Reviews

Holy $HIT SHOW!

How do you take 2 great books a handful of beloved characters and complete ruin them? You make a movie that's an hour and a half long. I wasn't expecting much from this and I was still Disappointed. It's just all over the place and pulling bits and pieces of the books and not even the good bits. Very little Day and Itt and let's face it Love Syndrome is Day and Itt. It's disappointing since this had a lot of potential to be an amazing series that could have been multiple season focusing on different couples because I'm guessing we all want to see Neil and Nick's story as well as Nan and Mac. I love these books and Love Syndrome III wasn't the greatest but it freaking amazing compared to this streaming pile of crap. So disappointed I was really looking forward to watching Day and Itt's relationship progress as well as seeing Nick and Neil.

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A movie to watch

Monster is a movie which is written by celebrated Japanese writer Yuji Sakamoto. However, Monster is a little more gritty. This film won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screen Play in 2023. Also, it’s star and female lead Sakura Ando won The Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress for Monster. In addition, youth actor Soya Kurokawa from Teasing Master Takagi-san gives another great performance. He was nominated for Best New Comer from the Award of Japan Academy. This kid is going places.

While I think that Monster was well written, I have a huge issue with using (supposed) ten year olds with some of the subject material for this movie. It would have set better for me if 16-18 year olds were used. Could 10 year olds make these kind of choices?

Monster was nominated in 11 categories for the Japan Academy Awards.

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Quaint little movie

A Quaint but unusual story of the strange goings on of an upper class Cruise Ship. In Love and Deep Waters is a story of how a ship’s Butler keeps his clients satisfied. He has a very subservient attitude. It never dawns on him that he should be any other way. That is until the young son of a rich person’s maid tells him to take a good look at his actions. This movie offers an eclectic bag of drama emotions as its characters’ back stories are isolated. Some may like this story, which is a Murder Mystery Suspense RomCom.

From celebrated Japanese writer Yuji Sakamoto.

Winner of the International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA)
Ryo Yoshizawa and Aoi Miyazaki

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I struggled to commit to watching the individual episodes so I turned to the movie -which is a rare occurrence for me- one sitting of everything.

I generally liked the characters but nine surprised me as I put Jim now as the playboy who is toxic so really should stay away from but he was sincere but still confused on why he decided to cut contact expecting running hugs and in love again straight away.
So I stand with Dao Nuea with wanting an explanation so he can deal with his feelings of hurt. On the other hand, I felt he was leading Tee on as his actions weren't always clear to understand so never truly understood Tee. This made with seem two-sided making me dislike him.

We never really see any of the other characters so sometimes got bored (I have loved dramas with a small cast but plot and detail have to make up for it which this didn't provide as it was meet, reunite, fight over dao nuea, get married happily ever after like a fairytale. LIFE IS NOT A FAIRYTALE.

Later I watched a few scenes and it is completely different. I understand if scenes were slightly altered but there are more characters and a different side couple

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Serious concept but no emotion

First of all the concept of the movie is pretty serious and giving it a low rating doesn't mean anybody takes it lightly. I don't know about the anime or manga from which it was adapted but I really didn't feel any emotions in this one. I didn't connect with any character. Acting wise it was okay...I guess...no one in particular from the main cast striked me as someone I would remember for long... however all the guardians in the movie were really good. I really don't know what kind of situation or pressure one goes through to even decide that this life is not worth living...but if I connect all that to this movie I didn't see anything that would make him take such a step. Or maybe they didn't show as much back story as it needed to connect to the viewers to understand and feel his pain for taking such measures. ML's family didn't look like a family in the first place. Everyone felt awkward around each other. Nobody really talked or behaved like a family member, no matter how estranged, there should be something to make the viewers believe that they were part of a family. Brother doesn't give a damn to explain anything or give more attention, spend more time or anything to ML even after the incident , yet he says he was there it was ML who didn't look. Except for his friend I don't think anyone felt close to ML and her role wasn't much to invest in either. You can give it a try but it was not my cup of tea. It felt it was missing the soul.

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A glimpse of a couple's not-so-perfect love and their perfect breakup story

I started this film because I loved Carlo Aquino's acting in "Isa Pa With Feelings" and YouTube recommended me this, so why not! As I love contemporary stories filled with angst, quarrel, love, tears and realistic approach to life, this movie just fits well in the catagory.

In the beginning I wasn't sure whether to keep watching this or not but I did eventually and I don't regret that. To me the character Pia was not relatable at all but yes I came across people like her so I started putting her into a "mould" and was in favour with Nix. But from the mid of the movie my heart started to empathize with Pia and her character was so prominent and strong that she just won me over. She one independent, liberal, an honest person who loves with all her heart, mind and soul. On the other hand Nix is a simple, sweet, and caring person. He doesn't understand the complexity of character, just accepts as they are, which was his biggest issue. He's scared to love again because he still dwells on his past. When these two people met and fell in love, the insecurities got the best out of them. Going back and forth between the present and past made them forget about the future of their relationship.

What I liked about this movie was how realistic these two characters were. Like I felt I was peeking out of my balcony and watching daily life of these two on the opposite appartment. Their chemistry was out of the world. I swear the snuggle Nix gave to Pia was the most lovely and warmest ever!!! I could feel the warmth of the relationship from the screen. They both tried their hardest to cope up with their insecurities and move on but probably the honesty and sincerity wasn't enough to retain the the weightage of their love.

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Incredible Music and Eye Candy

This is another extremely biased review of a movie that I absolutely adore!

The first thing I fell in love with is the music. The soundtrack is fantastic. The movie (and series) starts out with wonderful cello and violins playing a variation of the title song Wish You. Now, I'm not a strings person at all but something about this song and the sound the cello makes is completely magical!

Then one of the male leads hears the other singing on the street, stops dead in his tracks, starts watching and listening, and falls instantly in love. You can see it and feel it at the same time. Seriously, pure magic. That's what makes this a complete 10 for me, just the feel of the story. I mean, just listen and watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4opvypXJQ30

When you watch this be prepared to fall in love with a couple of really really adorable guys who are lucky enough to have found their soulmates and who want to make beautiful music together. Yes, the story isn't deep or complex, there are a lot of leaps and assumptions, but I don't care. The music and these 2 guys make it all perfect in my eyes.

The only disappointment is that not all of the songs are part of the soundtrack album and there are some songs that till this day I can't find anything about. Neither Shazam nor googling finds anything about these songs. One in particular has moved into my brain rent-free and has been living there for 4 years now. If anyone reading this knows please share! The song starts with "If it all comes crashing down we'll be just fine." Damn I love that song!

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I stumbled upon this through reels and realized how much I missed Lee Jong Suk. Plus, I've never seen him act alongside Park Bo Young, so I thought, why not give it a shot??

The plot unfolded pretty much as expected: Joong Gil, the school's "playboy," trying to charm every beautiful girl in sight, while Young Sook, the leader of a gang?, was a surprising twist.
It's the first time I've seen her in such a role, but she pulled it off well. You could see from her expression that she was a broken soul, beyond repair. Surprisingly, she harbored a not-so-secret crush on Joong Gil.
But it wasn’t that superficial, the story line showed us detailed informations about their routines, their environnement, and the silliness of Lee Jong Suk trying his tricks on girls.

I didn't expect anything WOOW, so I wasn't disappointed. It was silly, funny, lively, and gave off a nostalgic vibe. I particularly enjoyed the old-school feel, with scenes of them traveling by train, and Kim Young Kwang's portrayal of the gangster reminded me of Darren Wang??.

The romantic plot could have been better; I wished to see more depth in terms of emotions and feelings. But overall, it fit my mood perfectly.

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A complex story trying to be scary

I didn't want to write a review cause I didn't understand the backstory very well and it took me a comment and three days to sequence all of it together. Nevertheless, I have to address the lost potential of this movie.
This movie is good. It's not a jumpscare kinda movie nor a liver-dropping but a layer-by-layer gore story. What initially starts as a grave awakening eventually escalates into a country-dividing curse-breaking ceremony. But saying the movie is one of the best horror movies is far-fetched cause honestly speaking it wasn't scary. As I explained, it was a detailed movie with intricate layers. Writing a complex story is a gamble because ppl need to understand for the fear to kick in but if the story is too complex and ppl don't understand, what's the point?? And I feel a lot of people who have horror as a main genre would agree with me.
In other words, think of this movie as a thesis. To the ppl who have read a lot of theses on this particular subject don't think this is any special but to others, it's written so that it makes it interesting.
The cast was the hype. I mean, LDH with tattoos, man, he can be the plot and KGE with those eyes. Yup, it was hyped. But honestly speaking, that's good for the movie. The other actors, I have seen rarely, but they slayed. Especially, scenes of doubt.
The music was the true hero. The BGM that ensued the creepy and eery feeling and the color contrast of places. Real nice.
Overall good movie for beginners. But needs to game up to the pros.

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Old packaging would still be surprisingly good if done the right way!

My first movie review here and I only want to write one to explain roughly about the representation of Godzilla here in Japan society.
Firstly, I’m not a fan of Godzilla, nor a fan of monster or disaster movie but this movie is surprisingly engaging and enjoyable even for me thanks to the brilliant story built by the characters.
Well, the story is nothing new: the fateful encounter of a guilt-ridden deserter and a war survivor in Japan post WWII, where people faced death, poverty and famine day by day unable to think much about future. They came together to make a sort of “family” of their own just to encounter the disaster brought on by the appearance of Godzilla. Facing farewell and loss, the main character decided to join the fight against the monster and through the fierce battle, he made peace with his own conscience, survived despite the odds.
The setting in Japan post WWII helps to create a perfect background for the emotional and touching story of the characters. And this story sets it apart from other Godzilla movie I’ve watched before and makes it easy to build a heroic theme for the characters in the movie.
The visual is fantastic deserving all the hype for winning the Oscar for visual effect.
I believe there are many layers of meaning embedded into the Godzilla itself, one of which is a disaster created by mankind (just like nuclear power), and the fight against it represents human helplessness in countering our own creation when it goes out of control.
If you are familiar with Japan society, the Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 shakes one of Japan biggest nuclear power plant it almost sent Tokyo and the whole country into a nuclear disaster. Prior to the Earthquake, the nuclear plant was believed to be considerably safe with proper contingency plant in the event of earthquake; but it was apparently not prepared enough for such strong earthquake as at that time, making it almost impossible to shut down the plant, which might have lead to a nuclear explosion, the worst nightmare the world can ever imagine. In the end Japan barely made it through by sheer luck. Still, it is still one of the worst nightmare for Japanese and the fear and helplessness it instilled in people then was something stigmatized and unforgettable.
Even to date, many areas surrounding Fukushima nuclear plant is still restricted due to high nuclear radiation index, making many natives unable to return to their homeland.
So I believe this movie also serves as a reminder of the lurking danger of nuclear power in Japan and in the world we live in.

Lastly, the cast performance is good overall, especially the male lead even though I’m not a fan of him.

I’m not sure about rewatch value but it certainly is a good watch ?

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Three birds with one stone.

I am a huge fan of black comedy and throw in some gangsters and I am hooked. Chen Kuilin is an infamous hitman on the run. Diagnosed with terminal illness, he tries to turn himself in only to discover he is merely the third most wanted criminal in Taiwan. Quivering with outrage, he sets out to secure his street creed as the biggest, baddest, bad guy of them all by taking out his competitors.

Ethan Juan floored me with his complex portrayal of this brazen, brutal, narcissistic gangster with crazy but understandable motives and an odd instinct to protect the weak. His close shave with Hongkie had me on the edge of my seat and their killer vs killer fight scenes were raw and savage. His desire for redemption and salvation at the commune surprised me until it didn't. A terrible betrayal culminates in a shocking bloodbath that masterfully builds and releases tension.

This is a well paced, intense and violent action thriller with a number of unanticipated twists. The dialogue is superb and dark humor is deftly used to release tension and infuse a sense of lingering irony. It has all the elements of the good old Hong Kong gangster movies from its distinct cinematic style to the emotional depth of the characters that belies the casual onscreen violence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie but I must admit that the final ten minutes left a feeling of nagging disappointment. The perfect place to wrap this up would have been at the reveal of the hitman that takes out three birds with one stone. The last ten minutes embraces maudlin tropes that are characteristic of Taiwanese productions. In this case, it completely ruins the no regrets nature of the beast. I have no choice but to knock 0.5 off my rating so this is overall an 8.0/10.0 for me. I strongly recommend skipping the last ten minutes.

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"I had no regrets until I met you"

Happy Together was a haunting, gut-wrenching look at love and loneliness with stellar performances by the main cast. Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Leslie Cheung played an on again, off again couple who were often lonelier when they were together than when they were apart.

Ho Po Wing and Lai Yiu Fai have traveled from Hong Kong to Argentina. On a trip to see the Iguazu Falls they become hopelessly lost and Ho breaks up with Lai and not for the first time. Lai finds work as a club doorman while Ho starts turning tricks to make a living. As Lai watches Ho with other men, a deep sorrow and homesickness overtakes him. He doesn’t want to inevitably “start over” as they usually do, he wants to go home to Hong Kong. He needs to make enough money first. When Ho is beaten by one of his clients, Lai lets him in and takes care of him, but refuses to sleep with him. At a new job, Lai makes friends with Chang, a young man from Taipei, which causes friction between the two lovers.

Ho and Lai were in a “can’t live with him, can’t live without him” dynamic. Ho had a reckless streak that Lai tried to tame, but would cause Ho to chafe at the constraints. Every scene was filled with raw emotions-longing, agony, passion, and despair. While Leslie Cheung gave a wonderful performance as the erratic Ho, it was Tony Leung who captivated me with his. I’ve seen Tony in numerous films, but this was the best performance of his I’ve seen so far. He has never had a problem with the too cool for school vibe, but in this film, he tore through emotions left and right without going over the top. It was impossible to not empathize with Lai when the heartache and misery were visibly eating away at him. In a scene where Ho taught him how to dance, the desire not just for this man, but also a longing for something more, something unattainable was quite moving.

A young Chang Chen as Chang Wan brought a breath of soothing air into Lai’s life. The friendship was easy and a reminder of home. Chang had a tender scene as he tucked a sorrowful, intoxicated Lai into bed. Their friendship was a lifeline for the floundering Lai. When Chang left Buenos Aires, Lai was truly adrift and found that “lonely people are all the same.” Lai became more convinced he did not want to ever “start again” with Ho, regardless of his deep feelings for him. Ho was like the prodigal son who had to occasionally self-destruct knowing that Lai would always be there for him in some capacity.

This film had Wong Kar Wai’s trademark palette of greens, yellows, and reds along with scenes in black and white. There is no denying his aesthetic gift, but sometimes I don’t connect with the story he’s telling. Happy Together connected everything for me. The plot was thin, almost non-existent, as these men struggled to make a living and struggled to alleviate their desire to return home and to somehow survive their complex disparities. I thoroughly enjoyed the varied music, which ranged from Tango Apasionado to fittingly enough, Happy Together originally by The Turtles. The songs flowed naturally through the film as stark emotions ebbed and rose.

Happy Together’s unflinching exploration of a tempestuous relationship was hard to watch at times, but impossible to look away from. Tony Leung peeled back his stunning façade and poured out an impressive array of emotions both nuanced and heartbreakingly real. Much like the Iguazu Falls, Ho and Lai’s bond was powerful, chaotic, captivating, murky, and completely unforgettable.

8 May 2024

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A Sad Movie with A Happy Ending

This movie is a sad story cause it tells us about death scenery. Of course I cried. Who wouldn't?
But the way they told us about how should we move on from grievance is so endearing and powerful.

The story came up with two povs, from the FL side first then the ML. How they started their relationship until how they broke up. And what I love most is how did the ML come up with that idea to prepare his death bed and to prepare his girlfriend's mentality after his death.

Afterall it's a very good and interesting movie to watch. And I can say, endearing at the same time. Cause this movie have told us about looking forward to the future. Eventho our loved ones is gone, and not coming back aymore.

So please watch it, esp if you have the same experience maybe, you'll be soo relatable.

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