Author Archives: kaist455

Elvis & Nixon (2016) ☆☆(2/4): When Elvis met Nixon

“Elvis & Nixon” attempts to look behind the most requested photograph in the US National Archives, but its fiction fails to find anything substantial from that brief real-life meeting between two famous American figures, which, as far as I could … Continue reading →

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Miles Ahead (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Miles before moving ahead

Shortly after the screening of “Miles Ahead” during this Saturday afternoon, I happened to have a brief conversation with one of the audiences. He pointed out how the movie was not so different from another recent jazz musician biography film … Continue reading →

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Marguerite (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): By George, she can’t sing well…

It is always funny when a character seems so oblivious to how funny he (or she) is, and French comedy film “Marguerite” gets plenty of laughs from such a premise like that. Here is a lady who is so blindingly … Continue reading →

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The Tunnel (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Almost buried inside the tunnel

There are some bitter laughs to have for its local audiences in South Korean disaster film “The Tunnel”. While you may think a number of moments of incompetence and ignorance in the movie are too absurd, I and other South … Continue reading →

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A Bigger Splash (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): When their peaceful summer rest is disturbed

My mind became more sensitized than usual during the screening of “A Bigger Splash”. While sensing the nervous undertone around its four main characters, I was more attentive to subtle nuances and small gestures glimpsed from them, and I was … Continue reading →

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April and the Extraordinary World (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): Alternative steampunk world

French animation feature film “April and the Extraordinary World” gives us a literally extraordinary world to admire and appreciate. Although its story is not as bountiful as its visual pleasures on the screen, its imaginary world is interesting and delightful … Continue reading →

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The Secret Life of Pets (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): The Adventure of NYC pets

I have often complained about the recent homogenization of numerous Hollywood animation feature films during these years. They all look certainly well-made on the surface thanks to the rapid industrial development and expansion of digital animation since Pixar Animation Studio … Continue reading →

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Green Room (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): Trapped in the green room

“Green Room” is a bleak, cold-blooded thriller determined to shock and disturb us. Once its unfortunate young characters suddenly find themselves trapped a grim situation way over their head, the movie keeps pushing them into more fear and dread, and … Continue reading →

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After the Storm (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Gathered by the storm

I still marvel at how effortlessly intimate and humane the works of Hirokazu Kore-eda are. Many of his family dramas such as “Still Walking” (2008) and “Like Father, Like Son” (2013) are mostly somber and quiet on the surface, but … Continue reading →

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Jason Bourne (2016) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The Bourne Redundancy

As I watched “Jason Bourne” during this Wednesday evening, my mind kept making comparisons while feeling the increasing detachment toward actions presented on the screen. Although it serves us with gritty, intense action sequences as busily hopping around different locations … Continue reading →

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