Reviews

Being brave does not mean not being afraid...

It means doing what's right despite your fears. Great message for a movie that obviously has kids as their target audience. And for kids I would for sure recommend it.

It was painfully cheesy, especially the ending. The messages were literally slapped into my face, no ambiguity, no need to dwell on them more. The power of love, care, friendship, bravery, apology, reconciliation - everything kids should be learning about, you have it here.

Watanabe Kei is honestly a great character - usure and scared, but willing to learn and improve if it means helping others and saving his younger brother. He is not a perfect hero, he is a normal kid that other children can relate to. What helps is also an amazing performance from Terada Kokoro - this child knows how to scream and has actually great comedic and dramatic skills.

Production was nice, typical for fantasy movies for younger audiences, focused on the practical makeup and costumes with CGI just as an addition slapped on top.

Overall, while I obviously was not in mind of the creators when they made it, I still had a great time and even cried by the end. As cheesy as it was, it’s a nice and simple story that can teach kids some life lessons.

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Lacks proper set-up and introduction.

When is a tomb raiding story good? When it has a solid backstory and mystery set from the start that drives the curiosity of the viewers. When the characters are fun and interesting to watch and the teamwork and dynamics are entertaining. What does The Tomb of Ghost Mojin lack? All the above.

It’s another case of a movie that works on paper, but was not translated well on screen. The characters were painfully dry and boring, the story was fun, but only retrospectively when they explained it all by the end. It was nice looking, but also way too dark to truly appreciate it.

Overall, I honestly have little to say. I liked the ending? I guess that’s that.

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Hot steaming pile of TRASH!

if I could give this show 0 stars I would. Total nonsense plot that makes ZERO sense. Horrible writing, horrible pacing and lackluster acting. I'm not sure if this show was trying to copy the whole "news anchor with traumatic past" storyline from a similar Korean movie called The Anchor but whatever this is supposed to be did not make sense at all. I'm honestly surprised I made it to the end because holy shit, while watching I was literally thinking that this could be possibly the worst movie I have ever watched in my life. But to be fair I was stuck on a plane with nothing else to do, except sit through shitty movies lol.

DO NOT bother wasting your time on this trash seriously. Watch The Anchor instead, makes more sense and at least has some element of suspense.

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Painfully Basic Detective Movie

"Detective Dee - Tongtian Hierarchy" is a 2021 Chinese historical action film that follows another adventure of Detective Dee as he and his cohort investigate the disappearance of an imprisoned cult leader and one of the rumors he’s spread regarding one of the Emperor’s wives plan to overthrow the Emperor.

The plot seemed very complicated. I’m not sure if you need prior knowledge of Detective Dee, but it felt like there was so much going on. The premise of the story had potential, but I think the pacing of the plot made everything feel rushed and unnatural. I also felt that the purpose of the film (investigating the political rumor) was lost because of how many elements were involved in the plot.

The characters were so terribly bland and one-dimensional. The genius detective main character, his loyal “bodyguard,” the headstrong female lead who joins the team. They were all so boring. I was actually surprised the detective couldn’t defend himself from anything; you would think that he would know some sort of basic self-defense moves. The acting didn’t help either, as all the actors’ performances felt wooden.

On top of all that, the script writing, especially the dialogue between characters, were plain and lacked any creativity or depth. For a detective movie, the deducing was very basic at best. The special effects were also low-budget, seen in the various slow-mo scenes.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this film at all. Not a rewatch for me.

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A whole mess

First, the girl seriously pissed me off. She had many opportunities to come clean and admit what she did was wrong but nope.

You knew he had feelings for his friend and you still went after said friend !!

Then Jonathan, oh my god! Instead of confessing to his friend he goes and hurts his feelings by telling him he was forced to be his friend.

Then there’s Shane suddenly kissing and sleeping with him 😑? That came out of nowhere like, there’s no explanation why he did that and even after that happened he didn’t even stop to ponder wether perhaps he has feelings for Jonathan or something.

Anyways, seriously, a whole mess.

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A subtle jerker, prepare tissues.Feel like something’s off th-

Several names for this film with one main theme so let’s simply stick with Bouquet in support of laziness. In hindsight of watching this film a bouquet represents whatever you want it to. The grouping of people that are set for different paths. The capture of moments amongst one another that despite becoming wilted , remains cherished as memories of once was. Lost strangers blossoming from and for the sake of one another. The beauty of growing together along with the ugly of aging apart.

Bouquet excels at.. well, presenting a bouquet. Memorable dialogue amongst the characters, stunning chemistry between the leads, heartbreaking performances where needed in its saddest moments. For every thousand films one can give me of romanticized plots can i spot out one that seperates itself with grounded realism throughout its ups and downs. Sakamoto clearly took the time and effort needed to execute these aspects with precise care and flawed perfection, makes sense? Eh you’ll get it.

Some things I particularly appreciated the most about this film. How natural the screenwriting feels along with the interactions. How evenly they balanced out the feelings and moves of both leads, the second you want to tell the ML to speak the hell up he chases after to reaffirm his interest, suggest major steps in a relationship that currently fits the convenience for the FL and beneficial to both, mindlessly runs out to support the FL in her toughest times, steps up to the plate of employment in order to provide for both of them to maintain the same happiness together as always. The second you may want the FL to grow an individual spine in the relationship she sets an official(first?) second date, expresses her dislikes and likes such as her mutual attraction to continue kissing as a “form of communication”, forewarns the ML not to let her parents business tracked mind discourage him in any sort before meeting them for the first time.

Arimura Kasumi delivers us Hachiya Kinu, a young woman that seeks enjoyment at whichever way it can be obtained, a bud that only wishes to blossom at her own consistent,free pace.
Suda masaki delivers us Yamane Mugi ,a young man that once seeked enjoyment the exact way Hachiya has. Over time he has began to let outside influences shape his motivations such as how his father envisioned him, Kinu’s parents words of advice on the responsibility of life, and the harsh reality of how the world can impact your ambition to seek a living off what you love to do. A bud that feels forced to blossom like those around him in order to survive and maintain stability.
The relationship was only bound to be torn apart over time when one is at a stand still while the other is constantly changing for what he sees will be best.

Raw portrayal of these characters in a rather mute surrounding allows even the most little moments like embracing toilet paper hit just as hard as the mutual falling out of one another. You find yourself helplessly smiling at their small grins, dazed by the sound of slippers slapping down a train station, tearing up at a stack of unfinished manga volumes, sitting up to meet their parents, feeling frantic when it’s dark out as they’re checking the time for the last train, emotionally drained as the leads are giving their all in their very last moments of happiness as a couple. A slight yet very constant annoyance to me was the style of narration(monologues), as it’s never quite been my forte , ofc that differs by viewer.

I highly recommend anybody to give this remarkable film a shot. An important showcase of how healthy and motivational partings can be. A rare tackle at a realistic yet magical development between two lost buds blossoming together. The beauty of the beginning of the end and the memories in between.

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Lot of Guns, Blood, and Killing and an Utterly Lazy Plot

To begin, the Japanese authorities wiped out the Yakuzas years ago, just as the FBI wiped out the Italian Mafia years ago. But the Japanese film industry keeps making Yakuza movies like this just as Hollywood keeps making Mafia films as if it were the era of The Godfather. That's fine, I don't mind a movie with fantasy images of the Mafia or the Yakuza. But for god's sake, give us a plot. This was just a lot of guns, blood, fighting and killing and a plot that made no freaking sense.

The plot gives us an undercover cop who infiltrated the Yakuza, and he's portrayed as a mad dog on a quest to kill everyone who wronged innocents in the past. His motive is played as a big secret throughout the film, and when it's finally revealed, wow, what a big nothing. As for the undercover bit, well, I don't want to give spoilers, but when a film keeps revealing this one and that one in the Yakuza to also be an undercover cop, the dramatic tension is reduced to nil. After all, none of them are risking anything when they've essentially got half the police force undercover to protect each other. I groaned at the first revelation that a Yakuza was actually an undercover cop, groaned at the second revelation, and began to laugh as the number of undercover cops kept mounting. Half the cast end up being undercover cops. In short, this is a bad film. But hey, there are lots of hot men. At a certain point, that's the only reason I kept watching.

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Very dark, very painful but exceptional acting from the whole cast!

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS MOVIE CAN BE TRIGGERING AS IT DEALS WITH VERY DARK TOPICS SO WATCH WITH CAUTION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO!

I really don't know how to critique or review a story/plot that was so deeply disturbing and uncomfortable for me. Was it good? I don't know. Was it bad? I don't know. All I know is my heart ached for these characters (specifically the twins and their friend) and loathed everyone else. I suppose in a way that makes it a great story because I was soooo immersed in it; every dark turn made me physically sick.

And that was kind of the problem. There were many parts of the story I hated but did I hate it because of the triggering nature of those scenes? Or is there something to critique about the plot itself? It's hard to distinguish for me. I do think the story flows well. The way they showed the present with the flashbacks of Wolwoo is done really, really well. There wasn't ever a point in the movie where I thought "huh this is jarring". Like I said, I was genuinely, intensely immersed.

I went to watch for Jinyoung. As a fan of his since Got7, I've followed his career pretty much from the beginning, and this was truly something special. He was phenomenal as both Ilwoo and Wolwoo. I forgot he was Jinyoung. I forgot everything and just wanted to jump into the screen and protect these boys. His heartbreak, pain and trauma were more than just believable, like I said, it made me really uncomfortable (due to the nature of the topics).

The whole cast was phenomenal.

So that's why I'm giving it a 10 solely for the acting.

I really can't say more about the plot than this because... there's a reason why the synopsis is so vague. Let's just say that.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if you are a fan of Jinyoung or any of these young actors. Or if you're a fan of dark, intense movies about vengeance.

Would I rewatch it? Absolutely not. I'm so sorry, Jinyoung, but once is enough. My heart can't take more.

Anyway, I don't know... Good luck if you do watch haha.

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who cares if its corney, its heartwarming!!!

lighthearted with nice message and some character growth, even if its corny its super adorbs and worth the watch!!! especilly if you want to watch something that has romance that is right to the point !!
the main characters find something in each other that helped them out in their own way. its youthful and delivers the right amount of romance, friendship and dreams. the supporting characters also felt like main characters.
music, acting and story are very nice! ITS BASED ON A MANGA, SO GIVE IT A READ IF YOU DIDNT GET ENOUGH PLOT. it has over 48 chapters and you can get to know the characters better and see what esle there in store. as for the movie they only used like a fraction of the story :D

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No chemistry, toxic relationships

Let me start with the high points. The music and the use of "Some Day My Prince Will Come" were really cute. For me, that's the end of the high points.

Characters: FL is just beautiful. However, as is the case with a lot of Japanese shows, she's got absolutely no self-esteem. Falls in love for apparently no discernible reason. Willing to be treated poorly, on an ongoing basis. ML had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He couldn't even be called tsundere, because there was no warmth hidden deep within him. He treated her terrible, always berating her in front of others, then says he wants to date her with an eye toward marriage?!?! No woman with any spine would take him up on that ridiculous offer. Responses to his questionable offer were rolling around in my head as the movie went on.

Story/actor: I found the acting of the ML to be severely lacking. However, in his defense, was he just written that way? This man showed absolutely no emotions throughout the entire movie.

Chemistry: None, zilch, zero, nada. Actually, she had more chemistry with her childhood friend, so consequently that relationship made so much more sense.

Thank goodness this was a movie and not a series. If it was a series, I probably would have dropped it.

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Wow... just wow.

I was nearly moved to tears! This story was so compelling. It is definitely not the happy go lucky type of BL, but it pulled hard at my heart strings. I wish it would have been longer, because I feel as though I have been left to ponder what is going to happen next to the characters.
I'd say it is similar to "Kiss of the Rabbit God (兔兒神)" in many ways. So if you like that I feel you would have a high possibility of liking this.
I felt that it was a very accurate representation of Gay mans story. In the way that it is not always easy like the media portrays it so often. This is authentic story of queer struggle, to find love and happiness all while dealing with the constant fear of rejection or abandonment.
On the whole it was very good, and I very much enjoyed it.

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great collaboration

super light romcom.. love the cast. i ship now jay and yana they are so cute also moon shi woo. Its rare to see filipino and Korean movie collaboration. I hope there are still more in the future. i cant wait.... i highly recommend this movie for your next watch. Can believe that the cast is are star studed. from Kim Gun Woo who started in different Kdrama such as fight for my way, Record of Youth and More. Jaspher Jo is a cast of Descendants of the Sun., Start up and more, Baek Soo Min from More than Friends and My Id is Gangnam Beauty and Bella Padilla is one top actresses in the Philippines. Kim gun Woo played such a different light role and he is a super dupper good guy role.. his role really fits him. the movie is really kilig much.....

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Maybe it’s a good movie, but the initial character introduction and the set up for the plot was so long I lost interest and struggled to focus on the plot later on. The movie is only 1 hour and 30 minutes long, so why did it feel like a 3 hour deal?

On paper the script probably sounded like a fun quirky comedy with a twist. Yet, it was not really that fun, the pee and puke jokes were juvenile and the twist was obvious from the start.

Random complaint, but the color grading was truly not my style. Everything was orange/yellow, the color saturation too high, but at the same time the whole movie felt dim and dark. It just felt heavy for the eye.

On the bright side, the acting was truly solid and I loved the job makeup artist and practical effects team did on the ghost.

Overall, I guess it’s just not a movie for me. I can see it being a fun watch as long as it’s viewed by the target audience.

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"Dream Cheese" or "Real Cheese" that is the question

"A Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese". A very apt title for a very thought provoking movie. NSFW warning: consensual, but explicit, gay sex scenes and some rear nudity.

There is a sad melancholic, masochistic kind of desperation about all the characters in this movie. They are all very much 'cornered mice dreaming of cheese' but never actually getting any cheese. It becomes clear in the course of the movie that each character's "dream of the cheese" became more important than actual getting of the real 'cheese', and because of that their lives got 'cornered' and limited by clinging to the dream for cheese, instead of the real thing when it came their way.

Kyoichi doesn't really have any deep connections with anyone. When people latch on to him, he has no objections ... easy come, easy go. Some clung to him as a 'lesser suffering' alternative to their lonely single lives ... they said they 'loved' him but did they really? What was the basis for their love for Kyoichi ... is that really love 🤔? Wataru has the measure of Kyoichi when he tells him, "You'll have anyone who loves you, but ultimately you cannot trust that love, so you sniff out the feelings of whoever comes near you."

To one degree or another I think all the characters who wanted to connect with Kyoichi knew that their dream of 'love' with him was futile ... and yet they persisted anyway. As an oblique response to this kind of grasping, Kyoichi gave Wataru a very poignant question and a statement ... one which I think the whole movie revolves around and is relevant to not just Kyoichi but to all the people who were interested in him:

"What do you want? There are a billion things in life more important than suffering for love."

All the characters got themselves cornered by clinging to their dreams of cheese, to the point that the actual 'cheese' was no longer their objective. When Kyoichi broke off his engagement with Okamura Tamaki, he tells her it is because his Ex came back and that, even though the Ex walked out on him again and probably for good this time, he wanted to wait for him. Kyoichi time and again lets the real cheese go ... and instead holds fast to the 'dream' of cheese instead. Even the last scene at the beach when Wataru comes back ... again ... Kyoichi lets him go with a "sorry". Kyoichi is on an iterative dream loop ... he will never get the taste of real cheese ... and neither will Wataru who ebbs and flows out of Kyoichi's dream of cheese.

Okamura is dreaming of cheese too, and an escape from her real life. She knows Kyoichi isn't the real 'cheese' and yet, despite Kyoichi breaking of the engagement to wait for his Ex to return, she pleads with him, "Can't I stay with you? If she comes back, I will step away quietly." A billion things more important than suffering for a dream of love ... but that is what she chooses ... she too has cornered herself in the dream of cheese that isn't real cheese ... the dream of love that isn't real love at all ... just like a menu isn't the same thing as the food.

Everyone cornered by the dream of cheese ... to one degree or another, at one time or another, we too in our real world can/may get cornered by our own "dreams of cheese" and miss the real cheese when it comes to us front and centre ... it is a situation worth thinking about. Dream away but when the real thing comes ... don't get cornered by the dream, grab the real cheese and run 🧀🏃‍♂️💨

An excellent thought provoking movie ... I am sure the manga would also be just as poignant if not more so.

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