Tag Archives: Husband and Wife

Contempt (1963) ☆☆☆(3/4): Until there is nothing but contempt for him

Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film “Contempt”, whose recent 4K restoration version was released in selected South Korean theaters in last week, is a distant but fascinating cinematic experiment. Although I am not so enthusiastic about the film unlike many others, the … Continue reading

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The Return (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The bitter return of the king

Uberto Pasolini’s 2024 film “The Return” is a grim, shabby, and bitter tale based on the second half of Homer’s “The Odyssey”. Unlike Christopher Nolan’s new film “The Odyssey” (2026), the movie does not have much action or spectacle on … Continue reading

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The Glimmering (2025) ☆1/2(1.5/4): A little misguided total bore

South Korean independent film “The Glimmering” is a little misguided total bore. I did not care at all about what it is about or how it is about, and, despite my attempt to be open-minded about whatever it intends to … Continue reading

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Is This Thing On? (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A comic way to deal with his middle-life crisis

Bradley Cooper’s 2025 film “Is This Thing On?”, which is currently available on Disney+ in South Korea, is an engaging mix of drama and comedy. While it looks relatively modest compared to his two previous directorial works “A Star Is … Continue reading

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Crooklyn (1994) ☆☆☆(3/4): A childhood in Brooklyn in the 1970s

Spike Lee’s 1994 film “Crooklyn” is a little but charming family drama which is often interesting for its semi-autobiographic elements. Written by Lee and his two siblings Joie Susannah Lee and Cinqué Lee, the movie certainly feels quite personal in … Continue reading

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Hamnet (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Shakespeare in Grief

Chloé Zhao’s latest film “Hamnet”, which received the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in last year and then recently garnered 8 Oscar nominations including the ones for Best Picture and Best Director, is a curious mix … Continue reading

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Between the Two of Us (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Disability and pregnancy

South Korean film “Between the Two of Us” is a sincere but flawed drama about one young pregnant woman with a disability. While it is fairly engaging to observe how much she is anxious and pressured due to her increasingly … Continue reading

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Reds (1981) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An epic left-wing period drama by Warren Beatty

While revisiting Warren Beatty’s 1981 film “Reds” at last night, I observed how it stays focused on ideas and emotions behind its grand and ambitious attempt to illustrate the life and career of its real-life left-wing American journalist hero. Yes, … Continue reading

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The Roses (2025) ☆☆(2/4): A less vicious and funny remake

Jay Roach’s latest film “The Roses” is too mild and mellow for becoming truly mean and vicious enough to delve into the dark aspects of its story and characters. As unwisely trying to make the two main characters at the … Continue reading

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The War of the Roses (1989) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A divorce war with no compromise

Is there any divorce comedy film as dark, cynical, and vicious as Danny DeVito’s 1989 film “The War of the Roses”? The main pleasure of this particularly nasty classic comedy movie is how uncompromising it is with a number of … Continue reading

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