Author Archives: kaist455

Holy Spider (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Based on one real-life Iranian serial killing case

Posted on February 6, 2023 by kaist455

Ali Abbasi’s third feature film “Holy Spider”, which was selected as the Danish submission to Best International Film Oscar in last year and then included in the finalist in this category, is a calm but angry crime thriller film loosely … Continue reading →

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Mother Land (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A modest South Korean stop-motion animation film

Posted on February 5, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean animation film “Mother Land” is a precious work to be cherished. As a stop-motion animation film, it is rather modest compared to, say, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (2022) or many of the recent acclaimed works from Laika Studios, … Continue reading →

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Irma Vep (1996) ☆☆☆(3/4): One troubled movie production

Posted on February 4, 2023 by kaist455

Olivier Assayas’ 1996 film “Irma Vep”, which happens to be released in South Korean theaters in this week, baffles me in enjoyable ways. Mainly revolving around one very troubled movie production, its story freely and unpredictably flows from one interesting … Continue reading →

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Babylon (2022) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Excessive to the extreme

Posted on February 2, 2023 by kaist455

Damien Chazelle’s latest film “Babylon” is a relentlessly excessive piece of work which quickly made me feel distant and exhausted even before its first hour passed. While I appreciated some admirable efforts from its crew and cast members shown from … Continue reading →

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To Leslie (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Can she really start over?

Posted on February 1, 2023 by kaist455

“To Leslie” is about the hard and difficult struggles of one messy human being to observe. She once felt like being on the top of the world, but she has hit one bottom after another due to her serious personal … Continue reading →

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Jackass Forever (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): They surely rise below vulgarity

Posted on January 31, 2023 by kaist455

“Jackass Forever” made me wince and cringe more than once for good reasons. The film is basically a series of vulgar and outrageous stunts to make your eyes roll, but they are presented with a considerable amount of wit, cheer, … Continue reading →

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Triangle of Sadness (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Three acts of absurd satire by Ruben Östlund

Posted on January 30, 2023 by kaist455

Ruben Östlund’s new film “Triangle of Sadness”, which won the Palme d’Or award when it was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in last year, attempts three acts of absurd satire which are often amusing even though they do gel … Continue reading →

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Blonde (2022) ☆☆(2/4): A miserable bore

Posted on January 29, 2023 by kaist455

It has been known well that Marilyn Monroe was a very unhappy woman, and Netflix film “Blonde” is relentlessly and tediously emphasizes that miserable aspect to our disgust and boredom. Its heavily fictional story surely intends to show how much … Continue reading →

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Navalny (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The man against the Kremlin

Posted on January 29, 2023 by kaist455

Documentary film “Navalny”, which was recently nominated for Best Documentary Oscar, focuses on one compelling figure who has defiantly resisted against the Kremlin as much as possible. As closely observing how he and his colleagues investigated on a shocking attempt … Continue reading →

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Pearl (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her colorfully disturbing origin story

Posted on January 28, 2023 by kaist455

Ti West’s “Pearl”, which came out not long after his previous film “X” (2022) in last year, presents the colorfully disturbing origin story of the villain character in “X”. In contrast to the dryly creepy atmosphere of “X”, “Pearl” cheerfully … Continue reading →

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