Moana(US)Opened Jan. 12Animation, adventure. Directed by Ron Clements, John MuskerMoana, the strong-willed daughter of the chief of a Polynesian tribe, has been chosen by the ocean to deliver a mystical stone relic to the goddess Te Fiti. When calamity strikes her island, its vegetation dying out and fish becoming scarce, Moana ventures out into the ocean in search of the demigod Maui, in hopes of saving her people. Your Name(Japan)Opened Jan. 4Fantasy, animation. Directed by Makoto Shinkai Mits

Director Hong Sang-soo’s upcoming film “On the Beach at Night Alone” has been invited to be screened in the competition category at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, scheduled for Feb. 9-18, the film’s international distributor Finecut said Tuesday.The invitation marks director Hong’s third foray to Berlin, after “Night and Day” (2008) and “Nobody’s Daughter Haewon” (2013), which both screened in the competition section. Actress Kim Min-hee stars in “On the Beach at Night Alone.” (Fin

“Confidential Assignment” offers the staple formula of one mission and two cops -- with a twist: one is from South Korea while the other hails from the neighbor to the north.The film starts out in North Korea as Lim Cheol-ryeong (Hyun Bin), an investigator from the North Korean special forces, witnesses his superior Cha Ki-seong (Kim Joo-hyuk) murder his wife and fellow team members. Cha, tired of the North Korean system of unquestioning obedience, dreams of “eternal freedom” and defects to the

At a press screening of “Confidential Agreement” in Seoul on Tuesday, the lead actors said they concentrated on working out and perfecting their action sequences in preparation for filming.Directed by Kim Sung-hoon, “Confidential Agreement” tells the story of a South Korean cop burdened by the pressures of work and family, played by Yoo Hae-jin, and a duty-bound investigator from the North Korean special forces, played by Hyun Bin. When North Korean criminal gang members defect to the South, the

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Whimsical modern-day musical “La La Land” pirouetted its way into major Oscars contention Sunday as it swept the board at the Golden Globes, the glitziest party of the showbiz year.Damien Chazelle’s nostalgic tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals picked up all seven of the statuettes for which it was nominated -- giving the film momentum as it launches its campaign for next month’s Academy Awards.The film’s influence was felt from the opening moments of the three-h

Friends and family members gathered at the next-door homes of Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher on a gloomy Thursday in Hollywood Hills for an intimate memorial to mourn the late actresses. The service was held at Fisher’s home and the eulogies were delivered by her daughter, Billie Lourd, and friends, such as Meryl Streep, Tracey Ullman and Stephen Fry, while the 125 guests dined on fried chicken, collard greens and cornbread, according to People magazine. Streep, who starred in the ad

Your Name(Japan)Opened Jan. 4Fantasy, animation. Directed by Makoto Shinkai Mitsuha, a high school girl living in the Japanese town of Itomori, becomes restless from her quiet life in the country and prays to be born a boy in bustling Tokyo in her next life. Miraculously, she wakes up one day to find her body switched with that of Taki, a man working in the city. The two use the situation to change each other’s lives. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(US)Opened Dec. 28Epic, sci-fi. Directed by Gareth

Just like a Michael Moore documentary, there’s nothing subtle about a Ken Loach drama. The 80-year-old British director and social critic has long been an ardent, insistent, eloquent champion of the more vulnerable members of society -- particularly working-class folks who are trying to do the right thing but just can’t catch a break. Whether he’s exploring homelessness, poverty or other social ills, Loach’s arguments, and emotions, are always crystal clear.Loach has been making movies for a hal

BERLIN (AFP) -- The Berlin film festival will open next month with the premiere of a biopic about Gypsy-jazz great Django Reinhardt, focusing on his family’s persecution by the Nazis, organizers said Wednesday. The French production “Django” marks the directorial debut of Etienne Comar, a screenwriter and producer behind hits such as “Of Gods and Men” and “My King” and co-producer of the award-winning film about radical Islam “Timbuktu.”“Django” will compete for the Golden Bear top prize at the

Six former journalists gathered for the press screening of documentary “Seven Years -- Journalism Without Journalist” at CGV Wangsimni in Seoul on Tuesday.　The documentary traces the unfair firing of 14 journalists -- some of whom were restored to their positions after court rulings -- in their seven-year battle against their employers, state-owned broadcaster MBC and partially state-owned broadcaster YTN.　“Administrations have strategically stifled state-owned media,” said Choi Seung-ho, a form