Tag Archives: Drama

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Chadwick Boseman’s last film

Posted on December 20, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, which was released on Netflix on last Friday shortly after having a limited theatrical release in US several week ago, is a commendable adaptation of the acclaimed play of the same name by late … Continue reading →

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Panda Bear It (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): He sees that panda bear everywhere…

Posted on December 16, 2020 by kaist455

Four years ago, I received an e-mail from a young American independent filmmaker named Evan Kidd, who was quite eager to persuade me to watch his first feature film “Son of Clowns” (2016). Although I had never heard of him … Continue reading →

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Blow the Man Down (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little crime comedy drama in Maine

Posted on April 1, 2020 by kaist455

“Blow the Man Down”, which won the Best Screenplay award at the Tribeca Film Festival early in last year and then was recently released on Amazon Prime Video, is a little crime comedy drama packed with enough local mood and … Continue reading →

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Bacurau (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An odd mixed bag of genres from Brazil

Posted on January 15, 2020 by kaist455

Brazilian film “Bacurau”, which received the Jury Prize along with French film “Les Misérables” (2019) at the Cannes Film Festival early in last year, is an odd mixed bag of genres which did not click that well with me. While … Continue reading →

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Taipei Story (1985) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Lost in Taipei

Posted on November 10, 2019 by kaist455

Edward Yang’s “Taipei Story”, which was released in South Korean theaters a few days ago, is a melancholic urban drama about loneliness and disconnection. Although it initially requires considerable patience from us due mainly to its slow narrative pacing and … Continue reading →

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Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An ordinary South Korean female life

Posted on October 24, 2019 by kaist455

I could not help but respond to a number of seemingly mundane but undeniably strong moments in South Korean film “Kim Ji-young: Born 1982”, which has been one of the most anticipated movies of this year in South Korea thanks … Continue reading →

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An Elephant Sitting Still (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): One long, hopeless day

Posted on July 11, 2019 by kaist455

Chinese film “An Elephant Sitting Still”, which won the FIPRESCI Award when it was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival early in last year, is filled with the glum sense of despair and hopelessness throughout its nearly 4-hour running … Continue reading →

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The Heiresses (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As she tentatively steps out of her hermetic life

Posted on January 2, 2019 by kaist455

“The Heiresses”, which was selected as Paraguay’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards in last year, is a small but impressive drama about a plain middle-aged woman happening to struggle alone during the absence … Continue reading →

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The Tale (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): How differently she remembers

Posted on July 23, 2018 by kaist455

Memory can be deceptive at times, and HBO film “The Tale” explorers that tricky aspect through its heroine’s painful emotional journey into her past. As she comes to realize how unreliable her memories are, she comes to see more of … Continue reading →

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Hannah (2017) ☆☆(2/4): Drab, dreary, and hollow

Posted on July 22, 2018 by kaist455

It took some time for me to appreciate the distinctive presence of Charlotte Rampling. As far as I remember, I noticed her for the first time through her supporting turn in “Angel Heart” (1987), and then I came to see … Continue reading →

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