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A drowning man will clutch at straws...
Director Ozu tackles The Depression head on in Tokyo Chorus with his lead character and the man's family. Though a silent film, this quiet slice of life speaks volumes for the economic devastation of the time. The story follows a happy-go-lucky worker in a light-hearted manner with an undercurrent of tragedy.The film begins playfully at a college with the boys being led in a calisthenics drill with Okajima Shinji in the role of class clown much to the drill instructor's chagrin. Soon he is shown as being a dad of three children and working in an insurance office. It's the yearly bonus day and everyone is excited. His son has asked for a bike and Shinji has made a list of what he will buy for his family. As everyone is celebrating bonus day, an older colleague is fired just before retiring and garnering his pension. Shinji stands up for him and is fired, too.
His son throws a fit when his father doesn't come home with a bike and his wife scolds him for not keeping his word. She soon realizes what has happened and comes around and is supportive. This is a pleasant pattern throughout the movie. When the little family is faced with setbacks and challenges, they let themselves hurt for a minute and then do what needs to be done.
Shinji is thrown into the world of the unemployed, the Toyko Chorus, which is substantial, even for a college-educated man with good work experience. Jobs are either not available or he's deemed over-qualified. When the family suffers a mishap, their dire situation is made clear. Shinji takes a job handing out restaurant flyers for his old professor/drill instructor. His wife sees him and is devastated that others will know they have lost their social standing.
Aside from showing the effects of a tragically high unemployment rate, Ozu excels in bringing this family unit to life. The children bicker and throw tantrums like children do, even if the son could be a bit much at times. His wife, Tsuma, may suffer a brief moment of tears or despair but then faces reality and refuses to let her children or husband down by wallowing in them. Shinji's fun-loving smile is often present though watching him closely you see the cracks in his effervescent personality. He's a man willing to suffer a blow to his honor to protect and provide for his family. One poignant scene portrayed this perfectly. After Tsuma's kimonos had to be sold, the family is playing a game on the floor. The children are unaware of the financial and emotional situation assailing their parents and laughing and singing. The parents join in the game initially downcast but let the joyful moment overtake them and bond together.
This film is in dire need of someone lovingly restoring it. Much of it was faded or had salt and pepper pock marks. Though I have seen films in much worse shape from only the 1970's. The music was jaunty and carried the story along, even when not much was going on. Once fully immersed, spoken dialogue wasn't missed much. The actors perfectly portrayed their feelings without resorting to hamminess to show the meaning behind their actions.
In many ways, the film comes full circle at the end, with a wiser, sadder Shinji. This film is not perfect. The first half felt slow to me, barely making any progress. And then like a flower opening we see more sides to the characters as they work together believing things will get better. It was the love of this family that I enjoyed the most about this film. Tokyo Chorus was a sweet film of perseverance never letting itself be swallowed by melodrama. Ozu rarely disappoints, and for me, he didn't with this film either.
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The Most Depressing Movie I've Ever Seen
"I may be an asshole, But did I ever beat you like he did?"So two movies into the Dimension Extreme Terror 6 Pack, I was expecting the worst from the rest. Welcome to the jungle is a pure shit version of Cannibal Holocaust and Automation Transfusion was nothing but boring trash interspersed with some really awesome gore. So I decided to watch 13: Game of Death expecting more of the same d tier trash.
Instead though, I got a truly emotional experience that is as brutal as it is heartwretching to watch. It reminded me of when I watched Ab-Normal Beauty last year. Not only because it is a piece of extreme cinema from an asian country that was released in the 2000's, but because shook me to me my very core. I will say that Ab-Normal Beauty was a hair better, but still left me in an extremely depressed state after watching it. 13: Game of Death paints a haunting picture of society that never gets bogged down in it's own commentary and focuses on creating a captivating expirence from start to finish.
I will not go into too much detail here since it is easily available on tubi and vudu for free and it is best to watch and see it for yourself (that is if you are up for down right depressing and haunting psychological horror movies). Trust me, you will not regret it.
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strange movie
I wanted to like this movie as I enjoy Jung Kyung Ho as an actor. Unfortunately, there is not enough information to become invested in the characters. From the beginning, you realize this movie will be melancholy. That is entirely understandable, as you know this is going in. But they introduce a new character and give no backstory in the movie. You are left to determine what role they are playing in the sad drama unfolding. Is the point of this character to say life goes on and there is a reason to keep living? Does the character show he is slowly losing grasp on reality?Was this review helpful to you?
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My favourite....
Ever since I saw the series for the first time, it has been my favourite. I rewatched this movie numerous times. In fact, every time I need cheering up, I watch this!Nevertheless, even though I love this story, I am not blind to its many flaws especially where writing and execution are concerned.
The story is nothing new: two people, an actor escaping from a scandal and a chef barely making ends meet, with opposite personalities, meet but they start on the wrong foot. The second meeting doesn't go much better but since they are forced to live together, actor's cheerful disposition melts the iceberg that is the chef. And there's all, folks!
Both main actors have great chemistry and are really skilled and play their respective characters to perfection.
The dynamic between the supporting characters (agent, journalist, manager) was excellent and often very funny!
The issue I have is mostly with writing. I watched this on Viki so I guess the translation is rather accurate. The story is full of clunky and illogical dialogue. For example: when they meet for the first time in the restaurant, as the actor is leaving, the chef stops him and tells him to stop bothering him and leave. Considering that the actor was doing just that BEFORE being stopped, I do not understand the point of this dialogue. And that is just in the first 5 min! There were few more moments like this in the movie! And don't start me with a few scenes of US fan, completely superfluous and nonsensical (i.e.they are in front of the restaurant but she takes photos of them leaving on a motorcycle?!? or the photo she takes of them in the night looks as if it were taken at noon!) On the other hand, the scandal subplot was treated well!
Production was mostly on the cheep side: empty scenes, no extras, cold and unnatural. It is obvious they did not have a lot of money but that does not excuse ugly cinematography (see Thai Wayufilm Production short movies to realize what a talent can do on a shoestring budget!). To be honest there were exactly two scenes where cinematography stood out: nightime basketball game and walk in the park and the chef's run through the autumn park/city towards the end. The rest of the movie is gray, lit up only by the main leads' smiles! Quite literally!
The movie has two hummable songs, nothing extraordinary!
A special shout out to the director of this movie: she is definitely hugely talented storyteller. I have loved every one of her works: Where Your Eyes Linger was the first bl I ever watched. She is amazing. I hope she will regale us with many more stories in the future and not necessarily BL ones!
To My Star stays firmly at the top of korean BLs. It is a sweet movie, full of clichés and misunderstandings but those are not annoying. It is a must watch for any BL enthusiast but as well for anyone who appreciates a good romcom!
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A reality
A calm yet tremendously heartbreaking movie that talks about escaping the world full of homophobic individuals to finding a certain place that someone will welcome you despite your gender identity. A small family that showcases that love and acceptance can make one person's life happy. Very realistic approach to tackle a life of a gay man who suffers from the harsh feedbacks of those people who's only good on commenting about other people's life. This drama is an impact; from the tragedy of the nanny, the breakup of the couple, to Seol being lost, and the ongoing life of the rest of them from the farm are such a ride.Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
The movie that started a franchise.
A very exclusive movie not many ever get to see in their lives. In fact, I had to puzzle the story together from tags.The story:
The character testss is a very unique person as one can tell from the tags. After first her marriage to a banker she loses her entire family. She feels lost and initially tries to come to terms with it through religion but she feels instead she needs to escape her village and decides to quit her many part time jobs to join the army. Here she has a long career and she meets a mysterious man but things don't work out as he dreams of being an opera singer instead. She decides to quit the army after an undercover mission as a dermatologist goes wrong. She is sent to prison due to being framed for an accident by a hacker who was blackmailed by a crime boss. This hacker formely worked with her in the policeforce but he went down a dark path when his voice actor career didn't work out. Eventually after her time in prison she starts to live at a farm, here the soldier she met in the army meets with her again and tells her they should get into politics to make things better. So they both get jobs in congress and pass laws protecting the rights of undercover agents and intend to marry. However, it turns out all her family is still alive but was just taken hostage all those years. Her oldest child escaped, was deemed crazy by the local village and locked up in a mental hospital for years but got out and became a radio personality. They reunite and plan to free the rest of her family. Her husband plans to go undercover as a butler and she will use her medical knowledge to pretend to be a doctor. Meanwhile her oldest child meets the blackmailed hacker and gets him a job as a manga artist. They succeed in getting the family safe. The tension when she meets her banker husband again is high but it turns out he was an alien and has to leave earth anyway. Her other 4 children succeed in diverse careers.
Acting/Cast:
tesst is a wonderful actress who really knows how to portray a woman who has had a long life with many difficult jobs. Her husband is an undercover agent with a criminal past so his character is never given a name but his acting is really welldone as well. They both understand each others difficult position and respect their hidden pasts.
Music:
Pretty unique.
Rewatch Value:
I would rewatch (the tag section) again, although the army part of the story took a bit long it was still an enjoyable experience. testss is a unique character and I don't think I've ever seen a story like it.
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Deep rooted evil extremity
Humanity's ugliest and greediest traits are all in here, spanning across the adults and their successor made out from the same mould. The evil extremity in this movie is so deep rooted and unbelievable because of how realistic and crooked it is, completely destroying any bit of morality left in their mind. The evilness that is in the gene, they're born with it and become ultimately twisted. The power, the money, the influences, continues to create rot in our society. Meanwhile the powerless will be dragged and beaten until there's nowhere out from this rotten society, and it is only a glimpse of it.Was this review helpful to you?
Words are (very) unnecessary, just watch it and give voice to silence
Movie perfect in every aspects: script, acting and editing... Looks like an independence cinematography. If someone has not yet opportunity to watch and appreciated the acting skills of Yoo Ah In, then after this film there should be no doubt of talent of this young generation actor is by no means exaggerated. The children's roles also deserve to be recognition. It's hard to describe something more so as not to reveal the plot. It is just unique, touching and simply beautiful And I guess it's a shame to waste review space for unnecessary words, so you should just watch it and give voice to silence...Was this review helpful to you?
An awesome, awesome movie
This is my favorite movie by one of my favorite Korean directors, Hur Jin Ho. It's also perhaps my favorite Korean movie in the love story/romance genre (although there's some stiff competition).But beware, it's not for the typical MDL user. It's a slow, serious, realistic movie that doesn't try to manipulate your emotions and make you feel good. Because it's so realistic and truthful, I can really relate to this. If you've ever fallen head over heels in love with someone who had any kind of independent spirit or whose goal in life wasn't exactly to be your perfect love slave, then I bet you would be able to relate to this too. If that sounds good to you, then this gets my highest recommendation.
Also, I generally pay no attention to soundtracks for Korean movies and dramas, but the end credits song in this movie--A Spring Day Is Gone by Kim Yuna (no, not that Kim Yuna)--is my very favorite of any Korean movie or TV show. It actually isn't a perfect fit for the mood of this movie, but it's such a beautiful song, I don't care.
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Emotional LGBTQ+ Coming-of-Age Story
"I felt like a guest at a cult meeting"Based on a web novel which was already adapted into a drama, "What She Likes..." is an emotional LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story about Jun, a closeted high school student struggling with his homosexuality, and Sae a BL manga obsessed classmate that develops feelings for him.
I'm a bit torn about this one. Overall, I did enjoy it and thought it was a touching story with beautiful cinematography and some heart-wrenching moments. My main issues were how unrealistically they resolved some of the conflicts they were dealing with. The way they brushed over some characters and themes lessened the impact for me. Moreover, they should have focused more on Jun as the main lead. One could argue this was about Jun and Sae which is true to a certain extent and there were aspects I really liked about these two. However, considering that this, at its core, is a queer story, I would have preferred a louder voice from the queer character instead of the BL loving classmate.
In conclusion, this was an intriguing movie that while it does have its flaws still managed to move me. I quickly have to mention Kamio Fuju's performance as Jun. I genuinely feel he's a talented guy, who's nuanced portrayal of Jun stood out to me the most.
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We really didn't need this
It's pretty boring and kind of confusing. It starts of pretty well, but loses itself the further you go. I finished the movie feeling very bored and unsatisfied. My cousin who saw it with me enjoyed the war aspect of it, but didn't understand much either, he just liked the visual and the idea of a war between kids and adults (he is a tween boy fascinated with gore and zombies, so of course he enjoyed that).It had potential, but someone didn't pay attention to the details. They lost pretty much everything that made the first movie good and I understand now why it's yet another forgotten sequel.
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The genres that are not quite fitting.
Honestly speaking, this is far more of a comedy drama, and I don’t see many thriller elements in it. The poster presents what the mood of the movie will be far more than the genres listed, so take that into consideration when watching.I have to say, it’s been a while since a movie made me so excited to watch. I was interested in the characters, in the court case, in the truth behind the case. Each element was so well written and constructed, and intertwined into the overall plot, there wasn’t a second wasted of the screen time.
The movie seems like a low key battlefield between the professional judge who forgot the core aspect of her work and a Juror 8, who got himself involved in the case and now simply wants to do a good job with it.
The aspect I enjoyed the most was the character development and clever ways they indicated how and when specific Juror’s started to be more engaged in the case. Especially Choi Yeong Jae, with whom they did a brilliant job.
The acting was amazing. Not surprised with a cast like that. Having great and well established actors playing supporting, and even guest roles made each scene truly enjoyable. Big props to Seo Hyun Woo, even though he did not have that much screen time, his depiction of the defendant was stellar.
Is the movie realistic? Definitely not. I do believe the comedic leaning makes it okay though. It still presents the importance of the job jury has, the potential issues in the system, but also the benefits it might bring, while adding a lot of entertainment with the exaggerated scenarios.
On the other hand, saying it’s even loosely based on the original story is nothing but misleading. The cases are nothing alike, the result is not the same, the behavior of the jury is completely different. It especially bothered me with the last narration on the screen, where they mixed the events of the show with real life statistics - it was simply confusing. Before I did some research, I was sure that part describes the real life case from 2008, which was not correct. Hence I’m not sure selling it even to that extent as being related to real events was a wise choice.
Overall, extremely exciting, interesting and engaging. Has some amazing situational comedy, but does not forget to have good content behind the jokes.
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A Great Action Zombie Movie!
I couldn't resist, and decided to write a review on this underrated movie. Honestly I don't understand why it received so much hate; because it's actually very good.Many people compared Peninsula to Train to Busan, meanwhile although they're slightly linked, they're completely different plot wise and cast.
Train to Busan targets more of a psychological genre, and the relations between people, whilst Peninsula is more of an action packed movie.
If you're currently in that stage, wondering whether or not you should give this movie a try, do it, watch it. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! The amount of negative reviews also put me off from watching this movie, but I'm so glad I still gave it a chance nevertheless!
Peninsula is honestly very entertaining and worth a watch. I loved the cast, the acting was outstanding, and of course the plot didn't disappoint itself.
Plus it has a more positive ending, compared with Train to Busan.
Either way, give it a go!
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This review may contain spoilers
i feel like the movie was good confusing made me feel like wtf am i watching the actors did really well but i feel like it needs a pt2 on explaining properly or in depth why he kiddnaped him and decided to use him as a toy and r@pe him why he kept him in the basement of the hospital and to show how their new relashionship will progress
the whole movie is a what the fuck it kinda scared me the actors did so well thats its one of thoes that you hat the actor like they are the charecter they embraced their roles
i do hope for a movie 2 the start was confusing until the full movie pieces fit together but a second movie would finish it all
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