Author Archives: kaist455

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Broad but spirited

Posted on September 4, 2020 by kaist455

Some of those classic Victorian novels written by Charles Dickens delighted me a lot when I read them during my adolescent and college years. Sure, many of the characters in his novels are essentially stereotypes, but they are strikingly and … Continue reading →

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The One and Only Ivan (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A tale of one painting gorilla

Posted on September 4, 2020 by kaist455

“The One and Only Ivan”, which was released on Disney+ a few weeks ago, is a safe and sappy product which does not overcome its several glaring shortcomings much. While I was quite distracted by those talking animals in the … Continue reading →

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Ghosts of War (2020) ☆☆(2/4): Soldiers stuck in a predictable haunted spot

Posted on September 3, 2020 by kaist455

“Ghosts of War” looks like an interesting hybrid of two different genres at first, but it ultimately lets us down a lot. While you may be entertained a bit by how different genre elements clash with each other for a … Continue reading →

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The Rental (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A competent test run by Dave Franco

Posted on September 3, 2020 by kaist455

Dave Franco’s debut feature film “The Rental” is a modest test run for his nascent filmmaking career. Although it will not surprise you much especially if you are familiar with its genre territory, it is mostly competent on the whole … Continue reading →

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Sputnik (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Beauty and the Host

Posted on August 31, 2020 by kaist455

Russian film “Sputnik” is a little creepy SF horror flick which intrigues and then chills you as patiently developing the story and characters within its limited background. Evoking many various movies ranging from “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) to “Venom” (2018), … Continue reading →

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Rising Phoenix (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): They are indeed superheroes

Posted on August 30, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix documentary film “Rising Phoenix” is an uplifting examination of the Paralympic Games and a number of various participants. Rather than merely living with their disabilities, these and many other disabled athletes push themselves really hard at the Paralympic Games … Continue reading →

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Beats (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Revolt in beats

Posted on August 30, 2020 by kaist455

British film “Beats”, which incidentally should not be confused with the 2019 American film of the same name, is often fascinating as a plain but vivid slice of adolescent life in Scotland, 1994. As closely following its two teenage heroes, … Continue reading →

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Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): They return triumphantly

Posted on August 30, 2020 by kaist455

“Bill & Ted Face the Music”, the long-awaited final chapter of the trilogy which was started with “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Journey” (1989), is packed with goofy charm and entertainment just like its two predecessors. While the setting and background … Continue reading →

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Get Duked! (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Hunted in the middle of the Highlands

Posted on August 30, 2020 by kaist455

In my trivial opinion, good comedy always needs some solid ground for its jokes and gags to be funny and effective. In case of “Get Duked!”, which was released on Amazon Prime a few days ago, it throws lots of … Continue reading →

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Boys State (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Meet future American politicians

Posted on August 29, 2020 by kaist455

Documentary “Boys State”, which won the US Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year, gives us a close and intimate glimpse into a bunch of boys who may be the future of American … Continue reading →

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