Tag Archives: Brother and Sister

Mother Land (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A modest South Korean stop-motion animation film

South Korean animation film “Mother Land” is a precious work to be cherished. As a stop-motion animation film, it is rather modest compared to, say, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (2022) or many of the recent acclaimed works from Laika Studios, … Continue reading

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Playground (2021) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4) : Her little struggle at the school

“Playground”, which was selected the Belgian entry for the Best International Film Oscar in last year, is often quite difficult to watch. As firmly sticking to its little young heroine’s limited perspective, the movie closely and vividly observes her conflicts … Continue reading

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Holler (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A harsh working-class daily life in Ohio

“Holler” is a little but haunting character drama about one ordinary working-class American girl who does deserve better than what her whole life has given her. While phlegmatically observing the daily struggles of her and several other characters around her, … Continue reading

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Festival (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): He cannot afford to be sad…

South Korean independent drama “Festival” mainly revolves around one impossible situation which pressures its plain young hero a lot. While we are occasionally amused by how things keep going wrong for him, we also come to sense more of how … Continue reading

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Moving On (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Summer days at their grandpa’s house

South Korean independent film “Moving On” often made me smile during my viewing, and that is quite an achievement considering what a grumpy guy I usually am. Slowly and tenderly doling out one precious human moment after another, the movie … Continue reading

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Ms. Purple (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): As her father lays dying

Justin Chon’s latest film “Ms. Purple” is a sad tale of a young Korean American woman struggling to keep going despite many hardships in her daily life. Due to the seedy and exploitative nature of her occupation, the movie is … Continue reading

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Gretel & Hansel (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A creepy variation of one familiar fairy tale

“Gretel & Hansel” is a creepy variation of one fairy tale quite familiar to many of us. While staying true to the darkness of its original story by the Brothers Grimm, the movie tries a number of different things in … Continue reading

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6 Balloons (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): A problematic day with her addict brother

Movies about addiction are usually uncomfortable to watch, and “6 Balloons”, which is currently available on Netflix, is no exception. As closely observing its heroine’s problematic relationship with her addict brother, the movie gives us several unflinching moments which will … Continue reading

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Fatal Intuition (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): She’s his only hope

South Korean film “Fatal Intuition” is a thriller mixed with some supernatural elements as a part of its creepy atmosphere. For finding a cruel killer on the loose, our dogged hero works with a girl who often experiences disturbing premonitions … Continue reading

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Blackhat (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Style over keyboarding

At some point during my viewing of “Blackhat”, I began to focus on how it looks rather than what it is about. As a ‘cyber-thriller’, it surely has an interesting topic which has been more relevant along with those frequent … Continue reading

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