Category Archives: Movies

Footnote (2011) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A glory only for his father

 Fathers are usually proud of their sons’ achievements, but that is not the case with the orthodox scholar patriarch of the Israeli film “Footnote.” His son’s success adds another layer of envy and resentment to a lifelong grudge, and he … Continue reading →

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Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Once there was a Hushpuppy…

 How nice it is to encounter a little but special fantasy tale like “Beasts of the Southern Wild”. Like any excellent fantasy tales, this small film is based on the strong sense of reality filled with bountiful details to be … Continue reading →

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Trouble with the Curve (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : It throws its ball straight

 Sometimes actors can find a way to make the story work even when it looks not so special, and I enjoy watching how they make their materials into something watchable instead of something passable. “Trouble with the Curve” is a … Continue reading →

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Our Idiot Brother (2011) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Our lovable Ned

Ned Rochlin is your average lovable idiot. He is a nice and pleasant dude, but the problem is that he trusts people a little too much and he thinks a little too less about what he says and does. The … Continue reading →

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End of Watch (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A gritty mix between cop drama and found footage

 Once upon a time, there was a movie called “The Blair Witch Project”(1999), and its unexpected success generated a sub-genre so-called “found footage”. While this low-budget genre has been continued through other successful cases like “Paranormal Activity”(2007), there also have … Continue reading →

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Oslo, August 31st (2011) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : One summer day of a young addict

Sometimes movies provide the moments I understand well with empathy even though I am completely different from their characters. I remember how I sympathetically reacted to one particular scene around the finale of “The Hurt Locker”(2008) because I would also … Continue reading →

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26 Years (2012) ☆☆(2/4) : They have waited for so long…

  New South Korean movie “26 Years” is not the worst South Korean film of this year, but it is the most disappointing South Korean film of this year. Its story has a very interesting historical subject, and it also … Continue reading →

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This Must Be the Place (2011) ☆☆☆(3/4) : An offbeat journey of an aging rock star

“This Must Be the Place” is an offbeat drama about a sad man who has been hiding inside his appearance of the past as his shell for a long time. When Cheyenne, played by Sean Penn in a striking appearance … Continue reading →

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Rise of the Guardians (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A nice gift set for the Holiday season

We have “The Avengers” early in this year, and now we have “Rise of the Guardians” around the end of this year. Like various superhero characters were assembled to save the mankind in the former, the various Guardians of Childhood … Continue reading →

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Suddenly, Last Summer/Going South (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Two summer afternoons

I remember one funny joke you have probably heard about. When a boy goes to a priest for confession, he confesses to a priest that he went to a strip club in the town at last night. With amused understanding, … Continue reading →

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