Tag Archives: Real-life figure

45365 (2009) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Welcome to Sidney, Ohio

Posted on December 28, 2020 by kaist455

I still fondly remember when I took a train from Chicago to Urbana-Champaign, Illinois in the morning of April 20th, 2010. I was going there for attending the 2010 Ebertfest along with many others including late critic Roger Ebert, and … Continue reading →

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Spaceship Earth (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Behind Biosphere 2

Posted on December 26, 2020 by kaist455

Matt Wolf’s documentary film “Spaceship Earth” presents a fascinating story behind Biosphere 2, an American Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona. The documentary is often amusing during its first half as delving into an interesting tale surrounding … Continue reading →

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A Hidden Life (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A meditative resistance

Posted on December 26, 2020 by kaist455

Terrence Malick’s latest film “A Hidden Life” is a meditative drama film which calmly and austerely explores its religious/spiritual themes via the real life of one ordinary man who chose to stick to his belief despite being aware of the … Continue reading →

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Rewind (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Rewinding to the abuse in his past

Posted on December 22, 2020 by kaist455

Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s first feature documentary film “Rewind” is often uncomfortable and disturbing to watch for good reasons. Calmly digging into his traumatic childhood past via a series of old home video clips shot around that terrible period, the documentary … Continue reading →

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City Hall (2020) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): Of a city and its government

Posted on December 22, 2020 by kaist455

I must confess that I cannot help but become very, very, very nervous whenever I have to watch and review the latest work from Frederick Wiseman, a great documentary filmmaker who has never stopped in his long, illustrious career although … Continue reading →

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Fatima (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little more thoughtful than you may expect

Posted on December 21, 2020 by kaist455

“Fatima” is a little more thoughtful than you may expect from its religious story subject. As your average agnostic atheist, I naturally observed its faith-based drama with some degree of skepticism from the very beginning, but it engaged me enough … Continue reading →

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The Infiltrators (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their risky fight against ICE

Posted on December 20, 2020 by kaist455

“The Infiltrators”, which won the Audience award and the NEXT Innovator award when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year, is an uneven but engaging mix of fiction and documentary. Although the overall result is … Continue reading →

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RKO 281 (1999) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A terrific TV movie to complement “Mank”

Posted on December 14, 2020 by kaist455

To be frank with you, it took some time for me to appreciate the greatness of Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” (1941), which has been regarded as one of the greatest works in the history of cinema during last several decades. … Continue reading →

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Ammonite (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A somber Victorian lesbian romance on the beach

Posted on December 8, 2020 by kaist455

Francis Lee’s new film “Ammonite” is a somber fictional romance drama between two different real-life figures in the 19th Victorian era. While it is a bit too dry, slow, and detached at times, the movie subtly and sensitively depicts the … Continue reading →

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The Way I See It (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The way he photographed the Obama Presidency

Posted on November 28, 2020 by kaist455

Dawn Porter’s documentary film “The Way I See It” looks deep into those memorable still photographs shot during the Obama Presidency via one ordinary professional responsible for them. Yes, he was simply doing his job as required during that time, … Continue reading →

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