Author Archives: kaist455

Owning Mahowny (2003) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : His eyes are fixed on his next gamble

Posted on March 17, 2014 by kaist455

  If I have to choose one definite moment in “Owning Mahowny”(2003), it is the one which shows its hero’s face in a close-up shot when he is going through his another gambling. His face looks blank on the surface, … Continue reading →

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Manshin (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A shaman with ten thousands spirits

Posted on March 9, 2014 by kaist455

 South Korean documentary “Manshin” vividly presents the cultural value in Korean shamanic rituals through its haunting images which lingered on my mind for a long time after watching it. Looking around the long, dramatic life story of a woman who … Continue reading →

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Non-Stop (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : You don’t mess with Liam Nisson

Posted on March 6, 2014 by kaist455

 One thing I miss about Roger Ebert is his witty amusement with action thriller movies which are full of preposterous plot holes big enough for a Boeing 777 plane to fly through. He did not point them out just for … Continue reading →

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The Monuments Men (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Saving artworks during World War II

Posted on March 1, 2014 by kaist455

  As the biggest war during the 20th century, World War II still has many interesting stories to be told even after so many books and movies about it came out, and the story told in “The Monuments Men” is … Continue reading →

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My prediction on the 86th Annual Academy Awards

Posted on February 22, 2014 by kaist455

 The Oscar season in this year is heading toward its finishing line, and I miss my late friend/mentor Roger Ebert more than before. Even when he could not attend the Academy Award ceremony any more due to his health problem … Continue reading →

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Cutie and the Boxer (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Two different artists as life partners

Posted on February 21, 2014 by kaist455

 They fell in love with each other as artists, and they have been inseparable from each other as life partners for 40 years. The documentary “Cutie and the Boxer” is a quirky love story between two artists complementing each other … Continue reading →

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Lone Survivor (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Gritty as required but questionable as predicted

Posted on February 20, 2014 by kaist455

 “Lone Survivor” does as much as an average gritty modern war film can do. It has several intense combat scenes to talk about, and it is sometimes grueling to watch its military characters struggling through their increasingly perilous situation which … Continue reading →

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Nebraska (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A fading man reaching for his delusion

Posted on February 18, 2014 by kaist455

 Nine years ago, I visited an apartment complex area in Seoul simply because of a sentimental reason of my own. I used to live there only during 1989-91, but the memories of that time are remained vividly in my mind, … Continue reading →

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Philomena (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4): A long road to her lost son

Posted on February 18, 2014 by kaist455

 Any sensible person would feel angry about what happened to Philomena Lee, a woman who was unjustly treated just because of a small innocent mistake during her adolescent years. When she found herself getting pregnant after one passionate encounter with … Continue reading →

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The Square (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The chronicle of their historical revolution

Posted on February 16, 2014 by kaist455

 As the chronicle of a historical event which was one of the defining points during the Arab Spring, Oscar-nominated documentary “The Square” throws us right into the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and its aftermath. Through its close and intimate look … Continue reading →

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