Completed
Lighting Up the Stars
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 23, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

This one is an insane tear-jerker but also belly-acher

This movie has EVERYTHING.

It made me laugh and made me cry SO many times over just the one and a half hours. My mom cried. My brother cried. It was a crying fest in the theater I was in. No one left their seats until the ending credits were over because of how we were still reeling from our emotions.

The characters made me just fall in love with them and their story. The acting is INCREDIBLE, especially from the little girl. She’s just adorable and thinking of her makes me tear up again lol. Her precious relationship with her father teaches us so many things about what we should be grateful for in life- namely love, life itself, and each other.

Being Chinese, the English title didn’t make sense to me until I watched the movie because the direct translation of the Chinese title 人生大事 is “The Big(gest) Thing In Life.” But “Lighting Up The Stars” makes so much sense and I don’t think I could come up with a better title.

The delve into Sichuan culture specifically was also heartwarming to see on the big screen. I don’t often get to watch Chinese movies so it was really a treat to get to hear the Sichuan accent/dialect and catch a glimpse of life there.

As an ABC, this movie was everything to me. It gave me a peek into a life I would never live, but also made me reflect on the life I DO live.

10/10 on everything. Acting, music, story, production. This one gets all the stars.

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Welcome to the Guesthouse
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 23, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

not recommending

This is such a waste of time. It had an average story completed with average acting. There isn't any impressive twists or turn, and all of the stories are provided in the synopsis. A university guy for survival works part-time at a surfing store and gets a place to stay. There is an unnecessary fight because he gets charmed by a girl and has a surfing competition. With no previous experience, he practices a lot and participates with all tricks and tips earned from his senior, which are not so great.

we can blame the scriptwriters because the actors did what they had to do. But the acting doesn't suffice the storyline and keeps on dropping the interest of viewers. nobody shows any kind of emotions, they just said their lines in front of the camera.
also, it's shot at a beach but the beauty of surfing and the sea beach isn't shown, I was highly disappointed in that matter. I love aesthetic beauty

Except for the surfing lessons, I can't remember anything about the movie.
Not recommending anyone to watch this.

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The First Girl I Loved
5 people found this review helpful
by tevv
Aug 23, 2022
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

Accurate Lgbtq+ Representation

I feel like I found put a review for this film, since no one else has.

I absolutely loved this movie, it had accurate sapphic representation. It’s pretty hard to find decent wlw films/dramas that don’t fetishize those relationships... I was balling my eyes out near the end because it’s accurate, and a ton of non-straight people experience similar thoughts and relationships. It kinda makes you snap back to reality after watching happy ending, always perfect relationship romances.

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THINGS I LIKED
1. accurate lgbtq+ representation // they showed how it can be difficult for some lgbtq+ people to be in a relationship. (ex. being scared of other’s thoughts, not trusting anyone)

2. the soundtrack // absolute perfection. I was on YouTube listening to the main song and I was sobbing ahaha. It’s calming yet heartbreaking at the same time.

3. the plot // the plot isn’t messy, it’s not confusing, and it makes sense.



THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE
1. that it’s underrated // I have seen NOBODY talk about this film. I found it because I was looking for sapphic films in mydramalist.


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I promise this movie is worth the watch :D

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Little Forest
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Calming

This movie is very calming and relaxing. It invites you to leave your daily cares and watch the simple lives of people in a small town. It's beautifully filmed and edited. I could almost feel my blood pressure dropping as I watched this. I felt absolutely nothing intrinsically wrong with it, just personally I felt like nothing was happening, and that's on me.

The actors did a fine job. Of course, they weren't actually required to do anything much anyway.

I don't remember the music.

I won't rewatch, simply because I have so much on my list already. Though, to be fair, I might want to give it another chance when my mental state is in a somewhat different place.

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The Villainess
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2022
Completed 3
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Action packed, high octane movie with bad ass FL.

Really loved the FL in this, especially in the action scenes. Overall I enjoyed the story and it was good but toward the end it faltered a bit and became too melodramatic. Because the film was inspired by Le Femme Nikita the action sequences were excellent and high velocity and I loved them. This is the first FL action movie I have watched from Korea and it was not a disappointmemt. I put actress Kim Ok Bin up there with Angelina Jolie as my 100% believeable female action star. My only gripe with the movie is the very last scene b/c forget the fact that he killed her father he...**** SPOLIER ALERT**** I won't say but when you watch you will understand. Like why the hell was she hesitating???

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Carter
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Don't watch if you're motion sensitive

OK, starting off, I didn't know Korean dramas existed until the summer of 2020. Since then I've been hooked on Korean dramas. Since most of the dramas I've seen were truly enjoyable I thought I would give the Korean movies a try. I've seen a handful and only liked one...one out of the maybe 6 or 7 that I've seen since the summer of 2020.
Being dismayed at the majority of what I watched I went back to the dramas.

While browsing on Netflix, this came across as one of the top ten movies being watched on Netflix. When I saw 'explosive' and 'Asian action' I had to watch. I am a action movie buff and will watch anything that has 'action' in it.

When it started it warned of nudity, gore, violence, and strobe lighting. I wrinkled my forehead when I saw 'nudity'. I've never seen any Korean dramas or movies that had nudity in it. This was my first and hopefully will be my last. I don't know why there was a nudity scene in this. It didn't make any sense.

Now about the movie. You get a partial naked guy lying in a bed who have no memory of who he is and then discovers he's lying in a blood soaked bed. There was no shock value to that at all. It then cuts to a phone video of him kidnapping a doctor. That scenario gets lost immediately because it never get into what the video was about.

After that it's fight or flight and that's how it was throughout the whole movie.

Now I'm not a fan of zombie anything but I stuck it out.

The 'action' scenes were unbelievable and I don't mean that in a good way. From jumping from moving cars, moving trucks, moving buses, a moving train, and moving helicopters it becomes a hysterical laugh. There's too much of that going on. Then the helicopter scene where the ML can flip the helicopter to where he's behind another helicopter....sounds like a kid's fantasy of make believe. Plus no matter where this guy tried to run he was always found. When it comes to trying to find a fugitive in a large country it's impossible to do unless they do something stupid. This guy never got a chance to hide because he was always being found. Didn't understand how he was found in the middle of the woods either.

There's too much winding, turning, spinning...I didn't know how bad all of that motion was until I stood up. It affected me. So right now my head is swimming a little and I feel a bit nauseous. They also weren't kidding about the strobe lighting.

The part that really made me mad that I wasted 2 hours and 14 minutes was the ending. It was like this guy couldn't catch a break.

Sorry for the long winded review. It's just that Korean movies to me miss the mark a lot! I believe I'm done trying to find a good Korean movie. It's like fate: it'll never happen.

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Love and Lies
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 3
Overall 3.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

boring af!

the female lead was so dumb and passive. I was thinking that shes gonna choose second ml but..... that way would be better. when she sees something in him and start to falling in love. I was so bored watching it that I had to skip scenes. story is good but adaptation is really baddd. ı watched anime version of this and ı think anime is better.
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Completed
BLEACH
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Too Serious & Not Enough Fun

I was super excited to watch this after I saw the trailer but I wanted to watch the anime first. I should not have watched the anime first! I mean I just binged watch the first 3 seasons of one of the best animes I have ever watched and thoroughy enjoyed it. Like EVERYTHING about it! and here in lies the reason this movie is just average.

Unfortunately, it was just too much to cram into an 1 hour and 45 minutes. I did not like the changes to the storyline at all. Plus the movie just lost the levity of the anime which is one of the main reasons the anime for me is so good.

However, what the movie did extremely well was was casting. I loved the actors playing, Ichigo, Byakuya, Renji, Ishida, Chad and Tatsuki. I loved the costumes too except Ishida's. Where was the white Quincy outfit?? Too bad Inoue and Rukia didn't match what I was looking for. It sucks too that side character storylines were left out all together.

At any rate, I will say if you've never seen the anime this is an ok movie and worth at least one viewing and the CGI wasn't terrible either.

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Violence Action
9 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 1
Overall 5.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

If anyone is hyped for this movie, lower your expections and maybe skip it

I watched this at a theater after reading the first 2 volumes of the manga.
I seemed like it would be rather easy to adapt without needing expensive CGI and set pieces etc. All it needs is a good lead and usual action movie stuff like people have making for decades. Making a decent 7/10 movie out of this should be in the bag and for some reason they failed it. Feels like they spent their entire budget on getting a big name actress. Hashimoto Kanna definitely has it in her make it work but she doesn't really match the character's vibe. Nobody expects her to pull the action scenes like Keanu Reeves but this was absymal. Cuts and camera work making the heavy lifting with unnecessary CGI teleporting scenes etc.

Writing is the only thing this movie is somewhat decent at. They managed to merge first few arcs in a rather episodic manga in a sensible manner. I didn't liked the addition of the romantic subplot but that is expected at this point.

Other characters were doing okay jobs with my only complaint being the Yakuza boss constantly making dad jokes have too much screen time and he is not a very impactful character let alone the main villain. Might be another big name actor they are trying to get bang for their buck.

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Life: Love on the Line (Director's Cut)
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 5.0

Cute but Superficial

I was a bit underwhelmed by this movie and found it spread too thinly to really realise any depth. It suffered from trying to achieve too much in too little time. The film explored the familiar territory of trying to be and feel normal in a society that does not accept you as such, but without a unique angle to give it originality. The snippets of life and relationship at different stages that we were offered did not really allow me as a viewer to connect with either character and I didn’t feel much chemistry between the actors either.

The love story was sweet and cute but relied on a quirky and often hackneyed script that did not always give credibility to the emotions being expressed. There was little subtlety to be had from the direction and cinematography, which could have better utilised facial expressions and body language to convey the message and the mood instead of the bland and obvious spoken thoughts. I would strongly recommend “Old Fashion Cupcake” as a far superior watch for anyone who enjoys this type of genre and is looking for a more mature approach.

What my rating means: 6+ Some aspects of it were OK but it had serious flaws. It will pass the time but you can find something better.

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Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Revenge Scar
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10

Review

Envy's original form looks just like in the manga and he looks great. They got the same actors as the first movie, I really like both of the films and there will be a third one eventually. It helps alot if you have read the manga ahead of time because that will fill in the gaps between the first movie and the second movie. The manga also fills in the gaps in the second movie as well since it compresses many volumes. The ost is forgettable to be honest, after watching the movie I can't remember anything about the music which is not good if you ask me since alotnof films have recognizable ost like Star Wars, etc. Scar looks great as well.

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Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Revenge Scar
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Disappointing FX

LIKES:
Some of the casting is well done.
Music was suitable and didn’t over power the actors/actresses when they were speaking, but nothing stood out either.
It still has the cheesy moments like in the first movie.
I loved the panda of Lan Fan, too cute!
Costumes for the most part were accurate for the characters.

DISLIKES:
EDITING: CGI is very noticeable, same with green screen use and both are used way too much.
FX: For Armstrong, you can see where the scull cap ends, they didn’t blend the makeup well. Also the scar on SCAR is so badly done, to the point of being tacky. Some of the special effects for the alchemy (like Ed’s shafts of stone) were so badly done, they were a disaster.
DIRECTING: fight scenes could have been choreographed much better.
Also hated how/where they chose to end it. I understand that it’s a series of movies, but it should be able to stand alone too.

OVERALL:
It’s on par with the prequel movie, but I expected more in terms of graphics, FX and production considering the first film was in 2017 and it’s 2022 now. Even though I’m a fan of some of the actors, I won’t rewatch this and don’t recommend it to anyone who either watched the Fullmetal Alchemist anime or read the manga.

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Love and Leashes
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
If you are someone who read the title, has seen the promotional images and decided not to watch it because it you think its a Korean Fifty Shades interpretation, you are very wrong. Give this a watch. It is soo much better.

Funny, sweet and even a little cute - it is a very good movie. I'm also very impressed by the two main characters. I'm typically weary of kpop idols in dramas, and this one made me extra nervous as it had two of them in the main roles. But they are very good. I'm a fan of Seo Hyun musically, but I've never watched her in anything. I was so happily surprised.

This movie was very endearing with a good message at its heart. I'm such a sucker for a good romantic comedy and this satisfied. Highly recommended.

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Warning from Space
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.5
This review may contain spoilers
Japan's first color sci-fi movie made full use of the technicolor palette. One-eyed blue starfish aliens show up on Earth causing the natives to wonder if their actions are friendly or nefarious.

Warning from Space was both complex and quaint. You cannot take the science seriously---at all, but the story does bring forth a rather frightening threat which could end all life on Earth. Unlike the earlier Godzilla, who came to town stomping and shooting his atomic breath, in Warning from Space strange starfish aliens attempted to make contact but only caused panic. Determined to communicate with the Earthlings, the Parians were able to take human form to try and find a way to convince the local Tokyo scientists of a cosmic threat. A rogue planet, Planet R was headed straight for Earth and the only way to stop it was for all of Earth's nuclear weapons to be shot at it to either change its trajectory or blow it up. A simple enough idea but the World Council had to agree to it and they were unconvinced of aliens or a rogue planet. As the sky tinted red with temperatures and radiation rising, gigantic tidal waves and flooding appearing, the World Council agreed to using nuclear weapons to stop the impending doom. By now, everyone who could had gone underground as life on the surface was starting to cook. Would the nuclear weapons save Earth?

Warning from Space's sets and scenery were lush and vibrant. Great care was taken in creating this world. The aliens were simplistic, actors in blue starfish costumes, but this was 1956 and CGI didn't exist yet. They did remind me of Maggie Simpson in her starfish winter coat, or the Gorg from the cartoon movie Home (2015). Overall, the world building was quite effective. Miniatures were used for flooding and earthquake scenes, some better than others.

There were lessons about global and galactic cooperation, the use of nuclear weapons and the dangers of even more potent weapons. Though the movie is for 7+, scenes of animals dying on the surface could be disturbing.

Like I said, you can't take the science seriously, it was the 1950's with duck and cover nuclear bomb drills in real life. With that in mind, the ending and much of the middle didn't make sense. You have to put yourself in a simpler, less informed time.

The cast was rather large so most of the characters tended to come off as dry and ill-defined but the majority of the acting filled the bill. The story lagged at times, especially when the aliens inexplicably disappeared for a bit. Even with the detractions, the question of the Earth's fate as humans hid underground dealing with the fallout of the rogue planet hurtling ever closer did give it an edge.

Warning from Space had some intriguing concepts and beautiful cinematography for a 1956 film. Certainly not for everyone, but if you enjoy old sci-fi movies, Japan's first color sci-fi might be one to try out.




8/20/22

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Completed
The Witch: Part 2. The Other One
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
tbh I'm not trying to find faults, but having a lot of characters in a movie is a considerable drawback. So I can guess that several parties from different countries are involved, but why keep mixing languages making it so messed up? The mandarin team should stick to mandarin, the English peeps should just continue to stick to that, of cuz maybe because their origin is the same (??). And trying to cover the story of all those side characters while ignoring the main characters and the object of all those peeps chasing....maybe they should stick to one story. There is a limit to what you can say within a 2-hour movie, why make it so messed up? But truly the only exciting thing is the fight scene at the end, but I feel they gave me a candy and then took it away before I can taste it. If you ask me The Witch Part 1 is waaaay better than Part 2.

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