Reviews

“Artsy” yet unsatisfying movie

SPOILER ALERT:
I’m tired of all these types of shows that have the viewer invested in a love story that has misunderstandings. Oh, and the usual female lead is too nice to tell her best friend she likes the same guy, so she sacrifices her feelings.

Acting: Kim Yoo Jung- her acting is the best! This was the main reason I watched. Love her in everything she does. Actually secondary ML (Park Jung Woo) acting was better than ML (Byeon Woo Seok) but then again maybe it’s just that they made the characters that way. Secondary FL , BoRa’s best friend, I thought her character had a lot of nerve to expect BoRa to research the guy she liked even though they got the names mixed up, and then she got all mad at BoRa for liking him!

All in all, not happy with the direction they went with this…..would’ve liked to see FL and ML together…. At least you don’t have to invest 16 hours in a Series drama to find out that the FL and ML never get together!

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SPOILERS AHEAD

20th Century Girl.


I will keep this review (not so) short and i’m simply going to cut straight to the chase. This movie was good but personally i do believe that this had potential to be GREATER than just good.

First of all i want to highlight the spectacular acting delivered by the female and male lead in particular. Both were able to depict such raw and realistic emotions i felt as if i was watching the movie taking place first hand and not just through the screen. The chemistry between all the actors felt natural and genuine, none of the forced cringy friendship acting we’re normally faced with.

The visuals were good, The acting was amazing and finally, The Plot.

The plot kept me fully immersed and hoping for a memorable and powerful finale.. but i soon realized that my expectations were too high as the ending did in-fact leave me and (it seems quite a lot of people, unsatisfied).

Loopholes and unanswered questions. The ending felt rushed. The story was gradually building up and was doing so well until it all suddenly out of nowhere collapses.

.. Prior to watching the film i did see a few comments and reviews revolving around the ending of the film but i never knew what the actual ending was.

Let me start off by saying that my issue with the ending isn’t the ML passing away. - I had a hunch it was coming when the FL was at the telephone box and said something along the lines of “you’re better off dead to me” in regards to the ML. I knew then it was a foreshadowing method used by the director and it just made sense.

My problem is how sloppily they executed the MLs death. No backstory on how he passed or why he passed. Surely the ML’s best friend was close enough to his family to know that he had passed on and FL would’ve found out sooner no?

Also somewhere near the end of the film we see an old video recording of FL in her high school days talking about how she hopes her parents are well and how she hopes her brother is grown well. They showed the parents but didn’t show Ba-Da (the brother).

And not to mention MLs brother appearing out of the blue, it seems as if they just spontaneously threw him in and called it a day. I had to pause and scan him for a good minute as i did NOT know who i was looking at. Everything about the ending scenes felt unrealistic and rushed.

There are a few more things but these are my main issues with this film.

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Underrated Movie

I just saw this movie on tiktok yesterday and it piqued my interest and so I decided to watch the entire movie.
My verdict?This movie deserves more attention!

I have never heard of this movie before so I was really surprised because this is such a good movie. However, upon researching, I found out that this movie came out last MMFF 2010 - a time where "Tanging Ina Mo" was reigning, therefore I do understand why it didn't get the attention it deserves - because it was aired during Christmas time and most people (I, included) wanted to feel the joy of Christmas, we wanted to watch a happy movie with our family - especially kids. So deep movies like these were always ignored during MMFF.
I think it would've been better if they released this movie on different time.

Anyway, the story was based on Rosario Perriera - Manny Pangilinan's maternal grandmother.
I did some research and found out that the movie
wasn't 100% accurate - probably just 20%

Story: At first, I was annoyed with Rosario and her actions. And I hate that some people in the comments justified her actions and thought of her as a victim and blamed the people around her, I even saw an article from a newspaper which claimed this movie as "empowering " - I mean in what way?

So I was really happy that the movie was different from the reviews. They didn't make her look like anyone's victim nor did they try to justify her actions. Rosario made a mistake which followed by another mistake and more mistakes. Her character is someone you will not have any sympathy for - at least not until she finally redeemed herself in the last part of the movie.
They didn't make the movie look like "it was her husband's fault that she cheated" - they made sure we all know it was her fault and no one else - and she paid for it with hardships until her last breath.

One thing I admired with Rosario(in this movie) was that, she never blamed anyone. She didn't blame her parents strict upbringing, she didn't blame Vicente for not letting her see her mother until her death, she didn't blame Alberto for seducing her - she didn't blame anyone. Because in the end, it was her choice, it was her actions that made her suffer. She owe up to her mistake, so it really irk me whenever I see comments that blamed her husband or Alberto for her decision to cheat - because cheating is a choice.

What I disliked about the movie is the way the storytelling reminds me so much of the way the old Rose from Titanic, told her story. I wish they changed that part.

Casting: 9/10
Jen's acting was really good although not perfect- I partially cringed with her constant eye movements during her scene with her mother.

Sid Lucero - he had few scenes but I honestly think deserves an award for his acting. His acting as meek Carding was so charming and the way he portrayed, his shock, disbelief and raged towards his uncle was just sooo good.

Dennis Trillio- His portrayal as a playboy and annoying and irresponsible j*rk was so real, it doesn't even look like he was just acting.

Most of the cast did great job except for Ara Mina, I do not know why they casted her - but her few second scene as a doctor almost made me think I was watching a different movie... her acting, her look, the way she talked and her overall vibe just doesn't fit in this movie.

But aside from that, I think Albert Martinez did a really great job for a first time director. He should've won an award or nomination at least.

Cinematography, one of the best in Filipino movies. It was ahead of its time.
Soundtrack - should've won an award. It was great and I read they recorded it in Hollywood using live orchestra! Smell expensive....actually this movie obviously smell expensive.

I love the attention to details, they showed Rosario's son (Played by Dolphy) in an old house, which shows - he didn't become a rich man unlike his step siblings.

Anyway, I think they made a mistake of releasing this movie for MMFF because most viewers prefer to watch light hearted movies with their family during Chrismas.
Movies like "Moments of Love" - which was made earlier than this, at least a lot of people know of it. I even watched it on TV when they showed it... but this movie... just didn't get that much attention... I didn't even know it exists, actually most comments I saw were also new to this movie which is a such a shame because it was really good.
Maybe if they will release it now or put it on Netflix or air it for Holy Week especial, then it will probably get the attention that it deserves.

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heartwarming

heartwarming film and the charachter are fit in the role especially the main male I love the acting ..?❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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It’s more like a parody of a zombie movie

If you like actual good zombie dramas and movie this is not it. I watched this a couple months ago but I still think about how bad it is. The plot is very slow and boring. They barely talked, I had to watched it on 2x speed. The characters are so stupid, I mean that’s pretty typical for zombie dramas but still annoying. And finally the worse part for me is the zombies themselves. Honestly I could’ve acted like a better zombie not trying. They were practically humans with makeup on, and wayyyyyy too smart in a bad way. It literally felt like a parody of a zombie movie the way they were acting. Everytime I watch ppl recommend this movie I laugh bc there’s no way if you actually had good taste in zombie media you’d like this. BUT to each their own?‍♀️

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Female Leads

The superb acting skills of Kim Yoo Jung and Han Hyo Joo make this movie worth watching. Both of these young women have won numerous awards and after watching this movie you will understand why. The movie does have a sad ending but the reality of life is not always pleasant. But knowing someone still loves you 15 years after you have passed away provides reassurance that your life is worth living to the fullest. Both of these women should win awards for this movie.

The male lead does an excellent job of providing a love interest for Kim Yoo Jung in the traditional timid behavior that is so common in K-Dramas. Coming from the US, relationship behaviors are quite different here. They are straightforward when expressing one’s feelings for another. It is refreshing but sometimes frustrating leaving so many emotions unsaid. We never know how long our time is going to be on Earth and leaving unsaid emotions is a shame for those we left behind.

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Six stories- one great movie

I loved the plot! There are few chapters and in each of them there's a story where somebody ends up being killed. I loved the one with Choi Minho. How can he be such a lucky guy even in movies lol His story is gripping but the ending is terrifying as well as funny (black humour vibe). How come this movie is so funny but also frightening at the same time?

-huge spoiler-
If you want to see a 'falling angel' who almost killed Minho and Pyo having the time of his life as peeping Tom breaking into a girl's flat and wearing her underwear on his head, you should watch it!

Such a great thriller with lots of black humour (and not only). Worth watching!

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I cannot stop crying

I am just 21 years old but this made me miss my school days so much . Everything flashed before my eyes i could not stop crying . Eveything is just too fast these days maybe i am an old soul it made me want to go back to those days .Coming to the movie review i liked the movie just the ending .... cant we have a happy ending was it necessary to seperate those two .I really wanted them to be with each other their last moment was my favourite part of the movie brillantly shot ,the emotions were too pure . Why just why ????? I am just to frustrated .... Too many good cameos storyline pretty simple but felt new .Younjung's acting was on point ,the male lead when he was crying in the train i was also crying with him .... allover good movie but i will not rewatch again it will be too hard for my heart

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My heart is so warm but broken after this .

It was the perfect romcom movie , the entire plot , the story was so adorable , and their scenes together that just made me scream because of how cute they’re ????? . but then everything suddenly was so sad ???????

All I can say is that I knew from the beginning that there’s a sad ending but still watched it and enjoyed it even if I cried my eyes out at the end , and I’m not regretting . It’s was a perfect love story and I LOVE IT before the ending that surprise me until the very end . I was speechless and my heart was broken into pieces .

I feel like if you’re hesitant to watch it or not because of the ending , I still think you should give it a try .

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FUCK NETFLIX!!

FUCK NETFLIX FOR RUINING MY MORNING WITH THIS MOVIE!! MY SISTER HAS BEEN SCREAMING HER HEAD OFF FOR 30 MINUTES NOW AFTER WATCHING THIS TERRIBLENESS!! GAVE THIS MOVIE A 10 FOR ACTING CAUSE THEY REALLY MADE ME HATE THE CHARACTERS. I hate my life and I'm going to go watch 20th century girl now or a thai show or k-pop or ANYTHING ELSE!!!

Just to take up space I'm going to name other shows I'd rather watch over this because I'm not spending another second giving this movie time:
- I'd rather watch Love Alarm Season 2
- I'd rather watch Boys over flowers
- I'd rather watch TharnType
- I'd rather listen to Sticker by NCT on repeat
- I'd rather listen to O.O and Tank by NMIXX on repeat
- I'd rather listen to War of Hormones by BTS

Okay I think I'm done for today. The only thing I remotely enjoyed about this movie is that the orange hair guy is pretty and I could sense the effort and how it was trying to be something great, even though it flopped. Don't listen to people on this site. The cinematography is terrible!!! TOOOOO ANY CUTS FOR MY LIKING!!! Why we gotta zoom in on people's eyes and lips to be artistic!! You know what, I'm done. Actually, one last thing. They gloss over the most problematic things that it makes me think that they possibly just forgot that they wrote the bad things they made the characters do and say. I watched this movie on max speed and still understood everything, but was left confused on what the point of it all was. Only gave this movie a three because it made me appreciate somethings I used to hate more because now when I hate something I'm just going to say, "Yea this was bad, but it's not worse than 'Hot Gimmick'."

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In my reviews, I've often criticized this or that director for being "the Nth victim of the nefarious influence of the French 'nouvelle vague' and 'Cahiers du Cinéma'...", but I wouldn't want to give off the wrong idea that I have a beef with French cinematography altogether. Nothing like that. I only dislike pretentious and "artsy" stuff like "À bout de souffle", whereas I *adore* the *real* art of directors like, for example, Jacques Tati...whom I'd bet has been of inspiration to this tremendously nice "Kaito Ruby"! ^___-
The relaxed and funny atmosphere, the light romance, the splendid cinematography, the lovely music...it's a great watch, wholeheartedly recommended to all those who can appreciate such "oldies but goldies"!
The only reason why I don't give it a perfect 10 is that imho the plot is a bit too flimsy...had they gone a little deeper with that, it would've been absolutely perfect...still, it's very close! 9/10

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A masterpiece!

What an awesome film. It touched my heart too.

1. How they split the different part of his life, and in order of importance instead of chronological, that was a brilliant idea. It helped built the foundation of the story, the major message, while at the same time allowed them to insert other lessons along the way.

2. It was also not about the main character, but it also reflected the lesson for the other characters, most especially the senior grim reaper.

3. The CGI is perfect. If the CGI becomes ever more realistic, it would only distract the audience. If it was less, it would make the film cheap. It is important to strike the balance between eye candy and the message of the story. Well done.

4. Choosing to set this story as a film instead of a TV show, or an episodic film, was itself a good decision. Keeping it as a film guaranteed the focus remain true, instead of adding other side stories that can lessen the impact of the story (and even distract the audience).

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A good thriller for thriller enjoyers (like me)

You must’ve heard the phrase “being on the edge of the seat.” That’s exactly what this movie made me do. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole movie. The first time chills went down my spine was when the FL got in her car to run away from Do-Shik and he was already sitting in her car. Damn.

Kyung-Mi was very smart. Most importantly she was good at catching up. When the first time she asked the public to help her, they didn’t because she had a knife in her hand and Do-Shik didn’t. She learnt from this. She learnt that people believe what they see. So the next time they encountered e/o in public, she injured herself and made it look like Do-Shik did it and this time “people believe what they see” worked in her favor. My favorite part in the whole movie.

Lastly, the acting was 10/10. And the situations were well thought. The scene where Kyung-Mi felt trapped and had no choice but to beg for mercy in front of the psychopath, mind-blowing. It was very relatable with a very deep meaning. Anyone with no other choice would get on his knees to save himself. There’s a hindi proverb that goes “मरता क्या न करता” lit; “a person who’s dying would do anything.” Both the leads did an amazing job portraying their characters. Throughout the whole movie it felt like those actors were really their respective characters (which, obviously, is false. Wi Ha-Joon isn’t a psychopath lmao).

Thanks for reading my review!

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long and violent

This sprawling movie begins like a documentary, with voice-over and text-over narration, backgrounding a Japan in economic turmoil after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and political turmoil with the rise of socialism and anarchism, and the fascist authoritarian backlash. Many characters are introduced, including a group of young male anarchists who spend their time shouting at each other and botching assassination attempts, and a travelling troupe of female sumo wrestlers, who are at each others' throats as much off the ring as on. The sumo bouts are done well, in a long sequence that was as exciting as the male sumo tournaments I've seen on Japanese television. The women have taken up this life to escape dominating fathers and husbands, seeking the freedom they imagine in developing their strength, but it's illusory and only found in fleeting moments during bouts, as the forces of male authority outside the ring continue to impose on their lives. Apparently female sumo was popular among the proletariat for about a hundred years until about 1960. Eventually the movie focusses on a couple of the anarchists who connect with a couple of the women and hang around with the sumo troupe, and then the plot centres on the authorities' attempts to cover up a recent massacre of Koreans. I hadn't connected with any of the characters or their story, wasn't enjoying the emotional and physical violence, and dropped this movie about 2/3 through.

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