Category Archives: Movies

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The middle of an ambitious trilogy

Posted on December 7, 2025 by kaist455

Peter Jackson’s 2002 film “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”, which is currently being shown in selected South Korean theaters, is an effective middle chapter of its ambitious trilogy. While you will surely need to watch “The Lord … Continue reading →

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Jay Kelly (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A star in middle-life crisis

Posted on December 6, 2025 by kaist455

Noah Baumbach’s latest film “Jay Kelly”, which was briefly shown in theaters before it is released on Netflix in this week, is a humorous story about the middle-life crisis of one big movie star. While it is quite typical in … Continue reading →

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Sirāt (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): In the middle of a stark existential wasteland 

Posted on December 5, 2025 by kaist455

“Sirāt”, which was recently selected as the Spanish submission to Best International Film Oscar, impresses me a lot with its stark existential wasteland. As its few main characters are merely heading to somewhere across that vast and remote wasteland, the … Continue reading →

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Sorry, Baby (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Before and after what happened to her

Posted on December 2, 2025 by kaist455

During the first 20 minutes of Eva Victor’s first feature film “Sorry, Baby”, I observed that its heroine is living a wonderful academic life which would have been envied by my late mentor/friend Roger Ebert, who could have taught literature … Continue reading →

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): An enduring Thanksgiving Day classic

Posted on December 1, 2025 by kaist455

As a South Korean who has seldom left his country during last 42 years, I have never experienced Thanksgiving Day for my whole life, but I could not help but amused and touched by John Hughes’ 1987 film “Planes, Trains … Continue reading →

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The Color of Pomegranates (1969) ☆☆☆(3/4): The life of an Armenian poet

Posted on December 1, 2025 by kaist455

In my humble opinion, a good movie can reach to your heart and mind, no matter how vague and elusive it is in what and how it is about. In case of Sergei Parajanov’s 1969 film “The Color of Pomegranates”, … Continue reading →

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Kontinental ’25 (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A bailiff who cares a lot

Posted on November 30, 2025 by kaist455

Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s “Kontinental ’25”, which is one of the two films from him during this year, amused me to some degree. While being relatively less edgy and provocative than his two previous film “Bad Luck Banging or Loony … Continue reading →

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Kokuho (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Becoming a living national treasure

Posted on November 30, 2025 by kaist455

Japanese film “Kokuho”, which was selected as the Japanese entry to Best International Film Oscar at the 2026 Academy Awards, is an ambitious backstage drama to behold. Yes, this is another typical story about that hectic price of artistic achievement … Continue reading →

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Hallan (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A young mother and her little daughter in the Jeju Uprising

Posted on November 30, 2025 by kaist455

South Korean film “Hallan” turns out to be a lot more haunting than I expected at first. Closely following the harrowing survival drama of a young mother and her little daughter in the middle of the Jeju Uprising (1948 ~ … Continue reading →

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Blue Moon (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): He is surely blue…

Posted on November 28, 2025 by kaist455

“Blue Moon”, which is incidentally one of the Richard Linklater’s two movies released during this year, is a biographical drama film packed with a lot of insight and personality. Mainly focusing on one particularly complicated night of a famous American … Continue reading →

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