Monthly Archives: August 2020

The Current War (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): AC vs. DC

“The Current War”, which was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in late 2017 but only got released in US around two years later due to several reasons including Harvey Weinstein’s involvement in its production, does not have enough … Continue reading

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Chemical Hearts (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): His new partner at his school newspaper

“Chemical Hearts”, which was recently released on Amazon Prime, looks plain and predictable at first but then comes to engage us more than expected. Yes, this is another case of troubled adolescent romance, but it distinguishes itself a bit via … Continue reading

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Tenet (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An ambitiously confusing misfire from Christopher Nolan

I often felt impatient and baffled as watching Christopher Nolan’s new film “Tenet”, whose theatrical release was delayed for a while due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic before it is eventually set to be released in several countries including UK … Continue reading

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Moving On (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Summer days at their grandpa’s house

South Korean independent film “Moving On” often made me smile during my viewing, and that is quite an achievement considering what a grumpy guy I usually am. Slowly and tenderly doling out one precious human moment after another, the movie … Continue reading

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An Old Lady (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): She is not silent anymore

South Korean independent film “An Old Lady” calmly observes and then gradually empathizes with its old heroine’s infuriating situation. While we do not know that much about her even in the end, we are also reminded of how she is … Continue reading

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Mississippi Burning (1988) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Flawed but incendiary

One of my friends often mentions the last places he wants to visit in US, which are usually the ones reported on the media for infuriating cases of blatant racism. I felt same about Mississippi when I revisited Alan Parker’s … Continue reading

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The Secret Garden (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An adaptation without enough magic

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel “The Secret Garden” is one of many memorable books in my childhood years. At that time, I simply absorbed its story and characters without much reflection, but then the novel came to grow on me … Continue reading

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Project Power (2020) ☆☆(2/4): A flat genre piece without much power

Netflix film “Project Power” does not have much power and imagination to boost its supposedly intriguing story premise, and that is a big letdown to say the least. While initially beginning with considerable potentials, the movie eventually gets devolved into … Continue reading

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Detention (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A historical horror based on video game

Taiwanese film “Detention” is an interesting piece of historical horror which is incidentally based on a popular video game of the same name. Although I do not have any particular experience or knowledge on the eponymous video game, I was … Continue reading

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Driveways (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The Old Man, The Boy, His Mother and Her House

Andrew Ahn’s second feature film “Driveways” touches me a lot with its deceptively simple but ultimately sublime presentation of ordinary good people. At first, nothing much seems to happen on the surface as it slowly rolls its modest promise, but … Continue reading

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