Category Archives: Movies

Spirits’ Homecoming (2015) ☆1/2(1.5/4): These women deserve better than this

Posted on March 1, 2016 by kaist455

I am angry about South Korean film “Spirits’ Homecoming” for two reasons. I was angered as thinking about those many women forced into sex slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during the World War II. I was infuriated about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Son of Saul (2015) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): The Holocaust viewed from inside

Posted on February 28, 2016 by kaist455

Unflinchingly grim and despairing but undeniably powerful and astonishing, Hungarian film “Son of Saul” will haunt you for a long time after its last shot. While never feeling artsy or exploitative at all, this extraordinary film firmly stays around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

My prediction on the 88th Annual Academy Awards

Posted on February 27, 2016 by kaist455

Again, we are near the end of the latest Oscar season. I and many others initially thought that “Spotlight” (2015) was the definite front runner, but then things became more uncertain and interesting than last year. Although Alejandro González Iñárritu … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Meru (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): Reaching for a challenging peak in the Himalayas

Posted on February 27, 2016 by kaist455

Documentary film “Meru” works best when it functions as a vivid, extraordinary record of one arduous quest for conquering one of the most challenging mountains in the Himalayas. Yes, those three mountaineers in the documentary really climbed up there with … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Best of Enemies (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Buckley Vs. Vidal

Posted on February 22, 2016 by kaist455

Focusing on the tense, dynamic progress of the infamous TV debates between two antagonizing American intellectuals, documentary film “Best of Enemies” observes their turbulent era which ironically mirrors the current sociopolitical status of the American society at present. Through their … Continue reading →

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

Zootopia (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A rookie bunny officer’s first case

Posted on February 21, 2016 by kaist455

While it is somehow released earlier outside US, new Disney digital animation feature film “Zootopia” is better than I expected. It is colorful and spunky with its amusing variation of buddy cop movie conventions, and there are enough funny, exciting … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

DongJu: The Portrait of A Poet (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): The short life of a Korean poet

Posted on February 21, 2016 by kaist455

Wishing not to have so much as a speck of shame toward heaven until the day I die, I suffered, even when the wind stirred the leaves. With my heart singing to the stars, I shall love all things that … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Behind the belief

Posted on February 20, 2016 by kaist455

As far as I can remember, the first time I heard about the Church of Scientology was when I read a review on “Battlefield Earth” (2000), an infamous Hollywood turkey which was based on the SF novel of the same … Continue reading →

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

Deadpool (2016) ☆☆(2/4) : Isn’t he nasty? Isn’t he raunchy? Isn’t he funny?

Posted on February 18, 2016 by kaist455

“Deadpool”, the latest superhero film based on Marvel Comics character, is a one-joke stretched too long and too thin. It is amusing during its few early scenes, but then it ultimately follows those usual conventions of many other superhero movies … Continue reading →

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

Cartel Land (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): The drug war viewed through vigilantes

Posted on February 15, 2016 by kaist455

“Cartel Land”, which was recently Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film, is sobering and disturbing to say the least. If you are already familiar with its subject through other movies and documentary films such as “Narco Cultra” (2013) and “Sicario” … Continue reading →

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