Asia Pop!
Films to make you laugh, cry, and cheer, featuring magical rice balls, underdog ballplayers, delusional mobsters, and a rapper set on changing the world.
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THE BACCHUS LADY
E J-Yong / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Drama / 110 mins
"Don't call me granny. My vagina is still young!" Revered actress Youn Yuh-jung plays an elderly prostitute who wanders the parks of Seoul looking for lonely seniors in the racy, funny, and poignant BACCHUS LADY, an incisive look at communities that struggle and survive below the glossy K-pop radar.THE BACCHUS LADY
UltraStar Mission Valley
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 6:20 pm
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BITCOIN HEIST
Ham Tran / Asia Pop! / Vietnam / 2016 / Action, Comedy / 115 mins
It’s hacker versus thieves in Ham Tran’s high-energy action-comedy about a team of ace tricksters assembled by the authorities to take down a shadowy crypto-criminal. With effects, stunts, and stars, BITCOIN HEIST rewrites the caper for the internet age and a new era of commercial Vietnamese cinema.BITCOIN HEIST
UltraStar Mission Valley
Sunday, November 6, 2016 6:00 pm
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CALL OF HEROES
Benny Chan / Asia Pop! / Hong Kong / 2016 / Martial Arts / 119 mins
In warlord-era China, a small town is terrorized by officials who think they live above the law, killing at will and leaving the town’s sheriff and local militia without options other than defeat. That is, unless they can transcend their fear and fight back. Action choreographed by the legendary Sammo Hung.CALL OF HEROES
UltraStar Mission Valley
Friday, November 4, 2016 8:30 pmCALL OF HEROES
La Paloma Theatre
Saturday, November 12, 2016 8:10 pm
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FAMILYHOOD
Kim Tae-gon / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Comedy / 119 mins
A middle-aged, cradle-robbing movie star has a new plan to remake her public image: fill her cradle with an actual baby, so as to flaunt her tender, maternal side. Neither her cheating young boyfriend nor the threat of scandal – hell, not even menopause itself – will keep her from the glamour of familyhood.FAMILYHOOD
UltraStar Mission Valley
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 5:55 pmFAMILYHOOD
UltraStar Mission Valley
Thursday, November 10, 2016 6:05 pm
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HANG IN THERE, KIDS!
Laha Mebow / Asia Pop! / Taiwan / 2016 / Drama / 90 mins
Three playful country boys pass the time causing trouble, hawking vegetables in town, navigating family drama, and sometimes going to school with the few other kids in their tribe. A chance field trip to the city gives them an opportunity for adventure and for growing up.HANG IN THERE, KIDS!
UCSD Calit2 Atkinson Hall Auditorium
Friday, November 4, 2016 7:00 pm
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HIME-ANOLE
Keisuke Yoshida / Asia Pop! / Japan / 2016 / Thriller / 99 mins
A sad-looking window washer and his even sadder-looking buddy fall for the same girl. But lurking in the corners is a competitor with a backstory neither of them can fathom. What starts out as an exceedingly adorable rom-com takes a deranged turn in this genre-slashing tale of breaches of friendship and humanity.HIME-ANOLE
UltraStar Mission Valley
Monday, November 7, 2016 8:25 pmHIME-ANOLE
UltraStar Mission Valley
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 8:35 pm
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KAPOOR & SONS
Shakun Batra / Asia Pop! / India / 2016 / Comedy, Drama / 132 mins
Estranged brothers set jealousy and resentment aside when they move back home after grandpa’s heart attack. But it just wouldn’t be the Kapoor family without secrets and lies. KAPOOR & SONS is a festive, doggedly emotional celebration of family working through misunderstanding and meeting each other where they least expect.KAPOOR & SONS
UltraStar Mission Valley
Saturday, November 5, 2016 7:55 pmKAPOOR & SONS
UltraStar Mission Valley
Monday, November 7, 2016 5:20 pm
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THE LAST PRINCESS
Hur Jin-ho / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Drama, History, Romance / 127 mins
At age 13, Princess Deok-hye of Korea was sent to Japan where she was given a colonial education, but where she also befriended Korean independence fighters. Son Ye-jin shines in the role of a lifetime, portraying nationalism as an emotional wellspring in the face of turbulent historical change.THE LAST PRINCESS
UltraStar Mission Valley
Saturday, November 5, 2016 5:15 pmTHE LAST PRINCESS
UltraStar Mission Valley
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 5:45 pm
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MAVERICK
Cheng Wen-tang / Asia Pop! / Taiwan / 2015 / Drama, Noir / 114 mins
A rookie cop has the nerve to flaunt his integrity, tipping the equilibrium of his squadron and threatening its connections with an underworld that is also its lifeline. As it crawls through the rancorous corruption of the police force, MAVERICK spares no one in its portrayal of souring righteousness.MAVERICK
UCSD Calit2 Atkinson Hall Auditorium
Saturday, November 5, 2016 2:55 pm
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THE MOHICAN COMES HOME
Shuichi Okita / Asia Pop! / Japan / 2016 / Comedy, Drama / 125 mins
Sensing little future in his death metal band, Eikichi reluctantly chooses the next best things: his fiancée, the child they’re about to have, and the family he hasn’t seen in seven years. With droopy goofiness and heartfelt observations on everyday life, this tragicomedy finds smiles in the awkward exchanges of family.THE MOHICAN COMES HOME
UltraStar Mission Valley
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 7:55 pmTHE MOHICAN COMES HOME
UltraStar Mission Valley
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 6:20 pm
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MYSTERY KUNG FU THEATER
Asia Pop! / Martial Arts
It's a secret.MYSTERY KUNG FU THEATER
UltraStar Mission Valley
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 8:45 pm
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RUN-OFF
Kim Jong-hyun / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Comedy, Drama, Sports / 126 mins
A short-track racer, a figure skater, and a random collection of other athletes who definitely don’t play hockey insist on becoming South Korea’s national women’s hockey team. To convince the sports bureau of their worth, all they have to do is win bronze in a tournament that only has four teams.RUN-OFF
UltraStar Mission Valley
Sunday, November 6, 2016 7:55 pmRUN-OFF
La Paloma Theatre
Saturday, November 12, 2016 5:30 pm
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SHORTS FOR SHORTIES!
Asia Pop! / 57 mins
Kid-friendly short films about family, friendship, growing up, and letting go.In This Program: MY 2014 NEIGHBOR, KONIGIRI-KUN A SMALL RICE BALL, PERFECT HOUSEGUEST, PRIYANATH, BÁ, HARRY ON THE CLOUDS, MOOM
SHORTS FOR SHORTIES!
UltraStar Mission Valley
Saturday, November 5, 2016 11:00 am
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SONITA
Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami / Asia Pop! / Germany, Iran, Switzerland / 2015 / Documentary / 90 mins
An Afghan teen living in Iran, Sonita’s the popular kid in school, but her parents want to cut her childhood short by marrying her off. But Sonita has plans of her own: becoming a rapper who speaks out against the oppression of women.SONITA
UltraStar Mission Valley
Monday, November 7, 2016 6:35 pm
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SORI: VOICE FROM THE HEART
Lee Ho-jae / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Drama, Science Fiction / 117 mins
A father who has been searching for a missing daughter gets a renewed sense of hope when he discovers that the robot he found on the beach has a knack for locating people and data. Part E.T., part R2-D2, Sori is a wondrous sci-fi creation, bringing life to a most unusual and touching buddy comedy.SORI: VOICE FROM THE HEART
UltraStar Mission Valley
Saturday, November 5, 2016 1:00 pmSORI: VOICE FROM THE HEART
La Paloma Theatre
Saturday, November 12, 2016 1:00 pm
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TEN YEARS
Ng Ka-leung, Jevons Au, Chow Kwun-Wai, Fei-Pang Wong, Kwok Zune / Asia Pop! / Hong Kong / 2015 / Drama / 104 mins
The most provocative Hong Kong film of its generation is a collection of dystopic stories that imagine the city in the year 2025: duplicitous party officials, historians of lost worlds, workers who can’t speak Mandarin, protestors drawn to self-immolation, children alienated from the idea of the local.TEN YEARS
UltraStar Mission Valley
Monday, November 7, 2016 5:35 pmTEN YEARS
UltraStar Mission Valley
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 5:30 pm
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TRAIN TO BUSAN
Yeon Sang-ho / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Thriller / 118 mins
The zombies are here. In this train car. That you’re on. With your young daughter. On her birthday. If there’s a way out of this apocalyptic bullet train, tell that to Seok-woo and the still-human passengers hurling toward their fates. Otherwise, director Yeon Sang-ho has some crazy ideas.TRAIN TO BUSAN
UltraStar Mission Valley
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 8:25 pmTRAIN TO BUSAN
UltraStar Mission Valley
Thursday, November 10, 2016 8:35 pm
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TRIVISA
Frank Hui, Jevons Au, Vicky Wong Wai-Kit / Asia Pop! / Hong Kong / 2016 / Thriller / 97 mins
Three legends of the underworld are emboldened by the chance to commit one last masterpiece of crime before Hong Kong is handed over to China 1997. Produced by Johnnie To and directed by three up-and-comers, TRIVISA explores the end of an era through the despairing loneliness of gunfire in the night.TRIVISA
UltraStar Mission Valley
Saturday, November 5, 2016 9:05 pm
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TUNNEL
Kim Seong-hun / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Thriller / 127 mins
On his way home from work, Jung-soo drives into a mountain tunnel that collapses on him. Through his cell phone (battery life: 81%), he discovers that it might be a few days before he’s rescued. What he’s not told about are the behind-the-scenes battles that actually determine his fate.TUNNEL
UltraStar Mission Valley
Monday, November 7, 2016 8:05 pmTUNNEL
UltraStar Mission Valley
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 8:25 pm
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WEEDS ON FIRE
Chan Chi-fat / Asia Pop! / Hong Kong / 2016 / Drama, Sports / 105 mins
The education system has given up on teenagers Lung and Wai, but an aspiring baseball coach takes them in to form Hong Kong’s first little league team. Based on actual events in 1984, WEEDS ON FIRE pitches curveballs around the colony’s peculiar politics and wins hearts as only a city losing its identity can: by stealing home.WEEDS ON FIRE
UltraStar Mission Valley
Monday, November 7, 2016 7:55 pmWEEDS ON FIRE
UltraStar Mission Valley
Thursday, November 10, 2016 6:40 pm
