Tag Archives: Real-life story

Bobi Wine: The People’s President (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): A musician against autocracy

Documentary film “Bobi Wine: The People’s President”, which recently received a nomination for Best Documentary Oscar, focuses on a popular musician who became a defiant political fighter for his country and people. While he has been brutally oppressed a lot … Continue reading

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A Thousand Cuts (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The threat against journalism in the Philippines

Documentary film “A Thousand Cuts” reminds us of the undeniable importance of good journalism – and how it can be so easily threatened in our current chaotic time. Even at this point, our world is still struggling with the disturbing … Continue reading

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Ferrari (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Calm and detached just like its hero

Michael Mann’s new film “Ferrari” is calm and detached just like its hero, who builds a wall around whatever he feels and thinks inside as he says at one point in the story. As a sort of antithesis to James … Continue reading

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Priscilla (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Lost in Graceland

Since her first two feature films “The Virgin Suicides” (1999) and “Lost in Translation” (2003), Sofia Coppola has consistently adhered on her artistic territory. Her subsequent notable works such as “Marie Antoinette” (2006), “Somewhere” (2010), and “The Beguiled” (2017) are … Continue reading

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Citizen of a Kind (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Ra Mi-ran rules again

It seems to me that South Korean actress Ra Mi-ran is one of the rare performers who can sell almost anything to audiences. Although I did not like her recent comedy film “Honest Candidate” (2020) and its following 2022 sequel … Continue reading

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Beyond Utopia (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Away from North Korea

Documentary film “Beyond Utopia”, which won the Audience Award when it was premiered at the US Documentary Competition section of the Sundance Film Festival early in last year, is alternatively chilling and harrowing in its close observation of several North … Continue reading

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Dumb Money (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): How they beat those Wall Street guys

“Dumb Money” tries to present the absurd aspects of the GameStop short squeeze incident in 2021, but it somehow fails to intrigue and engage me enough despite some entertaining moments. Sure, its main subject is certainly an interesting example showing … Continue reading

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Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Brooks on Albert

I must confess that it took some time for me to appreciate more of that immense talent of Albert Brooks. When I was just a young South Korean moviegoer a long time ago, he seemed to me like a merely … Continue reading

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Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Beyond his legendary flamboyance

Documentary film “Little Richard: I Am Everything” looks around the life and career of Little Richard, who has been regarded as the ground-breaking pioneer of American Rock and Roll music. As looking beyond his legendary flamboyance, the documentary illuminates an … Continue reading

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Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): The Father of Video Art

I remember an old local TV commercial featuring Nam June Paik and one of his artworks. Although I was just a little boy when I came across it in the early 1990s, what was shown from that local TV commercial … Continue reading

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