Reviews

Slow paced

The drama has a potential to be a good melodrama but overall it became too slow paced and there were unnecessary fillers which felt draggy. The time skips were too fast and the story seems be lacking a solid chemistry between the two. Was excited to see the Main cast together after Goblin, but the excitement faded away 15min into the movie. This was a tough watch for me considering that i liked Jung Hae In's slice of life dramas like One spring night and Something in the rain.
what i liked about this drama: Cast !! That's all!!
what i didn't like: story which didn't connect the time skips, their lack of communication, gloomy music, side characters with no use to the story at all.
Wouldn't recommend who are not into slow paced or the fans of main cast!!

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why?

WTF was that ending. I don't go into romcom to have an unhappy ending where the guy dies just before he was about to reunite with our MC and she spends years not knowing about it and resenting him. The contrived misunderstandings with the bffs stopping them from being together were only bearable if it all led to a happy ending! The genre shift came so completely out of nowhere I was just baffled and ended up checked out. It reeks of the romcom that didn't want to be like the other romcoms and just failed at being anything satisfying. Way to ruin the outstanding performances of your amazing, charismatic, and personable cast!

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Lurking in the dark is but a story of LOVE and TRAGEDY

I don't really know where to start but let me start this review by saying, "this movie was beautifully and wonderfully sewed in the dark"

The beginning of the movie bears lots of promises. A promise of a wild yet perfect cinematography, a promise to touch your innocence with an invitation to enjoy the darkness and a promise of a BL story. Because for all I know if not all there's someone who decided to watch this movie because of the BL ingredient on it.

Anyways let's go down to the business...

MUSICALITY. Obviously as what the title implies this movie will surely involves singing or music in general. For those who enjoys rap, free speech composition with a raw touch of feeling and emotions surely this movie is for you. You'll come to appreciate the unbounded power of music but for those who are not into such kind of genre you'll surely find yourself trying to understand and enjoy it. For me, I'll give it a pass. I'm not so fond of rap but I love writing thus the compositions strike me the most in those scenes than the rap.

CINEMATOGRAPHY. The movie is more likely produced with an indie film touch on it which contains the raw beauty of reality. The color grading is true to its natural form. The settings, location are well thought of except the forest scene. That's the last place for me to do such act. ?

CASTING. The main leads nailed it all. Their roles are really suitable to their visuals, get up and background. The main leads are drop dead gorgeous especially sensie. I would fall for him if I were there for sure. They're just too perfect.

STORY. This made the movie worth a penny. The storyline. The movie tackled issues that do not usually happen but do happen and how someone's life could change because of it. The story of survival, slavery - on a different level, story of motivations, inspirations and brotherhood. In all honesty I could say lots of good things about the movie when it comes to the story because for me this is the cream of the crop of this film.

BL? Uhmmm. It depends on how you see BL. If you see BL as a lovey dovey story of both men then this movie is not BL. If you see BL as love between both men regardless of how the story goes and ended well this could be BL. So it is really up to you.

NOT SO FAVOURITE PARTS. I don't like the scene before it ended. Don't really like such ending because the story started dark. I do understand that the story mirrors the cruel reality of our world but I'm this kind of person who see films, movies and dramas as an escape to what I am used to. Thus, I don't fantasized such direction for the finale other than that some parts are quite acceptable.


This is but a great movie. ?

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If there is one less wolf out there, does it really matter?

I am fully aware that i am a very cynical person, but my cynicism is not unwarranted in this regard as the world is an unkind place to the mute, the wordless. I started this with a wariness in my mind that this could turn out to be yet another insincere effort of a human glorifying their own deeds.

And I was very, very wrong. Every moment of this, from when Li Weiyi searches for and encounters the pup till the credits roll in, each moment is a testimony to a beautiful bond between them.

Save him first, Li Weiyi says to us. She does not have reasons to offer to support her decision for bringing a wild wolf into the city. All she knew was that she had to save this little life who lost every happiness because of humans. For a while things do go well as Green, the wolf, grows into a strong boy. But it is soon understood that his place is not in the city.

So where can he go? What place promises a safe sanctuary for a wolf in today's world, wonders Li Weiyi as she looks through the glass at a large alpha, the kids beside her banging their hands at the wall to provoke the captive wolf.

This is not so much a story of a wolf returning to the wild. It is about finding a safe abode for the wolf, for it is not the wild that Li Weiyi is afraid of.

In his short story No Room for a Leopard, Ruskin Bond asks, “But did the leopard, trusting one man, make the mistake of trusting others?"

Li Weiyi is afraid of the humans who encroach upon the wild with sinister intentions. As she runs her hands through a cloak made of wolf fur, she can only see the eyes of her own son. The wolf who having been brought up by humans, has forgotten the fear of humans that has been ingrained so deep in others of his species that even the pups stay away.

Return to the Wolves is a call for the establishment of China's first wolf sanctuary. It offers a tender look into the wildlife of the vast Zoige prairie, and the diverse beauty that co-exists there. When I look at places like this, i just hope that no human can ever find their way there. I loved how they showed Green in his wolfish wild nature; Li Weiyi tells us too look at the him and says we humans are more cruel than the wolf who hunts an animal in the wild.

This "review" hasn't been much of a review (in my opinion) as a statement of how touched I have been by this documentary. In terms of production values, it is a linear straightforward narration with the occassional voiceover to supplement the story at times. Li Weiyi and Yi Feng have an eye for scenic beauty, and they incorporated beautiful shots of the prairie and the mountains that was supposed to be the new home of their beloved child.

-

I wish to narrate a rather personal experience of mine. It was in the monsoon. the flood season was almost upon us and with that, it was the season of dog mating. Pups were being born, each with a predetermined ill fate: they would either be washed away or they would get crushed by a car, and if they made it so far, they would die of hunger or live to suffer their whole life.

Six such pups, a litter, was born behind our house.

The rains came and my mother and I set up a small bamboo shelter for them. But as the rained poured harder, we knew they would die. Ours is a small household, we were two kids and our father was away. We already housed many cats. Despite this, my mother brought these pups into our basement. I tried to be a voice of reason, who would keep them in their adulthood? My mother calmly said, let them live first.

So when Li Weiyi says "it doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong if you save him. don't let him die." It reminds me of this moment. How many humans would rather turn a blind eye? And does it really matter if there is one less wolf out there?

If there is a god, they are there in humans like Li Weiyi, in people who through seemingly small and large acts of kindness and love, multiply the beauty in this world several folds. Maybe people don't care, and most people don't, but what is the meaning of humanity if we kill innocent lives for self-serving reasons or if we have never gone out of our way to be kind even once.

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Hidden Blade: A Visually Stunning Noir Masterpiece with Superb Acting and Direction

Director Cheng Er's Hidden Blade is a cinematic gem that captures the essence of Chinese noir cinema with remarkable precision. Set against the backdrop of a small Chinese town during the 1930s, the film tells the story of Mr. Ye (Wang Yibo), a skilled martial artist who finds himself caught in a web of political intrigue and personal turmoil.

One of the most striking aspects of this film is the visual style employed by Cheng Er. Every shot is composed with exquisite care and attention to detail, evoking the moody and melancholic atmosphere of classic film noir. The use of muted colors, soft lighting, and long takes all contribute to the film's overall aesthetic, creating a sense of timelessness that draws the viewer into the story.

The acting in Hidden Blade is equally impressive. Wang Yibo gives a standout performance as Mr. Ye, conveying both the character's physical prowess and emotional depth with remarkable skill. His interactions with the other characters are nuanced and complex, bringing a sense of authenticity to the film's intricate web of relationships.

The fight scenes in Hidden Blade are expertly choreographed and executed, with a realism and brutality that is both thrilling and visceral. The final confrontation between Mr. Ye and Watanabe (Mori Hiroyuki) is a masterclass in cinematic combat, showcasing the talents of both the actors and the fight choreographers.

While some viewers may find the film's non-linear timeline confusing, Cheng Er's direction is so deftly handled that the story flows seamlessly from one scene to the next. The film's pace is deliberate but never slow, building to a satisfying and emotionally resonant climax.

In the end, Hidden Blade is a film that demands to be savored and appreciated. It is a beautiful and haunting work of cinema that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. If you are a fan of noir or historical films, this is a must-see movie that showcases the best of both genres.

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the best concept of time traveling

One heart warming movie about time traveling. For me this is the best concept of time traveling. You can only visit without doing much, everything happen is happen and you can't change it. What you can do, only know what's your mistake & correct it in your own timeline.

What I don't too like is actually the story of Tokita Kazu herself. Although a little bit make more sense, but I think they kinda stretch it to fit the story. But her story also really interesting, how they take the future to help with present time.... Haha...

Overall this heart warming story about how we should seize the time before we left with something to regret.....

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Really good background noise

I never condone cheating in any capacity but this movie really highlights how serious emotional infidelity can be. Once you check out of a relationship emotionally then no amount of physical presence can really bring you back. This movie is very realistic about how relationships are very fragile and can be broken by just about anything. I will say, I think her abortion really affected Da eun more than we see. Jang Hyuk's reaction to her news was probably everything she needed to realize he had checked out. Just saying.

I, unfortunately, saw the spoilers before I watched so it didn't surprise me but I enjoyed the movie still.

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"Unless you can fly, there's no way to escape!"

Ti Lung, David Chiang and director Chang Cheh made a number of films together, including one of their earliest, Have Sword Will Travel. Chang Cheh diverged from his usual Buckets 'O Blood format in this film, slowed down, and gave the story and characters time to grow. That doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of red dye #40 used, but he did wait until the last third of the film for the fighting to truly commence.

Siang, the dart master, played by Ti Lung and his lady love Piao Piao (the lovely Li Ching) are lounging in a flower covered meadow. It's a typical marriage proposal with Siang throwing a dart at the yellow flower in Piao Piao's hair and nailing it to the tree behind her all while fighting off a dozen bandits. They are on their way to the Invincible Village to help out Lord Yin who is responsible for escorting an imperial treasure of 200,000 silver pieces. Meanwhile, Lo Yi, a poor wandering swordsman is just seeking shelter for the night and stumbles upon a tower where a huge group of bandits called the Flying Tigers are holed up. They are led by none other than Ku Feng as Jiao Hung. Lo manages to avoid a fight and ends up in the Invincible Village. Siang is convinced he's a spy and wants to dispatch him, but his anger might have had more to do with Lo and Piao Piao making googly eyes at each other. Along with setting up the key players for the eventual all-out fight over the silver, the fight for the heart of Piao Piao has begun as well. Who will live, who will die, who will ride off into the sunset, and who will win fair maiden's heart?

The title is a play on the name of an American tv show, Have Gun Will Travel, starring Richard Boone from 1957-1963. Aside from David Chiang's wandering character and his friendship with his horse, the western references were few. This was largely a sword-fighting drama with quality fights for the era. The bad guys also employed chains with knives, bow and arrows, and what looked like metal boomerangs. Yuen Cheung Yan and Tang Chia choreographed the fights which were few early on, but made up for it in the finale. The body count was high by the ending credits. In true wuxia form there was an abundance of trampoline and wire work which for the time looked pretty good. The blood spurting was understated for a Chang Cheh movie, but if it's something you enjoy, there were several slow motion geyser scenes that should quench the most blood thirsty viewer.

A familiar tower which was used in other films and prescient of Bruce Lee's Game of Death idea, had the heroes fighting their way up the different levels manned with weapon wielding bad guys. As much fun as it was to watch the battles, it made little sense for the good guys to detour off the road with their precious cargo of silver to end up at the tower. The movie looked like Shaw Brothers sank more money into this one than many other of their films. The sets were a step up from their disposable sets built for rough and tumble bar fights. While the outdoor filming provided a scenic backdrop for the actors it could be unsettling when it bounced back and forth between nature and the sound stage in the same scene.

The three main actors had a nice chemistry and played off each other well. Ti Lung was confined to playing the man jealous of his rival's sword skills and how his girl gazed at Lo's narrow sword. David Chiang is not a favorite of mine, but he managed to let a few emotions crack through his closed off face. At one point when Lo had to sell his horse in order to eat, you could feel the sense of loss. Both Siang and Lo were unrelentingly proud which became tiresome after a while. Ku Feng really sank his teeth into the charismatic leader of the Flying Tigers. In one scene Ku slithered up to Lo like a snake in the garden and tempted the expert swordsman to join his gang.

The visual quality of Have Sword Will Travel was impressive compared to other martial arts films of the time. The vicious sword fights were well done and the story had real stakes for the fights. The love triangle added emotional depth so often missing in these movies. I was disappointed that we missed out on a friendship or mutual respect developing between the two rivals because that would have set this movie even further apart in quality from other cut and paste kung fu flicks. Instead, there were two prideful men, unwilling to accept help from each other even when it no longer made sense to push each other away. I kept hearing Mony Python's knight saying, "Tis but a flesh wound!" Regardless of this quibble, Have Sword Will Travel with the renowned trio of Chang Cheh, Ti Lung, and David Chiang is one for martial arts movie fans to seek out.

4/11/23

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When you lose yourself along the way and instead focus on growing up and trying to live the dream you thought you need. Often time we forget about our pure and childish self. The things we were so passionate about and loved as young adults. The responsibility and the standard of this world tears us down and we slowly let go of ourselves. This is what this movie was about to me.

Ni ni plays two characters, the 28 and 17 years of herself. She was ready to marry her longtime boyfriend who promised her forever, but slowly ten years passed, and they had not reached that stage. She dreamt of being his wife and doing things a housewife should. Instead, he proposed a breakup. Like any other girl, she eats to forget about the pain. She orders these chocolates that were supposed to help her but instead, these magic chocolates transfer her back to 17 years old. Both of them go through ups and downs with each other. They fought and bickered. They had ongoing issues with their relationships - the 28-year-old with her current boyfriend and the 17-year-old and her new beau. But through it all, they eventually learn to accept one another. It will always be a fight to find that balance, a struggle but I hope we never forget that moment when we shine our best and learn to accept and love ourselves from that point on.

These were some of my favorite quotes specifically from the scene when she was going to lose her 17-year-old self. I couldn’t stop crying during this scene:

“It was you who changed me”

“Don’t be afraid, I will never let you go again”

“I admire your purity and bravery. You know it was you that gave me back the beauty in me that was lost”

“Big Liang, this life is yours to live. I’ll never be far away, just listen to the small voice within your heart.”

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Low budget lesbian short film about the end of a relationship

Why is it that no one ever finishes their food in fiction? That is a real question I have, but it is not at all the central question in this short film which manages to tell a lot with few dialogue lines and few scenes.
'Are we really done?' is a little short film that is queer without being a rom-com. It's centre point is the question in its title 'are we really done?' Are the two best friends who were dating in all but name in high school, who were always together, and who might have thought that this time would never end, are they done? Is their history over? Is that time in their life, this shared romantic moment over? It does not have time to develop this to a very large extent because of the low budget and short runtime, but it provides one answer. It uses flashbacks quite well to give us their backstory in few words and the actresses do a good job at sharing with their eyes everything that is left unsaid. Both asking the title question and answering it.

The production quality is lower than might be expected from Korean short films which usually have very high production values, but it's also nice to see more amateurish productions. The filming and directing is decent if simple. The sound is sadly too low throughout which can be a bit annoying and the editing could be better. But overall, this is a very decent short film and one that I would recommend you watch if you have 10min and want something else than the traditional romcom short film.

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This is a masterpiece!

This may not be everyone's cup of tea also in addition that this is a somewhat political movie due to the occupation of the Japanese army during WW2 but movie is a masterpiece.

Trigger Warning: Some scenes in the movie shows violence towards the LGBTQIA+ community, Torture (Physical & Sexual), Rape, and War.

- Acting-wise, everyone did such a splendid job. not to mention the Philippines comedy King Dolphy is the one portraying Walterina Markova. He did such a splendid job. The young Walternina & her friends did a great job too on their characters, I had felt what it was like to be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community during those times. I can't dent the fact that being part of the community is such a controversial issue then up to now & also this movie might also have been controversial due to its nature but in my opinion, everyone that has to do with this movie really did a good job~
- The scenes and events were acted & shot great!! yes, it's not perfect but still, the message & the feelings were delivered to me.
- This movie is just purely an art in film.
- The movie was based on actual events told by Walterina herself. You can research the story and some news clipping s on google if you want to know more about her life.
- Will definitely watch this movie again and again if I got time~

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Sh88ty college community project

This ain't a movie, it's a college community project gone wrong.
Messy acting, messy characters, f88ked up cinematography.
Horrible direction and a Horrendous experience.
The director who's also the screenwriter should be fired.

They chose a half-baked script based on some toxic relationship, like those f99ls who f88k around and created a screenplay out of it .
One could accept that the concept was good enough to proceed but the writing in such a manner.
All hell should break loose with such sh88ty dialogues.
Acting talent of both the leads was wasted.

I'm seriously angry at this lady who made this movie.
She shouldn't be found near the director's chair or writer's den.
Go do some other work blondie.

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Can see where they were going with it, but it's poorly executed.

Where do I begin....

After reading a few comments mentioning the snail pace of the movie, the awkward intimacy, the uncomfortable age gap, and still deciding to watch it - what surprised me the most is that none of those aspects are the ones that bothered me. From the first 5 minutes of the movie, I even thought I'll come to like it (ooh boy).

What did bother me is the normalization and romanticisation of the foundations of this relationship.

Sakurai is a 37 year old man who acts as if he has never been in a relationship before, and hence he does not know how to behave and control himself. He is displayed as the type of person to pick up a hobby (such as caring for a houseplant) and then neglecting and abandoning it after the novelty wears off. He proceeds to intrude on and quickly advance with a new housebody, the 19 year old Yoichi.

Yoichi lives a lonely life despite the fact that he's surrounded by 3 other tenants; whose backgrounds, personalities or significance are non-existent, as the only purpose they serve is to not only overlook the problematic advancement of this middle-aged stranger on their vulnerable 'friend', but to even encourage it, since that's probably cheaper than therapy.

Yoichi is just a kid who grew up surrounded by the rumour that his parents committed suicide together, hence abandoning their unloved son. His fist ever sexual awakening occurs due to a simple coincidence that Sakurai could guess what he was painting and could sense happiness emanating from Yoichi when he paints.

The setting couldn't be simpler - An emotionally stunted, depressed boy with daddy issues projects his need for a father figure and a sexual partner onto Sakurai, who, as a pent-up workaholic, can not keep it in his pants and upon realizing that he bit off more than he could chew, runs away. The only sensible thought that man coughed up was that their generation gap makes him uncomfortable.... and then proceeded to give the already constipated boy mixed messages and a game of push and pull (in the form of awkward hugs, fervent sleazy kisses, avoiding him, and at the end literally walking out in a middle of conversation).

The actor playing classmate Fujimoto, is out of place with how his acting is far better than all the characters combined.

In a nutshell, the movie was uncomfortable to watch. The overall vibe felt like a BL from 2000s Japan: undercooked and overly dramatized, but with really neat cinematography. If the ending was tweaked a bit and the couple did not end up together, making it a learning slope for Yoichi (such is life), then at least the whole situationship would not be painted rosy.

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Blood and Flesh

I have been trying to come up with a catchy first sentence to begin this review for the past hour, but I can't think of anything satisfying enough, so here we go.

Execution-wise the movie is splendid in all aspects from cinematography and directing to acting and music.
Unexpectedly it doesn't even feel draggy, even though it runs for two and a half hours.
However for some reason I don't feel like mentioning any of this is important, because it doesn't really matter comparing to the plot and what it felt like watching it.

Hunger deals with the theme of greed and the chasm between the poor and the rich. It doesn't romanticise anything and at some points it feels raw to a point that as a viewer I felt depressed, frustrated and angry but not in a way that it made it difficult to watch. It doesn't have any type of ''fairy-tale'' plot or the cliché of ''food made with love beats everything''.
It focuses on the importance of the choices that people make for themselves and how easy it is to turn into a person you hate.

Even though it doesn't feel preachy, I feel like they could tone it down a bit more to have a better balance.
I would definitely like a different ending, but it didn't degrade the rest of the film.

"The poor eat simply to satisfy their hunger, but when you have more than enough to eat your hunger doesn't end".

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Outstanding movie

Wow just wow. I’ve never written a review before but after been recommended this movie thought I’d give it a go. I love a movie or series that is slightly different and this was it. The actors, all of them where amazing but my heart just melted for Hwayi. He absolutely nailed his character, his eyes never lied, his expressions, everything. He was the true victim here. I’ve read a few reviews but my take on the ending differs to those. Hwayi’s ‘fathers’ where never his real dads, his real parents where the elderly couple who wouldn’t move home on the construction site. Hwayi was made to murder his real dad but at the time never knew he was his father, the flashbacks cemented this. I’ve seen a few comments that mentioned they wished one of the ‘fathers’ had killed Hwayi, not sure why. Each of his ‘fathers’ viewed and felt for Hwayi differently. I believe most of them would of killed Hwayi if the situation arose. There was only one dad however who I felt would save him if given the chance and genuinely cared for Hwayi. Another scene when one of the dads joined Hwayi at the toilet and mentioned to him about going to the baths. That concerned me, was it implying there was something untoward going on, however this was never explored. The ending I needed, he reached out to Young Joo who’d been like a mum to him. Very sad movie though.

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