Tag Archives: Thriller

1BR (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Trapped in a deadly neighborhood

Posted on August 2, 2020 by kaist455

“1BR” is a little devious horror thriller film which pushes its modest story idea a bit more than I expected. While initially reminiscent of several other similar horror films including Roman Polanski’s “The Tenant” (1976), the movie gives us a … Continue reading →

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Steel Rain 2: Summit (2020) ☆☆(2/4): A jumbled South Korean geopolitical thriller

Posted on July 30, 2020 by kaist455

South Korean film “Steel Rain 2: Summit”, which is a sort of retread instead of being a direct sequel to “Steel Rain” (2017), a jumbled geopolitical thriller which tries too many things at once. While it strives to maintain its … Continue reading →

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Steel Rain (2017) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A race against another Korean war

Posted on July 29, 2020 by kaist455

South Korean film “Steel Rain”, which I somehow missed when it was released in South Korean theaters around the end of 2017, is so fast, efficient, and urgent during its first half that it let me down during its middling … Continue reading →

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Time to Hunt (2020) ☆☆(2/4): They mess with a wrong target, of course

Posted on May 1, 2020 by kaist455

South Korean film “Time to Hunt”, which was originally scheduled to be released in South Korea movie theaters around the end of this February but then, after some last-minute legal dispute, was instead released on Netflix in last week due … Continue reading →

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Come to Daddy (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Getting to know his dad again

Posted on March 2, 2020 by kaist455

“Come to Daddy” is a mean but entertaining comedy thriller about one problematic father and son relationship. Because the movie depends much on a number of plot turns, I will describe its story and characters as little as possible without … Continue reading →

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Villains (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): They enter a wrong house…

Posted on January 11, 2020 by kaist455

“Villains” is a little morbid comedy film about a young criminal couple who happens to come across another criminal couple who turns out to be a lot worse than them. Once it establishes the setting for its main characters, the … Continue reading →

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Little Joe (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Little flower of paranoia

Posted on December 11, 2019 by kaist455

Jessica Hausner’s new film “Little Joe” is a dry, detached psychological thriller which tantalizes us with its intriguing premise in the beginning and then only leaves us in a little too much of ambiguity in the end. While it is … Continue reading →

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Knives Out (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A deliciously entertaining whodunnit

Posted on December 5, 2019 by kaist455

Rian Johnson’s latest film “Knives Out” is a deliciously entertaining whodunnit which will delight any devoted fan of mystery novels like me. While I could see through its wily, dexterous handling of plot elements at time, I was really caught … Continue reading →

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Doctor Sleep (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): An eclectic sequel between King and Kubrick

Posted on November 8, 2019 by kaist455

Mike Flanagan’s new film “Doctor Sleep” is an eclectic sequel sandwiched between two contrasting sources of inspiration: Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick. While officially based on King’s novel of the same name which is a sequel to his famous horror … Continue reading →

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The Forest of Love (2019) ☆☆(2/4): A monotonously self-indulgent work by Sion Sono

Posted on October 13, 2019 by kaist455

The works of Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono are definitely not something you can casually watch on Sunday afternoon. I still remember well how much I was chilled and disturbed by “Cold Fish” (2010), a remorselessly cold-blooded thriller about an ordinary … Continue reading →

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