Category Archives: Movies

Lust, Caution (2007) ☆☆☆(3/4): A spy caught between lust and caution

Posted on January 5, 2025 by kaist455

Ang Lee’s 2007 film “Lust, Caution”, which is currently being shown again in selected South Korean theaters, is a slow but sensual period drama which works best whenever it focuses on the guarded psychology of the two very different main … Continue reading →

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Heretic (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): A twisted test on faith

Posted on January 5, 2025 by kaist455

“Heretic” is a modest but effective horror thriller film about religion and faith. Now it may sound solemn and ponderous to you, the movie does a fairly commendable job of balancing itself between humor and suspense, and it will keep … Continue reading →

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Millennium Mambo (2001) ☆☆☆(3/4): Looking back at her messy life

Posted on January 4, 2025 by kaist455

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 2001 film “Millennium Mambo”, whose 4K restoration version was released in South Korean theaters on the first day of this year, is an acquired taste for me just like many of Hou’s films, but it somehow engaged me … Continue reading →

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Armand (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): At her son’s school

Posted on January 4, 2025 by kaist455

“Armand”, which was selected as the Norwegian entry for Best Internation Film Oscar in last year, attempts a sort of high-wire stunt between the chamber drama films of Ingmar Bergman and the psychological thriller movies of Roman Polanski. While I … Continue reading →

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The Apartment (1960) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): A definite comic masterpiece by Billy Wilder

Posted on December 31, 2024 by kaist455

Billy Wilder’s 1960 film “The Apartment” is about two desperate people who come to reflect more on what they really want during one particularly melancholic Christmas season. This is surely a gloomy story in many aspects, but the movie did … Continue reading →

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10 movies of 2024 – and more: Part 3

Posted on December 30, 2024 by kaist455

Now here are 11 South Korean films of this year.

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10 movies of 2024 – and more: Part 2

Posted on December 30, 2024 by kaist455

And here are the other 5 movies in my list – with other films good enough to be mentioned.

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10 movies of 2024 – and more: Part 1

Posted on December 30, 2024 by kaist455

So here are the first five films of my annual list.

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10 movies of 2024 – and more: Introduction

Posted on December 30, 2024 by kaist455

Here are we again as expecting the beginning of 2025, but, boy, what a depressing year 2024 has been. While we were all surely hopeful around the beginning of this year, there were actually some good moments of hope and … Continue reading →

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Harbin (2024) ☆☆(2/4): A piece of dry and mediocre seriousness

Posted on December 29, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean film “Harbin” is so serious and ponderous that it often forgets engaging or entertaining its audiences. I do understand that it attempts to be a grim and gritty period drama about one famous real-life national hero and his … Continue reading →

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