Completed
Ghost Boyfriend 1
0 people found this review helpful
by JptYap
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 2.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 3.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.5
This review may contain spoilers

Bad story, bad acting, bad directing, but there’s a little kissing!

It’s unbelievable that any of the traits either of the main CP have would be attractive or healthy to another person. One petty and bratty, the other possessive, obsessive, and uncommunicative. Unless there’s something I’m missing about normal human behavior of China-Chinese men, nothing either of them do or say reads as normal to me as a 外國Chinese person.
The whole relationship turns out to be a hallucination/dream the main character has while working on some script (either for TV or film). I think there’s a concerning way to interpret this movie as being gay as a mental illness since he has to be on meds to stop imagining having a male lover.
He then kicks out someone who is in his dream as a LaLa who turns out to maybe be his wife in real life, and then he proceeds to be maybe single for the rest of the movie? The ending is unsatisfactorily rushed when it could have been interesting to explore how he could translate what he’d learn in his dream into real life action to be open with his desires and find someone he truly loves even with all the potential restrictions of why he had to live in fantasy dreams before.
One of my biggest complaints of China-made shows/films is the bad syncing and audio mixing of the voices. And this show is no exception.
Can we talk about the green splash effect as the secondary CP transport from one place to another?! This film was made in 2016! But it honestly couldn’t make the scenes with the secondary CP worse because the acting was already so bad.
I think every Chinese show about a queer relationship/person is worth watching because it’s such a limited selection. But this is not worth rewatching except to show other people a masterclass in how bad a movie can be.

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Completed
Their Distance
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I know existing reviews have concluded many of my thoughts but I still feel like giving my own opinion on this.

Some may think Their Distance is a bit boring, even members of NU'EST outright said that the only time they got to watch it was when it got premiered and they hadn't touched on it ever since. I agree it does require your patience, but I finished in one attempt and didn't see it as a waste of time at all.

The pace of the movie is relatively slow, and there are not many lines as well. Most of the time the characters just basically stare at each other. A lot of the scenes were repetitive, as I personally would prefer a new perspective or another way to execute them to not make them feel bland whatsoever. The plot is told from the third-person pov, so they don't explore much on characters' deeper thoughts and emotions, though I would like to see more. The film focuses on an art-y vibe so the colors feel nice and warm but there is also a lack of angles, many scenes were shot quite far away from our sight while I wanted to get a closer look.

The story centers around a handful of young adults, both Koreans and Japanese dealing with their own hardships and love. It's pleasing to see how the relationships among them unfold to notice that they all are connected to one another. All the problems the characters were getting through are all resolved at the end, almost nothing was left unanswered. It's also nice to see how love can change someone.

The cast is mediocre, but the setting isn't that enormous anyway so they match well. Of course the Japanese cast was better at doing their job (since they have been actors for a while), but the NU'EST guys didn't do bad either. It was quite convincing considering that was the first time they participated in a film. I personally adores Ren's acting so I am pleased to see how far he has gone (he's doing more musicals recently and his skills are definitely improving). It was also kinda funny how Baekho and Aron were given like 5 lines each and then they just vanished from the whole movie.

The music though, it was minimal at best, almost non-existent at worst. The lack of bgm sort of resulted in the quiet atmosphere. I would like to sprinkle a track here and there to boost emotions.

In conclusion, there is not much to expect here but the movie can be considered slightly above average when it comes to quality. If you like to see NU'EST guys acting and have a good time then this could be quite enjoyable.

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My Chilling Roommate
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Easy watch even if you're a scaredy cat

This show had a good premise. I can't watch things that are going to scare me, and I took a chance just because it was a movie. I figured, less chances to be scared. The first few minutes have some scary stuff, but after that it was fine. The concept of ghosts having unfinished business, and a person that can see and interact with ghosts, if it's done right, it can be very entertaining. I'm kind of on the fence about this one. Would it have been better as a series? I don't necessarily think so, because the story was simple and straightforward enough for it to be told in movie form.

I think where this fell short for me was the writing, the directing, the acting, and the sound quality. It felt a lot like I was watching someone's attempts to make a movie for a grade at school. The acting was stiff; however, I don't think that can necessarily be blamed entirely on the actors. The writing and the directing were clunky and didn't flow naturally. Add to that that multiple times the microphones didn't appear to be in the right spot, and this just seemed like the efforts of a beginner team.

It was an okay watch, and I was grateful that it WASN'T a series, because it didn't take up too much of my time.

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Completed
Carter
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Technique over storytelling

I'll start by saying that I loved The villianess by the same director and that enjoyed the long takes it had. Carter, however, is one long take that pretend to be a movie because everything serves to keep the long take, and though it has its merits (like the flashbacks) everything else suffers, because this movie is only about make a long take. The story and the action suffer because of it and both end up being confusing and tiresome.

I wanted to watch a good action movie but I didn't find it though it could've been awesome and where I don't care about the characters or their story.

The acting is not bad though sometimes the actor's line of vision is weird (probably because of whatever they do to mask the cuts between the scenes so that it looks like one take).

Oh, it was nice to see Mike Colter even if his part was short.

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Completed
Water Boys
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

If you need some dose of motivation, you'll definitely get some from this film.

I haven't watched the original Japanese version, but I guess I could say this one is already a great film to watch.

Characters:
Each of the characters' stories is relatable especially of Zhang wei's. The passion, motivations and aspirations in life is well presented. . The development is also well-rounded.

Plot:
I don't know much about sport movie plots, but i guess this one has enough twist and the turn of events seems okay.
Well balanced comical and serious parts.

Acting/Casts:
Despite seeing new ones here, they have portrayed it very well i guess.

Music:
I definitely love the soundtracks as well as the sfx seems fitting.

Rewatch Value:
Will totally rewatch this.

Overall:
If you need some dose of motivation, you'll definitely get some from this film.

I'll edit this when I rewatched it

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Completed
Monster Hunt
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

I'll have the house salad, hold the radish please

Monster Hunt was a messy quilt made of a variety of genres hurriedly sewn into one piece. Though childish in nature, it had enough disturbing scenes, one should think carefully before letting small children watch it.

The lack of clear and consistent narrative troubled me about the movie. A bad monster takes over the monster world and is hunting down the good monsters. When the pregnant ex-queen and her attendants escape, the hunt is on. Monsters are hunting monsters. Humans hunt monsters. It's rough being a squishy tentacled being in this movie.

Jing Bo Ran is Song Tian Yu, the de facto mayor of a backwater town, left in charge when his monster hunting father disappears. In a reversal of gender roles, Tian Yu is meek, a seamstress, and cook. His senile aggressive grandmother scarcely remembers who is and when she does is disappointed in what she sees. Along comes the pregnant hunted queen and her two attendants in human suits. Following them is Bai Bai He as Huo Xiao Lan, a low level monster hunter. When Tian Yu becomes pregnant, hilarity ensues. Eventually, the two humans are left with the baby monster king and have to decide what to do with the little bloodsucker all the while being chased by humans and monsters.

The movie is energetic, bordering on frenetic. Some of the martial arts fights, especially with CGI monsters are creative and captivating. Creatures break into song on occasion. A romance comes out of nowhere. Monsters eat humans and humans eat monsters, it's a dog eat dog world. There are bad monsters and bad humans. While I liked the moral complexity, too often it felt like someone throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. The baby monster, which I did not find adorable, seemed to be used to try to manipulate the audience emotionally into caring about it and it's human caretakers. I don't mind cutesy cartoon characters, but this one bordered on nauseatingly saccharine. And aside from him being the true heir, we're never really told much about the baby king's importance or place in the world. Like Chekhov's gun on the mantle, a rusty sword foreshadows the limping, docile hero will overtake the heroic female warrior protecting him. I cannot overstate how tired I am of this trope.

I enjoyed parts of this movie. Jing Bo Ran and Bai Bai He were affable and had a nice chemistry together. They were believable when dealing with green screen images something not all actors can do. Jiang Wu as a conflicted bounty hunter was fun to watch as he battled monster and human alike. I was particularly happy seeing Elaine Jin/Kam, Sandra Ng, and Tang Wei make appearances. The theme of seeing creatures and humans for who they are and not what they look like always appeals to me even when I had to sort through a lot of other themes in the movie to latch onto this one.

A brain burrowing bug and open air exotic meat markets may not be for everyone. The movie doesn't shy away from death and oddity.

For those who like lots of random action and a plethora of strange creatures, this will be right up their alley. As much as I enjoy CGI children's movies, this one felt too much like a fever dream hopped up on sugar for me. I left it staggering from the sweetness and weirdness overload.




8/6/22

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Senior and Her
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers
I watched this movie solely for Shison Jun. And I didn't realize that Kojima Riria - who starred with him in ToQger - was in it, too! And that she played the object of his unrequited affection. Ha!

I must say that I didn't like the main heroine, Rika, all that much. She simply rubbed me the wrong way with her behavior, her borderline obsession with Mino. I did like her character progress throughout the movie, though. I mean, she was - what? - 15 at the beginning of the story so you really have to account for that. And it took her a while to accept that you can't force anyone to love you. They either do or they don't. So when she then secretly sent Mino the charm to wish him good luck at his exams, I honestly teared up.

And Mino. He was in the very same position with Aoi. He loved Aoi but she didn't love him back. But she liked going back to him to and back in his affection to, I don't know, re-affirm her self-worth, I guess, because her boyfriend was a big jerk. So whenever it looked like Mino might actually move on, Aoi popped up again and he started thinking again he might have a chance. But I don't think she even realized she was doing, that she was using him...

It's an odd movie. Nothing much happens, the seasons just flow in it and life happens along the way. I've seen it compared to Strobe Edge but, to be honest, I liked Strobe Edge much better. The proverbial saving grace here was Shison Jun and his character's relationship with his best friend, what little we've seen of it.

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Maid in Malacanang
5 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.0

MiM made me cry

Please ignore harsh and negative comments about this movie. Most of them only watched the trailer and never bothered to watch the whole film. They are primarily from people who hate the Marcos family.

I just watched it last night, and it made me cry. I never expected myself to cry over a biopic, semi-documentary film that depicts the last 72 hours of the family of the leader who has been tagged as a dictator in Philippine history.

I don't have much expectation when it comes to local Filipino films. I never bother watching one in the past. But, for this one, I made an exemption.

I have watched maybe a thousand movies and foreign tv series; thus, I have a very high standard when rating one.

For this film, I rate it 6.5 stars.

It's a low-budget movie with a very compelling storyline and dialogue, and I don't want it to end. When it ended, I felt like there were more stories to tell, thus the reason I gave it a 6.5-star rating.

Another reason for my rating is that a few scenes are OA. I hope the director can improve his craft in the sequel movie, MoM - Martyr or Murderer? I am very interested to know what the Marcos family's take about the assassination of Benigno Aquino.

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Completed
Carter
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.0

Cyberpunk inspired third person virtual reality

A totally experimental and ridiculous action thriller that somehow able to achieve the director's ambitious vision. It's sort of a cyberpunk inspired third person virtual reality mixed bag, and I believe majority will be put off by its nauseating camera works, but getting motion sickness for 2 hours is totally worth it, I'm in for it. Joo Won gets extremely physical and maximum adrenaline in every action scene from the start to the end, not really sure whether it can be said as an enjoyable cinematic experience, but it does look sick as fuck. This format may not work for the silver screen, but for Netflix at home, hell yeah!

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Completed
Maid in Malacanang
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Best movie of 2022

based from the maid inside malacanang who really know what happened, great movie and full of great lessons, watch this guys this will make your life change and the way you look at the future,, gives hope for every each Filipino people,
watch it guys for sure you will like it, it is the true history of what happened inside the palace at the last hours of greatest president of the Philippines, it will make you sad but full of hopes that one day they will come back, and they really did come back this 2022 for sure I will cooperate and I will support this administration

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Completed
Maid in Malacanang
5 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

THIS IS NOT A HISTORICAL MOVIE BUT VERY ENTERTAINING

So what are my thoughts about Maid In Malacañang.

Before you read, make sure you are not the close-minded type who trolled here with fake reviews for something they didn't even watch nor gave chance to see. I hate fake reviewers as they mislead people.

So let's start.

I don't like it. But read along before you attack with torches and hurl insults.

Here are reasons why. (Warning : Few Spoilers)

This is not a historical movie. If you want to see something stronger, then watch Brocka's banned movie or actual news footage. Not a movie told from the perspective of the producer, the director or the award giving bodies.

If you are expecting a revisionist movie like dispelling rumours about the Marcoses excesses and opulence, this is not for you. It doesn't hide their wealth and their control of people around them - from the luxury-wearing zero-gravity moving Imelda, to the scary bossy angered Imee, the party going camou-wearing brave-wanting Bonget. No sugar coating here - they are revealed as spoiled people.

It doesn't portray the Marcoses as the bravest souls as they show here how they spiraled to their fears and frustrations, the latter shown by former President FEM himself. If you are expecting them to be portrayed here as a blameless hero family, they aren't as even Irene

It doesn't show the Marcoses as the most powerful family in the country as they too failed to save their entire extended household (meaning those who lived long with them in the palace). The mahjong scene that irked many before the actual showing revealed the figures who were more powerful, and I emphasize, were as it is passe. And it is not the one who sat at the mahjong table but the bigger entity some tried to represent mockingly.

It didn't show the atrocities during Martial Law nor it depicted further the evil side of many politicians some have come to worship for decades. Nor did it tackle the roots of what made Martial Law to be declared.

It didn't utilise more some actors like Elizabeth Oropesa, the controversial Ella Cruz and even the most hated actress now for portraying the symbolic yellow wearing saint, Gieselle Sanchez. I feel like some scenes really got stolen much by the superb timing and acting of Beverly Salviejo aka Manang Biday.

But it did reveal some things that would make more people ponder, especially with the "what ifs". Highly entertaining as was the movie, I am left with questions after seeing it as the pieces still don't feel complete. With many puzzle pieces hidden before like actual video clips of how the palace was stormed and yes, burned (as there are actual reports to such in the news), the actual announcements to join EDSA uprising (I wish they put recordings of those actual announcements of Sin calling the faithful), to the big reveal for some that Marcoses were aimed to be killed by friends and some organised people, I can't help but ponder is the running time enough for film or is this better a series?

Some things are made clear here though.

First, and I won't be apologetic. This is a middle finger movie to Ramos who died days before the movie was shown. Maybe he chose to die before his humiliation can be revealed that he was indeed part of planners to kill off the first family. I know BBM paid respects but the Maid in Malacañang didn't and I understand her for that.

This is also a big middle finger movie to family and friends who betray us for politics. Darryl never shies away from controversy and arguments. With the 2022 election campaign being hailed as the most toxic we experienced (and maybe the worst of all time). The lines hit hard that you eat on the same plate with people who wish you dead. Sadly, toxicity is shared on the plate.

This is not a hate film though. In fact, it is a beautifully crafted melodrama with light touches of humor and reference to 80s, to telenovelas and even PRRD's expletives. The music was superb, the pacing mostly on point but always easy to follow and the acting delivered credibly by everyone in the main cast. If Cesar Montano and Beverly Salviejo don't get awards here, we know some directors probably thought to award it to someone else and found their own reflections.

Darryl also is masterful in creating memorable lines like how he delivered with his notoriously popular LenLen series. My dad kept repeating some of the lines he remembered and I of course love villains so you know whose I remember the most. Add the symbolisms, references and mild swearing he put may look or sound cliche for some but those are reminders that this movie is not perfect nor the people shown in it. It doesn't lie like others hailing their own as absolute truth and true masterpiece that must be seen again (and I say again as not much watched the first run, it wouldn't earn either with a re-run if not put side by side with Maid in Malacañang). It doesn't lie that it is not without creative liberties meant to stir emotions at almost every chapter as they hit the right nerves at most points.

Maid in Malacañang is not a movie made to justify lies as others claim it would be. Rather, it presents itself as a vulnerable piece prone to dissection - hence chapters. It is highly entertaining as it is thought provoking, tear inducing, BP raising, heart warming.

So I don't like it.
I love it.

PS the final mahjong scene looks funny in the trailers but it is actually a sinister dark energy filled take, from the daunting music which reminds of The Omen, to the evil spewed out lines to the closing of hands playing with yellows. A promotion of what was to come. Darryl should make a horror film continuation about this. :P

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Completed
Detection of Di Renjie
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers
Detective Di must discover the reason behind 4 mysterious deaths. The deaths looked like a medieval Joker went on a rampage as all the victims were left smiling. Were the causes natural or supernatural? An imperial guard was also looking into the matter and she and Di reluctantly teamed up.

The townspeople were convinced the deaths were a punitive action by Apsaras or murals coming to life to take vengeance. Di and Imperial Guard Xie Yaohuan immediately dismissed the flying fairies theory and started digging for more human motivations. Along the way there were twists and turns, many of them foreseeable.

Di and Xie went from if not enemies to lovers, at least enemies to allies. The slow burn was believable as the two worked together. Who the real villain was didn't take much detective work for the savvy viewer but at least they made the journey to the discovery interesting most of the time.

There were several swordfights in the rain which were good, not Jet Li-Donnie Yen in Hero good, but entertaining nonetheless. Most of the fights without torrents of water being dumped on the actors tended to be clumsy looking. It wouldn't have been a proper wuxia without someone being attacked in the woods by a black hooded assassin and Detection checked that box, too.

The acting, sets, and costumes were all more than adequate for a low budget Detective Dee. The story, while predictable at times could also be engaging. There was nothing spectacular, just a comfortable, familiar who-done-it. One word of caution if you have a snake phobia, Di and Xie were confronted by many, many snakes in one scene.

Detection of Di Renjie is not something to rush out and put in your Plan to Watch list, but if you enjoy ancient detective stories, this might be one to check out on a slow night if you keep your expectations low.



8/5/22

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Completed
Koko Sun Yi
6 people found this review helpful
by AnQuat
Aug 5, 2022
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

What were Japanese "comfort girls"?

I had the privilege to see one of the first presentations of this KBS-documentary today. In the movie announcement it says:
Koko Sunji - our search to find the truth. Japanese "comfort girl" report no 49.

Subject: This documentary is concerned with the fate of twenty young Korean women who were discovered by the allies in 1944 in Myanmar (former Burma). As they were prisoners of war they were interrogated and there remained two interrogation reports about them, as well as a couple of photographs. The main purpose of the film was finding out who they were - based on these reports and pictures - what happened to them, and what was their role during the war years. Koko Sunji was one of them.
The film also sheds light on the people who wrote the reports, the conditions under which they were written and so on. In order to interpret the reliability of such a historical paper, all these details are important, that becomes evident. In the course of the documentary there are also a few Americans being included, who for different reasons got involved in the matter.

The story: The story concerns historical facts, not fiction, but if I have to rate the story, I`d say it is well narrated. You get to follow the path of the production team on their journey to shed light on that part of the war history. Step by step you follow their interviews, focussing always on the interviewed person. You see maps, buildings and sceneries of importance and in this way it stays interesting from beginning to end.
The film has a highly analytical approach to the matter, which helps not to get emotional.

Acting/cast: The people shown were authentic and always interesting, even though you might not like all of them - since there are conflicting opinions that get their screen time, too.

Music: I don`t actually remember any music. If there was music, it didn`t distract me from the film, and that is a good thing.

Rewatch value: I might rewatch it at a certain point. Some parts were actually artistic, in a subtle way, but I am mainly drawn to the analytical approach.

Facit: I recommend watching this movie if you want to be a little bit more informed about this part of the Korean/Japanese history. It is obviously not fluffy or feel-good stuff, but it is nothing that is difficult to watch or unbearable.
I don`t watch documentaries regularly. I give 9 points to this documentary because I think it deserves 9 points for keeping my interest wide awake until the end.

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Samurai Marathon
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 5, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.5
This review may contain spoilers

Do not excel, do not fail

Samurai Marathon is based loosely on a true story in 1855 around the time the Americans came calling in their "black ships." A local lord decides he needs to toughen up the men in his village who have been accustomed to peace by having any man under 50 compete in a 36 mile grueling marathon. Trouble began when the resident ninja spy mistakenly sent word to the Shogun that the lord was planning rebellion misunderstanding that it was a drill. Oops! The town of Annaka still holds a race in honor of the samurais' run.

Samurai Marathon is one of those movies you have to be patient with. It starts off slow, very slow, with a multitude of characters introduced with barely enough time to register faces and motivations, certainly not enough time to care about many of them. Satoh Takeru plays the super secret ninja spy who makes the error and then spends the movie trying to clean up his mistake. Komatsu Nana portrays a princess who just wants to be an artist and has no inclination to marry the man her father is setting her up with. And that guy would be Tsujimura Heikuro, played by Moriyama Mirai, a character that straddles morality. The local lord promises a wish to the first man across the finish line and Heikuro is determined to be that guy by hook or by crook. Other colorful, but not very memorable characters fill out the race roster.

The movie finally gets some traction at the halfway mark when the race has begun and the disparate groups face off against each other. There are several fierce sword battles. Director Bernard Rose, no stranger to horror, included some particularly gruesome decapitations. An assassin with a six-shooter increases the menace. Seriously people, a serpentine exit is the best strategy, don't run away in a straight line!

With a cast this large and unwieldy, the acting was fine. Even with the few weaker performances, the characters scarcely have enough time on screen running for you to notice. The first half of the movie was disjointed and could be confusing racing from character to character. The pacing was uneven at best until it finally hit its stride. I will say that in the opening scene when Danny Huston as Commodore Perry makes an appearance, I thought he would play more into the story. When this actor shows up in a movie you know it's time to hide the jewelry and the women and children, he always plays a baddie. For the most part, short of introducing the handguns, he provided little reason to take up screen time.

Samurai Marathon is not a bad way to spend your time if you can make it through the first hour and still be engaged. By the time the mud covered motley crew of runners dragged into the castle I was rooting for them, well, most of them.




8/5/22

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Carter
10 people found this review helpful
Aug 5, 2022
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

Action on Action

TW: This movie contails full on nudity, violence and gory.

First off, a huge round of applause to all of the actors and actresses! This movie, from beginning to end, was jammed packed with action scenes- literally action on action. Joo Won carried his action scenes terrifically. ? Happy to see JW back on the screen!

? What I enjoyed ?

1. [ The cinematography ] - I appreciate the switch from 1st person to 3rd person perspective from time to time. It invites the audience (you) to be a part of the movie with the characters. It gives off this feeling like you're playing a video game. The movements of the camera will have you drifting in and out of an "interactive" video game to movie style.

2. [ The action scenes ] There are a lot of action scenes! I never once felt bored. The enemy emerges from any and every direction, LOL. I like that the director did not shy away from bloodsheds! There is a big considerable amount of gore.

3. [ The portrayal of virus is different ] Yes, the plotline is centered around this virus called "DMZ virus". However, it's not your typical bitting-eating-flesh mutants. Politics and distrust between NK and SK is in the plotline too.

4. I like the added mystery concept of: "What is real and what isn't?" shown between Carter's memory and what is told by others about his true identity.

? What I think can be improved on ?

1. [ Acrobatics ] - In some action scenes, the camera could've just stayed still and have the entire scene pan out wide & we all would've been perfectly fine with it. Instead, the camera twirled in circles, constant up in the sky then back down on earth, then zig-zag from one car/motorcycle to the next.... beware if you have motion sickness. There were too many unnecessary acrobatic camer movements.
I wholeheartedly think the camera crew deserves a raise- they most definitely broke their back doing all of the extra camera movements.

2. [ The ending ] I personally felt like the ending ended abruptly.

3. [ Too many side characters ] Anytime any new side characters get introduced to us, it feels like there's going to be more to the story... but nothing happens. Although I appreciate the appearances of the stunt doubles & extras (such as Mike Colter), they did NOT add any depth to the storyline. Could've replaced those with scenes that would deepen the storyline & characters arc. This was a missed opportunity IMO.

4. [ Virus ] Aside from knowing the name and *possibly* where the virus started from.... we don't really know much about the virus? Wish they could've elaborated more on the global and health crisis.

• My overall thought: Lots of action and style... with no substance. If you're a big fan of action and thriller movies, I do think you should give this a watch! This movie definitely live up to those two genres. And those two genres only.

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