Reviews

Love lost and found

So I kinda like the movie more than the drama. Well, the drama was already good but I was craving some happy moments between leads which was not tinged with sadness and here, that happens. The crumbs they serve here are in big chunks and gawd I am all there for it. I would happily say this is more like a continuation because otherwise, it wouldn't make sense of how LJW thinking of HYX when she teleported to the past, also the two timelines they show simultaneously. It was so sad but MJJ was alive so I liked it even more!! I liked there was not much killing n all lol, also we got a better ending than the drama! although extended ver showed still. This ending is way better to soothe my heart.

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car action movie worth watch with badass female lead

Special Delivery[2022] -8,5/10 kmovie

if you liked The Transporter series with Jason Statham you will like this one too.
Its action based movie with alot car action and female driver as main and child as package to be delivered.
After seeing this movie I guess I will check out some of other Park So Dam dramas.

plot - FL is best driver for special delivery which specialize in delivering anything worth money to destination without being caught. Once FL leads gets job to deliver father with son, but father got caught before meeting point and kid is pursued. FL pick up kid and got dilemma what to do with him.

genre - action, cars

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I'd probably go crazy if I heard those birds scream everynight.

I think this film was packed with too much symbolism which I could not pick up on (e.g. the birds). It was honestly an ok film, I just can't find anything to really appreciate about it.

I think the ML's writing could've been explored a lot more. I keep thinking about him talking about his novel and him just describing what happened in his relationship. Like, completely conspicuous. And for the ML, I would've liked to see her past relationship a bit more as well. And also a bit more of their relationship beforehand when they were just mere acquaintances. We only got one scene from when they were just acquaintances/friends. It would have been interesting to look at, what I would describe as the ML's obsessiveness, a bit more.

It felt quite depressing and gloomy at times despite nothing in the present day was bad. In fact, they shared quite a lot of good moments together. I did find it to be almost hopeful at times.

I will say that I totally skipped over the sex scene, and the make out one the next morning which the FL resists at least twice before she just gives in.

I would definitely watch it again to see if I could actually pick up on anything new. Especially because of how good the acting was.

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To be honest, I don't fully know how I feel about this film.

The concept was quite enticing, but completely predictable. I already knew what had happened and also how it was going to end quite early on. And it was quite on the shorter side. I do think they could've tried to expand it just a bit and made it slightly longer. And even though I saw a lot of it coming, I was still very interested to see whether it would end in the way I had predicted.

There was quite a bit of symbolism that I did not understand. There was a blue feather which the MC does explain, I just don't remember what he said about it. There's also a painting involved. And I'm sure if I knew the painting, I would understand the film much better. There was also some stuff around motherhood from two different perspectives - a mother, and someone who doesn't have a mother.

Some moments/things I want to mention:
- towards the beginning, the MC says something like, 'your otaku son is really weird yanno. He only ate curry. Who does he thing he is, an Indian?' It caught me off guard so I had to rewind it so I could laugh for a two minutes straight. (I am ethnically Indian btw)
- +1 for the otaku son having the same DS as me
- +1 again for the otaku son's mother crocheting in the film. I had my own project next to me so I picked it up so we could crochet together lmao, but we hold our hooks differently.

I found it quite uncomfortable at times, but I liked that. But it wasn't out there enough for me, personally, I enjoyed the process of watching it, but I don't have much to discuss beyond that.

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Amazing!

I initially did not want to watch a movie that contained so much fighting and battle scenes. I prefer dramatic romance or comedic romance but I was drawn to it because I am a big fan of the Leading Male actor, Jo in Sung. I am so happy I did. What an amazing group of actors and story line. The heroics of several of the characters brought tears to my eyes and it is a movie that I will probably never forget. The second Male lead, Nam Joo-hyuk was also terrific. I just finished watching him in another movie, "Remembrance", which is also outstanding. All in all, a terrific job by all the actors, writers and entire movie crew.

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Absurd, twisted and deliciously dark family saga.

The gap between the poor and the rich is depicted with sharp humor, unexpected twists and a lot of darkness in Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. It's a lovely black comedy about the most twisted household since Dogtooth.

Despite unemployment and poverty, Ki-taek and his family manage to keep their spirits up. Mom, dad and two soon-to-be-grown children are crammed into a shabby basement in a run-down alley, constantly looking for odd jobs and free wifi. The family doesn't have much, but they have a nice cohesion, cordial jargon and ambitions for a better life.

When the son Ki-woo receives a tip about a job with a rich family, the possibilities for an extra income open up. With a forged university diploma, he gets a job as an English teacher for the Park family's teenage daughter. Also living in the luxurious villa is a businessman, his housewife, a quiet guy who mostly expresses himself through drawings, and the housekeeper who keeps everyone in order.

Ki-woo soon seizes the chance to arrange a job for his sister, Ki-jung, as the boy's "art therapist". He advises Mrs. Park of "a talented acquaintance," who is "probably very busy," but he will do his best to arrange a meeting. On false credentials and with made-up names, both siblings have soon tricked themselves into employment with the wealthy family.

How long can they keep up the lies, and how far can the charade go? This is just the beginning of a twisted scenario that Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Okja) has so masterfully directed. Here is the DNA of both the Sune family and the absurd Greek Dogtooth (2009) from Yorgos Lanthimos. While Parasite feels completely original, never predictable, and impossible to put into a single genre box.

Comedy and tragedy go hand in hand through Bong's twisty corridors, and you never know what awaits around the next corner. Parasite is a film that is best experienced without knowing anything in advance. It's an entertaining story that grabs me early on with its delightful humor, and then just tightens its grip more and more as the film goes on.

Not entirely unsurprisingly, the director also talks about the gaps between those who have money and those who have none. You can see the film as a commentary on a society where the poor take desperate measures to climb out of their misery, and where the rich turn a blind eye to what is happening in the outside world. Bong Joon-ho has made one of the best movies of 2019, and I'm loving every second of it!

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Lots of action but messy script.

When Squid Games Lee Jungjae takes the director's chair to give his version of what the machinations of the South Korean security police in the 80s might have looked like, there is no shortage of impressive action scenes. Lee Jungjae and Jung Woosung in the lead roles make up a charismatic duo, but on the whole, Hunt is unfortunately a fairly messy film experience...

The year is 1983, 4 years after the fall of dictator Park Chunghee. But the new president is also a dictator, which provokes protests from the South Korean immigrant population in the United States before his visit. “Drive him out,” they shout, and when the South Korean officials wonder why they can't just drive the protesters away, Park Pyongho (Lee Jungjae), the head of the foreign affairs unit of Korea's Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), patiently replies that they can't in the US (and gets the somewhat sarcastic answer that the protesters have very strong opinions about the homeland after abandoning it…).
 
The introduction shows the difference between the free country in the West, and the censorship and corruption back home. Because soon Park Pyungho is back in South Korea, where protesters are beaten and tortured, where corruption is high, and where you don't know who you can trust. Especially not as it is revealed that there is a North Korean spy within the KCIA, someone who goes by the code name "Donglim".
 
Park Pyungho is tasked with identifying the spy, but the same task is also assigned to Kim Jungdo (Jung Woo-sung) of the KCIA's domestic unit, which gives rise to an intense power struggle. Park Pyungho is a veteran of the agency while Kim Jungdo is a newcomer from the Korean Army. Park Pyungho comes across as the more sympathetic and righteous of the two men, especially as he condemns Kim Jungdo's use of torture in his interrogation methods. It turns out that he has his own experiences with these as Kim Jungdo previously interrogated him, which left him with permanent nerve damage in his hand.
 
Lee Jungjae is a lovely anti-hero (for sure, there are male melodrama ingredients here, the reluctant legal fighter who suffers the heavy injustices of life, and selflessly risks his life, accompanied by melancholic music). A tough guy who installs a corrupt leader within the unit, and protects the young and beautiful but secretive college student Yoojung (Go Younjung). He seems to have taken to her since her father was killed, but their actual relationship remains unclear for most of the film. Here we get some sort of explanation at the end, but everything else leaves us with question marks.
 
Because the spectacularly well-choreographed action sequences aren't always narratively supported enough to justify them. Much of the violence is unprovoked, and serves no narrative function. You almost get a little sense of what a German crime drama would look like if it was accidentally mixed with splatter. A traditional film adaptation cut together here and there, with interspersed violence from ear files to mass shootings and car chases and everything in between. The plot becomes difficult to follow.
 
This makes the movie experience a bit frustrating after a while. Spectacular action sequences and close-ups of the charismatic Lee Jungjae are not enough to fully sustain interest throughout the film's 2 hours and 11 minutes. Crime dramas and spy films work best with methodically planted clues that, while surprising, move the story forward - A story you can follow and understand.
 
Hunt carries too many secrets, too much unprovoked violence, and too dark motives. The characters may be moving in a time of psychological terror, where everyone around them is a potential enemy, but the script that conveys this must still be the audience's friend.

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I love Yoongi so much and seem to forget sometimes how amazing he is and this documentary just reminded me of that fact again. Just like Hobi's "J-Hope in the Box", this documentary felt like an amazing insight into the process of creation and music making. Yoongi is always hard working and critical, but his music is always on point and perfect. His hard work and sleepless nights and frustration when something doesn't work out the way he wants really paid off; "D-Day" is an amazing album from start to finish! Seeing the cameos of his celeb friends like Steve Aoki and Halsey was really cool too because it's always nice to see when BTS and its members gets appreciated for who they are rather than just their brand. So, to see that they seem to have some genuine friendships in the western music market is great! I also loved seeing Jimin's two seconds of screen time, that guy is always there to support his members, i love him so much :(. My favorite part of the documentary had to be toward the end with Sakamoto Ryuichi. You could really see and feel that Yoongi was talking to an artist he deeply respected and to see him be appreciated and praised by said artist was very heartwarming; the song they worked on together ("Snooze") is one of my faves on the album anyway, so this bit made it even better. The live performances of some select songs made the documentary a little more dynamic (Hobi had clips of the festival to show, but Yoongi hadn't gone on tour yet), and I just generally love seeing this dude perform. Overall, great documentary, great artist, great music<3

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Is there any like it?

No there isn't! Such a sweet and heartfelt drama that has me in tears each time I rewatch. Out of all the romance I've read or watched, this is probably my favorite of all time. It shows how you don't need much to love someone, and how affection doesn't always need to be shown with hugs, kisses or just skin-ship in general, even so, you can still tell how much Taiyu cared for Zhenxin. Seeing feelings develop here and there through a comfortable relationship where two share the same braincell is just so cute and refreshing, it has its own uniqueness in a way, not needing many words or contact exchanged to absolutely melt our hearts and have us absolutely sweating from our eyes. (Crying)

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Junji Ito's manga Uzumaki was a masterpiece... the movie not so much.

I have and read multiple times the original Uzumaki manga by Junji ito. I love Junji Ito's works and Uzumaki is a good story. The movie was a hard watch.

I started watching it with high expectations, and that's probably where I went wrong. They left out alot of the story, but thankfully kept some of my favorites parts. I personally dont think Shuichi's actor fits the character but that's not to much of a problem.

By no means is this a perfect adaptation. I encourage you to watch it yourself and see what you think. I hope you find it much more enjoyable than I did.

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"A mother who has no right to share the glory of her children"

Love and Duty featured another Ruan Ling Yu tragic character who suffered for making a wrong choice. Old films are not forgiving of women who stray so you know going into this story to buckle up and be prepared for a boat load of pain and at two-and-a-half hours, Ruan's character was on a sinking ship of misery.

The film covered over two decades in the life of Yang Nei Fan (Ruan Ling Yu) starting when she was a school girl. She and a boy named Li Zu Yi (Jin Yan) begin to have feelings for each other, but before anything can get started her father declares she is to be married to a rich young man in a month. With no say in her own life, she is ignored when she begs her father to not force her to marry at such a young age. The marriage ends up being filled with awkward silences, though intimate enough they have two children. When her son falls into a pond and is rescued by Li the two are excitedly reunited. She invites him to meet her husband which he agrees to. While her husband, Huang Ta Jen, is out with his mistress the two begin to connect emotionally, all being witnessed by the troublesome servant Fox. They begin to spend more and more time together until Li gives her an ultimatum. Either she runs away with him or he kills himself. Because she doesn't have grounds for divorce, she would be abandoning her family illegally. When the time comes for her to leave, Li tells her she can't bring the children which she finds to be devastating.

The affair is covered in all the papers and though the lovers take on new identities it's not long before they are discovered and Li has trouble holding down a job. Meanwhile, Nei Fan becomes pregnant. Tragedy strikes leaving her in an even more precarious position. As time passes the younger generation fatefully becomes entwined leading Nei Fan to make a drastic decision.

Love and Duty was a film thought lost for many decades. A copy of it was discovered in Uruguay in the 1990's and was given to Taiwan and is currently stored at the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. The copy I watched had one, sometimes two running clocks on the screen as well as the TFAI stamp on the screen. The film is being shared not only for entertainment purposes but also for research and teaching purposes. There was no music accompanying the version I watched.

The performances were for the most part strong, but the acting style felt dated. There was more overacting than I've seen with quality silent films from this era. Ruan Ling Yu was a special actress who sadly took her life at the age of 24. She was quite young here but still conveyed a wide range of emotions first as an effervescent student and then a tired older woman. She also played her grown daughter with Huang.

With some older silent films, the tragic life of a female lead serves as an indictment on society's treatment of women. This story came across as a cautionary tale of what happens when a woman does not do her duty. The audience is repeatedly told that Nei Fan is unforgivable and a sinner with no path to redemption. She is only worthy of heartache, poverty, shame, and pain. "A mother who has no right to share the glory of her children." The film felt longer than 2 ½ hours and could have been trimmed without losing anything important. It was difficult to watch this woman being ostracized throughout much of the film for making a bad life choice. Her husband who spent much of his time with his mistress suffered no ill effects.

Despite it's unforgiving tone, Love and Duty was an interesting historical piece of entertainment and a peek into the troubling moral code of the day regarding women. Ruan Ling Yu didn't star in many films during her short life and many of those have been lost to time. Though not as strong as other films of hers I have seen it was a gift to be able to watch this talented actress in this rescued film.


5/24/23

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Always looking on the bright side of life

UNPOPULAR OPINION

As far as I can understand, I am supposed to love this movie because it was made by deaf cast and crew. And, while I do admire them for the effort, I do not like the movie: it is as full of righteous feelings as it is boring and uninteresting. Though maybe, I should not say that since it is a true story.

The movie is apparently based on the director's life. It tells the story about two girls in love. When the first one comes out to her parents, she is rejected so her girlfriend takes he to LGBTQetc. deaf support group where they all take turns in sharing their life stories in the second half of the movie. They all seem to be in a world devoid of hearing people.

The whole concept of this movie is rather original since is almost entirely silent: only one character speaks while all the others sign. But everything else did not rise up to the occasion. the cinematography is bland and pale and sad. The acting is bad though it is obvious everyone tried their best but it is still not good enough. The music is awful: a sort of hypnotic, sad, repetitive, monotonal piano piece: there were like 5 notes played repeatedly, non stop. I actually fell asleep a couple of times and had to rewind it in order not to miss out on the plot.

You have to admire though, the bravery of these people who do not let their handicap be impediment to their happiness. Ultimately it is a very optimistic movie.

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