Tag Archives: Romance

Cold War (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Scenes from a Cold War romance

Posted on November 18, 2018 by kaist455

“Cold War”, which was recently selected as the Polish entry for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards, is a somber but mesmerizing film about two different people pushing and pulling each other in their sporadic but … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Stella’s Last Weekend (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Two Brothers and a Girl

Posted on November 17, 2018 by kaist455

“Stella’s Last Weekend” is a modest but enjoyable mix between family comedy and romance drama. While sometimes predictable and contrived, the movie is funny and engaging mainly thanks to the unaffected chemistry among its main cast members, and I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Ode to the Goose (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Ode to Gunsan

Posted on November 10, 2018 by kaist455

The works of Zhang Lü, who drew my attention for the first time with “Dooman River” (2011), always have a palpable sense of people and locations. While “Dooman River” immersed us into the realistic daily life of Korean Chinese characters … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Here they sing and dance again

Posted on November 6, 2018 by kaist455

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is better than I expected, and that is a little surprise for me. Yes, this is your typical jukebox musical movie just like its predecessor, but it is somehow less tiresome in comparison as … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Crazy Rich Asians (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): When she meets his crazy rich family

Posted on October 28, 2018 by kaist455

“Crazy Rich Asians” is a conventional romantic comedy film cheerfully flaunting many clichés and stereotypes with some fresh air of change. Although its story and characters are not so far from your average Asian TV soap drama, the movie distinguishes … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): His romance with a fading film star

Posted on October 28, 2018 by kaist455

“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” will interest you especially if you are familiar with Gloria Grahame, one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood during the 1940-50s. While appearing in a number of notable classic films such “Crossfire” (1947), … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Star Is Born (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): It’s old-fashioned indeed – but it still works

Posted on October 9, 2018 by kaist455

“A Star Is Born” is your typical old-fashioned show business melodrama which is quite familiar to the bone. A successful male star entertainer comes across an unknown girl with talent and potential, and then they fall in love each other … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Nappily Ever After (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Being herself with her natural hair

Posted on September 29, 2018 by kaist455

“Nappily Ever After”, which is currently available on Netflix, is a funny and delightful comedy movie about hairdo and self-image. As an Asian guy who has seldom cared about hairdo (I usually prefer crewcut, by the way), I initially observed … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Butterfly Sleep (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A romance before she is faded away

Posted on September 8, 2018 by kaist455

To be frank with you, I could not help but envy the heroine of South Korean-Japanese film “Butterfly Sleep”. As watching her cozy modern house filled with various books, I became curious about those books even though they are written … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Love, Simon (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Conventional but Notable

Posted on September 2, 2018 by kaist455

“Love, Simon” reminds me again of how things have been changed a lot for queer films these days. After the considerable success of “Brokeback Mountain” (2005), LGBTQ characters have become more common in American films during recent years, and now … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment