Author Archives: kaist455

Alice, Darling (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Away from her toxic relationship

Posted on August 21, 2023 by kaist455

“Alice, Darling” is a little but increasingly tense psychological drama about a young woman struggling with her toxic relationship with her abusive boyfriend. She desperately wants to look away from what she has suffered, but her mind and body do … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Finding Yingying (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Yingying Zhang is missing

Posted on August 20, 2023 by kaist455

Documentary film “Finding Yingying” focuses on the undeniably heartbreaking human aspects of one real-life missing case. Yingying Zhang, a graduate student at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois who was only 26 at the time of her missing, is a … Continue reading →

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

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little private affair between two young public figures 

Posted on August 18, 2023 by kaist455

“Red, White & Royal Blue”, which was released on Amazon Prime in last week, is a lightweight romantic comedy film which decorates its very familiar genre formula with some interesting story elements. Sure, homosexual romance has become quite a mainstream … Continue reading →

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

Hail to Hell (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): This is surely not what they expected…

Posted on August 18, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Hail to Hell” surprised me more than once for good reasons. As following two young outcasts’ silly attempt of personal revenge, the movie generates a number of sharply humorous moments for us, and then it goes … Continue reading →

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

Oppenheimer (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): American Prometheus

Posted on August 16, 2023 by kaist455

Christopher Nolan’s latest film “Oppenheimer”, which was finally released in South Korean yesterday, is overwhelming to say the least. If you do not have much knowledge about its real-life hero’s life and career, you may get confused more than once … Continue reading →

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

A Man of Reason (2022) ☆1/2(1.5/4): A Man of Boredom

Posted on August 15, 2023 by kaist455

To be frank with you, I did not expect a lot from the beginning, but South Korean film “A Man of Reason” tremendously bored me from the beginning to the end. While there is nothing particularly new or refreshing in … Continue reading →

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

Honey Sweet (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A familiar taste

Posted on August 15, 2023 by kaist455

I did not laugh much as watching South Korean romantic comedy film “Honey Sweet” because it turned out to be not as sweet or funny as its story and characters could be. While it works to some degree mainly thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Queer My Friends (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Following her gay friend’s struggle

Posted on August 14, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean documentary film “Queer My Friends” follows the personal struggle of one young South Korean gay man who simply wants to be alive and true to himself. Although his story is presented mainly via the rather distant viewpoint of … Continue reading →

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

Speak No Evil (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their disturbing hosts

Posted on August 12, 2023 by kaist455

“Speak No Evil” warns us right from the very beginning that something bad will happen sooner or later, and that turns out to be quite disturbing to say the least. Starting from one sunny and pleasant environment, the movie eventually … Continue reading →

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

Concrete Utopia (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): An apartment building which survives

Posted on August 9, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean film “Concrete Utopia” is a dark but compelling apocalyptic thriller coupled with some biting social satire to be savored. While it feels conventional on the surface at times, the movie efficiently handles its story and characters in addition … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment