Author Archives: kaist455

The Big 4 (2022) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Very silly – and very violent

Posted on December 24, 2022 by kaist455

Indonesian Netflix film “The Big 4”, which was released in last week, is a very violet action flick which is also quite silly and melodramatic at times. Although this extreme mix is mostly too uneven and shallow for me, the … Continue reading →

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Gagarine (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): His little fight against the demolition to come

Posted on December 23, 2022 by kaist455

French film “Gagarine” is a little but interesting drama which alternates between reality and fantasy as observing its plain young hero’s defiant stand against the change to come. Although its overall result is uneven at times, the movie compensates for … Continue reading →

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Corsage (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Royal Ennui

Posted on December 23, 2022 by kaist455

“Corsage”, which was recently selected as the Austrian submission for Best International Feature Film, is a dry but interesting character study loosely based on one real-life royal figure during the late 19th century Europe. According to the IMDB trivia, the … Continue reading →

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Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): She simply wants him…

Posted on December 23, 2022 by kaist455

Netflix film “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”, which was released early in this month, is more sensitive and thoughtful than you might expect. Based on that famous classic novel of the same name by D. H. Lawrence, the movie surely provides enough … Continue reading →

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Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A mid-life self-indulgent by Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Posted on December 21, 2022 by kaist455

Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest film “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”, which was released on Netflix after being shown in South Korean theaters in last month, is a self-indulgent misfire which jumps high for greatness but only ends … Continue reading →

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Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Inside Louis Armstrong

Posted on December 20, 2022 by kaist455

Documentary film “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues”, which is currently available on Apple TV+, does more than merely presenting the life and career of Louis Armstrong, who has been regarded as one of the greatest American musicians in the 20th … Continue reading →

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Good Night Oppy (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Two rovers on Mars

Posted on December 19, 2022 by kaist455

Documentary film “Good Night Oppy”, which is currently available on Amazon Prime, is gives us a close and intimate look into one remarkable space mission which came to last a lot longer than expected. When NASA sent two rovers to … Continue reading →

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La Vie en Rose (2007) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Non, je ne Regrette rien

Posted on December 19, 2022 by kaist455

As your average inconsequential movie reviewer, I have seen heaps of musician biography films come and go for more than 20 years, and not many of them can top what is so powerfully achieved in Olivier Dahan’s “La Vie en … Continue reading →

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Perisan Lessons (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A mock language for survival

Posted on December 19, 2022 by kaist455

“Persian Lessons”, which was Belarus’ official submission to Best International Film Oscar in last year but then was disqualified due to its technical ineligibility, is about one man who survives the Holocaust via a mock language invented by himself. Although … Continue reading →

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Life of Hae-Oak (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Will she ever make it through?

Posted on December 17, 2022 by kaist455

Watching South Korean film “Life of Hae-Oak” is not a comfortable experience at all. Closely observing its young heroine’s seemingly endless predicament, the movie palpably conveys us her growing conflict and frustration, and that will probably make you wince more … Continue reading →

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