Reviews

Passable Current Enchantress Sequel

I can see why most of the viewers are disappointed with this sequel's storyline, different than what it should be from the first trilogy series; but to me, it is (totally) make sense why this direction shall be done per se

We were introduced to the new 'witch' from a different place, yet familiar; but there is uniqueness within this heroine to make it, compared to the first heroine: pre-planned all of it from the start. She has this innocent childlike, seeking discovery while learning about the outside world from her continuous experimental lab sessions. And I can see why this has been delayed at all times: I believe this 2nd heroine should be done somewhere abroad; not within their birth country herself (Siberia or Turkey, mayhaps?), then the epidemic occurred; hence changing the settings on their own

Cinematography-wise, at first glance from the beginning of the story, is beyond wow-ed me; then to the falling action phase... it's a little cartoon-ish, but decent to watch (mayhaps due to budget stuff, so can't blame them tho, and understandable)

I forgot of its cons, apologize for that (editing): yes... English.... *sigh*... the English are corny yet cringy af, sometimes I just wanna flip the work table around for their terrible pronunciations. If I see *that foreigner* coming back again for the final one, I won't forgive them at all cost. I need anyone to save those scenes with at least decent English ones, please

Overall, it's not a major letdown for the viewers, it has those aspects from the first, just different character developments; personality-wise and story-wise for the 2nd heroine. Until the next, final installment for getting back to the origin on where will them be headed... have fun watching

Read More

Different kinds of love

I'm not sure if I can describe this as a romcom or comedy because there's not a lot of love here, but they are all in some kind of relationships.

The male lead is in a writing slump and meets a gay writer who is in love with him. The ML's second wife is abroad and he deals with his first wife regularly because their son is a trouble maker. The first wife is secretly dating the male lead's editor while the son strikes a friendship/falls in love with the neighbor lady who is married but husband is away.

It's too complicated and chaotic when the stories all come together. I didn't find the movie funny, except for the scene where the son finds his parents in bed together.

The other noteworthy thing is when the homophobic male lead ends up understanding and supporting the gay writer.

Rating: 8/10

Read More

All can be done if you try, none can be done if you don't

Set in a reform boarding school, Introspection Tower is the home to troubled children or children of troubled parents. Unlike many stories with communal living, there is no abuse in the story. The school is progressive and the teachers lead by example in regards to turning unacceptable behavior into acceptable, well mannered behavior.

The children live in communal housing with teachers in each house who are called "Mom" and "Dad". The children are encouraged to think of each other as brothers or sisters. Boys and girls are in charge of housekeeping and cooking taking turns with some of the chores. They also do ground maintenance and gardening. This is in addition to taking regular school classes and doing vocational work which benefits the school as customers order their handiwork. Parents are encouraged to visit and write often as the children are encouraged to write to the parents.

The stand out point in the film is when the problematic water well begins to run dry and water has to be diverted from a lake by digging a canal. Lacking the funds to have it done, the children and teachers work together to accomplish the colossal task.

Director Shimizu keeps the camera at a distance capturing the movement and energy of the children. There is no main character, though four children seem to be at the heart of most of the disturbances. Three teachers also feature into the stories. The stories were divided into vignettes as children behaved badly---stealing, lying, fighting, or attempting to run away and then confessing and apologizing. The teachers often felt as if they weren't making a significant difference in the children's lives. With the stories darting about erratically it could be hard to keep up with or care about the characters very deeply.

Despite the fact it was filmed during World War II, no mention is made of the global conflict. For me, it was hard to escape this particular shadowy specter in this place designed to enforce the idea of a hard working, well mannered communal society. Watching twelve-year-olds use pickaxes and shovels doing dangerous work was disconcerting as they dug the canal through treacherous terrain. While its purpose was to showcase how constructive work benefitted the group, these were children with no autonomy and no compensation essentially coerced into doing work for which they were not properly trained or equipped at the risk of their lives and health. This element felt more like propaganda than good storytelling.

Despite the quality camerawork and scenery, I found the narrative confusing and at times disturbing and the movie overlong. While I can appreciate the desire to have a more progressive look at the raising of children, especially in the stories of these complex children, the troubling parts of this movie weighed heavier than the lighthearted tones behind them for me.



7/29/22

Read More

Thought-provoking gay-themed short film

A gay-themed short film (not quite BL) that is quite worth watching. Just don't expect fluff and an escapist love story.

The short film touches on may gay-related issues, the first of which is the predicament of the less athletic, less conventionally masculine individual in a setting like an all-boys school (or simply any school). Jun Seok's reluctance to attend the PE class at the beginning of the film is obvious. (Maybe I'm projecting myself into him, but I think it's possible that he even deliberately turns up late, which will get him the punishment of running ten rounds, just so that he can avoid playing team sports with the other student for part of the lesson.)

Ironically, it is not Jun Seok but Jung-hyun who is clearly gay at first, as suggested by the way he glances as Jun Seok taking off his shirt and later by Jun Seok saying that he saw him looking at other guys. It's just Jung-hyun finds it easier to blend in with the crowd. This says a lot about inequality even amongst gay people as those happen to be more conventionally masculine tend to have a choice regarding how far they want to seem to blend in with the rest, and they might even end up ostracizing other gay people as a result.

What is surprising is that there isn't even a lot of overt homophobia featured in the film. Min Jae may appear to be the homophobic one who creates trouble for Jun Seok and Jun-hyun by spreading rumors about them. However, it is not entirely clear what his motivations are. Quite early on, we see Min Jae talking to his friends, mocking Jun Seok for being bad at dribbling the ball during PE. Interestingly, his mockery does not gain much traction, and his friends remind him that he sucks at it too. He then begins saying that Jun Seok is acting like a girl, but his friends do not seem to care either.

Eventually, it is Min Jae who finds out about Jun Seok and Jun-hyun's relationship when they have a date of sorts in a storeroom in school. (Has Min Jae been secretly following them around to confirm his suspicion about their relationship?) Min Jae then spreads rumors about Jun Seok and Jung-hyun--even though there is no indication that he has seen the two of them kissing or being. However, it is worth noting that he does not appear to be doing so to exact vengeance on Jung-hyun, who has earlier on told him off for mocking Jun Seok's poor dribbling skills during PE. On the contrary, he seems to be doing so to separate the couple and keep Jung-hyun firmly in his clique. Jung-hyun distances himself from Jun Seok after Min Jae tells him about the rumors (I assume he does not reveal that he is the one who spread the rumors to begin with)--and the purpose appears to be to separate the couple rather than to victimize them for being gay. Min Jae does not appear to want to harm Jung-hyun, after all.

I can only guess, then, that Min Jae's actions are possibly motivated by jealousy. (Remember the ironic similarity between him and Jun Seok? Maybe they are similar in more ways than one.) In an environment where people think that they are supposed to exhibit masculinity in a certain way, they may not even come to terms with their own sexual orientation. This is despite the relative nonchalance of the classmates. The classmates, both the guys in Min Jae's smokers' clique and the rest, may gossip, but the film doesn't show them bullying either Jun Seok or Jung-hyun. Yet, the pressure is always on the queer individuals, who do not know when the reactions of people around them can turn nasty. (This is quite realistic, from personal experience. Sometimes there is no overt bullying, but you may find it hard to belong even though people may not be deliberately doing nasty things to you either. Nonetheless, it still feels awful.)

In the end, while Jun Seok seems to be the most obvious victim in the film, Jung-hyun is also a tragic figure. As he himself seems to realize, he is, unlike Jun Seok, not used to being gossiped about. When he is the subject of gossip, he buckles under pressure. We might see that his privilege of being able to tell Min Jae off for mocking Jun Seok is predicated on how he is not perceived as being seen to be in the same league as Jun Seok. The moment he allows himself to be aligned with Jun Seok beyond being Jun Seok's friend, he will lose this privilege. Whatever he chooses, he has a high price to pay.

Read More

Love to Hate

«And I Hate You So» introduces the story of Luna Ng, who runs into a man whose first impression is the antithesis of her. Due to certain events, both of them are destined to see each other, confront each other and even love each other.

The movie was great for many reasons. Let's see the weakest point first: the plot. Nothing really special about the plot, it is just the story of two people who slowly fall in love. But I really love this kind of plot. It might be slow, and not memorable at all, and even cliché, but the execution of the romance and how hate becomes love in this movie is strikingly beautiful. You either get it or not, there is no secret to it. The OST/BGM was amazingly well used in this movie as well.

The cast and acting were outstanding. I do not think it is that easy to portray the braveness and nerve of a feminist as well as her vulnerability, but Kelly Chen did a really great job. Her character was one that reminded us we are all humans: we make mistakes, we contradict ourselves, we do not really know what we want; and yet, we have to present the opposite appearance of those traits in public, especially if you are someone with a reputation for being the scourge of sexism. Chung Yeung, portrayed by Aaron Kwok, says "Is it hard to be a feminist and admit you love a man?". This movie is filled with powerful lines, but that one struck me a lot. The movie might present an ordinary plot, but the characters were definitely a challenge, especially for Kelly Chen.

All in all, «And I Hate You So» will make you enjoy a "despicable" impossible transition from hate to love, portrayed by a strong female lead who is, in fact, just like any of us. What we say we want, what we force ourselves to believe we want, and what we really want, no matter whether is a contradiction of our ideal and people's opinions is depicted incomparably well in this movie.

Read More

I haven't cried this hard since... The Travelling Cat Chronicles with Fukushi Sota. Or maybe Fortuna's Eye with Kamiki Ryunosuke. And just like in the latter, it hits painfully hard when the POV is switched from "his" to "hers" and you see the story enfolding backwards...

I think it's better to watch this movie completely unspoiled, without knowing what's going on. Because that way, it's all the more painful - and all the more beautiful, Takatoshi & Emi's love story.

And what a love story this is! Fukushi Sota & Komatsu Nana make a beautiful couple in this movie, their chemistry is simply awesome. If nothing else then that makes it worth watching.

Truly, when I finished it, I immediately went back and re-watched some of the highlights, now knowing what's going on. And, wow, it was truly all there, the hints. And when you know and you go back and you watch it... it breaks your heart into itty bitty pieces!

Read More

I gave s1 a 10 but this was lacking
ma dongsuk is a gem, his fight scenes are refreshing especially after the brutal villains, he comes on like a soda pop and btch slaps everyone into another dimension?
but that's about it, this only worked for him. the villains were all so skinny and but they don't die. ma dongsuk had 0 character development and very little screen time, he was there to fight. the villain was way too "Idc I'll kill and I won't die"
the events were meh, tho we were invested in the action and we laughed a bit, more at the ridiculousness than comedy
my favorite part was "let's split it 50/50", "who gets the 50", honestly cheese like that only works for ma dongsuk
and as mom said he was her fav part?

Read More

What price revenge?

Chen Kuan Tai directed and starred in The Iron Monkey, a dark and violent old school revenge flick. It's Monkey Fist against Eagle Claw, and the noble Shaolin vs the evil Qing.

Chen's rebel family was dragged away and executed by a notorious Qing general. Chen escaped capture because he was gambling and being threatened by bookie/debt collector Wu Ma. After the devastating loss of his family (good thing he didn't see what happened to his little brother in prison), he lives in the woods and scavenges food from a Shaolin temple. Chi Kuan Chun's Shaolin apprentice catches him and convinces the abbot to let Chen train there. Refusing to give them his real name, he simply goes by Iron Monkey, his nickname for the way he climbs walls and fights. The abbot hopes his training will help him release his need for revenge. Honey, if he did that we wouldn't have a movie.

Chen trains with Bitter Monk (Chen Mu Chuan), learning the most difficult style---The Monkey Fist. After a few years, the Qing come calling needing guards and fighters but are turned down by the monks. Chen goes to the Abbot and asks to be released. In a very un-Buddhist manner he's told to go quench his need for bloody revenge. Chen joins the Qings destroying other villages and rebel forces in order to move up the ranks and get close enough to the general so that he can take him out. When the Shaolin temple is threatened he has to move up his revenge rampage timeline.

The Iron Monkey is ethically challenging to watch. It is an unflinching revenge film where the hero crosses the line in order to avenge his family. It asks the question, "are evil deeds acceptable in order to eradicate a greater evil?" It's a 1970's kung fu film so no answers are given. Even more troubling to me were the real life fights between a monkey and an eagle at the beginning of the film and near the end. Though it might have been acceptable in that time and place, I still deducted points for the disturbing scenes.

Chen Mu Chuan who played the Bitter Monk was the fight choreographer. The fights and training scenes took up most of the film keeping him busy. The fights were well done and complex. The final fight scenes had brutal culminations. A few fights had acrobatics, but the wire-fu was kept to a minimum. There was no romance, no cringey comedy, this was old fashioned smash mouth kung fu fighting from beginning to end.

Good guy or bad guy, I enjoy watching Chen Kuan Tai fight and act. Wilson Tong played a treacherous baddie as well as Bryan Leung (Beardy!). As a director, Chen's pacing kept the story moving forward and flowing smoothly. The sets, costumes, and weapons were varied and their quality added depth to the performances.

Overall, I enjoyed this grim revenge film with the exception of the animal abuse scenes. I found it to be an above average 1977 kung fu film. If you are in the mood for an intense brawler, this is one to try.



7/26/22

Read More

Sometimes it's nice to see bad things happen to bad people... Other times, it's painful.

PROS
+ There is an incredible attention to detail on the strong and purposeful writing
+ Even though it's easy to foresee the conclusion, it is done in a beautiful and emotionally-touching manner
+ The acting is top-notch (even certain characters' body language are meaningful)
+ Those who pay attention to details in cinematography will be treated to an extra helping of emotional devastation

CONS
- This is NOT a happy or even satisfying film; the dense and depressing tone will stay in your mind long after the ending
- The action is great, but quite exaggerated and unrealistic (similar to old cowboy movies)
- While there is some dark comedic relief, it doesn't help ease the heaviness; therefore, this is a hard movie to want to see twice
- There is excessive graphic violence that would upset some people
_________________________________________________________

This is one of the darkest action movies I've seen. It's an upsetting movie, but I'm glad I experienced it.

That ending is meaningful and makes it worth seeing.

8/10

Read More

Sad and sordid

Let's start from the fact that this is a very hard film with marginalized characters condemned to a sad and hopeless existence in which there is a past but also tragic love relationship between two men. Condemned to live without hope living poorly exploited labor and one of them sexually in order to protect the new partner from him another desperate man who clings to him eagerly. three men condemned to hell with a hard and realistic scenery of cold tones and scenes of dirty decoration. subtle music just to underline the harshness. It leaves you with enormous sorrow and sadness to see it, no matter how well narrated and acted it is. sad and sordid

Read More

A thought-provoking sci-fi work

Some say that the best science fiction puts a spotlight on some part of the human condition, and this short film does just that.

Main character Tae Eun's girlfriend Joo An no longer has a human body: after carrying out a medical operation which transferred her consciousness to a computer system, she now has a web-camera for her eyes, a speaker for her mouth, and control over their home's devices for her hands. And although the change was by Joo An's choice and Tae Eun was supportive, the two both struggle to adjust to this new reality, and are confronted with the need to communicate and to consider each other's perspectives.

Love Does Human has a bit of a slow start, and there were points where I didn't understand why the characters were reacting in a certain way, but it all comes together beautifully in the end. Through its sci-fi premise, viewers are encouraged to think about real-life problems using a different angle, and the movie never gets too heavy. Also, shoutout to some excellent voice work from the two actors - Joo An is performed nearly entirely through voice but she feels deeply human and present, and Tae Eun's actor also has a standout scene featuring some great voice acting. All in all, it's a short film that's well worth checking out!

Read More

I am grateful that I saw the movie without knowing that Bean had passed away in March of this year. a pity so young! The film shows that it is a kind of cut and paste of chapters and that means that sometimes there are very fast team jumps that do not allow you to fully understand the development of the characters and their behaviors. The male lead couple acts and connects well but more moments of emotional closeness are lacking and the closing is abrupt and poor in that sense, let's not forget that it is a BL genre and it is a shame because the two protagonists get along well. the role of the bride is that of the thoughtful and capricious and false woman to whom these series have accustomed us, wanting to forcefully convince her to be chosen. tired. what is different from others is the role of the father coach and his affective-loving relationship with another boy who is also young and who undisguisedly shows that he is passing through that relationship. This is not a recent relationship with so much difference from those and from a father with children. otherwise few scenarios intense and tiresome group of friends and a pleasant time without the. the penalty again is the loss of Papangkorn Lerkchaleampote RIP

Read More

Okay... A thai youth romance comedy about a body swap. I know well what that means. First, it's thai, so naturally it's not cool enough for a person to have a thai name. So, everyone has a cool english nickname like 'Book', or 'Candle' or 'Table' or 'Stool' to be cooler. It's nothing new it's in every thai series/movie. Then there is the body swap, occuring inbetween a boy and girl. That's also very funny & cute, of course until the sweet innocent girl needs to pee for the first time. Then, she'll have to get acquainted with the boy's "thingy" no matter what. The boy also needs to finally shower and then see the girl's body to the last detail. And then rub it with soap, of course (if nothing else), lol. There you go with your innocent school romance.

Watching this themed movies/series you got to concentrate hard, because every time the boy is speaking it's actually the girl speaking, and every time the girl is speaking, or doing something, it's actually the boy saying and doing this. It's like you should imagine the girl while the boy speaks and vice versa. You need to constantly remind yourself of this which is not something you are naturally used to as audience. Plus these characters are such that the girl's is agressive and the boy's sensitive, lol.

Any romance progress the main girl & boy can make during the body swap also is with each other only, because with any other people it would mean those people are either the wrong sex, or wrong orientation, after the mains swap back, lol. But, having something on with each other would be probably difficult, too. Cannot imagine a romantic kiss where you would have to kiss YOURSELF? Gee, I kinda wished they'd just switch back soon.

I gotta admit that at one point by the end of this movie, I seriously expected the boy to swap bodies with the gay boy, desperate to finally somehow be with the girl. (Because she decided to stay in the male body as it suited her for playing soccer and it also happened to be the body her crush was attracted to.) I also debated whether the boy has fallen for Eve. Because during this movie, so much runtime was dedicated to each of them developing something with someone else. I guess it's never easy to write this kind of stories.

Read More