There’s a reason why people say “save the best for last.”
At least, that is the case here on the silver screen, as a vast lineup of films is pieced together to celebrate the most wonderful time for theater goers.
From a biopic of Steven Hawking and a hobbit’s journey through Middle-earth to the Joseon era for a glance of colorful clothes of the royal families, there is something for everybody.
Here’s what we have to look forward to.
‘Theory of Everything’
A well-crafted biopic of brilliant scientist Stephen Hawking is played by Eddie Redmayne, known for his role as Marius in “Les Miserables” last year. In “The Theory of Everything,” by English director James Marsh, the heartbreaking but inspirational drama is a love story between Hawking and his first wife, Jane Wilde Hawking (Felicity Jones).
Based on the autobiography of Jane Hawking, the two-hour film follows the life of Hawking from his young, ambitious college days at Oxford and diagnosis of a motor neuron disease ― a condition related to Lou Gehrig’s disease, which has left him wheelchair-bound ― to his marriage and children. All the while, his groundbreaking scientific accomplishments, such as on black holes and the big bang theory, made him a world-renowned scientist.
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| “The Theory of Everything” (UPI Korea) |
The film, though a biopic of an astrophysicist, focuses less on the science, but more on the relationship between Stephen and Jane, which survived the direst moments of their life together.
“The Theory of Everything” opened in theaters Dec. 10.
‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’
Director Peter Jackson, who has introduced the world of Tolkien’s magical Middle-earth to the screen through “The Lord of the Rings” franchise, finally brings his third and final installment of the saga based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”
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| “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” (Warner Bros.) |
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is the conclusion of the epic adventure led by hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his fellow dwarves, and picks up immediately after the events of the second installment, “The Desolation of Smaug.” The dwarves finally reclaim their treasure-filled mountain, but face another fight due to the consequences of angering the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), who wages a deadly fire on the innocent people of the Lake-town.
But Smaug could be the lesser of their perils, as the archenemy Sauron has returned to Middle-earth to destroy everything.
The 144-minute film promises to be more entertaining and filled with more action than the first two films.
The film opens in theaters Dec. 17.
‘Ode to My Father’
Competing with the “Hobbit” franchise on the same release date is a Korean film directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, the first since his 2009 box-office hit “Haeundae.”
“Ode to My Father” is a story of Deok-soo, played by veteran actor Hwang Jung-min (“New World,” “You are My Sunshine”), a man who lived through Korea’s tumultuous period of the 1950s and 1960s.
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| “Ode to My Father” (CJ E&M) |
When the Korean War breaks out, Deok-soo is separated from his younger sister and his father and becomes the breadwinner of the family. From a young age, he takes all kinds of difficult and odd jobs to take care of his mother and his other siblings in Busan, where the family fled to from North Korea.
In search of opportunities, he traverses the globe, including working as a migrant worker in coal mines in Germany. It is there where he meets migrant nurse Young-ja, played by “Lost” star Kim Yun-jin, and falls in love.
The heartwarming film follows Deok-soo’s journey of five decades, sacrificing his youth and dreams to support his family.
The theater release of “Ode to My Father” is slated for Dec. 17.
‘The Tailors’
Take a glimpse into a beautiful selection of “hanbok,” on Korean traditional clothes, in the period film “The Tailors.”
Directed by Lee Won-suk, the film centers on the story between two tailors: Jo Dol-seok (Han Suk-kyu), the head of Sanguiwon ― the office in charge of royal attire in Joseon era ― and Lee Gong-jin (Gosu), a rebellious, skilled young designer who catapults his fashion career by designing the most outrageous and aesthetic hanbok of the time.
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| “The Tailors” (Showbox/Mediaplex) |
When Dol-seok, an orthodox designer, becomes jealous of Gong-jin’s talent, their friendly competition escalates into a national scandal that reaches a point of no return.
Yoo Yeon-seok and Park Shin-hye star as the queen and king of Joseon, respectively, in the film.
“The Tailors” opens in theaters on Christmas Eve.
By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)
