Category Archives: Movies

The Signal (2014) ☆☆1/2(2/5/4) : They follow it, and then…

Posted on July 9, 2014 by kaist455

 In my humble opinion, style and substance are necessary for making a good SF film. For drawing our curiosity, SF film needs some style to create its own mood and reality, and that will make us believe that something fantastic … Continue reading →

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One to One (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : A repetitious diatribe against South Korean society

Posted on July 5, 2014 by kaist455

 Kim Ki-duk’s twentieth film “One to One” feels like listening to the same angry words over and over again in a barren empty class room with no particular interest. I can accept that it is angry about the injustice and … Continue reading →

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Neighbors (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Young Parents Vs. Fraternity Boys

Posted on July 3, 2014 by kaist455

 Although hampered by its weak story and shaky characterization, “Neighbors” tries many gross or outrageous things to maintain its comic momentum, and I must duly report that the movie did a fairly nice job of inducing me and the other … Continue reading →

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Frances Ha (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Lightweight aimlessness in black and white

Posted on June 29, 2014 by kaist455

 When I watched “Frances Ha” around the end of last year, I was amused by its lightweight charm. I briefly mentioned it along with other good films in my annual movie list of 2013, and I thought I will probably … Continue reading →

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Locke (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A man’s night drive under personal crisis

Posted on June 28, 2014 by kaist455

 The premise of “Locke” is so simple that it does not sound like a good movie when you read its synopsis. Here is a man who has just made a big important decision to change his life forever and is … Continue reading →

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Concussion (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Deviation with coffee, talk, and sex

Posted on June 27, 2014 by kaist455

 It has been a good life for her and her family, but now she finds herself getting suffocated by her daily life. As she feels her discontent growing inside her day by day, she decides to try something different, and … Continue reading →

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Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) ☆1/2(1.5/4) : The Unbearable Loudness of Being

Posted on June 26, 2014 by kaist455

 “Transformer: Age of Extinction” should be re-titled as “Transformers: The Unbearable Loudness of Being”. The movie relentlessly pummels us with tons of big explosions and loud noises on the screen during its burdensome 165-minute, and you may be at a … Continue reading →

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The Double (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : An unremarkable life intruded by the double

Posted on June 18, 2014 by kaist455

 Three weeks ago, I watched Denis Villeneuve’s “Enemy”(2013), an odd movie about a man shocked and then disturbed by the discovery of someone who looks exactly like him. And now I have watched “The Double”, whose story also deals with … Continue reading →

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Why Don’t You Play in Hell? (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A bloody filmmaking to die for

Posted on June 15, 2014 by kaist455

 I could not enjoy well the first part of Japanese black comedy film “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” because nearly all of its characters are too hysterical or delusional or idiotic in each own way. They frequently look and … Continue reading →

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Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Predictability Not Guaranteed

Posted on June 14, 2014 by kaist455

 First, let me talk a bit about my personal movie term “coin toss movie”. While it does not specify any particular genre, I sometimes use this term whenever I come across a certain type of film whose plot mostly depends … Continue reading →

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