Confidential Assignment 2: International
HYUN Bin’s Im Cheol-ryong returns to South Korea to track down the notorious leader of a North Korean criminal organization who escaped and is said to be hiding in Seoul. Directed by Lee Seok-hoon, the film stars Hyun Bin, Hae-jin Yoo, Daniel Henney, Jin Seon-kyu, and Im Yoon-ah. It is the 3rd highest grossing film for 2022 so far in Korea. John Lui of The Straits Times in Singapore says it is “A buddy cop comedy better than anything Hollywood has made in ages.” Meanwhile, James Marsh of the South China Morning Post wrote that “Despite its rather generic action beats, the humor is first rate and the laughs come thick and fast.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13
Lyle Lyle Crocodile
BASED on the best-selling book series by Bernard Waber, the live-action/CGI musical comedy is about a young boy who discovers and befriends a singing crocodile in the attic of his family’s new home. Directed by Will Speck, and Josh Gordon, it features the voice of Shawn Mendes as Lyle, and it stars Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley, Scoot McNairy, and Brett Gelman. IGN Southeast Asia’s Ryan Leston writes, “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile adapts the classic kids book in an unexpected way, adding a touch of humor as well as a heap of catchy songs. Javier Bardem steals the show as a forgotten entertainer who thrives under the spotlight, while Lyle will steal your heart with some touching tunes and a naive innocence that’s hard not to love.” Film review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer gives it a score of 70%, and an audience score of 94%.
MTRCB Rating: PG
A Savannah Haunting
A FAMILY loses their young daughter in a tragic drowning and moves to Savannah, only to be haunted by her presence in their new home. Written and directed by William Mark McCullough, it stars Simbi Khali, Tommi Rose, William Mark McCullough, and Gena Shaw. Mihail Baltateanu of Grimoire of Horror writes: “For an hour and 10 minutes, it holds your attention by blending four different genres, and it offers some stunning photography and colors, a rich setting, and some outlandish characters… That it doesn’t manage to have a compelling ending befitting all the pieces it sets on the board is a pity, but as a film built around a real haunted house, it more than does its job.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13
May-December-January
THE STORY follows Claire, a single mom and a career woman. She is aware that her son is gay and accepts him — until she finds out that they are both in love with the same man. Written by National Artist for Film and broadcast Arts Ricardo Lee and directed by Mac Alejandre, the film stars Andrea del Rosario, Kych Minemoto, and Gold Azeron. Fred Hawson of Fred Said writes: “The film did not waste much time to establish the whole premise… The rest of the film was spent exploring the ramifications of this awkward love triangle that had formed between these three people…. When an additional complicating factor of a congenital illness was introduced, you can already see where things were going to go, and somehow predict how the story is likely to end.”
MTRCB Rating: PG