Tag Archives: Real-life figure

Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): He is a lot cooler than you may think…

Posted on January 17, 2021 by kaist455

Jimmy Carter was surely one of the most decent and admirable American Presidents in the 20th century. While his presidency was not entirely without faults and failures, he and his government certainly showed the better sides of the country to … Continue reading →

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Kingdom of Silence (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A journalist who cared about his country

Posted on January 10, 2021 by kaist455

Showtime documentary film “Kingdom of Silence” glimpses into the life and career of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose brutal murder at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul, Turkey shocked many of us in October 2018. Mainly revolving around the … Continue reading →

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Mr. Jones (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The price of reporting a truth

Posted on January 9, 2021 by kaist455

Agnieszka Holland’s new film “Mr. Jones” is an earnest period drama about a young reporter who struggled to maintain his professional integrity after coming to learn of a terrible injustice behind the Soviet Union government in the 1930s. While it … Continue reading →

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The Man Standing Next (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): It’s really hard for him to stand next to his big boss…

Posted on January 5, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean film “The Man Standing Next” is a slick and competent period drama film which does not go further than what I and many other South Korean audiences already know. Based on one of the major historical incidents in … Continue reading →

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Evaporated (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Since his daughter was vanished

Posted on January 2, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean documentary film “Evaporated” is shrouded in somber desperation and frustration right from the beginning. Closely observing a father’s longtime search for his vanished daughter, the documentary calmly and sensitively observes that overwhelming psychological burden on not only him … Continue reading →

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Giving Voices (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Young students channeling August Wilson’s legacy

Posted on December 29, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix documentary film “Giving Voices”, which was released in last week, follows a number of different participants of one significant annual cultural event commemorating and enlivening the legacy of one of the greatest American playwrights in our modern time. Simply … Continue reading →

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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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