Seasonal Movies Come to Screen

The winter holiday season is here, with decorative lights warming up the nippy evenings and carol tunes flowing out from record shops ― and of course, colorful movie posters adorning the faces of movie theaters. Here are several films to complete the year-end celebration.



`My Love'

Popular actors convene in this warm drama, which pieces together different love stories in the tradition of ``Love Actually.''

Subway engineer Se-jin (Karm Woo-sung) is madly in love with his free-spirited and spontaneous girlfriend, Ju-won (Choi Kang-hee), but his deep affection for her makes him feel increasingly insecure.

College student So-hyeon (Lee Yeon-hee) makes a big move on her love interest Ji-wu (Jeong Il-wu), by asking him to teach her the art of drinking.

Su-jeong (Im Jung-eun) is constantly rejected by Jeong-seok, a copywriter and widowed dad. But despite the damage to her pride, she perseveres.

Tree-hugging activist Jin-man (Uhm Tae-woong) returns home after six years to find his ex-girlfriend, though chances are slim. In theaters Dec. 18.



`Merry Christmas'

On Dec. 24, 1914, a true Christmas miracle takes place in a bloody World War I battlefield. German, French and British soldiers stationed around the Western Front (fortified trenches stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France) put down their arms. In true Christmas spirit, they sing carols to each other, bury the dead properly and even engage in a football match on No Man's Land.

French director Christian Carion tells the story of the Christmas truce, concerning a Scottish priest, a French lieutenant, a Jewish German soldier and two opera stars ― a young German tenor and his beloved Danish lover, played by the beautiful Diane Kruger.

The film received the people's choice award at the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. In theaters Dec. 18.



`Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'

If you liked Willy Wonka's fantastic candy factory in ``Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,'' you're in for a treat, because ``Mr. Magorium'' brings a toy store with super sized magic. The Emporium is the most wonderfully bizarre store in the world, where fish mobiles swim in the air, storybooks come to life and stuffed monkey dolls parade around. It's probably the most ideal place to do some Christmas shopping.

Dustin Hoffman plays the role of the eccentric, shoe-loving, 243-year-old owner. After running his toyshop for 114 years, Mr. Magorium feels it's about time to pass it over to someone else. But his young manager Molly (Natalie Portman) becomes nervous about the inheritance, and to make matters worse, the once lively Emporium begins to lose its magic. In theaters Dec. 19.



`Hansel and Gretel'

A young man gets lost in the woods but finds himself in a beautiful house with three adorable children. With a warm fireplace and plenty to eat, the place seems too perfect to be true ― and impossible to exit.

``Hansel and Gretel'' gives a harrowing twist to the classic story by the Grimm brothers. In this homegrown thriller, the abandoned children from the traditional tale become empowered with the ability to manifest their imaginations, and begin their revenge against the world.

``Christmas is a merry occasion for most people, but it probably makes the less fortunate feel even more lonely and marginalized,'' said pre-teen actor Eun Won-jae in a recent press event. The film translates messages about child abuse and the like as it explores the dark depths of limitless imagination. In theaters Dec. 27.

Source: Korea Times