Author Archives: kaist455

Warfare (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Presenting warfare itself

Posted on August 20, 2026 by kaist455

2025 film “Warfare”, which belatedly came to South Korean movie theaters yesterday, attempts to do nothing more than presenting warfare itself on the screen. Based on the testimonies of a bunch of U.S. Navy SEAL platoon members on one intense … Continue reading →

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

The Dreamers (2003) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): With his two strange new friends in Paris, 1968

Posted on August 19, 2026 by kaist455

Bernado Bertolucci’s 2003 film “The Dreamers”, whose 4K remastered version was released in selected South Korean theaters in last week, is a tale of love, youth, desire, friendship, and movies. While often striking us with its forthright depiction of sexuality, … Continue reading →

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

Vive L’Amour (1994) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): How lonely they are…

Posted on August 18, 2026 by kaist455

I found myself caring a lot more than expected as watching Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang’s 1994 film “Vive L’Amour”, whose recent 4K restoration version was released in South Korean theaters in last week. Leisurely revolving around three different main characters, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) ☆1/2(1.5/4): Such a bloody boring bad place this hell is…

Posted on August 15, 2026 by kaist455

Tony Randel’s 1988 film “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”, a sequel to Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” (1987), is a bloody boring mess I observed from the distance without much care or attention. Sure, there are a number of well-made moments intended to disgust … Continue reading →

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

Hellraiser (1987) ☆☆(2/4): It didn’t tear my soul apart at all

Posted on August 15, 2026 by kaist455

Clive Barker’s 1987 film “Hellraiser” did not tear my soul at all when I watched it for the first time via an old VHS copy in 1996. When I saw its promotional poster before that, it looked so scary to … Continue reading →

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

Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Two different prisoners between desperation and fantasy

Posted on August 12, 2026 by kaist455

Bill Condon’s 2025 musical film “Kiss of the Spider Woman”, which went straight to streaming in South Korea, is about two very different but equally desperate prisoners whose reality swings back and forth between desperation and fantasy. As they begin … Continue reading →

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

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Between two different prisoners

Posted on August 10, 2026 by kaist455

Brazilian filmmaker Héctor Babenco’s 1985 film “Kiss of the Spider Woman” is a hauntingly complex prison drama between two very different figures. Although there are not many common things between them, they cannot help but connect more with each other … Continue reading →

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

Last Summer (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): As a country summer passes…

Posted on August 9, 2026 by kaist455

It may take some time for you to sense and then process what and how South Korean independent film “Last Summer” is about. Leisurely establishing its vividly realistic rural atmosphere across the screen, the movie gradually blurs the line between … Continue reading →

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

The Odyssey (2026) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Nolan’s stark and gritty spectacle

Posted on August 6, 2026 by kaist455

Christopher Nolan’s new film “The Odyssey” is a stark and gritty spectacle quite determined to overpower and then exhaust you. Based on the ancient Greek work of the same name by Homer, the movie may disappoint you for not having … Continue reading →

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

The Truth vs. Alex Jones (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The judgment on a vile purveyor of lies

Posted on August 2, 2026 by kaist455

As far as I heard from many others during last several years, Alex Jones is a truly vile piece of sh*t, and 2024 HBO documentary film “The Truth vs. Alex Jones” confirms me on that more. It is often infuriating … Continue reading →

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