Author Archives: kaist455

The Boys in the Boat (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The rowing underdogs

Posted on April 21, 2025 by kaist455

George Clooney’s latest film “The Boys in the Boat” is a typical underdog sports drama which does not have much surprise for us. As a story about one underdog sports team which surprises everyone as going up and up against … Continue reading →

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And Your Bird Can Sing (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Three free spirits

Posted on April 20, 2025 by kaist455

Shô Miyake’s 2018 film “And Your Bird Can Sing”, which happened to be released in South Korean theaters several days ago, seems to be merely following the aimless daily life of its three young protagonists, but it turns out to … Continue reading →

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Revelations (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A grim religion drama full of madness and despair

Posted on April 16, 2025 by kaist455

Compared to many of his notable live action feature films such as “Train to Busan” (2016), South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho’s animation feature films are a lot more unnerving and uncomfortable. I still remember how disturbed I was as watching … Continue reading →

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The Book of Clarence (2023) ☆☆(2/4): A middling biblical satire

Posted on April 15, 2025 by kaist455

Jeymes Samuel’s latest film “The Book of Clarence”, which is currently available on Netflix in South Korea, is a middling biblical satire disappointing us in more than one aspect. While its story setup and premise are fairly amusing on the … Continue reading →

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Mr. Robot (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A modest SF animation film from South Korea

Posted on April 13, 2025 by kaist455

If it had come out around, say, 20 years ago, I might have been more generous to South Korean animation feature film “Mr. Robot”, which should not be confused with that popular American TV drama series of the same name. … Continue reading →

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The Amateur (2025) ☆☆(2/4): Amateurish to say the least

Posted on April 12, 2025 by kaist455

“The Amateur” will not surprise or entertain you much for many bad reasons. Compared to all those countless spy thriller films during last several decades, the movie does not have any ounce of style and substance to distinguish itself at … Continue reading →

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Taxi Driver (1976) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): A disturbing urban masterpiece from Scorsese

Posted on April 10, 2025 by kaist455

Even after almost 50 years since it came out, Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film “Taxi Driver” still has the power to disturb and fascinate us. Here is a dark but undeniably compelling character study focusing on one very disturbed man and … Continue reading →

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Akira (1988) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A chaotically striking Japanese animation film

Posted on April 10, 2025 by kaist455

I must confess that I scratched my head more than once when I watched Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 animation feature film “Akira” for the first time in 2010, which happens to be released in South Korean theaters yesterday. Yes, this is … Continue reading →

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Cookie’s Fortune (1999) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A little Southern comedy by Altman

Posted on April 9, 2025 by kaist455

Roger Ebert once observed on Robert Altman: “There may not have been a director who liked actors more.” Altman’s 1999 film “Cookie’s Fortune” exemplifies that, and it is often fun to watch how its main cast members willingly embody the … Continue reading →

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Voices (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Personal memories of a massacre

Posted on April 6, 2025 by kaist455

South Korean documentary “Voices” simply listens to the testimonies from a bunch of people traumatized in one way or another by the massacres during the Jeju uprising during 1948 ~ 1949. Focusing more on the female victims and survivors, the … Continue reading →

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