Category Archives: Movies

The Well-Digger’s Daughter (2011) ☆☆☆ (3/4) : A relaxed rural tale in Provence

Posted on March 8, 2015 by kaist455

French film “The Well-Digger’s Daughter” gives us a likable case of how good storytelling can engage, surprise, and touch us. While its main characters may be broad and simple, they are presented as people filled with life and personality, and … Continue reading →

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The Salvation (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Western Revenge

Posted on March 6, 2015 by kaist455

“The Salvation” looks and feels like an authentic American western film, and you will probably be surprised to know that it was actually made by a Danish director in South Africa. Drive by its terse storytelling coupled with harsh, remorseless … Continue reading →

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Wyrmwood (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Road of the Dead

Posted on March 5, 2015 by kaist455

Australian movie “Wyrmwood”, a.k.a “Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead”, is a little horror film mainly consisting of familiar spare parts borrowed from other zombie movies. As you have probably guessed right from my first sentence, the movie has your average … Continue reading →

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Kill the Messenger (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : The devastating price of reporting a truth

Posted on March 3, 2015 by kaist455

The tragedy of Gary Webb, the ill-fated journalist hero of “Kill the Messenger”, was that he was not exactly in a good position when he happened to get a big chance for the scoop of his lifetime which ultimately shattered … Continue reading →

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Focus (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Romance or Con game?

Posted on March 2, 2015 by kaist455

As a comedy movie about con artists, “Focus” is entertaining enough to overlook its several weak points. Mainly because there is always a possibility that its main characters are holding something behind their back, we come to look at them … Continue reading →

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Citizenfour (2014) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4) : A close, gripping look into one big expose

Posted on February 25, 2015 by kaist455

 Thanks to the rapid development of communication and information technologies, we can freely exchange or share information and opinions with many other people around the world, but then there are also dark possibilities in this technological advance. Through its close … Continue reading →

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My prediction on the 87th Annual Academy Awards

Posted on February 21, 2015 by kaist455

 We used to complain that the Oscar season became too predictable, but now we are grouching about how the Oscar season in this year has become the most unpredictable one compared to previous seasons. In the beginning, Richard Linklater’s masterpiece … Continue reading →

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The Tribe (2014) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4) : A tribe of deaf criminals

Posted on February 20, 2015 by kaist455

Ukrainian film “The Tribe” attempts its audacious storytelling experiment right from its very first scene. While there are sounds on its soundtrack, there is no spoken dialogue in the film as it observes the interactions between its main characters who … Continue reading →

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Finding Vivian Maier (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4): A nanny who was also a photographer

Posted on February 20, 2015 by kaist455

The photos shown in Oscar-nominated documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” are something to watch and appreciate for the mood and feelings they evoke. Mostly shot in black and white, they vividly capture the places and people of bygone eras, and then … Continue reading →

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Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : It could have been awesome, maybe

Posted on February 15, 2015 by kaist455

 One of my fond memories involved with an arthouse movie theater near my KAIST campus, which is gone now, is involved with a double feature showing of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “El Topo” (1970) and “The Holy Mountain” (1973). The promotional leaflet … Continue reading →

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