Tag Archives: Real-life story

Red Army (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The rise and fall of Soviet ice hockey

Simultaneously amusing and compelling, documentary film “Red Army” tells us a dramatic story about the rise and fall of Soviet ice hockey. Mainly through some of its best players, the documentary looks around their best and worst times during the Cold … Continue reading

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Bridge of Spies (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : The Lawyer Who Came into the Cold

Steven Spielberg’s new film “Bridge of Spies” is a compelling Cold War story deftly balancing itself between several different factors just like its no-nonsense lawyer hero who came into the Cold. Although it can be said that the movie is … Continue reading

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The Program (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Cycling on a big lie

The rise and fall of Lance Armstrong has a big irony we cannot help but notice at this point. He survived the illness which could have killed him, and he was determined to rise from his bottom by any means … Continue reading

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Amour Fou (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : “Would you care to die with me?”

When they meet each other for the first time, they have no idea of how they would influence each other’s fate. As pulling or pushing each other, they are slowly moved toward to a certain destination waiting for them from … Continue reading

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The Throne (2015) ☆☆1/2 (2.5/4) : A royal domestic problem beyond control

What drove them to such an extreme circumstance like that? South Korean period drama “The Throne”, which was recently chosen as South Korea’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in the next year, attempts to … Continue reading

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Bessie (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Latifah Sings the Blues

As a biographic drama about one fascinating real-life entertainer who went through many barriers as reaching for her stardom, HBO TV movie “Bessie” is not without problems. It is rather plain and clichéd while riddled with several glaring problems including … Continue reading

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Straight Outta Compton (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Rappers with Attitudes

Galvanizing the audiences with a bunch of propulsive songs from a famous hip hop group during the 1980-90s, “Straight Outta Compton” is a vivid, pulsating music biographical film to watch. Like their music and attitude in public, the movie is … Continue reading

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A Brilliant Young Mind (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): Math + Emotion

“A Brilliant Young Mind”, which was released as “X + Y” in UK early in this year, initially looks like one of those sappy feel-good movies. First, we have a smart but socially awkward teenager who is going to face … Continue reading

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Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Inside Curt Cobain

Since his tragic death in 1994, Curt Cobain has solidified his position as one of the legendary musicians during the 1990s. To be frank with you, I did not give much attention to his band Nirvana mainly because I was … Continue reading

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Love & Mercy (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Going down – and going up again

Brian Wilson has lived an interesting life which is sometimes too dramatic to be believed. After ascending to the top with his legendary band at young age, he tried to move forward with his new ideas, but then he slowly … Continue reading

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