Monthly Archives: November 2019

The Irishman (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A dry, long gangster elegy presented by Martin Scorsese

Posted on November 24, 2019 by kaist455

Martin Scorsese’s latest film “The Irishman”, which was released in South Korea a few days ago and will be available on Netflix on next Wednesday, is a dry, long elegy to a cold, mean, and violent criminal world in the … Continue reading →

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Frozen 2 (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A watchable sequel with several good things

Posted on November 22, 2019 by kaist455

When Oscar-winning Disney animation film “Frozen” (2013) came out six years ago, I was not as enthusiastic as many other audiences and reviewers, but I did appreciate a number of good things in that unexpectedly popular animation film. Besides its … Continue reading →

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Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Two faces of a yoga guru

Posted on November 21, 2019 by kaist455

Netflix documentary film “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator”, which was released on this Wednesday, presents a very disturbing case of sexual predation revolving around a yoga guru who was once quite popular for many years in US. While it is interesting … Continue reading →

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Moonlit Winter (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A letter from her first love

Posted on November 19, 2019 by kaist455

South Korean film “Moonlit Winter” reminds me that it is always more compelling to observe star-crossed lovers in agony and restraint. Here are two very unhappy women who have quietly yearned for each other since they were separated from each … Continue reading →

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Good Boys (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Kids say and do darndest things

Posted on November 18, 2019 by kaist455

As far as I can remember, I was a pretty mild child before I officially entered adolescence in 1996. Sure, I was a rather nerdy and quirky boy whose mind was usually occupied with books and movies, but I usually … Continue reading →

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Sub-Zero Wind (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her bleak adolescent years

Posted on November 17, 2019 by kaist455

South Korean film “Sub-Zero Wind” is as bleak as its very title suggests. Like many of recent South Korean coming-of-age drama films, the movie is often shrouded in stark and gloomy realism, but its story and characters are thoughtfully handled … Continue reading →

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One Child Nation (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Memories of Policy

Posted on November 16, 2019 by kaist455

Documentary film “One Child Nation”, which won the Grand Jury Prize when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year, is often powerful and heart-wrenching in its sobering but intimate presentation of one brutal family policy … Continue reading →

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Adopt a Highway (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): As he struggles to adjust

Posted on November 16, 2019 by kaist455

As watching “Adopt a Highway” at last night, I often become a bit reflective on the long, illustrious acting career of Ethan Hawke. At the time of “Dead Poets Society” (1989) and “Reality Bites” (1994), he initially drew our attention … Continue reading →

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The Dead Center (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): In the Mouth of Death

Posted on November 16, 2019 by kaist455

“The Dead Center” intrigued me at first and then came to frustrate me later. While it initially comes to us as an interesting mix of H.P. Lovecraft and Bill S. Ballinger, the movie unfortunately begins to trudge during its trite … Continue reading →

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Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): More zombies with less fun

Posted on November 14, 2019 by kaist455

I laughed often while watching the first half of “Zombieland: Double Tap”, but those funny moments in the film only reminded me that I laughed more and harder when I watched its 2009 predecessor ten years ago. Although it has … Continue reading →

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