Category Archives: Movies

Still Alice (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Fading away from others – and herself

 When we meet the heroine of “Still Alice” at first, she looks satisfied with her life which has been fairly good to her. She is an academic researcher on the top of her field, and she has a husband who … Continue reading

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Foxcatcher (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Bound for Hollow Glory

 Always maintaining its reticent attitude with the sense of doom, “Foxcatcher” is quietly examines its stranger-than-fiction story which can be interpreted as a morbid American tragedy of ambition and madness. It demands us considerable patience at times mainly because of … Continue reading

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Nightcrawler (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : The Secret of His Twisted Success

 “Nightcrawler” is both chilling and fascinating in its sardonic observation of its very unlikable hero who is disturbingly singled-minded in his ruthless pursuit of success. When he happens to come across a possible way for success, he instantly sets himself … Continue reading

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Predestination (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : That tricky paradox of time travel

  “Predestination” is a minor surprise to be admired for its clever handling of one classic science fiction idea which always intrigues us for that mind-boggling paradox inside it. You will certainly see through almost every cog inside its plot … Continue reading

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Pride (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Together they stood

 “Pride” is a crowd-pleasing comedy film inspired by a real-life story of one unlikely alliance between two social groups who could not possibly be more different from each other. There seemed to be nothing common between these two groups at … Continue reading

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Paddington (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A furry, cuddly family movie

  To be frank with you, I am not that familiar with Paddington Bear, which has been a very popular British character since he was created by Michael Bond in 1958. I think I saw him when I visited a … Continue reading

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Unbroken (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : An old-fashioned biopic for Oscar season

  It goes without saying that Louis Zamperini, the hero of “Unbroken”, had an interesting life worthwhile to be told. While he initially drew lots of attention as a young promising Olympic distant runner through his athletic talent, he served … Continue reading

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The Drop (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A quiet man behind the bar

 The hero of “The Drop” is a quiet, reticent guy who does not draw others’ attention a lot as silently going through his mundane daily life. He is usually nice and generous to his customers, and he looks like a … Continue reading

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‘71 (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A gripping tale of survival in the midst of the Troubles

 “‘71” is a gripping tale of survival with a number of very intense moments which made my body tightened during my viewing. Pumped by its confident direction and fueled by its strong lead performance, the movie never loses its tight … Continue reading

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Falcon Rising (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : It’s a solid start for whatever will come next

 “Falcon Rising” is as much as you can expect from a B-action flick featuring a lonely tough guy hero and a bunch of bad guys guaranteed to get his vengeful wrath in the end. This is indeed a very familiar … Continue reading

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