Category Archives: Movies

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): The autopsy of one spooky corpse

Posted on August 7, 2017 by kaist455

“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” is as spooky as its very title suggests. Its story premise is pretty simple to say the least, but it is enjoyable to watch how the movie carefully accumulates the sense of dread around the … Continue reading →

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Raw (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): When she awakens to her carnal craving

Posted on August 6, 2017 by kaist455

Utterly disturbing and gruesome, French horror film “Raw” is definitely not for everyone. Since it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival early in last year, I have heard about how some audiences were quite disturbed or repulsed during its … Continue reading →

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The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): The girl with special hunger

Posted on August 6, 2017 by kaist455

Zombie apocalypse flicks are dime a dozen these days, but “The Girl with All the Gifts” injects some fresh new elements into its genre. While we get heaps of rotting zombies as usual, the movie intrigues and engages us via … Continue reading →

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I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Steady creepiness

Posted on August 5, 2017 by kaist455

“I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House” is a steady exercise in creepiness. After establishing its small, sparse setting, the movie patiently dials up the level of tension bit by bit as its ill-fated heroine is slowly … Continue reading →

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A Taxi Driver (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A taxi driver and his foreign passenger

Posted on August 4, 2017 by kaist455

South Korean film “A Taxi Driver” drives along a rather predictable route, but it knows well what it has to do for engaging us and then touching us. Although I still think it could be improved in several aspects, the … Continue reading →

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Despicable Me 3 (2017) ☆☆(2/4): When he meets his twin brother

Posted on July 29, 2017 by kaist455

A few weeks ago, one movie critic I have known said that he was not sure about whether he really watched “Despicable Me 3”, and now I can understand his confusion after watching “Despicable Me 3” two days ago. As … Continue reading →

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The Battleship Island (2017) ☆☆(2/4): Spectacle over history

Posted on July 27, 2017 by kaist455

While inspired by one of many dark tragedies during World War II, South Korean film “The Battleship Island” ultimately chooses spectacle over history. That could not be much of a problem if it were equipped with engaging story and characters … Continue reading →

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Song to Song (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Moment to Moment

Posted on July 24, 2017 by kaist455

Terrence Malick’s latest work “Song to Song” will surely confound many of you for good reasons. Like any other films by Malick, it reaches for something sublime and transcendent as gliding along a series of beautiful stream-of-consciousness moments, but it … Continue reading →

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The Merciless (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): It’s merciless indeed…

Posted on July 23, 2017 by kaist455

South Korean film “The Merciless” is another South Korean gangster film which is as brutal and violent as you can expect. While it is not entirely without sense of humor and there is some interesting subtext glimpsed from its two … Continue reading →

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Frantz (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Secrets, Lies, and Life

Posted on July 23, 2017 by kaist455

Sometimes lie is less inconvenient than truth, and François Ozon’s new movie “Frantz” presents that tricky fact of life via its somber period melodrama. Although it is not wholly successful in making its points especially during the second half and … Continue reading →

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