Reviews

A rolling coaster of emotion & superb cinematography visualize.

With well-written characters, post-war sequelae, and exceptional acting... this movie just proves that it is one of the masterpiece movies this year.

First, I never thought I would love a MonsterVerse film, and admittedly looking forward to watching this so badly because heard it won an Oscar, even watched "Shin Godzilla" while waiting. I already watched some Hollywood Godzilla movies and never liked them at all, these movies are all just dull and meaningless which created a showcase for the development of their excellent cinematography.

★ The Plot:
The movie unfolds two years after the end of World War II, when Japan's economy was severely impacted and focuses extensively on postwar living and rebuilding the country from the ashes. Japan was embargoed during the time, and not only the economy but nearly every other aspect of life suffered greatly. Godzilla emerged out of nowhere, bringing the country, which was already in disorder and instability, to the edge of disaster.

--> In contrast to Shin Godzilla, which depicts the conflict between the young and old generations in the Japanese government apparatus, as well as the evolution of this monster, Godzilla Minus One focuses heavily on the personal tragedy of "each human face" to highlight the trauma they were forced to endure. All of the characters in the film had traumas following the war. When the situation pushes them to rise and confront a monster they know little about, the characters try to keep going because they believe the sun will shine again one day.

★ Characters:
While the human character arc is often ignored in Hollywood films, in this film it is the focus and core of the plot, contributing to the film's success. Our protagonist is one of the symbols of all the post-war suffering: survival guilt, and the loss of family that every person and soldier in that era went through. Even the supporting characters have ample screen time to express each of their emotions adequately.

★ Acting:
Kamiki Ryunosuke surprised me with his acting skills, he's nailed it as a kamikaze pilot character, the scared eyes to determine eyes, hands trembling, and lines... are all excellent. Other supporting and background actors also give their best in their roles to make their characters vivid.

★ Cinematography:
A big appreciation for the art of the screenwriter & director Yamazaki Takashi he's absolutely talented and one the best ever by making this art with just 15M$.

In the end, congratulations to the director and all the actors for won a best winning award for their efforts.

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"The soil of Burma is red. So are the rocks."

The Burmese Harp was a WWII film based on a children’s book by Takeyama Michio from 1946. The book was written to help young readers come to terms with Japan’s defeat while demonstrating Buddhism’s emphasis on altruism. Music featured prominently with both the Japanese and British soldiers singing as well as the playing of the titular instrument. This was the kindest, gentlest war film I’ve ever seen as the Japanese soldiers came to grips with their country’s loss and hoping to see home again.

A small group of Japanese soldiers are making their way through Burma (Myanmar) to Thailand when they are captured by the British. They learn the war has been over for three days. Capt. Inouye is unsure of what lies ahead of them but says they will face it like men and they will face it together. The Allies ask for a soldier to try and talk a group of holdouts on Triangle Mountain into surrendering. Inouye sends the harp playing Mizushima Yasuhiko and tells him to catch up with them at the Mudon POW camp 200 miles/322 km from where he will be after the mission. Unlike Inouye and his group of singing soldiers, the fanatical soldiers on the mountain don’t care that the war is over. They want to die for their Emperor and call Mizushima a coward. The Brits hit the hideout hard and Mizushima is the only one to survive. A traveling monk rescues him and nurses him back to health. While the monk is bathing in the river, Mizushima steals his clothes and later shaves his head so that he can make the arduous trip back to his men. Along the way he repeatedly comes across the decaying bodies of Japanese soldiers left where they lay. He buries a handful before continuing his journey. When he reaches the Buddhist monastery at Mudon he teaches a young boy a few new chords on the harp (Saung). The next morning he hears singing and finds the Allied hospital staff at the camp singing and praying over a Japanese soldier they have buried. Something inside of him fundamentally alters at this sight and instead of joining his men he turns back to bury the dead. Meanwhile, his men grow ever more concerned at his absence.

This film fell more into fable or fairytale than realistic war drama. Director Ichikawa showed the ravages of war and starvation in his excellent film Fires on the Plain (1959). While the book supposedly touched on Japan’s responsibility for the war and was critical of Japan’s militaristic actions and mindset, this movie veered away from those criticisms. Since the core concept of the film was for children--comfort women, the Nanjing Massacre, and dire reality for Allied prisoners in Japanese POW camps where 40% died was left out. This was a film about healing, friendship, and spiritual transformation in the face of defeat while not shying away from the staggering loss of life from war.

Music played an almost magical role for the soldiers in healing and binding the men together. It also brought out the shared humanity between the Japanese and Allied personnel. “Home, Sweet, Home” was sung by both groups and at one time all together. As Mizushima observed the scattered bodies with birds feeding on them, “O, Sacred Head Now Wounded” played in the background. In typical 1950’s fashion, the men sounded like a professional chamber choir when they sang and Mizushima’s battered saung provided the clear, dulcet tones of an orchestra’s multi-octave harp.

The soldiers longed for home and longed for peace. As they dreamed of returning to their lives in Japan they had no idea of the drastic changes ahead or that many places would be unrecognizable. Mizushima had been reborn while assisting the dead to rest in peace. He had to decide whether to stay in Burma and mend the past or go home and help rebuild his country. While this film may have shown a more idyllic version of humanity it couldn’t hide the horror and monstrous cost of war and didn’t try. This type of meditative, comforting film in the face of upheaval and how humans choose to react and grow was right up my alley. I thoroughly enjoyed The Burmese Harp. “…our work is simply to ease the great suffering of the world…to find the strength to create peace by one’s own example.”

2 May 2024

Home, Sweet, Home (For those too young to be familiar with it)

“Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there
Which seek thro' the world, is ne'er met elsewhere
Home! Home!
Sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home
There's no place like home!

An exile from home splendor dazzles in vain
Oh give me my lowly thatched cottage again
The birds singing gaily that came at my call
And gave me the peace of mind dearer than all
Home, home, sweet, sweet home
There's no place like home, there's no place like home!”

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A fantastic and well made prequel of the original 1954 film.

I never really liked or bothered to watch the countless films that followed the first Godzilla film because most of these sequels exploited the " bad monster destroys cities" theme again and again and again without having any serious plot or character development. Where the first film was all about how human actions affect our environment, the sequels were all about disaster entertainment based solely on the special effects and the scary monster that in the process wasn' t that scary after all.

I'm glad though that I've gave a chance and watched this prequel that has all the things that I enjoy watching. It is focusing on the characters, and it is a great commentary on the consequences of war and disasters on people and society, the survivors' guilt syndrome and the honnorable suicide that was and still is used as an "excuse" for the most horrendous crimes or the most stupid actions.

This prequel makes Godzilla a support character. The monster is still there but in the background and it is the actions and the reactions of the characters that make the monster actions get some meaningful and realistic impact.

The production is great, the special effects very realistic, the depiction of the era accurate and the music compliments nicely the scenes.
Overall is a great film to watch after watching the original 1954 one in order to get in the mood and see what Godzilla was actually all about. Kudos to the producers of this film that they managed to make Godzilla relevant again.

9.5 out of 10 from me as I reserve the perfect 10 for the original first film.

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Something a bit different

The biggest plusses for me with The Greatest Love are that it doesn't follow the standard tropes of lesbian romance and while one of the outcomes was predictable, the other was definitely not. The script and the characters reactions to tough situations was natural and believable; and the fear and anguish of the lead characters at the plot climax was palpable. The ultimate outcome was more hopeful than I expected, given the plot set-up.
I'm going to leave this review a little light on substance because I don't want to risk spoiling the experience of finding something new and different in the genre. Suffice to say, I've already watched it twice and I'll likely revisit it again. Well worth your time

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Love, in its purest form - can create Miracles ❤️

What is a miracle? One of the answers could be: finding love that is selfless and pure, especially in today's world. Which is why movies like this make such a deep impression on you & tugs at your heartstrings!

Story-wise: An intellectually-challenged man & his daughter live happily in their own world. However, their lives are disrupted when the father is wrongly accused of a heinous crime & sent to prison. Fellow prisoners & the warden mistreat him, given the gravity of his crimes - but over time, they realize their mistake & conclude that the man is framed. To make amends - they try to unite him with his daughter within the prison cell and in doing so - experience a Miracle that will last them all a lifetime! ❤️

Within this straightforward narrative lies a tapestry of powerful emotions:
• Anger/Frustration: when you witness the injustice.
• Happiness: when you see the love between - father/daughter, fellow prisoners, warden and officers
• Sadness: when you realize that there are somethings beyond you & you give in
• Hope: when you know even when everything seems lost and at the end, that is when miracles happen! ❤️

I know the focus was the above, but I wish they had shown the wrong-doers getting punished & accepting their mistakes in front of the main leads.

Overall: Highly recommend this to ALL. I myself held off watching it since long as I knew it would be a tear-jerker. Late to watch it, but glad that I did not miss this gem - one of the greatest film experience of our times, that has become a classic. In case you have not seen it yet - don't wait, keep a tissue box handy & watch the miracle unfold! ❤️

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Too Bloody

I initially wanted to watch it, but after i saw some clips or basically scrolled through the entire movie, I was utterly Disgusted by the gore and bloody, as someone who cannot handle bloody gore scenes, I dropped this movie as it was too bloody and disgusting, however I loved the actors and actresses and Seo in-Guk acting is Awesome! Unlike the previous roles he played, he managed to act out the character realistically, and honestly i was shocked at how well he was able to portray a villain, but I didn’t really understood the story, like everybody died at the end of the movie except one, like what?! overall it was just too bloody to watch and i suggest that those with a weak stomach or cannot handle blood to not watch it

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A heartfelt bucket list movie.

After finding out the cancer has relapsed, Shane is totally aware of what she has to go through again if she were to get treatment. So, not wanting to face the same trouble, she decided not to get treatment but instead to live her life to the fullest in her final months. Shane, her husband Byran, and their childhood friend Kristoff embark on a journey to Tasmania, Australia, to accomplish the 'Magic List'.

The idea of a terminally sick patient crossing things off their bucket list is not new. But despite lacking novelty, there are a few things that make this movie something more than checking off a bucket list. The journey is filled with not only picturesque places, travelogue-ish moments, and activity; it also explores friendship and love in a simple way, focusing on reconnecting with lost relationships. While the main characters are childhood friends of two men and a woman, there’s no love triangle involved. It’s pure friendship. So the conflict isn't very complicated.

When it comes to movies about illnesses, the melancholic and tear-jerking parts are expected. This movie managed to deliver both the tonality of enjoyable trip and the bleak side of reality very well. Although this movie has a good story structure, the pacing seems pretty rushed. It seems like it wants the audience to feel the sentimentality, but there is not enough space to really feel it or drown in the emotions. It's like a knee-jerk reaction. However, the good storylines help in making the whole idea and emotions palpable. With an impactful plot twist and a positive message about life, genuine love, and undying friendship, this movie stands out on its own despite having the all bucket list movie tropes.

Overall, it’s a good movie. but it could've been done better. How sad this movie is may depend on the individual, but it’s a movie to watch if you need an emotional release. Get a box of tissues ready.

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The boys whose names together are not the only thing that look good on them

Who has seen 'Hit Bite Love', the six-episode teen romantic drama released on Jinloe Media's YouTube channel in 2023, which tells the story of six boys from "Rose Garden College" who decide to break all taboos and learn the real truth about love...pain...and growth, don't you remember Burger and King, two of those teenagers?
Don't you remember those two classmates who one day, sitting at their desks next to each other, King, played by Newyear Nawaphat Thannamongkhonsawat, discovers that he forgot a book, so Burger, played by Jur Vasin Traiprakhong, tells him offer yours to share?
Have you already remembered? Of course. It couldn't be any other way, because you immediately connect with the story of these young people that starts from that precise moment, when King sees a drawing of himself in the book and mistakenly assumes that Burger likes it. After this, King finds happiness just thinking that he is loved by the boy who sits next to him and asks him out. However, he will soon discover that everything has been a misunderstanding, because Burger has no feelings for him.
But if in matters of the heart, misunderstandings have caused conflict and broken relationships, they have also brought love, happiness and hope. This is precisely what King finds when Burger enters his life and the two build an emotional connection.
Directed by Jakkaphong Pachara (Yuan), 'Firstly "Like" You' (ตกลงใครชอบก่อน), picks up the story to, through the eyes of Burger, the main narrator, delve into the relationship of the two young high school students .
Based on the entire footage of 'Hit Bite Love', which is just over five hours long, 'Firstly "Like" You' leaves aside everything related to the other two stories, that is, the love triangle between Ken , Shogun and Matteo, and the relationship of the stepbrothers Hida and Saint, to, in about 80 minutes, focus on the birth and evolution of the romance between the president of the school's drama club, and the student transferred to the famous college of high society.
By leaving out everything else, the drama is transformed into a comedy, which achieves a lot of acceptance among an audience that may have rejected the series for addressing topics such as toxic relationships and BDSM.
Bordering on a love triangle that is also not very interested in exploring in depth, the screenwriters Poy Orachat Brahmasreni and Chim Sedthawut Inboon expose in the narrative text themes such as love, adolescence, friendship, discovery, acceptance and personal growth, always in order to entertain, but also to make you reflect.
In this way, we will follow in the footsteps of the young boy with a silly, neurotic, enthusiastic and immature personality who, while he wants to join the drama club because he dreams of being an actor, will have to deal with the persecution of King, who is firmly convinced that his partner class is secretly in love with him.
Personally, I was amused by all of Burger's witticisms to get King away, because every time King approaches him, Burger gets nervous. Likewise, I enjoyed the close relationship between King and his mother, with whom the student has no reservations about confessing his most intimate secrets.
The audience will be able to enjoy how, based on the misunderstanding, King is the one who will be interested in approaching and pleasing Burger. It is pleasant to see how King, a responsible, mature and popular teenager, always surrounded by many girls interested in joining the club to be close to him, suddenly discovers his sexuality while experiencing a homosensual awakening.
'Firstly "Like" You' more than meets what is expected from a film of these characteristics. The keys are, mainly, its script, its aesthetics and its performances, because although the two protagonists have little experience and are only 16 years old during filming, their performances fit perfectly with the narrative style of the story.
Jur Vasin Traiprakhong takes the cake, for his grace, charisma and the way he handles the humorous scenes.
Another element to highlight is the music. Being the same as the series, the cast itself is the one who sings the songs that make up the film's soundtrack. In this way, we will enjoy Jur, Tae, Newyear, Pure, Bigboss, Vic and Alan, who perform "Hit Me Bite Me", a song composed by Alan Campana, and Vic and Tae singing "Oxigen", a song written and scored by Vic Vittawin Panichtamrong.
The photography, by Suchart Makhawimarn, contributes to making the story of two people who become friends and fall in love credible, despite being polar opposites.
Suriya Kaewkrong's editing achieves a fast and quite adequate narrative. However, flashbacks to scenes already presented could have been avoided.
Even so, it is regrettable that, seeking to visualize diversity on screens, the film portrays queer characters in a stereotypical way, due to their continuous screams and mood swings.
While it is true that Thai serial and film fiction with the presence of LGBT+ plots has experienced various changes since its appearance, going from an initial invisibility and stigmatization, in which the characters had to be presented as the opposite of what is morally acceptable in society , to a quantitative increase in these characters, and despite their decrease, traditional and recurring stereotypes continue to be used such as the effeminate LGBT+ character or transsexuals who, due to circumstances, act in a grotesque, exalted or tormented way due to their condition.
Despite the positive increase in the visibility of diverse sexual orientations and identities in BL series and films in this country, creators must take into account that a poor symbolic construction based on stereotypes reinforces not only the deformed social imaginaries about this minority, but the very identity of the collective.
This is even more important if we take into account the great socializing potential that the film and television industries have and the capacity for transnationalization that the distribution platforms of these entertainment products have achieved, as they can promote a distorted vision of this non-human group. only in the Thai national space, but also in the rest of the globe.
'Firstly "Like" You' reminds me of 'Kieta Hatsukoi', the 2021 Japanese teen and school Yaoi romantic comedy from the TV Asahi network, which tells how through a misunderstanding, Aoki, the high school student with a personality Brilliant and in love with Hashimoto Mio, the girl who sits next to him in the classroom, he ends up in a romantic relationship with Ida, his classmate.
I also find similarities with other Thai BL dramas. If in 'My School President', for example, Gun (Fourth - Nattawat Jirochtikul) and Win (Winny - Thanawin Pholcharoenratm) get to know each other more deeply after answering "36 questions that will make people fall in love", in 'Firstly' Like" You' King will propose a series of questions that Burger must answer as part of a theater club survey, claiming that the objective is to get to know the future actor better.
Of the three couples in the series, Burger and King was always my favorite. If they brought joy and life to the series, the film carefully chooses and stages the appropriate scenes to preserve the world created around these characters in the six-episode drama.
The one between King and Burger is a surprisingly tender and innocent teenage romance that is highly recommended, for its humor, for the reflections it invites us to, for the palpable chemistry between the two young people, and for how they manage to create a friendly bond first, romantic. later, without becoming a couple, since we will surely find this in the announced second season.

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Improved screenplay over previous installment

The major box office success of The Roundup series has brought us here to the fourth installment of the franchise, Punishment. Similar structure to the previous one, it had lesser action scenes and more towards story focus, but somehow this one is twice as much better than the lukewarm effort in No Way Out. All thanks to its improved screenplay and smoother flow of plot, it is much more cohesive than before, and the digital gambling case is interesting enough to provide a great hook for audiences. The cast is also much more favorable here, we have the return of Park Ji Hwan and his performance is simply too magnificent, till a point he almost carried the whole second half of the movie. Then we have new villains, Hyun Bong Sik is surprisingly underrated and his presence is massive even though he's just the villain sidekick, and finally needless to say, Kim Moo Yeol as the main villain is the ultimate right choice, he's freaking intimidating and quick at stunts too. Meanwhile the choice of ending is a little too weak because they've made the villain look thoughtless given how he ended up at the final fight location, but nonetheless they've regained their reputation this time around as the most prominent movie franchise in Korean action cinema.

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You're hearing, I'm deaf. We're different... Then I'll be deaf for you.

This is truly a wonderful movie!

I waited so long to watch this as it was not available for the international audience until two weeks ago when they released it on YouTube.

From the beginning to till the end you are going to feel a lot of things that you have never felt before. Because if I be honest I would say we, who can both hear and talk can never truly feel what a deaf/mute/ mute & deaf person really feels. We can try to understand but its far from being felt like one. The mature people can decode the silence but when that silence becomes your life then it's hard to understand spoken words. Which is why this film excels in portraying the message clear and loud. They made you feel those complicated emotions with silence and stares.

Now the most important thing that holds everything together is the leads acting and their insane chemistry. Oh my my I could feel the love from the screen! From hesitant gaze to slow stare I fell in love with the characters. Their chemistry was chemistring >.<

The OSTs and the music just hits the spot! I can definitely listen to them all day. They're so melodious and meaningful. From the trailer it's the first thing that made me want to watch the movie.

This movie is highly recommended if you want to let go of stress and those pent up emotions, then this is for you. It has fluff, a bit comedy, romance and a door to the wall of silence.

After finishing the movie now I can understand why is it named "One More Time. With Feelings"!

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One of the best stories ever written.

I'd like to note that I studied to become a writer. I wrote novel, short story, mainly thriller. I consider myself lazy to write this kind of thing, never wrote a review, but now here I am. I want to encourage writers and authors to watch this movie and learn from it. The Call, for me, one of the best stories ever written. So well made.

In literature especially for thriller, there's a concept called "stake". Basically, it means that the protagonist, who has a goal, encounter the antagonist who disrupts the goal, and the antagonist threaten the protagonist so that the protagonist has no choice but to pursue the goal.
This may sounded complicated, but listen. Most of the stories out there forget this thing. They write the protagonist need to pursue his/her goal because it's the goal, some sort of ambition. Wrong. Writers need to set the stake, for example, if the protagonist fails to reach the goal, they will die, or somebody die.

One thing that I'd like to note about The Call is there are no scene that useless. I hate this kind of useless scene. Most writers often uses scene for a simple "dramatic effect" that actually so silly. They fails to realize that those scene are garbage.
A scene must have one important key, "progression". Something yearns to progress. Either a new information, character development, relationship, etc. Two types of scene: action scene and reaction scene. Not trying to be a nerd with this but I analyzed everything in The Call, and it followed the basic theory of 27 structure.

This is how you write a story. All of the directors! Writers! whatever, watch this thing. Watch this. Learn.

"Oh, that concept of time paradox is very common."
Bro, shut up. I don't care about the theme. I'm not talking about the theme. If it's mainstream, so be it. I don't care. I watched lots of movie with great concept, big potential, but ended up as a waste, a dogshit.

Good or bad writing in movie is a preferences. But, correct or wrong writing in movie is a fact.

Spoiler:
It's just that police's death that felt off to me. That probably the only one plot hole nonsense in the story. Also, I felt it silly when the antagonist manages to avoid getting caught, somehow. I mean, starts from she killed her mom, especially when she killed the strawberry guy, it obvious that the police should know about this. However, they didn't. And it made the police looked dumb, disappointing the viewer and also insulting the viewer.
I think what should be done is the writer should create the antagonist more organized, not impulsive like that. This made the antagonist appeared smart, and the viewer would respect her and more scared to her. I mean, seriously? She killed the strawberry guy like it was Tuesday and the police really that one of an imbecile?

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Wholesome father daughter story

There’s not much to say for this movie, its nothing special or ‘never done before’, it actually reminded me a lot of the K-Drama ‘moved’ with the whole flying around and lifting stuff up in the air thing.

The story following a girl who loses everything, her mom, her job, everything, to a famous construction company since they wanted to bulldoze her chicken shop.
Her father heard of the news and decided to help her despite their relationship being rocky.

I wish they had told us the reason he left them. Surely it must’ve been bigger than just him leaving because he couldn’t afford staying with them. Imagine leaving your family and getting a divorce over that…?

However it was a nice story between him and his daughter. And though the movie doesn’t really have any other plots going on around it other than the main thing which is winning against the construction company, it was still enjoyable to binge while i’m bored.

Cute little movie to watch! I recommend it.

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Touching

I guess what impressed me the most with this movie was the female lead's acting. I liked how she acted on her scenes and character. She really aced this one. Both performances of the leads were great, but the female lead left a deep impression on me.

Anyway, plotwise, I researched the original story (the real-life one), and I realized they changed it a little. I still like it, though. The storyline is not lacking. It successfully captures what they want to show, from how they met to how they eventually married after what happened.

Also! I am moved by the guy's loyalty, as he stayed and waited until the end. The girl, on the other hand, was understanding, I think? She handled her situation calmly, especially when she was introduced to her supposed-to-be fiancée without remembering who he was. I also loved her effort in trying to remember him.

Overall, it was a great touching movie.

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