Tag Archives: Thriller

Midnight Special (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : It deserves its odd title

Posted on June 18, 2016 by kaist455

Reminiscent of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), “Starman” (1984), and TV series “The X-files”, “Midnight Special” virtually puts us right in the middle of its ongoing situation we gradually come to grasp along its narrative. This small but … Continue reading →

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The Handmaiden (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Pretty, Kinky, and Naughty

Posted on June 3, 2016 by kaist455

South Korean film “The Handmaiden” is a droll, morbid exercise in sensuality and perversity. Besides being a sumptuous erotic melodrama which tantalizes and enthralls our eyes with its ornate moods and details, this is also a delightfully twisted thriller which … Continue reading →

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The Wailing (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Driven into insidious chaos

Posted on May 16, 2016 by kaist455

The deviously overwhelming chaos in South Korean film “The Wailing” disturbed and frightened me. The movie lured me as setting the ground under its unnerving mood, and then it grabbed me tight as going wild with its genre elements, and … Continue reading →

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Phantom Detective (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): An offbeat noir from South Korea

Posted on May 8, 2016 by kaist455

South Korean film “Phantom Detective” is an amusing mixed bag stuffed with different genre elements which do not seem to fit together at first but somehow work on the whole in its offbeat concoction. After all, not many movies have … Continue reading →

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10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Three below the ground

Posted on April 11, 2016 by kaist455

As the opening sequence of “10 Cloverfield Lane” is unfolded, we know that something bad will happen sooner or later. Everything looks mundane on the surface as its young heroine leaves her place, but the ominous score on the soundtrack … Continue reading →

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Z for Zachariah (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A triangle in the post-apocalyptic world

Posted on March 6, 2016 by kaist455

I do not mind ambiguity, but the ambiguous nature of “Z for Zachariah” frustrates me instead of intriguing me. As a sort of post-apocalyptic chamber drama, the movie focuses on the psychological tension being developed among three characters who may … Continue reading →

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Crimson Peak (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A creepy exercise in Gothic romance horror

Posted on November 29, 2015 by kaist455

In last month, I came across a New York Times article on Guillermo del Toro’s his private place called Bleak House, and it was one of the most entertaining articles I read during recent months. The article vividly described this … 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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The Visit (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : An odd, creepy week with grandparents

Posted on October 17, 2015 by kaist455

“The Visit” is as good as its two main characters wish. They hope to shoot something special with their cameras, and then they sort of get their wish as they become more aware of a certain sinister undertone around their … Continue reading →

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