Author Archives: kaist455

The Face Reader (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A helpless hero in front of the big historical tide

Posted on September 13, 2013 by kaist455

 I do not have much interest or belief in phrenology, but, though it was a brief moment, I enjoyed watching how the phrenologist hero of South Korean period drama movie “The Face Reader” works during its first half. With his … Continue reading →

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Stories We Tell (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3/5/4) : Their stories about her mother

Posted on September 12, 2013 by kaist455

  There is one secret to be revealed in the middle of Sarah Polley’s intimate documentary “Stories We Tell”, but, while it is surely a crucial turning point in its compelling narrative and I don’t dare to reveal it to … Continue reading →

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The Bling Ring (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A superficial shopping spree on celebrities

Posted on September 11, 2013 by kaist455

I was amused a bit by the absurdity shown in Sophia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring”, which is based on Nancy Jo Sales’ Vanity Fair article “The Suspect Wore Louboutins”. Considering that how superficial and empty-headed its characters are, their immorality … Continue reading →

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To the Wonder (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : To their thoughts and feelings

Posted on September 9, 2013 by kaist455

 You may not guess what is really happening between them. You may not know who they are or how they have lived. You may not understand what exactly it is all about. But you can closely listen to their thoughts … Continue reading →

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Moebius (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A wordless family drama with extreme behaviors

Posted on September 6, 2013 by kaist455

 “Moebius” is a bizarre but compelling film full of the extreme behaviors committed by its twisted and tortured characters who are intertwined with each other in a truly disturbing way. This is not an easy film to watch at all, … Continue reading →

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The Wind Rises (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : And everything just floats by…

Posted on September 5, 2013 by kaist455

 “The Wind Rises”, a new animation feature film which will probably be the last work from a great master of Japanese Animation, looks as lovely as expected, but I did an unthinkable thing I have never expected; I checked my … Continue reading →

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Despicable Me 2 (2013) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4) : Gru as an anti-villain hero

Posted on September 1, 2013 by kaist455

First, let me tell you about how skeptical I was about “Despicable Me 2”, the sequel to a charming but less-than-satisfying animation film “Despicable Me”(2010). In the previous story, our ‘despicable’ villain Felonious Gru attempted to exploit three young orphan … Continue reading →

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At Any Price (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : The field of modified American Dream

Posted on August 31, 2013 by kaist455

When I went to Urbana-Champaign, Illinois for attending 2010 Ebertfest, I observed one thing still vividly remaining in my mind while I was on a morning train departing from Chicago. As soon as the skyline of Chicago was disappeared from … Continue reading →

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Elysium (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A big space wheel he desperately wants to go

Posted on August 30, 2013 by kaist455

When I was young and innocent, I read lots of science books with unadulterated enthusiasm, and some of them were about how our human civilization would look different through advanced technologies. The futuristic world shown through those books looked pretty … Continue reading →

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Playboy Bong (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Bong Man-dae the softcore artist

Posted on August 30, 2013 by kaist455

Have you ever heard of a South Korean director named Bong Man-dae? Well, to be frank with you, I had never heard of him until I came across one article on his small hilarious mokumentary film “Playboy Bong”, which is … Continue reading →

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