Tag Archives: Real-life figure

The Greatest Showman (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Schmaltzy but energetic

Posted on March 27, 2018 by kaist455

“The Greatest Showman” is willing to bet almost everything on song and dance as throwing itself into its saccharine show business story which is supposedly inspired by the life and career of P.T. Barnum, an infamous showman known for promoting … Continue reading →

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Only the Brave (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Against the fires

Posted on March 6, 2018 by kaist455

While thoroughly conventional in many aspects, “Only the Brave” works better than expected. The movie indeed is your typical human drama based on a real-life story, but it is engaging nonetheless thanks to its earnest storytelling and solid performances, and … Continue reading →

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The Polka King (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A goofy American tale of greed and delusion

Posted on February 25, 2018 by kaist455

Based on a fascinating real-life criminal case, “The Polka King”, which is currently available on Netflix, tells us a goofy American tale of greed and delusion. Here is a nice guy who simply wanted to achieve his success as trying … Continue reading →

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Victoria & Abdul (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Judi Dench still has it

Posted on February 24, 2018 by kaist455

During my viewing of “Victoria & Abdul”, I could not help but think about what a remarkable movie acting career Judi Dench has built during last 23 years. When she played James Bond’s direct boss in “GoldenEye” (1995), she was … Continue reading →

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Mrs. Brown (1997) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Queen and her Highlander servant

Posted on February 23, 2018 by kaist455

Although it has been more than 20 years since it came out, “Mrs. Brown” remains as one of better British period drama films made during the 1990s. Inspired by a fascinating human relationship in the life of one of the … Continue reading →

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Marshall (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Young Mr. Marshall

Posted on February 20, 2018 by kaist455

When I watched the trailer of “Marshall” several months ago, I was caught off guard because it looked like the movie did not intend to be your average biographical drama film. Looking quite bold and confident, the movie seemed to … Continue reading →

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A United Kingdom (2016) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Respectful but conventional

Posted on February 5, 2018 by kaist455

“A United Kingdom” is a respectful but conventional film about one extraordinary real-life interracial couple. While it surely shows us how courageous and resilient they were as standing together against lots of social/political pressure inflicted upon them, the movie unfortunately … Continue reading →

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All the Money in the World (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): All he cares about is money

Posted on February 4, 2018 by kaist455

What a piece of work J. Paul Getty is. While being the richest man in the world, he was also probably the cheapest guy in the world, and Ridley Scott’s new film “All the Money in the World” is compelling … Continue reading →

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The Post (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Standing up for free press

Posted on January 28, 2018 by kaist455

Steven Spielberg’s new film “The Post” looks at one important moment in the American journalism history, which is all the more relevant at present for good reasons. While it is often a little too blatant in delivering its timely social … Continue reading →

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Molly’s Game (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A crackling drama from Sorkin and Chastain

Posted on January 22, 2018 by kaist455

“Molly’s Game” is as talky and snappy as you can expect from a work written by Aaron Sorkin, who makes a directorial debut here in this film. While it surely has numerous lengthy dialogue scenes where its characters talk quite … Continue reading →

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