Category Archives: Movies

Ayka (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The Passion of Ayka

Posted on March 28, 2021 by kaist455

“Ayka”, which was selected as the Kazakhstani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2018, is a cold and bleak presentation of one very desperate illegal immigrant worker. Although you will not be that surprised by its phlegmatic … Continue reading →

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Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): The Clash of Titans

Posted on March 26, 2021 by kaist455

“Godzilla vs. Kong” overwhelmed me more than once, and I sort of admired that. Like its predecessor “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019), the movie relentlessly flaunts excessiveness and outrageousness from the beginning to the end, and I finally came … Continue reading →

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Helene (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): How she evolved more as an artist

Posted on March 23, 2021 by kaist455

Finnish film “Helene” is about the late life and career of Helene Schjerfbeck (1862-1946), who, as far as I can observe from her several notable works shown at the end of the film, deserves to be mentioned along with more … Continue reading →

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Festival (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): He cannot afford to be sad…

Posted on March 23, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent drama “Festival” mainly revolves around one impossible situation which pressures its plain young hero a lot. While we are occasionally amused by how things keep going wrong for him, we also come to sense more of how … Continue reading →

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Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Sincerely excessive to say the least

Posted on March 22, 2021 by kaist455

“Zach Snyder’s Justice League” is sincerely excessive to say the least. Although I felt rather tired as going through its exciting but exhausting final hour, I must admit that, thanks to its considerably extended scope in terms of story and … Continue reading →

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Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): So, what’s next for her?

Posted on March 21, 2021 by kaist455

R.J. Cutler’s new documentary film “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”, which was released on Apple+ in last month, often feels like watching the extended opening chapter for whatever will come next. Here is an apparently talented singer/songwriter, and … Continue reading →

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Fighter (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): You will cheer for this boxer girl

Posted on March 21, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Fighter” is atypical in its seemingly conventional sports drama. When it starts the story along with its struggling underdog heroine full of pluck and determination, it looks rather predictable on the surface, but then it deliberately … Continue reading →

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A Distant Place (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): All the woolly sheep

Posted on March 21, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “A Distant Place” is a quiet but intimate drama which slowly engages us as gradually revealing the emotional undercurrents below its calm surface. Although its slow narrative pacing surely requires some patience from us during the … Continue reading →

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Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): A criminal who exploited the broken education system

Posted on March 19, 2021 by kaist455

Netflix documentary film “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal”, which was released on Netflix a few days ago, looks into an infamous bribery scandal which drew lots of public attention in 2019. As examining how those numerous incidents of … Continue reading →

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Land (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Alone in the middle of the wilderness

Posted on March 18, 2021 by kaist455

“Land”, the first feature film directed by Robin Wright, is simple and modest in terms of story and characters. Mostly isolated along with its grieving heroine in its small rural background, the movie sensitively depicts her lonely and difficult emotional … Continue reading →

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