Category Archives: Movies

Drug War (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A treacherous game amidst cops and criminals

Posted on August 3, 2013 by kaist455

Good thrillers grip my attention at some point around the beginning and never let it go until the end credit. In case of Johnnie To’s crime noir thriller “Drug War”, it was one of its early scenes. A cop chases … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Hijacking (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Hostage negotiation is waiting

Posted on August 2, 2013 by kaist455

“A Hijacking” presents us a long, exhausting process of hostage negotiation with its plain but tense realism, and it is an absorbing experience. While there is no big action scene or heroic act to excite us, we closely watch the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Snowpiercer (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A dark journey on the New Ice Age Express

Posted on August 1, 2013 by kaist455

I know it is a cliché, but I must say this; “Snowpiercer” is something we do not come across often in the movie theaters nowadays. This is a smart, compelling science fiction film which can intrigue us with its futuristic … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Eye in the Sky (2007) ☆☆☆(3/4) : See everything – remember everything

Posted on July 30, 2013 by kaist455

Early in this month, I watched South Korean thriller film “Cold Eyes”, and I was excited by its thrilling story about the secret surveillance police team and the professional criminals they chase after. While being a well-made genre film with … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Terror Live (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A thriller trapped on live

Posted on July 28, 2013 by kaist455

 South Korean thriller film “The Terror Live” throws us straight into its deadly situation right from its opening scene, and it stays on this situation within its limited space from the beginning to the end. This is a familiar premise … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Turbo (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Look, it’s a race car! No, it’s a speedy snail!

Posted on July 28, 2013 by kaist455

 This month at my local theater has been an interesting one to me for several reasons, and I must say I am particularly amused by the one resulted from an odd coincidence. In last week, I watched a South Korean … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Wolverine (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Wolverine Lost in Translation

Posted on July 26, 2013 by kaist455

“The Wolverine” is the sixth film of the X-men series, which has moved around a lot since its first successful three films. It went back to the origin of one of its popular characters in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”(2009), and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Three life stories in Schenectady, NY

Posted on July 25, 2013 by kaist455

 “The Place Beyond the Pines” attempts to present us three life stories together in its intimate and wide approach. While not all of its elements work well and its last act is relatively unsatisfying, it is an engaging drama about … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Compliance (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Banality of Evil at a fast food restaurant

Posted on July 24, 2013 by kaist455

“Compliance” is a small one-situation drama which is simultaneously absurd, outrageous, horrifying, and disturbing in its cold depiction of dark human behaviors we are quite capable of if we are at the right place and the right time. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Late Quartet (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A quartet at its late turning point

Posted on July 20, 2013 by kaist455

 “A Late Quartet” plays a familiar life drama in a deep, somber tone with its reliable instruments. Using one famous classic piece as the metaphor of life, the movie observes the harmony and disharmony between the human characters who have … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment