Category Archives: Movies

The Conjuring (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A usual business in the ominous haunted house

Posted on September 17, 2013 by kaist455

Maybe I am too jaded as a seasoned audience and amateur critic, but I could not help but be sarcastic about the prologue of “The Conjuring”, which kindly emphasizes to us that everything depicted in the movie is based on … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Monster University (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : When Mike met Sulley

Posted on September 16, 2013 by kaist455

  “Monsters, Inc.”(2001) was not one of the better animation films from Pixar Animation Studios, but it was an enjoyable one despite its weaknesses, and I had a nice personal memory about it. It was late December in 2001, and, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Act of Killing (2012) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): This is one nutty filmmaking

Posted on September 15, 2013 by kaist455

 This is one nutty filmmaking. “The Act of Killing”, an absurd and chilling documentary about how the perpetrators of one atrocious political purge are still enjoying impunity along with power in public even after more than 40 years, has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Face Reader (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A helpless hero in front of the big historical tide

Posted on September 13, 2013 by kaist455

 I do not have much interest or belief in phrenology, but, though it was a brief moment, I enjoyed watching how the phrenologist hero of South Korean period drama movie “The Face Reader” works during its first half. With his … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Stories We Tell (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3/5/4) : Their stories about her mother

Posted on September 12, 2013 by kaist455

  There is one secret to be revealed in the middle of Sarah Polley’s intimate documentary “Stories We Tell”, but, while it is surely a crucial turning point in its compelling narrative and I don’t dare to reveal it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The Bling Ring (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A superficial shopping spree on celebrities

Posted on September 11, 2013 by kaist455

I was amused a bit by the absurdity shown in Sophia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring”, which is based on Nancy Jo Sales’ Vanity Fair article “The Suspect Wore Louboutins”. Considering that how superficial and empty-headed its characters are, their immorality … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | 1 Comment

To the Wonder (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : To their thoughts and feelings

Posted on September 9, 2013 by kaist455

 You may not guess what is really happening between them. You may not know who they are or how they have lived. You may not understand what exactly it is all about. But you can closely listen to their thoughts … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | 1 Comment

Moebius (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A wordless family drama with extreme behaviors

Posted on September 6, 2013 by kaist455

 “Moebius” is a bizarre but compelling film full of the extreme behaviors committed by its twisted and tortured characters who are intertwined with each other in a truly disturbing way. This is not an easy film to watch at all, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Wind Rises (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : And everything just floats by…

Posted on September 5, 2013 by kaist455

 “The Wind Rises”, a new animation feature film which will probably be the last work from a great master of Japanese Animation, looks as lovely as expected, but I did an unthinkable thing I have never expected; I checked my … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Despicable Me 2 (2013) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4) : Gru as an anti-villain hero

Posted on September 1, 2013 by kaist455

First, let me tell you about how skeptical I was about “Despicable Me 2”, the sequel to a charming but less-than-satisfying animation film “Despicable Me”(2010). In the previous story, our ‘despicable’ villain Felonious Gru attempted to exploit three young orphan … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 2 Comments