Reviews

My heart is so warm but broken after this .

It was the perfect romcom movie , the entire plot , the story was so adorable , and their scenes together that just made me scream because of how cute they’re ????? . but then everything suddenly was so sad ???????

All I can say is that I knew from the beginning that there’s a sad ending but still watched it and enjoyed it even if I cried my eyes out at the end , and I’m not regretting . It’s was a perfect love story and I LOVE IT before the ending that surprise me until the very end . I was speechless and my heart was broken into pieces .

I feel like if you’re hesitant to watch it or not because of the ending , I still think you should give it a try .

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FUCK NETFLIX!!

FUCK NETFLIX FOR RUINING MY MORNING WITH THIS MOVIE!! MY SISTER HAS BEEN SCREAMING HER HEAD OFF FOR 30 MINUTES NOW AFTER WATCHING THIS TERRIBLENESS!! GAVE THIS MOVIE A 10 FOR ACTING CAUSE THEY REALLY MADE ME HATE THE CHARACTERS. I hate my life and I'm going to go watch 20th century girl now or a thai show or k-pop or ANYTHING ELSE!!!

Just to take up space I'm going to name other shows I'd rather watch over this because I'm not spending another second giving this movie time:
- I'd rather watch Love Alarm Season 2
- I'd rather watch Boys over flowers
- I'd rather watch TharnType
- I'd rather listen to Sticker by NCT on repeat
- I'd rather listen to O.O and Tank by NMIXX on repeat
- I'd rather listen to War of Hormones by BTS

Okay I think I'm done for today. The only thing I remotely enjoyed about this movie is that the orange hair guy is pretty and I could sense the effort and how it was trying to be something great, even though it flopped. Don't listen to people on this site. The cinematography is terrible!!! TOOOOO ANY CUTS FOR MY LIKING!!! Why we gotta zoom in on people's eyes and lips to be artistic!! You know what, I'm done. Actually, one last thing. They gloss over the most problematic things that it makes me think that they possibly just forgot that they wrote the bad things they made the characters do and say. I watched this movie on max speed and still understood everything, but was left confused on what the point of it all was. Only gave this movie a three because it made me appreciate somethings I used to hate more because now when I hate something I'm just going to say, "Yea this was bad, but it's not worse than 'Hot Gimmick'."

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In my reviews, I've often criticized this or that director for being "the Nth victim of the nefarious influence of the French 'nouvelle vague' and 'Cahiers du Cinéma'...", but I wouldn't want to give off the wrong idea that I have a beef with French cinematography altogether. Nothing like that. I only dislike pretentious and "artsy" stuff like "À bout de souffle", whereas I *adore* the *real* art of directors like, for example, Jacques Tati...whom I'd bet has been of inspiration to this tremendously nice "Kaito Ruby"! ^___-
The relaxed and funny atmosphere, the light romance, the splendid cinematography, the lovely music...it's a great watch, wholeheartedly recommended to all those who can appreciate such "oldies but goldies"!
The only reason why I don't give it a perfect 10 is that imho the plot is a bit too flimsy...had they gone a little deeper with that, it would've been absolutely perfect...still, it's very close! 9/10

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A masterpiece!

What an awesome film. It touched my heart too.

1. How they split the different part of his life, and in order of importance instead of chronological, that was a brilliant idea. It helped built the foundation of the story, the major message, while at the same time allowed them to insert other lessons along the way.

2. It was also not about the main character, but it also reflected the lesson for the other characters, most especially the senior grim reaper.

3. The CGI is perfect. If the CGI becomes ever more realistic, it would only distract the audience. If it was less, it would make the film cheap. It is important to strike the balance between eye candy and the message of the story. Well done.

4. Choosing to set this story as a film instead of a TV show, or an episodic film, was itself a good decision. Keeping it as a film guaranteed the focus remain true, instead of adding other side stories that can lessen the impact of the story (and even distract the audience).

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A good thriller for thriller enjoyers (like me)

You must’ve heard the phrase “being on the edge of the seat.” That’s exactly what this movie made me do. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole movie. The first time chills went down my spine was when the FL got in her car to run away from Do-Shik and he was already sitting in her car. Damn.

Kyung-Mi was very smart. Most importantly she was good at catching up. When the first time she asked the public to help her, they didn’t because she had a knife in her hand and Do-Shik didn’t. She learnt from this. She learnt that people believe what they see. So the next time they encountered e/o in public, she injured herself and made it look like Do-Shik did it and this time “people believe what they see” worked in her favor. My favorite part in the whole movie.

Lastly, the acting was 10/10. And the situations were well thought. The scene where Kyung-Mi felt trapped and had no choice but to beg for mercy in front of the psychopath, mind-blowing. It was very relatable with a very deep meaning. Anyone with no other choice would get on his knees to save himself. There’s a hindi proverb that goes “मरता क्या न करता” lit; “a person who’s dying would do anything.” Both the leads did an amazing job portraying their characters. Throughout the whole movie it felt like those actors were really their respective characters (which, obviously, is false. Wi Ha-Joon isn’t a psychopath lmao).

Thanks for reading my review!

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long and violent

This sprawling movie begins like a documentary, with voice-over and text-over narration, backgrounding a Japan in economic turmoil after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and political turmoil with the rise of socialism and anarchism, and the fascist authoritarian backlash. Many characters are introduced, including a group of young male anarchists who spend their time shouting at each other and botching assassination attempts, and a travelling troupe of female sumo wrestlers, who are at each others' throats as much off the ring as on. The sumo bouts are done well, in a long sequence that was as exciting as the male sumo tournaments I've seen on Japanese television. The women have taken up this life to escape dominating fathers and husbands, seeking the freedom they imagine in developing their strength, but it's illusory and only found in fleeting moments during bouts, as the forces of male authority outside the ring continue to impose on their lives. Apparently female sumo was popular among the proletariat for about a hundred years until about 1960. Eventually the movie focusses on a couple of the anarchists who connect with a couple of the women and hang around with the sumo troupe, and then the plot centres on the authorities' attempts to cover up a recent massacre of Koreans. I hadn't connected with any of the characters or their story, wasn't enjoying the emotional and physical violence, and dropped this movie about 2/3 through.

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Yet another Plotless Snore

"Are you okay with being stupid?"


With the exception of Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl, every asian horror movie I have chosen for Shocktober has been rather lacking and this is no different.

It has moments of creepiness, but it is just too boring for me to full care about what is going on and the story itself just doesn't do it for me at all. It's just a draining experience that goes nowhere fast. Sure the acting is fine, but it isn't enough to really elevate this movie past it's borderline plotless nature. Too little happens here to keep my interest and it takes way too long to get anywhere.

Not really much to say here tbh.

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A Waste Of Time

Really lame. The girl starts out a strong, kick butt, take charge woman. Immediately becomes selfish, weak and useless. In the end she can't save anyone and he dies.
This show tries to be funny but is just stupid. Much of it makes no sense.
It was badly translated on iQiyi where I watched it. Did he call her a prostitute? Did she call him a prostitute or what? Sentences were incomplete. The dialogue when he was dying made no sense at all. I wondered if the translation was of the lyrics of the background song instead of the dialog itself.
I watched the first 30 and last 20 minutes. What a waste of time.

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When the writers play favorites, you get this.

I don't even know if the production team knew what they wanted to do with this? It was a bit of a hodgepodge of comedic and serious acting, scenes that had no significance, a villain that had no motive, and action sequences that contained what should have been bloopers. I seriously watched one of the MLs headbutt his opponent in the armpit. Three times actually, because I was certain that that wouldn't have made the final cut... The official subtitles (via IQIYI) were rough and delayed, and regularly translated the characters' names into their meanings. And the story itself contained problems. Xiaotu was so poorly treated by the script as a character. What was the point of bringing up that they each had their own strengths, if you aren't going to show us what they are? It seemed like the writers were right there with the other characters valuing Xiaohu higher than Xiaotu.

The highlights were when Xiaohu was guiding his brother's actions. Or when they both inhabited Xiaotu's body to accomplish impossible tasks. Those were cool to watch. The two brothers had good on-screen chemistry and really carried when they were visible together. But I can't find anything else to praise. Sorry.

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20 year old storyline with bad direction,pacing of story and cuts

The storyline is pretty similar like that of Man from Nowhere except few changes.

The movie has good starcast. Acting was good too.
Though, thanks to bad direction,you will always feel that the film lacks something. It lacks heart. The film just feel meaningless.

Except action, nothing is good. It will not touch any hearts. Plus, one doesn't connects to any scene.
About music, it is standard. It's not great.

Rewatch Value is less. Only for action sequences, one can watch some scenes. But rewatching whole movie is waste of time and mind space.

Conclusion - Ignore this. Instead watch Man fron Nowhere again. If you don't like action, go watch anything. Even staring at stars for 1 hour is better than this if you have watched assassin turn good movie before.

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'My Perfect Roommate' shows how family transcends blood ties

The elderly have been an interesting talking point for Asian cinema this year. Chie Hayakawa’s “Plan 75” surprised Cannes Film Festival with a bleak and shocking vision to solve the problem of Japan’s rapidly ageing population. Director Lee Soon-sung takes a much brighter and cheerful approach to the subject in “My Perfect Roommate”, his debut feature.

Having started in the industry as a boom operator years ago and proceeding to make a career as a real-time recordist, Lee Soon-sung makes a move behind the camera with “My Perfect Roommate”, working off his own script, which tackles a number of themes in its brisk 91 minutes runtime. Foremost, it’s an ode to the elderly and their plight, having to live alone and without much support from their busy and self-occupied families. Their friends, who find themselves in similar plights, are the closest they get to a family, probably precisely because they are in the same boat. Loneliness is a constant topic of the narrative, not limiting itself to just the elderly, with the young Ji-woong too feeling alone. Despite having friends and a healthy social life, he feels unable to open himself up to his friends, finding solace only with the people who grew up in the same circumstances as him. As a result, seeing both Geum-boon and Ji-woong warm up to each other is pleasing and almost heart-warming.

The script also touches upon the subject of the upbringing of an individual. In a filial society such as South Korea’s, where a lot of emphasis is placed on the way parents raise their children, orphans are often treated with disdain and a certain prejudice. Lee argues that it is not just to the parents’ credit how a child turns out to be as an adult. Using Ji-woong and the subplot of his friends, he shows how orphans grow up by themselves and make their own destiny, showing both sides of that coin and determines that it depends very much on the individual as well to be a better person in society. Briefly he also talks about mortality and the need to live on, alone if necessary but better if with someone, a topic that could have been done with more exposition, and on the importance of family.

This would have been a much lesser feature had it not been for the presence of loveable veteran actress Na Moon-hee, who practically carries the film on her two aged but nonetheless strong shoulders. In her capable hands, the grumpy grandma too proves to be very likeable and motherly, as Ji-woong soon finds out. Oozing pure grandma energy, you just want her to give you a hug, so when she finally does give Ji-woong one, you can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy towards Choi Woo-sung’s character. Making his first big screen appearance after taking part in a few tv dramas, Choi is adequate as the college boy, but feels a bit wet behind the ears, something that he might be able to rectify with more feature film appearances. He does play well alongside Na Moon-hee though, who takes good care of her young co-star. She has played this role of a grumpy ajhumma a few times now, but just like Ma Dong-seok’s hardman act, it is one that you cannot tire of seeing.

Keeping an equally bright and cheerful look with Choi Min-hwan’s cinematography, “My Perfect Roommate” isn’t necessarily ground-breaking cinema, but it has a clear story to tell which it manages to put across effectively, and, bolstered by a fine performance from its lead actress, ends up being a cute feature that is a pleasant watch.

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Happy ever after......NOT

The story starts off as a typical high-school drama. We have two girl best friends and two guy best friends, though not much screen time is devoted towards the later two. The main character played by Kim Yoo Jung is a happy, guy beating, food loving person which seems to have populated the recent Kdrama. But above all, she is a loyal friend who steps aside her love for her friend and who can blame her. Her friend just had a heart surgery.
Based on the synopsis, you might think how can Kim Yoo Jung character fall in love with the person her friend had already set her sight on and the thing is, she did not. Due to the mix up of name tag and no SNS to spy on the people you like, this creates the conflict inside Kim Yoo Jung character to choose between friendship and love which moves the plot forward. While watching, you might fell if they just talk it out everything can be solved (and it does, surprise Pikahu face), you need to understand that these are teenagers going through their first love so these are acceptable.
So, it is basically a cliche high-school love story with no surprises, you would think. But the thing that bugged me from the start was they showed the adult character for Kim Yoo Jung, played by the talented Han Hyo Joo, who seemed single which pointed at something dramatic will happen. The ending was not what I expected, It is not a happy ending this cliche filled story hinted at and you are filled with sadness and red eyes from all the tears that pour out your feelings.
So, if you are looking for a fluffy love story where the characters end up happy ever after, this is not it. But if you have some tears to spare, you should definitely watch this movie, with some napkins around of course.

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It's turtle vs squid!

I don't know what bills or gambling debts Gamera had to pay for him to get involved with this movie, but he should have passed and hibernated somewhere until it was safe to come out. Gamera vs Viras had an okay beginning and an okay end, but the middle was largely comprised of clips from previous Gamera movies which was a huge letdown. And the okayish parts were bad enough the giant turtle should have called his agent and fired him for signing him up for this awkward mishmash of clips. Plus, he had to take a backseat to two Boy Scouts and was only vaguely the star of his own movie. It's enough to make an amphibian rampage on Tokyo---in black and white and in color!

Aliens decided Earth was a good place to colonize only they ran afoul of Gamera in space. Long story short, they kidnap two precocious Boy Scouts so they can attach a control chip to Gamera and have him do their bidding. And thus begins the barrage of city destroying clips from previous movies, badly spliced together. Eventually, it's revealed the aliens are big squids and finally near the end of the movie Gamera is able to make fried calamari.

The Boy Scouts weren't as annoying as other kids in Kaiju movies, at least I wasn't rooting for a monster to eat them. If you want a shortcut to catch up on the previous movies, you can watch this one, otherwise, only if you are a huge Gamera fan-or maybe calamari.

10/21/22

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