Category Archives: Movies

The Other Side of Hope (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Another deadpan film from Kaurismäki

Posted on December 12, 2017 by kaist455

I remember well when I watched Aki Kaurismäki’s “Le Havre” (2011) during one cold evening of 2011 December. I watched it at a local arthouse theater which was as freezing as the outside, and I remember well when the theater … Continue reading →

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Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Silly but uproarious

Posted on December 11, 2017 by kaist455

While being as silly as its title suggests, animation film “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” is often quite funny as gleefully and knowingly embracing its sheer goofiness. When I watched its trailer early in this year, I thought it … Continue reading →

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Whose Streets? (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A vivid, close look into the Ferguson uprising

Posted on December 10, 2017 by kaist455

Documentary film “Whose Streets?” gives us a vivid, close look into the Ferguson uprising, and there are several raw, intense moments which will captivate you first and then linger on your mind for a long time. While it is definitely … Continue reading →

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Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A small decent bank under crisis

Posted on December 10, 2017 by kaist455

As watching documentary film “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”, I could not help but roll my eyes at the absurd legal injustice shown in the documentary. Here is a small decent bank which has provided a considerable financial help to … Continue reading →

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The First Lap (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Anxious uncertainty in their life

Posted on December 9, 2017 by kaist455

Subtly sensitive and somberly observant, South Korean film “The First Lap” looks into the anxious uncertainty of a young ordinary couple. Like any other young happy couples, they simply want to continue their life as usual, but then they become … Continue reading →

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Murder on the Orient Express (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Slick but passable

Posted on December 7, 2017 by kaist455

I remember well when I read Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel “Murder on the Orient Express” for the first time. I was a 9-year-old boy who devoured many various mystery novels ranging from Sherlock Holmes to Philip Marlowe, and that … Continue reading →

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My Happy Family (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): When she walks away from her family

Posted on December 4, 2017 by kaist455

Georgian film “My Happy Family”, which is currently available on Netflix, is a small unexpected surprise which amused and touched me a lot. On one level, it is an intimate female drama about a woman who tries to reach for … Continue reading →

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Radiance (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Another gentle, meditative work from Naomi Kawase

Posted on December 3, 2017 by kaist455

To be frank with you, Naomi Kawase’s works have been an acquired taste to me. Although I admired the serene atmosphere of “The Mourning Forest” (2007), I felt impatient at times during my viewing, and I doubt whether I will … Continue reading →

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Romans 8:37 (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Inside a Christian community

Posted on December 3, 2017 by kaist455

South Korean film “Romans 8:37” is something we do not encounter everyday: a thought-provoking Christian film which does not give us any easy answer in its gloomy tale of faith and disillusionment. As an agnostic atheist who grew up in … Continue reading →

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On Body and Soul (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): An unusual romance tale from Hungary

Posted on December 2, 2017 by kaist455

While it is your average workplace romance tale, Hungarian film “On Body and Soul” draws our attention through its unusual setting at first. Here are two different people who happen to be connected with each other via a rather preposterous … Continue reading →

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