Author Archives: kaist455

Black Is King (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): An interesting visual album from Beyoncé

Posted on August 4, 2020

I am not much of an American pop music aficionado, but I certainly know how popular Beyoncé has been during last two decades. To be frank with you, I usually regarded her as a merely famous singer who appeared in … Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 4, 2020

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 →

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

Posted on August 4, 2020

“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 →

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

Posted on August 4, 2020

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 →

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

Posted on August 2, 2020

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 →

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

Posted on August 2, 2020

“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 →

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

Posted on August 2, 2020

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 →

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

Posted on August 1, 2020

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 →

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Steel Rain 2: Summit (2020) ☆☆(2/4): A jumbled South Korean geopolitical thriller

Posted on July 30, 2020

South Korean film “Steel Rain 2: Summit”, which is a sort of retread instead of being a direct sequel to “Steel Rain” (2017), a jumbled geopolitical thriller which tries too many things at once. While it strives to maintain its … Continue reading →

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Water Lilies (2007) ☆☆☆(3/4): A tomboy’s first crush

Posted on July 30, 2020

Céline Sciamma’s first feature film “Water Lilies”, which is going to be released belatedly in South Korean theaters in next month, is a detached but compelling coming-of-age tale of sexuality and maturation. Mainly revolving around the viewpoint of its young … Continue reading →

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