Reviews

Gil Bok Soon is a woman of focus, commitment, and sheer will

Gil Boksoon brought one thing to mind when I saw her "John Wick is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will".

This movie reminded me so much of what I love about the John Wick franchise: the assassins, the organizations, and the rules that govern their anarchy. I'm a massive fan of seeing groups that work so far outside the law being acquiescent to their own rules that combine their obscure forms of morality with their own back alley justice. The movie was undoubtedly an 8/10 for me and here's why.

Pros:
I live for action and the action scenes and sequences were immaculate. Slowing down the scenes to give you a better view of the fight added to the intensity of the moment where you clearly saw the characters fight for survival.

Her struggle with being a mother while living this life made you relate to the character more. She wasn't just some impossibly amazing assassin, she was a single mother who had to struggle with raising a teen (a task no parent would ever say is easy). But, the mother-daughter relationship was truly the heart of this film. Every choice Boksoon made and everything she did always seem to come back to her daughter. You could see how she struggled with balancing a career she loves and her daughter that she loves.

Each character played their role very well. I felt that I liked who I was meant to like based on their portrayal and I hated the characters I was meant to hate as well. Boksoon's daughter was also an interesting character. I couldn't say I was ever really sure what she was thinking nor was I certain at the end of the movie exactly what kind of person she is but she made me curious. At this point, I want to know what becomes of her character and what choices she would make moving forward, especially given what she now knows.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lee Jae Wok's cameo.

Cons:
I felt like some of the characters' stories could have been fleshed out more. I understand that it would have made the movie much longer, maybe even needed a second movie, but much of the stories felt too short. A backstory for Han Hee Sung or even Kim Yeong Ji would have added to the story. Side characters felt trivialised in the story, they had moments where they could have opened a dialogue to learn more about these individuals but they were just ignored. Fingers crossed this is to build momentum for a second movie...

Overall, I think it's a great watch if you enjoy action with a bit of real-life mixed in. I know it just came out today but I could see this easily becoming a franchise similar to John Wick. While it's reminiscent of John Wick, it still maintains its own identity. I'm definitely rewatching it!

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if you haven't watched any high&low series!

my review based on
• as a new viewer to this series ( I never watched any of past series )
• plot / cast / acting / soundtracks / rewatch value
• nctzen, so will be yuta biased!

firstly I want to thank yuta otherwise I would've missed it! I know this series (high & low) is very well known but as someone who is completely new to this and watched the movie : high & low the worst x , I can say that it's worth your time.

This movie is not just about fights and violence but its also about friendship!! The childhood friendship, the friendshio between a leader and his members & the trust for each other!

For the first few minutes, they will be introduced many characters from various schools (oya high, Senomon tech, housen, suzuran and few more..) the whole plot involves around oya high + their alliance with other schools and the main fight scene with Senomon tech. there isn't much background story of the characters except suzaki ryo (yuta) and amagai kohei. it's not complicated so you will be able to understand and catch up! there are some funny elements in between the plots so you won't be bored and there are also some heart warming scenes where you will be able to see how beautiful their friendship is!!

talking about the acting and characters. there are many characters and without any hesitation I can say that all of them did a great job! very well acted by everyone! The way they delivered the lines just by listen or seeing it you can say these characters were confident!
talking about yuta. I am very impressed with him. Knowing that this is his debut movie he really suprised me. at first suzaki ryo (yuta) will appear to you as a guy with tought shell, he has a lot going inside his mind but by the end I promise you will love his character too! great fighting scene but the last few mins the look, the gaze + way of delivering lines really caught me. you will be able to feel that he was deeply hurt. [ I teared ho badly here] so great job yuta!!

soundtracks are worth checking out! During fighting scenes they play some soundtracks and even during some sweet scenes. I feel the soundtracks really played a great role . Very good choice of musics!

yes it's worth rewatching!the story is simple there aren't much violence [rather I would say the scenes were cool haha] so you will be able to watch again and again. So your 2 hours will be worth!

Overall I enjoyed it yes I was hesitating a bit earlier but wanted to check out too! So I did it and it really changed my mind! If I get time I would love to check out other high & low series.

and little appreciation for the camework! Great effort by the team! with this many cast it really captured Eveyrone well!

Yuta I am so proud of you!!!
[this was my first time writing a review here so please be easy ]

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A must watch for Action-Drama Fans

Definitely has that John wick 1 vibes with the world building and OP Hitman legend. But in a completely different direction of a single mother.

The dynamics were insane, for all the characters. Just when you think it'll succumb to cliches and stereotypes, it pulls a punch from your blindspot.

I can only talk so much without going into spoilers, but every single main character, the boss, his sister, our protag, her daughter, and a few side characters, are utilised very well. Every action they take, no matter how comical, surprising, confusing or deranged meshes well with their established personality.

This movie made me care a bit about almost every character, so when someone dies, you feel the pinch.

Sure, its not feature length shootout fest like john wick, or a family drama, but its a happy mix in between.

The action is coordinated very well, the BGM is seamless enough and the few CGI shots are really well done.

I'm rating this a 10, but this should be 8+ overall at the minimum.

I am seeing a lot of low ratings and i just cant understand why. Maybe its for a small subset of viewers, like the entire John Wick franchise is.

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Extremely brilliant storytelling

First screened at the Berlinale 2023, this has one of the most complex plotlines ever seen in a Korean movie and yet it was executed perfectly due to its brilliant storytelling. It's sort of an assassin story driven in classical melodrama styling and vintage visuals. The story centers around a killer agency that runs like a hotshot entertainment company where they define contract killing as putting on a show, while Boksoon has the highest rank in the agency, she's also a mom of an adolescent daughter which plays another bigger part of the story. There's a lot of social commentary within its storyline and every bit of it hits the mark sarcastically with black humor. The cinematography and transitions were handled with some spectacular camera movements, every scene was shot beautifully and the action sequences were really breathtaking, and how they treated the ending with love is just impressive.

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"Ones that take away and leave nothing."

영자의 전성시대 appears in the introduction episode of the drama Oasis, so while watching I tried to imagine I was a school student who sneaked through the back door with friends to watch the age restricted movie. Jeong Shin was crying at the scene of the kiss from the different sides of the bars, and here are my brief thoughts on her thoughts.

?️The movie was produced in 1974, the years of student and Christian protests against the Yushin Constitution that gave the president the unlimited power. There were 4 emergency decrees proclaimed that year that allowed to use the death penalty on student protesters. Many people were arrested and tortured in jails by Korean CIA. The visit of the president Ford in November didn't help any human rights although gave a little hope to the protesters. On January 22, 1975 the president Park announced a national referendum on February 22 to ask the citizens if they would safeguard the Yushin Constitution.

?️Yeong Ja's Heydays premiered on Feb. 11, 1975, and let's imagine Jeong Shin watched it that day. She definitely knows about the protests, and even if she may not really understand what is going on, Jeong Shin feels that something has to change. It's not extraordinary for a poor woman to end up like Yeong Ja. It's not only the increased prices and police raids all over the country, there are enough bad people around to ruin her life. The only person who cared about her, Chang Soo, was arrested for starting a fight, but he could've been arrested for any made up reason if he was unlucky. (That's literally the reference to the further imprisonment of Doo Hak in the drama Oasis)

What makes you a "plus one" in the Korean society in 1970s? And as a woman? Is that social norm going to make you feel better? Is sacrifice worth it? The movie explores these questions and themes leaving the weak hope by the end: things will probably get better in life, but not how you expected.

After all, the Yushin Constitution was supported again on the referendum on February 22, 1975. The Park Chung Hee's dictatorship continued until his assassination in 1979, and South Korea had many more years ahead before the establishment of the democracy.

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Don't waste your time

Just writing this review so that others don't waste 2 hours watching this mess of a movie.

The synopsis sounded interesting. The movie is terrible.

The first half an hour is incredibly boring but I guess it sets the stage. Then the "irreparable accident" occurs and when you think things will get interesting, it just gets bizarre. And not in a good way.

Finally, I guess they just ran out of budget or time and the movie ends. With no proper ending.
Or rather, that kind of pretentious artsy movie ending that leaves the audience hanging.

Bottom line, watch something else.

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Disconcerting movie: boring at first but heart-warming and emotional in its second half!

This movie was a bit disconcerting to me: I was not sure what the narration was trying to accomplish with its numerous storylines and characters. Its first half was pretty boring and generic in my eyes and the second half positively surprised me. Indeed, I was able to finally immerse myself in the plot and to be concerned by the characters' lots. There was a couple of scenes that were tears-inducing but it was not over-the top: they were well-played and made total sense in the context of the story.

The ensemble cast did a suitable job overall but it is clearly the pets that are the stars of the film. I was super impressed by the emotions they were able to transmit and all the tricks they were playing. It must not have been easy (both for the human actors and the production team) to manage all the scenes with the various animals. I really hope that the various pets were not hurt and were well-taken care of during the filming.

While the production was classic and colourful, the OST was not memorable at all: I do not remember even one song.

I would recommend this to people loving stories showcasing pets and in search of some heart-warming feelings. This does not revolution the genre and is a bit strangely paced in its set up but it will make you go through some emotions for sure.

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Good not great

It's a good movie to pass the time and you certainly won't be bored watching it but the ending leaves more to be desired. It doesn't quite feel complete. There were certain aspects that I thought would be explored but weren't. It only explores the relationship between a mother, Kill Bok Soon and her daughter.

The action sequences were enjoyable but it's not the best female action sequences I've seen. It's good. There's plenty of action in fact. Just nothing mindblowing.

The movie has some comedy and lots of blood.

One thing to note is there is a sex scene. Nothing is shown.

There were a few characters and appearances that I really enjoyed.
Esom as Cha Min Hee, the company CEO's annoying sister. I last saw her in Taxi Driver and loved the contrast in the characters. I was quite amused.
Lee Jae Wook as the young CEO. It's a short role but put a bright smile on my face. This is the first other project I'm seeing of his after Alchemy Of Souls.

EXTRA SCENE
Just after the credits first start, there is a small extra scene so don't forget to catch that.

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The Struggles of a Single Mother Done Right

This was just such a pretty drama, a lovely depiction of the struggles of the typical single mother trying to survive in the workplace type of movie..

The story is not really new, but it does have a few nice touches twists and turns involving backstabbing colleges who literally will stop at nothing to get a head.

The core of this drama is the mother-daughter relationship where the two seem to care a whole lot for each-other but also struggle with honesty as both mother and daughter have a whole lot of secrets and insecurities in their relationship. Pretty much like most teens who are trying to find themselves as well as their sexuality. Finding a way to come out to ones parent is not always easy. Especially if that parent keeps pulled back to work at the most inconvenient times creating a whole lot of misunderstandings. As one could expect in a movie about this type of relationship. It does also make way for some pretty decent lines questioning the whole idea of coming out, done really smoothly and did not feel forced at all.

There are also some back and front stabbing teens as well, as well as some guy who really should learn a whole lot about consent.

There is also some slight romance, lust and even a show of true friendship hidden somewhere in there between all the stabbing, shooting and other ways to kill/die. As this is pretty much all covered in a lot of gorgeously filmed slow mo blood-splatter, shining shreds of glass and legs kicking in beautiful surroundings and to the sound of perfectly mismatched music. Just the way I like it.

Did we get to see anything new?

No not really, but it was well made, pretty and definitely one of the better mother-daughter movies out there. Also if you do watch it make sure not to miss the epilog it was like a perfect little stab in the heart.

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It needed some emotion!

SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
This movie felt to me like they edited out the scenes that would have made the movie make sense, any scene that included any time of emotional development between the characters.

Yamashita Tomohisa as teacher Sakurai Haruka - he kept all the crazy girls at bay, and falls in love with a girl that has no emotions whatsoever? They've never had a conversation with one another, but he loves her? He's gorgeous, that's all I got from him.

Komatsu Nana as Kururugi Yuni - she was the most immature, mature young lady ever. She hates him but she loves him? She's never shown any emotion at all, yet she's going to confess in front of the whole class? Did she love him because he talked to her about English? What's the attraction!?!? This character was the epitome of robotic. They might have been portraying her to be on the spectrum, but if so, this movie would have been so much better if they had addressed it. I think it might have been to show that only he saw her "inner emotions" because she clenched her fists. She's beautiful, that's all I got from her.

Don't even get me started about how, even though they have never been on a date, he wants to marry her.

I did like how the evil troublemaker was one of the teachers and not one of the kids, though why there always has to be an evil troublemaker, I have no idea.

I would have enjoyed it, I think, if we were given any insight into why they loved each other.

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Ambiguously queer Phantom says be queer, do crime, join the revolution.

Song at Midnight takes Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera and seamlessly adapts it into a movie about political unrest, the desire for revolution, and the need to fight for freedom.

This Phantom (like the original) is a victim of war and corrupt politics, in hiding from those who mean him harm, and continuously craving love he cannot hold onto, but Song Danping is depicted as a more tragic and innocent victim than the possessive and murderous Erik.

Where Erik decides to mold Christine into his eternal bride, Danping spies a young man (Sun Xiao Ou) struggling to perform and decides he has just the remedy for that - in exchange for a little comfort...for his ex-girlfriend. No strings attached, as it would turn out. Accepting no for an answer is the most chill thing I have ever seen a Phantom do and I will admit that this one has a very soft place in my heart for that reason alone. Also, it's hard not to notice that these two men have such intimate chemistry that their relationship can be contemplated further than what appears on the surface.

Rather than being raised as a murderer for hire, Danping left home to become a revolutionary fighter during the Second Chinese Revolution and later took up a new identity as a successful actor, all the while living in fear that his connections to the revolution would be discovered. Unfortunately, he is eventually caught and punished not for his connections but because he fell in love with a woman who was above his station. This poor man survived a whole revolution only to be tortured and burned with acid for the crime of falling in love.

This movie is often referred to as the first Chinese horror film and I can see why. The typical horror movie elements are definitely present here.

~ The eerie atmosphere of the rundown theater and the slow, suspenseful walk down the hallway leading up to it.

~ Women screaming in horror.

~ The overacted moment when Danping's bandages get removed and he sees his scarred face for the first time.

~ The equally overacted "woman succumbs to madness" trope.

~ The (accidentally? erotic) torture scene.

~ The tragic/forbidden love story through lines.

~ The attempted assault and subsequent murder.

~ The angry, terrified villagers wielding torches and pitchforks as they chase the "monster" through the night with intent to kill.

Parts of this movie are dark and hard to make out in its current state and the editing is noticeably choppy in places, but I have to say I can't recall ever seeing a horror movie open with a shadowy figure singing a long-winded and poetic serenade to a stone-faced lady who looks possessed before now, so I was immediately intrigued.

The opening is very slow-paced and focuses more on building the atmosphere than introducing the audience to its plot. The aforementioned artsy serenade, featuring a lot of beautiful nature shots, takes up the majority of the first 13 minutes. So, when the Angel Theatre Troupe finally shows up, the story unexpectedly continues to drag for a short time while the performers wait out in the rain, knocking on doors until they find a place to stay. Most likely in an attempt to build suspense, they eventually take a drawn out walk down the eerie theater hallway to reveal the rundown mess inside. Thankfully, the plot picks up from there and it becomes easier to follow.

The music is beautiful and Song Danping's makeup puts certain other sunburned Phantoms to shame, especially during the initial reveal where his skin almost looks like it's melting off his face.

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A strange little tail

After watching this I'm gathering that it was supposed to be the first episode of a low budget web series that didn't get off the ground. The English subtitles pretty bad and are sometimes missing(watched on IQ). The story is silly but could be cute. Cats are actually aliens whose home planet is destroyed somehow. They come to earth and are broken into 2 separate camps; cats who want to live as cats and human companions (some of which can transform into humans) and cats who want to get rid of humans and run earth themselves. The actors try, but there really isn't much of a script to go by, even taking into account the bad subtitling. There is some cute and for the most part well done animated parts. The sound is AWFUL. I assumed they didn't have lapel mics OR a boom mic because when the camera is farther away you can barely hear them, but the little BTS at the end definitely shows a boom. The "fight" scenes gave me second hand embarrassment. At least Jun Chen is cute?

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If I'm being nitpicky, Bob seemed like a real fuckboy. If I'm being really nitpicky, I did not like Lana calling the other girls "whores". Granted, maybe "whores" doesn't have as a bad of a connotation as in the U.S.?, but I still think that Lana is unjustified in calling other women that word.

Nevertheless, I thought Dob as Bob was overall pretty good. I just didn't understand how he could pee in the toilet while looking in the mirror.

The other criticism I have is that the story was a little fast-paced and confusing at times. I didn't catch on to what people/AIs were saying, so I had to rewind at times.

Overall, if you are into AI-themed movies/dramas, this one is ok, but I would probably recommend others over this one.

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