Tag Archives: War

City of Ghosts (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Brave Syrian civilian journalists against ISIS

Documentary film “City of Ghosts” often chills us with its unflinching presentation of what was going on in Raqqa, a Syrian city which was relatively unknown before it became the self-declared capital city of ISIS in 2014. We see video … Continue reading →

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Darkest Hour (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Oldman’s Finest Hour

For Winston Churchill, 1940 was one of the most dramatic years in his illustrious life and career. While everything seemed to be over for Britain as Nazi Germany swiftly advanced over the Europe continent during that turbulent and perilous time, … Continue reading →

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): It’s certainly not the last one

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is a big entertaining surprise. Fully developing the potentials glimpsed from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), this ambitious piece of work not only excited me with numerous memorable sights but also intrigued me with … Continue reading →

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A Perfect Day (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): The trouble with a well

Leisurely alternating between comedy and drama, “A Perfect Day” works as an absurd farce about war and its tragic mess. While its story and background are specific, those human absurdities of war depicted in the film feel universal in many … Continue reading →

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The War Game (1965) ☆☆☆☆ (4/4): “This is nuclear war.”

“Oh, where are you coming from, soldier, gaunt soldier, With weapons beyond any reach of my mind, With weapons so deadly the world must grow older And die in its tracks, if it does not turn kind?” – from “Song … Continue reading →

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The Fortress (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): The impossible situation in a fortress under siege

There is the accumulating sense of despair hovering over the main characters in South Korean film “The Fortress”. As their stronghold is besieged by their powerful opponent, it is pretty clear to them that there are only two options left … Continue reading →

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First They Killed My Father (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A girl in the Cambodian Genocide

“First They Killed My Father”, which is currently available on Netflix, is a dark, harrowing tale of survival filled with quiet but powerful moments of horror and sadness. Based on the memoir of the same name by Loung Ung, the … Continue reading →

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The Beguiled (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A disturbance in their insular world

“The Beguiled”, the latest work from Sofia Coppola, is an atmospheric period piece about one small insular world and the quiet disturbance among its few inhabitants. When an outsider happens to be brought into their world, his presence gradually casts … Continue reading →

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Last Men in Aleppo (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Ordinary brave men in Aleppo

Closely looking at a group of ordinary brave men struggling in the middle of the civil war in Syria, “Last Men in Aleppo” gives us a bleak but undeniably gripping experience accompanied with growing anger and sadness. As we watch … Continue reading →

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War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Hail, Caesar!

The recent reboot of the Planet of the Apes series has been one of the most interesting cases of reboot during last 10 years. In “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011), the franchise successfully recharged itself with considerable … Continue reading →

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