Reviews

White umbrella

This is a cute movie. You watch it and time flies by.

Things I liked:
- No annoying second female lead, she knew when to walk off.
- DJ and Writers chemistry.
- You can see DJ likes her from the beginning and it's cute.
- I like how he tried to understand her, he read her articles and her book.
- You can see she tries to be tough but she is a softie.
- Her running home to listen to his radio show.
- Two of them dissing each other.
- Her article about lost love and white umbrella, so beautiful.
- The song he dedicated to her.
- Their smiles at the end, I melted.

Things I didn't like:
- Her current boyfriend, he is never supportive and she pretty much just tolerates him.
- Her first love, he took advantage of her while she was vulnerable. I liked how she asked him why they broke up and he didn't know why.
- The glasses girl and guy. I didn't like anything about that plot. If they erased it and gave that time to main leads this movie would be better.
- I want more of the story, I wanted to see their life after they got together. At least one date or her moving in with him. Literally just one scene would be enough.

Overall, a weird cute movie.

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Could've Been Better

The story is bearable but could've been improved. It's basically a light take on trials married couples go through. I like the acting the two leads showed, they somewhat gave justice to how married life is in a cute way- mostly during the first half...

What didn't seat right to me was the cheating and how the other woman even had the audacity to lecture the wife and act all wife material during a certain event. I'm also annoyed at how the husband didn't even seem guilty for doing what he did. That major part of the story was just shoved under the rug when it seemed like one of the most important aspects of the movie.

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Basic plot sandwiched between fun opening comedy and great ending action.

Been awhile since I laughed so much during the opening few scenes of a movie. Does not happen a lot that I rewatch action sequences. Both happened as I was watching Mission Possible, sadly only at the beginning and the end.

It’s a goofy and lighthearted comedy with a small twist that could have made it even better, if it was used to its full potential. I wish they used the duality of Woo Su Han more - it would serve for both great comedy and great action.

There is nothing truly special about the plot, but with action comedy, it’s not a bad thing. I honestly believe the complex plot should not be distracting viewers from the entertainment a simple comedy delivers.

Acting was great. Especially liked Kim Young Kwang’s performance. I knew from the start the character he is playing is not what he presents himself to be and the acting perfectly carried the “unexpected” situations.

Overall, it’s a simple comedy with simple characters and nicely done action and choreographies. I wish they pushed a little bit harder on the jokes, kept the slapstick from the beginning more present till the end. The middle part just felt a bit empty and stagnant.

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Of course, I decided to watch this movie because of the cast. I remember when it was released in 2017, a lot of people were talking about it. And I can understand why.

Besides increasing Kwon Yoo's determination when he was in prison, higher technology plays a large role in this movie. I like it. The concept of picking people who fit into being the criminal in a given crime and framing them is interesting. But overall, this movie is somehow predictable. It's pretty obvious who the real bad guy is. It's kind of typical, and there's really nothing that makes this movie stand out.

The movie didn't bore me, I watched it with interest, but nothing about it captivated me.

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Time travel on crack

Having seen no other entry of the franchise and thinking this would be mostly a romantic comedy based on the trailer, I was surprised to see that this was a mixed bag of comedy, action, romance, time travel and slice of life. One of its strengths is that despite the movie being 2.5 hours, it does not drag all that much. Granted, I watched it with a friend, so we were commenting on it a lot, but still!

I realize now that there is a direct prequel, but at first I wrongly assumed that they were just different stories under the same umbrella. Yet, it feels like nothing was truly missed by not seeing the first movie. Yes, the previous lives are mentioned throughout, but it's not really what the plot is about in the end. Phop wanted to win her over and Kesorn wanted to do her own thing, but what actually brings them together is Methas, a random time traveller from the future. So, you get into this story knowing that the main 2 characters were reincarnated versions of some specific names, then you learn that Kesorn's previous life was basically someone from the future stuck in a past body and then you have an actual time traveller. It makes no sense, yet it is fun.

So, the point of the movie is really about Methas and his effort to get back home and in the meantime, they come across political games. Of course, Phop's goal is just to win over Kesorn, so everything he does in the movie is to basically make her look at him, which eventually works more or less. It is commendable that despite the obvious jealousy Phop felt around Methas and Kesorn, there was a beautiful friendship born among the 3. Their scenes were often on the comedic side and Methas was such a surprisingly cute character that no one could ever really get mad at him. At first he makes you think that he is an irresponsible kind of loser, but he is adorable and sticks true to his character. If anything, this movie is fun to watch them all interact.

Sound-wise, it was trying too hard sometimes. It tries to make some scenes funny by adding a funny sfx, but most of the time those sfx were out of place and there was no continuity with the story, so they stick out like a sore thumb. Acting-wise, their chemistry was natural enough and often were on point with their exaggerrated gestures/faces. The action itself is mediocre, but still there was enough attention given, albeit not great sometimes.

You want to watch something fun with a friend? This is for you! The story could have really been half, but it's easy with a friend. Want something with substance? This is not for you! This is more a pointless fun with lots of convenient and unrealistic things going aroun (apart from all the reincarnation/time travel stuff, of course).

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Don't waste your time on this **** !!!

The only thing good about this movie is the visual FX.
Other than that, there isn't anything interesting.
The story is really bad. The decisions that the characters make, make no sense at all.

Just like all Chinese movies and tv-shows:
Their way of filming is strange;
They are not good at acting;
The scenes move too fast, they rush the story. ( They could easily have made a 2-hour movie to prolonge certain scenes to give them more depth.

Plus the story is so predictable and done hundreds of times.

I really don't get why it is so hard for the Chinese to make good movies and tv-shows.
I mean the Koreans, Japanese, Taiwanese, ... can all do it. So why is it so hard for the Chinese?

Please, save yourself some time, and don't watch this garbage.

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I was really expecting more

This is my second time watching this drama. I first watched it in 2021 soon-ish after it came out I think, and I watched it all at once but as separate episodes. Second time round I watched it in December 2022 as a movie. I would definitely reccommend watching the movie form, it flows so much better and it's just a lot easier to maintain what's going on ygm.
Okay I'm gonna be real here: I expected this drama to be way better ngl I AM SORRYYY. (Heads up this review is gonna be a bit all over the place).
I feel like the weighting of the different plot points was skewed, like there wasn't exactly lots of romance, but there wasn't a lot of anything else specific either? I really do think this is down to how short the drama is, it was a webdrama after all so I can't expect them to fully flesh out the plot because they simply don't have time.
Also, the way the plot was set up is very odd lol, you can tell they were grasping for a way to introduce the characters at all and set up this romance. It is unrealistic because like, in what world would Seo Joon just start *living in the house* without Ji Woo being made aware and just like *wha*- Bit whack but you know what I can let it slide, this is a drama and it is allowed to be unrealistic, we watch them to escape reality after all.
Anyway, following on from that I feel like because of the whack world building and things they had to twist to make their relationship possible introduced lots of random things that didn't really make sense or add anything to the movie/drama. It's like a lot happened but nothing happened at the same time? Some things were mentioned but not explained, and there was one very specific character that was introduced later on that had pretty much zero relevance whatsoever.
The two leads were cute, but I wish the drama focused more on them and their relationship. Yes we do see how they grow fond of each other, but only juuuussstttt enough to justify saying they like each other. Tbh barely enough. Again I think I can put this down to the shortness of the drama, but simultaneously if they had balanced things out better there would've definitely been enough time to focus on the relationship. My favourite part of the drama was definitely Seo Joon's character, he's just so happy! What a bean. And I do always like an opposites attract kinda situation, so that was nice. But as said, I just needed more cute moments and more focus on the romance personally.
One last thing: "I'll be there" by Johnny, what a great song, I love it and think it is a wonderful OST for the drama.
To summarise: it's good but could've been better. Production was good and the main leads were good characters, but the world building was a bit whack and where the plot was weighted wasn't the best. I wouldn't go running to it ygm.

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Predictable

This movies was really sweet to start off with, but took a turn to being predictable in the end...

I’m tired of all these types of shows that have the viewer invested in a love story that has misunderstandings. Oh, and the usual female lead is too nice to tell her best friend she likes the same guy, so she sacrifices her feelings. these story lines do get kind of boring and so cliché.

There is no message to convey, just bringing the formula of teenage love story that full of misunderstanding in for the actors to play. They try to make a twist but it's a cliché twist, so it's not a twist in the end since audience can guess it right beforehand.

The acting was not bad, the music honestly cant even remember it.

Overall: I did find this movie extremely boring and so predictable, if you have 2hours to waste with really nothing to do then I guess go ahead and watch it.

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This is an average film but that's not a negative. It's a crime thriller with an interesting story. What was really great was the movie is essentailly broken down into chapters. We watch as Choi thinks he has the killer caught red handed and then realizes, as more information comes in that may not be the case. I loved how all the fact were being pulled together from different perspectives. The part about the shaman I thought was wierd but it didn't really hinder the story. But what a twist ending. Worth watching at least once.

The biggest plus is this stacked cast. So many good actors here and once again Shin Ha Kyun was excellent. I loved Cha Seung Won, Ryu Seung Ryong and Jang Young Nam as well.

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A darn good sci-fi chinese action movie

Man, everybody laughed and said it was too risky when Louis Koo wanted to make this movie, but hot dang it is one of the best - if not the best - chinese sci-fi movies made in recent memory. The special effects do range between convincing to a little awkward in some scenes, but overall this is awesome and full of incredible action set pieces that I would say are near-Hollywood quality. The story is something that we’re already seen before. Humanity has ruined the atmosphere and made the air toxic, and to top it off a meteor falls onto Earth in district B12 and an alien plant life form sprouts from it uncontrollably every so often, threatening life on Earth. Sure, many common tropes are in play here and recycled, but it is done here very well is a roster of huge HK stars to carry it. I had a lot of fun watching it and it is worth rewatching in future for the great action

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It's complicated.

The plot twist is nice, and there wasn't a part of the 2 hours that was boring. It got everybody to feel all sorts of feelings throughout the movie. It was a bummer that one of the hottest cast wasn't the main, but it was overall a good story. Does have a little bit of violence but not as much to a point where you can't handle. It was really complicated. However, it was one of the best movies I've watched at the theatres. There were lots of ups and downs and the thing about the movie is that it shows a lot of action before they move onto the storyline. Like most of the storyline ended up being explained near the end, whilst the whole movie is just about someone making difficult decisions throughout it. It was also really fun because it was literally about 4 people, and then all these really famous people just being in the movie in and out a bit. Overall, great movie love it! REALLY recommend!

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A mix of different genres could be a blessing or a curse.

"Till We Meet Again" is an interesting movie with a mix of different genres - fantasy, romance, comedy and horror. At times, I feel that the movie is trying too hard to have so many different elements. Two hours don't seem enough time to fit everything it tries to achieve. Nevertheless, this is a unique movie with great acting and songs.

The first 15-20 minutes are jam packed with introductions to the main characters and the ins and outs of being selected and trained to be the god of love. There are some weird comedic moments, along with some disturbing scenes. Not a lot is explained about the underworld, so watchers have to pay close attention.

I enjoy the love story between Shi Xiao Lun(ML) and Hong Jing Qing (FL). I am a fan of destined love and theirs is a touching story. However, ML’s partner-in-crime, fellow god of love Huang Wen Zi seems like the third wheel in the whole movie. It didn’t take long for her to fall in love with ML, but then she acts as a supporting role for pretty much the whole movie.

Additionally, the movie throws in another plot of revenge. This is when I think the movie is trying to do too much. In the end, everyone is connected with each other in their past lives, but since this is a movie and not a drama, not enough time is dedicated to each character. The movie has a large supporting cast, especially other gods of love and the seniors. All the gods of love only seem to exist to tie the red string on FL. After that, they pretty much disappear. I would have loved to see this funny lot more, but you know, time constraints.

This is my first time watching Kai Ko. I was so moved by his crying when Shi Xiao Lun reunited with Hong Jing Qing for the first time after his death. Kai Ko is funny during Shi Xiao Lun’s younger years and scenes of when he’s alive, and he gives off a very different vibe when he’s the god of love. Since I’ve seen Vivian Sung before in “Lost Romance”, I expected to see her do well, and she’s really pretty here. Her emotional scenes are great. I’m glad to be introduced to Gingle Wang. Her image as the god of love, Huang Wen Zi, totally reminds me of Kim Hee Sun’s Grim Reaper role in “Tomorrow” with her pink short hair. The short pink hair is probably the only similarity between the two characters. Apparently I’ve seen her guest stars in a few dramas before, but I don’t remember her. If this is a short drama and not a movie, I think she could make a stronger impact.

Overall, "Till We Meet Again" is an interesting movie to pass time. The mix of genres could be a blessing or a curse. And it will be up to the viewer to decide.


Completed: 12/4/2022

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Everything is pretty, almost mystical

Im not really into musical type movie but i find this one pretty enjoyable from start to finish. The songs all are good, it fit the atmosphere. The dim light, the colors make it feels serene and mysterious. The scene where he chase her running through the alley, it was like an illusion, mystical, alluring you to leave reality.

Truth be told, i was kinda tricked into watching this since no where was stated that this is a musical, would be more hesitant otherwise but im glad i watched it. Maybe it help that the musical wasnt dance heavy. plus all the songs somewhat fit my taste make it all the more enjoyable.



[Slight Spoiler below!!!!]

The story itself is pretty decent. It took a rather subtle approach, tho the ending is kinda anti-climatic. And yeah as you probably have guessed, in a true jmovie fashion, the ending kinda left you hanging. LOL. But as some people said, the process worth more than the end result. All in all its a pretty good movie.

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What an enjoyable movie! I really missed seeing the trio together after so long and it was certainly a delight to find out that Higashino Keigo-san did release a new novel after Midsummer's equation. (Though I still wished publishers also pick up translating the other earlier novels, given how popular the series was. )

Fukuyama Masaharu was still great as Professor Yukawa, bringing out the many charms of an eccentric physics professor who also had a taste in mystery deduction. It was also great to see Shibasaki Kou back as Utsumi, bringing back the old Yukawa-Utsumi dynamics that everyone loved so dearly. And with Kitamura Kazuki reprising his role as Kusanagi, the ultimate trio is complete! Even more, I really appreciate this movie due to the fact that this is the first live-action adaptation of the novel where both Kusanagi and Utsumi were present in the original novel (ie most of the drama plot for Utsumi before was originally written for Kusanagi while plots that include Utsumi in - after Higashino-san start writing her in due to drama's popularity - end up being pushed to Kishitani)

But of course, due to some changes in the drama plot aka having Utsumi being sent away for training and slotting in Kishitani as her replacement as well as a few of Kusanagi's key scenes be given to Utsumi, the writing would be affected to reflect that but the overall vibe of the movie was still okay.

As usual, Kusanagi and Utsumi were dealing with yet another complicated case and ended up needing the help of our reluctant physics professor who always tends to find himself in the middle of a case. And this time, Kusanagi had to confront an old case that once traumatised him so much.

I really love the trio's dynamics, and I especially love how Utsumi grew to become this bridge that's connecting Yukawa and Kusanagi and mediated their relationship; as Yukawa and Kusanagi's friendship grew even more strained due to the case.

The case was interesting as well as it featured a conflict faced by the police when they couldn't prosecute the suspect that they were sure to be guilty yet unable to prove the crime as the suspect kept their silence despite mounting evidence stacked against them. It also presents a dilemma when they have to investigate the victims of the crime who may have committed murder out of revenge due to the failure of the police to punish a criminal using the law.

The movie compiled a montage at the end in the credits featuring most of the trio's past scenes in drama and movies which I find to be very sweet.

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