Completed
Sad Movie
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 11, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

UNINTERTWINED

While the individual stories are worthy of a family (for the sole plot focusing on a mother and her son) or romance anthology itself, I don't think they were all that intertwined. Perhaps Hwi-chan and the Separation agency man could have worked in another movie where different relationships were explored and not just the rest being about romantic relationships; It would have also been good if all stories ended up being connected one way or another, directly or even indirectly.

The story about Hwi-chan and her mother then felt very separate and disconnected from the majority theme of which tackled romantic relationships, and yet it was the the story that made me cry the most.

I might be biased because stories about family hit me hard, and little Yeo Jingoo has such natural talent for acting and crying with such genuine emotion; but it was definitely the scenes I was looking forward to because it really tackled an interesting premise wherein the parents were broken and struggling to understand each other, the mom herself was giving up on her own child because of her own problems, then all these were slowly being mended when she ended up in the hospital and Hwi-chan yearned to understand her mom more as his mom became more open in her state of bed riddeness. This whole plot had been told in its whimsical and simple way of storytelling and yet it conveyed the message very clearly, and without sparing emotion. It also stands out from all of the stories because it had an open ending, so while obviously sad it gave a hint of hope and supported the story's message.

The story about the fireman, his girlfriend, and her sister is not even entirely interconnected. You can say that yes, the fireman did save the sister and that's how they met each other but that is where the connection ends. You cannot call that interconnection in terms of cinematic flow and plotline. They both focused on their own "love stories" separately. Again, I would have loved to see this in an anthology movie about romantic relationships alas it was written in the wrong movie.

The Separation agency man had a very interesting storyline as well, and I think it would have been good if it had been expanded in a stand alone movie along with the man, and his ex girlfriend's background. The connection it makes with Hwi-chan and his mom may have been a little flimsy in my opinion, but I guess it's good enough that it took a turn where separation is defined between familial relationships as well.

In any case, while I did rate story, and casting as an 8 they are more for the individual stories rather than as a whole. I think the OST they chose for the movie was actually a good fit for the sentimentally simple vibes it was trying to portray. Rewatch value is a 5 because the interconnectedness it promises does not deliver, hence it isn't much fun to expect the turn of separate events. Overall I came for Yeo Jingoo, ended up still coming for Yeo Jingoo and a couple other characters; wasn't satisfied with the composition and thematic balance of the stories included in the movie, but still liked the plotline of the stories enough to give it an "I like it" rating.

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The Grotesque Mansion
3 people found this review helpful
by SieL68
Apr 11, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

5 short horror stories about the strange and creepy events that happened on GwangLim Mansion

I was amazed about how the short stories are somehow intertwined together although they have a totally different experiences. All of them narrates different stories about the previous tenants and people involved in GwangLim Mansion. The characters don't really know each other but they bumped into each other at least once throughout the movie giving off that feeling of familiarity although they were like separated by mini episodes, it still feel like a full movie.

A bit of disappointment though is that the stories were not really explored that much which made me feel like it lacks depth. I thought that the first hour of the film will serve as build up and the latter part will wrap it up nicely however unfortunately, it remained flat until the very last scene. We know a bit about the mysterious and strange building but there's not much explanation of as to why. I was actually waiting for something more like was there any connection that led JiWoo (SungJoon) there aside from trying to get ideas for his webtoon. Something that will give that surprise factor or that 'I didn't see that coming.' I also felt bad about DaHye's character (Kim BoRa) I didn't even know why she was there. I felt like her screen time was less than 5 minutes. Such a waste of talent.

On a positive note, this film is easy to watch. Even for those people who doesn't like horror movies, I can recommend this. There's very little jumpscare that it won't make you jump. The background music might give you the chills though as it really set the mood of the scene. It was made to feel like you're where the characters are. I pretty much enjoyed it and I kind of want a prequel just so that they can dive deeper about the past of that mansion.

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The Unique Lord
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Mostly machine translated subs for an interesting role reversal of genders in a historical setting.

The machine translated subs make this difficult to watch. Sometimes it's nonsense. Most of the time it's words jumbled together. It makes some sense as you read it and think it through - like Yoda talking only slightly more cryptic. Finally there are some portions that seem to translated well and make sense. I'm guessing those sections might have been translated by a human being.

Now for the general story:

The male lead travels back in time and wakes up in one of those tea houses where he is a courtesan who women can pay for. It seems he has traveled to an ancient alternate reality where gender roles are reversed.

He stumbles across the female lead and finds she has an item that might allow him to travel back to present day. The female lead is outwardly cold like a lot of the traditional male leads in historical shows but the movie does a good job of showing she's not that one dimensional... she's more shy and inexperienced than anything else.

I think the movie does a good job of keeping it light with comedy, ridiculousness. The leads are pretty good with the moments they have. I'm not sure if I'm heartbroken or optimistic after watching this. For whatever reason it hit me and I enjoyed it and wanted more.

Masterpiece? No. Worth the 1 hour if you can get over the subtitles? I think so.

I really, really enjoyed the song at the end and I'll probably obsess over it until I find it.

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Love Story in London
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

This movie is not recommended for sensitive/emotional, lonely,

I cried at the end.…………..Because of the acting. The story was rushed but it was ok until it got closer to the ending… Although it was rushed I guess it’s to be expected since the it’s a movie( Personally it’s still short for one they should’ve made a drama ver cuz it felt like it IS the summary of a very touching drama ) It’s been so long since a movie made me feel so many emotions at once and this one definitely did and I was smiling the whole movie. The Jiang duo’s actor are one of my personal favs. Many will hate this movie for the ending they delivered but that’s life :-/. I would’ve cried even more if it was me before Covid. I gaped first since the first thing i thought was this is ridiculous! then didn’t kno whether to cover my eyes or mouth cuz I couldn’t look at Jaing Hai anymore nearing the end:-(((. the movie would’ve been much much better if it wasn’t rushed. It’s not a movie we’d like to watch but a story we’d like to kno.

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The Flying Monster
2 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Run!

A Korean attempt at a Kaiju movie, a bad attempt, a disastrous attempt. Abandon hope all ye who enter here!

Before there was Jurassic Park, Dr. Kim Jin Young believed in the Prehistoric Dinosaur Resurrection Theory. In this movie, it meant he thought dinosaurs buried in the ice and earth would be set free because of global warming. He spent most of the movie wandering around the beaches and caves on a remote island looking for evidence to prove his theory. Part of the time he also ranted to the sky about how everyone thought he was crazy. Buddy, if you don’t want to be considered crazy, you might want to stop ranting everywhere you go. An intrepid reporter imbedded herself in his home as a housekeeper to gather information on his secret new theory. She ended up bonding with his young daughter when she wasn't sunning herself on the beach. I should mention, his badly dubbed daughter who took up a lot of the screen time. Actually, everyone was badly dubbed but the adult voice on the little girl was jarring.

After nearly three quarters of the film watching the scientist wandering and ranting in the rocks, the monsters finally showed up. Pretty sure none of these freaky creatures have been found in the fossil records. If birds are descendants of dinosaurs, thank goodness none of them retained the fire breathing, laser shooting abilities of these guys. The rubber suits were awful, even in comparison to old Godzilla movies. The monster sounds were even worse, and monsters appeared and then reappeared inconceivably. To top it off, most of the miniatures were subpar and they kept using some of the same sets only with different monsters destroying them.

The editing of this film was incomprehensible. The story bounced between characters with no cohesive plot development. The intrepid reporter’s main job was to change outfits between each scene and take care of the daughter. None of the characters were particularly likeable and there were only three main characters! The shots of the monsters made no sense. Actually, nothing about this movie made any sense. The ending was bizarre and abrupt as well. This film didn’t even have the courtesy of being so bad it was good. It’s one of the most poorly put together movies I’ve ever watched, and I watch a lot of old Kaiju and kung fu movies so that’s saying something. Only if you are a Kaiju movie enthusiast and want to add it to your list, or if you have a high pain threshold for badly spliced together movies would you want to watch this.

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Zen
2 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.5
This review may contain spoilers

Mind and body fall away

This 2009 film follows the spiritual quest and enlightenment of the Japanese Buddhist Dogen Zenj who brought Zen Buddhism to Japan in the 1200’s. I can only comment on this film as a non-Buddhist and one who hasn’t studied Zen Buddhism and the life of Dogen. My review is based on the artistic endeavor.

The film followed Dogen on his spiritual journey which took him from Japan to China to have his questions answered and in search of a true Buddhism. The scenery was spectacular as this lone man traveled in a foreign land. He found one master who was more concerned with politics and later, a sage who was a cook at a temple. All the main highlights were touched upon as he discovered Zen Buddhism, became enlightened, returned to Japan to share what he had learned and then inevitably ran up against the sect in power that didn’t like new ideas, and finally, the events ending in his death.

The performances were for the most part subdued as you would expect in a film about Buddhist monks. Nakamura Kantarou didn’t have much to do except look serene and introspective which he did well. Uchida Yuki brought a spark to the film as Orin, a prostitute, whose path led to Dogen which changed her life. Orin had the most obvious character development in the film which made it easier to be invested in her limited story. The monks practicing detachment also made it hard for this viewer to become emotionally attached to them.

The film suffered at times from choppy editing and storytelling. Characters appeared without any backstory to let us know who they were and time jumps happened without any warning. A segment involving headless ghosts and swarming CGI butterflies probably sounded better on paper than it looked and would have been best omitted. The moon played a large role (sometimes Earth destroying large!) and had to be interpreted symbolically. At times in a film grounded in realism, the supernatural CGI elements seemed out of place and didn’t really add anything.

To enjoy this film, it would help if you are interested in religious history or the life of Dogen. It is slow paced with many scenes of people sitting and meditating. I do enjoy these types of spiritual journey films, even at that, it could be plodding at times. Overall, I enjoyed it, and as a niche film could recommend it though I suspect the greater movie audience would not find it as interesting.

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Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Even with the Shadowless Kick it's important to remember to duck!

Wong Fei Hung’s father, Wong Kei Ying takes on opium dealers and a corrupt official in this made for TV movie from HBO Asia.

As with the other HBO Asia offerings, the production values are quite high. And also, as with other HBO offerings there is a lack magnetism from the main star. Having said that, Shadowless Kick has been the best of the lot for me. The fights were better, though more gruesome. Body parts flew and spewing arteries abounded.

Once again, the opium trade is front and center and the main enemy as various factions fought to control the lucrative business. Wong Kei Ying makes friends with an enemy and is tricked by a friend as the dutiful physician is drawn into the drug battle. When all seems lost, he is given a secret manual (there’s always a secret manual!) and learns the Shadowless Kick to supplement his Southern Shaolin style. The final battle against three separate opponents was entertaining, if a bit long, detracted only by his child screaming and crying through the whole thing. I finally muted it, and just watched the action. The story was more coherent in this movie with the overt melodrama dialed back a notch.

Chen Zhi Hui, as the Big Bad, was perfect as a foil for the bland Sun Hao Ran’s Wong. He did everything but twirl his mustache and made for a proper menacing villain. Sun Hao Ran did fine in the fight scenes, but lacked charisma and energy as the protagonist, even when in an attempt to develop a cure for opium addiction Wong became addicted himself. Jiang Ming Yang had potential as a converted good guy, but didn’t have enough screen time. Zhou Xiao Fei, who played another baddie who throws in with Wong after he saved her son, is a martial arts actress and stuntwoman who made the most with her small role.

The fights were well choreographed, but nothing really new. Plenty of wire-fu but not over the top for a wuxia.

Master of the Shadowless Kick is a perfectly fine made for tv wuxia movie, if keep your expectations low, you may find it entertaining.

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Mr. Thank You
2 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

It’s only 80 km long but a lot happens here!


Mr. Thank You is a charming movie that while at times was lighthearted and comic was also not afraid to highlight the social and economic problems of the time.

Mr. Thank You drove a bus serving a rural mountainous area, on the 80 km road linking the rural area to a train station where people could travel further to Tokyo. Most travelers on the narrow, dangerous road were on foot. As he honked his horn asking them to move over, he always yelled “thank you” in a cheerful manner as the pedestrians made room for the bus, hence his nickname from the locals.

Most of the story took place on the bus which showcased a generally genial cross-reference of people from the region during The Depression. On the surface the passengers were friendly and happy. Dig a little deeper and the effects of the times became all too present. A seventeen-year-old girl was being taken by her mother to Tokyo to be sold into prostitution to help the family. Other people on the bus had experienced serious financial setbacks. Along the way people talked, sang, drank, ate, and smoked. Mr. Thank You treated everyone equally and affably, offering to carry messages, visit gravesites, and purchase records for those who asked.

Most of the passengers weren’t afforded much time for character development, but each made the most of the time offered. The small gathering of people on the road trip revealed layers of themselves and for the most part kindness and generosity toward each other.

Given the era, one scene in particular stood out to me as particularly moving. Mr. Thank You encountered a young Korean woman he had come to know who had worked on the road he drove on. He treated her with dignity and respect even though she was among the most marginalized people living in Japan at the time. Whether it was the writer or the director who found a way for that scene to slip through, it showed a subtle criticism of the government’s policies.

In addition to the subtle commentary on political and foreign policies, it was repeated many times how girls forced to go over the mountain to enter prostitution never came home. Boy children often became vagrants. The smiling characters were all too aware of the reality most of them were living in yet still willing to form temporary and perhaps longer-term relationships.

The music was perfect for a traveling story, just like Mr. Thank You, it was light and lively, keeping everything moving forward. Though faded by time, the black and white cinematography and choice of shots was stylish and creative. The scenery along the road gave a time capsule’s view of the area.

During this bumpy road trip, the viewer is treated to heartbreak, hope, kindness, and a little humor. It’s a film that will leave you feeling better, but also a little unsettled.

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Don't Forget I Love You
2 people found this review helpful
by chea
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

Memories can be forgotten, but emotions will never disappear

Even if every day started with a hello and an introduction, she still loved the him of now and would continue loving the him of tomorrow.

The past is completely wiped out, every day. Memories only stayed for the present day. Emotions lingered in the future. That's what makes this story so sad--no matter how clear the memory was, he could never remember. What is clear though, is that Lu Yao never forgot the love he felt for Xingyue.

Lu Yao lives a very painful life, it's hard to imagine what it'd be like to be in his shoes. He feels the emptiness, the love, and the longing, but he doesn't know from where, how, and when he got it. At the same time, it's beautiful that no matter what day it is, he still finds Xingyue again and again and comes back to her. Xingyue kept her willingness and her courage to keep coming back to him too.

Tragic, but beautiful. I wasn't expecting the sudden twist, but because of it, the beginning made so much more sense to me. Pay attention to the smallest details and you will understand.

Also, I just want to emphasize that the actors did an AMAZING job. I could feel their emotions right through the screen and that's why it felt so real and I felt so touched. Jasper Liu always manages to take roles from the saddest movies, I associate crying with this man now (in a good way, he is so so incredible at this genre). What can I say, I cried for a good 30 minutes straight after that ending. BRING TISSUES.

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Island of Desire
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Crappiest movie ever seen

Waste of time, waste of energy. The movie has no firmness in the story, not a strong plot. It jumps from one timeline to another without any reference. The only thing highlighted the most are the bre@sts of Christine Bermas. Nothing is intriguing in the movie it is just a bunch of crap with loopholes collected and made as a movie, I think the directory should stop running his wild brain it is just showing how stoopid his level of cognizance is. One star because of the breasts and there isn't any option of giving Zero star after all this movie doesn't deserve one nothing much is worthy in this movie, personal advice don't watch!!

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1987: When the Day Comes
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

Remember 1987

This movie is based on actual events called June Democratic Uprising in Korea which happened in 1987.

It all started when a college student was tortured and killed by anti-communist group and they tried to conceal his death.

I love how the director was able to tell the story through different people, starting from the prosecutor who demanded autopsy, to jail guard who passed on info to the opposition, the reporter who tried to reveal the truth to the public, and to the students who bravely rallied against the government.

Not for the faint hearted. It’s moving, horrifying and inspiring. The extra romance between the two college students slightly felt out of place but the end made up for it.

Rating: 8.5

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Completed
Collectors
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Fun Heist Movie

The movie is about a grave robber trying to attempt a big heist in the middle of Seoul.

I liked the first part where they were showing how good the lead was in pulling off heists (which felt like the setup of the story) but the second part dragged when we find out what the real intention was. There were also too many characters to follow. There were also more action in the first part. The comedy also fell flat sometimes. I didn't like Hyesun's character, all she did was raise her eyebrows or do her smirk. I love Jae Hoon, he always looks like a fun guy. I like the twist at the end where they showed how they successfully pulled off the heist.

Rating: 8/10

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The Beauty Inside
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 10, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

A cleverly crafted romance that works despite itself.

The Beauty Inside tackles the old adage of “beauty is in the inside” with a compelling and refreshing take well worth its course .

Caution : if you poke at it too much , it will definitely fall apart but for what it’s worth which is : a soft focus on a topic infused with romance ; it nails it .

The Beauty Inside doesn’t aim to be its predecessor as a social commentary and it’s quite clear from the get go that this movie just wants to explore what romance could be for someone who changes their body everyday . You will not get profound quotes on acceptance and image . Far from it . However, one gets a portrait of loneliness from the male lead and a tour de force from the female lead .

And that leads me to the standout here : Han Hyo Joo was terrific in this ! Her character portrait and her portrayal which is refreshingly far away from the infantile rom com woman was astounding ! She helped with the gravitas , nuance and emotional resonance of this movie that this was a total tour de force of talent !

This movie is also very well crafted . The hues and tones were just right and the motif of furniture was cleverly built in with the whole theme . The cameos of top Korean stars makes the movie super cool too.

OVERALL- A cleverly crafted romance that works despite itself. I say “despite itself “ because it really could have knocked it out with a more punchy social commentary and shorter run time . Those were just cons working against the movie. However , if the story compels you , go for it .



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Tropical Night
1 people found this review helpful
by Shiro
Apr 9, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Depressing and messy

I am honestly trying to grasp what I actually watched, I do not really know what I was expecting and am not really sure what I got as the story seems a bit oddly cut and left a whole lot of blanks for the viewers to fill in on their own and they go back and fourth in time have and have a lot of quiet thought. Honestly rather they are deep in conversation or completely silent... though the issues are relatable I find it hard to connect to the story, the acting is inconsistent, sometimes it is mind-blowing other times I am not sure if it is the dialog, the sound or the action but it feels forced in a way and comes of very unnatural.

The whole movie loses depression and darkness as it should considering it's subject, there're some good and interesting lines about who to blame in the event of a sueside others about dealing with an inevitable death near by... Unfortunately these were cut short and could have been done better, but they do get points for actually showing this and attempting to approach this not so very happy subject.

All in all an ok watch, not very entertaining and kind of lacking but it has something in it that still makes it worth a watch, I just can not really put my finger on what it is, maybe you will? O r I may just have to watch it again to understand it. However it was not very entertaining so I probably won't (actually I did re-watch a few scenes just to check if I missed something, I didn't)

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A Werewolf Boy
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 9, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Nostalgic!

I remember reading the novel when I was in junior high school and I'm really into it. One of the most memorable novels I've read. The story was just perfect, with no other complicated background and ending.

Song Joongki really did a great job to portray a wild werewolf boy that has a warm heart and sincerity. It's more than a romance story.
Park Boyoung, her acting always had a way to make me cry a river. Her 'Sun Yi' was just perfect.

When I read the novel at night, I remember going to school with swollen eyes in the morning.

One of the things that I won't regret in my life was deciding to borrow this novel from my school library and decided to watch the movie.

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