Reviews

Nice watch with lots of plot holes

STORY - a former gangster wants to be a chef, even a not so good one. A teenager appears, love between them, a sort of love based more in friendship and maybe the dream of happiness.
But he was targeted to be killed...

CAST - good FL, nice ML. The characters, except FL were not so interesting so acting could shine...

MUSIC - nothing special to me.

REWATCH - never. I enjoyed it, but there is not a single scene to remember.

OVERALL - I like and I am happy to have watch this movie. But there are so much better, even with this age gap love, more friendship love...

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What is the price of truth?

What is the price of truth? The movie greatly details this question through the lenes of the characters of the island and the police who are trying to find the answer to the mystery. The movie subverts expectations in interesting ways. Though the running time of the movie, you will question yourself, is the truth worth all of the effort. The search for one single truth leads to the destructions of so many lives. None of the characters other than the criminal, are portrayed in single black or white. They all have their own agendas and concerns, but at the end of the day are just people trying to live their lives. To a younger audience the portrayal of the islanders may seem a bit jarring, and some might find them repulsive as well, but that comes from a limited perspective of people, and how they are in real life.

The acting could have been better. Actors shine in some moments, but overall two out of the three leading men, are a hit and a miss in most scenes. Similarly, the cast has some performers, who are natural, and some over acting.

The background score is gripping and aids the scenes without being overly intrusive.

The movie has a very interesting twist (layered) in the very last ten minutes, which despite not being the theme during the running minutes of the movie, add up nicely.

It is not the best movie. or the worst movie. but a worthwhile watch at least once.

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If he will cheat with you, he will cheat on you!

Man of the House is a biopic based on Tochuken Kumoemon a rokyoku performer who died 20 years before this film was made. The protagonist was thoroughly unlikeable making this a difficult film to watch. Tochuken developed his performances by experiencing other people suffer, usually the women in his life. He was an insufferable "artist" who had no grasp of what real emotions were or the courage to actually feel them.

The film begins with Tochuken and his second wife Otsuma along with his troupe, traveling by train to Tokyo for his biggest performance ever. Those around him were concerned because eight years ago he'd created a scandal by having an affair with his shamisen player and divorced his wife. Now he's married to Otsuma, who is dying of tuberculosis. He has the troupe disembark in a town before arriving in Tokyo where he disappears, drinking and hanging out with geishas. His manager warns him against a relationship with the geisha Chidori for fear it will harm his wife's health. Tochuken brushes him off saying that Otsuma is a performer and knows it will help his performance. Once again, he is surrounded by scandal and in the newspapers for the wrong reasons.

His son from his first wife travels to see him but Tochuken has little time for him. He stresses that the worst thing a man can be is weak. Yet when his son stands up for his stepmother begging his father to dismiss Chidori, his father runs him off. Otsuma tells the son that they have to accept Tochuken's behavior if it helps him to perform. When Otsuma finally confonts Tochuken, he tells her that even if his performances are not as good, people love him more.

Tochuken loves to brag about his toughness. When out hunting he approaches a bird too closely and blows it to bits, much like the women in his life. As Otsuma's condition deteriorates he refuses to visit her in the hospital. He wants to remember her as a performer and not as a mere woman. Ultimately, Otsuma gives him one last performance.

I'd like to think Director Naruse was casting a critical lens on the self-absorbent, cruel behavior of a performer who excuses his actions saying it's all in the name of art. Even now, nearly 100 years later, gifted men are afforded great latitude in the name of allowing them to develop their craft whether it's acting or mathematics or politics.

Tochuken said the worst trait a man could have is weakness. As someone who could not face reality and true suffering with a posse of enablers around him to insulate him, he more than any other showed himself to be weak and pathetic. Man of the House was well made, though somewhat faded, the care of the shots shown through. Tsukigata Ryunosuke was handsome as the devilishly charismatic actor. And Naruse carefully spotlighted Tochuken's almost gleeful destructive behavior toward those closest to him which again, I'm going to take as a criticism of the egocentric behavior. Not an easy watch by any means but worth trying if you are a fan of Naruse's films or biopics, even one with a troubling subject.





8/15/22

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MUST WATCH!

This movie is a MUST WATCH! The comedy aspect of the film was perfectly done. I found myself laughing non-stop at all the funny scenes while watching. Also, the chemistry of the main leads were legendary despite their rushed bonding before the movie was shot. I could honestly rewatch this Thai movie once a week and still enjoy it due to how funny the scenes are. Funny movie with the addition of romance.. just perfectly executed by Nine and Baifern! I'm not really a big Thai Drama/Movie watcher but I can honestly say that this movie, is probably on my list of top movies to recommend. I've watched many movies such as American Movies, Chinese Movies, Korean Movies, and more but this movie just makes me feel relaxed while watching. All the dramatic facial experessions and joking around from the main leads really enhance the movie to being even better than I anticipated. If you are wondering if this movie is worth your time.. I would say 100% give it a try. Give it a try if you are looking for a good laugh. Thank you.

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What fun!

I decided to watch this so I could see Mamiya Shotaro in a lead role, and he was completely different than in other roles in which I've seen. Loud, mean, uncouth, brash, driven, set-apart - these are words you could use to drive his character. And you would, at the beginning. Wait until you are further into the movie, and you'll think caring, hidden depths and thoughtful, not only in his outward actions, but in the way he he was going through life.

He and the FL had such a fun relationship. This would NOT be a healthy relationship in the real world, but when played for laughs it absolutely worked. Never have two people been more in sync than when they are screaming at each other! I'm going to do some research to see if the two actors have worked together before. I would love to see them together in something else to see if the chemistry is still there.

I loved how this movie focused on the main couple and everyone else pretty much faded into the background. They were there solely to bring the spotlight to the main couple.

I'll be honest, I don't remember the music. I was too busy laughing and enjoying the movie.

I will definitely re-watch this movie when I just need an hour or so of fun.

I would recommend this movie, absolutely!

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Presented as it is.

As viewers of fiction, we often root for our protagonists to witness growth and overcome their crises. In most cases, we get exactly what we wish for. This is not one of them.

The movie does a great job in depicting what could go wrong when you're faced with an overwhelming situation.

In the beginning, you keep denying there's a problem until a time comes when you're forced to assess the problem with your limited knowledge and do your best to alleviate it. With time you realise that even though you keep trying and giving your best, the problem still remains. It persists. This leads us to the stage of avoidance where we seek comfort elsewhere to distract us from our troubles.

But one can only avoid it for so long... until it arrives knocking at your door, bringing with itself the consequences of your inaction and all you can do is... accept it.

If you're someone who is tired of all the ultra positive feel happy media present everywhere and want something refreshing for a change or if you are procrastinating on your troubles and want something or someone to knock you back into reality, then this is highly recommended.

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Great acting- Big plot holes

The entertainment value of this film is high. It is suspenseful and well acted. The director and actors clearly worked well together. The writers on the other hand...

The first part of this movie is amazing. Up until the main protagonists father is saved everything makes sense. If you don't think too deeply everything is fine... But really things fall apart after that. It falls apart in a slightly annoying way that makes you yell at the protagonist to use their common sense.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

They want us to believe that a young person in the year 2020 would not use the internet to the best of their abilities. This person doesn't have the common sense to do any research on what is happening at all. That is the biggest plot hole of this entire story.

Equally annoying is the fact that she has a zero concept of fact that changes in the past could have negative consequences on the present. She also just casually shares things about the present with this person from 20 years in the past. That's kind of rule number one of dealing with the past, is that you do not share things about the present. Especially since she wasn't doing it for a specific reason, and then already realizee that this was a horrible criminal. If only she knew when to SHUT UP!!!

Then there is this lack of memory. After her father is killed she should have remembered her mother coming to the house.

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I'm soo disappointed

I was wondering why it has a low rating when this is a Joo Won film. For me, he is an actor who knows how to act and he always do a good job. I watch it with excitement as the trailer looks promising, but then, I was disappointed.
Acting wise, they did a good job, I mean the SoKor actors/actress; they didn't disappoint but then the "foreign" actors, are all obviously were "acting". They look so fake and struggling with their roles which is kinda frustrating. The fight scenes were convincing, especially the bloody/gore scenes. The blood itself looks real. But I have a problem with the CG/effects used. It looks sooo fake! Also, scenes were sooo unconvincing and ridiculous! I just can't with it. It looks meh for me. I was laughing and cursing while watching it because it was absurd and too far fetch! It's ridiculous, especially the helicopter scene. 😭😭😭
There are a lot of things that needed explanation but they didn't do it. Really! what a waste! They could have done a better job. Sorry! I'm just ranting! I'm just too disappointed. 😭😭😭

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Absolutely non-stop over the top action.

This film has absolutely no claim to veracity whatsoever. We aren't sure who the enemies are (well, seem to be everybody), nor who the hero is - okay, it's obviously Joo Won ie Carter, but who is HE? Even he doesn't know cause he's lost his memory. There's a bit of play with that - he could be two different guys apparently, & this is never resolved as the film sets up the sequel at the end (where China, not visible in this film, obviously will play a role in the next).
The setting is in the near future, where somehow North Korea seems to have opened it's borders. A deadly zombie-like virus is the main threat, but most of the action is NOT zombie fighting, so you really can't call this a zombie film. Instead, our hero, Joo Won, looking mighty fine through out, is tasked with rescuing a little girl who's got the antidote in her blood - and everybody wants her LOL
The action just got me laughing - so over the top ridiculous! The opening scene in the thug bathhouse LOL - not quite as good as The K2 but damned close! The fight while skydiving - better than that Bond scene with Jaws!!!! The way that poor kid is tossed around through out the film just kept my attention, & then another kid gets added to the mix - so crazy :D
This film reminded me forcibly of the 2007 film Shoot Em Up - same ridiculously violent scenes, gorgeous lead (Clive Owen), baby getting manhandled during a rescue, etc LOL Loved that film too!
People who get squeamish, who want character development, or who like logical storylines or reasonable action sequences, this film is NOT for you. Just saying!

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A decent adaptation

After watching 2 seasons of the anime adaptation, I thought this would not make it justice. It is not as good as the anime, but they managed to fit the main story in 2 hours. Not as deep, and not as humorous, but it is a decent adaptation.
Obvioulsy, you can better develop all the characters in 2 seasons of a series, add side stories, come up with more adventures, add little details that have to be discarded in a movie for the sake of running time.
All things considered, it is a good movie.
My advice, watch the 2 seasons of the anime, You'll be wanting more at the end. Trust me. Then, you can watch this live action for a little bit more.

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Slow, beautiful film

The concept was original, the cinematography was wonderful, the acting was stellar, the music was haunting. I remember seeing the American remake (The Lake House), but I could never forget that they were actors in a movie, because they were famous. This was completely different.

Though I've seen both of the main actors in other works, I was completely immersed in this story. Let's start with the locations, the architecture, the cinematography. The film was full of shades of blue, fog, mist, and water, all that gave the strong feeling of calm, quiet, and mystery. The house on the lake, I think anyone would want to live there. The house, far from everyone and everything, gave the feeling of loneliness, and to a certain, degree, depression. The character of Kim Eun Ju (Jun Ji Hyun) was just full of loneliness. She'd been unsuccessful in love, wasn't doing too well in moving on, and if I'm honest, a little irritating in that she wanted to hold on to her putz of a husband. Han Sung Hyun (Lee Jung Jae) gave off the vibe of a real loner. Someone told him early on that he needed to learn how to open his heart. He seemed perfectly content in his solitary life, yet something was missing.

The two communicate across time, and Sung Hyun even addressed the improbability in that Cola, the cutest dog ever, was in two places at once. We get to know these two better through their correspondence and I really hoped there would be a happy ending for them.

The haunting song, Must Say Goodbye, was played throughout this movie, sometimes instrumental, sometimes with words. It was beautiful and went perfectly with the movie.

I would probably not rewatch this movie, since I know what happens, but I would definitely recommend it. A warning, this is a slow movie. Not much happens, but in a world that seems to be moving at warp speed, it was nice to sit back and enjoy the slow ride.

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Give it a chance. Healing journey

Yes, it's a BL, but really the story is about healing onself after being hurt, growing up, and putting yourself first. I guess some things you can only understand when you have experienced enough things, but it's a really nice movie.
You have to guess some things, but it's all given the through the subtext. You understand why Ba Da is there, and also Tommy's choice. Sometimes we have to put ourselves first, even if in doing so we hurt other people.
I also enjoyed the Ba Da maturing and not depending on others, also being able to say no when it was needed despite being hard. He found himself.
You might say it was not necessary for Tommy to leave for a while, but some things can only be pursued alone because it's our own personal journey.

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Not exactly anybody's cup of tea but

Well, I'm sad that no one was reviewing this, I don't do reviews as they can be subjective and based on bias.
But I want everyone to at least watch this as this is a very interesting movie. It cannot fit in anybody's cup of tea but it can surprise you with hidden humour and simple acting chops and weird dialogue hehhehe ... it's crazy ya all.

We start with Our own girl Urassaya sperbund[YAYA] WOW..... This year she has surprised us with a variety of choices, Romance, Tragedy, comedy like she is everywhere and well-deserved accolades for this special character Jay, Such a short name for such a special girl. She is like us, normal having normal simple dreams but always looking out for special something and did she got her special something or someone.... Well, she did and that was our amazing actor Nat Kicharit, Kao, He is special or he would like to believe he is ... he has those fast and feel but does he have love..... that is what it shows.... How it all boils down to that one thing humans need but ignore in their approach to bigger heights and dreams.

Is there a sad story with a sad ending or a new ending with new life altogether.... You need to watch this for those fun and laughter and hidden gems of meaning, Simple yet twisted but still understandable and one can relate to the characters they are and how they shape.

Acting is the hero here, Not just a slice of life but slices of life....... WATCH IT TO SAVOUR IT.

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