Reviews

Aren't you tired of being stupid yet?

Director Kurosawa and Mifune Toshiro brought back the iconic samurai character, Sanjuro, for this sequel to Yojimbo. Once again turning the genre on its ear, Kurosawa questioned the violence and death of the samurai code and the genre and asked his characters to distinguish between reality and appearances, duty and wisdom.

Nine young samurai are in a quandary after the Chamberlain has rejected their report on corruption, thinking he must be the problem. The Chamberlain had warned them that appearances can be deceiving. People are not what they seem. And with that we are giving the central theme to this film. And Mifune's introduction as he walks into the temple room stretching from an undetected nap in the back. Scruffy, scratching, with a beard and unshaved head, the young stoic samurai were not impressed with the man in front of them. But this Sanjuro, more controlled in demeanor and wiser than in Yojimbo immediately sizes up the problem. The Chamberlain is unattractive, and the Superintendent looks the part, thus causing people to distrust the one and trust the other simply by appearances. He immediately grasps that the young samurai are about to be attacked and saves them.

This casual ronin has grown since his last adventure. Where he conned the locals for money in Yojimbo, here he takes only what he needs. The 9 act as one and think as one, trailing after Sanjuro like a centipede. Again and again, he has to calm their foolish headstrong ways, questioning their rules and conformity which is leading them into a dangerous pit. This Sanjuro is a mentor and altruistic, constantly putting himself in danger to keep the young ones out of it.

Whereas Yojimbo was a dirty, dilapidated town, this film is all clean with neat lines. The characters are rigid and vertical, while Sanjuro is loose and often found reclining. Not that Mifune forgot how to swagger, he still had that virile swagger set to music on several occasions. In most of the shots with The 9 he is set apart somehow, a loner who likes to be alone and doesn't play by the samurai rules.

When they rescue the Chamberlain's wife we hear the second theme of this film. The wife tells Sanjuro, "You are like a sword without a sheath. You cut well, but the best sword is kept in its sheath." While this film does have several fights and deaths, the message that violence is not always the answer comes through loud and clear. The wife's mercy for a guard they capture became one of my favorite comic parts of the film. Stashed in a closet he would come out and give words of wisdom as he discovered the Superintendent was the corrupt person and not the Chamberlain. The captured guard was a good man, saved from death and wrong living by not being cut down for honor's sake.

This was a gently comic film as Sanjuro worked to keep the young samurai alive and rescue their leader. Just as he did in Yojimbo, Nakadai Tatsuya played Mifune's nemesis. Nakadai's Muroto, like Sanjuro, was a warrior from the old school. The two recognized the tiger in each other, both unsheathed swords.

So great was the message of sheathing swords that the main climax came with cut camellias instead of pools of blood. Only at the end when the inevitable duel between Sanjuro and Muroto could no longer be avoided, did the blood fall. Kurosawa gave us 35 seconds of silence as the two samurai sized each other up. His use of silence in film is one of the things I enjoy. It builds tension and slows the action so that we have time to process what is about to happen.

My love for Kurosawa's shots is great. His frame-within-a-frame shots were stunning in this film. A night scene in gauzy smoky light wafting about Mifune and Nakadai was striking. His use of wide-angle shots, boom shots, low shots all brought this story to life in the most vivid way.

Mifune had this scratching, confident, at times vulgar, character down. With his cat-like speed he perfectly played the samurai who hated to draw his sword, but when called upon was proficient. Going against the grain, no longer a ronin because he couldn't find a master, now one by choice as he wandered alone. A rugged individual, he could not be an obedient servant confined to the rules of bushido. Though only a year had passed in the real world, Mifune's Sanjuro had matured immeasurably in film time.

There were some repetitive moments and places where the plot and action slowed uncomfortably for me, but overall, I found this film entertaining. Mifune's Sanjuro was fun to catch up with again, a samurai like no other, one that broke the mold. It was with sadness that I watched that scruffy, wiser, warrior walk off into the sunset.


10/17/22

Read More

It reminds of the western Charlie's Angels and Elektra

Am I aware that this film was more about the attractive visuals and fancy moves than actual plot/sustenance? Absolutely. Did that keep me from enjoying every minute of it? Definitely not. The lack of plot worked with the story. For the most part, the FL just follows orders and doesn't question why. Which makes sense, considering her occupation. But we do get that why through news broadcasts scattered throughout the film that she listens to afterwards. The moments when she's not following orders are where we see her character and the sismance shine through.

It reminds of the western stories Charlie's Angels and Elektra. So I do really enjoy the film, illogical outfits and extra moves aside (or perhaps partially because of it, i'm not gonna lie). And they did a great job casting everyone - they were able to not only carry "the look" but also the characteristics and emotions of the characters they were playing.

And hey, at least the director is a woman.

Read More

I think little kids might love this movie, actually! Very little kids, like 7-8 ?

The plot and behaviors of the characters are SO lacking it's almost funny, it's like a middle school kid's creative writing essay.
BUT, for the same reason, it's actually quite adorable? If you put away your unforgiving critical lens for a bit and watch this with the lens you'd use to read a child's earnest attempt at a fantasy story, you might like it!
Oh and, go into it expecting bad CGI and all the characters being (very obviously) dubbed.
Clearly not much refinement went into making this. But it does have heart and I think they tried their best. So I think watching it with the same mindset would help.

Read More

They did the "lost memory" meme really well

This was a really well-done analysis of someone who has daily memory loss (no ability to store new long-term memories). They presented the story really well from the perspective of the ML who is the person with the memory issue. They capture his confusion, and all the methods he uses to keep track of his life (post it notes, videos, etc), and the little things he struggles with. They capture his emotions, angry, sad, happy, and manage somehow to convince you that he doesn't get depressed about it but instead choosing to live in the moment.... but it's realistic because there is a scene or two when he does show the anger and depression that results from the ailment. They talk through a variety of psychological / therapy approaches, and give you a justification of what works and doesn't. (No idea if any of this is medically plausible, but it's believable). Jasper Liu gives you a very believable character.

FL does a fabulous job showing how she deals with her job as therapist and finding herself falling in love with her patient. Both the ethical boundary, and how she resolves it. Then once the relationship is established, the way she protects him and supports him when other people might get angry.

The couple have great chemistry, and broadly the cast as a whole comes together nicely.

The twist could have been handled really badly. As soon as the event happened, I thought "oh dear, that's another show that will get a bad review from me," because I thought there was no way they could do a good job. But they handled it EXTREMELY well; in a genre that is done badly so often, doing it well earned them huge positive points. Watch all of the end credits to se how things progress over multiple years.

In "50 first dates," the FL is the one with the memory issue, and the story is told from the ML's point of view (i.e. we don't really see what's going on in her life). It was nice to see it done from the perspective of the person with the memory-loss.

Read More

Completely stunned

I liked the lead actor since he was a kid, from boyhood to this movie. Really, it made me cry and I rarely cry and the only other 3 dramas were the untamed, love and redemption and love between fairy and devil. The acting and visuals were superb and is 100% worth watching.I have never seen such stunning and touching acting in movies and Ding cheng xi grew up so much. I absolutely love him. The other actor also put in tremendous effort to convey his emotions and he certainly succeeded in making me a fan of his. Over all the movie was well and I gave it 9.0 rating, the second highest one I had given, with the first one given to the untamed

Read More

Confusing motivations…

I did not really understand any of the characters - the ghost included.
It does have a semi interesting start, that sets the tone for the rest of the movie - desperation and cheap jump scares. Sometimes this is all you need in a horror movie. Why was the female lead so invested in that uni movie was stupid though.

I get that she needed a horror story for her own movie, but with all the effort she put into the “investigation”, I’m sure she would be able to write something herself. Not to mention, was she both screenwriter and the director?

Then there is the ghost lady- why did she do all the shenanigans? They did not really explain if it was curse, vengeance… Sure, I can explain it myself with my little theories, but the movie did not, and that’s my point.

What I enjoyed - build up tension. Honestly believe cutting out all the jump scares would actually make the movie scarier. They ruined the atmosphere with how comedic they were… The pure investigation moments had me invested, but then a typical black hair lady jumped on the screen and I could not stop myself from laughing.

Performances were great. Loved how Seo Yae Ji’s character was so unaware how abnormal her behavior was, calling others crazy, when she herself acted in the most irrational way.

Overall, it was a decent watch. Would be better as an investigation horror game.

Read More

Cheesy and Easy Watch, Even W/O the Drama

Based on many of the top reviews and several comments, from viewers who watched the drama first, I was really expecting this to be confusing as someone who hadn't watched the drama first. Boy was that a wrong assumption. This was extremely easy to understand. Do I wish some things were fleshed out more? Absolutely. But it didn't detract from the experience at all. This was incredibly straightforward. A little cheesy and kinda fast-paced, but enjoyable. The characters were consistent all the way through. And like most esports dramas, the team dynamics are incredibly fun to watch.

My major problem though, like most Chinese titles, is that I really wish that the antagonists got more consequences for their actions. It wasn't like the leads weren't capable of doing it.

Read More

Artistic or just a hot (naked) body?

4 women and 4 "trash" men.
I went in thinking this would be a typical easy watching romcom, but was pleasantly surprised by some of the intricacies, particularly in the cinematography.

It's hard to talk about why this film was great without spoiling any of the twists and surprises, but I'll do my best!
I feel like the twist made me want to think a lot about what else was possible in the story.
Kinda like my experience when I watched "Initiation Love"

There's a really nice use of imagery focusing on rice throughout the film, and the way that helps to interweave not just the stories but also connect the spaces. That was really nice.

I think some of the acting and storytelling was a bit cheesy (on purpose) but it took a way a little from the otherwise solid performance.

I went and saw it in the cinema and was surprised actually that more people didn't laugh!
There were so many small moments of joy and comedy here and there that I just couldn't help myself

As something that's been adapted from theatre, I'm really curious about how the original production was staged.

I think if you're after something that surface level seems light but can also be layered and thought provoking, this is a really good film.

Or just watch for Fuma's six pack and butt shot, that's a valid reason too hahaha

Read More

Got away with the crime and, begins again with his career like nothing ever happen.

I can't with this movie here is a quick summary Nero Park stole her family's art, got rich, then rumors started that he plagiarized the art. He buys all the art burns it and, then tries to cut his timeline short by walking into the ocean. The main characters starts to look for him. He chickens out and, does not do it. The main female character forgives him and, he gives back the main painting that was seen in the beginning of the movie when she starts to work at her family's inn. He gets a second chance at his career and, starts all over again with his life like nothing happen. I said to myself Wow he got away with that.

Read More

the viewpoint movie

The short film is a representation of all of us who are attempting to initiate a conversation with someone we have seen repeatedly but never spoken to. We tried to start a conversation with the hope that the other person would want to talk to us as well, but in the end we hated the idea of being polite and began to be friends.

On the other hand, the guy should not pass judgment on everyone's intentions, especially the girl's; she's just being nice but is being accused of being the type of person with whom he doesn't want to be friends.

Quiet people may not really want to engage to any one don't feel bad about trying to be friend and being rejected.

Read More

WAAAAAAA

So basicaly i don't know how and why but i loved this movie. I got into it faster than i though and i was excited whule watching this movie. The romance here was amazing, when it comes to the comedy it was awesome. I loved how it ended and how they explained everything in the end (all those mysteries). And since i like hot or spicy scenes it made me even happier. But why i gave the rewatch value only 9.5, that is because i don't think that it had to be 2 hours long to feel completed. But aside from that i watched this movie because of the gender and synopsis and like days after deciting what to watch i found out about the ML actor who i knew from Class of Lies. If you read this have a good day :)

Read More

This movie is made for people who are already familiar with the life of Dogen Zenji - it skips from event to event throughout his life with little exposition. As someone who watched this because I am interested in learning more about Buddhism and who had not heard of Dogen Zenji before, I was left disconnected from the story and did not take much away from it. I wasn't sure WHY anything was happening; it just did, and then we skipped ahead a few more years.

The positives were that the acting was solid, the music was nice, and the production had a pleasant slice-of-life approach (except for a few CGI missteps, as The Butterfly mentions in their review). The film covered some Buddhist teachings, but it didn't go as deep into them as I expected from a biopic about someone who introduced a new form of Buddhism to Japan.

Where this movie most offends me, however, and the reason that I rated it so low, is that the writer looked at the real life story of Dogen Zenji and thought, "You know what this story about a Buddhist master needs? Sex appeal!" And then they introduced one (1) female character, with no basis in history (I checked), only to show her having dubiously consensual sex and then later getting actually sexually assaulted. Obviously these scenes do not include or involve Dogen Zenji, so they're just there because the writer thought they spiced up the story. Thankfully, this female character does get her own arc and character development, but there was absolutely no reason to show those particular scenes, neither of which is addressed with the seriousness that breaches of sexual consent deserve. I'd rather have no added fictional female characters than have this kind of crass and traumatic representation. I came to this movie expecting to learn more about enlightenment and left with a sour taste in my mouth.

Read More

I want to shake some sense in all of them!!!

Completed: 10/16/2022

This is not how I typically write a review but I find it quite difficult to put a rating and write about my likes and dislikes. Instead, I am just going to put down my rants and feelings.

This drama depicts the very complicated and unhealthy relationship between two VERY flawed characters. They are pretty unlikeable and don't have too many redeeming values. I fail to see why everyone is so in love with Otomo Kyoichi. He's selfish and self-centered, and plays with others emotions. I really don't know why Imagase Wataru is so obsessively in love with him for 8 years, when Otomo has never done anything nice to him. I want to stick my arms into the screen and shake some sense into Imagase. I also want to bitch slap Otomo so bad.

Throughout the movie, I keep on saying to myself, "Imagase, get the F out of there! He doesn't deserve you! Why do you keep doing this to yourself? Why do you want to be in this toxic relationship? He doesn't give a damn about you!! GET OUT!!" Unfortunately, the leads are in this never-ending cycle of a torturous relationship. I am so angry!!

In the end, there's growth in the characters but it's a long roller coaster ride before we get there.

Is this a good movie? I don't know and it really depends if you like this type of movie. But if this movie can evoke such emotions out of me, it deserves at least an 8.0.

Read More

A very inspiring movie!

This way one of the most amazing movies I've seen. The casting was amazing and overall the story itself was unique. As someone who has also been suffering from glossophobia (stage fright) this movie really helped me try my best to give my everything to cure it. Glossophobia is a phobia that many don't take seriously but this movie really shows us the real struggle of the ones suffering from it. The movie inspired me and probably others to try and get over the fear that is stopping is from shining with our brightest talents. Thank you to everyone for realising this movie. And most of all thank you Park Chan-Yeol for, yet again, giving me strength to defeat my fear!

Read More

Just me being out of my comfort zone

This movie felt short but like in not a bad way ofc. I gave this review headline like this because it's true. When i look at my watchlist i can find there different genders but my least watched is "time traveling"(in this movie it was the connection between the present and past). The reason for it is that i will most likely get bored what didn't happened that much while watching this movie. I started watching this movie without knowing who will act in it and then i found out that i know at least one actor. The reason why i gave it 9.5 star rating and not 10 is because of the ending. I felt like that was something i did not expected to happen but it did. And right now i am going to sleep :)

Read More