Reviews

Victory in Life

I miss movies like this. The martial arts genre is the genre of my youth that I enjoyed the most. Movies of this type have moved into the genre of thrillers, bloody gore or superheroes, but they have never been as good, and that's why I was both surprised and delighted by how much I liked this movie. It reminds me of the golden age of Korean cinema, which for me was from 2005 to 2010 when I was watching Korean movies every day, and in a way this film also belongs to that time.

Actually, I started watching the now movie because it wasn't on my "already seen list", but as soon as the movie switches to the youth of the main characters, I remembered that I had already seen it. I would even say that now, 10 years later, this movie is even better for me than when I watched it for the first time.

The film shows three friends who meet again in the ring after 25 years. The film briefly shows the days of their youth, but the main part of the film is the present time and these actors did the best job. I'm especially glad to see Hwang Jung-min, who is one of my favorite actors, and here he shows how skilled he is in fighting, and also in singing, since we hear his voice in the closing song of the film. The fight choreographies are very good, the story has enough plot and drama to justify the long duration. I have no complaints. A 10 for me.

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A Meditative Intensity Story

I could not sleep early on a Saturday morning, and this movie’s review came up in YouTube out of nowhere. So, on a whim, I decided to watch it. Before you know it, I had finished it and had become so engrossed in its plot and story, I found myself caring about these characters with a certain sense of affection. I found myself teary eyed and gently sobbing for them. It is an intensely gut-wrenching film that is deeper than it is given credit for. I was shocked and dismayed at how poor the reviews were for this movie. I do not understand. I loved it. To be sure, it does not move mountains, but it is not meant to do so. It is a story about two misfit loners who happen to find each other in exactly the right space at exactly the right moment in their lives that connected them in a feeling of fruition. They found each other’s cherished one.

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Dancing and praying

The pilgrimage to Santiago is famous all over the world, and I have heard many touching stories from those pilgrimages, which entail a n exhausting walk of hundreds of kilometers without much luggage. Many go on this pilgrimage for religious reasons, but each person carries his own intentions, which, although they may not be directly aimed at God, are deeply connected with what a person believes.

It was very touching and beautiful to follow the pilgrimage of these two people, Jea Han and Da Hee, their journey and the support they gave each other. In the center is Jea Han, a fifty-year-old woman who is almost blind, but has a big desire to dance flamenco at the cathedral in Santiago. We see much more of her than her companion, we see her prayer, injuries on the way, personal thoughts and worries, as well as great strength of faith and will to overcome all obstacles. Her young companion is in the background, but for her too this is a path of deep life experience.

The film was shot excellently, with many beautiful landscapes, always close to our travelers and pilgrims, and the shots show both natural beauty and religious symbols. This film is an additional encouragement for me on my personal pilgrimage of life, and I believe it will be for every one who watches this beautiful movie.

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Simple yet beautiful

It's such a cute movie. The storyline is simple yet beautiful.

Acting/ Casting:
Honestly, I watched this movie solely for Fumiya Takahashi. I discovered him on TikTok and fell in love with his smile and dubbing videos of anime. He looks so charming in them. I wanted to learn more about him, which is why I decided to give one of his projects a chance. And he didn't disappoint me. In fact, I fell in love with the entire cast. All of them performed exceptionally well.

Music:
I didn't focus much on the music. It had slightly background music. The songs they used fit everywhere. The songs made the movie interesting.

Rewatch Value:
I'm not one to rewatch dramas, but this one is exceptional. I will definitely watch it again.

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I watched the series and the movie version side-by-side. Apart from one scene that's not in the series and some minor editing changes, they are identical.
So, if you want to choose, I think the movie is a bit too long to watch it in one sitting (it's easier to find your place again in a series). Forthe series, I found the flashing light and the electric noise at the start of each episode grating, especially when I have a headache.

Things I liked:
* To do an "enemy-to-lovers-trope" is not easy. You can easily draw things out too long or have a power imbalance -- if the relationship reads more as "bullying" than as "mutual antagonism" it's really hard for me to understand how they would ever end up as lovers. (Looking at you, Make Our Days Count) But here, it ends relatively early, both give as good as they get -- and especially Jang Jae Young as the first instigator backs off when he realizes that he's crossed the line.
* I also loved Chu Sang Woo's character, which reads as somewhere on the autism spectrum for me. It's done better that in the original material, imo.
* The supporting characters were great in rounding out the story.

Things I did not like:
* I think I'd have liked to see the discussion about excavators and the subsequent drawing of one on Chu Sangwoo's arm (rather than the ugly veggie thing).



Overall, the pacing was good, and even if the general storyline was predictable (which is par for the course in romance dramas), the journey of both protagonists was lovely to follow.

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took me in an emotional roller coaster

This was the first Chinese movie I watched in the theater and also my first-ever review on MyDramaList.

Story: I LOVED IT! As someone who has been struggling with low self-esteem and losing weight all my life, this hit a little too close to home. Her growth in self-confidence and realizing that just because someone is nice to her doesn't mean that they have good intentions was beautiful to watch. It felt like I was along with her on the journey. I felt her happiness, sadness, frustration, anger, and also her helplessness. I was in tears when she was walking to the boxing match and you can see her past self in the reflection.

Acting: I think everyone did a good job. I didn't feel like anyone was doing a half-ass job.

Music: Connected well with the scenes and the background music was phenomenal. Loved the song they used when she was having her training montage.

Overall, loved it and is worth a watch.

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Perfect Cop Comedy!

I absolutely love movies like this! This kinda humour is my kinda humour, silly (but not ridiculous), and light-hearted, but not at all taking away from the serious message of the movie, nor the fast-paced action. The two leads had THE BEST chemistry, I loved their strong characters and their acting was on point. Their awkward pauses and how they switch up when hiding things from their superiors was hilarious and I laughed every time. For those who have watched Midnight Runners, I definitely recommend you watch this movie! And if you enjoyed this movie and haven't watched Midnight Runners yet, WATCH IT!!!

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An interesting move, but it’s not what I thought

El hype de esta película hizo que no me gustara ): Me la pintaron como una película con mucho romance y que te dejaría el corazón destrozado y, si bien ver el final me dolió, yo necesitaba más que solo un final “desgarrador”.

Me molesta que el acercamiento que tienen es muuuy forzado por parte de él, a pesar de que ella lo rechaza muchas veces. Al final termina aceptando por manipulación y eso a mí no me parece nada romántico.

Una relación así de conflictiva no me gusta nada. Definitivamente ella merecía muchísimo más de lo que él podía darle y que solo se haya metido en su vida y desaparecido para siempre, es algo muy cruel.

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Love Japanese Love Movies? It is for you

I did not have any idea I was going to watch this movie today. It was at 11:30 pm yesterday I decided to watch it from a recommendation from April Bride(from MDL). Now it is 3:13 am 04.04.24 currently.
Being a romance genre lover, I have always been looking for good Japanese love movies or dramas. They are fast paced, extremely good acting, emotional, leaves a message for the viewers. For all these reasons, Japanese movies tops my romantic genre collection.

Now about this movie---
As the name suggests, it is a story of two lovers who were their first love to each other. They were kids when they started to feel love for each other. Again as the plot describes, the male character has a grave disease which gives him an ultimatum to live until age 20. Although we got to guess the ending, but still at our corner of our heart, wanted him to survive. I knew the plot can't be good according to movie production in case he survives, but still the hopes of letting him live more dragged me to feel rollercoaster of emotions alongside Mayu, and all the other characters involved. The father doctor also played a great role. I liked the fact that he allowed her to love the boy even though he was so ill. It shows he was not a heartless person as Takuma thought.
Mayu's emotions and her feelings were indescribable. Her passion for Takuma could make anything possible. We saw the proof. She was playing around but she was capable enough. That's what I couldn't believe when they made the daughter of a doctor so dumb. She was definitely not dumb. She knew what she was upto. Her passion and dedication for her love inspires me to believe in love.
Takuma's feelings although could have been misunderstood at the middle but he also was genuinely in love with her. It's just that his illness sometimes made him doubt about everything. Well it can be possible that his feelings were not described so vividly to make us viewers imagine what we want to, and I would definitely think the positive way. Atleast in movies I can experience the kind of love I could only hope for.

Overall it's a fantastic movie . If you don't like sad endings, maybe you can skip but it isnt something you gonna regret. Give it a try. Happy bingeing!!!

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A Hopeful Tale of Love and Escape Triumphs Against Insurmountable Odds

This movie offers a compelling narrative that intertwines the destinies of its protagonists amidst the backdrop of adversity and the pursuit of redemption. Through the arduous journey of Loh Ki-wan from North Korea to Belgium, the film explores themes of resilience, love, and the human spirit’s capacity to endure. Despite occasional departures from realism, the emotional resonance of the story remains intact, captivating audiences with its engaging plot and heartfelt performances.

While grappling with technical shortcomings, the film’s central message of hope and resilience shines through, leaving viewers with a profound sense of reflection and empathy for the struggles of refugees. My Name Is Loh Kiwan stands as a testament to the power of love to transcend barriers and illuminate the darkest corners of the human experience

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Didn't like the FL at all!

It's short and doesn't take too much time involvement, but while I was watching it, I kept wondering how soon before it was going to be over. Overall, my complaints were with the writing.

1) My biggest gripe is the way the FL is written. Desperate, clingy, immature - I got the feeling that she was more afraid of being alone than anything else. To try to hang onto someone that doesn't want to be with you is so sad.
2) Cha Hun's acting was really bad. His face remained emotionless, his movements were wooden, and watching him try to act was just uncomfortable.
3) FL and her best friend - he's stuck with her through NUMEROUS relationship disasters. Their relationship was cute to watch, but her having that many ex-boyfriends would give me pause before getting involved with her. She's kind of a "love the one you're with girl." Basically, I had a hard time believing in a romantic relationship between them.

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A group of women outsmarting corrupt men.

Smugglers is like Ocean’s 8 minus the grand heist. This female-powered action adventure is not really about smugglers but more about how ordinary people found ways to make and share the profit from the illegal activities. It also realistically shows a number of smuggling-related aspects, such as repackaging and corrupt customs officials.

The film is not without flaws, but good character development brings so much more to the table. Kim Hye Soo never disappoints, no matter what character she plays, and pairing up with Yum Jung-ah elevated this movie into something more than simply an action drama. It draws stronger feelings of sisterhood and emotion. Zo In-sung gives his best as a corrupt police officer that you love to hate. In my opinion, the star of this movie is Go Min-Si. Despite being a supporting role, her character really stood out in helping carry the story.

The plots are not very complicated. With one or two twists that are constructed around allegiances and betrayal, they manage to make the audience gasp and anticipate more. The story develops well, with a good balance between comedy, drama, and action. I like that the comedy was well placed and not overdone, and the switch in tone doesn’t make the story look too weird. Kudos to the props team for recreating the unique 70s vibe. The attention to detail never failed to impress me.

All in all, it’s an entertaining movie, and it's always nice to see women outsmarting corrupt men.

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