Category Archives: Movies

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A mildly pleasant product from the Sandler family

Posted on September 2, 2023 by kaist455

Probably because I am a South Korean nerd who was mostly occupied with getting good grades except when reading a book or watching a movie, many of American coming-of-age drama or comedy films feel like alien stories from very different … Continue reading →

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Violent Night (2022) ☆☆(2/4): An insipidly violent Christmas flick

Posted on September 2, 2023 by kaist455

“Violent Night”, which is currently available on Netflix in South Korea, wants to be a viciously and violently funny Christmas flick, and I do not mind that, but, boy, what an insipid piece of work it is. While its one-joke … Continue reading →

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The Meddler (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): What’s next for her life?

Posted on September 1, 2023 by kaist455

Lorene Scafaria’s “The Meddler”, which is currently available on Netflix in South Korea, is a likable comedy drama about one middle-aged lady trying to figure out what is next for her life. As she interacts with a number of people … Continue reading →

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Her Hobby (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): How they bond together

Posted on August 31, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean film “Her Hobby” is a little country noir thriller revolving around one unlikely solidarity between two very different women. As one gets empowered thanks to some help and encouragement from the other, the movie gradually reveals the seedy … Continue reading →

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Captain Volkonogov Escaped (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Escaping for redemption

Posted on August 29, 2023 by kaist455

“Captain Vokonogov Escaped” sounds like your typical war thriller flick, but it reaches for something else instead, and that is interesting in my humble opinion. Following its plain military officer hero’s desperate attempt toward redemption and some peace, the movie … Continue reading →

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Riverside Mukolitta (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): He and his quirky neighbors

Posted on August 29, 2023 by kaist455

Japanese film “Riverside Mukolitta” is a little whimsical human drama about life and death. Although it does take some time for us to get accustomed to the rather artificial aspect of the story and characters, the movie gradually immerses us … Continue reading →

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Alice, Darling (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Away from her toxic relationship

Posted on August 21, 2023 by kaist455

“Alice, Darling” is a little but increasingly tense psychological drama about a young woman struggling with her toxic relationship with her abusive boyfriend. She desperately wants to look away from what she has suffered, but her mind and body do … Continue reading →

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Finding Yingying (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Yingying Zhang is missing

Posted on August 20, 2023 by kaist455

Documentary film “Finding Yingying” focuses on the undeniably heartbreaking human aspects of one real-life missing case. Yingying Zhang, a graduate student at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois who was only 26 at the time of her missing, is a … Continue reading →

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Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little private affair between two young public figures 

Posted on August 18, 2023 by kaist455

“Red, White & Royal Blue”, which was released on Amazon Prime in last week, is a lightweight romantic comedy film which decorates its very familiar genre formula with some interesting story elements. Sure, homosexual romance has become quite a mainstream … Continue reading →

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Hail to Hell (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): This is surely not what they expected…

Posted on August 18, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Hail to Hell” surprised me more than once for good reasons. As following two young outcasts’ silly attempt of personal revenge, the movie generates a number of sharply humorous moments for us, and then it goes … Continue reading →

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