Tag Archives: High School

The Holdovers (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Stuck together during one Christmas season

Posted on December 2, 2023 by kaist455

Alexnader Payne’s latest film “The Holdovers”, which will simply be released in South Korea as “Barton Academy”, is a dry but humorous character drama which will grow on you a lot for its excellent mood, performance, and storytelling. While it … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Christmas, Comedy, High School, Teacher and Pupil, The Vietnam War | 2 Comments

The Dream Songs (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Two girls on one day

Posted on October 29, 2023 by kaist455

The emotional power of South Korean film “The Dream Songs” mainly depends on how much you know about a certain disastrous incident which shook the whole South Korean society on April 16th, 2014. I think the story itself will still … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Friend, High School, Romance, South Korean Film, Student | 1 Comment

Totally Killer (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Scream mixed with Back to the Future

Posted on October 8, 2023 by kaist455

“Totally Killer”, which was released on Amazon Prime a few days ago, is another familiar genre mix which thankfully has enough entertaining moments to hold our attention to the end. As slyly recognized in the film, this is basically a … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged High School, High Schooler, Horror, Mother and daughter, Murder, Serial Killing, Time Travel | Leave a comment

Hail to Hell (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): This is surely not what they expected…

Posted on August 18, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Hail to Hell” surprised me more than once for good reasons. As following two young outcasts’ silly attempt of personal revenge, the movie generates a number of sharply humorous moments for us, and then it goes … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Christianity, Friend, High School, revenge, South Korean Film | 2 Comments

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The tale of a Kraken girl

Posted on July 29, 2023 by kaist455

Animation feature film “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kragen” might have felt a bit more refreshing if it came out a few years earlier at least. During my viewing, I was reminded of several other recent animation films including “Luca” (2020) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Adolescence, Animation Film, Coming-of-age drama, Family, Fantasy, High School, High Schooler, Mother and daughter | Leave a comment

World’s Best (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little but likable Disney rap musical

Posted on June 30, 2023 by kaist455

“World’s Best”, which is released on Disney+ in last week, is a little but likable Disney rap musical about a smart middle school kid who boldly takes a chance with rap music. Although its story and characters are actually pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Father and son, High School, Mathematics, Middle School, Mother and Son, Rap music | Leave a comment

The Summer (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): After that summer romance of theirs

Posted on June 17, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean queer animation film “The Summer” gives us a simple but bittersweet presentation of one summer romance and its aftermath. As tenderly and sensitively observing the start, development, and end of romantic relationship between its two different lead characters, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Animation Film, High School, Homosexaulity, Romance | Leave a comment

Trans (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little but ambitious high school SF mystery drama

Posted on May 15, 2023 by kaist455

There were several times when I wondered whether I really understood everything in South Korean independent film “Trans”, a deliberately baffling high school SF mystery drama about an intriguing possibility of technological transcendence beyond singularity. I must confess that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged High School, High Schooler, Mystery, SF, Singularity, South Korean Film | Leave a comment

Ghost World (2001) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A quirky girl and her unexpected friend

Posted on April 17, 2023 by kaist455

I am fascinated with how Terry Zwigoff’s “Ghost World” has grown on me since I watched it for the first time around 15 years ago. At that time, I was a graduate student who was socially awkward but had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Friendship, Graudation, High School | Leave a comment

Rebound (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Rebounding from the bottom

Posted on April 9, 2023 by kaist455

South Korean film “Rebound” follows its conventional genre playbook fairly well while making some unexpected moves at times. As your average underdog sports drama incidentally inspired by a dramatic real-life story, it will not surprise you that much if you … Continue reading →