Tag Archives: Real-life story

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Her brilliant criminal writing career

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” tells us an amusing real-life crime story of Lee Israel, a washed-out biographer who resorted to forging letters of a number of famous figures when she happened to hit the bottom of her life and … Continue reading →

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A Private War (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Driven to front line

“A Private War”, the first feature film directed by documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman, looks into the life and career of Marie Colvin (1956-2012), an American journalist who devoted herself to her risky jobs till her unfortunate death in 2012. While … Continue reading →

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Blaze (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Inside Blaze Foley

Ethan Hawke’s “Blaze” is as melancholic and poignant as you can expect from a movie based on the life and career of a rather obscure real-life country musician. While thankfully free of genre conventions and clichés, the movie freely rolls … Continue reading →

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Brexit (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Behind Brexit

When I encountered the trailer of British TV movie “Brexit”, I wondered whether it was too early to make a film about Brexit. After all, Britain and its government and people are still struggling with the ongoing consequence of that … Continue reading →

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The Favourite (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A queen and her two ladies

Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film “The Favourite”, which received the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival in last year, is a delightfully edgy period comedy drama film to be savored. While it is relatively less dark and bizarre … Continue reading →

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Vice (2018) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4): The scattershot portrayal of Dick Cheney’s life and career

“Vice”, which is intends to give us a funny, scathing look into Dick Cheney’s life and career, turns out to be middling at best and plodding at worst. While it is at least anchored by one of the most committed … Continue reading →

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Beautiful Boy (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A father and his addict son

“Beautiful Boy” is not so successful despite some harrowing and painful moments it is required to deliver as a serious drama about addiction. Although its mostly non-linear narrative structure initially seems effective at first as its two main characters respectively … Continue reading →

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Leto (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): A biographical rock drama set in Leningrad during the 1980s

Russian film “Leto” tries to give us a glimpse into the Russian rock music culture during the early 1980s, and I admire its attempt to some degree. Although my mind frequently went somewhere when I watched it early in this … Continue reading →

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Green Book (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Driving for his black employer

“Green Book”, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival several months ago, is a mild crowd-pleaser film which would probably be more acceptable if it had been made around 30 years ago. While it is … Continue reading →

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The Old Man and the Gun (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): An old man living through bank robbery

“The Old Man and the Gun” is a little offbeat film which leisurely takes its time along with its aging criminal hero for its laid-back fun. Mainly working as a quirky and amusing character study, the movie gives us a … Continue reading →

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