Tag Archives: action

Oblivion (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : It’s derivative, but it looks good anyway

Posted on April 12, 2013 by kaist455

After grumbling about “Oblivion” to my lab colleagues right after the afternoon screening at the local theater today, I thought about how easily I could rate this derivative SF film. As a matter of fact, it is so derivative that … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Alien, Disaster, SF, War | Leave a comment

Running Man (2013) ☆☆(2/4) : A running man in a hobbling thriller

Posted on April 4, 2013 by kaist455

Ironically, new South Korean action movie “Running Man” does not run that much. It instead hobbles a lot while letting itself being saddled with many unnecessary story elements which could have been discarded without any problem, and I kept losing … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Comedy, False Charge, Murder, South Korean Film | Leave a comment

Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : I wonder how these big guys reproduce

Posted on March 2, 2013 by kaist455

To be frank with you, I had no particular expectation on “Jack the Giant Slayer”, the latest offering from the recent trend of ‘re-interpreting’ fairy tales/folklores into Hollywood blockbuster films. The results from this trend have been unsatisfying like “Mirror … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Adventure, Beanstalk, Fairy tale, Fantasy, Giant, Princess | 1 Comment

The Last Stand (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : An entertaining B-action movie with Arnold

Posted on February 23, 2013 by kaist455

“The Last Stand” is a flawed but entertaining B-action movie which could have been disappeared without notice if it had not been for two notable things. First, the movie is directed by Kim Jee-woon, a South Korean filmmaker who has … Continue reading →

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

The Berlin File (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A Cold War espionage in the 21th century

Posted on February 1, 2013 by kaist455

“The Berlin File”, a gritty action film from South Korea, is a respectful homage to those cold, gray espionage films made during the 1960-70s. With its melancholic mood reminiscent of John le Carré’s novels(one of his books briefly appears in … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Assassination, Defection, Division, Espionage, South Korean Film | Leave a comment

Jack Reacher (2012) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Don’t find him – He’ll find you

Posted on January 17, 2013 by kaist455

While watching “Jack Reacher”, I thought of one tagline very suitable for the movie: “Don’t find him – He’ll find you.” This one is so conventional that it can be used in any other action thriller films featuring tough guy … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Detective, Lawyer, Murder, Police, Shooting, Soldier, Thriller | Leave a comment

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Terror, Torture, Soldier, Spy

Posted on January 13, 2013 by kaist455

As far as we know, Osama(or Usama) bin Laden was officially dead in May 2011. That is a major ‘spoiler’ to Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty”, but the movie is a gripping espionage thriller about a long, exhausting journey its … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Espionage, Real-life figure, Real-life incident, Real-life story, Terror, Thriller, Torture | 2 Comments

Django Unchained (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Another big trashy fun from Tarantino

Posted on January 12, 2013 by kaist455

Before sorting out my thoughts on Quentin Trantino’s new film “Django Unchained”, I checked my four-star Korean review on his previous work “Inglourious Basterds”(2009), and I was a bit amused by what I wrote at the beginning: “Asking Tarantino to … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Bounty Hunter, Dentist, Plantation, revenge, Slavery, Western | 6 Comments

Cloud Atlas (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Life is full of make-ups

Posted on January 10, 2013 by kaist455

“Cloud Atlas” is something you do not often encounter at theater: an ambitiously epic folly which will dazzle or bore you at the big screening room. Though I am not entirely sure about my opinion on this giant messy tapestry, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged action, Clone, Comedy, Composer, Homosexuality, Publisher, Reincarnation, Reporter, Revolution, Romance, SF, Thriller, Writer | 1 Comment

The Tower (2012) ☆☆(2/4) : ♪Silent night – Fiery Night♪

Posted on December 25, 2012 by kaist455

The blazing fire and other threats in “The Tower”, the last major South Korean film of this year, certainly look dangerous. They are the best part of this disaster film which is about a big fire incident at a towering … Continue reading →