Corruption, haunting and... chocolate?: Now playing in theaters

Troll Factory | Spy x Family Code: White | Exhuma | Dune: Part Two

A still from ″Troll Factory,″ starring Son Suk-ku, shown here [ACEMAKER MOVIEWORKS, KC VENTURES]

Troll Factory (15)Drama, crime action / 109 min. / Korean / March 27 The next biggest Korean film following “Exhuma” is this crime action starring Son Suk-ku, currently one of Korea’s hottest actors from his roles in films and series like “The Roundup” (2022) and “A Killer Paradox.”

Son, as Sang-jin, gets the exclusive scoop on a certain conglomerate’s corruption scandal, but gets suspended from his job as a reporter after being accused of false reporting. Soon after, however, Sang-jin gets an anonymous tip that his suspension was the result of widespread online propaganda, and he must dig up the truth to recover his job – and his integrity. The film also stars Kim Sung-cheol, Kim Dong-hwi and Hong Kyung, whose characters are part of the team that manipulated the media.

“Troll Factory” was directed by Ahn Gooc-jin, who is best known for the black comedy film “Alice in Earnestland” (2015).

A still from ″Spy x Family Code: White″ [TOHO]

Spy x Family Code: White (12)Animation, action, comedy / 110 min. / Japanese / March 20

The film adaptation of the cult-favorite Japanese manga series “Spy x Family” has finally reached the Korean silver screen.

The story continues with the Forgers, a “pretend family” comprised of Loid, Yor, Anya and Bond who lead double lives for their own secret motives. During their first family vacation, Anya, a telepath, finds a suspicious suitcase and swallows a chocolate found inside. It turns out to be a huge mistake and now it’s up to the Forgers to put the world back to normal before it’s too late.

The voice cast is the same as the “Spy x Family” anime television series, with Takuya Eguchi playing Loid, Saori Hayami as Yor, Atsumi Tanezaki as Anya and Kenichiro Matsuda as Bond and the narrator. The film was directed by Takashi Katagiri.

A scene from ″Exhuma″ [SHOWBOX]

Exhuma (15)

Mystery, thriller / 134 min. / Korean / Feb. 22

Who knew that digging up a grave would unleash horrible consequences?

In this supernatural thriller by director Jang Jae-hyun, “Exhuma,” two young shamans, Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun) must investigate a series of mysterious happenings that affect a wealthy family in Los Angeles. When they realize that a certain grave was the reason a sinister spirit has haunted the family for decades, feng shui expert Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik) and undertaker Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin) join forces with Hwa-rim and Bong-gil to relocate the grave.

Jang Jae-hyun is best known for directing occult films with “The Priests” (2015), starring Kim Yoon-seok and Gang Dong-won as well as “Svaha: The Sixth Finger” starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Jeong-min, Lee Jae-in, Jung Jin-young and Jin Seon-kyu.

A scene from "Dune: Part Two," starring Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, left, and Zendaya as Chani [WARNER BROS. KOREA]

Dune: Part Two (12)Action / 166 min. / English / Feb. 28 “Dune: Part Two” continues the “Dune” universe, based on the 1965 epic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. But this time, it’s packed with more action and introduces new characters.

Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is exiled from his family's House Atreides, and embarks on a journey to avenge the death of his father and fall of his family. He teams up with the Fremen people who inhabit the desert planet Arrakis to overthrow the antagonistic family House Harkonnen. Chani Fremen (Zendaya) becomes Paul’s love interest, which is another development in the plot of “Dune: Part Two.” The film sees actors Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux and Souheila Yacoub as newly-joining cast members.

Director Denis Villeneuve is known for films such as “Sicario” (2015),” “Arrival” (2016) and “Blade Runner 2049” (2017). For “Arrival,” he received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]