Documentary

Anyone who has spent time around me knows that I am fascinated by what is known as the ‘Heroic Age of Polar Exploration.’ Ever since I saw the Fram, the ship that took Roald Amundsen to the South Pole, I have been fascinated by this period of history, events like the race between Amundsen and […]

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Comedy

For the final film I’m reviewing at the Edinburgh Film Festival, I decided to go for one of the big ones showing at the festival. I’ve been a fan of Alice Lowe since the release of Sightseers in 2012 and I’ve always been interested to see what she does. I enjoyed Prevenge when that was […]

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Animation

Once again, it’s time to cover my time at the London Film Festival. This has been the main event for my blog for the past few years, a rare time when it is guaranteed that reviews will be coming out. This year, I decided to go with more independent films, rather than the big galas. […]

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Adventure

I’m continuing my trend of animated films for my next screening at the London Film Festival and the film I chose next is right up my alley. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a number of great, silent animated films, such as the Shaun the Sheep films, The Red Turtle and Robot Dreams. All […]

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Biography

Love, like or loathe Donald Trump, it’s difficult to deny the guy does have charisma. And he’s led quite the charmed life. A big chunk of Trump’s life is presented in shiny biographical form in new movie ‘The Apprentice’ by Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi – a film that garnered quite the buzz at its premiere […]

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Biography

The Apprentice – A Cautionary Tale Biopic

What more can be said about Donald Trump? Like him or not, he and his influence are everywhere for better or worse. A New York City real estate mogul turned one-time President of the United States, the impact of the polarizing figure will undoubtedly be felt for generations to come. Running once again for President…

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Crime

Movie Review: “Green Night”

An airport security guard finds her life upended by a sketchy/flirty pixie in green hair and fingernails in “Green Night,” a Chinese romantic thriller starring Fan Bingbing that gives international exposure to Ms. Trouble in Green, Korean starlet Lee Joo-young. Our heroine is one of those nameless global functionaries with a metal detector wand who […]

Movie Review: Chinese expat learns to trust “luck” on her “Green Night” with a Korean Drug-smuggling Pixie

Drama

Tokyo Story (1953) A great family drama

As revisiting Yasujirō Ozu’s “Tokyo Story”, whose 4K restoration version is being shown in South Korean theaters now, I was reminded again how it is sublimely gentle and bittersweet in the intimate depiction of the human sadness and melancholy observed from its family characters. While many of them just softly and quietly interact with each […]

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Drama

The Notebook (2004) Sappy but still effective

“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 a well-made product which can actually engage us via its solid storytelling and several fine […]

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Drama

Suzhou River (2000) A gritty and bitter urban tale of romantic obsession

Chinese film “Suzhou River”, whose 4k restoration version was somehow released in South Korean theaters a few days ago, is a gritty and bitter urban tale of romantic obsession. Like many of other contemporary Chinese arthouse films, the movie requires some patience due to its slow narrative pacing, but this rather modest work is impressive […]

Suzhou River (2000) ☆☆☆(3/4): A gritty and bitter urban tale of romantic obsession