Author Archives: kaist455

Good Fortune (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The trouble with an angel

Aziz Ansari’s first feature film “Good Fortune” is a mildly amusing comedy which could push its comic promise further before arriving at its predictable ending. Thanks to the game efforts from Ansari and several other main cast members in the … Continue reading

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Super Happy Forever (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Not much beyond his self-pity

Self-pity can be one of the most tedious things to observe. As watching the first half of “Super Happy Forever”, I kept wondering why I should pay attention to the drab and superficial presentation of its rather uninteresting hero’s self-pity, … Continue reading

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Father Mother Sister Brother (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A trio of sublime family dramas from Jim Jarmusch

Jim Jarmusch’s latest film “Father Mother Sister Brother”, which won the Golden Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival in last year, is as dry, humorous, and touching as you can expect from him. As doling out its three … Continue reading

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The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) ☆☆☆(3/4): Michael Caine as Scrooge – with the Muppets

There is a good reason why Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol” has been a classic work to be remembered and cherished by many of us. Above all, this is a striking ghost story with chilly and spooky qualities … Continue reading

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Santosh (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her complicated case

“Santosh”, a Hindi-language film which was incidentally selected as the British entry for Best International Film Oscar in last year (It was subsequently included in the December shortlist, by the way), is a dry but engaging police procedural drama. As … Continue reading

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Vermiglio (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): In a small mountain village

“Vermiglio”, which was selected as the Italian submission to Best International Film Oscar in last year (It was later included in the December shortlist, by the way), is an immersive experience to remember. Slowly and patiently developing the mood and … Continue reading

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Tampopo (1985) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): For making a perfect bowl of ramen

Japanese filmmaker Juzo Itami’s 1985 film “Tampopo”, whose 4k remastered version is currently being shown in South Korean theaters, is a first-rate food movie filled with a lot of wit and charm to be savored and then appreciated. While cheerfully … Continue reading

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SAVE (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Meeting her lifesaver again

South Korean film “SAVE” follows the relationship between two women who cannot possibly be different from each other. Right from the beginning, we can clearly see where their story is heading, but the movie did a solid job of bringing … Continue reading

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Sound of Falling (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Sound of female despairing

“Sound of Falling”, which was selected as the German submission to Best International Film Oscar in this year and then was included in the shortlist several days ago, is quite subtle and elusive about what it is about. This may … Continue reading

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This Is Spinal Tap (1984) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Still endearingly outrageous and hilarious

Rob Reiner’s 1984 comedy film “This Is Spinal Tap” still amuses me a lot for many good reasons. While keeping its attitude as straight as possible via its ground-breaking mockumentary style, the movie has a lot of fun with many … Continue reading

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