Romantic Indian film DRAUPADI UNLEASHED opening March 20th in eight U.S. cities

Passion River Films

presents

Draupadi Unleashed

Directed by Tony Stopperan and Nisha Sabharwal

USA, 2019, 110 minutes

Set in 1930’s India, Draupadi Unleashed centers on sixteen-year-old Indira, who finds herself torn between true love, her duty to follow through with an arranged marriage and the powerful allure of a mysterious guru. Through her heartbreaking journey to self-discovery, long-held secrets are brought to light, and Indira discovers the strength within herself to break free.

In a story that mixes magical realism and gorgeous surroundings with the harsh realities of a patriarchal society, this beautifully-told tale of a young woman at a crossroads in her life offers a rare look at aristocratic Indian society in the early part of the 20th Century - one that will resonate with audiences today.

Based on the novel by the same title by Nisha Sabharwal (also co-director), Draupadi Unleashed is written for the screen and directed by Tony Stopperan, produced by Hello Desi and distributed by Passion River Films.

The film will release in the following eight cities on March 20th and the next two cities on March 27th:

March 20th Theatrical Releases:
Chicago — AMC River East 21
Dallas-Ft. Worth — AMC Stonebriar Mall 24
Hartford & New Haven — AMC Plainville 20
Houston — AMC First Colony 24
Orange County — AMC Orange 30
Los Angeles — Laemmle Town Center
Philadelphia — AMC Hamilton 24
New York City — AMC Empire 25

March 27th Theatrical Releases:
Larkspur, CA (Marin County) — Lark Theater
Hartford, CT — Real Art Ways

Watch trailer here. 

DIDI'S DREAMS, a Chinese fantasy comedy, is available at Amazon Video and Vimeo on Demand

Cheng Cheng Films

Presents

Didi's Dreams / 'Chi chi' de ai

Directed by Kevin Tsai

Taiwan/China, 2017, 91 minutes

With this one-of-a-kind fantasy comedy, talent from the most influential Chinese language TV show Kangsi Coming pay tribute to the golden age of Taiwan variety entertainment. Didi is an aspiring actress who keeps having the same dream about a spaceship noodle shop owner's love affairs. After countless hardships, she finally reaches her career breakthrough, but her life takes an unexpected turn, and the truth about her dreams start to unveil.

SNOW GIRL AND THE DARK CRYSTAL coming to Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD on August 4th

Well Go USA

presents

Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal

Directed by Peter Pau and Zhao Tianyu

Starring Li Bingbing and Chen Kun

China/Hong Kong, 2015, 118 minutes

Academy Award® winning cinematographer Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000) makes his third bow as a director (alongside co-director Zhao Tianyu) with the romantic fantasy adventure epic Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal, debuting on Digital HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD next Tuesday, August 4th from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Featuring “a story filled with its fair share of demons, monsters, magic and mystics, coupled with romance, danger and spectacular action,” (Film Combat Syndicate) the film depicts legendary hero Zhong Kui, a fabled warrior with mysterious powers, who is forced to conquer the realms of Heaven and Hell to save his people and the woman he loves. The film stars Chen Kun (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) as the mythic demon hunter and Li Bingbing (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame) as the alluring snow demon with whom he falls in love. Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal includes a behind-the-scenes featurette that delves in to the visual effects employed in the film and the music that sets the mood.

Synopsis: Shot in scenic locations in Mainland China, Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal depicts the story of Chinese legendary anti-hero Zhong Kui, a young man endowed with mysterious powers who is forced into a battle among the realms of Heaven, Earth and Hell in the course of his attempt to save his countrymen and the woman he loves.

Bonus Features Include:
-- Making of featurette
  -- The Music Journey
  -- Visual Effects
-- Trailer

BUT ALWAYS hits North American theaters this Friday, September 5th

China Lion

presents

 But Always

Written and directed by Snow ZOU

China, 2014, 106 minutes

The Chinese romance/drama But Always begins its North American theatrical run this coming Friday, September 5th. For theater information and to buy tickets, click here.

The film, which marks the directorial debut of Snow ZOU, who also wrote the screenplay, stars Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse (Bodyguards and Assassins, Shaolin) and Mainland Chinese actress Yuanyuan GAO (Caught in the Web, Beijing Bicycle) as two best friends who have lost touch but find each other again. The feature will be Tse’s return to romantic dramas after a ten year absence during which he appeared in a series of action films including The Bullet Vanishes and The Viral Factor (both of which China Lion Film acquired for the North American market).

“I’ve grown used to the sound of his footsteps.”
Friends An Ran (Yuanyuan GAO) and Zhao Yong-yuan (Nicholas Tse) are separated as children and meet again years later in Beijing in the early 1990’s, when An is a university student and Zhao is a hawker. They rediscover their childhood friendship. Zhao helps her raise funds to study abroad. They fall in love, but try to hide it. When Zhao sees An off he cannot help but tells An he wants to take care of her for the rest of her life. An is overwhelmed but does not stay…

“I’ve followed you for so long, of course I can recognize your footsteps.”
Everything has been going wrong for An when in 2001, now successful businessman Zhao runs into her in New York. He wants to be with her. An has given up on their past, but Zhao’s persistence moves her. They decide to get married, but another accident results in their being separated once more. Convinced they will never meet again, An returns to Beijing. And then…

New romantic comedy manga series MY LOVE STORY!! coming July 1st

ORE MONOGATARI!! © 2011 by Kazune Kawahara, Aruko/SHUEISHA Inc.

 NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST IN NEW ROMANTIC COMEDY

MANGA SERIES MY LOVE STORY!! FROM VIZ MEDIA

Creator Of HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT Offers

An Endearing Laugh-Out-Loud Story About

An Underdog Who Finally Finds Love

VIZ Media expands the catalog for its popular Shojo Beat imprint with the debut of the manga (graphic novel) series – MY LOVE STORY!! – on July 1st.

The new release, written by the author of the bestselling manga HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT, is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. Future volumes of the continuing series are scheduled to be published 4 times a year.

A digital version also will launch on July 1st for $6.99 (USD/CAN) on VIZManga.com and through the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as for the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

In MY LOVE STORY!!, Takeo Goda is a giant guy with a giant heart. Too bad the girls don’t want him! (They always go for his good-looking best friend, Sunakawa.) Used to being on the sidelines, Takeo simply stands tall and accepts his fate. But one day when he saves a girl named Yamato from a harasser on the train, his (love!) life suddenly takes an incredible turn! Takeo can hardly believe it when he crosses paths with Yamato again, and he finds himself falling in love with her… But with handsome Sunakawa around, does Takeo even stand a chance?

“MY LOVE STORY!! is a wonderful laugh-out-loud comedy sure to delight any reader that has ever rooted for, or been, the underdog in a relationship,” says Amy Yu, Editor. “This is a different type of shojo story, told from the standpoint of the sweet but blundering main male character, Takeo. We invite fans to complement their summer manga reading with this fun, new romantic comedy from Shojo Beat!”

Manga writer Kazune Kawahara made her manga debut at age 18 with Kare no ichiban sukina hito (His Most Favorite Person). Her other notable works include Sensei!, which is serialized in Bessatsu Margaret magazine, and HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT (which is published in North America by VIZ Media).

Artist Aruko made her manga debut with Ame Nochi Hare (Clear After the Rain). Her other works include Yasuko to Kenji which was also adapted into a popular TV comedy series.

For more information on MY LOVE STORY!! or other popular shojo manga titles from VIZ Media, visit www.shojobeat.com.

VENUS TALK tomorrow night in NY

Korean Cultural Service New York

presents

Korean Movie Night 2014

Series Two

Korean Girl Power: Embracing What Matters

Venus Talk

Directed by KWON Chil-in

South Korea, 2014, 108 minutes

When: Tuesday March 11, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Where: Tribeca Cinemas 54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, NYC

Near the A, C, E @ #1 Canal Street subway stops

Map

Admission: FREE!!!

In support of Korean Cultural Service's free screening tomorrow night of South Korean romance/comedy/drama Venus Talk, I'm reposting the following review, which went online at the time of the film's theatrical opening in North America on February 28th. 

Venus Talk stars three of Korea’s most accomplished and provocative actresses as very close friends in modern day Seoul. They're in their early 40s and find themselves confronting anew the issues of love, relationships, commitment, and -- not insignificantly -- sex, at this stage of their lives.

LEE Jae-Yoon (left) and UHM Jung-Hwa

Shin-Hye (UHM Jung-Hwa, Haeundae) is a smart, capable and talented producer at a cable station. Unfortunately, she has a knack of getting involved with men in the industry. After an affair with a director ends, she has a one night stand with CHOI Hyun-seung (LEE Jae-Yoon), an incredibly handsome production assistant who, at 28 years of age, is much younger than she is. Despite the difference in age, he wants to have an ongoing relationship with her, but she is reluctant to get involved.

Actor LEE Sung-Min (left )and actress MOON So-Ri

Mi-Yeon (MOON So-Ri, Oasis) is a housewife who has a very lively libido. With their only child, a son, studying abroad, it would seem to be the perfect time for her and her husband to indulge in glorious, uninhibited sex with one another. However her husband is increasingly hard-put (no pun intended) to keep up with her sexual appetite. Viagra and pornography alone prove to be not enough for him to deal with the situation.

Actor LEE Kyeong-Yeong (left) and actress JO Min-Soo

Hae-Young (JO Min-Soo, Pieta) is a single mom who has her own bakery and is in a lovely relationship with Mr. LEE, an age-appropriate carpenter. Their relationship is made difficult by the presence of her 20-something and still-living-at-home daughter Su-Jung. Just as that issue seems on the verge of getting resolved another and much more significant problem arises.

Actresses MOON So-ri, JO Min-Soo and UHM Jung-Hwa

The film is most definitely a Korean take on the Sex in the City TV series and movies. But there's nothing wrong with that, since it's so well done. The situations are believable, the writing is good, and the direction is solid. Most importantly, the acting is fantastic. This is not surprising given the three female leads, but it can also be said of all the supporting cast as well.

According to Korean Cinema Today (February 2014, Vol. 35), Myung Films, which produced the movie, was hoping to tap into the growing pool of older filmgoers who have been a significant part of South Korea's recent domestic box office boom. The beefcake shots of LEE Jae-Yoon and the way the simulated sex scenes are filmed seem to clearly indicate that the movie is intended to appeal mainly to the female audience. But that's not to say that guys won't enjoy it also, especially those who appreciate great acting.

ACF Rating: 3 out of 4 star; very solidly recommended.

OUR SUNHI - a Film Comment Selects review

JUNG Yu-mi is everyone's Sunhi

Our Sunhi / U ri Sunhi

Written and directed by HONG Sang-soo

South Korea, 2013, 88 minutes

Our Sunhi is the latest offering from South Korean director HONG Sang-soo. It was the opening night film for the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Film Comment Selects 2014 series this past Monday evening. It will be shown for a second and final time at the film series tomorrow, Thursday, February 20th at 4:45 pm. (Info and tickets here.)

Sunhi (JUNG Yumi) is a film school graduate who returns after being away for quite some time to get a letter of recommendation from Donghyun (KIM Sangjoong), a former professor. Despite graduating, she is yet to have made a film and has decided to continue with graduate studies in the United States. Hence her seeking the recommendation. In the course of events she also encounters Munsu (LEE Sunyun), her former boyfriend who has just completed his first film, and Jaehak (JUNG Jaeyoung, who starred in Moss, 2010), a married director who was senior to Sunhi at the school. All three men seek Sunhi's affection, resulting in quite comical results.

Sunhi (left) and Donghyun (KIM Sangjoong)

The film shares the same interest in filmmakers and cinema that have marked a number of HONG's other films, such as Like You Know It All (2009), Oki's Movie (2010), and The Day He Arrives (2011). It also shares some some of his stylistic trademarks. There is very little camera movement; it is usually locked down, with only the rare pan, tilt, or zoom. The camera is often set square on to what is being filmed, often two or more characters eating and drinking while facing one another across a table. And, of course, there is the repetition of scenes and dialogue, with slight variations in who's speaking the lines and the precise wording.

Munsu (LEE Sunkyun, left) and Sunhi

Furthermore, three of the four leads have appeared in other films by HONG. JUNG was in Oki's Movie and In Another Country (2012); KIM in The Day He Arrives; and LEE in Oki's Movie and Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013).

Jaehak (JUNG Jaeyoung,,left) shileds Sunhi from the rain

My only real criticism of the film ss the quickness of some of the zooms that occur. They felt jarring and drew too much attention to themselves for my liking. Maybe this was HONG's intention -- to periodically take the viewer out of the narrative by point-out that we're watching a film -- but I could've done with smoother zooms or none at all.

Sunhi's three would-be suitors

Aside from what I found to be distracting zooms, I enjoyed Our Sunhi very, very much. I've seen several of HONG's films and found this one to be his lightest and most funny.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very highly recommended. Our Sunhi is clever, delightful, and whimsical, a truly enjoyable viewing experience.

BEIJING LOVE STORY opens today in limited release in North America

China Lion

presents

Beijing Love Story

Written and directed by CHEN Sicheng

China, 2014, 122 minutes

Just in time for Valentine's day comes Beijing Love Story, a look at love, romance and commitment as experienced by five couples (in one case actually an unusual trio) of different generations. They range in age from high school students to individuals in their sixties.

The first we meet are Chen Feng, a designer who is played by the film's writer and director Chen Sicheng). While celebrating the impending marriage of a friend, Chen encounters the lovely Shen Yan (Tong Liya) at a Beijing club. They are in their mid-twenties or so. He is not well off (he rents, has no car, and is without the highly coveted Beijing residency permit. She has recently broken up with her wealthy boyfriend. Although their relationship flourishes, an unexpected development and the machinations of Shen's mother and ex- threaten to rend it asunder.

Another relationship is that of Chen's boss Wu Zheng (Wang Xuebing) who has been married for several years. While he has no desire or even inclination to leave his devoted wife Zhang Lei ((Yu Nan), he all too frequently cheats on her. When she comes upon a sex video on his phone, that relationship too is threatened with breaking up.

Liu Hui (Tony Leung Ka Fai) is a friend of Zhang's and tries to comfort her. But soon he is off to Greece for an illicit rendezvous of his own with Jia Ling (Carina Lau). But is that truly what's going on, or is Liu's wife actually aware of this little getaway?

Liu Hui's  high school aged daughter Liu Xingyang (Nana Ou Yang) plays the cello and wants to perform with the school's string ensemble on the China Dream Show. Xingyang is the object of the affections of fellow high schooler Song Ge (Liu Haoran), who has the special ability to see people's auras. Xingyang's is quite unique, of a type he's never seen before.

The last couple, or trio, consists of 66 year old "Old" Wang (Wang Qinxiang) who is going on blind dates arranged by his cousin Mrs. Gao (Siqin Gaowa). It looks like he may have finally found a companion in Xue Aija, 59, a divorcee who has returned to Beijing after living in America for the past twenty years. But here too a complication, one of a most unusual nature. arises and threatens to undo their prospects for companionship and happiness in their golden years.

The film is structured about the way lives are inter-related along the lines of such movies as Crash (2004) and Babel (2006). Thus Chen's landlord turns out to be a character who is related to yet another character. When one character takes an early morning bus, another couple, whom we have not yet met, is seated together or the same bus. Thus even in the huge metropolis of Beijing, which is often shot quite beautifully, lives that are seemingly unrelated touch each other in unexpected ways.

Chen Sicheng has done a remarkable job on this, his debut, feature film. He has captured many facets and nuances of love and relationships. Just how well the movie succeeds at depicting romance may be attested to by the fact that in real life Chen and his leading lady Tong Liya fell in love every bit as much as their on-screen characters. On January 16, 2014, they were married in Tahiti. Talk about life imitating art!

I do want to point out that there's a bravura steady-cam shot that takes place in a hospital at the end of the film. Also be sure to stick around during the credits. There's a very nice scene featuring Wu's wife discussing love with three guys that's shown in a separate window while the credits roll.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended. Beijing Love Story is touching, delightful and peppered with humorous touches.

Beijing Love Story is  to open today in the following locations. Check local listings.

- DC Area: AMC Loews Rio (Gaithersburg)
- Los Angeles: AMC Atlantic Times Square 14 (Monterey Park)
- an additional Los Angeles area location for the 14th is likely to be added
- New York: AMC Empire 25 (Manhattan)
- San Francisco/San Jose Area: Camera 12 Cinemas (San Jose)
- an additional San Francisco proper location for the 14th is likely to be added
- Toronto: Cineplex Odeon Yonge Dundas
- Vancouver: SilverCity Riverport

BEIJING LOVE STORY opening on Valentine's Day in North America

China Lion

Presents

Beijing Love Story

Directed by Chen Sicheng

China, 2014, 122 minutes

China Lion will be offering a Valentine's Day treat with the North American theatrical release of the Chinese romance movie Beijing Love Story on Friday, February 14th. The film, which stars Tony Leung Ka Fai and Carina Lau, takes a look at love and commitment from multiple generations. It's a spin-off from the hit Chinese TV series of the same name and marks the feature film directorial debut of Chen Sicheng, who also wrote the screenplay and has a starring role.

Beijing Love Story is slated to open in these locations:

- DC Area: AMC Loews Rio (Gaithersburg)
- Los Angeles: AMC Atlantic Times Square 14 (Monterey Park)
  - an additional Los Angeles area location for the 14th is likely to be added
- New York: AMC Empire 25 (Manhattan)
- San Francisco/San Jose Area: Camera 12 Cinemas (San Jose)
  - an additional San Francisco proper location for the 14th is likely to be added
- Toronto: Cineplex Odeon Yonge Dundas
- Vancouver: SilverCity Riverport

AsianCineFest is expecting a screener to arrive in time for a review on or shortly before the Valentine's Day opening, so be sure to check back here.

Independent Korean-American romantic comedy WEDDING PALACE doing very well at iTunes

As of today, Wedding Palace is number 32 of all the Top Independent Movies at iTunes, right after Best Foreign Film Academy Award nominee The Grandmaster, which is #31. Not too shabby.

And when it comes to Top Romance Movies at iTunes, Wedding Palace is number 14!

ACF 2103: FINDING MR. RIGHT opens today, Friday, November 8th in Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York

China Lion Film

Presents

Finding Mr. Right

Written and directed by Xiao Lu Xue

Starring Wei Tang and Xiubo Wu
2013, China/Hong Kong, 123 minutes

Finding Mr. Right, a big hit in China will be opening today in Seattle, Los Angeles and New York. (Check local listings.) The film is one of China’s highest grossing films. It attracted a large audience there both because of interest in the story’s main backdrop of Seattle and because of the film's rather controversial subject matter.

Wen Jiajia (Actress Tang Wei, Lust Caution) arrives in Seattle on a flight from Beijing and waits curbside in the cold until her ride, Frank Hao (Xiubo Wu) finally arrives thirty minutes late. She's rich, selfish, self-centered, a real prima donna. She thinks she can get whatever she wants because she has access to apparently unlimited wealth, and usually she succeeds. Jiajia is also pregnant.

Formerly an editor for a gourmet food magazine, she has come to the U.S. because her wealthy lover is married and won't seek a divorce. She therefore would not be able to obtain legal permission to give birth in China because of that country's highly restrictive one-child policy.

Wen Jiajia (Tang Wei, left) and Frank Hao (Xiubo Wu)

Frank, who had been a doctor in China, now works as a chauffeur for illegal "birthing houses." For various reasons, Chinese women live in rooms in these houses until they give birth. The landladies of these homes provide room and board as well as transportation to medical appointments, etc.

Jiajia ends up having to stay in a house owned by Mrs. Huang, a Taiwanese landlady. Jiajia immediately buys her way into the largest room in the house. But her high-handed ways are of no avail when her wealthy businessman lover can't come to visit as he'd promise, when she can't reach him by phone, and especially not when her credit card stops being accepted.

As her life takes various twists and turns, it becomes rather problematic as to just who is her "Mr. Right" and whether or not she'll realize it, let alone be able to act upon it.

Actress Wei Tang was blacklisted by the Chinese government because of her participation in Ang Lee's Lust Caution (2007), a film whose subject matter the authorities objected to. This cost her dearly, both in terms of roles and endorsements. She did not appear again in a film until 2010's Crossing Hennessy. The following year she had a lead role in Dragon (a.k.a. Wu xia), which starred Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro. She's outstanding in her role in Finding Mr. Right, exhibiting a wide range as Jiajia undergoes significant transformation from an arrogant person of privilege to one of abject poverty.

For his part, 45 year old Xiubo Wuis quite convincing as a man who's been humbled by the course his life has taken, but who hasn't given up on regaining his dignity and his desire to provide both emotionally and financially for his young daughter.

I would describe Finding Mr. Right as primarily a drama, but one with strong rom-com elements. It's well-paced and well-acted. It hits both the serious and dramatic notes with a sure hand. All in all, a most enjoyable watch.

ACF 2080: LOST FOR WORDS

Lost for Words

Directed by Stanley J. Orzel

Hong Kong, 2013, 107 minutes

Lost for Words is a romantic drama directed Stanley J. Orzel (4 Assassins, a.k.a. Far Away Eyes) and co-written by him and Joseph Bendy. The film is scheduled to open tomorrow, Friday, October 18th, 2013, in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto. (Check local listings or click here for showtimes and tickets at Fandango.)

The movie begins in a jail cell in China where Michael Vance (Sean Faris, The King of Fighters) is being held for hitting someone who was hurting a woman named Anna. Informed that he's about to be deported, he asks about seeing Anna and is told that she's under house arrest and that seeing her is out of the question.

The bulk of the film is about how this unfortunate pair came to meet and ended up in these circumstances.

Michael is an ex-marine who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. His fiancee Jessica has, not without some justification, called off their marriage. Michael is still in love with her; he uses pictures of her as a screensaver on his portable computer. He has come to Hong Kong to work as an IT specialist at a multinational corporation.

Lost for Words, a Studio Strada Production

Through a number of chance encounters, the first occurring at the airport when they both arrive, he meets Anna Zhou (Grace Hung, The Man with the Iron Fists). She's a ballerina who has come to Hong Kong from Beijing to dance with the Star East Dance Company. Accompanying her is Mei Mei Weng (Joman Chiang), a friend and fellow ballerina who is more worldly-wise and materialistic than Anna.

Michael and Anna come upon one another while jogging (their third encounter) and finally begin actually talking to one another. They agree to trade language lessons; Michael will help Anna with her English, and she will help him with Chinese. From this simple beginning, their relationship slowly evolves, eventually turning into a burgeoning romance. When he goes with her to her home village in mainland China, a situation arises that puts Michael in jail, Anna under house arrest and threatens to separate them forever.

While Lost for Words has a promising story line, it doesn't really succeed as an engrossing drama. The dialogue is very flat, sometimes bordering on the trite. And neither of the two lead characters seem to have any real depth.

Thirty-one year old Faris looks a lot like Ethan Hawke and occasionally exhibits a very faint hint of Tom Cruise's charm when they were each his age. But he's not believable as an ex-marine (too scrawny), and as an IT specialist, all he keeps saying is that he's got to write a lot of code. His character Michael is also incredibly bereft of any degree of imagination.

Similarly, Grace Huang is not given much opportunity to display whatever acting chops she may possess. Anna is so sweet and inexperienced that she borders on being completely bland. And it's clear that Huang is no ballerina by the way the "dance" scenes are shot.

The film also suffers from far too many "scenic" shots of Hong Kong, especially ones taken looking straight down from a helicopter. Publicity materials describe the film as being set against "the sweeping cityscape of cosmopolitan Hong Kong," but it sometimes starts to feel like a travelogue.

On the other hand, there are some very beautiful and striking visuals. The opening sequence in the jail has a look similar to German expressionism, with stark diagonals set off by high contrast. And there is one absolutely stunning scene that takes place in an aerial gondola.

ACF Rating: 2 out of 4 stars; a fair film, certainly flawed but not without some redeeming features and moments.

Lost for Words official website

ACF 1422: Free screening of PETTY ROMANCE in NYC on Tuesday

Korean Cultural Service

presents

Korean Movie Night 

Series 2: It's A Fine Romance!

 

Petty Romance /Jjae Jjae Han Romaensue

Directed by KIM Jeong-Hoon-Il

South Korea, 2010, 118 minutes

When: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 @ 7:00 PM

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Where: Tribeca Cinemas (map here)

54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, NYC

Near the A, C, E @ #1 Canal Street subway stops

Admission: FREE!!!

All seating is first-come, first served

A word-of-mouth hit in 2010, this romance is set in the world of manhwa (Korean comic books), and the couple at the center of the story have chemistry to burn. TV star Lee Seon-Gyun is a struggling manhwa artist who enters a competition with a massive cash prize. To raise his chances of winning, he hires a sex advice columnist, Choi Gang-Heui (star of the breakout hit, My Scary Girl), to write his erotic comic. Little does he know that she plagiarized her column from the Kama Sutra and the Kinsey Report because her ideas about sex are a bit…vague, to put it kindly. PETTY ROMANCE been winning hearts and minds on the film festival circuit for a year and it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

ACF 1401: MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT reviewed; free screening tonight in New York

Korean Cultural Service

presents

Korean Movie Night 

Series 2: It's A Fine Romance!

 My Girlfriend Is An Agent

Directed by SIN Tae-ra

South Korea, 2009, 112 minutes

When: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 7:00 PM

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Where: Tribeca Cinemas (map here)

54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, NYC

Near the A, C, E @ #1 Canal Street subway stops

Admission: FREE!!!

All seating is first-come, first served

The Korean Cultural Service's series of three rom-coms continues tonight with a free screening of MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT, a Korean variation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It starts off with AHN Soo-ji (actress KIM Ha-neul) in a white wedding gown posing for photographs with her groom. Except she's actually working undercover on a stake-out for the Industrial Security Team of NIS (National Intelligence Service).

Soo-ji in action

A high speed chase on water ensues in which -- surprise -- she executes an amazing move and captures the bad guys. In the midst of all this, she gets a phone call from her boyfriend LEE Jae-joon (KANG Ji-hwan). He tells her that he's breaking up with her and leaving the country. She runs to stop him at the airport, but is grabbed by security forces there because of the gun strapped to one of her thighs.

Following this, the film's credits start to roll, accompanied by some Mission Impossible theme-like music. Indeed, a connection with that series will play out much later in the movie. The story resumes three years later. Soo-ji's working cover is now as a travel agent, and she's starting to date Sung-joon, a handsome fellow who seems like a good prospect. Meanwhile, Jae-joon has returned to South Korea and is working with the overseas operations section of the NIS Harimao ("fearless tiger") Team. In a typical instance of inter-agency rivalry and secrecy, neither of these divisions know what the other is up to. And it turns out that they're both working on the same case, but coming at it from different directions.

Jae-joon on the floor and in trouble

Naturally Soo-ji and Jae-joon encounter one another and their mutual feelings are rekindled. But the situation is complicated, to say the least, as neither can reveal what they really do. Lies, suspicion and distrust ensue, the same factors that led him to leave her three years earlier.

Will they be able to surmount these difficulties and finally find true love with one another? Will they be able to thwart the sale of a biochemical weapon by Dr. Roh (Soo-ji's target) to Victor, a Russian agent being trailed by Jae-joon?

Soo-ji and Jae-joon prepare to "foil" the bad guy

This being a rom-com, the results are not all that unpredictable. But it's how the film gets there that matters, and MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT does so in fine form. Both leads are well-suited for their roles, and there's a nice contrast between Soo-ji's significant experience and Jae-joon's hilarious ineptitude as he tries to break into field work from the research end of operations. The movie also does a nice job of using seemingly insignificant things to set-up important developments later on.

MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT is a delightful romp in the realm of rom-com espionage. ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars, highly recommended.

ACF 1375: Free screening of Korean rom-com CYRANO AGENCY

Korean Cultural Service

presents

Korean Movie Night 

Series 2: It's A Fine Romance!

Cyrano Agency / Si-ra-no;Yeon-ae-jo-jak-do

Directed by KIM Hyeon-seok

South Korea, 2010, 117 minutes

When: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 @ 7:00 PM

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Where: Tribeca Cinemas (map here)

54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, NYC

Near the A, C, E @ #1 Canal Street subway stops

Admission: FREE!!!

All seating is first-come, first served

Synopsis (courtesy Korean Cultural Service): The biggest romantic hit of 2010, this big budget romantic comedy won “Best Screenplay” and its star, Lee Min-Jung (Boys Over Flowers) won a truckload of “Best New Actress” awards.

Full of irreconcilable differences, beautiful stars and ridiculous, laugh-out-loud plot twists, it’s all about the Cyrano Agency, a matchmaking service that sets up elaborate, Mission Impossible-style scenarios to help their clients win the man (or woman) of their dreams.

Now, their 100% success rate is in danger because a sad sack hedge fund manager wants to date a free spirited gal who just happens to be the head of the Cyrano Agency’s ex. Hollywood hasn’t made a movie this frantic and romantic in decades.

ACF 1273: DAWN OF THE ARCANA

DAWN OF THE ARCANA © 2009 Rei TOMA/Shogakukan

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF

NEW SHOJO MANGA SERIES DAWN OF THE ARCANA

A Princess Uses Her Power to Make a Difference in New Fantasy Romance Series

In DAWN OF THE ARCANA, Princess Nakaba of Senan is forced to marry Prince Caesar of the enemy country Belquat, tantamount to becoming a hostage. While Caesar is pleasing to the eye, he is also selfish and possessive, telling Nakaba outright: “You are my property.” With only her attendant Loki at her side, Nakaba must find a way to cope with her hostile surroundings, her fake marriage...and a mysterious power!

“DAWN OF THE ARCANA creator Rei Toma has crafted a fascinating tale about a strong princess who discovers that she has an ancient power. She unearths secrets about her past, crosses swords with her husband, and has the gumption to fight for a better future for herself and those around her,” says Amy Yu, Editor. “Readers will get swept up in the emotional and dramatic tension that permeates this new fantasy romance story from our Shojo Beat line.”   

Rei Toma has been drawing since childhood, but she attracted a publisher's attention with her manga short story, Help Me, Dentist. Her art style became a hit with readers, and following her debut as a manga artist, she also became widely known as an illustrator for novels and video game characters. Her current manga series, DAWN OF THE ARCANA, is her first long-running manga series, and has been a hit in Japan, selling over a million copies.

For more information on DAWN OF THE ARCANA, or other shojo manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit ShojoBeat.com.