Tag Archives: Crime

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

 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

 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

 “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

“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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Arbitrage (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A crook stuck between multiple crises

Some of the most engaging movies I have seen tell their stories through unlikable characters I can hardly identity with or care about, and these movies remind me that we do not always have to like or identify with the … Continue reading →

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West of Memphis (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Their long way to the justice they deserve

What is told in the documentary “West of Memphis” is still outrageous and infuriating to watch although I have already heard and known a lot about one evil crime which shocked the whole town, three suspects who were wrongfully accused … Continue reading →

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Passion (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A kinky thriller from Brian De Palma(you guess it)

“Passion” is the latest kinky thriller from Brian De Palma, the first-class master of trashy guilty pleasure. He is back in his sensational territory again with his usual bag of tricks, and the result is as much as what we … Continue reading →

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The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Three life stories in Schenectady, NY

 “The Place Beyond the Pines” attempts to present us three life stories together in its intimate and wide approach. While not all of its elements work well and its last act is relatively unsatisfying, it is an engaging drama about … Continue reading →

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Compliance (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Banality of Evil at a fast food restaurant

“Compliance” is a small one-situation drama which is simultaneously absurd, outrageous, horrifying, and disturbing in its cold depiction of dark human behaviors we are quite capable of if we are at the right place and the right time. It is … Continue reading →

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Spring Breakers (2012) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : And then it becomes no fun to them

 “Spring Breakers” is a gaudy exercise in callousness and recklessness. All these girls in the movie want is to get out of their boredom, and they certainly get it when they arrive in St. Petersburg, Florida. While usually wearing bikinis … Continue reading →

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