Monthly Archives: December 2014

Jersey Boys (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : A jukebox musical lacking spark and energy

Posted on December 27, 2014 by kaist455

 As the film adaptation of a popular Tony Award-winning Broadway musical with the same name, “Jersey Boys” is a muted experience seriously lacking spark and energy. As a jukebox musical movie, it surely serves us with many recognizable songs from … Continue reading →

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My Love, Don’t Cross That River (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): The last chapter of their long life

Posted on December 26, 2014 by kaist455

  South Korean documentary “My Love, Don’t Cross That River” is about the last chapter of a long relationship which lasted for more than 70 years. Although the movie does not give much background information about its aging couple, its … Continue reading →

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Into the Woods (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : So they learned lessons….

Posted on December 24, 2014 by kaist455

  In the era where modernization or deconstruction or any kind of reinterpretation of fairy tales has been a usual thing at movie theaters, “Into the Woods” has already lost some of the personality which Stephen Sondheim’s Tony award-winning musical … Continue reading →

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Blood Ties (2013) ☆☆(2/4) : Blood is thicker than crime

Posted on December 23, 2014 by kaist455

 “Blood Ties” is full of notes borrowed from other gritty crime films about policemen, criminals, families, and their mean streets. First, we have two different brothers who have been driven apart by their respective professions, and then we have an … Continue reading →

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We Are the Best! (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Not the best, actually

Posted on December 23, 2014 by kaist455

 First, let me talk about how I was not so entertained during the first viewing of Swedish film “We Are the Best!”. While it was interesting to hear a number of Swedish punk rock songs on the soundtrack, they did … Continue reading →

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Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Life imitating Art – or Art imitating Life

Posted on December 22, 2014 by kaist455

 Life and art playfully intersect with each other in “Clouds of Sils Maria”, an intriguing drama about an aging star actress who happens to find herself in an ironic turning point in her career. As she finds herself in the … Continue reading →

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Mommy (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A wild, bouncy drama of mother and son

Posted on December 22, 2014 by kaist455

 As a wild, bouncy melodrama of mother and son relationship, “Mommy” is packed with style and energy. Although it lacks stability on narrative level at times, it has a number of strong moments generated between its flawed characters, and it … Continue reading →

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The One I Love (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): A couple’s weird weekend

Posted on December 20, 2014 by kaist455

 Playing well with its intriguing surreal premise, “The One I Love” throws us a number of intriguing questions on love and relationship. Do we love our life partners as who they really are or as whom we think they are? … Continue reading →

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Coming Home (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Forgotten From Her

Posted on December 20, 2014 by kaist455

  Restrained in its somber attitude, “Coming Home” is a sentimental drama reticent on its historical subject. While not saying a lot about the horror behind a key historical event which still haunts everyone in the story, the movie instead focuses … Continue reading →

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Tom at the Farm (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : His lover, His brother, and His mother

Posted on December 20, 2014 by kaist455

 It just looked like a simple visit at first – but then it is gradually turned into something which is very twisted to say the least. Xavier Dolan’s “Tom at the Farm” is a darkly fascinating psychological thriller with quiet … Continue reading →

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