Yojimbo made by Kitano

This is very nearly a perfect film.

It is what Yojimbo would be if it was made by Kitano.

- artsy
- gorgeous male lead
- who doesn't say much
- but does stuff
- which you can watch him do
- for 2+ hours straight
- asmr
- stripped down storytelling
- quiet
- tender
- found family
- japanese
- female gaze
- style plus substance
- slow moving
- hypnotic
- visual
- gorgeous score

Tired of "slow" used as pejorative, qualified with a "but".
Chang Chen doesn't need dialog, in fact he is better without.

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Heavy stuff plus silliness

Don't care for the romance and the comedy elements are too silly to be paired up with such a heavy topic.

Certain old-school values the film promotes are at least questionable to me. People need a partner, really? Also: One partner, they never stray? Maybe this is taking it too far but unrealistic values promoted by movies might be among the reasons people feel inadequate and guilt-ridden over how fragmented their real life is when this is the case for most people, in most circumstances.

What an incredible cast though.

I love the Cho Jin Woong neglecting women's advances cinematic universe.

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A game that unravels fast

If you like 'Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf', 'The Boys in the Band' or 'Scenes from a Marriage' this should be for you.

Like the aforementioned films Intimate Strangers has a lot on its plate but manages to deal with it in a very careful, mature and profound way.

Some people say despite the one-room-setting it never gets boring. This kind of verbose play-like house-thriller setting is one of my favorite film settings and I have never seen a boring movie come out of it. Human relationships and conflicts, communication and psychology are almost indefinitely interesting themes if done right.

One of the many questions I ask myself is why Ye Jin, a psychiatrist, even suggests playing that game when she know she has something to conceal. Maybe she wants to be found out and provoke a crisis in her marriage because she is in an emotional crisis herself. Too bad for her, because I am pretty sure Suk Ho deliberately ignores what he instinctively knows about his wife. Maybe this is the way these two miscommunicate, between stoking conflict and shying away from it.

There are other moments when characters prevent something from being outed, maybe because they subconsciously know there is something going on, maybe because they don't want to know. In another instance someone ends an embarassing moment for the group that could potentially disrupt the evening and the friendship.

The whole scenario is like a social psychology experiment done in a good way. There is projection, denial, Freudian slips, everything. What I love about it is that the material never chooses the easy road of men are this and women are that, in fact there are many facets of greatness despite all flaws in everyone.

Depending on the topic of discussion the film makes the interesting observation that bonds are built, broken, and re-built, along the lines of time spent together, gender, age, education, social status, belief and personality.

The characters are all multidimensional and feel lived-in, and there are noteable blanks in character introduction, questions are left unanswered, which means more is under the surface than is being shown. This is one more aspect that makes the film very thought-provoking.

There is really nobody among the group without redeeming qualities, nobody I don't like. The only person that annoyed me for the longest time is Se Kyung but even she develops in a way that by the end I deeply empathize with her.

The most fascinating character to me is Tae Su, because once you peel off layer upon layer of brusqueness you learn how far he is willing to go for people, what a decent person he is underneath, a burden he carries by being constantly grouchy.

I like the state each one is left in, from people who are exposed completely, to others who get away with slight scratches, to one who chooses to lay open their secret. It's a very intelligent, tender way to handle the characters. One of the many things to adore about the script.

The sliding-dooresque twist at the end is such a clever idea and makes you ponder which world you want to live in, which option you would choose, it invites philosophical musings about the truth in relationships.

I am trying to gather my thoughts about why I think this kind of no-holds-barred sujet isn't suited for South Korea. They all talk very fast and act so cutesy and the cold hard truth demands time and depth in a way I don't associate with South Korean culture. They constantly hurt each other but gloss over it with the stereotypical tough love attitude.

It's as if the film itself wants to deal with heavy subjects but also doesn't want to alienate any part of its audience so it tries to be provocative while still playing it safe. Maybe this in itself is an indictment of middle class values.

There are no-holds-barred films from South Korea no doubt (e.g. No Regret), but I guess they are more Independent than this one.

This is an ensemble cast with no weak link but I still have to point out how outstanding without being disruptive Yeom Jung Ah is.

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Alternative Title: Men are Pigs

I am unsure whether I am more intrigued by the shameless honesty of the movie or repelled by everyone being unduly perverted. I am not known as being a prude but wow "Ethics of Anger" (original title) definitely is crammed with as much ugly shit and disgusting men as possible.

The movie starts and stops too often which disrupts the natural flow. The sequence of actions could have been much more smoothly if the writing was better.

There are great observations in there, hilarious sequences and at times wonderful acting. Cho Jin Woong as dying gangster is among the best things he has done. Lee Je Hoon is an unlikely great fit for a voyeur.

A shame that overall the movie is rather forgettable.

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mathematician's answer

A movie that by the end you realize is about something completely different than what you thought it would be. I quite like the twist in the end and the message the movie conveys, given the dilemma it starts out with.

I have a problem with the female character, I simply don't like her very much, she acts desastrously stupid for a person in her situation, which makes her look weak. By the end I empathize with the male lead but it takes a long time to get there. The only character I think is likeable throughout is the cop, who is clever without losing his humanity.

There are several implausibilities, e.g. what does the lead know about actual police work, how improbably fast do they uncover certain facts, and lastly, this genius brain comes up with such an elaborate ploy for something that could have been solved maybe even without a murder charge...

Solid mystery-thriller deepened by the melodrama in the end. Great score. Cho Jin Woong elevates the movie, like he always does.

Note to Self: Need to watch the Japanese original if only for Shibasaki Ko.

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Lost time

I just love the place this assured directorial debut and small independent film takes me.

The original title, "Lost Time", conveys a lot of it: The confusion of waking up unsure where or what or who you are, weighed down by memories, an indescribable feeling of loss, the heaviness and fragility of life, identity, choices and their consequences, change and inertia, alienation and doubt, metaphysical ambiguity and existential angst.

All this is handled in a diligent yet lighthearted manner (although I wouldn't exactly call it a black comedy as it is described here and there). The mind-bending script is clever not for its own sake but actually clever and full of substance. Great acting, soundtrack, pacing, atmosphere.

You have to live for a long time to be understood for a moment. And this is maybe all you can ask for.

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Unsettling

A gripping psychological horror-thriller with a tense, eerie atmosphere, a more than serviceable score, a plethora of intriguing characters, twists and turns. Great cinematography, color palette, framing and blocking is masterful.

Bluebeard, (original title "Thawing") starts strong, the plot twist around 2/3 of the runtime is so convoluted I couldn't believe it, which is why I love the ending because I want that to be the truth. Still, there are many unanswered questions, this movie might need repeat viewings.

Cho Jin Woong is phenomenal as a suffocatingly repressed, uptight yet sensual, nervous but closed-off, righteous, shy, depressed, calm man who is slowly driven out of his mind. Kim Dae Myung is very convincing too as a mirror character between trying to keep control over something increasingly terrorizing and carefully weighing each step towards his new neighbor.

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Wasted potential

It is puzzling why a movie that has at least 3 great actors, gorgeous cinematography, a reasonably good soundtrack and over the top hilarious gripping sequences, is not better as a whole. I need more background on the main character, on his motivation and personality. I also need more character development scenes, some quiet moments maybe. Why should I care for any of these people. So much wasted potential.


Things I loved

- Kim Joo Hyuk who steals the movie from Cho Jin Woong

- Cho Jin Woong forced into a double mascerade while still visibly being who he actually is

- Ryu Joon Yeol, particularly his reaction shots, he actually steals the movie from everyone

- several sequences where the action is energized by the soundtrack

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Introvert heaven

This drama is not only about introverts and highly sensitive people, it also feels like it is directly made to calm the exhausted nerves and overwhelmed minds of those. Liberation Notes is about acceptance of yourself just the way you are in a world that isn't always too kind to people straying from the herd. It is healing and soothing, inspiring and encouraging.

One thing I got from almost all of the storylines: to find someone you can talk to about your deepest feelings and thoughts and they don't run screaming is all you actually need. Whether you are that person for yourself or someone else is.

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Over the top superhero cop thriller

Great stylish, anarchic, over-the-top, quasi-superhero-cop-thriller with typical Japanese sadistic/horror elements, a cast of hilariously evil characters, great production values and an amazing score. The acting is a mixed bag overall. More than solid J-Drama.

Kiriko is such a bad-ass, irritatingly epicene, gorgeous, inspiring heroic villain. The way Shibasaki Ko speaks, soft and muted yet delicately enunciating, absolutely hypnotizes me.

Takahashi Issei, in a slight deviation from his usual acting choices, manages the worn-out toughened-up physicality of this role as well as everything else he has done before, which is to say outstanding.

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Brutally good

One of the best things I have seen in quite some time.
Raw, devastating, complex, beautiful, unflinching, a masterpiece.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Less action-oriented than Weak Hero, more character-driven, slower, more real. Exudes a darkness so substantial, an edgy gloom, a tone so deeply depressing it almost equals "No Longer Human". For mature audiences or those who can handle the trauma inflicted in the drama as well as on the viewer. Adults are notably absent here, in a way adults are absent in Stephen King's "It".

A clear-eyed look at school bullying, its consequences and all the harsh realities that come with it even into adult age. There are a lot of revenge dramas out there but this is one of the few where the revenge feels justified. Deeply wounded, flawed, complicated main characters looking for a way to cope in circumstances that leave seemingly no way out.

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Lee Jae Han forever

This Drama is on a whole other level. I have never seen anything like it.

Starting with the hyper-high-octane nature of the Drama that makes 24 look slow, Signal is at the same time like a Russian novel, more complex than even Stranger 2 (which feels like a discourse in political philosophy they had the guts to make into a Drama).

I can overlook obvious flaws, like the decision to play up overly emotional moments which feels manipulative at times. During the course of the Drama I realized that emotional trauma makes up the crucial moments of everyone's life. Also, certain scenes are repeated over and over, because those crucial moments in life stay with you and are the ones you ruminate over.

These emotionally loaded scenes contrast with and bring depth to the gripping hunt for criminals and make for much needed breathing space. The Drama also infuses a very dark story with a lot of hilarious comic release moments that feel almost brutal in how they break the tension.

I think the storytelling and pacing is absolutely masterful here. It builds a perfect circle.

Signal seems to say that suffering is something you might never overcome but you can use as powerful motivator to change yourself and your environment. Without that you might live a more comfortable life but there is a price to pay for it, which may be the suffering around you.

Signal is about what makes you who you are. It closely examins in equal measure trauma, transformation and transcendence. It is healing and, in every sense, life altering.

I feel like I have lived an entire lifetime with these characters and consequently the connection I have to these people is much stronger than with other characters.

Watching Signal is an all-consuming, exhilarating experience.
This is largely due to one character and the acting involved in creating him.

Lee Jae Han: shy, socially inept, an almost naive idealist, tremendously sensitive, stubborn, defiant, gentle, strict, with a strong sense of justice, cheeky and bold, innocent, who shoulders too much responsibility, emotional, caring, grumpy, charming, unflinching, perpetually annoyed and frustrated with anyone and anything standing in his way, no-frills-no-bullshit-no-time-to-waste, quite a temper, empathic, a little silly, no sense for playing politics whatsoever, who over time embraces his outsider status, stepping over every line and on every toe in order to do what he believes is right.

Cho Jin Woong marry me.

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Every little detail is meaningful

I will never again watch an on-air Murder Mystery Drama weekly, the suspense almost killed me. This is one of the best Murder Mysteries I have ever seen though, so no complaints.

My Perfect Stranger lives in the comfortable space between a high-octane crime thriller and a vivid 80's time travel melodrama. The fact that both main leads want to change not only the course of their own life but the ones of their close ones and go back in time to do so makes every single scene, conversation, even a mere gesture loaded with meaning. There is a lot of healing involved with a little romance on the back-burner. It is sometimes laugh out loud funny, often tragic, but always touching.

The story is also one of the most complicated murder mysteries with even so much detail and so many moving pieces that when all is said and done many questions are left unanswered. That doesn't substract anything from the final picture, if anything it adds a layer of intrigue and might benefit the rewatch value.

Episode 1.9 - the young Hee Sub hobbling, intercut with the elder Hee Sub hobbling - simply shattered me. Yu Sub with the watch, Hae Joon carrying him (one of the best unintentionally gay moments ever), the father-daughter-dynamic moved me the most. What a chance to be there as a witness, how you suddenly see someone close to you in a completely different light, and to be able to change circumstances, such a dark yet powerful moment.

In the end the healing aspect comes full circle and becomes self care - make your own life better. Tell the ones that need to know. Small adjustments can mean a world of difference.

Phenomenal Drama.

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glamorized dullness

Cursory watch.

Glamorized boredom, kind of dull. Waste of a great soundtrack, cozy but overproduced with insta looking cinematography and ridiculous plot elements like a graphic artist having a manager babying him (which graphic artist is so rich they have a practically live-in manager duh).

Dislike the FL actress and character. I don't get her appeal at all, which is a lethal flaw for a romance drama which centers on the development of the relationship and main characters. Love both the SL actors and characters. NJ is "the least annoying female SL ever" which seems to be the consensus, and I agree. The second lead is quietly heartbreaking in his guarded stoicism. Honestly, the drama could have been so much better with those characters more in the spotlight.

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