NEWPORT BEACH —?The 古い ポルノ 映画16th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, which opened April 23, will continue with a Pacific Rim Showcase night on Monday, April 27, at Edwards Big Newport 6, 300 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach. The schedule is as follows:
? 7:15 p.m. —?“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart 2”?(China, 2014, 113 minutes). When a dashingly handsome investment banker loses his ingénue of a girlfriend to an architect with a heart of gold, he returns to his previous life as a womanizer with a vengeance. He starts hitting on every pretty girl that crosses his path until he finally settles on the stock market maverick, a lady as gorgeous as she is talented. Unbeknownst to him, however, his old flame soon begins working for his new squeeze, her brother has developed a crush for her, and a twisted double love triangle is forming. As things escalate and a wedding is on the horizon, he realizes his love for his ex never died and gets ready to woo her back.
Directed by Johnnie To. Starring Vic Chow, Yuanyuan Gao, Louis Koo, Daniel Wu, Miriam Chin Wah Yeung.
? 7:30 p.m. —?“Twilight: Saya in Sasara”(Japan, 2014, 115 minutes). Feeling lost and alone after her husband is unexpectedly killed in an accident, a young mother finds herself in an idyllic but somewhat strange town called Sasara, unsure of whether or not she can handle being a mother on her own. However, her husband’s spirit is so distraught about leaving his wife behind that he can’t move on to the other side, and instead wanders around the town possessing strangers to help her. With the help of her ghostly husband and the townspeople of Sasara, this helpless woman begins to transform into a strong, capable mother, but how much help can an unearthly husband truly be.
Directed by Yoshihiro Fukagawa. Starring Yui Aragaki, Yo Oizumi, Aoi Nakamura, Rila Fukushima, Takeshi Tsuruno, Masao Komatsu, Yumiko Fujita, Ryo Ishibashi, Sumiko Fuji.
? 7:45 p.m. — “A Hard Day”(Korea, 2014, 110 minutes). After attending his mother’s funeral and being subject to a surprise inspection from internal affairs, a homicide detective accidentally runs someone down on a dark rural street. Desperate, he decides has no choice but to cover up his own crime. When he finds a picture of the victim in a file of cases being investigated, he quickly finds himself down a rabbit-hole of ever-worsening choices and consequences. Finally, when an apparent witness to the deed makes himself known, the detective is forced to make the hardest decision of all, and perhaps face the ultimate outcome.
Directed Kim Seong-Hun. Starring Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Jin-Woong.
? 10 p.m. — Pacific Rim Showcase Party, celebrating the best in Asian filmmaking, at SOCO, 3303 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa. Hosted by SOCO andLA Confidential Magazine, featuring top entertainment and hors d’oeuvres prepared by award-winning Orange County restaurants. Hosted bar by Tito’s Vodka, Remy Cointreau and Stella Artois. Must be 21 or over. Outdoor event; coat or jacket recommended.
Cost: $45 for Pacific Rim Showcase film and party; $25 for party only.
The festival runs through April 30. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.newportbeachfilmfest.com.