Tag Archives: Documentary

Spy Nation (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A persistent journalistic record against injustices

Posted on October 28, 2016 by kaist455

Because I heard numerous news reports about its subject, there are not many things to surprise or enlighten me in South Korean documentary “Spy Nation”, but I could not help but be angry about a number of infuriating cases presented … Continue reading →

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The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The Beatles during its finest moments

Posted on October 22, 2016 by kaist455

As a tribute to one of the iconic pop bands during the late 20th century, Ron Howard’s documentary film “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week” may provide nothing particularly revealing even to the audiences with vague knowledge on the Beatles, … Continue reading →

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Breathing Underwater (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): The life and death of the women of the sea

Posted on October 9, 2016 by kaist455

South Korean documentary “Breathing Underwater” is about an interesting group of women in one small island. For earning their living, they dive into the sea without any special equipment except a few rudimentary tools, and the documentary touchingly observes how … Continue reading →

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The Lovers and the Despot (2016) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Kidnapped by their North Korean fan

Posted on September 25, 2016 by kaist455

I and most South Korean people are familiar with a bizarre real-life story presented in documentary film “The Lovers and the Despot”. It was one of the most infamous things committed by the North Korean dictatorship during last 66 years, … Continue reading →

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Where to Invade Next (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Moore Invasion

Posted on September 19, 2016 by kaist455

Michael Moore’s documentaries are not exactly ‘neutral’ or ‘unbiased’, but he has always presented his messages in not only entertaining but also enlightening ways. Sure, he is sometimes unfair to his targets to be criticized or ridiculed while also being … Continue reading →

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National Gallery (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Another super work from Frederick Wiseman

Posted on September 4, 2016 by kaist455

“National Gallery” is as slow and austere as you can expect from a documentary film by Frederick Wiseman, a legendary American documentary director who has established his long, illustrious filmmaking career for nearly 50 years since his first work “Titicut … Continue reading →

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Weiner (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The second rise and fall of Weiner

Posted on August 27, 2016 by kaist455

When Anthony Weiner attempted to run for the office of Mayor of New York City in 2013, he seemed to be on the way to a sort of redemptive comeback, and he actually had a very good chance for that. … Continue reading →

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Fire at Sea (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Far from each other – but also close to each other

Posted on August 23, 2016 by kaist455

Italian documentary film “Fire at Sea”, which won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival early in this year, simply observes its different human subjects. While life goes on as usual in one small Mediterranean island, there … Continue reading →

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Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Two great filmmakers, one monumental book

Posted on May 1, 2016 by kaist455

When I was young and wild during the 1990s, I began to be more serious about movies, and it was fortunate for me to have two wonderful things to boost my growing interest on movies around that time. First, a … Continue reading →

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Seymour: An Introduction (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): On his duet of life and art

Posted on April 18, 2016 by kaist455

The first minutes of documentary film “Seymour: An Introduction” was more than enough for me to become interested in its remarkable human subject. As a man who has happily maintained his own balance between life and art for many years, … Continue reading →

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