Tag Archives: Family

I’m Still Here (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A family under the dictatorship in Brazil

Walter Salles’ latest film “I’m Still Here”, which recently won a Best International Film Oscar, calmly but powerfully observes a real-life personal struggle under the dictatorship period in Brazil during the early 1970s. While never overlooking the grim and horrific … Continue reading

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The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Anderson’s early dollhouse play

Revisiting Wes Anderson’s 2001 film “The Royal Tenenbaums”, I was reminded again of how consistent Anderson has been during last several decades. While this movie and many subsequent works of his are basically his own little dollhouse plays, they are … Continue reading

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Lucca’s World (2025) ☆☆(2/4): She’s simply trying her best for her son…

Netflix film “Lucca’s World”, which was released in last month, is unabashedly sincere and sentimental without much honesty or human depth for becoming something more than “the disability of the week” movie. The movie is certainly pleasant and appealing to … Continue reading

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Paddington in Peru (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Back in Peru

“Paddington in Peru” is as amiable and pleasant as it can be despite being a bit underwhelming at times. Although you may be disappointed to see that it does not reach the sublime comic level of “Paddington 2” (2017), the … Continue reading

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The Sand Castle (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The family stuck in an island

Netflix film “The Sand Castle”, which was released in last month, is an allegorical drama gradually revealing the underlying reality surrounding its main characters. The overall result feels a little too broad and symbolic, and it seems to lose its … Continue reading

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Starring Jerry as Himself (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little family project

Documentary film “Starring Jerry as Himself” works as a sort of sincere public service while also being a little family project for its main human subject. For showing what happened to him a few years ago, the documentary takes a … Continue reading

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Silver Apricot (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Dealing with her dysfunctional family

South Korean independent film “Silver Apricot” is about one young woman who must deal with several flawed family members who have been estranged from her for many years. This is surely a familiar story setting, but the movie did a … Continue reading

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The Animal Kingdom (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): When people are turning into animals

French film “The Animal Kingdom” is a modest but intriguing SF drama with enough style and substance to interest and then engage us. Although it is rather a bit too vague about its story premise, the movie stays focused on … Continue reading

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Ripples (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): The ripples in her mind

Japanese film “Ripples”, which happens to be released in South Korean theaters in this week, is a distant but occasionally amusing character study to observe. Although you may not like its rather neurotic heroine that much, you will also observe … Continue reading

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A Real Pain (2024) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): A tour about pain

“A Real Pain” really amused and touched me more than once, and that is quite an achievement in my trivial opinion. While it initially seems fairly simple as a familiar buddy road comedy-drama film, the movie is often surprisingly funny … Continue reading

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