Author Archives: kaist455

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A subpar remake with some interesting variations

Posted on March 30, 2026 by kaist455

“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”, which is the remake of the 1992 film of the same name and currently available on Disney+ in South Korea, tries some interesting variations, but the result is uneven and superficial on the whole. … Continue reading →

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Time of Cinema (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Three little tales of cinema

Posted on March 29, 2026 by kaist455

South Korean film “Time of Cinema” presents three little tales associated with cinema in one way or another. While the level of achievement is different in each case, all of them have each own charm and strength as you can … Continue reading →

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Oh, Valentine (2025) ☆1/2(1.5/4): Messy and distracting from the beginning to the end

Posted on March 29, 2026 by kaist455

Some bad documentaries simply bore me, but South Korean independent documentary “Oh, Valentine” is alternatively excruciating and frustrating for many regrettable reasons. While its main subject itself is fairly interesting, the utterly clumsy presentation of its main subject is disastrously … Continue reading →

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Roofman (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The story of a nice bad man

Posted on March 27, 2026 by kaist455

Jeffrey Manchester is someone who can be described as a “nice bad man”. While he was a pretty resourceful armed robber who robbed a bunch of franchise stores without much remorse, he was also actually quite nice and considerate to … Continue reading →

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Blink Twice (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Aren’t they having a fun?

Posted on March 26, 2026 by kaist455

There are a number of truly disturbing moments in Zoë Kravitz’s 2024 feature debut film “Blink Twice”, but I am not so sure about whether they work as well as intended. I understand that the movie attempts to explore toxic … Continue reading →

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Rouge (1987) ☆☆☆(3/4): A ghost looking for her old love

Posted on March 26, 2026 by kaist455

Stanley Kwan’s 1987 film “Rouge”, whose 4K remastered version was released in South Korean theaters yesterday, is a haunting melodrama about a ghost looking for her old love in the past. As following the desperate situation of this sad ghost … Continue reading →

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Strange Darling (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A superficial Tarantino wannabe

Posted on March 23, 2026 by kaist455

JT Mollner’s 2023 film “Stranger Darling” has the familiar tone of those countless imitators of the works of Quentin Tarantino such as, yes, “Pulp Fiction” (1994). Many of them want to be funny and provocative while also trying to toy … Continue reading →

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Project Hail Mary (2026) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Now it’s up to him – and his alien friend

Posted on March 22, 2026 by kaist455

“Project Hail Mary” is an entertaining science fiction packed with enough wit, style, and drama to engage us during its rather long running time (156 minutes). While it is not as ambitious as Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” (2014), it still works … Continue reading →

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The Fire Inside (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her years of struggle

Posted on March 21, 2026 by kaist455

“The Fire Inside” is a solid sports drama film which turns out to be a little more thoughtful than I thought. Unlike many other sports films, it does not simply illustrate the journey toward an expected moment of triumph, and … Continue reading →

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Unstoppable (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Predictable but indomitable

Posted on March 20, 2026 by kaist455

I exactly knew what I was going to get from “Unstoppable”, which is currently available on Amazon Prime Video. This is your average underdog sports drama film, and you will not be surprised that much by its predictable narrative arc … Continue reading →

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