Tag Archives: Crime

Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : ….and her therapy will end.

Posted on April 20, 2014 by kaist455

 Now we arrive at “Nymphomaniac: Vol. II”, the second part of Lars von Trier’s another challenging work to talk and discuss about. As its exhausted heroine warned us previously, this is a darker territory compared to its first part which … Continue reading →

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A Touch of Sin (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Anger and despair below rapid social change

Posted on April 15, 2014 by kaist455

 Through its sad, bleak stories, Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” shows anger and despair below a rapid social change China has been going through. While their society is certainly changing, the main characters in the movie hardly receive any … Continue reading →

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Owning Mahowny (2003) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : His eyes are fixed on his next gamble

Posted on March 17, 2014 by kaist455

  If I have to choose one definite moment in “Owning Mahowny”(2003), it is the one which shows its hero’s face in a close-up shot when he is going through his another gambling. His face looks blank on the surface, … Continue reading →

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The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Goodfellas on Wall Street

Posted on January 11, 2014 by kaist455

“You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire; you build egos the size of cathedrals; fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse; grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold-plated … Continue reading →

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American Hustle (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : That ‘70s Hustle

Posted on January 9, 2014 by kaist455

 “American Hustle” dances along with a bunch of colorful characters roaming around their groovy era, and it does its dance as long as it can under its cheerful tone. Even when we are not entirely sure about who is conning … Continue reading →

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The Fake (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A dark, disturbing animation from South Korea

Posted on November 21, 2013 by kaist455

 South Korean animation “The Fake” is so bleak and hopeless from the beginning that I even found myself wondering during its first 30 minutes how further it would possibly go – and it did go further as I was horrified … Continue reading →

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The Counselor (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A descent into the hell a la Cormac McCarthy

Posted on November 15, 2013 by kaist455

 Around four years ago, I was temporarily banished from my lab after another disastrous academic failure of mine. So disappointed with myself, I retreated into the campus library, and I read several books I previously bought but had never touched, … Continue reading →

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Hwayi (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A boy raised by his five criminal fathers

Posted on October 9, 2013 by kaist455

 They say every man has his own daddy issue to deal with, and the adolescent hero of darkly riveting South Korean thriller film “Hwayi” has a particularly overwhelming one. He has been raised, taught, and influenced by five men who … Continue reading →

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Prisoners (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Good cop, Bad citizen

Posted on October 3, 2013 by kaist455

 “Prisoners” tries to roll two things at once to create bigger dramatic impacts. The one is about the grief and subsequent anger caused by a terrible incident, and the other one is about an increasingly frustrating investigation process for finding … Continue reading →

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Now You See Me (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : It’s all trick, you know

Posted on August 22, 2013 by kaist455

“Now You See Me” keeps hiding some of its magic tricks even when the end credits roll, and that is one of its few good things. After all, magician is supposed to never reveal his magic tricks to the audiences, … Continue reading →

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