Tag Archives: Romance

Let the Right One In (2008) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A vampire girl on the next door

Posted on January 16, 2025 by kaist455

Is there any vampire movie as sad and poignant as the 2008 Swedish film “Let the Right One In”? This is a hauntingly chilly romance horror tale of loneliness and desperation, and I am glad to report to you that … Continue reading →

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

Millennium Mambo (2001) ☆☆☆(3/4): Looking back at her messy life

Posted on January 4, 2025 by kaist455

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 2001 film “Millennium Mambo”, whose 4K restoration version was released in South Korean theaters on the first day of this year, is an acquired taste for me just like many of Hou’s films, but it somehow engaged me … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Apartment (1960) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): A definite comic masterpiece by Billy Wilder

Posted on December 31, 2024 by kaist455

Billy Wilder’s 1960 film “The Apartment” is about two desperate people who come to reflect more on what they really want during one particularly melancholic Christmas season. This is surely a gloomy story in many aspects, but the movie did … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Heavy Snow (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Between Two Girls

Posted on November 12, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean film “Heavy Snow” depends a lot on the presence of its two lead actresses. Whenever they are together on the screen, they click well with each other all the time in addition to ably filling their rather under-developed … Continue reading →

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

Lucky, Apartment (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): That smell of fear and anxiety in their apartment

Posted on November 11, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Lucky, Apartment” is a quiet but tense drama about one lesbian couple who happen to be under a lot of pressure and conflict. All they simply want is a stable living environment where they can happily … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

No Heaven, But Love (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A modest high school queer romance film

Posted on October 19, 2024 by kaist455

I could not help but get distracted more than once as watching South Korean independent film “No Heaven, But Love”. While it mostly works as a modest but intimate high school queer romance film, the movie is rather uneven on … Continue reading →

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

The Notebook (2004) ☆☆☆(3/4): Sappy but still effective

Posted on October 13, 2024 by kaist455

“The Notebook”, which happened to be re-released in South Korean theaters in this week probably because of its 20th anniversary, is inherently sappy but undeniably effective as before. Yes, this is basically your average romance story, but it is still … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | 1 Comment

Love in the Big City (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Two Roommates in the city

Posted on October 4, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean film “Love in the Big City” looks and feels typical at first. Yes, the unlikely friendship between a gay man and a heterosexual woman is not exactly an unconventional story material these days, but the movie has its … Continue reading →

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

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Joker in Love – and Repentance

Posted on October 2, 2024 by kaist455

Todd Phillips’ new film “Joker: Folie à Deux” is something bound to happen after all the controversies caused by his previous film “Joker” (2019). Like Martin Scorsese made a sort of apology in “The King of Comedy” (1982) after “Taxi … Continue reading →

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

Band of Outsiders (1964) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): When Godard was really cool

Posted on September 29, 2024 by kaist455

Jean-Luc Godard was at the height of his artistic creativity when he was young and bold in the 1960s. After making a huge milestone spot in the cinema history with his great film “Breathless” (1960), he gave us a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment