Reviews

North-South conflict with Americano blend

The usual formula of North-South conflict but with a style of "Americano" blend, overall a pretty high quality production but does have its shortcomings. Despite the complicated three way multinational storyline, it still pale in comparison like this year's best selling korean movie The Roundup, it lacks defining thrills as the villain doesn't even look intimidating enough, and most of the time it was overwhelmed by comedy all over the place. The meaty part kicks off too late and the first half of the movie is basically lifted only by comedy, fortunately it gets better when the main case is on track which provided a satisfying ending sequence with enough pressure points. Action scenes do look very gripping with accurate sound effects and exhilarating scores, but i guess most audiences will be moved by the visuals of the two male leads which is prominently highlighted in here.

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A Quiet Message Received Loud and Clear

This was a really beautifully executed short film that addresses in a subtextual manner the importance of equal marriage rights - something that is still not seen in South Korea even 4 years after this film. Our female lead is faced with the fact that she has no legal rights over her partner's medical treatment - compounded by the disapproval and homophobia of her would-be in-laws. It's not a happy film, but it's not supposed to be. Because this is a reality faced by numerous LGBTQ+ relationships. And it bears the answer to the oft quoted question "why do gay people need/want to get married?"

The music was understated but very fitting to the tale. The cinematography was also quite gorgeous and clear. And I liked how the film didn't shy away from intimacy like many others - even if it (and a few other scenes) felt poorly-acted. But these are new actresses, so I think that the scenes they did well are more of a testament to their ability.

There's not really much to be gained message, nuance, or enjoyment-wise from a rewatch though. The film is pretty "take it and leave it" in that regard. The only thing that really inspired deeper attention, in my opinion, was the ending. I believe that might stick with me for a while.

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Fine I'll Do It

Seeing the extreme lack of reviews (0) for this I shall do the honor of sharing my thoughts.

I went into this super blind. Did not even read the synopsis, and if you haven't yet, don't do it. Watch it right now.

Who is this for?
1) People who want something snappy to watch in less than 15 minutes
2) People who enjoy horror stories that start off happy-go-lucky
3) People who like Park Chan Wook or Bong Joon Ho

In general we don't get a lot of GL, and the GL we do get is often 50% surreal. This is not that, but it's also not the GL we usually see. If you're looking for romance, try somewhere else! But if you're just looking for silly and provoking wlw content stick around for something odd.

What I love about this: It's a clearly well thought out movie from a directing/editing point of view. I like the way the music aligns with beats in the story, the cinematography is crisp, the acting is actually good, and I enjoyed the comedy, suspense, and goosebumps rising horror element. Honestly I can't find much to criticize. I like weird shit, and this got weird. Not super weird, but weird enough. 9.5/10 would recommend.

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Let's Start Over!

Hand Rolled Cigarette is an old school violent crime drama that almost makes itself into something a little more special, but just misses the mark. Even in the face of debt and despair, two criminal misfits keep marching forward, hoping for that chance to start over. Along the way, the disparate strangers find themselves counting on each other to survive.

The film begins with the turnover of Hong Kong and the servicemen previously in the Queen's army now being left behind. Chiu bolsters his military brothers by saying it's their chance to start over. Years later, some have made it better than others. Chiu and another military brother had borrowed heavily and invested in the stock market only to watch it crash and lose everything. Deeply in debt, Chiu hustles on the triad fringe to try and stay afloat, now shunned by his military brethren. His next big deal is as a middle man for a guy selling illegal turtles and a local kingpin, a deal that goes south landing Chiu in trouble.

Mani is an Eastern Asian immigrant, reluctantly in the drug business with his brother/cousin Kapil. Mani also takes care of his younger brother who is still in school. Due to racism, the family runs into financial and social walls everywhere. Kapil wants to take greater risks to make bigger scores which leads to deadly events after he makes a major mistake. They find out that drug dealers keep track of their product and are neither kind nor forgiving, especially with those who steal from them.

Desperately fleeing a vicious gang, Mani ducks into Chiu's apartment and hides. Chiu isn't thrilled when he finds the interloper but against his better judgement allows the young man to continue to hide there as long as he doesn't touch anything. They don't have many interactions but Chiu does help when Mani's younger brother gets into a fight at school.

Eventually, they decide to sell the stolen drugs to try and pay off everyone they owe. All of which leads to a violent no holds barred final confrontation.

Hand Rolled Cigarette is more of a character study at times than crime drama. Chiu keeps a video of his military days when he respected himself and what he did. He suffers enormous guilt over his past actions leading him to act self-destructively at times. Mani wants a better life for his younger brother, including a good education, even if it means sacrificing his own. The two small time criminals both are good men at heart forced into grim decisions by their crumbling circumstances. Recognizing that in each other they do make a bond.

Be advised there are scenes of torture and brutal murders. Mani is repeatedly called by a racist name. They don't shy away from expressing the racism underlying the society. It can be a difficult film to watch.

The cinematography while showing greater Hong Kong at night, also shows the suffocating world the men live in and all the deadly and dangerous things that can happen in small places.

This film is dark as the two men try to navigate the dangerous world of the triads, forming an unlikely bond. My only real caveat is that their friendship felt underdeveloped to me. I would have preferred a little more buildup of their relationship, events that might have shown the evolution of their devotion more. Or maybe they were just two guys that were hunkered down in the same foxhole with only each other to rely on as the bullets and bombs whizzed by. Either way it was an entertaining Hong Kong crime film, but with a little more relationship development I would have rated it higher.


9/15/22

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All the stories were nice if they were more solid and connected well
But with sorrow they were too shallow with no events and no details and wasn't connected well together
As if all the stories were parallel to each other

I know they want to make the Korean version from the American movies
Love actually or valentine's Day
But really they couldn't

The most story I liked was for Kang ha neul
The guy who want to suicide

Other stories were too much in rush which made me unpleasant or enjoy them

Anyway it's just a one time watching movie

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Sweet, Sweet, Sweet!

So short, yet so amazing. I love this one with all my heart. Though it's only about 8 minutes long, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with it. Yeon Ho and Jae Min are both adorable characters, you could feel and see immediately that they like each other but are too insecure to confess (a problem many teens have when experiencing their first love). The moment they finally kiss is heartfelt and absolutely adorable.
The height and body differences are what I liked most since it's something different. As a chubby person myself, I enjoyed seeing this change. :)
I wish it was an entire series, it surely deserves it!

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“It’s easy to find someone you love. But it’s hard to find someone who loves you.”

I truly enjoyed this movie. At first I thought it was going to be outright nonsense. A laugh here, a laugh there. Male lead is goofy with no real substance, and the FL with no backstory and just there to look pretty and dumb. But that’s what they want to fool you into thinking.

Also, there’s nothing forbidden or illicit (in terms of a relationship) between the ML and FL that makes them dislikable to the audience. They actually fit each other well, and the actors He Jiong and Vivian Hsu make a good team as they seem comfortable and at ease with each other. Vivian Hsu plays off of He Jiong’s humor perfectly.

Now back to the premise.

Tiffany and Huo Ke meet when he breaks into her house and tells her he’s kidnapped her husband. If she doesn’t give into Huo Ke’s demands, her husband is dead meat.

But the arrangement is still innocent enough, and Huo Ke doesn’t take this opportunity to take advantage of Tiffany. Rather it's to just be a husband to a decent woman who cooks and cleans for him. Meanwhile, Tiffany is thinking about the danger her husband may be in, and gets out her Sherlock Holmes’ cap, and goes sleuthing when she has the chance to escape unnoticed. Eventually she figures out that her husband isn’t locked up in Huo Ke’s bathroom, getting ready to be fried in the bathtub… Tiffany is confused.

Regardless, she still plays wife to Huo Ke, and later finds out that their meeting wasn’t as strangers…rather, she and Huo Ke are old friends…

I could spoil more. But I don’t want to. Just know that the movie is heartwarming, and maybe you’ll have to rewatch in order to see what you didn’t notice the first time. Take for example, when they’re sitting on the couch and she’s telling him about “Amour Island”, they’re sitting so casually on the couch together, his head resting on her shoulder (mimicking the movie poster). It’s only when they notice this that they scoot away from each other. Or when Tiffany walks out to greet Huo Ke’s friends (while the song “Yumeji’s Theme” plays) to serve them drinks, and how Huo Ke smiles at her with admiration and a knowing glint in his eye (as though he knows a secret he’s only told himself). Another thing to pay attention to is at the beginning, right when the narration begins.

The supporting cast is good too. The nosy neighbor and son are hilarious, and the annoying police officer who just wants that promotion is pretty great. Wang Xumo Bing plays a great conniving, evil, manipulative, and some-what charming husband to Tiffany/Vivian Hsu (and he gets what he deserves in the end). Also, a young KUN is so sweet to see here. He was so young in this movie.

In the end, with enough patience and curiosity, you’ll realize that the watch was worth it. When looking at other reviews online about “Lock Me Up…” a reviewer on WordPress mentioned that one of the lessons in the movie is about “knowing when it’s right to lie”. And Huo Ke had that right. Tiffany’s husband didn’t.

Recommend 10/10.

It’s stayed on my movie shelf forever ever sense. I watch it a couple times a year when I’m feeling sad.

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this is a queer film made by a queer filmmaker

I liked the story it told, and I got the point it was trying to tell. I have a short attention span, especially if it doesn't catch my attention straight away, so I will most likely not watch it again. Also, I would like to mention that this short film isn't made to be all rainbows and sunshine like usual Taiwan queer stories show to the world; it's supposed to show how in some cases, this is someone's reality. The reality is that toxic masculinity is very much present in the society that everybody lives in and influences how people act in everyday life. In order to fit in, he acts and does things in the same way that his friends do, and although the main character is drawn to the victim, the only way he knows how to get closer to him is what he sees in everyday life. He does, however, try to lessen the punishments in ways others can't see. It's not like other queer stories that are portrayed in which the main characters are madly in love, but it still very much is one, whether you'll agree or not.
(I can't remember if there was music and what it sounded like if there was, so I gave it a 5.)

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Easy Watch for a Believe In Yourself Sports Movie

LIKES:
Cinematography, production, choice of cast, colour palate, scene locations, were all well done.
MUSIC for the Japanese cheer team was decent, but nothing memorable.
STORY: Based on a true story, which was nice because I didn’t know prior to watching this that Japan had any form of cheer competitions.
COSTUMES: I liked the Japanese cheer costumes, especially for the JETS.
CONCEPT: Youth sports and dancing, high school pressures, friendships, were all well delivered.

DISLIKES:
MUSIC: They used Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) song to depict the American cheer championships. So many other songs could’ve done the same.
DIRECTING & EDITING: a lot of moments too drawn out, pacing became an issue. Some parts were really choppy.
STORY: They didn’t need the boy crush angle between Mackenyu’s character and Suzu’s character or Ayami and Kentaro. Also it wasn’t a comedy, although there were some light hearted moments. Based on a true story, but even with 2 hours it mostly focused on training and not really the competition, so the end wasn’t as impactful. There was no adult version conclusion for some of the supporting, first string girls like Taeko or Yui, they only showed the future selves of Hikari and Ayano. That was frustrating because they did give some back story of Taeko.

OVERALL:
Easy and light watch, even though it was 2 hrs. I did tear up near the end. I would recommend watching it, however there’s nothing so appealing that I would want or need to watch it again.

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This movie is like a very long MV...

This movie is like a very long MV and I love it. The music was great and everything was perfectly suited to it. I had never heard Eve's songs or covers before, and I decided to watch this movie to get to know him. It certainly didn't disappoint me.

"Adam by Eve: A Live in Animation" consists of fragments that look like MV when the music blasts out interspersed with peaceful scenes without music, when we follow the story of Aki and Taki. Everything is combined into a coherent whole thanks to very good visualizations and animations. Some fragments also contain elements of horror.

Overall, the movie and music appealed to my taste.

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as expected exo

still can't believe SM could milk a 3 days 2 nights show from exo
exo is exo for a reason
I really love how exo having so much fun just being themselves, never over the top yet still so funny
their humor senses just click with me
Mischievous Sehun, Chatterbox Jongin, Fast learner Kyungsoo, and reliable Junmyeon and Minseok
my favorite parts were: nonsense word chain game, dalmuti game, kind kyungsoo who bought drink for staffs (and he always being like that) and Sehun randomly getting the right answer twice
also love how exo members practically ignoring the rule to not share their foods if they win games
I really hope one day there would be an ot9 version of eksase

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Better than the original

Greg Hsu, I love you! He and his smile totally made this more watchable and more poignant than the original Korean movie 'On your wedding day'.

I have watched the original movie liked it enough for depicting a realistic failed romance but it not make me cry like 'My Love' did. This adaptation retained the spirit of the original but removed the things I did not particularly like, resulting to a more impactful story. Pretty Rounan acted well enough but it was weak compared with Greg Hsu who carried this movie for me. He was a believable rowdy HS student, naughty university student, aspiring then failed athlete, strict HS swimming coach. His monologue near the end will make you wish they were still endgame but makes you accept that he's content that she's happy. The fact that they have let go of their regrets made me feel they truly have closure and can each move on to a better future.

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The Other Side Of A Rom Com

I went into watching the movie knowing what to expect…Or at least I thought so. I’m a huge fan of Hong Kong movies, and I’m used to their humor and zaniness. But there was actually none of that…really; it only ended like one. Which was okay, I’m glad when the plot is taken seriously, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a fan of Cantonese humor and it’s tendency to be made from contrived plots and unsophisticated humorous flair. Yet, in the “The Other Side of Gentlemen” I wished things had been fleshed out more. It was all very robotic and a huge let down.

The only character who truly showcased growth was Alan Ng. Therefore, I believe that’s why his character came off the most pathetic but you felt empathy for him; he actually deserved better, even someone better than JoJo. So, I expected Alan Ng to have the chance to shine at one point in the story. He could have unexpectedly left everyone speechless in the party scene, and showed off his knack for language, soft skills, and salesmanship; he could’ve painted himself as a true businessman. He could’ve made all those engineers, accountants, scientists, doctors, and professors lose face while impressing JoJo. But that didn’t happen. He could have even had the opportunity to showcase his Japanese speaking abilities more, or get promoted at his job. But that didn’t happen. He could have went on a date with another woman to make JoJo jealous and make her question whether or not she chose the wrong man. But that didn’t happen. JoJo could have met Alan’s sister and seen his more sweet side when she saw him interacting with his sister. That didn’t happen.

There were so many missed opportunities the director didn’t pursue. So, the story fell flat.

None of the college students, scholars, and others were really likable except for Alan’s friends and his little sister. The priest was even decent. But other than that, I think Alan’s behavior towards the end was justifiable. The experimenters needed to realize what they created, and it be used against them. But that brings up another point, JoJo should have broken up with her fiancé. Not because I thought she was better fit for Alan Ng (because I don’t believe she deserved him), but because her fiancé was willing to put her in a situation that was dangerous. She became his puppet like Alan, but he was able to still get the girl. It was all about power and manipulation on his end. For psychologist, they were truly fickle people. All the college students and educated folks were negative.

So, the story missed its mark. It had so much potential to be better than it was. I wish the audience could have gotten a better glimpse of JoJo’s home life (and maybe even some backstory), same with Alan but in terms of his past (why did he drop out of college? Maybe his past heartbreak made him the person he was before he met JoJo…who knows…Maybe it’s up to the audience’s interpretation). We only got a couple cute moments between the leads, so, there could’ve been more romance. We could have gotten a better answer to why and how the leads fell for each other. I can only assume Alan brought out the easy going and happy sides of JoJo, gave her a zest for life and what youth is all about. And JoJo gave Alan the reason to grow and pursue a lot of the potential he had; to become a better person. But the audience didn’t get any of that because the director didn’t touch upon that part like he should have. JoJo and Alan’s relationship could have been showcased as something more deep than it was. JoJo should have had more girlfriends to seek advice from. She was always surrounded by bland individuals and men. I wished Alan and JoJo could’ve met each other’s parents too. I think that she went through with the wedding because she felt like she didn’t deserve Alan’s love, and maybe so…but they were both insane, so they deserved each other. He was an obsessed stalker, and she was a beautiful manipulator with the tenacity to build up and breakdown a man while looking him in the face.

The best part that made up for it- just a little bit-was the ending. Alan’s speech and proclamation of love when interrupting the wedding( Alan Tam actually looked pretty good in the suit with the purple flower), and JoJo’s goofiness (playing dead, and hopping on his motorcycle). I believe Brigette and Alan had chemistry, but it was overlooked by the material they were given.

Give the movie a watch if you’re a fan of Alan Tam and his songs, or want to see a young Brigette Lin in a role that was a far cry from the ones she would become famous for playing. In a way, this was one of the brighter and refreshing (happy and rom com-ish) movies on her filmography.

6/10. But I’m being generous. The ending kept me from rating it a tentative 5. Also, despite what others think, I actually liked the characters’ outfits. PVC jackets, and knock-off vans are quite fitting. The fashion was modern, camp, and colorful. Kind of reminded me of late 2000s and early 2010s (2007 - 2012).

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