Tag Archives: Fantasy

Spirited Away (2001) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): A girl’s adventures in Miyazaki’s Wonderland

As revisiting Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 animation feature film “Spirited Away” yesterday, I marveled again on the vivid and mesmerizing qualities of its endlessly fascinating fantasy world. Even though the movie does not explain that much on the whole, we instantly … Continue reading

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Princess Mononoke (1997) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): An epic fantasy drama by Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 animation feature film “Princess Mononoke”, which happens to be re-released in South Korean theaters today, is an epic fantasy historical drama to behold and admire. While its story engages us as a complex drama of ideas, intrigues, … Continue reading

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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): A boy and his alien friend

Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, which was re-released in selected theaters in South Korea in this week, is a pure cinematic magic to behold even though more than 40 years passed since it came out. On the surface, … 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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KPop Demon Hunters (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A ridiculously fun K-POP fantasy animation

First, I must confess that animation feature film “KPOP Demon Hunters”, which was released on Netflix a few weeks ago, willingly goes into a musical territory not so familiar to me to say the least. Yes, despite being a South … Continue reading

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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): Miyazaki’s first big break

Hayao Miyazaki’s 1984 animation feature film “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, which happens to be re-released in South Korean theaters a few days ago, is still a rich and enchanting work of awe, wonder, and interest. Although it … Continue reading

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Elio (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A boy’s little cosmic adventure

“Elio”, the latest animation feature film from Pixar Animation Studios, is a modest but sweet SF fantasy tale which often amused me for good reasons. While it will be fairly enjoyable to young audiences thanks to its bright and colorful … Continue reading

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How to Train Your Dragon (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Is this really necessary?

“How to Train Your Dragon”, the live action movie version of the 2010 animation film of the same name, is fairly enjoyable but also quite unnecessary in my humble opinion. Although this is a competent product which will probably satisfy … Continue reading

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Hi-Five (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A lively South Korean superhero film

South Korean film “Hi-Five” have some silly but cheerful fun with its colorful genre elements, and I enjoyed that more than expected. While this is another familiar superhero origin tale, the movie is funny and spirited with a lot of … Continue reading

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Thunderbolts* (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A bunch of losers

“Thunderbolts*”, the latest product from Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), attempts to bring more fun and excitement to its franchise, and that succeeds to some degree. While this is basically a very familiar mix between “The Avengers” (2012) and “Suicide Squad” … Continue reading

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