Category Archives: Movies

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A fish in the new water

Posted on March 27, 2014 by kaist455

 While you may have to watch previous Marvel Comics movies before watching it, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a surprisingly entertaining entry packed with fun, thrill, and a considerable dose of intrigue, and that was good enough for me … Continue reading →

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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Welcome to the Wes Anderson Hotel

Posted on March 23, 2014 by kaist455

 In last year, I purchased “The Wes Anderson Collection” written by my acquaintance Matt Zoller Seitz, the book which is still looking upon me in the bookcase above my laboratory desk. I have not delved into this big, lovely hardcover … Continue reading →

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Noah (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : The Deluge reimagined by Darren Aronofsky

Posted on March 21, 2014 by kaist455

 While trying to sort out how I felt about Darren Aronofsky’s ambitious new film “Noah”, I came across one article from the Hollywood Reporter. At the world premiere held in Mexico City on last Monday evening, Darren Aronofsky forthrightly warned … Continue reading →

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Owning Mahowny (2003) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : His eyes are fixed on his next gamble

Posted on March 17, 2014 by kaist455

  If I have to choose one definite moment in “Owning Mahowny”(2003), it is the one which shows its hero’s face in a close-up shot when he is going through his another gambling. His face looks blank on the surface, … Continue reading →

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Manshin (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A shaman with ten thousands spirits

Posted on March 9, 2014 by kaist455

 South Korean documentary “Manshin” vividly presents the cultural value in Korean shamanic rituals through its haunting images which lingered on my mind for a long time after watching it. Looking around the long, dramatic life story of a woman who … Continue reading →

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Non-Stop (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : You don’t mess with Liam Nisson

Posted on March 6, 2014 by kaist455

 One thing I miss about Roger Ebert is his witty amusement with action thriller movies which are full of preposterous plot holes big enough for a Boeing 777 plane to fly through. He did not point them out just for … Continue reading →

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The Monuments Men (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Saving artworks during World War II

Posted on March 1, 2014 by kaist455

  As the biggest war during the 20th century, World War II still has many interesting stories to be told even after so many books and movies about it came out, and the story told in “The Monuments Men” is … Continue reading →

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My prediction on the 86th Annual Academy Awards

Posted on February 22, 2014 by kaist455

 The Oscar season in this year is heading toward its finishing line, and I miss my late friend/mentor Roger Ebert more than before. Even when he could not attend the Academy Award ceremony any more due to his health problem … Continue reading →

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Cutie and the Boxer (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Two different artists as life partners

Posted on February 21, 2014 by kaist455

 They fell in love with each other as artists, and they have been inseparable from each other as life partners for 40 years. The documentary “Cutie and the Boxer” is a quirky love story between two artists complementing each other … Continue reading →

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Lone Survivor (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Gritty as required but questionable as predicted

Posted on February 20, 2014 by kaist455

 “Lone Survivor” does as much as an average gritty modern war film can do. It has several intense combat scenes to talk about, and it is sometimes grueling to watch its military characters struggling through their increasingly perilous situation which … Continue reading →

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