Tag Archives: Filmmaking

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

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

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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Hail, Caesar! (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): There is no business like movie business

The Coen brothers have never been boring throughout their long, illustrious career. For instance, after a gripping cold-blooded neo-noir thriller in their terrific debut film “Blood Simple” (1985), they went all the way for cheerful wackiness in “Raising Arizona” (1987), … Continue reading

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My Mother (2015) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): This is where her mother is going to leave

It is always sad and painful to see your loved one going away from you forever, and Nanni Moretti’s new film “My Mother” calmly and sensitively depicts the emotional matters its heroine and her family members have to deal with after they … Continue reading

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Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : It could have been awesome, maybe

 One of my fond memories involved with an arthouse movie theater near my KAIST campus, which is gone now, is involved with a double feature showing of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “El Topo” (1970) and “The Holy Mountain” (1973). The promotional leaflet … Continue reading

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Saving Mr. Banks (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A spoonful of medicine behind Mary Poppins

 As a dramatized version of the real-life story behind a beloved classic film, “Saving Mr. Banks” is as pleasant and gentle as it wants to be. It becomes sentimental at times, but its warm sincerity feels genuine, and it is … Continue reading

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The Act of Killing (2012) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): This is one nutty filmmaking

 This is one nutty filmmaking. “The Act of Killing”, an absurd and chilling documentary about how the perpetrators of one atrocious political purge are still enjoying impunity along with power in public even after more than 40 years, has a … Continue reading

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Playboy Bong (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Bong Man-dae the softcore artist

Have you ever heard of a South Korean director named Bong Man-dae? Well, to be frank with you, I had never heard of him until I came across one article on his small hilarious mokumentary film “Playboy Bong”, which is … Continue reading

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