Monthly Archives: December 2020

The Prom (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Glittering but passable

Posted on December 18, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix film “The Prom”, which was released on Netflix in last week shortly after being released in theaters a few weeks ago, is as lively and glittering as you can expected from a musical film directed/co-produced by Ryan Murphy. It … Continue reading →

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Panda Bear It (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): He sees that panda bear everywhere…

Posted on December 16, 2020 by kaist455

Four years ago, I received an e-mail from a young American independent filmmaker named Evan Kidd, who was quite eager to persuade me to watch his first feature film “Son of Clowns” (2016). Although I had never heard of him … Continue reading →

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RKO 281 (1999) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A terrific TV movie to complement “Mank”

Posted on December 14, 2020 by kaist455

To be frank with you, it took some time for me to appreciate the greatness of Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” (1941), which has been regarded as one of the greatest works in the history of cinema during last several decades. … Continue reading →

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Sound of Metal (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As he loses his hearing

Posted on December 9, 2020 by kaist455

“Sound of Metal”, which had a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in last September but was belatedly released on Amazon Prime early in this month due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is an extraordinary drama film full of … Continue reading →

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The Nest (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): From one nest to another

Posted on December 9, 2020 by kaist455

“The Nest” unsettles us step by step in its calm but unnerving examination of a family being deteriorated under the toxic delusion of its untrustworthy patriarch. He keeps trying reaching for any big financial break, but it only becomes more … Continue reading →

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Black Bear (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A sharp and vicious comedy of two interconnected tales

Posted on December 8, 2020 by kaist455

“Black Bear” is a sharp and vicious comedy film which actively confronts you with a matter of fiction and reality. While the first half is an increasingly tense chamber drama of desire, jealousy, and manipulation amidst three believable characters, the … Continue reading →

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Ammonite (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A somber Victorian lesbian romance on the beach

Posted on December 8, 2020 by kaist455

Francis Lee’s new film “Ammonite” is a somber fictional romance drama between two different real-life figures in the 19th Victorian era. While it is a bit too dry, slow, and detached at times, the movie subtly and sensitively depicts the … Continue reading →

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The 40-Year-Old Version (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Meet Radha Blank

Posted on December 7, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix film “The 40-Year-Old Version”, which won the US Dramatic Competition Directing Award when it had a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year, is a witty and edgy comedy film which will definitely leave lasting impressions … Continue reading →

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The Incredible Jessica James (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Thoroughly sassy Jessica

Posted on December 7, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix film “The Incredible Jessica James”, which I belatedly watched it along with other Netflix film “The 40-Year-Old Version” (2020), is funny and charming for the lively and endearing comic persona of its lead actress. Yes, this is surely another … Continue reading →

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