Tag Archives: Real-life story

The League (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Leagues of Their Own

Documentary film “The League” looks over the mostly overlooked history of the African American baseball leagues during the early 20th century. As a guy not so knowledgeable about its main subject except, yes, Jackie Robinson, I observed the documentary with … Continue reading

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Citizen Ashe (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): More than a good tennis player

Documentary film “Citizen Ashe” looks into the life and athletic career of Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), a talented tennis champion who has been known mainly for being the first African American to win the US Open in 1968. Although he was … Continue reading

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Gran Turismo (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): From a gamer to a professional racer

The story promise of “Gran Turismo” sounded quite preposterous to me when I heard about the film a few months ago, and it is a shame that its unbelievable true story is reduced into a bland conventional underdog sports drama … Continue reading

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A Million Miles Away (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A migrant farmworker who became a NASA astronaut

“A Million Miles Away”, which was released on Amazon Prime in this week, is a rather tame presentation of one inspiring real-life story which deserves better in my inconsequential opinion. While the story itself is fascinating enough to hold my … Continue reading

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Bad Axe (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An Asian Immigrant family in the time of COVID-19

Documentary film “Bad Axe” presents an intimate personal portrayal of one Asian immigrant family struggling to live and run their little business during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is heartening to see how this family strenuously stick together for enduring … Continue reading

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It Ain’t Over (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Inside Yogi Berra

To be frank with you, I only vaguely heard a bit about Yogi Berra once before watching documentary film “It Ain’t Over”. Berra was a legendary baseball player mostly known for his rather humorous quotes, and the documentary shows that … Continue reading

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Finding Yingying (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Yingying Zhang is missing

Documentary film “Finding Yingying” focuses on the undeniably heartbreaking human aspects of one real-life missing case. Yingying Zhang, a graduate student at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois who was only 26 at the time of her missing, is a … Continue reading

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Oppenheimer (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): American Prometheus

Christopher Nolan’s latest film “Oppenheimer”, which was finally released in South Korean yesterday, is overwhelming to say the least. If you do not have much knowledge about its real-life hero’s life and career, you may get confused more than once … Continue reading

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Spoiler Alert (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their real-life love story

“Spoiler Alert” is a familiar love story which turns out to be more enjoyable and poignant than expected. Mainly revolving around the ups and downs of one ordinary gay couple, the movie swings back and forth between comedy and drama … Continue reading

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Ransomed (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A risky unofficial operation in Beirut

South Korean film “Ransomed” is a disappointment in more than one aspect. As a thriller, it is not particularly tense or engaging in my humble opinion, and I only came to discern more of many fictional embellishments on a real-life … Continue reading

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