Author Archives: kaist455

Confession (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): A friendship cracked by noir

Posted on July 13, 2014 by kaist455

 They have been close friends to each other since they were very young, but now their long friendship is threatened by a devastating incident which shakes them all. Calmy observing the guilt and torment resulted from that incident, South Korean … Continue reading →

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The Raid 2 (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : More of the same relentless extreme violence

Posted on July 12, 2014 by kaist455

Breaking legs, twisting arms, slashing throats, smashing heads, stabbing bodies, shooting anyone, crashing one car into another, burning face on hot plate, and, above all, kicking and punching hard each other. All of these acts of violence and mayhem are … Continue reading →

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : The Clash of Species

Posted on July 11, 2014 by kaist455

 As the second chapter of the rebooted series, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” fully develops the potentials shown in the previous film which breathed fresh air into the franchise with a surprising result. As a blockbuster film, the … Continue reading →

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The Signal (2014) ☆☆1/2(2/5/4) : They follow it, and then…

Posted on July 9, 2014 by kaist455

 In my humble opinion, style and substance are necessary for making a good SF film. For drawing our curiosity, SF film needs some style to create its own mood and reality, and that will make us believe that something fantastic … Continue reading →

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Cats on summer days (2014/07/01)

Posted on July 6, 2014 by kaist455

                        Besides a kitten belonging to one of my colleagues, I want to show you several new cat family members of KAIST.  

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One to One (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : A repetitious diatribe against South Korean society

Posted on July 5, 2014 by kaist455

 Kim Ki-duk’s twentieth film “One to One” feels like listening to the same angry words over and over again in a barren empty class room with no particular interest. I can accept that it is angry about the injustice and … Continue reading →

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Neighbors (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Young Parents Vs. Fraternity Boys

Posted on July 3, 2014 by kaist455

 Although hampered by its weak story and shaky characterization, “Neighbors” tries many gross or outrageous things to maintain its comic momentum, and I must duly report that the movie did a fairly nice job of inducing me and the other … Continue reading →

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Frances Ha (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Lightweight aimlessness in black and white

Posted on June 29, 2014 by kaist455

 When I watched “Frances Ha” around the end of last year, I was amused by its lightweight charm. I briefly mentioned it along with other good films in my annual movie list of 2013, and I thought I will probably … Continue reading →

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Locke (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A man’s night drive under personal crisis

Posted on June 28, 2014 by kaist455

 The premise of “Locke” is so simple that it does not sound like a good movie when you read its synopsis. Here is a man who has just made a big important decision to change his life forever and is … Continue reading →

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Concussion (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Deviation with coffee, talk, and sex

Posted on June 27, 2014 by kaist455

 It has been a good life for her and her family, but now she finds herself getting suffocated by her daily life. As she feels her discontent growing inside her day by day, she decides to try something different, and … Continue reading →

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