Category Archives: Movies

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 →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Mauritanian (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): A flawed but earnest legal drama

Posted on March 18, 2021 by kaist455

Kevin Macdonald’s new film “The Mauritanian” is a flawed but earnest legal drama which could be better if it stuck more to its unjustly imprisoned hero. Yes, the movie sometimes loses its narrative focus and momentum as shuffling around several … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A mild tribute to the Notorious B.I.G.

Posted on March 14, 2021 by kaist455

Netflix documentary film “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell”, which was released a few weeks ago, is a mildly engaging tribute to the Notorious B.I.G., who was one of the legendary rap artists in the 1990s. As a guy … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Possessor (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her tricky occupational hazard

Posted on March 12, 2021 by kaist455

“Possessor”, the second feature film by director/writer Brandon Cronenberg, is an oddly unnerving SF psychological thriller film which constantly disturbs us from the beginning to the end. While there are a number of gruesome moments which will definitely make you … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Boss Level (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Another time loop flick of this year

Posted on March 12, 2021 by kaist455

As far as I remember, “Boss Level” is the fourth time loop flick I saw during last several months. In last year, I watched Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti stuck in their comic time loop in “Palm Springs” (2020), and … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Moxie (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Her little high school rebellion

Posted on March 6, 2021 by kaist455

Netflix movie “Moxie”, which was released a few days ago, is a likable high school comedy drama which tries to juggle a little too many things together. While it works as a nice coming-of-age tale of female empowerment to some … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): A colorful quest for trust and unity

Posted on March 5, 2021 by kaist455

Disney animation feature film “Raya and the Last Dragon”, which was supposed to be released around the end of the last year but then gets released in this month instead due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is charming and exuberant … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Minari (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A South Korean immigrant family in the middle of Arkansas

Posted on February 28, 2021 by kaist455

“Minari”, whose title means water dropwort in Korean, is a simple but profoundly intimate piece of work to remember. While it is quite specific in terms of background and characters, it also works as a universal American immigrant family drama … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 2 Comments