Tag Archives: Illness

My Punch-drunk Boxer (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Pansori boxer

Posted on October 12, 2019 by

The promotional poster of South Korean film “My Punch-drunk Boxer”, whose original title is “Pansori Boxer”, looked pretty odd and silly to me when I came across it a few months ago. After all, the juxtaposition of boxing and a … Continue reading →

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After Everything (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their shotgun romance prompted by cancer

Posted on December 11, 2018 by

“After Everything” is about two different people who happen to have a romantic relationship via sudden illness. When they talk with each other for the first time, something clicks between them, and then they come to closer to each other … Continue reading →

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Merry Christmas Mr. Mo (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A deadpan filmmaking tale of one barber

Posted on December 16, 2017 by

South Korean film “Merry Christmas Mr. Mo” is advertised as a ‘black comedy stranger than paradise’, and that description is correct to some degrees. While I was a bit disappointed to find that it is not as uproarious or edgy … Continue reading →

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James White (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): He is a mess – and his mother is sick

Posted on October 2, 2017 by

Patiently following and observing its flawed young hero, “James White” shows us a painful but inevitable process of late maturation. He has looked away from what he does not want to deal with for years, but then something happens to … Continue reading →

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The Big Sick (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): While she is in coma…

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

Not only smart and thoughtful but also funny and heartfelt, “The Big Sick” brings some fresh air to its genre. Yes, it is basically another story of two different people getting romantically involved with each other, but this small but … Continue reading →

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A Monster Calls (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A typical but solid fairy tale of grief and anger

Posted on September 10, 2017 by

“A Monster Calls” is a fairy tale which knows how to engage and enchant its audiences. While its story may be typical and predictable in terms of narrative and characterization, it impresses us with a number of nice fantasy elements … Continue reading →

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Other People (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): As his mother is dying

Posted on September 3, 2017 by

If you are a seasoned moviegoer like me, you will instantly see that “Other People” is filled with many typical elements you can expect from a bittersweet family comedy drama involved with terminal illness, but, fortunately, the movie is better … Continue reading →

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Certain Women (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A trio of haunting human dramas set in Montana

Posted on December 20, 2016 by

Looking over a train passing by a vast, remote landscape, the main title sequence of “Certain Women” hauntingly sets the tone for three stories to be unfolded one by one in a rural area of Montana. While not all of … Continue reading →

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Concussion (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An inconvenient medical truth

Posted on May 27, 2016 by

Around late 2011, I read a series of disturbing articles from New York Times. The articles were about a young professional hockey player named Derek Boogaard, and that was the first time I heard about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). While … Continue reading →

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Chronic (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Living through his sick people

Posted on April 23, 2016 by

It is always interesting to observe human behaviors from movies. “Chronic”, which received the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival in last year, engaged me because of its calm observation of curious human behaviors, but I was also … Continue reading →

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