Monthly Archives: August 2020

The Go-Go’s (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): When they got the beat

Posted on August 4, 2020 by kaist455

I like good documentaries which illuminate things beyond my current knowledge, and documentary film “The Go-Go’s” is one of such cases. Following the short but impressive history of a famous all-female American punk rock band during the early 1980s, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Way Back (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): An alcoholic basketball coach with issues

Posted on August 4, 2020 by kaist455

“The Way Back” is a surprisingly low-key mix of two different genres. As a story about one former basketball athlete’s struggle for a new start in his messy life, it surely has a number of basketball game scenes as required, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Wild Goose Lake (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): He’s going nowhere…

Posted on August 4, 2020 by kaist455

Chinese film “The Wild Goose Lake” is a slow but stylish crime drama packed with tangible atmosphere and palpable seedy realism. Although I felt rather distant to its story and characters throughout its 110-minute running time, I also could not … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Hater (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A cold, detached character study on online sociopathy

Posted on August 2, 2020 by kaist455

Polish film “The Hater”, which won the Best International Narrative Feature Award at Tribeca Film Festival in this year but then was released on Netlix without much publicity a few days ago, is a cold, detached character study revolving around … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

1BR (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Trapped in a deadly neighborhood

Posted on August 2, 2020 by kaist455

“1BR” is a little devious horror thriller film which pushes its modest story idea a bit more than I expected. While initially reminiscent of several other similar horror films including Roman Polanski’s “The Tenant” (1976), the movie gives us a … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Better Days (2019) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): Her bodyguard

Posted on August 2, 2020 by kaist455

Chinese film “Better Days” is a familiar but compelling mixture of brutal school drama, sensitive coming-of-age tale, and unabashedly old-fashioned romance. Right from the beginning, you can clearly discern what you are going to get, but then you will find … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Young Ahmed (2019) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4): A young fanatic

Posted on August 1, 2020 by kaist455

The Dardenne brothers’ latest film “Young Ahmed”, which won the Best Director award when it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival early in last year, gives us a phlegmatic observation of a young adolescent boy who happens to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment