First of all I don't see any reason why the charcters need to be in full nudity in some scenes. Well maybe because of the director. If you happened to wastch similar movies of the director you can see simliar scenes. I was disappointed with the story though. For me the story just goes this way. There was a member of the baseball team who has a girlfriend and his bestfriend snatched the girlfriend from him. And that's it. Well the movie showed some scenes on what the members of the Baseball team are doing but I guess this should have been a documentary and not a movie. For me there was no entertainment factor.
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THE PLOT is sure to keep you on your feet. I'm not a fan of zombie movies/shows but I decided to watch this because of all the hype surrounding it. And I wasn't disappointed. The story is quite a thrill.
THE CHARACTERS were great. Seok Woo's character development was very good. He literally went from a selfish man that only looked out for himself to someone who was self-sacrificing and giving. Geong Yoo gave a great performance. I was surprised at how well the lead's daughter was at acting.it was heart-wrenching to hear her scream for her father at the end.
REWATCH VALUE is low for me because as I've said before, movies like this aren't my thing. Probably won't watch this again but it was a nice break from the rom-coms that I've been watching. 8/10.
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Tony is on fire!
Tony Jaa showed the world the fierce beauty that is Muay Thai in Ong Bak. It helps when watching this movie to recognize that Tony worked without wires, without CGI, and without stunt doubles. Fast, acrobatic, and incredibly limber he did moves that will leave your jaw gaping.Plot? The story scaffolding holding up the film was exceptionally thin. Tony's Ting goes to Bangkok after his village Buddha's head called Ong Bak is stolen by a drug dealer. He meets up with a cousin and his female friend/"sister"/girlfriend who spend their time gambling or fleecing gamblers. The Big Bad loses a ton of money on the fights in his fight club when Ting accidentally becomes involved in them and defeats all comers. Unlike his cousin, Ting doesn't fight for money or gamble, all he wants is the Ong Bak back.
From start to finish, whether it was the villagers racing to the top of a tree or Ting racing through Bangkok leaping over cars, sliding underneath a moving car or flying up a wall (no wires, remember) the action came fast and often. The fight scenes in the club were brutal. There were no holds barred and everything in the room could be used as a weapon. Ting was even hit with a refrigerator! At one point in a different setting, Ting continued to fight with his pants on fire! Most moments of glorious flight ended in an acrobatic dismount. Even the pickiest judge would have given him a 10 for form and style.
I pity the stuntmen who took the hits in this movie, because even with padding there were numerous hits and kicks that were going to leave a mark afterward. Some of the falls were Sammo Hung hitting the ground hard falls.
The director made use of slow-mo as well as showing impressive stunt scenes repeatedly from different angles just in case you missed something spectacular or your eyes refused to believe what they were seeing the first time. Tony trained for several years in Muay Boran, a predecessor to today's Muay Thai, for this movie. To say he was dedicated to his craft would be an understatement.
Grading this movie was tough. Story: C- Acting: C- Cinematography: C Fight scenes/fight choreography: A
Most people know going into a movie like this you aren't going to see great acting or be entertained with a compelling story. This is a pure smash mouth, elbow hitting, shin kicking, pants on fire, good time with one of the most energetic and acrobatically gifted fighters of his time. No wires, no CGI, no stunt doubles. No problem.
5/18/23
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Great if you're bored
Alright so, I watched it because I had nothing to watch that could pass time and It's honestly not that interesting in my opinion. Sure the plot is alright and the visuals make it more interesting, but everything was just bland. The actors were good though ! The fact that it is in black and white makes it a bit more fun to watch. There's a little bit of homophobia and internalized homophobia, so beware if you're sensitive to that topic. Also there is a couple tiny sex scenes, maybe one or two but they aren't major or very graphic at all. Let me add that there might be a scene where some viewers may find disturbing and/or uncomfortable to watch, it's sexual, but I won't spoil it.Overall, if you're really bored and just want something to watch, I recommend. But if you're actually trying to enjoy something I would recommend going for something else lol. But again, this is just my personal opinion !!
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Tunnel of Love: The Place for Miracles
3 people found this review helpful
A sad but touching story
I wanted to watch this movie because I’m into forbidden love tropes and the setting seemed quite original. However, more than a love story, this is a short movie depicting a man’s lifelong journey dealing with the grief of losing the love of his life and the guilt he feels about it, which leads him to make a trip to “The tunnel of love” hoping to see her again (in this life or the other from what I understood). The ending is kinda open and the movie itself is a bit trippy, so it’s hard to tell what’s happening in real life and what might be in the ML’s head.Overall I enjoyed it, the cast did a good job portraying the characters’ emotions and I liked the forest setting (not sure if they really filmed this in Ukraine, but the place does exist). I’d recommend it for one of those days you just wanna watch a slow-paced emotional kind of story that only the Japanese know how to do :,)
(Thanks again to rjgman56 for subbing this!)
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An Introspective Character-Centred Film
If you want a typical, romantic comedy, this film probably isn't for you. If you even want a film with romance in it, this film probably also isn't for you. This is a story about almost exclusively the protagonist and her journey.The genre that Tremble All You Want sits in is certainly very interesting, with what I'd say is a chic flick mixed in with a large dose of self-awareness and realism. It's quirky and light-hearted, and yet it still manages to deliver an emotional punch - a rather commendable accomplishment.
Mayu Matsuoka is truly the centre of this. She pours her heart into acting this role and making the protagonist (Yoshika )truly come to life. And as of such, rather than there being a solidified "plot", the film is centred around the character development of Yoshika. And it works: you quickly find yourself invested in this character, there's just something so endearing about her. I'm not surprised it won the audience award at a film festival.
The journey Yoshika goes through in this film heartwarming, yet still raw. It's about growing up and moving on, and learning to gradually find comfort in another person. Unique and surprisingly heartfelt, it is certainly worth your time to sit down and watch one evening.
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This review may contain spoilers
Sammo takes on a hopping vampire!
Sammo Hung took on all sorts of things that go bump in the night in Spooky Encounters. This was a combination of horror, comedy, and kung fu with mixed results.Bold Cheung’s wife is having an affair with the local wealthy guy, Master Tam. Unwilling to share or be exposed Tam hires Chin Hoi, an immoral priest to kill Cheung by magical means. Chin Hoi’s apprentice, Priest Tsui, refuses to go along with the murderous plot and secretly helps Cheung. Another of Chin Hoi’s apprentices tricks Cheung into spending the night not once, but twice in a locked temple. Not scary, you say? Locked inside is a hopping vampire! When the hopping vampire fails to kill him, the bad guys frame Cheung for the murder of his very much alive wife. Eventually the simple Cheung is convinced that the man he trusts and the wife he loves are plotting to kill him. It will all come down to a no spells barred priest against priest and Sammo against the rest ultimate magical fight.
This is considered a kung fu horror classic and many people love it. I struggled to connect with it. I love a good hopping vampire story and this one scored on that account. But if Sammo is in the movie, I want more action. The first fight didn’t take place until 43 minutes into the movie. And most of the action took place after the 1-hour mark. The story wasn’t compelling enough to keep me interested during the first half. I was happy to see Lam Ching Ying, one of the martial arts directors, have a nice little fight against his own men when they were possessed. Chung Fat played a lot of bad guys early in his career so it was fun for him to play a heroic character. The final fight had Sammo possessed by different characters including the Monkey King. The action and dialogue were cranked high in fast motion. Once Sammo started fighting the film took on more interest for me. Fair warning there were some gruesome images-insects, rodents, a decomposed corpse, and a decapitated chicken.
Encounter of the Spooky Kind was one of the first movies to combine kung fu, comedy, and horror. It started out slow, finally finding its footing. The humor could be hit or miss, but when it came to fighting, Sammo rarely missed.
10/4/23
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This review may contain spoilers
THE GANG OF CHERRY: Playboy (Mac), James, Boy (the chained kid), Gold Hair and of course Cherry.
I'll summarize the movie then give my opinion.Cherry is a bipolar lady who has a gang (in a deserted building) where Playboy and Gold Hair prostitute. James is an drug addict ( who in the movie "Bittersweet Chocolate" meets Playboy) who is the "trusted" of Cherry. Boy is Cherry's "sex instrument". James, Cherry and Gold Hair are in love with Playboy but Playboy is in love with Boy. James gets tired of Cherry and decides to betray her and free Playboy and himself (at the end, we don't know who finishes dead; James or Cherry) but Playboy leaves with Boy.
Lady Boy is Big Boss' "trusted" and "supervisor". The Man that at the end 'plays' with Playboy is Stranger (just a common client that somehow manages to know that Playboy has feelings for Boy).
I hope that helps...
My thoughts on this are:
I believe the story had more potential. The music was funny (because of the lyrics) but it was too spontaneous and loud. Still liked the music thou... As for acting, it was phenomenal, it was very good. I don think I'll re-watch it anytime soon but that's because I don't normally re-watch things and it was too slow (not as much as Bittersweet Chocolate).
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Very underwhelming and boring viewing experience.
Lazy writing, meh CGI, plot and tropes you've seen hundred times over, flat characters.... I could've forgiven them all and given this movie a neutral rating if not for one thing that drew me mad.Exoticism.
Now, if you have seen lots of Chinese costume dramas and movies you'll know 99% time the styling is not even 70% accurate to actual history which is fine, as long as you use your artistic license in a sensible and consistent manner and doesn't pretend to be what you are not.
But here, all the side characters were dressed in a way that resembles the Mongol Khan era fashion but only the female lead was dressed in a dresses that resembled Western model of "princess style" that had little to no similarity with Chinese styling. To appeal to whose palette?
To me it seemed like movie makers thought if they dressed the princess in a way that is more authentic the viewers wouldn't find it compatible with their idea of "pretty", especially viewers who are unfamiliar with C-content/only came to watch because of Dylan Sprouse.
So yeah, I was thoroughly unimpressed. Do not recommend.
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This movie is very beautiful. The characters are adorable and I can really feel the bond between each of them. The storyline is so natural which is quite uncommon for Japanese movie, it influences the pace as well. Every scene is presented with a cause and that's why I really enjoy watching it.
Now about the cinematography, they bring back the mood board of 2010-ish Japanese dramas & film, like Hana Kimi (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e). I really love the angle that they choose and the way they shoot everything. The music is no joke! I love all the songs they play or sing in the movie.
After all, the best thing about this movie is about friendship. If you forget why you ever become so close with your friends, you might want to watch this. You'll probably remember by watching simple reasons why the characters continually care about one another.
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- Story: Love it. Has a bit of everything. If you like Parasite (2019) or Secretly Greatly (2013), give this film a shot! Very cute at some points, yet very sad, ridiculous, funny, and heartwarming all at once. I really appreciate how it questions life on a broader scale.
- Characters/acting: Love the characters despite some of the bad things they do. All the actors did really well portraying their parts and tried their best to make it work with the style of the filming.
- Music: One word: minimal. It's a quieter film and very unlike your typical Hollywood blockbuster so don't expect flashy music. Every piece they used was noticeable and unexpectedly added a certain quality to the scene.
- Visuals: Interesting camerawork and not like much else I've seen before. Captured the scenes from different, weird, and occasionally awkward perspectives but that gave an overall quirkiness to the film.
NOT SO GOOD:
- Story/music: Given the budget of it, some of the feelings they tried to convey were slightly underwhelming and got a little confusing. I wasn't sure how to feel during a few scenes because it's one of those films that would receive different reactions from people of different cultures and backgrounds. And sitting in the cinema where people were laughing and I wasn't was.......... odd.
- Acting/visuals: May seem inauthentic sometimes because of the way it's filmed.
REWATCH: Not a rewatcher but I'd give this another go when I've forgotten all about it and the synopsis/plot summary doesn't do justice to it.
OVERALL: 8.5/10. Nothing in this film is overdone compared to others of similar genres. It's light(er) and opens up to another world of film.
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Overall the movie was quite interesting and enjoyable. It reminded me of the typical cop and robber movies but there were some twists and turns that i would have not expected, but some parts of the plot you could easily guess
The ending was quite a surprise as well in some ways (there were hints about what would happen but the overall ending i would not have guessed)
To sum it up- good movie, with great acting (and if you are a fan of Cha Seung won, u will enjoy it even more i guess XP), the music wasn't bad it just that it did not really catch my attention (not that powerful, i would say)
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Not knowing anything about Kitaro I thought this was a delightful story, containing all elements a good story needs to have, without being overly dramatic.
The story is full of Japanese folklore, which I found funny and strange and sometimes familiar. It has a good message, lots of action, some emotional and some funny moments. It is a very Japanese story.
The acting was good. I thought it very brave from some of the actors to be made up looking incredibly ugly.
The music goes well with the film, and enhances the less dramatic and more funny aspect.
Overall I may not watch the film again, but I will definitely watch the sequel, where the main actors reprise their roles.
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The storyline… it kept me hanging on until the very end.
If you are a very curious person like me when it comes to mind-boggling stuff, you are definitely one to hang on till the last scene even though this movie has a lot of draggy moments. The camera tends to focus on everything and anything, but then at the end of the movie, I got to understand the significance of those lens focuses.
The cast was great, I like Miyazaki's character as Mari, I thought the characters in this movie did not seem complicated but I got that all wrong. The lead actor was a bit too good for this movie though, I felt that he could have done better on other films, his acting here was a bit wasted. But still, he was awesome and brought his own character to life. He was able to pull off the kind of role for a person who sees different perspectives in simple stuff and yet trying to live a normal life.
The ending confused me a lot and there are also scenarios where I had to analyze or think too much to actually understand what was going on but overall this movie is a good watch once I came to terms with the fact that there were a lot of meanings on the different scenes that were shown.
This film made me watch it twice so just I could re-analyze and understand everything that actually happened. The soundtrack was okay, but what really got me listening was the ending song entitled "Gerbera" in the last scene. That song gave me the meaning of synesthesia altogether. It was a significant title once I was able to understand the whole meaning of the film.
Giving this 8/10 for everything I have mentioned and recommending it to those who don't mind draggy stuff and would love to have their brains twisted into analyzing the film.
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