Reviews

Cheated by disrespctful writers, again.

What an absolute waste of 2 hours' time!

Writers owe me a refund of my time.
What was the point of all that walking around in the park - and no picnic at the end of it?
Nothing. They even show the headlights pulling into the park ... but couldn't let us watch him meet the sister? 종말?
My blood boils.

Writers need to understand that they disrespect their audience with their perverse "artistic messaging" nonsense.


Viewers arrive at a show to collect a delivery.
The writers don't deliver.
The writers stood us up at the altar.

Bastards.

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Action-packed movie that strongly relies on the mother-daughter relationship

Just like the synopsis reads, the movie basically only focuses on Boksoon, a top assasin, in her role as a mother.
There is nothing wrong with that and it is a really good concept. The acting is superb from the star-studded cast and the action, stunts and visual effects are crazy good. But at the end of the movie, you're left with the feeling of having watched an unfinished movie. The story, whilst trying to juggle her workplace and her identity as a famous assasin, strays to far away from the core story of her being a mother.

When her relationship with her daughter becomes strained due to some events, there is a lack of the affection and honesty that is, in my opinion the key aspect of Boksoons life. Her struggling as an single mother. Her profession also puts a strain on her relationship with her daughter which is something that is emphasized alot in the movie.

Running parallel with the story of her daughter, we are thrown into a political, greed-driven plotline involving her workplace. This is the element that throws of the core storyline of the mother-daughter bond and forces us to try to understand the various characters operating in the assasins field. Finishing the movie, I had a hard time grasping what the backstory of some of the characters in the first place. I do think the movie lacks context in some key characters and relies instead solely on the action. It gives enough hints to kinda get by but i would have loved to have some more flesh to the bones on the questions of why some characters acted the way they did.

It is still an amazing action movie that is super cool if you are up to see jampacked bloody action scenes in between the communcation of the mother-daughter-duo!

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Carry your tissues everytime you watch this movie

The action and emotional depth of "Decibel" are both excellent for an action thriller. This film is a must-see for aficionados of the genre because of its skillfully developed characters, complex plot, and exciting action scenes.
The action-packed opening scene of the movie establishes the mood for the rest of the picture. The movie's strengths are its frantic, heart-pounding action sequences, which also feature excellent stunt work and special effects. The film also demonstrated how PTSD affects soldiers.
I saw the movie a few times, and although knowing what would happen, each time brought tears to my eyes. LJS's acting was outstanding. Every time they had a scene, his eyes would also show how much he loved his brother. I was devastated by the melancholy and breakdown he had in the submarine. Eunwoo's acting was exceptional despite the fact that he got fewer scenes.Raewon, the chief, made a difficult but necessary decision that, in my opinion, transformed his life, and this is basically how the tale was focused on him. How LJS lost his brother as a result of the choice of leaving some of his teammates due to a shortage of air LJS then targeted Raewon and his family as retaliation.The bombing scenes caused my heart to tighten.I thought the film was fantastic overall, and I left the theatre with bowled-over eyes.

Let's live, Let's Love and hope you enjoy your time by doing what you love ?

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He is Born To Fly

Born To Fly

This is heart warming movie which is revealing test pilots life and difficulties.
CGI effects and sound effects are perfectly presented in this movie.
The first twenty minutes of movie is a bit documentary style but which is better in the rest of movie. Overall script and plot is well-written.

Honestly, I am afraid of being documentary and propaganda movie but the final result is not l think. It is purely focused on test pilots life, training period difficulties, self-awareness of ability in “lei yu” character , how to improve in their aviation system of fighter Jet and how they sacrifice their life to test & improve their aviation system.

I got new knowledges of aviation system and more understanding of test pilots sacrificed. This made me heart-touching and heartbroken.

I really like and enjoy romance of main character Lei Yu and his crush doctor (special leading actress). I really want to see more romance and romantic scenes between them which will be better for movie.

Main lead Actor Wang YIBO’s acting is already approved in Hidden Blade. He is so fit in his character and delivered “Lei Yu” character perfectly and smoothly with his true feelings in this movie ?.

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Purely a propaganda film...

I watched this movie because I'm a fan of Wang Yibo and of course I had to show my support. I watched it at my local AMC and just returned home to write this review.

I am sadly not a fan of this movie and I might be the minority here. I will admit that the CGI was great and I do think that the action/flight scenes were very well done with the pairing and timing of the music to really keep you on the edge of your seat. Wang Yibo also had some really adorable funny scenes and you will see a few of his rare smiles, however, it really ends there.

There is no actual storyline besides focusing on the testing and training process of test pilots. The "bad guys" are some no-face pilots that went into their airspace for no reason - they sound and resemble stereotypical American jocks (so weird imo). The whole movie just reminded me of something that would be shown to recruit soldiers - being educational and patriotic and with very little entertainment value. Perhaps if they were able to put an actual plot together and if the patriotism was woven in more seamlessly, I would have enjoyed it more.

Moral of the story is, don't eject from a plunging plane or shy away from foreign invasion - even if it means you'll die because you're fighting for your country and for your comrades. They do spin it in a more marketable way though and call it "testing your own limits" (even if it means death).

Sadly, even Yibo's wide range of acting here couldn't convince me to like this movie. While I think Yibo and Hu Jun put on wonderful performances, there was little character development and barely any story buildup. Because of this, the supposedly heartwarming moments fell flat. If you're looking for well fleshed-out characters or a well-developed story, this movie isn't it.

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WHAT DID I JUST WATCH

The story starts out calm when suddenly the atmosphere changes. Just when you through you had figured out the plot, a new twist was added. I loved the many turns the story took, which never created a dull moment. Especially the end took me by surprise. I had to sit in silence as the credits rolled to process what I’d just watched.

One of the things I liked the most was the acting between the characters. The development of them and their interactions were very interesting to watch. Normally I would never rewatch a movie but for this I think I’ll definitely have to, to get a different perspective.
10/10 recommend!

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An epic continuation

Not gonna lie, I think that this is one of my favourite movies in High&Low franchise.

In this movie we continue the story from where the last movie ended. I am not gonna get into greater detail about the plot in this movie, because honestly the plot in this franchise is the same. We have a bad guy/school, we fight with them, we have a momentarily bond, we win, we bond for real after some time. This is the plot for every series and movies in this franchise.

However, I would like to point out how good the movie is to the eye. The cinematography, the colours, the frames, the fight-choreos, the attire, the camera work, the music, and many more!!! I believe that the movie had a high production quality. I cannot stretch enough how good the camera work and fight-choreos are!

Every actor was on their top performance and the outcome was amazing. I think that I need to acknowledge the elephant in the room though. Oya high, will never be the same without Murayama! He was and will always be the best leader in Oya. However, thankfully Todoroki was there :) I really enjoyed his development since the last movie. I NEED MAEDA GOKI IN EVERY MOVIE AND SERIES! PLEASE!

Something that I wasn't expecting was Suzuran's appearance here. Taking into account the reference to Rao and Suzuran in the previous movie, and also watching the movie's teasers, I thought that our main villain will be Rao. But I was wrong. And honestly, I enjoyed this plot twist. However, now I need more of Suzuran!!!! I NEED TO SEE MORE OF SUZURAN AND RAO!!

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A BDSM movie done right!

Love and Leashes is a sexy, fresh and delightful movie! I didn’t know what to expect from this movie since it seems to have mixed reviews, but I ended up really loving this. This is actually a great movie to watch for introduction to BDSM… so do yourself a favor and watch this instead of the terrible 50 Shades of Grey. Love and Leashes actually tells how important consent is, about the HEALTHY way of BDSM, not the unhealthy way. I was surprised that Korea made such a daring, progressive and controversional movie, since as far I understand Korea is a conservative country. And also surprising is that this actually potrayed BDSM in a healthy way, since this might be the first BDSM korean movie or one of the first (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong). And the third surprising thing is that the female lead and male lead is acted by a idols, Seo Hyun from Girls' Generation and Lee Jun Young from U-KISS! That’s very brave of both of them. The fourth surprising thing is that it’s the woman who is the dominatrix/master, especially since this is Korea’s first (or one of the first) BDSM movie. It feels feminist, like it breaks stereotypes about men and women, it tells that men doesn’t have to be macho/dominant, and that women doesn’t have to be sumbissive.

This is generally a lighthearted and comedy movie, sometimes even silly, but deals with serious and disturbing subjects too… Anyways, this movie despite the theme is not very explicit, but still manages to be sexy! If you are looking for something explicit / almost p*rnish, then you might be dissapointed. The chemistry between Seo Hyun and Lee Jun Young is good. I like the fact that Ji Woo does lots of research about BDSM, which is not always the case when it comes to BDSM movies, and how respectful Ji Hoo is towards Ji Woo, he doesn’t force or nag at her when it comes to BDSM, he is not pushing her into anything… and I like the fact that Ji Woo actually likes to experience new things and is so open minded. She doesn’t judge people for their perferences.

It also deals with other people’s judgement when it comes to BDSM and How they think its just perverted and sick, and the movie wants to tackle those prejudices and tell there is nothing wrong with BDSM - as long as both parties wants it. I won’t lie, this movie is a bit predictable, sometimes I could tell what would happen. Also, the acting is okay but not the best… but other than that, everything was great, it also tacklas sexism at work, and movie wants to lift up How problematic it is. Ji Woo is a strong a character, she doesn’t take crap and is a very modern, liberal woman. Ji Hoo is a nice man who hides his kinky side, afraid to be looked down on, especially because of what happened in the past. The relationship between Ji Woo and Ji Hoo is of course not the typical kind of relationship, it’s pretty unique, of course. And of course they develop feelings for each other.

Some say this movie is very tame, but not for me. Sure there are BDSM movies out there that are a LOT more explicit, but I thought this is definitely not tame since Ji Hoo actually likes pain and we see his wounds after BDSM with Ji Woo, and some scenes are actually very darn sexy, and tastefully so… While not a very deep movie , its definitely not shallow. I give this 8.5/10 whips! ?

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Soothing but somewhat lacking

I watched this movie on a long-haul flight last night. It was a slow and peaceful watch, but it didn't wring any emotions from me.

They liked each other in high school but have been apart for 10 years. This was problematic for me from the standpoint that he could get training in cello pretty much anywhere, and she had the type of job that could be done anywhere, so the distance for that long period of time didn't make sense. There were a couple of phone calls, but that's it.

I did like the flashbacks, though neither one of them looked much different, just in hairstyle.

Since the whole of the movie was of them apart, trying to realize their own dreams, I couldn't feel their love. I honestly thought it would end differently than it did. It was a cute ending, but again, nothing tugging at my emotions.

The ML did say something to one of his orchestra friends about the FL that was very swoony, but again, didn't he think he should share this information with the FL?

The filming was kind of sepia toned, which I thought was interesting. Basically, for me, it was something to pass the time.

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Thank you AthenaTheStorierX for making us discover these seldom seen or heard of movies which is frankly the shame. We have been drowned under the BL wave but there are gems like this one out there nobody talks about!

This is a story of Por and Jane who have been dating for a while but Por is still in the closet. So one day she decides to come out to her mother (who raised Por alone) but she refuses to hear it. Jane, distraught goes to a club with friend and wakes up in a stranger's bed. Overcome with guilt she cuts off all contact with Por but a month later she discovers she's pregnant and goes back to see Por. In a tearful showdown the three women learn to accept each other.

The Greatest Love is a nice short movie dealing with the difficulties families have in accepting their LGBT kids, the way they are seen by the society and how hard it is to decide what makes their child happy. Is it what society expects of them or what they need really? They are rarely the same thing!

For once, the film is about an established couple who would like to get out of their love bubble and be open with the world but it is a difficult decision to make so the clashes within the couple are frequent. We do not know much about Jane and her family but she seems to be at ease with her life choices. Por is having hard time trying to find a way to come out making Jane unhappy. The main character of this story is Por. It would be interesting to see the same movie but from Jane's perspective. She is present here but not enough explication is given.

The actresses are excellent, the cinematography is a bit colourless, to go with the mood I guess but the music is good especially the thai version of The Greatest Love...

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Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

A writer is told his scrip was not honest enough so he asks his actor friend to read it. The actor decides to enact the script and incite the writer to be honest about his feelings!

What a beautiful short movie telling a story of a couple of friends afraid to take a step further in their relationship. The question is asked: what does it mean to be honest to yourself? The actor recites Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 (written for an anonymous young man known as Fair Youth) as his confession of love. The writer realizes he needs to accept himself for who he is and be open with his feelings in order to be happy.

This movie is a bit on the gloomy side: the colours are subdued, the lights for the most of the movie, are dimmed: we only see the light of the day once they are honest with each other. The music is just as gloomy: a series of classical piano waltzes.

And yet, it leaves you feeling happy and optimistic: if you are honest enough with yourself , you can grab your own happiness with both hands!

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Why was it so wholesome?

And why did I enjoy it so much! Give me a gory slice of life with amazing friendship and sweet romance. How does this combination make sense? No idea, but it was fun.

This movie is not scary, this movie is entertaining, heartwarming and silly. Yes, the deaths are gruesome, but the stakes are non-existent. This is probably the most chill horror I have ever seen - no worries, no true tension, just pure enjoyment.

The plot could be separated into distinguishable sections depending on the characters; knowledge of what is happening around them and the growing friendship. With that, it never felt boring, and surprisingly not repetitive at all. We’ve got a cute slice of life during the day, and nightmare in the night - how did it click so well? No idea, but I loved that format.

Production value was fine. I’m glad we only saw the Red Person in the dark and shadows, because giving us a good view of it would ruin the fun - the design was just too silly, looking like something from Five Nights at Freddy's.

Overall, initial confusion about the tone of the movie turned into a tiny excitement and overall a pleasant experience, which is a rare thing to say about a horror movie.

Ps. Don’t even watch the after credits scene - it’s dumb. They thought they got the viewers with a twist, but it makes literally no sense.

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Hidden Blade, a nonlinear, espionage  thriller Chinese movie with a chic style and well-edited.

Everything is just perfect! The style, the cinematography, the actor, the act is so on point, and the amazing plot, you're first might unsure of both where the things are going and the actions of everyone, so you need to put more attention in any minutes! The character is so well-played, watching the acting of Chinese senior actor, Tony Leung and Zhou Xun is definitely worthwhile. As well as Wang Yibo continues to fit well with Tony Leung despite the age gap between them. I like it the way Yibo speaks Japanese sounds cool. Their acting is definitely beyond expectations though!

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Yueh Hua was excellent as Nan Kung Hsiao. On a mission to find the killers of his entire family and find his sister-in-law and reunite her with her son. They never do find the boys mother and I guess the writer's may have forgotten that was part of the plot but I really liked his matter of fact character. There were many assassins looking to kill him for 1000 pieces of gold. Then another, top assassin is hired to kill him for 10,000 pieces of gold.

There was an unnecesassry subplot with one of the assassins and his girlfriend's love story but I did actually really like the actress even though that plot point was not needed. The "kid" in the title of this movie is adorable as well.

This is a good one time watch. The fights aren't that spectatcular but it's a nicely paced film and the last fight scene is fairly entertaining.

5/6/23

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