Tag Archives: South Korean Film

Spirits’ Homecoming (2015) ☆1/2(1.5/4): These women deserve better than this

Posted on March 1, 2016 by kaist455

I am angry about South Korean film “Spirits’ Homecoming” for two reasons. I was angered as thinking about those many women forced into sex slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during the World War II. I was infuriated about how … Continue reading →

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DongJu: The Portrait of A Poet (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): The short life of a Korean poet

Posted on February 21, 2016 by kaist455

Wishing not to have so much as a speck of shame toward heaven until the day I die, I suffered, even when the wind stirred the leaves. With my heart singing to the stars, I shall love all things that … Continue reading →

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The Tiger: An Old Hunter’s Tale (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): One last hunt

Posted on December 17, 2015 by kaist455

While some of its parts are good enough to interest us, South Korean film “The Tiger: An Old Hunter’s Tale” is ultimately hampered by its incoherent and disjointed plot. At first, it seems to focus on its weary hero and … Continue reading →

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Inside Men (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): They are all together…

Posted on November 22, 2015 by kaist455

I watched South Korean thriller film “Inside Men” with bitter amusement on some of its darkest moments. Although it is a work of fiction as emphasized in its end credits, its dark, uncomfortable picture of power and corruption is not … Continue reading →

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The Priests (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Two South Korean priests against a force of evil

Posted on November 8, 2015 by kaist455

Since the big success of “The Exorcist” (1973), there have been lots of horror movies about exorcism, but, like those zombie movies, many of them were not particularly scary to me. Although “The Exorcist” may be not that shocking any … Continue reading →

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Fatal Intuition (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): She’s his only hope

Posted on November 7, 2015 by kaist455

South Korean film “Fatal Intuition” is a thriller mixed with some supernatural elements as a part of its creepy atmosphere. For finding a cruel killer on the loose, our dogged hero works with a girl who often experiences disturbing premonitions … Continue reading →

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The Exclusive: Beat the Devil’s Tattoo (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A scoop beyond his control

Posted on October 26, 2015 by kaist455

Around the ending of John Ford’s classic film “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962), one supporting character says, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” In case of South Korean film “The Exclusive: Beat the Devil’s Tattoo”, the … Continue reading →

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The Advocate : A missing body (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A trouble with his case

Posted on October 19, 2015 by kaist455

South Korean film “The Advocate: A Missing Body”, which is released as “Angry Lawyer” in South Korea, feels like an expensive TV pilot episode right from its opening title scene. First, we are introduced to a hero with considerable reputation … Continue reading →

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Right Now, Wrong Then (2015) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): Or Vice Versa

Posted on September 28, 2015 by kaist455

South Korean film “Right Now, Wrong Then” is another small piece of delight and amusement from Hong Sang-soo, one of the most prolific filmmakers in South Korea. Like Woody Allen, he makes one or two films per year, and watching … Continue reading →

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

Posted on September 20, 2015 by kaist455

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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