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Box Office: Lovelace, Hwa-yi, Rush

By Korea Herald

Published : Oct. 18, 2013 - 20:07

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Lovelace

Opened Oct. 17

Biography. Drama. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.

Linda Lovelace (Amada Seyfried) is manipulated by her abusive, domineering husband Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard) into entering the porn industry. Despite her protests, she stars as the main character of a hardcore porn film “Deep Throat.” The movie is the first of its kind to gain much popularity and is screened all over the country, turning Linda into a famous porn star. Behind the glamorous fame Linda is unhappy and she soon comes to realize she is being used by Chuck. She begins to try to take control of her own life.

Hwa-yi

Opened Oct. 9

Action. Thriller. Directed by Jang Joon-hwan.

A five-member crime organization lives on a deserted farm in the middle of a forest. A plan-gone-wrong leaves the gang with a kidnapped boy, and the five members -- Seok-tae (Kim Yoon-seok), Ki-tae (Jo Jin-woong), Jin-sung (Jang Hyun-sung), Dong-beom (Kim Sung-kun) and Beom-soo (Park Hae-joon) -- raise the boy as their son. The boy, named Hwa-yi (Yeo Jin-goo), longs for an ordinary life but is deprived of his childhood, forced to participate in crimes organized by the gang. During a fight, Hwa-yi kills a man for the first time, and finds a picture of a small child with the man. He suddenly becomes consumed by the desire to discover his true identity, slowly lifting the mystery surrounding his dubious beginnings.

Rush

Opened Oct. 9

Action. Drama. Directed by Ron Howard.

Based on a true story, race-car drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda are young and talented, and both are looking to win big. After a Formula Three race in 1970 at the Crystal Palace circuit in England, where both their cars spin out of control but Hunt ultimately wins the race, the two begin to view each other as rivals. A rivalry that first began on the track grows into off-track drama, and the pair experiences both setbacks and victories. In 1976 Hunt and Lauda go head-to-head for the Formula 1 championship title, racing on tracks all over the world. Who will become the all-reigning Formula 1 champion?

Runner Runner

Opened Sept. 26

Crime. Drama. Thriller. Directed by Brad Furman.

Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) is a student at Princeton University who funds his tuition by online gambling. When he is cheated out of his money, he learns the site is being run from a remote island and decides to confront the site’s owner. He meets the cunning online gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), and instead of getting his money back, Richie is lured into becoming Ivan’s protege with the promise of good money. When demands from Ivan become increasingly dangerous and risky, Richie is approached by FBI agent Zbysko (Anthony Mackie), and together they hatch a plan to bring Ivan down. 

The Face Reader

Opened Sept. 11

Drama. Directed by Han Jae-rim.

Nae-gyeong (Song Kang-ho) is the son of a disgraced noble family living in the Joseon era with a talent for physiognomy. With one glance of a person’s face, he is able to assess their personality, mental state and habits. He is approached by officials in the royal court to use his skills to help solve a murder case. Nae-gyeong’s talents become recognized by the royal court and he is asked to not only solve crimes but also assist the king in identifying traitors. Nae-gyeong finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between Prince Suyang (Lee Jung-jae) and Kim Jong-seo (Baek Yoon-sik).