Author Archives: kaist455

The Age of Adaline (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A young woman at old age

Posted on October 11, 2015 by kaist455

“The Age of Adaline” sincerely believes in its preposterous premise, and it softly and somberly glides along its romance plot as its two good-looking characters adorably looking at each other. This is indeed a sappy stuff, but then there are … Continue reading →

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A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Being a human

Posted on October 10, 2015 by kaist455

Swedish film “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence” is as weird, absurd, and hilarious as you can expect from the final chapter of Roy Andersson’s human trilogy. Again, we get a free-flowing series of vignettes featuring unhappy … Continue reading →

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The Martian (2015) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): Stranded Alone on Mars

Posted on October 9, 2015 by kaist455

Even though we have learned a lot about Mars since the Viking 1 lander touched down on its surface in 1976, our red neighbor planet still remains as intriguing and mysterious as many other distant places in our solar system … Continue reading →

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Slow West (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A slow, offbeat exercise in genre deconstruction

Posted on October 7, 2015 by kaist455

As literally reflected by its title, Western film “Slow West” is slow and languid in its offbeat exercise in genre deconstruction. It tries a number of whimsical things here and there as its archetype characters meander toward the inevitable arrival … Continue reading →

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Girlhood (2014) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): A girl’s life in Banlieue

Posted on October 4, 2015 by kaist455

  French word ‘Banlieue’ originally meant a middle-class suburban area in the vicinity of big cities like Paris, but its meaning was modified around the 1970s along with the increased influx of foreign immigrants in France. These immigrants, most of … Continue reading →

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Cop Car (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : They stole a wrong one…

Posted on October 3, 2015 by kaist455

“Cop Car” is about two kids who get more than they wish for after they come across a vehicle they should not have messed with. While there are a number of uneasy scenes of these naughty kids being put into … Continue reading →

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Turbo Kid (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Not for your kids, certainly

Posted on October 3, 2015 by kaist455

“Turbo Kid” is a junk food packed with cheesy and hammy elements while cheerfully drenched in a nasty hot sauce of violence. It is goofy and amusing at times, but the movie eventually feels more like an expired one-note joke … Continue reading →

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Danny Collins (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A turning point belatedly coming to him

Posted on October 2, 2015 by kaist455

“Danny Collins” is the third Al Pacino movie I watched in this year, and it is easily the best of the bunch. While other two films “The Humbling” (2014) and “Manglehorn” (2014) were disappointing misfires despite his efforts, Pacino gives … Continue reading →

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Manglehorn (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : Pacino stuck in an uneventful dud

Posted on October 1, 2015 by kaist455

“Manglehorn” is an uneventful dud which is all the more disappointing when you consider the talents behind it. The movie is intended as a low-key character drama driven by small moments, but it is hopelessly uneven and tedious in its … Continue reading →

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Everest (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Into Thin Air

Posted on September 29, 2015 by kaist455

Based on an infamous real-life disaster which happened on Mount Everest in May 1996, “Everest” attempts to tell a chilling story about how everything went horribly wrong during that grim, horrifying moment of fear and chaos. Yes, they did know … Continue reading →

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