Author Archives: kaist455

The Trip to Italy (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Food, Scenery, and Talk – again

Posted on June 13, 2015 by kaist455

“The Trip to Italy”, which is the sequel to “The Trip” (2010), is pretty much same as before except a few things. While its two stars happen to have another restaurant trip coupled with a number of nice hotels and … Continue reading →

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A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): The Vampire Wears Chador

Posted on June 7, 2015 by kaist455

While injecting some fresh blood into its genre conventions, “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” wanders around its strange and familiar world filled with bleak beauty and ominous aura. As an eerie and melancholic vampire tale set in some … Continue reading →

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The Voices (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A whimsical comedy about madness and murder

Posted on June 7, 2015 by kaist455

Alternating between whimsical comedy and disturbing horror, “The Voices” is an uneven but amusing black comedy about one very nice guy who simply cannot himself as driven by his murderous compulsion. Even when he is well aware of how problematic … Continue reading →

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San Andreas (2015) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4) : Earth trembles – but the Rock abides

Posted on June 6, 2015 by kaist455

Earth trembles, cities are destroyed, and various characters struggle to survive in front of a catastrophe about to swallow them all – and I have seen such sights like them many times before. This does not always mean a bad … Continue reading →

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Tomorrowland (2015) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4) : Ambitious, charming, but ultimately flawed

Posted on May 31, 2015 by kaist455

“Tommorowland” can be admired for what it tries hard to reach for. While being an overcrowding mix of a wondrous fantasy tale, intriguing science fiction ideas, and exciting action scenes, the movie is also equipped with innocent charm and earnest … Continue reading →

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The Shameless (2015) ☆☆(2/4) : Plodding around gloom and wretchedness

Posted on May 31, 2015 by kaist455

South Korean film “The Shameless” has a few good things to mention amid its many failures. As a gray crime melodrama about two different people who come across each other in their seedy underworld, it is shrouded in dark, moody … Continue reading →

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Spy (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : An uproarious action comedy fueled by Melissa McCarthy

Posted on May 26, 2015 by kaist455

Let me tell you one thing: “Spy” is an exhilarating hybrid of action and comedy a lot funnier than whatever its very simple title suggests. With its brash, indomitable comic spirit ready for more outrageous things coming along the plot, … Continue reading →

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Alive (2014) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4) : Alive in despair and desperation

Posted on May 24, 2015 by kaist455

Life is hard and difficult for the desperate hero of South Korean independent film “Alive”, a gloomy social drama about the endless struggle and frustration in the gray harsh world where people are bound to find themselves against the wall … Continue reading →

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Patang (2011) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4) : The Day of the Kites

Posted on May 23, 2015 by kaist455

What a lovely little film “Patang” is. With no need to follow conventions, this small, vibrant independent film freely floats around many wonderful moments closely observed from one Indian city and its people during their joyous festival days. As we … Continue reading →

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Trash (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : Brazilian Slumdogs, so to speak

Posted on May 21, 2015 by kaist455

Somewhere between “City of God” (2002) and “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), “Trash” has right elements required for its story to tell, but it somehow feels flaccid and uneven in its execution. The movie wants to take us to the bottom of … Continue reading →

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