Reviews

The beginning gave me Shaun of the Dead vibes. Everything starts off seeming fine and then bam... not fine. There's zombies everywhere. Though they seem much more like people on bath salts than zombies... or at least what we know of usual zombies.

I liked that this movie was more focused on the two survivors and how it feels to be stuck inside, alone while an apocalypse is happening... the dread of not knowing if you'll survive or not... the feeling of loss and hopelessness but then the hope that comes when you're at the end and ready to end it all but then something good happens to make you want to fight for life again.

Unlike most zombie movies which are simply scary and meant to give you good gore and such and that are about the actual end and not if you die, but when you'll die, I really liked that this was the opposite. Hope, the will to live and doing whatever it takes to survive... different from most zombie movies and to me that's what makes it so darn good.

This movie was so good and I'm glad I watched it! I recommend it to anyone who is thinking of watching it.

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Worth the watch

Cons
1. The first 15-20 mins is seriously boring and super lame. I don't see the point at all and could have been shorten to focus on the main storyline. So if you feel the same, don't give up, the show will get better.
2. Close to zero common sense, or possibly too complex for mere human like me to understand the concept.
I still don't get the ending even though its a good closure. The part of some thing doesn't change even after 10000 years but it ended up differently.
3. Whyyyy Vivian movies always has such an ending why???
4. You probably need to know a bit of Buddhism about Karma and reincarnation to understand the movie.
5. The antagonist storyline is a little......weird.

Pros
1. Very interesting main storyline. I wish they would have explore it further on it rather than spending it on lame epilogue of love God thingy
2. Story twist
3. Very tear-jerking mainly because awesome acting by both main roles and really good love storylines.
4. Great music
5. Some parts are really soft fluffy and really funny (not lame)
6. I absolutely adore the dog acting!!

Overall this is not a perfect movie but again who is actually perfect? There is loophole here and there and questioning about everything, why this why that. Its weird but also very worth to watch movie. I am still giving solid 8. If you are a fan of Vivian movie, this is ? to watch list. The romance is soooo soft and fluffy.

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I placed any potential spoilers at the end of this review.


This had a very interesting story concept with an excellent script. I only have one criticism, but it’s not really about the script. See potential spoiler alert at the bottom if you want more info. I like the cast and thought the acting was good considering many of the actors were new at the time. I don’t have a background in film production, so forgive me if I don’t express this correctly. The cinematograph is stunning. They did a great job playing with the different filming styles, such as black/white and vibrant colors. The transitioning scenes when Yeon Woo has the color rush and decolorization were remarkable. I also like the music.



******Potential Spoiler Alert******
My only criticism is the description of the series/move on Viki does not completely match what happens. It mentions parts of the storyline that does not actually take place in the series/movie. However, this is an ongoing problem on Viki. The description on MDL is more accurate.

Random Note: Why does the movie version only have the mysterious phone call at the end?

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No need for spoiler since the story is as simple as stated in the plot.
It's the type of movie that I might forget but also the reason why I'd want to rewatch it.
I actually watched it before and I felt like I had deja vu. Looking at my watchlist, I confirmed that it was already marked as watched. Regardless, the beauty of not remembering the details fully makes the movie had me the feel to it. Great movie dedicated for struggling youth.

Also, great casting. As expected from Jin Goo and Min Ki. Even the supporting roles are well casted. If this is a series, pretty sure that there will be more side stories about the people in the ward and how they ended up there which I like since it's like listening to other people's real life stories

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I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this movie even almost a day after watching it. The story and twists were something I did not see coming and had me rethinking everything I had just watched.

-- Spoilers Below --

The way this movie is laid out, I thought that she had fallen in love with him and he lost weight for her and it was the same guy the entire time. Skip ahead... we're all in a huge hidden twist.

Hyuk was likable and funny in the spots that we got to know him at his job and he definitely tried to make an effort with Da Eun. He was coming back home every night to see her, granted it was just to sleep, but he made that commute and took the time to do that for her. It was hard to like him during the pregnancy scenes because of how obviously detached he was from the whole entire situation. It's also around the same time that it becomes obvious how much he likes Bo Yeong. It's also hard to watch their relationship knowing that Da Eun is an hour away working while him and a co-worker are flirting. He shouldn't have given in so easily to the flirtation and temptation of another woman before fully breaking it of with Da Eun.

Speaking of her, her character was incredibly likable and sweet in the beginning. She was a nurse that went above and beyond to make sure her patients got the best care and healed quickly. In the scenes after the beginning, she becomes incredibly cold to Hyuk and you can tell that the shift of him getting a job in the city was huge in their relationship. During their long distance relationship, she doesn't really put in too much of an effort and wants him to do all of the work and help even though he is commuting to work. During the pregnancy, she also is so detached and I couldn't tell if she was even excited at all about it. She tells him to go wait in the car and seems stressed talking about it at all, even when she was depressed afterwards.

This all makes sense towards the end, after Hyuk mistakenly called Da Eun Bo Yeong's name, the two split up and go separate ways because Da Eun senses that he is cheating on her. Months go by and he begins a relationship with Bo Yeong as they finish their project for the city. He goes to meet up with Da Eun who hasn't cancelled their vacation to Juju Island yet and changes her name to insinuate meeting him. When he arrives at the airport he sees Da Eun and goes for an embrace, where he bumps into a man... The man from the very beginning.

It turns out the entire time almost Da Eun was cheating on Hyuk already. She had met Hyeok at the hospital and slowly fell in love with him and started inviting him over at night. Their relationship stretched out even after Da Eun and Hyuk break up. He is the guy she's planning on going to Juju Island with and that's what they end up doing. Hyuk curses and goes back to Bo Yeong who he confesses he has feelings for, he asks for her hand in marriage and she says she isn't ready for that yet. It basically ends on that note of things and had me really conflicted on if I liked it or not.

I couldn't like either character at all really, I felt for Da Eun until the end when it showed she was actually cheating on Hyuk first and then it clicked as to why she seemed so cold and detached around him. It made me rethink everything like why she aborted their baby, which is probably because it was Hyuek's, why she blamed him for abandoning said baby when she was literally cheating on him behind his back, and made me just feel so icky for the both of them.

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A warm movie..beautiful..cute..moving emotions

Chinese comedian Jia Ling makes her directorial debut in Hi, Mom 《你好，李焕英》, bringing her humour into a heartfelt story about a mother-daughter relationship.

The script for Hi, Mom is based on Jia Ling’s comedy skit of the same name, which was, in turn, inspired by her own mother’s passing. Together with her co-writers, the script took more than three years to finish. Filming took place in Xiangyang, Hubei, the hometown of director Jia Ling. The film has been met with huge financial success. It has become the highest-grossing film of 2021, the second highest-grossing non-English film, and the highest-grossing film by a solo female director — not just in China, but of all time.

The film revolves around Jia Xiaoling (Jia Ling) and her mother Li Huanying (Zhang Xiaofei), whom the film endearingly dubs Ling and Ying respectively. After a motor accident leaves Ying hospitalised, Ling accidentally travels back in time to 1981 and meets a younger Ying who is working in an iron factory. Ling, feeling as though she has never made her mother proud in her life, decides to use this opportunity to redeem herself.

The dynamic between Ling and Ying is a very interesting one. It starts off as a mother-daughter relationship but evolves into a close friendship once Ling meets younger Ying. This duality helps surprise viewers with what Ying was like in her youth, while also showing how many of her beliefs have been rooted in her character since young and have remained unchanged through the years.

Ling believes that in order for her mother to be proud of her, she needs to achieve certain goals in life. She thinks these come in the form of her educational or financial success. When Ling realises she has travelled back in time, she uses what she knows from the future to make her mother’s life better. She pushes Ying into specific situations and motivates her to take on tasks that she was otherwise apprehensive about.

Along the way, Ying meets several other characters who help orchestrate her plans — a gangster turned good friend Leng Te (Chen He), and the iron factory manager’s son Shen Guanglin (Shen Teng). Both characters are very well-fleshed-out despite not being part of the main cast.

On the surface, Leng Te seems like your typical bad boy character but is revealed to have a heart of gold. He may be a little daft but he makes missteps out of foolishness rather than with ill intent. Leng Te’s relationship with his family is shown briefly and this moment gives us a glimpse of how every family struggles differently.

Shen Guanglin is trying to shake the stereotype tied to him that he is a spoilt kid whose privilege has made life easy for him. As he tries to woo Ying, he also takes the opportunity to prove himself. He grows into his own person independent of his father’s approval, and makes choices to prove it. The film also uses his character to discuss themes of class inequality and nepotism, which is very poignant against the setting of the working class.

The film uses humour in a variety of ways. Hi, Mom nails its punchlines when delivered, which is aided by the characters’ strong personalities and relationships. The film also utilises a lot of non-verbal cues to deliver its jokes, including visual comedy. The interactions between the characters are entertaining to watch and come across very naturally so that they do not feel forced.

Although Hi, Mom touts itself as “the all time #1 comedy in China” and can certainly land its jokes when it needs to, it does not shy away from serious themes and drawing out emotions either. In fact, I believe the movie’s main driving force is its heartfelt portrayal of motherly love and familial relationships. It is these touches of reality that help ground the film and remind viewers that its messages are not drawn from fiction.

The relationship between Ling and Ying creates several emotional moments that show us the ups and downs of families, while still warming our hearts with the love and care that the two characters share with each other to get through life. Ling shows immense growth in her understanding of her mother’s character over the course of the movie as well as her own perception of herself. This reveals Ying’s unbounding love for her daughter despite all that she sees of herself, and shows us the true meaning of a mother’s love.

In terms of the film’s technical aspects, colour is a very interesting metaphor in the film and it helps add a layer of depth that transcends words. The phrase “bringing colour to life” perhaps best describes the film’s approach here. When Ling is transported through time and falls into 1980s Hubei, the backdrop of a once black-and-white era comes to life with vibrancy and she knows that she is truly living in and experiencing the environment around her and not simply hallucinating from images she has seen before.

The use of colour also emphasises the idea of finding joy in things that are taken for granted, such as when Ling sees the happiness that early technology brings to Ying and her friends despite such technology being obsolete to her. She casts aside what she knows and basks in the moment that is shared among them.

Hi, Mom hits home several inspiring messages about family and love. I believe it teaches us to see our family beyond their material achievements and to put their happiness first. It also shows the importance of parental figures and highlights the sacrifices they make. Audiences online have described their renewed feelings to connect with their own family after seeing the film. It effectively tells a story that is both comedic and emotionally significant in its own way.

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Some of the actualities of an LGBTQ+ love-life.

I cannot emphasize how much, I am in a state of dilemma, on whether I should be sad about the ending of the story or rest on the bitter realization that not every love story would be a happy one. The story wholly describes how a person comes to terms with their sexuality, and how they develop feelings for the wrong person. I am so content with how Jia-Han had accepted being gay, starting from having a crush on Birdy, then experiencing jealousy when Birdy hangs with a girl to conditionally coming to his parents just to confess his feelings for him.

The life lesson argued between Jian and Father Oliver is the gold to be mined. "How is your love greater than mine ?" would be the epitome of subtle inference to the gender equality issues we face even today. This story made me realize how religion can a boon and a curse to your life. The old pedagogy of the church has derogatory effects in the community even today.

I was very personally hurt and disappointed by the story of Jia-Han, I think he is the one the story didn't do any justice to. I feel, that even in the end when Birdy subtly confessed his real feelings toward Jia-Han, he wasn't accepting it wholly. I was distraught to see Jia-Han still getting rejected for a drink by Birdy, after all these years.
In the end, a dream is portrayed of their younger versions joyfully singing the theme song, in the streets of Montreal.

So, in the end, there is this dreamy picture that we paint for ourselves of living with our loved ones, irrespective of gender, caste, or race. But in the end, we do realize that we are chained by the norms of society and religion, who dictate our life for us and paint our lives just in black and white.

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Loved it!!!!

I love this movie so damn much. Sure, there's tragedy in it, but I can't explain my love for emo boys, especially when the set up is with an older woman. Kris Wu plays a young emo boy perfectly, and he's handsome, too. Some watchers have complained about the title being misleading, which it is, but honestly, considering one of the posters (where we get a beautiful closeup of half of Wu's face) I was worried this would be a horror show.

I can't find the words to explain it, and I do wish there was a little less tragedy, slightly more angst and a more hopeful ending, but I do love the story. Now, to find this book I keep hearing about that it's based on...

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I haven't seen Ryusoulger as of yet so I watched this movie solely for the Lupinrangers and the Patrangers. And even though they didn't interact much, I wasn't disappointed because it gave me much food for thought. Why?

Because it felt so... sad. The fun and energy of the series seemed subdued. Even the music - like when Kairi & Keiichiro met on "their" bridge - was so sad. The thieves, especially Kairi and Touma, were so... I don't know how to describe it. Like they carried the weight of the world on their shoulders, like their way of living was sucking the life out of them. Like Tsukasa mentioned, none of the Lupinrangers went home after they had been rescued. Umika at least went to college but Kairi still lived solely for stealing and Touma might have started a café but now that Tsukasa found out about it, it meant scraping it all and running again. In the series, being a thief seemed all excitement and fun but in the movie, you could see how much it was costing them, the fact that they could never go home. Not that they ever regretted their choices but... yeah.

It seemed like mainly Kairi and Keiichiro matured. Kairi was, what, 21 here in the movie? But when he talked to the Ryusoulgers, it felt as if a span of decades separated them. And Keiichiro... he was still quite excitable, sure, but what he had been through, it showed. Especially in the scene on the bridge.

I love that when they want to talk, they either go to the park where they first met or to that particular bridge and there they wait for the other to show up. One look in the middle of a fight is enough for them to communicate this, to say, "I need to talk, I'll be waiting," and the other just... gets it.

And the plot of this particular movie, the dinos trapped in the safes of that new Gangler leader, the despair of the Ryusoulgers to get them back... Kairi & Keiichiro understood it like no other. The need to save a loved one trapped like that. It was his brother for Kairi - and it was Kairi for Keiichiro! Kairi - and Touma and Umika - had also been once trapped in a Gangler's safe, the Gangler Boss Dogranio's safe, and it was Keiichiro who had to decide what was more important to him, the earth or Kairi. And he chose Kairi...

Gosh, the scene on the bridge, the way Keiichiro couldn't seem to take his eyes off Kairi. Kairi's "Don't die, Mr. Hot-headed policeman." Yeah, it was short but the actors managed to squeeze so much emotion into it, the depth of affection between Kairi & Keiichiro, their need to see each other, to talk to each other, at least for a little while, like they used to before, when the world didn't know the identity of the thieves... Yeah, these two? They are definitely not just friends.

Also, I love Kairi's new abode, the old factory. It's very chic.

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Beginners Guide to BDSM

when we hear about BDSM, the first thing that comes to mind is Fifty Shades of Grey, where we saw the richness, privet jets or better say a billionaire's secret desires. it seemed all right since he was Rich, if he was poor it would turn into some crime movie.
Love and Leashes show the desires of an average office working guy, who is afraid that society might think of him as a pervert. but he meets someone who catches him but doesn't tell anybody. they both are novices to BDSM but give their best to learn and explore this new world. there is mild nudity(as ML is shirtless in a few scenes) but has a complicated shyness. this movie could have gone all wrong but it maintained the subject and the characters well. they felt raw, sexy, and clean. it had subtle rom-com too, not making it into some XXX nude content. this movie is a guide for average people who aren't rich like Mr. Christian Grey could also enjoy BDSM, but first of all, a CONSENT IS A MUST.

the exploring of this hush-hush world through the FL was done awesomely, she maintains her Dominant play well. but as a woman, she showed her weaknesses too. I loved her hard work learning about BDSM. Submissive ML was a charm, he was cute, courteous, and sexy in his work clothes wearing those ropes and belts.

EVERYONE DID A GREAT JOB. ACTORS, WRITERS, DIRECTORS EVERYONE DESERVES AN APPLAUSE.

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I watched this movie under the title "Super Dragon's Dynamo". How could a person turn that title down on late night tv? I probably should have.

The plot is very thin. A powerful CEO has a spoiled ne'er do well son who spends his time gambling and losing most of the time. Associates of the CEO keep getting brutally murdered. When the son, Champ (of all names), goes to jail on a trumped-up charge, the bad guy finishes nearly everyone off and takes over the businesses. When Champ (maybe should have been called Chump?) gets out of jail he's looking for revenge. His rampage is momentarily thwarted when he finds out his pregnant sister is married to the Big Bad's hired gun (though he uses a creative array of weapons). Suffice to say, the rampage is bloody and brutal.

The acting is acceptable. The main lead uses martial arts in a somewhat believable style. There are plenty of guns, fireplace pokers, knives, and pickaxes for other mayhem. Pretty sure they must have bought the pickaxes in bulk, I've never seen so many used in a movie that didn't involve mining.

If you are unable to sleep and in the mood for a violent almost incoherent movie with a sky high body count you might want to try this, otherwise, I'd move on to almost any other late night fare.

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Almost a copy of the anime

I've watched and read this manga. If you want to make a movie with actors based off a manga and there's already an anime, as this case, I feel like you need to add scenes that weren't included in the manga/anime but goes according to the main plotline.

For example, they could have deepen the plotline a bit and make it a little more realistic and less childish (i guess). Maybe add some scenes where Ryoma can develop some real feelings for Izumi, instead of just him having a similar eye color to a marble, or add some other scenes where Ryoma and Izumi get to know each other, spend time together, include some tension moments to really make the audience involved with the feelings. Or they could have explore a little more the relationship between the manager and the brother, that would have been nice too.

Instead they just chose to make a live-action movie and this is the reason why Ryoma's actor played Ryoma's role exactly as the anime character. Over the top and exagerated reactions work in anime, mainly because they're 2D characters and unless you gave them some big reaction they look plain but with real people these reactions just come off as cringey and veeeeery dramatic. I didn't not like it but it was just like rewatching the anime. I feel like a deeper plotline, a more developed romance and realistic acting could have really given this better chances.

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Meeh

First thing, this movie can be watched with or without having seen the prequel: Vince & Kath & James, a movie that is pretty decent giving me high hopes for this sequel Hopes that were not really met... As this movie does follow a lot o the patterns from the prequel just not nearly as well made and while the prequel shines with the lack of annoying elemaents this movie is packed with oddly and stereotypical written characters that become highly annoying at times instead of sticking to this otherwise very promising story.

Both leads are mostly fun, lovable and interesting to watch as they have pretty good chemistry and seem to know their way around a set.

The scenery is very pretty and makes me want to go to the Philipeens... The movie is also bursting in colour and fluffy scenes. So it is an okay watch but I guess it could have been a lot better...

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6 words rom com cuteness overload

This movie was just so much fun to watch, I am not going to say it had much new to offer but it does have a lovely combination of fun tropes, bickering, friendship, romance... Some drama here and there, an odd scene about a circumcision... Ok so it has some new things to offer... this is simply a lovely love trieangle movie with mostly lovable characters who are entertaining to watch, interesting, mostly smart and have the amazing ability to say a lot in just 6 words.

Just a heads up: The second male lead does however do some questionable stuff that did not get the attention they needed, drawing down the score just a bit for this otherwise highly entertaining rom-com.

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guess i'm the odd one out cause i didn't get it, like i got what i was seeing, it's about two people that in-spite of being in a relationship weren't verbal with their feelings(?!?) enough to keep one from going, or make the other one tell 'them' to stay(?!?)

cause leave everything aside (like the quarantine, COVID-19, work-related move, friends, vlog etc...) we talking about 2 people who have feelings for each other, but didn't communicate that importance too their partner? and that reason enough to not only break-up without a word but delete that person from ur life like they don't exist and never mattered to u?!?
one just upped and left without a word and now that he's back, she is regretting not being forthcoming about her feelings(?) and that is her wrongdoing(?!?), so she feels they equally at fault or cause she still in-love is ready to forgive and give him a second chance?!?

idk i don't get how 2 adults can be together and not communicate or know, how the other feels, without the need to freakin verbalize it! then how/why they even together in the first place?!? just cause one doesn't want to come visit u in another country or isn't offering to up-root their lives n follow u. means it's ok to end thing with a text message and cut off all contact like he did? i for sure wouldn't be waiting with open arms.

this too short IMHO to 'get' what's what and i need a bigger picture of their relationship, not so i can accuse one or the other, but understand why she feels her lack of telling him "i care, so even if i can't follow u. i will be waiting for u..." or "the fact ur moving doesn't mean we have to break-up..." idk, there is something missing - to get her still caring to the extant of rushing to the airport to look at him from afar, when he lands back in Korea, u can chalk it up to "love is blind" or "the heart wants what it wants" but then meeh . so this ok, but not blown away like other reviews i've read.

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