Tag Archives: Crime

Gunpodwer Milkshake (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): It could have more spunk and substance

Posted on July 19, 2021 by kaist455

Netflix film “Gunpowder Milkshake” is drenched in style and mood, but it seriously deficient in terms of spunk and substance to distinguish itself from other similar genre flicks such as “John Wick” (2014) and its recent sequels. While there are … Continue reading →

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Summer Is the Coldest Season (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): That troubled summer of hers

Posted on June 19, 2021 by kaist455

Chinese film “Summer is the Coldest Season” is a dry but interesting coming-of-age drama about one adolescent girl struggling with her anger and grief. As she deliberately gets herself involved with a person responsible for that, the movie calmly and … Continue reading →

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Akilla’s Escape (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A cycle of violence he wants to escape

Posted on June 15, 2021 by kaist455

“Akilla’s Escape” frustrated me more than once during my viewing. The movie tries to explore the cycle of violence over generations via two connected stories, but it is glaringly deficient in terms of storytelling and characterization in addition to often … Continue reading →

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Wrath of Man (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Gritty and remorseless to say the least

Posted on June 13, 2021 by kaist455

Guy Ritchie’s latest work “Wrath of Man” is gritty and remorseless to say the least. While this is surely your average revenge action flick about a taciturn tough guy with a particular set of skills, it is at least packaged … Continue reading →

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Small Axe: Alex Wheatle (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): How he came to tell his story

Posted on June 12, 2021 by kaist455

Steve McQueen’s movie anthology series “Small Axe” firmly held my attention as I watched its first three movies, which were incidentally shown at a number of major films festivals including the New York Film Festival before all of five films … Continue reading →

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Not Out (2021) ☆1/2 (1.5/4): Out, please

Posted on June 6, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean film “Not Out” is the latest example of those drab and miserable movies about angry and disaffected South Korean lads. While there are some recent better cases including Lee Chang-dong’s rather overrated “Burning” (2018), this one is hopelessly … Continue reading →

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Cruella (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): She is actually not that cruel…

Posted on May 27, 2021 by kaist455

“Cruella” is often uneven and schizophrenic in its mixed result. On one hand, it seems to aspire to be mean and nasty, and there are some deliciously vicious moments to be savored mainly thanks to the entertaining works from its … Continue reading →

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Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A disturbing suburban crime drama of Asian American teenagers

Posted on May 22, 2021 by kaist455

To be frank with you, my high school life during the late 1990s was mostly kept on the straight and narrow. Every day and night during that intense period, I was constantly driven and pressured for getting higher test scores, … Continue reading →

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Hotel Artemis (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A problematic evening at one exclusive hotel

Posted on May 13, 2021 by kaist455

“Hotel Artemis”, which I watched just for my inconsequential curiosity at last night, is a pretty familiar genre stuff for seasoned moviegoers like me. While I enjoyed its noirish mood and some solid performances from its engaging main cast members, … Continue reading →

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Concrete Cowboy (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Into the world of urban riders

Posted on April 6, 2021 by kaist455

Netflix film “Concrete Cowboy”, which was released on last Friday, brings us into a small African American urban community quite unfamiliar to many of us. While the story itself is your average coming-of-age drama coupled with typical father and son … Continue reading →

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