Category Archives: Movies

Away (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little one-man-band animation film

Posted on March 17, 2020 by kaist455

Latvian independent animation film “Away” looks pretty simple on the surface, but it will surprise and impress you a lot when you learn more about how it was made during its four-year production period. Although it is occasionally hampered by … Continue reading →

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Swallow (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A woman under compulsion

Posted on March 17, 2020 by kaist455

“Swallow” is a disturbing psychological thriller film which will make you wince more than once for good reasons. Calmly observing its young heroine’s increasingly alarming compulsion, the movie delves deep into her troubled state of mind, and there are a … Continue reading →

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Charlie’s Angels (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Here go Angels….

Posted on March 15, 2020 by kaist455

During my undergraduate years at Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), one of my favorite things at the campus was the weekly screening of recently released movies at the campus hall. Although the screening condition was not exactly … Continue reading →

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Queen & Slim (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A duo on the run

Posted on March 11, 2020 by kaist455

“Queen & Slim” is a little crime romance drama which follows the footsteps of “Bonny and Clyde” (1967) and many other similar films while also presenting its own mood, ideas, and sensibility. As a foreign audience outside the American society, … Continue reading →

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Lucky Chan-sil (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Cheer up, Chan-sil

Posted on March 10, 2020 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Lucky Chan-sil” is often amusing and interesting for several good reasons. While clearly reminiscent of those little comedy films of Hong Sang-soo, the movie distinguishes itself via its filmmaker heroine’s comic struggle with what seems to … Continue reading →

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Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Not a failure at all

Posted on March 9, 2020 by kaist455

“Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made”, which is currently available on Disney+, is a witty and whimsical comedy film which will entertain not only its target audiences but also other audiences out there. While it is as broad and simple as … Continue reading →

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Standing Up, Falling Down (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Billy Crystal still has it

Posted on March 9, 2020 by kaist455

I could not help but become a bit nostalgic as watching Billy Crystal in “Standing Up, Falling Down”. While considerably dialing down his distinctive comic persona here in this small comedy film, he still knows how to engage and then … Continue reading →

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Premature (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): One summer romance in Harlem

Posted on March 8, 2020 by kaist455

“Premature”, which won the Someone to Watch Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards early in this year, is a modest but intimate tale of young romance set in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Mainly revolving around a … Continue reading →

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Honey Boy (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Memories of his traumatized childhood

Posted on March 5, 2020 by kaist455

Alam Har’el’s first feature film “Honey Boy”, which won the Special Jury Prize when it was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival early in last year, looks closely into the painful childhood memories of one troubled young man still struggling … Continue reading →

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All the Bright Places (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An earnest young adult romance drama

Posted on March 3, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix film “All the Bright Places” is an earnest young adult romance drama about two troubled adolescents with each own issue. While I appreciate its somber and sensitive approach to its dark subjects including grief and mental illness, the movie … Continue reading →

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