Tag Archives: Real-life story

The Lovers and the Despot (2016) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Kidnapped by their North Korean fan

I and most South Korean people are familiar with a bizarre real-life story presented in documentary film “The Lovers and the Despot”. It was one of the most infamous things committed by the North Korean dictatorship during last 66 years, … Continue reading

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A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Looking at her from the distance

Israeli film “A Tale of Love and Darkness” is frequently frustrating in its distant attitude toward its sad, depressing human tale. Here is a woman who has probably been quite unhappy throughout her gray, melancholic life which has not given … Continue reading

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Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): No one can say that she didn’t sing…

Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944) was quite an interesting woman for not only her sheer lack of talent but also her incredible obliviousness to that awful truth. It seemed she really believed she was a good singer, but it is apparent … Continue reading

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Miles Ahead (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Miles before moving ahead

Shortly after the screening of “Miles Ahead” during this Saturday afternoon, I happened to have a brief conversation with one of the audiences. He pointed out how the movie was not so different from another recent jazz musician biography film … Continue reading

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Marguerite (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): By George, she can’t sing well…

It is always funny when a character seems so oblivious to how funny he (or she) is, and French comedy film “Marguerite” gets plenty of laughs from such a premise like that. Here is a lady who is so blindingly … Continue reading

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Freeheld (2015) ☆☆(2/4): A mediocre drama based on one real-life love story

If “Freeheld” had been made around 20 years ago, it would have looked a bit better and bolder as a movie willing to tell a story about sexual minority people and their equal rights. While its story is based one … Continue reading

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Born to Be Blue (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): Improvised from Chet Baker’s bluesy bottom

As a music drama loosely inspired by Chet Baker’s life, “Born to be Blue” tries a little different thing. While mainly focusing on a melancholic late period of this legendary American jazz musician’s life, it freely mixes reality and fiction … Continue reading

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Concussion (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An inconvenient medical truth

Around late 2011, I read a series of disturbing articles from New York Times. The articles were about a young professional hockey player named Derek Boogaard, and that was the first time I heard about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). While … Continue reading

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A Walk in the Woods (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A very late self-discovery journey

During my mildly enjoyable viewing of “A Walk in the Woods”, I got familiar impressions. I have seen other movies which did a better job of handling similar subjects than this passable one. I also have seen other cases where … Continue reading

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The Clan (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A double family life

A real-life criminal story dramatized in Argentine film “The Clan” is both disturbing and compelling to say the least. Here is the man who is not only a ruthless criminal but also an ordinary middle-class father, and we cannot help … Continue reading

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