Category Archives: Movies

Summer of 85 (2020) ☆☆(2/4): That tedious summer….

Posted on December 25, 2020 by kaist455

François Ozon’s latest film “Summer of 85” is utterly disappointing to say the least. As a coming-of-age queer drama, it is so bland and lackadaisical that, if you have admired and enjoyed some of Ozon’s works like I have, you … Continue reading →

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More Than Family (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her matter of pregnancy and paternity

Posted on December 25, 2020 by kaist455

South Korean comedy film “More Than Family” surprised me more than expected. At first, it seems to be merely depending on one absurd comic story premise, but then it comes to show more depth in terms of story and characters, … Continue reading →

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The Painted Bird (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A gruelingly hollow piece of work

Posted on December 25, 2020 by kaist455

“The Painted Bird”, which was selected as the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar in last year (It was included in the December shortlist although it was not nominated in the end, by the way), is a … Continue reading →

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The Education (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Two different young persons in need and despair

Posted on December 24, 2020 by kaist455

It took some time for me to accept what and how South Korean independent film “The Education” is about. At first, I felt quite frustrated with its rather dry and restrained narrative, but I subsequently came to see that the … Continue reading →

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The Midnight Sky (2020) ☆☆(2/4): An SF film without much wonder and pizazz

Posted on December 23, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix film “The Midnight Sky”, which was released in theaters in here and US a few weeks ago and then is released on Netflix today, is a disappointment without much wonder and pizazz. While it starts with an interesting story … Continue reading →

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Rewind (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Rewinding to the abuse in his past

Posted on December 22, 2020 by kaist455

Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s first feature documentary film “Rewind” is often uncomfortable and disturbing to watch for good reasons. Calmly digging into his traumatic childhood past via a series of old home video clips shot around that terrible period, the documentary … Continue reading →

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City Hall (2020) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): Of a city and its government

Posted on December 22, 2020 by kaist455

I must confess that I cannot help but become very, very, very nervous whenever I have to watch and review the latest work from Frederick Wiseman, a great documentary filmmaker who has never stopped in his long, illustrious career although … Continue reading →

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I’m Your Woman (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): She is on her own now – with a baby

Posted on December 21, 2020 by kaist455

“I’m Your Woman”, which was released on Amazon Prime a few weeks ago, is an interesting genre variation to be savored for a number of good reasons. The movie may not surprise you much on the whole as dryly and … Continue reading →

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Fatima (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little more thoughtful than you may expect

Posted on December 21, 2020 by kaist455

“Fatima” is a little more thoughtful than you may expect from its religious story subject. As your average agnostic atheist, I naturally observed its faith-based drama with some degree of skepticism from the very beginning, but it engaged me enough … Continue reading →

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The Infiltrators (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their risky fight against ICE

Posted on December 20, 2020 by kaist455

“The Infiltrators”, which won the Audience award and the NEXT Innovator award when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year, is an uneven but engaging mix of fiction and documentary. Although the overall result is … Continue reading →

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