March 30, 2016 - "Memories of Murder" (2003)

Memories of Murder, 2003
7 p.m., Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Stanley Coulter Hall, Room 239

Director: Joon-ho Bong
Origin: South Korea
Languages: Korean | English
Running time: 132 min

Two rural cops take on the case of Korea's first serial killer, who has raped and murdered 10 women. Working without precedent or advanced forensic technology, they must rely on primitive methods to piece together the clues. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $14,131
Watch the trailer on IMDB.


--

Review of last week's film ("Tangerine", 3.5 stars)
Steve says: Searching for acceptance and a place in the world, three Los Angeles residents help illuminate a seedier side of the city and the humanity that still resides there.

October 30, 2013 - "Pieta" (2012)

Pieta, 2012
Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Origin: South Korea
Languages: Italian | French | English
Running time: 105 min

Kang-do, an enforcer for a loan shark in a destitute area of Seoul, is unrelentingly brutal in his collection of debts. But when a mysterious woman appears and claims that she is his mother, Kang-do finds himself developing a hunger for human warmth. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $10,060
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

---

Review of last weeks' film (A Late Quartet, 4.5 stars)
Steven says: The string quartet -- what will it take to break it up OR keep it together? There are great philosophical musical discussions throughout, Philip Seymour Hoffman is terrific, and the music makes you want to explore it more. Dreams and passions are tweaked and refined as these four musicians continue to search for the harmonies that keep the quartet working and their personal lives intact.

October 12, 2011 - "Poetry" (2010)

Poetry, 2010

This is the second of two films to be screened by director Chang-dong Lee
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Origin: South Korea
Language: Korean
Running time: 139 minutes

A poetry-writing class inspires serenely self-possessed grandmother Mija (Jeong-hie Yun) to open her senses to her suburban surroundings, but in rushes an array of unsettling discoveries in this lyrical South Korean melodrama. Along with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease comes information that Mija's teenage grandson was party to a horrific incident, and it is left to Mija to compose order from the untidy emotional consequences. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Not rated
U.S. box office: $355,044

Watch the trailer at IMDB.

Read the director's bio on Wikipedia.

October 5, 2011 - "Secret Sunshine" (2007)

Secret Sunshine, 2007

This is the first of two films to be screened by director Chang-dong Lee
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Origin: South Korea
Language: Korean
Running time: 142 minutes

Trying to piece her life back together after the death of her husband, Lee Shin-ae (Do-yeon Jeon) moves to the small village where he was born with her young son in tow. Life seems to return to normal, until the boy is kidnapped and Shin-ae is devastated. Jeon won the Best Actress award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in this emotionally gripping drama by director Chang-dong Lee. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Not rated

Watch the trailer at IMDB.

Read the director's bio on Wikipedia.

March 30, 2011 - "Mother" (2009)

Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Director: Joon-ho Bong
Origin: South Korea
Language: Korean
Running time: 128 min

A murder rocks a South Korean town and suspicion quickly falls on a reclusive, mentally challenged -- and alibi-free -- young man (Bin Won). When an inept public defender botches the boy's case, his mother (Hye-ja Kim) sets out to prove her son's innocence. Acclaimed director Joon-ho Bong (Memories of Murder) explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her child in this atmospheric crime thriller. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated R for language, some sexual content, violence and drug use
U.S. box office: $547,292