Stories We Tell (Canada)Opening March 14Documentary. Directed by Sarah PolleyCanadian filmmaker Sarah Polley discovered in 2007, at age 28, that her father was not her biological father and that she was in fact born from her late mother’s extramarital affair. Her personal documentary “Stories We Tell” follows her shocking discovery and family secrets, consisting of interviews with her siblings from her mother’s two marriages, as well as Michael Polley, the man who raised her, and her biological

“The Wrestler” and “Black Swan” filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s controversial biblical blockbuster “Noah” is arriving in Korean theaters on March 30.Based on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, the film stars Academy Award-winning Australian actor Russell Crowe as Noah ― the man chosen by God for a great mission before the coming of an apocalyptic flood.Actress Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Blood Diamond”) is starring as Noah’s wife, while Emma Watson (“Harry Potter,” “The Bling Ring”) is p

Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley is mostly known in Korea for her 2011 drama “Take This Waltz,” a tale about a freelance writer who becomes bored of her stable marriage and falls for an artist who lives across the street.The emotional struggle of Margot, the protagonist of “Take This Waltz,” may make more sense after watching Polley’s personal documentary “Stories We Tell,” which deals with her late mother’s extramarital affairs.The documentary premiered in 2012 at the Venice International Film F

The Good Luck of Right NowBy Matthew Quick (Harper)Matthew Quick, the author of “The Silver Linings Playbook” and several YA novels, has written another book for adults, “The Good Luck of Right Now.” Fortunately it is already optioned by DreamWorks, and you can wait for the movie ― because the last thing you should ever do is read this deeply wacky book.Written as a series of letters to Richard Gere after the protagonist’s mother dies and he finds one of Gere’s “Free Tibet” fundraising letters i

Elizabeth Kolbert started her journalism career as a stringer for the New York Times and worked in the trenches there as a political reporter, but once she took a job at the New Yorker and made the environment her specialty, she became an exemplar of explanatory journalism. Her books and articles have won every conceivable journalism and science-writing award.Good thing she has her bona fides lined up, because her new book, “The Sixth Extinction” (Henry Holt, 319 pp.) is sure to cause a big-time

The only thing that might have made “Still Life With Bread Crumbs” more enjoyable would have been a summer’s day so I could have read it outside, instead of huddled near a space heater.It’s the seventh novel from Anna Quindlen, the former New York Times columnist who won the Pulitzer Prize, wrote regularly for Newsweek and published the slender “A Short Guide to a Happy Life,” which has sold more than 1 million copies, many to moms, aunts, grandmothers, family friends and others looking for a li

British tenor Paul Potts paid his 11th visit to Korea on Saturday, but this time he was not here to perform. The “Britain’s Got Talent” winner attended a Seoul press screening of James Corden’s film “One Chance” on Tuesday, which depicts his dramatic rise to operatic fame based on his 2013 autobiography of the same title.“The book and the movie are separate but they have the same theme and they have the same message, and that is achieving your goals,” Potts told reporters after the screening of

This weekend, Disney’s animated film “Frozen” broke the 10-million viewer mark in local theaters, becoming the second film to reach the milestone this year after “The Attorney.” It is no exaggeration to say the country is almost obsessed with the film. Not only is “Frozen” the highest-grossing animated film ever in Korea but it is also one of only two foreign movies among the nation’s 10 highest grossing films of all time ― the other is James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Local costume players like to dre

The Korean National Ballet, which welcomed new artistic director famed ballerina Kang Sue-jin in February, is opening its 2014 season with Marius Petipa’s “La Bayadere.” It is the first ballet Kang is staging since her appointment earlier this year.The ballet company premiered Petipa’s 1877 piece last year, showcasing its own, slightly altered version specially created for the troupe by Russian choreographer Yury Grigorovich. The first run of the ballet, featuring the tragic love story of a Hind

Seoul Art Cinema will screen 22 modern films it thinks are important or severely underrated. The featured filmmakers include Brian De Palma, Nanni Moretti, Abbas Kiarostami and Takashi Miike. The special series, titled “Parallax,” will begin in March. Some of the films have already been released in theaters in Seoul, though they did not succeed commercially, while one of them ― Margarethe von Trotta’s “Hannah Arendt” ― is having its Korean premiere. “Hannah Arendt” is a drama about the eponymous

Over the last 14 years, Malcolm Gladwell has produced one bestseller after another. His books are so buzzworthy their titles become catchphrases, like “Tipping Point” and “Outliers.”Gladwell leads readers spellbound through stories that develop into counterintuitive insights into modern life.His newest book is “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants” (Little, Brown; $29). The book was inspired by a 2009 story Gladwell wrote in The New Yorker about a girls’ basketbal

Is it too much to compare Kem Nunn to Raymond Chandler? Both have used the loose frame of genre to write enduringly and resonantly about the dark side of the California dream. For Nunn, this has meant an exploration of boundaries, both actual and metaphorical; his last novel, “Tijuana Straits” (which won a 2005 Los Angeles Times Book Prize), traces the shifting landscape of the physical borderland.At the same time, there is also a willingness to take risks, to play against expectation, which mar

What do you do when your loved one suddenly commits suicide without even leaving a note? What does it mean to lose someone and then replay their last days over and over, searching for clues?Filmmaker Lee Han, who made a huge breakthrough with his 2011 drama “Punch,” a tale about a rebellious teen whose mother is a migrant from the Philippines, is making a strong comeback with another film about vulnerable teens and their families. Unveiled to the press on Tuesday, the film, titled “Elegant Lies,

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company is opening its 2014 season with “Bul-Ssang,” a 2009 piece choreographed by the troupe’s artistic director Ahn Ae-soon. The dance is known for its use of pop art Buddha statues and choreography that combines traditional dance and martial arts from different Asian countries including China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia.It premiered at Seoul’s LG Arts Center in 2009, and was staged again at Hoam Art Hall in 2010. The piece was also featured at last year’s

After receiving negative reviews from the British press, “Diana,” a biopic on the Princess of Wales, is arriving in Korean theaters next month. The film features the private heartaches of the late princess, whose high-profile marriage to Prince Charles, divorce, and style, made her one of the biggest icons of the 20th century.Directed by German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel, the film deals with the last two years of Diana’s life after she finally divorced Prince Charles in 1995. Starring as the

Dance“Two in Two”: Kim Ji-young and Kim Joo-won, two of the most celebrated ballerinas in Korea, will collaborate onstage for the upcoming restaging of choreographer Ahn Sung-soo and fashion designer Jung Kuho’s 2000 piece “Two in Two.” The piece is a mix of tango and flamenco, as well as ballet and contemporary. Joining the two Kims are dancer and choreographer Kim Bo-ram, who was a backup dancer for pop singers Uhm Jung-hwa, Koyote and Lee Jung-hyun from 2000 to 2007, and Jang Kyung-min, who a

 The Monuments Men (U.S., Germany)Opening Feb. 27Drama. Directed by George Clooney.During World War II, seven men ― comprised of curators, art historians and museum directors ― get together and plan to search for famous art works looted by the Nazis, and return them to their rightful owners. The film is based on a true story and is directed, produced by and stars George Clooney, along with Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin and other stars. 12 Years a Slave (U.S

Think of “Therese Raquin,” the Emile Zola novel that is the inspiration for “In Secret,” as the original film noir. It has an illicit love affair, a murder and the guilt and fear of discovery that comes with it.Filmmaker Charlie Stratton, working from Neal Bell’s stage adaptation of the book, delivers a moody, melodramatic and somewhat overwrought version of the tale, sort of a 19th century-Paris “Postman Always Rings Twice.” It benefits from brooding performances by the leads and another fierce

Actress Kim Go-eun, who made an impressive breakthrough in filmmaker Jung Ji-woo’s critically acclaimed 2012 sensual drama “Eungyo (A Muse),” is making a comeback as a vengeful mad woman in her upcoming movie. Kim made her acting debut in Jung’s 2012 film as Eun-gyo, a teenager who becomes the subject of desire for Lee Jeok-yo (Park Hae-il), a renowned poet in his 70s. The film received much attention for its subject matter as well as its depiction of sexuality. Kim, who had never appeared in a

Two of the most celebrated ballet dancers in Korea will collaborate onstage for the upcoming restaging of choreographer Ahn Sung-soo and fashion designer Jung Kuho’s 2000 piece “Two in Two.”Kim Ji-young and Kim Joo-won, who were colleagues and also “rivals” at the Korean National Ballet, will take to the stage jointly with male dancers Kim Bo-ram and Jang Kyung-min. The last time the two Kims collaborated in the same performance was 14 years ago. Kim Ji-young still remains a principal at the Kor