Reviews

It feels like a passion project for someone who really dreams of making movies…

but are not quite there in terms of skills.
I could feel that a lot of care was put into this movie and it was taken seriously. I could also feel all the limited resources and how they impacted the final result. The plot had quite a number of twists, but the writing and directing was not smooth and detailed enough to truly tell the story well.

I think one of the biggest issues I had was the fact, I was not exactly on board with male lead. I don’t know how old he is supposed to be, but clearly old enough to know better. Yet he acted like a teenage boy. Sure, his mother would not win an award for the best parent, but he completely disregarded her struggles and just dumped all his grievances - whenever justified or not - on her. Dude had some issues and I struggled with rooting for him.

As for the storytelling - it was a bit confusing. The main lead investigates the attack on his grandpa, keeps referring to the attacker as a killer, barely does anything, but still finds more information than the police? And there is also a dirty lady in the forest that lurks here and there. Also a lot of focus on romance and romantic feelings people have. It all does make sense at the end, but to get there, you need to truly push forward feeling like nothing connects and it’s just a few random scenes put together.

Every character had their traumas, and they yelled about their traumas… and yet we as viewers did not really know what said traumas were. Everything felt extremely detached and awkward because of that.

The acting was decent. Some actors did better than the others, some scenes and lines felt more natural than the rest. Nothing major to praise nor to complain about.

The production was kind of all over the place. The transitions between the scenes were distracting and rough. They had hard-cut the background music during some scenes, not to mention some choices of the songs were rather questionable. The views though, some were quite beautiful. Also… I was over 6 minutes into the movie and they still kept showing credits here and there…

Overall, it dragged painfully. 30 minutes in I felt like I already watched 2 hours. It picks up by the end, but I feel like too much information and actions are dumped in that last 20 minutes so the whole pacing of the movie is off.

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A new take on the werewolf games movies.

Just a heads up, this is my second time watching one of the werewolf game movies. So my thoughts on it can be different than people who have watched more of these movies. The only other werewolf game movie I watched was the 'Prison Break' one, and I don't remember much from it. Anyway, let's talk about this movie now.
First of all, I watched it because of Ogoe Yuki. And he didn't disappoint. I liked his acting here too.
The plot:
I don't know what others think but I have a hard time understanding what the rules of the werewolf games are. I had a hard time the previous time and this time too. That aside, I understand what goes on in the game. People die/kill and they vote for people who they think are the werewolves (despite being wrong the first few times). Following that, this movie's plot was decent. What I liked about this movie is that we see what goes on with the operators of the game, as well as the players. One thing I'd like to point out here is that the movie's subs we're not great, so I had a hard time understanding exactly what was being said. The history of how Masamune became the operator is still unclear to me.
The acting:
Like I said, Ogoe Yuki didn't disappoint. And the others' acting was alright to me. Not much to say there.
The music:
The ending song was nice. The BGM was average and how it should be: weird and creepy .
Overall, I think this was an alright movie. I'm not a fan of the werewolf games movies, so don't love it. I do wish to watch a few more movies in the series. So maybe then I'll be able to compare and tell how good this one is compared to the others. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be rewatchibg this movie anytime soon.

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What did I just watch?

Okay, I've seen my fair share of weird movies/series in my life and it takes a lot to get a strong reaction out of me, but this movie was just indescribable. I don't even know how to rate a movie like this.....

First of all I'd like to say that I do not consider this movie a BL, like I've said in other reviews the genre BL (my personal opinion) has a completely different tone than this. If you analyze all the popular series it's clear to see the similarities in them, some are romantic, some are funny, and of course some are tragic.....but I don't think it's right to label all movies/series as BL just for having a gay couple as their leads.

That's why I feel like this movie shouldn't be labeled as a BL, because it was not made within the "formula" that we all know and love, fuffly or twisty. Sing In Love is not for that audience. It is a very dark, raw, and shocking movie that talks about rape and violence in a very brutal way....how it destroys lives and burns everything to the ground.

After our main character Kiritani is raped he slowly starts to lose his sense of self. He goes from a married kindhearted middle school teacher to an empty shell of a man. We follow Kiritani on the way to his personal hell and it's gut wrenching to watch sometimes. There are also very disturbing scenes involving kids - which I felt it was there more for shock value than actually enriching the storyline.

I really don't know how to feel about it. I guess that might have been the purpose of it's writer...to make us finish the movie with a sensation of a bottomless pit in our stomachs.....to force us to think about a very dark side of life (which unfortunately happens all over the world). I'd say it's a movie made to seen as "artistic", but I'm also not comfortable with that description.

Another important character in this movie is Kai, the person that tells Kiritani he was the one that raped him. The one that led him to the gates of his personal hell. But yet again, we discover a series of threads that keep that just won't untangle. Each not got stuck in my throat.

I'll never see this movie again. It for sure made my life a little bit heavier, one drop of 96% alcohol at a time. I cant imagine how the actors got through this one....but they did a great job.

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The movie delivers the goods

I preface this by saying I am not a person who's really into the zombie genre but there are some genuinely good zombie movies out there.

Train to Busan did not disappoint!! Well written and well acted, with some humorous moments.

I was 30 minutes in and I was wondering how the movie could possibly be almost 2 hours long on a train. The level of tension, suspense and action never waivered. I was super impressed. Gong Yoo was excellent and Ma Dong-seok was fantastic! I mean the entire cast is really good. The young actress Kim Soo An playing Gong Yoo's daughter was good too!

I loved the scene where Ma Dong, Gong Yoo and Choi Woo Shik are in the bathroom waiting for the next tunnel and Gong Yoo ask why Ma Dong has that as his ring tone. The whole scene is great and it was an excellent tension breaker. Ma Dong's speech about Gong Yoo's daughter understanding him later was also on point.

Of course there is always a character in these films that you hate and I was so mad he made it til the end. Total bastard.

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Rom-Com heaven

The only genre I watch is romance, and the subset of rom coms within that are the perfect target.

This movie meets all the right criteria!!

Heart melting, clichéd, great looking couples, a twist, a heart break.........aaaaahhh.........and some swooning kisses.
The leads are all great looking, music is very romantic , nice job details for the characters, clean story with no lose ends, mature actors with great emotions.

And the most important necessity of a romantic comedy - must must must have - a happy ending.

Yup my friends - if you're hooked into romcoms, then don't miss this one.

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Not as good as part 1, but still a fun movie to watch

Ah it is great to see another movie with Janice Man in it being all pretty while also authoritative, loved seeing her back in this movie. What lowered the score of part 2 for me was that it missed Donnie Yen, and that was a crying shame due to how awesome he was in part 1. What also brought down the score was how rushed everything felt in part 2 as well. They should have made it into a trilogy to better pace the story of each arc. However, this is offset but the fact that the canto voice actor for Zhou Zhi Ruo finally stopped sucking on helium and actually adds depth to her voice acting thanks to the evil turn of the character. That was a massive relief for me as I watched this flick.

The final boss of this movie is Cheng Kun, which made sense if you followed the both parts and watched how he sneakily manipulated his way to power, but man the fight at the end could have been done a little better. There is more CG this time around as well, which appeared a little off at times but never to the point where it distracted too much from the main story. A good movie and rewatchable.

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I loved this movie

I watched this in Cantonese because if I was gonna enjoy this movie, it was going to be in Canto! Comparisons to the original Jet Li movie is unavoidable, but this movie is - in my opinion - entertaining af. Seeing Louis Koo in ancient chinese outfits was a great throwback to his TVB days, and Donnie Yen as the awesome Zhang San Feng was great as well as we rarely see Donnie as an old and invincible martial artist. I don't know why people are complaining about Raymond Lam being too old for the role, the film makes it very clear his character is in his thirties, and Raymond easily passes for someone in his thirties. Sure it does't follow the books 100%, but this is a movie and not a TV drama, therefore some liberties had to be taken.

Although I had fun watching this film, what annoyed me the most was the canto voice actor for Zhou Zhi Ruo. Hot dang, was she sucking on helium or something, I really hated the voice acting on her. On the opposite end, I was enamored by the actress Janice Man as Zhao Min, she is a fierce looking beauty that had me enjoying the scenes she had as she shared them with Raymond Lam. Her voice actor also did a great job as well, providing authority in her voice.

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Horny zombies? Did we really need this movie to exist?

When I started the movie, I was ready to keep my finger on the skip button. I read so many people talking about how explicit it is. Even though I am not easily fazed, better safe than sorry. I also got my drink ready… And oh boy I needed that drink double strong to survive this.

This is basically a torture porn here to only deliver shock value content. I don’t know what the movie is supposed to be? It’s not the case of people just losing control over the primal urges, because violence is not one of them. We are literally wired as social creatures by nature. So while the zombies were not brainless, they were still zombies with little to no agency since the virus turned them into violence seeking assholes. So it’s not like an amazingly fresh take on zombies…

The only thing the movie has to offer is gore and, for some twisted people, content fitting their rape fantasis. Some of the gore was gross, some was so ridiculous I actually laughed out loud. One dude lost the amount of blood that no human can possess in their body. There is literally nothing worse than a movie that is both gross AND dumb. I gave up everything when the female lead just sat down in the staircase chilling and also took her shoes off. SHE TOOK HER SHOES OFF DURING ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.

I give half a point for the acting and half the point for some gore. That’s it. There is no plot, some violence scenes are painfully dumb, all rape scenes are gross. This movie literally serves nothing worth watching.

I want to be clear though, I have no issue with excessive violence in movies, but it has to serve a purpose. Violence for violence is just boring. When the credits rolled I am sure I just looked like a disappointed parent, when your child acts so stupid you have hardly anything to say and just leave the room.

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Vast improvement in storytelling compared to previous movies.

I always had exactly the same issue with Whispering Corridors - they always try to make the audience question if the events happening are the result of supernatural or not, but they also always dump over the top spooky stuff in the last 15 minutes. Here, the pacing and storytelling was more gradual and the ending actually gave a solid answer to the events happening.

For sure my favorite installment. You still need to pay more attention than while watching other horror movies to get the story and not get confused by anything, but it is possible to truly understand everything, and that’s something I cannot say about all Whispering Corridors films. The Humming was simply a solid plot with good storytelling.

It does tackle some triggering issues (TW in the comment under spoiler), but it’s not explicit - they set it so everyone knows what happened, but they don’t slap you in the face with scenes you would rather not see. Can’t say the same about gore - while nothing bothered me (I’m not exactly easily grossed out), there is some blood, there are some mutilated bodies. Nothing too intense, but better know about it before picking up the movie. Especially since the previous Whispering Corridors movies were not exactly known for bloody content.

I liked the acting a lot. A lot of characters were rather basic, but Kim Seo Hyung as Noh Eun Hee delivered a perfect performance. Well presented gradual transition of where the characters started and where it ended.

Production wise it was a well made horror, honestly nothing spectacular. Two semi-jumpscares bothered me, because they were painfully unnecessary and cheap. Glad we did not get more of it.

Overall, that’s the Whispering Corridor movie I would recommend with no regrets. You can skip all the rest.

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Fewer semantic errors as words really do matter

For those who haven't seen the series it's a KBL, enemies to lovers trope as one student is unable to graduate when the other doesn't put his name on a group project. He seeks revenge and ...

I wasn't expecting much from the movie as I'd watched the drama repeatedly but it surpassed expectations. I have to say that, similarly to 'We Best Love' Special Edition, the translation of the dialogues, additional dialogue and the slight changes made a real difference to the flow of the movie and our understanding of both the main and side characters. You actually see how they become their ending more acutely than in the drama. Translations and words really do matter! I think the series suffered from week to week translations so some weren't as accurate but to be fair to the viki volunteers, this also did have more dialogue.

There are a few new moments (I'd hardly call them scenes) as well to give the movie richness

It isn't quite the same as Life: Love on the life (Directors Cut) which had an additional scene from the Manga but as the manhwa for Semantic Error is still ongoing they haven't given us any closure which is great. we are all dying for a second season

Well worth the nearly 3 hours of watching this. Highly recommended

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This is the kind of sequel from a BL that I like. Not much drama, a lot of lovey-dovey scenes, even if the plot isn't so great (which a lot of sequels or continuations are known for). These continuations are fundamentally for fan service – just so the fans have a satisfying overall quench from a great series.

Not a lot of people would like this if they aren't fans of the couple. Because this was probably mainly done for the supporters of the fandom.

These are the kinds of BL movies that I like. They may be not as unique nor full of twists and turns but just feel good, cute scenes and satisfying endings.

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The Hopes and Dreams of those who Dedicate their Lives to their Sports.

Directed by famed Hong Kong Director Peter Chan and led by experienced powerhouses Gong Li (Coach Lang Ping), Huang Bo (Coach Cheng Zhong He) and Wu Gang (Coach Yuan Wei Min), “Leap” details the rise and fall and the rise again of China’s Women Volleyball team. This movie is well-produced and beautifully performed by not just these actors, but a younger supporting cast and a few of the professional athletes and Olympians themselves.

Growing up, I was a fan of the 1980s China Women’s Volleyball team and watched many of these matches on TV with my family. I don’t watch them anymore but “Leap” brought back many memories and might have re-ignited my passion again. The high rating of this movie is very subjective but I also believe it's an amazing movie as well.

Even though the movie is about China’s Women Volleyball team and star player and coach, Lang Ping, one could argue this could be a story about any country, any sport and any athlete. The hard work, sacrifice and dedication portrayed here can be reflected in any professional athlete’s journey. What's different was China’s closed door policy for so many years. When they reopened, they had a lot of catch up to do. The rise of the volleyball team gave China hope that they could be as good as the rest of the world. There’s a quote towards the end of the drama by Coach Lang Ping about why China places so much importance on winning these matches. Look out for that quote.

The movie clocked in at about 2 hours and 15 minutes, but the pace is good and with no drag. “Leap” is full of emotions, excitement, plus quiet and deep conversations between two old friends, Lang Ping and Cheng Zhong He, supporting and encouraging each other. The use of music is excellent in conveying different emotions of the scenes. There is the usual cheering and exciting music at sporting events, but I was especially impressed when they used a violin score for one of the championship matches. The silence at the end of the biggest match let viewers soak in what just happened on their own, while watching quiet scenes of people cheering and celebrating. The ending theme, "River of Life" (生命之河), sung by Faye Wong and Na Ying is beautiful.

As I haven’t been following the sport in years, I did not know the outcome of the 2016 Rio Olympics. All the matches were exciting and it was great to see athletes participate in the movie and act as themselves. Their involvement contributes to the authenticity of the movie, and it must be a well-written movie for athletes to be willing to join in on the fun. According to Wikipedia, 10 out of 12 athletes from the China 2016 Rio Olympics squad appeared as themselves. The cast also includes players and coaches from Japan, USA, Thailand, Brazil, etc.

My favorite scene is the last scene. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but it involves a phone call made by Lang Ping to Cheng Zhong He. It’s the perfect ending and a perfect description of their friendship, hopes and dreams.


Completed: 12/10/2022

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Just as good as the series!!

The movie/series: Both had a great storyline and script. The cast was great and did a great job with their characters. The cinematograph and graphics were awesome.

The movie: Overall, they did a great job editing the series into a cohesive movie version. There are a few scenes that were edited differently (same footage put in a different order) and some scene placements were changed. There were also a few scenes deleted or cut short, I’m assuming due to timing purposes. There was one scene that was cut short that I wished they kept completely in. However, all of the changes did not impact the quality of the series in anyway. I enjoyed the added bloopers and behind the scenes footage at the end of the movie.

Before I continue, it’s important to know an individual’s definition of added scenes. My definition is when the director adds scenes that were deleted due to timing restraints or when additional scenes was film after the original production has ended to add more meaning. A good example of this is “Life-Love on the Line”. Because of this, I do not count the bloopers and behind the scenes footage seen after the movie. I did not notice any added scenes the first time watching the movie. However, I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything and watched the series and movie at the same time (split screen). What can I say, I wanted to be thorough. I only saw two added scenes almost 2 hours into the movie. The truth is it really does not matter if you notice the additional scenes or not because they don’t really add anything to the movie. Don’t worry about it and just enjoy the movie. Yes, it's almost 3 hours long but it's worth it.

Random Notes:

I personally preferred the English subtitles for the series over the ones in the movie.

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This movie was on my mind for WEEKS after watching it

I don't think there are enough words to describe how amazingly produced this movie was. It felt like you were watching someone's life. The actors perfectly executed this role and did what needed to be done to make the movie as impactful as it was. There are a lot of heavy topics covered in this movie but I feel like this isn't just a "coming to age" movie. It is so much more. The relationships between people, good and bad, are shown instead of told and they feel so real! The grievances the character experience really do help and it shows the shortcomings of society and social media as well. It highlighted a particular part of youth and the issues handled without making it seem childish. They handed actual real-life issues and couldn't rely on the adults around them because they mentally couldn't and wouldn't know how to handle the situation properly. I love this movie with my whole heart and I would do anything just to watch it again. Please do give it a watch. I promise it is worth your time.

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