Category Archives: Movies

Memoir of a Snail (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A melancholic but funny animation film

Posted on December 1, 2024 by kaist455

Australian animation feature film “Memoirs of a Snail” is deeply melancholic but also undeniably humorous and touching. While often being quite sad and moody just like its heroine throughout the story, the film also shows a lot of wit, style, … Continue reading →

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Flow (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A cat’s adventure

Posted on November 30, 2024 by kaist455

Animation feature film “Flow”, which was selected as the official submission of Latvia for Best International Film Oscar in this year, is a simple but enchanting fantasy tale which alternatively baffles and dazzles us. Without any dialogue at all, the … Continue reading →

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The Land of Morning Calm (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A fisherman’s insurance scam

Posted on November 29, 2024 by kaist455

You will not easily forget the old but tough hero of South Korean film “The Land of Morning Calm”, which won three awards including the Best Film Award at the New Currents section of the Busan International Film Festival a … Continue reading →

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The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A tense Iranian family/political drama

Posted on November 29, 2024 by kaist455

Iranian film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, which was recently selected as the German submission to Best International Film Oscar, is a masterful work which will hold your attention from the beginning to the end. Deftly balancing itself between … Continue reading →

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Moana 2 (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A middling second chapter not sailing that far

Posted on November 28, 2024 by kaist455

Disney animation film “Moana 2” is a middling second chapter compared to its promising predecessor, and that is a big disappointment for all of us. Sure, it looks as terrific as you can expect from any decent Disney animation these … Continue reading →

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Delivery (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A comedy about unplanned pregnancy

Posted on November 27, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean comedy film “Delivery” wants to generate some laughs from unplanned pregnancy, and that was fine with me at the beginning. Sure, it is true that anything can be comic material, but the movie does not work as well … Continue reading →

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Blitz (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): A boy and his mother under the Blitz

Posted on November 26, 2024 by kaist455

Steve McQueen’s latest film “Blitz”, which is currently available on Apple TV+, tries to bring some new and interesting elements into its familiar genre territory. Although it does not always work, the movie often distinguishes itself with a number of … Continue reading →

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The Piano Lesson (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): The family trouble with a piano

Posted on November 25, 2024 by kaist455

Netflix film “The Piano Lesson”, which was released on last Friday, is about a little but complex family issue surrounding one old piano. Although it feels rather contrived during its second half as veering off a bit from what has … Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A gory Thanksgiving season

Posted on November 24, 2024 by kaist455

Eli Roth’s latest film “Thanksgiving”, which is currently available on Netflix in South Korea, is cheerfully gory and violent to our horror and amusement. While this is basically another typical slasher horror movie featuring a bunch of cardboard figures to … Continue reading →

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Mimang (2023) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4): Three different meanings via three acts

Posted on November 22, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Mimang” presents the three different meanings of its title via the three acts loosely connected together. Although I am not sure about whether it works as well as intended by its filmmaker, it is engaging to … Continue reading →

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