Tag Archives: Family

Nobody 2 (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A killer’s family vacation

“Nobody 2”, a sequel to “Nobody” (2021), attempts to generate more laugh and thrill from the one-joke promise of its predecessor. Although it is a fairly competent product, the result is more or less than a pointless rehash in my … Continue reading

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Night Always Comes (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Desperate hours

Netflix film “Night Always Comes”, which was released a few days ago, is a relentlessly bleak mix between character drama and noir thriller, which is mainly driven by the sheer human desperation of its flawed heroine. You may not like … Continue reading

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My Neighbor Totoro (1988) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): A simple but indelible country fantasy tale

As revisiting Hayao Miyazaki’s classic animation film “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988), I observed again how plainly simple it is in terms of story and characters. The story can be just described as a series of episodic childhood moments unfolded in … Continue reading

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Queen of Katwe (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): An unlikely chess player in Uganda

Mira Nair’s 2016 film “Queen of Katwe”, which is currently available on Disney+ presents a remarkable story about one extraordinary female chess player in Uganda. She was born in a slum neighborhood of Kampala, Uganda, but she and several other … Continue reading

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Life Is Beautiful (1997) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As a clown as well as a father

I cannot help but marvel at what is so cheerfully, masterfully, and touchingly done in Roberto Benigni’s 1997 Oscar-winning film “Life Is Beautiful”, which was re-released in South Korean theaters early in this month. This is a very special film … Continue reading

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Cuckoo (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): At one weird German Alps hotel  

“Cuckoo” alternatively baffled and unnerved me with its deliberate oddness. Although I am not sure about whether it is as effective as intended, I admire how it gradually dials up the level of its sinister suspense beneath the screen before … Continue reading

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Lilo & Stitch (2025) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4): likable but unnecessary

“Lilo & Stitch”, the live action movie version of the 2002 Disney animation feature film, is a likable product packed with enough charm and spirit, but I also somehow found it rather unnecessary. This is probably because I belatedly watched … Continue reading

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Still Walking (2008) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The distance among them

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2008 film “Still Walking”, which was re-released in South Korean theaters a few days ago, still shines in its tranquil family drama which comes to show more human complexity than it seems at first. While its gentle mood … Continue reading

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Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): It runs in the family…

“Final Destination Bloodlines”, the latest sequel of the Final Destination series, is actually better than expected. Just like its several predecessors including “Final Destination” (2000), the movie surely and firmly sticks to its diabolical rule on how to eliminate its … Continue reading

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Lilo & Stitch (2002) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Her alien pet

I somehow missed a chance to watch Disney animation feature film “Lilo & Stitch” when it came out in 2002, and now I deeply regret that after finally watching it at last night. While it looks rather modest in terms … Continue reading

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