Reviews

Nice but once a watch

I have watched a few movies with the same concept, finding an old letter and trying to search for its recipient or sender, eventually uncovering something extraordinary about them. And the people who search get motivated by how they truly old generation loved.

I do like the concept of the movie, but the editing of the movie just ruins everything. While Jin-tian is talking to Ze-Yang the scene jumps to old times, but everything looked the same whether past or present so I got confused. The old couple story jumps in between without any screen cut or context, they don’t even mention the year. The back and forth between past and present is like spilled coffee all over the place
I felt that the old couple's story had more impact cause they had a more emotional connection.
Present-day JinTian and ZeYang's story was bland and forced with so many emotional traumas as if they were some sinners. if one of them could have acted maturely and adult it would have changed the impact of the movie. They had chemistry but their visuals are too nice that it covered their flawed acting, they could have done better.

The actors who played Lanxin and Joseph Novak were amazing, others were very mediocre honestly maybe because they are newbies.

The scene where Novak and JinTian see each other was very fine and chilling. The ending is satisfying though.

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An entertaining movie

Jeon Do-Yeon is really the gem of Korean industry and back with an all-action role! The special effects and swift fighting ??
The storyline is abit far fetched but the cinematography is interesting, the CGI are done nicely and they tried to mimic western Kill Bill environment with the office building, lifts etc. Quite refreshing to find the similarities.

The mother and daughter relationship is suppressed, as a Netflix film there's no hesitation in displaying LGBT topics in K scene nowadays and it's definitely forward-thinking as the world evolves. If you are looking for cool dark action movie, Kill Bok Soon is for you.

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At first I quite enjoying this movie, but toward the end, for me, it's like unfinished story. They close the curtain at very half-hearted story.

The movie tell 2 story. (1) Chuck & Ashley story, where they join the competition. (2) story about Ashley's family & the mysterious red shoes. Unfortunately for us, they only finished 1 story, which about Ashley's family. While the Chuck, Ashley & competition story remain unfinished. More over about chuck's family business, it's like forgotten story, which they don't even bothered again in the end.

Quite happy about Ashley's family. But at the same time every thing happen too fast & unclear. Like the competition itself, we don't know how long the preparation time, rehearsal & the competition day itself, kinda don't make sense how long they give space between rehearsal & competition day, usually only 1 day before the D-day is rehearsal day., but no here. And also the problem between Celine & their dad. Earlier we can see how mad Celine to their dad, but overnight she seems forget about it & just casually talk to their dad. Yeah yeah I know, all for the sake of Ashley can get her happy ending. But it doesn't make sense how fast every thing happen in the end.

This could be one good movie, if only they complete all the story & have more logic timeline.

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I've listened to 有一种悲伤 by A-Lin (A kind of sorrow) many times before I've watched the actual movie and it has became one of my favorite song of all times. I knew there was tragedy in this movie, and emotions would be swirled, and at the start of this movie I wasn't feeling it because I felt like the plot felt inconsistent or at a weird pace. Towards to the end of the movie, the saying "下辈子“ (next life) hit me so hard and listening to the song doesn't feel the same. I haven't felt so paralyzed by emotions by a movie, and listening to the song, that I don't think I can listen and sing to the songs again. This of course without saying the first time I've cried to a show in a long time. I would rewatch it if only it didn't bring me so much emotion, maybe the next time when I'm ready to cry I'll watch it again

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Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold packed plenty of action and humor into its short running time. Unlike many martial arts films from the time, Zatoichi had excellent choreography and a comprehensible story. This sixth film in the franchise was my introduction to the character and I was quite pleased with the film's quality.

Zatoichi, a blind traveling gambler and masseur, as well as a swordsman who has a "lightning sword" visits the grave of a man he killed previously. The man who died was the brother of the young woman, Chiyo, accompanying Zatoichi. The local villagers welcome him to their joyous celebration filled with drinking and singing. They finally have the 1000 gold ryo they owe to the ruthless intendant, giving them some room to breathe and more to eat. Unfortunately for Zatoichi, the gold is stolen in a botched robbery. He was coincidentally seen sitting on the pilfered chest which the bad guys recovered. Chiyo was all too quick to name him as a suspect. Zatoichi talks the villagers into giving him a chance to find the real culprits which the villagers grudgingly agree to. His investigation takes him to a bathhouse with a beautiful woman and later to a gang of men led by the somewhat virtuous Chuji who had also been implicated in the crime. It doesn't take long for our blind hero to track down the real villains, the intendant planning double taxation, his corrupt constable, and the three ronin they had hired. One of the ronin, Jushiro, is a whip wielding baddie determined to duel Zatoichi.

The sword-fights were quick with a minimum of blood spurting. Regardless of the number of opponents, the blind hero cut through them like soft butter. Only the final fight caused him problems as he had to seek Jushiro's weakness in order to best his rival.

From the stylistic opening scenes, Zatoichi was beautifully filmed in color. The sets both indoor and outdoors were well done. As Zatoichi carries a young boy down a mountain at night, the constable's men travel with their identical lit lanterns like a glowing caterpillar along the trail. Quite a stunning sight!

The story gave insights into the swordsman, some favorable and some not. He offered a beautiful woman in a communal bath a massage, saying it was okay because he was blind. He came across more as a dirty old man than sensual or humorous. A prostitute gave him a "massage" and then charged him for it which didn't go over well with him. But he also showed his heroic integrity as he went out of his way to help the accusatory villages knowing they would be unable to come up with more money for taxes which would have been a death sentence for them.

Katsu Shintaro brought the right amount of gravity and humor to the legendary swordsman. After Zatoichi's last fight, beaten and bruised, struggling to walk, you could feel the weight of the character's recent trials. I do wish I had a dollar for every time he mentioned he was only a blind man, I'd have enough to eat out for a week! Jushiro was played by Katsu's real-life brother. Their brutal fight would have been a cathartic way to work out old sibling rivalries.

The film highlighted the plight of the hardworking poor, striving to exist under a system crushing them and the corrupt leaders loading the boulders on their shoulders. Zatoichi was the mythical character who could break through the massive unscrupulousness and ease their burden, righting the wrongs committed against them. Something we might all wish for when life seems unfair. I was quite pleased with my foray into this franchise and look forward to watching other films with the self-effacing and lightning quick swordsman.

4/17/23

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could’ve been different but still i <3 it

as someone who ugly sobs at the ending.. i really wish the ending was different but i think if they add made it different, it wouldn’t be as powerful as it was.. i’d love a part two and i don’t mean the one that already exists because that was garbage. a part 2 showing the aftermath of the situation. just throwing out some ideas on what i would’ve loved… part 2 but it takes 1 year later and we get the typical flashbacks of the aftermath.. would’ve loved the pregnant woman and dad together honestly but that’s just me loving romance.. but then again it’s far fetched as you could tell she was in love with her husband but seeing her connect and protect someone’s child? could’ve been a BOMB stepmother as the child’s mom was still alive (i’m pretty sure) either way this movie is worth all of the hype as it’s not your typical zombie movie tbh, the storyline may be typical but the feelings ? def not and the music choices? amazing.

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interesting that this was based on a true story

i remembered couple of months ago i watched on Youtube about gay love in china and how it was in the past so i heard about Zi Hua and Zi Gao and i remember i was fascinated about the info of how much the man was in love with the guy, he made him his lover ,gave him a name and important positions too he gave him a lot, it did look like genuine love as he tried to make him appear as equal and was courting him so hard,the real definition of whipped, but their love ended in tragic way, and it wasnt a relationship problem, Zi Hua died then Zi Gao become vulnerable, i dont remember the details of that video but he commited suicide later on. i dont consider this a spoiler because thats how it ended in real life but i dont think thats how it ended in the movie, by reading comments it looks better than how it really ended in the real life
,so after knowing that this movie was based on them i was really excited to watch the movie ,then i felt dissapointed, mostly because of how messed up the eng translation was so i lost interest to watch something that im barely understanding

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im a cat lover and still i didnt like this

too much short, and so rushed too ,everything felt out of place
the only thing i loved is the cat, the cat looked adorable thats all, i liked how the cat was trying to get in the bathroom when the owner is showering, thats what cats usually do
but now about the plot? this did have potential if it was longer and more detailed instead of putting every clichy scene that exists, it was so weird how he immediately accepted to keep a stranger that he doesnt know in his house, the guy could be a murderer or someone dangerous, he didnt even know later that he is the cat that he took care of? and that shower scene and them suddenly in love, a fight because of ciragets and a car accident thats what happened, seriously... the worse plot ever
i know its only 25 mins but even in those 25 mins the events that happened could have been better,,its just looked so ridiculous
i dont see myself rewatching this at all

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Good visuals and nostalgia trip but cliché till the end

I actually rewatched this because I had zero recollection of the plot or anything else and I didn't have it on my watchlist here to remember. One quarter into the film it came to me why I didn't remember anything of it and the whole plot came to my head.
Cliché can be entertaining and enjoyable, I've watched cliché series and films in the past I enjoyed, even cheesy ones for the guilty pleasure, but this film falls in the frustrating cliché category.

This is one is of mixed feelings for me and clearly quite forgettable. I like the visuals and the nostalgia trip, although I would say it doesn't dwell as much on the nostalgia as other titles (like 25/21 does) and some times I felt the filter or post editing they did was a bit on the heavy side. For me this movie would get a higher score if they hadn't gone that route with the ending but I do understand why they thought it was a good idea to put it there to tie it all up into the theme.
This whole film is a big nostalgia trip of overused plot devices in romantic dramas of the period in any media, the plot device of friend asking MF to get closer to her love interest to learn about him... or the plot device of romantic male interest leaving the country or dying is a classic, but it was equally frustrating and bad at the time than it's now (I'm still salty about how many shoujo mangas and animes used this, seriously). It's one of those things that simply shouldn't come back because mostly it's just sad for sadness sake and lazy at this point (like the amnesia trope). This is not the only title in recent years to follow the nostalgia trip by reusing bad plot devices that were not liked even at the time.
The classic of miscommunication among characters is also something that makes this quite frustrating to watch at times (MF with the best friend). And equally tiring is the girl that is thin, eats a ton and it's also socially clumsy and cute without knowing it... but I can forget this last one this time simply for being the classic in a "nostalgia remake".

Here it does have the tag of melodrama, I'm not sure I would classify this as such since only the ending is. It's nostalgic, dramatic and romantic with a frustrating cliché ending.

Would I recommend? Not sure, I liked the acting, the aesthetics, the cute moments, the colours and the story is generally watchable most of the film even with the clichés, but the ending is very frustrating and annoying so if you decide to watch it take that into consideration and watch it for the trip.

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What sabotages friendship? Fear of society and family put too much pressure on young minds that you should be friends with ones who are at your level. Kids have been taught all human beings are equal but the next day when they play with a poor kid, parents would get anxious and angry.
Kids are fragile brains, they do things to fit in with popular kids, but the wrong things like abusing, stealing, or lying. It may seem petty but the adult world term these as crimes. It is a society that shapes the kids personality and brains.

The movie shows two girls who intentionally or unintentionally hurt each other with their lies. The movie ends with an idea of what goes around comes around. what we give t others comes back to us.

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SUCCESS!

Let me start of by saying: this is a totally different film to the first.

The original, The Fable, was action packed throughout, had some really funny moments, cool characters and ended, not just making me want a sequel, but hinting that there would definitely be one.
To my surprise, this sequel had almost a totally different tone, didn't deliver on the hinted at tale to come, yet still delivered a very good story... with the bonus of one of the best action scenes I've seen in years!

I don't want to overly compare the two films after stating that they're very, very different, but I only watched this because of the first; that said, although - aside from the above mentioned scene - this didn't live up to my expectations, it was a damn good film and I'd recommend it.
Just don't go in hoping for more of the first of even expecting this to be closure.

I'm really looking forward to the third film!

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Love in the rain transcends gender.

No matter which way it plays out, this scenario did not sit well with me.

This is a scene picked straight out of someone's trusty fanfic arsenal and yet, despite the actors trying to play the dynamics slightly differently for each couple, I felt like I didn't know enough about who they were or their relationships with each other to truly care about them as characters or want to see them kiss. Instead, I found myself recoiling from secondhand awkwardness and wishing Jimin could just escape already because anyone making those kinds of sudden advances raises all sorts of red flags in my book.

The dialogue exchange is incredibly awkward and the acoustics in that one stairwell must be wild because it sounds like the first two scenes were recorded inside a tin can. I guess it did accurately capture the feeling of being trapped while hiding from the rain with someone you aren't super close to, so I'll give it that!

To this short film's credit, I appreciate the intended message behind the juxtaposition of these scenes - love happens, regardless of gender - so in that way it's admittedly sweet. The first two scenes were practically the same right down to the "non-con is just a joke" bit, which combined with the echo to activate my fight or flight instinct, so the strikingly different way the third scene was played (despite following the same script) caught me off guard. I can't tell if I liked it a smidge better only because it subverted my expectations or if the slightly improved production for that segment contributed.

The sound quality makes a miraculous recovery here, so perhaps that's why the chemistry started to feel a bit more natural to me. The lack of an echo makes the characters seem closer, as though they're nervously feeling out the space between them while their curiosity and interest grows. I'm still not a huge fan of the setup for the aforementioned reasons, but at least it felt like I was watching something a little bit new happen.

All in all, this is a fine short to watch on a rainy day, but it's just not for me and that's okay!

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An unabashedly queer retaliation against bigots.

This short went from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye. At first, you think you know exactly where it's going... and technically you do... but it suddenly takes a slightly out of pocket turn from serious to comedic. And it's great. It literally and figuratively gives the middle finger to people (particularly men) who think they have a right to women's sexuality.

Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of using harmful stereotypes to fight back against equally harmful stereotypes - fighting fire with fire just hurts everyone in the long run - but I can't help feeling like this short was trying to make that point in its deliberate structuring of that confrontation.

Either way, it's a good laugh and I couldn't help smiling at the ridiculousness. The cartoonish acting and visual effects really are the icing on the top of the cake.

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