Category Archives: Movies

All Hands on Deck (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A comic summer story of three different lads

Posted on October 9, 2021 by kaist455

French film “All Hands on Deck”, which received the Honorable Mention FIPRESI Prize when it was shown in the Panorama section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival early in last year, is a small but crisp summer comedy about … Continue reading →

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Beyond Silence (1996) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As she grows up apart from her deaf parents

Posted on October 4, 2021 by kaist455

Before “CODA” (2021) and its 2014 French original version, there was the 1996 German film “Beyond Silence”, an extraordinary drama about a CODA (Child of Deaf Adult) girl who tries to live her own life while growing up on that … Continue reading →

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Father (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A father’s way

Posted on October 3, 2021 by kaist455

Serbian film “Father”, which won the Audience Award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury when it was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival early in last year, is a dry but haunting observation of one long, grueling personal … Continue reading →

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The Guilty (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): A decent remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal

Posted on October 2, 2021 by kaist455

Netflix film “The Guilty”, which was released yesterday, is a decent American remake which depends a lot on the presence and talent of its lead performer just like its original version. I must tell you that there is not much … Continue reading →

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No One Gets Out Alive (2021) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4): Undocumented and terrified

Posted on October 2, 2021 by kaist455

Netflix film “No One Gets Out Alive”, which was released on this Wednesday, is a little spooky film which has enough fear and darkness but does not have enough substance for that. As trying to juxtapose one precarious life condition … Continue reading →

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No Time to Die (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Craig carries it to the end

Posted on September 30, 2021 by kaist455

“No Time to Die”, the 25th film of the James Bond series, sadly does not surprise or thrill me much. While there are a number of impressive action sequences which surely deserve to be watched via big screen, the movie … Continue reading →

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Sankofa (1993) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A hidden masterwork you should check out right now

Posted on September 29, 2021 by kaist455

Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima’s 1993 film “Sankofa”, which recently had a 4K restoration thanks to Ava DuVernay’s independent distribution company ARRAY and then was released on Netflix in US in last week, is simply extraordinary to say the least. As … Continue reading →

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The Mad Women’s Ball (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Trapped in a madhouse

Posted on September 29, 2021 by kaist455

French film “The Mad Women’s Ball”, which was released on Amazon Prime a few weeks ago, is a harrowing tale of one young woman suddenly trapped in a madhouse of the 19th century. While the movie is often chilling to … Continue reading →

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Short Vacation (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their little summer journey

Posted on September 26, 2021 by kaist455

During my childhood years in Seoul, I was always fascinated with the intricate network of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. During that time, believe me or not, the Seoul Metropolitan Subway had no more than 4 lines, so it was pretty … Continue reading →

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Birds of Paradise (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Two ballet dancers competing for the top

Posted on September 26, 2021 by kaist455

“Birds of Paradise” is rather disappointing in two main aspects. On one side, it seems to be a pulpy melodrama about a cutthroat artistic competition peppered with some sexual tension, but I must tell you that it is much tamer … Continue reading →

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