Monthly Archives: March 2017

Chocolat (2016) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A pair of different clowns

Posted on March 27, 2017 by kaist455

Inspired by the career of two real-life clowns who were famous around the early 20th century, French film “Chocolat” is an old-fashioned show business melodrama which is a little too rote and predictable at times. It often works whenever it … Continue reading →

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On the Beach at Night Alone (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): As she wanders (and drinks)

Posted on March 25, 2017 by kaist455

Alternatively playful and melancholic, South Korean film “On the Beach at Night Alone”, the latest work from Hong Sang-soo, gives us a somber character study which amusingly resonates with what happened in its auteur’s personal life. To be frank with … Continue reading →

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A cat in the cafe (2017/03/22)

Posted on March 22, 2017 by kaist455

This white furry creature is quiet and sweet on the whole…

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The Light Between Oceans (2016) ☆☆(2/4): A tepid melodrama between love and guilt

Posted on March 21, 2017 by kaist455

While it is filled with melodramatic elements ready to be utilized, “The Light Between Oceans” feels tame and bland in its frustratingly low-key approach, and it remains inane and tedious even as it doles out several plot turns one by … Continue reading →

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Beauty and the Beast (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A tale as old as time…

Posted on March 19, 2017 by kaist455

This may sound contradictory to you, but the main highlights of “Beauty and the Beast”, another live action remake film from the Walt Disney Company, often feel like the weakest things in the movie. The movie is indeed enchanting and … Continue reading →

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A Stray Goat (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A melancholic wintry tale of two troubled teenagers

Posted on March 16, 2017 by kaist455

I once wondered whether sad, cold independent movies about desperate people were becoming a genre of their own. Usually filled with somber wintry ambience, such movies tend to serve us with the bleak sense of harsh reality via their gloomy … Continue reading →

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Tanna (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A love story on one volcanic tropical island

Posted on March 12, 2017 by kaist455

At first, “Tanna”, one of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominees of this year, strikes us with its exotic tropical world and the tribal communities inside that beautiful world. Shot entirely in the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, the movie … Continue reading →

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Kong: Skull Island (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Welcome to Skull Island

Posted on March 12, 2017 by kaist455

As a monster flick, “Kong: Skull Island”, another remake of the 1933 classic film “King Kong”, works to some degrees. Besides its gigantic titular monster, it serves us with various big creatures to watch, and it also shows some sense … Continue reading →

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Shin Godzilla (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Cheesy but terrifying

Posted on March 11, 2017 by kaist455

Even though it has been mostly stuck in the realm of B-monster movies for many decades since its first appearance in 1954, Godzilla has been quite an iconic monster figure to many of us. Although I have not watched any … Continue reading →

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Snowy Road (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): Two girls in a sad, harrowing tragedy of war

Posted on March 5, 2017 by kaist455

The historical subject of South Korean film “Snowy Road” is one of many sad tragedies of the World War II. During that time, numerous Korean women were forced into sex slavery by the Japanese Army, and many of them could … Continue reading →

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