It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.

The first weekend of 2016. A new year of hope, of potential, and of new movies, of course.
We kick off this year with a mediocre drama and then what is actually holiday special which we will be lucky enough to see on theatre screens here in Korea.
As you nurse those mugs of hot chocolate, here’s a look at Every Thing Will Be Alright, and Sherlock: The Abominable Bride.


[Slug CG]
Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

[Slug CG]
Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015, Wim Wenders)
A writer accidentally hits and kills a child.

Every Thing Will Be Alright charts the emotional odyssey of a struggling novelist whose life is turned upside down one wintry night following a fatal car accident. The incident sets him on a soul-searching, decades-long journey toward redemption, a quest that profoundly touches the lives of both his girlfriend and the accident victim's mother.

About the only thing getting praise is the cinematography. Everything else is earning pretty tepid reviews. The story is too lumbering, too muddled, the performances aren’t up to the actors’ usual standards, and the settings don’t always click with what is happening onscreen.

There are a few moments where things come together, though, so if you’re a fan of the actors or of director Wim Wenders, check it out.


[Slug CG]
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (2015, Douglas Mackinnon)
The BBC series heads back to 1895 for a holiday special.

The beloved BBC series Sherlock has taken long enough between seasons that audiences are hankering for more.

We don’t have a new season, but instead a holiday special, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as the famous detective and Martin Freeman as his friend Dr. Watson. And instead of the story being set in modern times, this is a one-off that sees our heroes back on the streets of 19th-century England.

Many things are different, but the important bits are all the same: friendship, adventure, and murder!

The ghost of a woman has appeared and is prowling the streets of London with an unslakeable thirst for revenge. From fog-shrouded Limehouse to the bowels of a ruined church, Holmes, Watson and their friends must use all their cunning to combat… the Abominable Bride!

As the episode airs on January 1st there are no reviews as of yet, but if this special is anything like the usual series, we’re all in for a treat. Even more so because we have the opportunity to see it in theatres.