Author Archives: kaist455

In the Heart of the Sea (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A story that inspired “Moby Dick”

Posted on December 4, 2015 by kaist455

 When I came across Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” for the first time, what I read was a criminally abridged version for elementary school kids. I did not know that at that time, but I enjoyed reading it anyway, and then … Continue reading →

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Suite Française (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : The German Lieutenant’s Woman

Posted on December 3, 2015 by kaist455

During its epilogue, “Suite Française” belatedly reveals to us its most interesting aspect. The movie is based on a novella written by Russian Jewish novelist Irène Némirovsky during the World War II, and it was a part of her planned … Continue reading →

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Youth (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An idiosyncratic musing around youth and aging

Posted on November 30, 2015 by kaist455

“Youth” is amusing, baffling, and mesmerizing in its odd beautiful moments. It often feels uneven and random as juggling many various elements around its leisurely background, but then we are gripped by its fabulous moments, and its idiosyncratic musing around … Continue reading →

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Snow in November (2015/11/26)

Posted on November 30, 2015 by kaist455

Suddenly, snow fell and everything looked quite different.

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Crimson Peak (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A creepy exercise in Gothic romance horror

Posted on November 29, 2015 by kaist455

In last month, I came across a New York Times article on Guillermo del Toro’s his private place called Bleak House, and it was one of the most entertaining articles I read during recent months. The article vividly described this … Continue reading →

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The Boy and The Beast (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A boy and his beast master

Posted on November 29, 2015 by kaist455

Around the middle of the early morning screening of Mamoru Hosoda’s new animation feature film “The Boy and the Beast”, I became more conscious of its narrative flaws, but I was entertained in spite of that. While its plot is … Continue reading →

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Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): He knew where he was going

Posted on November 28, 2015 by kaist455

Alex Gibney’s new documentary “Steve Jobs: the Man in the Machine” is both baffled and fascinated with many contradictions inside Steve Jobs, and so are we. While he will surely be remembered as one of the giants in the history … Continue reading →

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The Hunting Ground (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An alarming presentation on rape in campus

Posted on November 28, 2015 by kaist455

Documentary film “The Hunting Ground” cheerfully begins with the montage of video clips showing young girls excited to be accepted by the colleges they applied to for admission. They are all full of hope and pride as expecting what they … Continue reading →

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Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A doomed quest inspired by “Fargo”

Posted on November 27, 2015 by kaist455

On one cold day of 2001 November, a Japanese woman named Takako Konishi was found dead in a field outside Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Around that time, it was widely rumored that she came to Minnesota to search for that famous … Continue reading →

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The Second Mother (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): When her daughter comes to the town

Posted on November 25, 2015 by kaist455

Can they possibly connect with each other after those long years of separation between them? “The Second Mother”, Brazil’s official submission to Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in the next year, is a calm, gentle family drama revolving around a … Continue reading →

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