Monthly Archives: June 2025

Sally (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her personal sacrifice for being a trailblazer

Posted on June 29, 2025 by kaist455

Documentary film “Sally”, which is currently available on Disney+, presents the complex life story of Sally Ride, who was one of the most famous female trailblazers in US during the 20th century. She really tried hard to become a notable … Continue reading →

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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): Miyazaki’s first big break

Posted on June 29, 2025 by kaist455

Hayao Miyazaki’s 1984 animation feature film “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, which happens to be re-released in South Korean theaters a few days ago, is still a rich and enchanting work of awe, wonder, and interest. Although it … Continue reading →

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F1 (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Driving fairly well along a familiar course 

Posted on June 29, 2025 by kaist455

“F1” drives fairly well along a familiar course, and I enjoyed that to some degree. Although predictably following numerous genre conventions and clichés, the movie gives us a series of top-notch car racing sequences definitely worthwhile to watch on big … Continue reading →

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Kneecap (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Meet Irish rappers

Posted on June 28, 2025 by kaist455

“Kneecap”, which was selected as the Irish entry to Best International Film Oscar in last year, is a typical rapper movie with some local flavor. While it has a substantial amount of irreverent wit and bouncy energy to hold our … Continue reading →

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Naked Lunch (1991) ☆☆☆(3/4): Welcome to Interzone

Posted on June 27, 2025 by kaist455

David Cronenberg’s 1991 film “Naked Lunch”, which happens to come to South Korean theaters shortly after the local theatrical release of Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” (2024), tackles on an impossible task, and the result is alternatively interesting and baffling. Loosely based … Continue reading →

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Saving Private Ryan (1998) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Just for one private

Posted on June 26, 2025 by kaist455

Steven Spielberg’s 1998 film “Saving Private Ryan”, which happens to be re-released in South Korean on this Wednesday, definitely earns its own place in the pantheon of war movies via its stupefyingly stunning opening battle sequence, but it is much … Continue reading →

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Alphaville (1965) ☆☆☆(3/4): A literally distant SF noir from Godard

Posted on June 25, 2025 by kaist455

It is ironic that Jean-Luc Godard’s 1965 film “Alpaville”, whose 4K remastered version is being shown in South Korea at this point, is quite dry, distant, and abstract to the end without much feeling to sense. While the story itself … Continue reading →

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Queer (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): That frustrating object of lust

Posted on June 25, 2025 by kaist455

Luca Guadagnino’s latest film “Queer”, which came out not long after his previous film “Challengers” in the same year, often frustrated and baffled me. While this is another distinctive work of Guadagnino which is packed with an ample amount of … Continue reading →

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Queen of Katwe (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): An unlikely chess player in Uganda

Posted on June 24, 2025 by kaist455

Mira Nair’s 2016 film “Queen of Katwe”, which is currently available on Disney+ presents a remarkable story about one extraordinary female chess player in Uganda. She was born in a slum neighborhood of Kampala, Uganda, but she and several other … Continue reading →

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Young Woman and the Sea (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A passable biopic about one remarkable woman

Posted on June 21, 2025 by kaist455

“Young Woman and the Sea”, which is currently available on Disney+, is a biographic film about one remarkable woman who showed that women can do anything as much as men. While her extraordinary achievement certainly deserves to be known more … Continue reading →

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