It’s nearly the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.
Spring has sprung and the weather has turned warm and sunny. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t head out to the movies, though. So what’s new this week on the silver screen in Korea? Well, there’s an intense drama to enjoy, as well as a more light-hearted action-thriller.

Stay tuned for a closer look at just what you can expect from these two.

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Mike Laidman

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

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Joy (2015, David O. Russell)
Joy becomes founder and matriarch of a powerful family dynasty.

Joy is the wild story of a family across four generations. It centres on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love all pave the road in this intense emotional comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise, and facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy's inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces.

Joy brings together director David O. Russell’s usual band of favourites: Robert de Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence. While the story is not as satisfying and tight as his other recent work, it remains an enjoyable movie with strong performances from its remarkable cast.

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London Has Fallen (2016, Babak Najafi)
A plot to assassinate world leaders in London is uncovered.

The sequel to 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen, the story begins in London, where the British Prime Minister has passed away under mysterious circumstances. His funeral is a must-attend event for leaders of the western world. However, what starts out as the most protected event on Earth turns into a deadly plot to kill the world's most powerful leaders, devastate every known landmark in the British capital, and unleash a terrifying vision of the future. Only three people have any hope of stopping it: the President of the United States, his formidable Secret Service head, and an English MI-6 agent who rightly trusts no one.

London Has Fallen isn’t a great movie by any means. But it does what it needs to do well enough. If you want acting and a decent story, go see Joy. If you want action, explosions, and Gerard Butler running around shooting things, then check this one out.