Category Archives: Movies

Birthday (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Remembering their son

Posted on April 4, 2019 by kaist455

South Korean film “Birthday” is an earnest melodrama about the personal grief and sadness surrounding the sinking of MV Sewol on April 16th, 2014. While it is certainly well-intentioned and tactfully handles its subject with some restraint and respect, there … Continue reading →

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Peterloo (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A well-intentioned misfire by Mike Leigh

Posted on April 1, 2019 by kaist455

Mike Leigh’s latest film “Peterloo” attempts to give us a close look into the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, which has been regarded as a significant incident in the British history of civil reform. On August 16th of that year, around … Continue reading →

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Hotel by the River (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): One day of an aging poet guy

Posted on March 31, 2019 by kaist455

South Korean film “Hotel by the River”, the latest work from Hong Sang-soo, relatively feels more melancholic and reflective than Hong’s previous works. While there are several amusing moments of low-key humor as you can expect from his film, the … Continue reading →

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Loro 2 (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The Great Banality

Posted on March 31, 2019 by kaist455

Italian film “Loro 2”, the second half of the latest work from Paolo Sorrentino, is not as tepid as the first half preceding it. While it still throws at us lots of debauchery and decadence as expected and that is … Continue reading →

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Loro 1 (2018) ☆☆(2/4): The Bonfire of the Banalities

Posted on March 31, 2019 by kaist455

I often found myself numb and displeased as watching Italian film “Loro 1”, the first half of another ambitious work from Paolo Sorrentino. As relentlessly pushing us into many gaudy moments of hedonistic debauchery, the movie attempts to present vividly … Continue reading →

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Us (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Another creepy work from Jordan Peele

Posted on March 29, 2019 by kaist455

“Us”, the second feature film from Jordan Peele, is a wry and creepy horror tale packed with striking moments you will not easily forget. While it often tests our suspension of disbelief as going further and further with its decidedly … Continue reading →

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Stan & Ollie (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Laurel & Hardy during their later years

Posted on March 24, 2019 by kaist455

First, I must admit that I have never seen any of those old classic Hollywood comedy movies of Stan Laurel and Ollie Hardy. Sure, I heard about “Sons of the Desert” (1933) around the time when I became more serious … Continue reading →

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The Quake (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A catastrophe happens to them again…

Posted on March 24, 2019 by kaist455

Norwegian film “The Quake” is your typical disaster film just like its predecessor “The Wave” (2015). Again, we are served many familiar genre clichés and conventions, and the movie surely does not disappoint us once its big catastrophe strikes upon … Continue reading →

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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) ☆☆(2/4): No wonder this time

Posted on March 24, 2019 by kaist455

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” promises a lot but does not deliver much in the end. So occupied with introducing new characters and establishing the ground for the next film of its franchise, the movie often lags and trudges … Continue reading →

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Idol (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A tense but murky South Korean noir thriller

Posted on March 20, 2019 by kaist455

I am still not that sure whether I understand everything presented in South Korean noir thriller film “Idol”, which sometimes seems to signify nothing but confusion and frustration. While that probably does not matter much considering how adamantly murky the … Continue reading →

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