Author Archives: kaist455

Jojo Rabbit (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An uneven World War II comedy by Taika Waititi

Posted on January 5, 2020 by kaist455

Taika Waititi’s latest comedy film “Jojo Rabbit”, which won the Grolsch People’s Choice Award when it was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in last September, is a typical case of whimsical mixed bag. While it has some nice … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Comedy, Coming-of-age drama, Mother and Son, Nazi Germany, The Holocaust, World War II | 1 Comment

Pavarotti (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A respectable presentation of Pavarotti’s life and career

Posted on January 3, 2020 by kaist455

Ron Howard’s documentary film “Pavarotti” dutifully presents the summary of the life and career of Luciano Pavarotti, who was regarded as one of the greatest operatic tenors in the history. Although it seems to esteem its human subject a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Documentary, Opera, Operatic tenor, Real-life figure, Real-life story | Leave a comment

Honeyland (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A rural beekeeper’s daily life

Posted on January 1, 2020 by kaist455

Documentary film “Honeyland”, which was selected as North Macedonia’s entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar at the Academy Awards in last year and was also included in the December shortlist for the Best Documentary Oscar, is an extraordinary … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Beekeeping, Documentary, Family, Real-life story | 2 Comments

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Hanks triumphs as Mr. Rogers

Posted on January 1, 2020 by kaist455

What a gentle and disarming person Fred Rogers was. Although I am not that familiar with his popular children’s television program “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”, I could not help but touched and moved by his genuine good will and decency as … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Father and son, Journalist, Real-life figure, TV show | 1 Comment

Sorry We Missed You (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A bleak slice of hard working-class life

Posted on December 28, 2019 by kaist455

Ken Loach’s latest film “Sorry We Missed You” is a bleak slice of hard working-class life you will not forget easily. Phlegmatically and unflinchingly observing how its main characters are driven into more despair and frustration along the story, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Delivery man, Family, Nurse | 1 Comment

Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A tasty Christmas romantic comedy film

Posted on December 27, 2019 by kaist455

The Christmas day of this year was rather uneventful for me. I was supposed to spend some cozy time with a friend of mine on that day, but, unfortunately, he had to leave due to some personal matter in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Christmas, Comedy, Family, Feast, Italian American, Romance | Leave a comment

Before You Know It (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): When they encounter their long-lost mother

Posted on December 27, 2019 by kaist455

“Before You Know It” is basically another quirky family comedy drama set in New York City, but it did its job better than expected. While it occasionally goes for silly comic moments, it steadily stays focused on the strained relationship … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Family, Father and daughter, Mother and daughter, Sisters, Soap drama, Theater | Leave a comment

Dead Souls (2018) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): Monolithic but monumental

Posted on December 26, 2019 by kaist455

I must confess that I could not help but daunted when I happened to learn about Chinese documentary film “Dead Souls”. They say good films are never too long, but the running time of this monolithic documentary is more than … Continue reading →