Reviews

A Violet by any other name would still be as fierce!

Scorching Sun, Fierce Wind, Wild Fire boasted an all-star kung fu cast---Angela Mao, Chang Yi, Lo Lieh, Dorian “Flash Legs” Tan, and Roc Tien Peng. Despite a huge cast, most of them familiar Taiwanese film fighters, this made in Taiwan flick fell apart due to haphazard writing. Only an unlikely bromance saved this movie.

You would never know this was set during the Chinese Republican Era by looking at it. The costumes for the most part could have been from almost any era used in kung fu movies. Guns were introduced at one point by government officials which brought it into the Republican era. A possibly 1960’s car in one scene took the audience too far forward in time!

This should have featured Angela Mao since she was Violet, the mysterious rebel leader always dressed in….violet…and with her face covered. Sadly, she was only able to shine in the final grand fights. Roc as a rebel leader from the south was rather lackluster in his scenes. Chang Yi is always a good baddie and he didn’t disappoint as Wu Chi, the traitorous head henchman for the local warlord. The best part of the movie for me, were Lo Lieh and Dorian Tan as two escaped prisoners. They formed a reluctant bromance that was both humorous and the most sincere relationship on the screen. I truly enjoyed their interactions and fights. Fights against each other and fights against the baddies.

The story revolved around the rebels and a missing treasure map. Roc had half of the map and the warlord had the other half. 100,000 bars of gold were the prize for whoever could gain both pieces. Honestly, that flimsy story was the excuse for people to fight from beginning to end. Some fights were better than others. Chang Yi was featured in a great many of them. Aside from a fight with Lo Lieh and Dorian against some bandits and officials only the final 20 minutes of fights were worthwhile. Dorian’s legs did most of the heavy lifting, kicking in the fights. Angela finally had some face time on screen during the final fights showing her fierceness. I should mention that the nefarious Wu had a poisoned knife that melted people-quite gruesome.

I have to mention that some of the music sounded like it was lifted from the original Star Wars movie. You never know what you will hear in an old kung fu film!

If you like the cast and Taiwanese kung fu films from the late ‘70s this is one to try out. Don’t expect to see too much of Angela, lower your expectations, and hi-yah!


11/18/22

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If they made it as short series it would be much better.

This movie was boring, not well executed and the acting from the ML was awful.

I hope to see him improve in his future works he has potential, his voice is good and his visuals are too, but here he served almost nothing! I might sound like I am too harsh, but believe me, I've watched many movies/series where the acting wasn't the best, and I couldn't bare this one.

I would not recommend it as an invested watch! If you want to just watch something, and practice your listening ( if you are learning Japanese ) - yes, but if you want to enjoy and watch for the plot and character development - then no.

However, if you are into reading, maybe give the manga a try. It is so much better. Most questions are answered and their story is developed well!!

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The power of friendship and a really extroverted friend bringing everyone together.

The concept reminded me of Let's Go Jets which is about an all-girls cheer team.

I liked how each of the characters were pretty unique and encouraging towards each other. I trained to be on the cheer team in school and the training was really tough so I kept thinking how exactly are they gonna start this club with no instructor considering you're gonna do dangerous stunts.

It was enjoyable around the time they started training. You can't help but want for them to succeed but some parts were a little embarrassing to watch. The ending was great but not too climactic given it ended with them performing at school rather than in a real competition where they would be able to get that feel of "hey we're a team competing against other teams passionate about this sport."

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Underwhelming

If I had to describe this show in one word it would be 'underwhelming'.

Thats the general feeling I had watching most of it.

I wanted more from the characters & the story. I wanted to love this series & enjoy it like many others but all I feel is underwhelmed.

From ep1 until like ep7, the 3 main characters had this all encompassing aura of sadness around them. Even when the smiled, laughed or genuinely enjoyed themselves it all still felt so sad.
In that sense alone, I found it so overwhelming/stifling.

Xu Qizhang's bandmates and mom were honestly a breathe of fresh air & most of my favourite scenes from this series involves them.
My favourite character is definitely Xu Qizhang's mom. I actually grew to kinda care about her more than any other character in the show.

Character descriptions:

Qizhang - word vomit.
I've never seen anyone who offers up so much information that wasn't asked for. You could ask him a yes or no question and he'll tell you his whole life's story😭

Guang - shallow.
I don't know much about him other than he has strict parents, is best friends with Ray & likes Qizhang. I don't know what he likes, dislikes or even who he is. I sympathise with him because of his situation but I couldn't connect with him as a character.

Ray - frivolous

He is the most interesting & unique character in the show... on paper. The two best friends suffer from the same character flaw. We didn't actually get to learn much about them. Why was he dressed like woman for his ex? Does he like dressing prettily? Who is he?

Jian - love interest.

That's kind of it. He is Ray's love interest and is in a band. How old is he? What are his interests? Why's he in a band? Why does he like Ray? None of these are answered.

Also Ray & Jian's first kiss was laughably awkward & Idk that was the intention.

Basically I can relate to what they're going through and I can even relate to what they're feeling but I just struggle to relate to these characters. Their lack of depth leaves me with nothing other than sympathy for them.

It was promising but ultimately underwhelming.

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Such a touching revolution true story

4 strong and famous actress in one movie. The movie started up slow but it eventually capture your attention , and you can’t get your eyes off the screen about 2/3 in. I have never been to China, but as a Chinese, father told me lots of Chinese history. From different dynasty to many political leaders. Not sure how true this movie portrait Chiang. The movie make him look really bad like shooting animal, stole the big Emperess diamond put on his wife shoes, and weak like a weam at the last airplane scene. My Chinese friends said they learned about the 3 sisters story in high school. I am a little Suprise that the Soong family were Christian, they were quite wealthy. It seems like they were ok. I thought Communism against religion believe.

Long story short. War is sad. Innocent people die, so many people die in any war. The worst is people fight against their own country men and women.

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A movie that had great potential and wasted it all

NO SPOILER FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS REVIEW

The fact that some people are rating this movie higher than a 6.5 is honestly baffling. I usually never write reviews and prefer keeping my opinion to myself, but I felt the urge to do it for Midnight. So, here's my review of a movie that had amazing potential and could've been a really good thriller, but unfortunately ended up being a barely decent enough movie.

Midnight starts out well with its promising plot and heavy atmosphere efficiently set thanks to the scenography and brilliant acting. Many good stress-inducing mechanics are introduced to make us feel the anxiety and distress caused by the main character's, Kim Kyung Mi, deafness (e.g. audio detection devices, lights reacting to sound).
However, despite the potential and innovative ideas, it all crumbles down very early on. Yes, I was quite excited when I started watching Midnight, and was truly enjoying it. But if you have a good time during the first twenty minutes or so of the movie, you'll slowly become too frustrated to think about anything except how dumb these characters all are, completely ruining the thrill.

Every stressful situation is built upon questionable/idiotic decisions that no human being would ever make, even under that kind of pressure, because it simply goes against what survival instinct and common sense dictate. I'm sure there were ways to have the characters be gifted with intelligence and keep an interesting story still.

Overall, the movie is not completely bad and still enjoyable to a degree, simply thanks to the fact that it is entertaining enough to watch until the end. Still, it doesn't mean it's a good movie. The beginning is great, the ending is fine and everything in-between is... sort of a mess. If you were curious about it, I'd still advise you watch it, but be aware that your expectations will probably not be met, and if you won't be bored, you'll definitely be annoyed.


SECOND PART OF THE REVIEW, BEWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW

First of all, I'd like to mention that I'm usually not very nitpicky. I'll accept a lot of things when watching TV shows and movies, I won't necessarily notice every single detail or plot hole and I'm easy to satisfy. That being said, even taking this into account and letting my suspension of disbelief play its part, it wasn't enough. I'll now dive into it and detail what bothered me enough to write it down.

Okay, fine. I'll accept that the police have some prejudice against disabled people and that they can be utterly incompetent. It honestly wouldn't be that surprising or unheard of. It is frustrating, but not in a 100% unrealistic way.
Fine, I won't argue that it is possible for a crowd to not help someone in distress. Bystander effect, confusion, fear or simply not knowing what to do/how to react can all factor in on this. These people don't have the full story like we do, they just see a panicked girl who is not explaining what the problem is.
Sure, the military personnel bringing back Kyung Mi to Do Shik, thinking they're helping her "brother"... that's barely acceptable, but you know what? I'll let it slide because similar things can happen in a very unfortunate turn of events (e.g. Konerak Sinthasomphone).
Since all these characters are outsiders to the story and only get snippets of what we see, with which they have to piece everything together, I'll be lenient. It's all exaggerated for the sake of the plot anyway.

I won't even mention Do Shik's irrational and erratic behavior too much, for the obvious reason that he is a killer with, more likely than not, many many issues. Him being overconfident, thinking he can outsmart everyone (not like they're making it hard) even when being so careless, and get away with it scot free, is actually not that crazy or unbelievable.

But Jong Tak, this dude... my brother in christ, give me a break. He is by far the most frustrating and dumbest character in this entire movie. Here you have a grown man who has the ability to communicate freely, who knows exactly what's happening, but decides that calling the police is apparently overrated. Granted, they have proved they were dumb and incompetent, but still?
Or maybe that poor guy suffers from a disorder preventing him from doing two things at the same time and I'm just being very mean, who knows? Or well, maybe he can't use his brain, my two cents. I mean, seriously. Why can't he just run to Kyung Mi's house AND call the police at the same time. Same thing when he gives up on her after Do Shik "reveals" where his sister is.
And for the love of god, why does he take narrow little streets when trying to catch up with Do Shik, risking to lose his track, instead of properly following him? How is he even able to not lose sight of him that way? Or maybe he knows the area so well he has a mental map stuck in his head and can predict exactly where the killer and his victim will run to, even without seeing them. But in the unlikely scenario that were actually the case... then it should still be explained to the viewer.

Towards the end of the movie, he fights Do Shik in a back alley, but looks away from him TWICE despite having been tricked into thinking he had fainted the first time already (after a 2 seconds chokehold, that is). Brilliant. And why doesn't he try to scream/get back to the main avenue to draw people's attention? It's not like Kyung Mi can do it for him. If I were that poor girl, I'd rather be stabbed in that alley and just end it already, instead of having to be "saved" by someone so useless.

Also, why does no one ever stay together? I lost count of how many times that happened, but it was way too much. I don't really get why Kyung Mi and Jong Tak's sister had to split. They were right next to the place where they can press a button that turns on every light in existence and blasts an alarm waking up the entire neighborhood, then puts them in direct communication with the police!
Later, Kyung Mi's mother and Jong Tak also split up, and after that him and her daughter did too.

Other details I'll skim over because this review is already too long:
-Right at the beginning of the movie, a woman (completely alone outside, at night) is approached by a guy being weirdly insistent about her getting in his car. Nevertheless, she walks to his suspiciously "deserted" van, that totally does not look like a set-up, a few minutes after? I assure you, no woman would ever behave like that. At least call someone at the same time, just to be safe;
-When Do Shik and Jong Tak were fighting in the police station, why did it take so long for Kim Kyung Mi and her mother to bring back the officers inside? It definitely shouldn't have taken this much time as they were standing quite literally 5 meters away from the entrance;
-How did said officers not hear the commotion inside?;
-After that incident, why were none of the characters kept under police protection, at least for the next 24 hours?;
-When Do Shik infiltrates Kyung Mi's house, he knocks many heavy things on the ground... that girl is deaf, not completely numb to the world. She would definitely feel the vibrations or something. I'm pretty sure your other senses are sharpened when you're lacking one;
-I believe most countries have a special number for deaf & mute people to contact the police through text messages. I might be wrong, but I doubt there's nothing like that in South Korea. Kyung Mi and her mother would definitely know about such a thing. Even when panicking, I'm sure that would still come to your mind.


There are still many things I could mention, or some criticism I don't necessarily agree with, but I think you got the rough idea already. Ultimately, I am angry not because of all the inconsistencies themselves. I spend my time watching shows that are full of them and still manage to have a good time. I am mad because this movie could have been something greater. It had so much potential, and seeing it all go to waste like that right in front of my eyes feels like betrayal. This movie has some good in it, but the bad easily overtakes it. Midnight would barely deserve a 5, if not for the atmosphere and acting. And if I'm being honest, I'm betting my life that if Wi Ha Joon wasn't in this movie (but was replaced by an equally talented yet less attractive actor), the ratings would be way lower.

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Can you love and hate at the same time?

One of my favorite Toxic BLs, but it's definitely not for everyone! If you are a fan of toxic - still proceed with caution, cuz this one has it all. So read the TW before watching it.
I am a fan of toxic and I really liked this BL. This crazy story gave me chills. It’s one of those - toxic, but I can't stop watching - I am obsessed with it series. The acting, story and writing are good. It's about uncontrollable crazy love that that makes you insane and capable of anything. It takes you on rollercoaster ride of - passion, angst, anger, jealousy, love and hate. The characters are well established and so realistic. The chemistry is great. The intimate scenes are very well done, even those noncon ones.
Some don't like the ending, but I liked it. It worked for me!

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SUPER-BLAND LIKE A SOUP WITHOUT SEASONING

So, I came across this movie as an explicit BL and the storyline seemed intriguing soI decided to give it a try. But oh, it's just so BLAND. THE STORY WASN'T BAD, IT DID HAVE POTENTIAL BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED INTO A DRAMA. AS A MOVIE, IT WAS SUPER RUSHED. THE ACTING WAS BAD, PLUS THE SUPER FAST PACING MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONNECT WITH THE CHARECTERS OR THE STORY. EVERYTHING HAPPENED SO FAST! OVERALL, THERE'S NOTHING TO LIKE IN IT.
The ACTING WAS POOR, DIRECTING WAS POOR. ONLY THING I LIKED IS THE ENDING (LOL) WHEN THEY REINCARNATED. SUCH STORIES SHOULD BE DEVELOPED INTO SERIES WITH A GOOD CAST.

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Wasted potential

I got interested in this movie after watching a clip of Kim Gwang Il getting kidnapped on YouTube. The clip was amazing. Filled with action. My heart rate rised as he was pulled out of the car. Seeing his facial expressions. His great acting. I knew, I needed to watch the movie. Sitting down by my computer I was soo exited. The first few minutes of the movie was great. I loved watching the murder. How Lee Jong Suk killed the role as a serial killer. But as the movie continued, it got more and more boring. Nothing happened. Lee Jong Suk didn't get the screen time he deserved. They included far too many side tracks instead of following the head plot. They followed too many persons, which led to confusion, and the main detective were supposed to be a cool detective, who doesn't care a sh*** about the law. He only became a boring cop trying to catch a serial killer and failing way too many times. The perfect movie should have followed the serial killer and the detective only. The exiting part is the thills and finding out why the serial killer acts as he does and how the detective fail to catch him or end up catching him. I don't recommend using 2 hours of your day watching this movie. It has nothing to give you. However Lee Jung Suk did amazing and I recommend watching all the edits of Kim Gwang Il on YT.

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Funnier than expected

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I'm not usually a fan of the slapstick comedy which I know is popular in Thailand, so was expecting to find it a bit cringey, but the slapstick comedy was well timed and made me chuckle a few times. The storyline is simple but fairly effective. Acting is pretty decent and comedic timing is good.

I liked that they incorporated some of the social themes and issues in Thailand such as the "rich kid" managing to escape the law (an obvious nod to recent events in Thailand) - played by First who does steal his scenes. I must admit, the boy does have great stage presence.

The story does lose a bit of momentum and steam toward the end. The ending is left a bit open which suggests there may be another film in the works where First's character (called "Great") plays a more prominent role along with the rest of the cast. It would be fun to see where they take it next.

Worth a watch if you have some spare time .

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"The past is past. Now is now."

Director Ozu tackled the very real problem of war orphans in the uplifting Record of a Tenement Gentleman. Ozu used a lost little boy to quietly open the closed hearts of people damaged by loss and deprivation and a cranky widow to shelter one not her own.

Ozu regular Ryu Chishu came home with a lost boy he’d found on a trip. His roommate refused to let the child stay with them. They hatched the brilliant idea of foisting the boy off on the neighbor widow, Tane. Tane was not welcoming to the idea of taking him in but relented for one night. After Kohei wet the bed, she reprimanded him and determined to be rid of him. After finding out the child’s father had apparently deserted him, she tried to desert him herself, but Kohei was too quick and determined for her. Slowly he began to wear her down and after another scolding when he ran away, she dropped everything to find him.

Tane was played by the talented Lida Choko. In her, we could see not only the grumpy middle-aged woman but also a widow making a living out of her home who had closed herself off emotionally. She portrayed a waterfall of emotions as the small boy broke her emotional dam. Seeing the gentleness in the boy she was unwilling to let him live the life of an alley cat. So great was her loving transformation that in the end she could cry generous tears of joy instead of selfish ones. Choko expertly played Tane’s regret at not having treated the boy with kindness from the beginning. It was a beautifully well-rounded performance.

Ozu showed the trauma of orphan children through Kohei. Silent for nearly 30 minutes after he appeared, and with very few words thereafter, the boy held everything inside. His stress over his abandonment and hostile environment came out through bedwetting at night. He observed homeless boys fishing along the water in order to feed themselves. In the final scene, Ozu showed numerous orphan boys at the base of a famous statue in Tokyo.

As always, every scene was composed and shot with exquisite care and Ozu’s teapot had its usual closeup. Not one for talking about the war much, he showed the piles of rubble lining the streets and even used in the tenements. The neighbors dealt with scarceness in post-war Japan, sharing information and food. He moved the scenes further outside as well and there was a gorgeous shot of Tane and Kohei on a beach right before she abandoned him. I admit to choking up watching the little boy race across the dunes to catch up with her.

The film closed with Tane and her neighbors all having been touched by the boy. They came to realize how selfish they had become, refraining from helping those in need. They vowed to be more generous in spirit. Record of a Tenement Gentleman was a film that teetered close to being overly sentimental, but for me it hit that melancholy heartwarming sweet spot.


11/16/22

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There are some things I appreciate about this movie, but...

There are some things I appreciate about this movie because they were good. So I'll start with them. First of all, the actors did a really great job. But I did not expect anything else, because I know the possibilities of each of them. I really liked the transitions between scenes with and without sound. The scenes without sound showed the perspective of the deaf mother and daughter better, and I think it was a well-thought-out move. The last good thing is that the ending was satisfying enough.

Now let's get to the things I don't like about this movie. It was boring until the end when Kyung Mi confused the killer. It was basically a cat-and-mouse chase throughout the movie. With people around who couldn't recognize the situation.

Despite some good things, I'll probably soon forget about this movie. Obviously, a good general idea combined with not knowing how to develop it always results in a boring production.

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When the creators can't treasure such beautiful story...

Story : Nobody can deny that their story is beautiful, from how they first meet to how their story ended, it's indeed beautiful, even those nightmare years of one's selfish mistake, we all want to see the ups and downs of a forever- lasting love...

Storytelling: Now this is the place where my nagging (!) begins. I suppose we only had one main lead (Akira) but it doesn't meam the other character (Yuki) had to be pictured so poorly and 2D, even those monologues of Yuki couldn't fill the big hole of his character's absence, which was damaging the movie.
It was not even consistent in its genre, it can't be a tear jerking melodrama for one half, then suddenly become the romcom where main leads meet again in another continent after 8 years of separation and reconcile with skipping the step of " what the f were they doing this 8 years" for the other half, right??
What a waste of story! Honestly, all the big damages were done by the script and it could be easily repaired if they could be a little less loyal to the original manga, I've read the manga and the movie has the same exact flaws of the manga 😀
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Directing was really mediocre (we expect this to be a MOVIE, right? we want the standard shots but its shots were of a tv drama) , acting was average...
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Overall : wasted story, lacking script, not a standard quality production for a movie (but passable for a bl drama)
🌌Recommended if you're here for the fun but if you want something to blow your mind and make a tattoo in your heart, then it's not IT...

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