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

First in our lineup today has proven to be a big hit worldwide. Plot-wise 10 Cloverfield Lane is rather small scale, but it manages to surprise audiences with big twists and turns. And also opening in Jeju theaters is The Huntsman: Winter’s War, a fantasy adventure that delivers.

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Todd Thacker

Welcome to Film Focus. I’m Todd Thacker.

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10 Cloverfield Lane (2016, Dan Trachtenberg)
After a car accident, a woman awakens in a bunker with two others.

In the horror thriller genre, it’s very easy to slip into cliches or rehash well-worn tales. On the face of it, 10 Cloverfield Lane appears to do just that by playing on the title of the popular 2008 found-footage thriller Cloverfield.

Fortunately for us, though, that couldn’t be further from the truth. 10 Cloverfield’s relentless pacing, great performances, and overall sense of the unknown are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat, which in itself is surprising as there are just three main characters.

A woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) regains consciousness in a bunker deep underground after a car wreck. The owner of the bunker Howard (in a remarkable performance by John Goodman) tells her she and another man must remain there for their own safety.

And that’s all you should know about the plot when going into see 10 Cloverfield Lane. To enjoy it all the more, avoid any spoilers before seeing this claustrophobic, expertly-told tale.

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The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan)
Two renegades try to stop two evil sisters set on conquering the land.

As a sequel to the 2012 film Snow White and the Huntsman, this film moves on and focuses on Chris Hemsworth, the ax-wielding main character Eric, and his love interest Sara (Jessica Chastain).

They take on an Ice Queen (played by Emily Blunt) and her sister, who are intent on domination. Some years later Eric and Sara go on an epic quest, their search party joined by a group of adventurous dwarves.

Overall Huntsman suffers from the same ills as many fantasy action adventure films. Its story is laboriously told, and there are plot holes you could drive a truck through. But by the same token, it does offer up a good deal of action. Hemsworth and Chastain give surprisingly good performances (minus their poor Scottish accents), so overall it’s a perfectly decent popcorn movie.