Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(US)Opened Nov. 16Fantasy. Directed by David Yates Eccentric, timid British wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in New York with a magical suitcase full of fantastical creatures. The city is in chaos over a mysterious force that wreaks havoc everywhere, and a movement calling for the obliteration of all witches and wizards. It is up to Newt and Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) to stop the shadow of evil. Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned(Kor

Nov. 18, 2016

Who’s up for a little escapism at the multiplex? J.K. Rowling, embarking on her new, post-Potter blockbuster franchise with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” has said herself that her screenplay, which she began several years ago, was informed by world events -- particularly, she noted, a rise in populism around the globe.And so there’s definitely some darkness in “Fantastic Beasts,” despite its being a family film, complete with the sweetest little beasts (and bigger ones) imaginable -

Nov. 18, 2016

“Our Love Story” is an exceptional work that portrays a mostly unexceptional love story. Director Lee Hyun-ju’s debut feature centers on Yoon-ju, a quiet 32-year-old art graduate student played by Lee Sang-hee, who says she has “never had time for dating.” Her priorities are shaken up, though, following chance encounters with the person who makes her want to make the time -- the more outgoing waitress and bartender Ji-soo, played by Ryu Sun-young.“Our Love Story” has already won acclaim in Korea

Nov. 17, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- She is famous for jealously guarding her privacy, favoring a small wedding to a lavish celebrity ceremony and taking her grandmother’s maiden name to shield her family from the limelight.But Natalie Portman said Monday portraying grief-stricken Jacqueline Kennedy had taught her the virtue of celebrities giving more of themselves to the public.“Jackie,” Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain’s first English-language feature, is a searing and intimate portrait of the first lady in th

Nov. 16, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- “Basic Instinct” director Paul Verhoeven complained Sunday that Hollywood had stopped making “challenging” movies featuring provocative sex as it clamored to cash in on mainstream audiences.The Dutch filmmaker, famous for a slew of films that shocked audiences with their sex and violence, said studios chasing ratings were now mainly interested in the lucrative “PG-13” market. “If you say it has to be PG-13, there are a lot of things you cannot do. You cannot be provocative,

Nov. 15, 2016

The hotly anticipated crime flick “Master” features three characters, played by a trio of top stars, who are each “masterful” at what they do. Lee Byung-hun portrays a criminal organization’s maniacal leader who dons a myriad of disguises; Kim Woo-bin is an unpredictable genius hacker and the mastermind behind the organization’s operations; and Kang Dong-won stars as the head detective of a white collar crime investigation unit who doggedly pursues elusive villains. “Things that shouldn’t happen

Nov. 14, 2016

PARIS (AFP) -- The frontman of the US rock group on stage in Paris when jihadists massacred 90 people a year ago Sunday denied claims he was barred entry to the show marking the first anniversary of the killings.Management of the Bataclan venue said they prevented two members of the Eagles of Death Metal including lead singer Jesse Hughes from entering the Sting gig on Saturday night.“They came, I threw them out -- there are things you can’t forgive,” the venue’s co-director Jules Frutos said la

Nov. 14, 2016

The 12th Jeju Film Festival opened Saturday on Korea’s southernmost island.The annual film festival is being held through Saturday at Lotte Cinema Jeju in Jeju City. This year’s opening film was English director Ken Loach’s social drama “I, Daniel Blake,” which nabbed the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May. An exhibition is highlighting Korean director Kim Jee-woon’s works, including “A Bittersweet Life,” Kim’s 2005 crime drama featuring actor Lee Byung-hun as a gangster who starts a

Nov. 13, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Frederick Wiseman is not a Hollywood guy. The filmmaker has been quietly making documentaries from his home base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, since 1967, exploring such subjects as meat production, welfare, a ski town and a hospital for the criminally insane.Though none of his films received Academy Awards bids, Wiseman accepted an honorary Oscar Saturday at the film academy’s eighth annual Governors Awards. He is being recognized alongside action star Jackie Chan, film edito

Nov. 13, 2016

Split(Korea)Opened Nov. 9Drama. Directed by Choi Gook-heeChul-jong (Yoo Ji-tae) is a former bowling superstar who has lost his skills to an unfortunate accident. While scraping by as a gambler and a swindler, he meets genius bowler Young-hoon (Lee David). The two partner up to make big money against gamblers in the bowling scene.Ouija: Origin of Evil(US)Opened Nov. 9Horror. Directed by Mike FlanaganWidowed mother Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) invites a spirit of evil into her house by accident

Nov. 11, 2016

The alien spacecraft in “Arrival” arrive by the dozen, each of the looming, egg-sliced-in-half-shaped wonders looking like the latest in KitchenAid gadgetry. All around the globe, their contents a mystery to paranoid earthlings, the visitors hover just above the planet’s surface. Why have they come? Do they come in peace? Will the US military and other nations’ leaders give peace a chance?True to the spacecraft, director Denis Villeneuve is one sleek craftsman. Every subtle camera crawl, each da

Nov. 11, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- As an action star, Jackie Chan never expected to get an Oscar.So he considers receiving an honorary Academy Award from the film academy’s Board of Governors his proudest professional achievement. Chan will accept his Oscar statuette Saturday at the eighth annual Governors Awards. Film editor Anne Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentarian Frederick Wiseman are also receiving honorary Academy Awards, which recognize lifetime achievement and contributions to the

Nov. 10, 2016

Director Park Jung-woo’s upcoming thriller “Pandora” is going global.　Netflix, an online streaming service, has partnered with local production and distribution company Next Entertainment World to acquire international rights to the film, according to Netflix on Tuesday. 　“Pandora” will be offered exclusively on the platform in nearly 200 countries starting next year. The film will be available for streaming in Korea after its release in local theaters. Starring actors Kim Nam-gil, Kim Joo-hyeon

Nov. 9, 2016