Starring: Kim Myung-Min, Minho Choi, George Eads, and Megan Fox

South Korea, 2019, 104 minutes

Battle of Jangsari, based on the true story of student soldiers sent as a diversion to MacArthur's planned landing at Inchon, comes to digital on demand, Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and DVD on January 28th from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Synopsis
At a critical point in the Korean War, American General Douglas MacArthur decides to attack and secure Inchon on the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. In support of this surprise attack, the South Korean army sends a small, inexperienced battalion of student soldiers as a diversion to the eastern coast of the peninsula. With little ammunition, low food supplies and second-hand weapons, the soldiers head for the frontlines of Jangsari beach.

South Korean Comedy SECRET ZOO opens in Los Angeles and Buena Park on January 24th; nationwide release planned for February 7th

Capelight Pictures

Presents

Secret Zoo

Directed by SON Jae-Gon

South Korea, 2020

Secret Zoo, a heartwarming and zany comedy about a zoo struggling to stay afloat while not having any actual animals will open on January 24th at CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles and Buena Park. A further nationwide release is being planned for February 7th.

When a young lawyer, Tae-su (AHN Jae-Hong), eager to lock down a full-time position at his prestigious firm, is tasked with revitalizing a failing zoo in only three months all seems lost because of one glaring issue—the zoo has no animals. Not to be defeated, the zookeepers and Tae-su concoct the crazy idea to dress humans up as animals and make it believable.

Secret Zoo stars AHN Jae-Hong, KANG So-Ra, PARK Young-Gyu and is directed by SON Jae-Gon.

For the official movie trailer visit: https://youtu.be/WPdCjA2Gfys

ASHFALL released nationwide today

capelight pictures / MPI Media Group 

presents

 

Directed by LEE Hae Jun and KIM Byung Seo

Starring LEE Byung Hun, HA Jung Woo, Don LEE,

JEON Hye Jin, and BAE Su Zy

South Korea, 2019, minutes

Featuring an all-star cast, South Korean action drama Ashfall expands into additional theaters and will be released nationwide today, January 17th. The film, which stars LEE Byung Hun, HA Jung Woo, Don LEE, JEON Hye Jin and BAE Su Zy, opened to a successful weekend over the holidays, which has led to an expansion in multiple top markets.

In the face of a disaster that will engulf both North and South Korea, a mission is put into action to stop a super volcanic eruption.

Synopsis
An unexpected eruption of Korea's tallest volcano, which straddles the China-North Korea border, leaves the Korean peninsula in shambles. Seismologists warn this is only the preliminary eruption -- A devastating super-eruption is still to come.

Yoo-kyung (JEON Hye Jin) is Chief Secretary to the President of South Korea. While her team puts together an emergency countermeasure for the impending national crisis, she meets renowned Korean-American seismologist, Bong-rae (Don LEE). Bong-rae presents a theory that could possibly stop the volcanic explosion. Despite a very small possibility of success, the two decide to set the plan into motion.

In-chang (HA Jung Woo) is only days away from completing his service with the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit of the South Korean Army. An accident during a missile dismantling operation leaves him in charge of the team, and he is called away to his last mission before returning home to his wife, Ji-young (BAE Su Zy).

In-chang's team secretly reaches out to a North Korean elite officer, Jun-pyong (LEE Byung Hun), who holds the key to the mission to stop the volcanic eruption. However, Jun-pyong keeps acting erratically. With doom looming, everyone must work together to avoid imminent devastation.

Full theater listing as of January 17th:
CGV Cinemas Buena Park, CA
CGV Cinemas Los Angeles, CA
AMC Ridgefield Park, NJ
AMC Plymouth Mtg, PA
AMC Bay Terrace Bayside, NY
AMC Alderwood Cinema Lynnwood, WA
AMC Mercado Santa Clara, CA
AMC IMAX Metreon San Francisco, CA
CENT Century 20 Daly City, CA
CNMK Century Sea Tac Mall Federal Way, WA
AMC Alderwood Seattle, WA
AMC Veteran's Expressway Tampa, FL
AMC Streets of Woodfield Chicago, IL
AMC 20 Niles Chicago, IL
AMC Empire 25 New York, NY
AMC Forum 30 Detroit, MI
AMC Fullerton 20 Los Angeles, CA
AMC Studio 30 Houston, TX
AMC Grapevine Mills Dallas/Ft Worth, TX

Click here to watch the official trailer.

THE DIVINE FURY reviewed

Well Go USA Entertainment

Presents

The Divine Fury / Saja

Directed by Joo-hwan Kim

South Korea, 2019, 129 minutes

Korean action-mystery The Divine Fury debuts today on Blu-ray™ Combo, DVD and Digital from Well Go USA Entertainment. Directed by Jason Kim (Midnight Runners), The Divine Fury stars Park Seo-joon (The Chronicles of Evil), Ahn Sung-ki (Unbowed) and Woo Do-hwan (Master), with special appearances by Choi Woo-shik (Train to Busan) and Kim Si-eun (The Beauty Inside).This review is based on watching the Blu-ray version.

Synopsis:

After suffering two terrible losses in his youth, Yong-hu (Park Seo-joon) abandons his Christian faith and chooses to only believe in himself. As an adult twenty years later, Yong-hu has become a champion MMA fighter and has everything he has ever wanted, that is until a mysterious wound appears in the palm of his hand. Somewhat reluctantly joining forces with Father Ahn (Ahn Sung-ki), an exorcist, Yong-hu finds himself in the middle of a dangerous fight against otherworldly evil forces seeking to wreak havoc on the human world.

Disc Specs:
-- Audio
  -- Korean DTS-HDMA 5.1
  -- Korean Stereo
  -- English DTS HDMA 5.1
  -- English Stereo
-- Subtitles
  -- English
  -- Off
-- Bonus
  -- Making Of
    -- Special Effects
    -- Item Commentary
    -- Production Documentary
    -- The World of Evil
    -- Interview with James Jean
-- Previews
    -- Tazza: One Eyed jack
    -- Freaks
    -- The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil

AsianCineFest Review:

It's been over forty-five years since William Friedkin's The Exorcist (based on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel) scared the bejesus out movie-going audiences with its depiction of the demonic possess of a young girl. The Divine Fury places more emphasis on the fight against "The Dark Bishop's" demons than on the horrific effects on those possessed, though there are some pretty frightful scenes of those afflicted.

For me personally, part of the enjoyment of watching The Divine Fury was due to the starring role of Ahn Sung-ki. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon for him that was sponsored by The Korea Society of New York City. I wasn't that familiar with him at that time, but had read about his career. He was quite pleased when I told him that I had the impression -- if he didn't mind the comparison -- that he was rather like the Tom Hanks of South Korea. One of my day-job co-workers attended the event that evening that Ahn was in town for (I wasn't there) and told me that he repeated what I'd said and had even asked one of his hosts what my name was. Lovely memory for me.

Aside from that, the film is definitely well-worth watching. It puts some different spins on the theme of demonic possession and has some fine special effects.

Finally, let me mention that there's clearly a sequel planned that will focus on Father Choi, a young priest and secondary character in The Divine Fury played by Choi Woo-sik (Parasite, Okja, Train to Busan).

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; solidly recommended

The Divine Fury at IMDb (currently has a 6.1 viewer rating)
The Divine Fury at Rotten Tomatoes (currently has a 90% audience score)
The Divine Fury at Metacritic

"Relentless Invention: New Korean Cinema, 1996–2003" playing at Lincoln Center Nov 22 - Dec 4

Film at Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema

In collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center New York

Present

Relentless Invention: New Korean Cinema, 1996–2003

When: November 22 - December 4, 2019
Where: Walter Reade Theater
165 W 65th Street, NYC
Map

The South Korean film industry has been in the midst of a remarkable, decades-long creative explosion, with Bong Joon Ho, Hong Sang-soo, and Park Chan-wook jolting new life into art-house and genre cinema alike. With the end of the nation’s military rule and the relaxing of government censorship, Korean film experienced the kind of renaissance that hadn’t been seen since its golden age in the 1950s. This new generation of filmmakers took more than political and social issues as their inspiration: they re-energized national cinema in the late 1990s and early 2000s with homegrown blockbusters that imbued the pleasures of pop cinema with a subversive, gleefully inventive approach to genre and a sharp sociopolitical edge. From heart-rending romances to supernatural shockers, ultra-stylish thrillers to offbeat comedies, this survey celebrates a vital movement that’s as audaciously innovative as it is unabashedly entertaining.

Early films by recent Palme d’Or–winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, now playing at FLC) will be showcased in the series, including his debut feature Barking Dogs Never Bite and a 4K restoration of Memories of Murder, a gonzo police procedural based on the recently solved true story of South Korea’s first serial killer, as well as work from master Park Chan-wook, including the Rashomon-esque murder mystery Joint Security Area and the first two entries in Park’s Vengeance Trilogy, the blood-splattered Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and a new 4K restoration of Oldboy. Additional 4K restorations featured in the series include the North American premiere of the restoration of Ryoo Seung-wan’s debut Die Bad; Lee Myung-se’s hallucinatory thriller Nowhere to Hide, visually influenced by film noir, silent cinema, slapstick comedy, and Hong Kong action cinema; Kwak Jae-yong’s irresistible romantic comedy My Sassy Girl; Song Neung-han’s subversive, wildly inventive crime drama satire No. 3; and Save the Green Planet!, a genre-bending, whiplash-inducing mash-up of sci-fi, horror, and psychological drama from director Jang Joon-hwan.

Other highlights include The Day a Pig Fell into the Well, the debut feature from frequent NYFF filmmaker Hong Sang-soo; Jeong Jae-eun’s Take Care of My Cat, a coming-of-age portrait of five young millennial women that explores issues of friendship, alienation, and economic anxiety; Kang Je-gyu’s strangely poignant The Gingko Bed, a surreal tale of obsessive love that became one of the first homegrown blockbuster hits produced by the modern Korean film industry; Kim Jee-woon’s jet-black comic thriller The Quiet Family; Hur Jin-ho’s modern Korean classic Christmas in August, an effective tear-jerker about the romance between a traffic cop and a terminally ill photographer; Resurrection of the Little Match Girl, which finds director Jang Sung-woo blurring the lines between cinema, virtual reality, and choose-your-own-adventure thrill ride; Park Jong-won’s rarely seen gem Rainbow Trout, a compelling genre take on backwoods horror; and E J-yong’s Untold Scandal, which transposes the French classic Les Liaisons dangereuses to late 18th-century Korea in a deliciously entertaining study of cruelty and pleasure.

The series, which runs  November 22 - December 04, 2019, was organized by Goran Topalovic, Dennis Lim, and Tyler Wilson.

Tickets are $ 15 General Public, $ 12 Students, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities, and $ 10 Members. A 3+ Film Package and an All-Access Pass are also available.

For full information about the films, the schedule, and to buy ticket, click here.

THE DIVINE FURY will be debuting on Blu-ray™ Combo, DVD and Digital on November 19th

Well Go USA Entertainment

Presents

The Divine Fury / Saja

Directed by Joo-hwan Kim

South Korea, 2019, 129 minutes

An MMA fighter helps an exorcist fight evil in the action-mystery The Divine Fury, debuting on Blu-ray™ Combo, DVD and Digital on November 19th from Well Go USA Entertainment. Directed by Jason Kim (Midnight Runners), The Divine Fury stars Park Seo-joon (The Chronicles of Evil), Ahn Sung-ki (Unbowed) and Woo Do-hwan (Master), with special appearances by Choi Woo-shik (Train to Busan) and Kim Si-eun (The Beauty Inside).

Synopsis:

After losing his father at a young age in a terrible accident, Yong-hu (Park) abandons his Christian faith and chooses to only believe in himself. Now as an adult, Yong-hu is a champion fighter and has everything he has ever wanted, that is until a mysterious wound appears in the palm of his hand. And he himself in the middle of a dangerous fight against otherworldly evil forces seeking to wreak havoc on the human world.