Reviews

A mess and a half

Don't watch it please save your time 🙏
It felt like one of those old queer movies you watched when you're a kid bcs there's no other representation out there.
The story was all over the place, it felt really out of touch, it couldn't really portray the character's feelings like i had no idea what any of them were thinking of or feeling most of the movie.
I'm not gonna blame the girlie for anything bcs she was just in an awkward situation, she's a kid she can't control who she likes but i am gonna blame whoever made the movie, her character in the movie felt like a filler and the fact that she didn't add anything to the story and it felt like they just wanted to add a girl into the Mix to make it interesting.

And the book about the trans ppl at the beginning was so confusing???? And they didn't elaborate at all like looked at the movie description again bcs i rlly thought it was gonna be a trans rep moment

This movie was just a mess, after watching your heart engraved herein i wanted to watch another angst taiwanese movie but this is the least gay feeling gay movie they could've made, it felt like they knew nothing about gay dudes.

*Spoilers*
/////and when he slept with him at the end what even was that like you're rlly not gonna explain anything about that like he rlly likes the girlie and by the looks of it he only like him as a friend then why the hell would they add that, it felt like they just wanted to show them fucking like okay if it was a ploy thing for him and he was in love w both of them then okay they should've shown that better and if it was an internalized homophobia thing then they should've also explained that better!!
And my third theory is he knew he liked him so he was just doing that for him but idk you don't kiss yr bro passionately just bcs you don't wanna lose him.

And the older gay dude approaching the young gay dude to sleep w him after his heart got broken cliche
boohoo i wanted to claw my eyes out////

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enjoyed this, won't say it was perfect. but it was fun & don't get anyone trying to compare this to Bullet Train, John Wick, Hitman's Bodyguard, Kingsman etc... cause this wasn't trying to be those movies.

what i really loved here was the personal relationships between the character's. even though this tagged action, everyone (who's criticizing this) seemed to forget this also a drama. i loved those aspects of this movie. the mother daughter dynamic was spot on, great acting by all, but Jeon Do Yeon is really talented, have seen her in quite a few movies, so versatile. also loved the new young cast, the intern & the daughter - their story was also very relatable n engaging (in the intern case even less of a story and yet very endearing character IMHO).

i aint into action movies, so don't care for the fight choreography, but even i noticed that it wasn't that mind-blowing (not that there weren't entertaining fight scenes) but on a whole, it was nothing out of the ordinary. and here i think the trailer did a disservice to the movie, selling it as the actions movies i mentioned above.

also there's NO incest to speak off, yeah Min Hee crazy n very possessive of her brother (& lacking a back story, got no way to back my thoughts) but from my POV, Min Kyu didn't treat his sister as anything by a needy, spoilt child - he suffered n indulged her, didn't lust after her! the one he truly loved was Gil Bok Soon. from the 1st moment they met, he was hooked, that's why he did everything he did - for her, until the end in-spite of her going against his instruction's (what she did to his sister) he still didn't want to kill her (basically letting her win).
it wasn't perfect & i can be nitpicky, find potholes but on a whole this was a fun watch. i would rewatch this just for the fun off it anytime...

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Heartwarming + Action

I’ve no doubt on Jackie Chan movies, most of his being the best in the industry…but acting with the horse almost the main lead here I was doubtful at first if he managed to pull it thru and yes again he didn’t fail us audience!

Watched it just two days ago in the cinema and ended up using my serviette tissue for my popcorn (luckily I ate 2/3 of it while waiting for screening to begin, else too busy focusing to eat!) eating to wipe my tears and blow my nose (okay I did it discreetly…lol) it’s really touching and didn’t expect it to be so touching.

Jackie’s fighting styles are my all-time favorite and together with the horse (I must admit I’ve seen some hard kick-ass scenes are done with CGI which anyone will notice if they stayed behind for credit roll—Jackie’s way of production to share BTS clips—it will show but it doesn’t stop me from being amaze with the choreography of the fights) it was superbly done and the bonding between him and the horse is strongly portrayed. Many moments whereby his closeness with his horse and unwillingness to give him away seems so real that makes my heart cry.

Jackie’s character as a father with his daugther was wonderful…at first it doesn’t occur to me it will have such good fatherly chemistry (probably bcos knowing his real life story of estrange relationship with his real son) but he did nail the character well and to some extent his determination and relentless professionalism to make his stuntman career work for himself & his stunt team and also hoping to concurrently make his family ties work does seem to be his real life story (yea and after watching only I read somewhere some content it’s about his life story as well).

Appreciate how the editing includes some of Jackie’s other great movie production works clips and BTS into this movie…(some may say it’s just reproductions of his past works to insert into here but hey how many actors who have such strong foundation in stuntmanship yet also having so much great movie clips to share…hence such good works should really share) and watching it again (yes i rewatch many times during his many interviews last time) does makes me teary how a person can challenge his own limits to this extent, enduring the pain and yet still carrying on.

Jackie Chan isn’t any younger (I’ve watched him since I was a kid as he was my late father’s favourite actor) and reckon if possible it’s best to watch this in cinema as a form of support to the diminishing production of action movie in the industry…and it’s much better audio and focus in dark cinema to get into the atmosphere as not to waste the opportunity to see and feel how good this movie is… : ))

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Delicate portrayal of Love and Friendship

What happens when 2 friends start living apart in their own life full of struggles and hardships, with a lot of dreams and ambitions to be fulfilled. Soulmate manages to tell the story of this friendship that changes or develops the characters over the course of their lives. The beautiful chemistry of a great bond is elegantly displayed by Kim Da Mi and Jeon So Nee.

In essence, the film focuses on the story of the characters' personal journeys and transition from adolescence to adulthood. The movie captures beautiful stills of Jeju Island and the nostalgic BGM makes it more pleasant to watch.

My Rating : 7/10

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My heart can't handle this......

I never write official reviews about anything but I had to come to this ASAP (tears still in my eyes) to talk about this.

First, the plot was cliche but cute! The love triangle(?), between Kim Yoojung, Byeon Wooseok, and Park Jungwoon characters was cute but I also feel like it was random. Not out of place random but just odd? in a cute way? I enjoyed the bickering between Bora and Hyunjin though, that was super funny, and playful and kept the mood light. The acting in the movie was amazing, I absolutely love Kim Yoojung's acting, she's iconic always.

*Spoiler below*



IF THEY DON'T STOP ENDING SOMETHING GREAT WITH A DEVASTATING ENDING..... I'M NOT GOING TO STOP WATCHING BUT DAMN MY HEART IS. F R A G I L E! That was a plot twist I was not expecting NOR DID I ASK FOR IT! 2521 broke me, but they just didn't work out. THIS THOUGH?!?! UNCALLED FOR. WONDERFUL MOVIE. UNCALLED FOR.

So I say, if you want a romcom that will have you kicking your feet, blushing, giggling, laughing, and then crying your eyes out because your heart WAS NOT ready, this is the movie for you. It's overall an amazing movie!

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The sound of madness

A Page of Madness blurred the lines between sanity and insanity, fantasy and reality and wrapped it all up in a surreal box with a demented bow. A silent movie from 1926 with no intertitles, it could make trying to comprehend the mad hatter's box of discord challenging, yet with stellar performances and an absorbing experimental vibe it is worth making the effort.

Director Kawabata was short on money but long on imagination. With the help of the actors who painted sets, took pay cuts, and slept on the floor he was able to finish the film. Due to only having 8 lights to work with, the walls were painted silver to reflect as much light as possible, which also gave the film an otherworldly appearance. Thought lost for nearly 50 years, Kawabata found a copy in 1971. He set new music to it and re-released it. The film is now shorter than the original. While I don't know what scenes are missing, the story seemed fairly complete. There has been debate whether originally a narrator guided the story for the audience or not. I have to admit I would have liked more clarity with the conversations between the father and daughter.

It does help to understand the framing for the story. A retired sailor is working at an asylum as a janitor because his wife is a patient there. When he was away, their child drown, sending his wife's mind down a slippery slope until she was sent to the asylum. It's unclear whether he stays close by due to a sense of loyalty, love, or guilt. Their surviving daughter is engaged to be married and comes to visit her mother. Afterwards the janitor determines to break his wife out of the facility. Whether the reason is he fears his daughter's in-laws would object to the marriage if they found out her mother had been committed or because he can't bear to see his wife behind bars is not spelled out.

The film begins with an elegant dancer on an elaborate stage with a giant spinning ball behind her. Momentarily we discover the stage and costume are all in her mind as she swirls faster and faster to the rhythms of a torrential rainstorm. Kawabata used nearly every camera trick available to him to display the chaotic spirit of the patients' troubled minds. Overlays, sped up frames, side-by-side, upside down shots, elongated faces, and twirling fades, nothing was left out of his bag of tricks. The actors took over where the director left off as they laid bare a wide range of disturbed emotions---vacant stares, mumbling, hysterical laughter, frenzied behavior, and angry outbursts. The combination of film skills and acting made for a fantastical experience as current behavior, memories, hallucinations, self-deception, dreams, and fantasies cut back and forth, eventually blurring the lines between time, reason and madness.

The janitor who was our guide began to show his own mental cracks leaving you wondering if he was real or one of the ghostly figures in the hall and garden. Or was his sanity slowly giving way to madness as well? The inmates appeared to share their delusions on occasion, begging the question…what is real? The patients seemed to see the dancer in her elaborate costume as she entertained them. The object of one of the janitor's violent fantasies bowed to him at the end of the movie as if he was indeed the man's son-in-law just as in the delusion. Objective and subjective views of reality crashed into each other and became inexorably tangled with each passing minute.

Watching the film, I had to wonder about mental institutions at the beginning of the 20th century. How much did isolation, boredom, low expectations, and no real therapy magnify the problems patients were experiencing? Human interactions were kept to a minimum. History shows that many people ended up institutionalized for being different or suffering from depression, postpartum issues, or in the case of women-being difficult.

Circles and round objects were utilized visually several times-the giant spinning ball in the dance sequence, the wife's focal point button, spinning tires, and spinning film frames. Like the twirling circles, sanity and insanity rapidly rotated until illusion and reality overlapped for the fragile yet resilient human psyche and spirit. When the wife refused to leave the security of her barred home, she showed that the mind can be a far more powerful prison than a physical cage.

Like the story itself, I found the film fascinating and infuriating, deceptively simple yet enigmatic. Built around strong performances and creative storytelling, Kawabata's strange experiment succeeded for me.

5/1/23

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a raw and authentic portrayal of coming of age and personal growth.

control tower is a film that explores themes of coming of age, personal growth, and relationships, which are common themes in many feature films. however, what sets control tower apart is its honest and realistic portrayal of these themes. the film captures the complexities and challenges of growing up with a raw and authentic sensibility, which may be why you find it more relatable than other films.

mizuho's character is nuanced and multifaceted, and her complexity is one of the films strengths. her introspective nature and stoic demeanor hide a deep well of emotion, which is gradually revealed as the film progresses. her struggles with her identity and her conflicted feelings towards her family are portrayed with sensitivity and nuance, making her a relatable and sympathetic character.

kakeru's character is presented as someone who is struggling to find his place in the world and to connect with others. he feels alienated from his peers, leading him to act out and engage in reckless behavior. hence the need for music, it helps him escape these struggles. however, as the film progresses, we see kakeru grow and mature, as he learns to confront his issues and make meaningful connections with those around him.

overall, its is a unique and memorable film that stands out for its honest and relatable portrayal of coming of age and personal growth. while there are other films that deal with similar themes, the film captures the complexities and challenges of growing up with a raw and authentic sensibility that makes it a compelling and thought-provoking viewing experience.

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Great buildup with a bit too much overexplaining.

How much you will feel the thrills and how much you will enjoy this movie depends on how fast you will guess the plot. The later you figure out the puzzle pieces, the better. For me, it was around an hour into the story, and after I understood what’s going on, it was a bit too predictable.

Still, the movie was for sure well crafted. Perfect pacing, with well written characters and outstanding performance from the cast. A bit of red herring and vague storytelling that helped create the suspense. Even after you figure out what’s coming, it’s still enjoyable. You start to pay more attention to details, dialogues and interactions between characters to see if they all support your theory.

It’s a psychological thriller that truly masterfully builds the layers of the plot and characters’ state. It’s a bit heavy on the explanation at the end, going the “tell not show” and not “show don’t tell” way. I believe the audience is smart enough to make sense of the clues and hints they have seen without the director literally showing what happened and why.

The best aspect of Anchor? Performances. I’m a massive fan of Shin Ha Kyun, and he did not disappoint in this project either. He delivers the lines and expressions with such an ease, you truly believe the character is a real person. Chun Woo Hee did most of the heavy lifting, being the central part of the story, and she aced the role. It was not an easy task to complete, and yet she made it in a phenomenal fashion.

Overall, a nice watch that did not feel long even though the run time almost hit the 2 hours mark. While the charm of it fizzles the moment you figure out the plot, it’s still a great movie with a good amount of twists and turns.

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entertaining but some things that could've been better

Overall, this movie was an entertaining watch.

It's very obvious that the horror plot is actually just setting the scene for the bonds of friendship that are made between the main characters. About halfway through the movie, it started to focus on how they were working together as a team to meet their endgoal as opposed to really focusing on the horror aspect. I love anything where characters become unlikely friends, so I enjoyed that aspect of the movie.

Another good thing that I enjoyed were the effects. I always appreciate when movies put in the effort to make good practical effects. The giant doll monster was great.

Things that could've been better:
- I was quite literally screaming at my TV at the end when the main character could've literally just put the head in coffin and ended the whole thing instead of sitting there watching the love interest get eaten. It only happened so she could have an unrealistic last stand against the monster.
- They could have explored the backstory of the Body Search game in general. Who is the entity who is killing the children? What do they want? Is it possible to stop it? That might be something to explore if they decided to film a sequel. I feel like the story was too big to fit into one movie, I think they could've done a better job of making it into a series and hitting all of those questions while still keeping the friendship and team building aspects of the story.

I will say that the post-credits scene caught me off guard and made me question everything. I currently have no theories but am enjoying reading everyone else's theories online.

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TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN THE FIRST YING YANG MASTER DREAM OF ETERNITY!

This is one good but not as good as the first one (Ying Yang Master Dream of Eternity) and I'm waiting for Long Ye (Jessie Li) to come back because at the end of the first movie, she was still breathing and it seems like she's going to appear in here. This is a completely different movie compared to the first one.

VISUALS:
The visuals are great but not as majestic as the first one. The first movie was so cool it feels like you're watching a Marvel movie. It really is because they copied the portal spell from Doctor Strange making them sued by Marvel. That's why it was cut early in the cinemas in China. This time they made different teleportation spells (because of the Marvel/Doctor Strange issue. It was not as cool as the first Ying Yang Master.

CHARACTERS:
There are no characters from the first movie. They change the whole character. I've waited for Bo Ya (Deng Lun) to appear because he's one of the main characters of the first YYM. Their teamwork was awesome, I miss that. There are new cute CGI characters. I love the cute little demon ❤️

ACTION
There is not so much action here. It really felt like they rely on visuals which were really disappointing (compared to the first one) The story was ok. Everything was just fine.

OVERALL: If you haven't watched the first YYM I can recommend you this. Watch this first and then watch Ying Yang Master Dream of Eternity because those movies have different stories but the same main character Qingming (Mark Chao) But if you already watch the first YYM, this can satisfy you. It has fine visuals and of course, it's about Qingming--the Ying Yang Master.

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Just beautiful

I read some reviews before watching this movie and i already knew the direction it was headed.

It has the most unusual plot ever and you will see the most intriguing romance too.
a simple girl falling in love with a debt collector. it is not simple in any way possible. we get to see how they start falling for each other, but this movie is directed in a way for the audience to feel sadness. To feel pain and loss. everything is short-lived and temporary in the end for the female protagonist.
The leads depict beautiful and real chemistry. you will definitely fall for their love

The cinematography was rather average. It's basically set in some poor, rural areas and that's where the leads come from.
One downside to this movie was the soundtrack. It basically had no background music, just natural sounds.

Overall, a really beautiful movie. If you don't mind some tears to shed, be sure to tune in.

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Like a fix-it fanfic

If you watched Present Perfect (go watch it if you haven't yet), you'll know that it didn't have a very happy ending. I don't blame the fans of the first movie for wishing for Toey and Oat to have a chance to be happy together, or even just to be together again one more time, but I don't believe this sequel was necessary at all.

After watching for a few minutes, I immediately felt like I was watching the cinematic equivalent of a fix-it fanfiction. The director/screenwriter is the same as Present Perfect, but here in PSP it seems like a big fan of the series wrotetheir own fanfiction of the story, then somehow was able to gather back all the original actors of the first movie and turn it into a sequel.
I can't say it worked too well. The quiet and dream-like atmosphere of the first movie is completely lost here, and the pacing overall is a lot more lively. The writing also got a LOT more cheesy, with dialogues where the main characters put into words their feelings way more often - and this for some reason made the whole story feel less sincere and the characters' feelings less believable.
Present Still Perfect also tries to tie itself to its prequel with elements that have no reason to exist in its plot - Kenta himself being one of them. They also tried to explain multiple untold things to make the reunion of Toey and Oat "acceptable" or at least "understandable", but overall it felt more like the plot was doing somersaults in the attempt to let the two of them be together.

I gave this movie a 6 because despite everything I was able to finish it, but I was truly unsatisfied with all of it, and now I kinda wish I didn't watch it. I only recommend watching it in case you want to see Toey and Oat together again at all costs, and I really mean AT ALL COSTS, including plot and common sense.

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A sad but fluffy reality

I can say that I enjoyed this film enough. The pacing and the acting all remind me very closely of Japanese movies and dramas I've watched in the past, so don't expect the liveliness that you might find in Thai series - there's none of that here other than the two main characters speaking the language. It's also VERY quiet - I'm pretty sure there's just a few moments where some OST can be heard, while everything else just has ambient sounds or is completely silent. The pacing is also pretty slow and meant for the viewer to take in all the details and the acting without rushing in. I can't recommend this if you're one who gets impatient or distracted easily!

The story itself is actually touching, although in its own sad way. Toey and Oat meet in Japan in a small town, both far away from their personal problems (Toey just broke up with his girlfriend after years of being together, Oat is on his last solo vacation before getting married). Since they're both so far away from their life in Thailand, the entire film feels almost dream-like, as if it was a fantasy rather than made of actual events, which is something that I liked a lot. This dreamy atmosphere is broken from time to time by real-life events and discoveries, which made me want Toey and Oat to keep being happy in a bubble of their own even more.
I don't want to say more than it's necessary as I believe that it's better to watch the film than have a review tell everything. All I want to add is that there are some themes and events that might not be everyone's cup of tea, so I can't recommend watching before bracing yourself in case you don't digest sensitive contents well. Overall it was pretty good, so I'd say you should give it a go!

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Loving someone is hard!

So when I started watching the movie, I didn't know anything about the plot. I just decided to watch it because of the hype it got at that time. And to be honest, I thought it would be some mediocre film which only did well because the main leads are pretty (lol).

But, it proved me wrong. The story is so beautiful. As the story progresses, you could feel the the growing love of Woon-ho for Bo-ra. The actor who played Woonho did an amazing job in showcasing the emotions.

Of course it was not easy for the main leads to be together, but even their shortest scenes together were mesmerizing to watch. The actors had great chemistry and the love between them sparked in every freakin scene.

Poong Woon-ho is the sweetest bub you can ever see in a korean movie. He is so lovable. Also, Bora did an amazing job as well. She really potrayed the emotions with her eyes.

The ending scene is where you need tissues. Many people said that they were dissatisfied with it but c'mon, not every story is meant to be completed. Some stories remain beautiful despite of being incomplete. Bora and Woon-ho story is just like that.

I really liked that they used different actors to potray the diffetent stages of life instead of puting tons of makeup on the same actor. All the actors did an amazing job!

One thing that makes the film more beautiful is the cinematography. The scenes are a bit blurry type which will make you feel nostalgic and you could really feel that the story is set in 1999. The background music is soothing as well and sometimes gives you chill.

So, overall, if you want to see what true love is, this movie is definitely for you. Re-watching it will also make you happy because thats how good the story is!

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