Reviews

Old packaging would still be surprisingly good if done the right way!

My first movie review here and I only want to write one to explain roughly about the representation of Godzilla here in Japan society.
Firstly, I’m not a fan of Godzilla, nor a fan of monster or disaster movie but this movie is surprisingly engaging and enjoyable even for me thanks to the brilliant story built by the characters.
Well, the story is nothing new: the fateful encounter of a guilt-ridden deserter and a war survivor in Japan post WWII, where people faced death, poverty and famine day by day unable to think much about future. They came together to make a sort of “family” of their own just to encounter the disaster brought on by the appearance of Godzilla. Facing farewell and loss, the main character decided to join the fight against the monster and through the fierce battle, he made peace with his own conscience, survived despite the odds.
The setting in Japan post WWII helps to create a perfect background for the emotional and touching story of the characters. And this story sets it apart from other Godzilla movie I’ve watched before and makes it easy to build a heroic theme for the characters in the movie.
The visual is fantastic deserving all the hype for winning the Oscar for visual effect.
I believe there are many layers of meaning embedded into the Godzilla itself, one of which is a disaster created by mankind (just like nuclear power), and the fight against it represents human helplessness in countering our own creation when it goes out of control.
If you are familiar with Japan society, the Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 shakes one of Japan biggest nuclear power plant it almost sent Tokyo and the whole country into a nuclear disaster. Prior to the Earthquake, the nuclear plant was believed to be considerably safe with proper contingency plant in the event of earthquake; but it was apparently not prepared enough for such strong earthquake as at that time, making it almost impossible to shut down the plant, which might have lead to a nuclear explosion, the worst nightmare the world can ever imagine. In the end Japan barely made it through by sheer luck. Still, it is still one of the worst nightmare for Japanese and the fear and helplessness it instilled in people then was something stigmatized and unforgettable.
Even to date, many areas surrounding Fukushima nuclear plant is still restricted due to high nuclear radiation index, making many natives unable to return to their homeland.
So I believe this movie also serves as a reminder of the lurking danger of nuclear power in Japan and in the world we live in.

Lastly, the cast performance is good overall, especially the male lead even though I’m not a fan of him.

I’m not sure about rewatch value but it certainly is a good watch ?

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Three birds with one stone.

I am a huge fan of black comedy and throw in some gangsters and I am hooked. Chen Kuilin is an infamous hitman on the run. Diagnosed with terminal illness, he tries to turn himself in only to discover he is merely the third most wanted criminal in Taiwan. Quivering with outrage, he sets out to secure his street creed as the biggest, baddest, bad guy of them all by taking out his competitors.

Ethan Juan floored me with his complex portrayal of this brazen, brutal, narcissistic gangster with crazy but understandable motives and an odd instinct to protect the weak. His close shave with Hongkie had me on the edge of my seat and their killer vs killer fight scenes were raw and savage. His desire for redemption and salvation at the commune surprised me until it didn't. A terrible betrayal culminates in a shocking bloodbath that masterfully builds and releases tension.

This is a well paced, intense and violent action thriller with a number of unanticipated twists. The dialogue is superb and dark humor is deftly used to release tension and infuse a sense of lingering irony. It has all the elements of the good old Hong Kong gangster movies from its distinct cinematic style to the emotional depth of the characters that belies the casual onscreen violence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie but I must admit that the final ten minutes left a feeling of nagging disappointment. The perfect place to wrap this up would have been at the reveal of the hitman that takes out three birds with one stone. The last ten minutes embraces maudlin tropes that are characteristic of Taiwanese productions. In this case, it completely ruins the no regrets nature of the beast. I have no choice but to knock 0.5 off my rating so this is overall an 8.0/10.0 for me. I strongly recommend skipping the last ten minutes.

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"I had no regrets until I met you"

Happy Together was a haunting, gut-wrenching look at love and loneliness with stellar performances by the main cast. Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Leslie Cheung played an on again, off again couple who were often lonelier when they were together than when they were apart.

Ho Po Wing and Lai Yiu Fai have traveled from Hong Kong to Argentina. On a trip to see the Iguazu Falls they become hopelessly lost and Ho breaks up with Lai and not for the first time. Lai finds work as a club doorman while Ho starts turning tricks to make a living. As Lai watches Ho with other men, a deep sorrow and homesickness overtakes him. He doesn’t want to inevitably “start over” as they usually do, he wants to go home to Hong Kong. He needs to make enough money first. When Ho is beaten by one of his clients, Lai lets him in and takes care of him, but refuses to sleep with him. At a new job, Lai makes friends with Chang, a young man from Taipei, which causes friction between the two lovers.

Ho and Lai were in a “can’t live with him, can’t live without him” dynamic. Ho had a reckless streak that Lai tried to tame, but would cause Ho to chafe at the constraints. Every scene was filled with raw emotions-longing, agony, passion, and despair. While Leslie Cheung gave a wonderful performance as the erratic Ho, it was Tony Leung who captivated me with his. I’ve seen Tony in numerous films, but this was the best performance of his I’ve seen so far. He has never had a problem with the too cool for school vibe, but in this film, he tore through emotions left and right without going over the top. It was impossible to not empathize with Lai when the heartache and misery were visibly eating away at him. In a scene where Ho taught him how to dance, the desire not just for this man, but also a longing for something more, something unattainable was quite moving.

A young Chang Chen as Chang Wan brought a breath of soothing air into Lai’s life. The friendship was easy and a reminder of home. Chang had a tender scene as he tucked a sorrowful, intoxicated Lai into bed. Their friendship was a lifeline for the floundering Lai. When Chang left Buenos Aires, Lai was truly adrift and found that “lonely people are all the same.” Lai became more convinced he did not want to ever “start again” with Ho, regardless of his deep feelings for him. Ho was like the prodigal son who had to occasionally self-destruct knowing that Lai would always be there for him in some capacity.

This film had Wong Kar Wai’s trademark palette of greens, yellows, and reds along with scenes in black and white. There is no denying his aesthetic gift, but sometimes I don’t connect with the story he’s telling. Happy Together connected everything for me. The plot was thin, almost non-existent, as these men struggled to make a living and struggled to alleviate their desire to return home and to somehow survive their complex disparities. I thoroughly enjoyed the varied music, which ranged from Tango Apasionado to fittingly enough, Happy Together originally by The Turtles. The songs flowed naturally through the film as stark emotions ebbed and rose.

Happy Together’s unflinching exploration of a tempestuous relationship was hard to watch at times, but impossible to look away from. Tony Leung peeled back his stunning façade and poured out an impressive array of emotions both nuanced and heartbreakingly real. Much like the Iguazu Falls, Ho and Lai’s bond was powerful, chaotic, captivating, murky, and completely unforgettable.

8 May 2024

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A Sad Movie with A Happy Ending

This movie is a sad story cause it tells us about death scenery. Of course I cried. Who wouldn't?
But the way they told us about how should we move on from grievance is so endearing and powerful.

The story came up with two povs, from the FL side first then the ML. How they started their relationship until how they broke up. And what I love most is how did the ML come up with that idea to prepare his death bed and to prepare his girlfriend's mentality after his death.

Afterall it's a very good and interesting movie to watch. And I can say, endearing at the same time. Cause this movie have told us about looking forward to the future. Eventho our loved ones is gone, and not coming back aymore.

So please watch it, esp if you have the same experience maybe, you'll be soo relatable.

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A sensitive and emotional journey.

Yes, my rating may be high, but I don’t think undeservedly so.

It’s hard to know where to start for this review, the film’s cinematography is stunning, attention to detail is just-so, while the characters are realistic and truly embodied by their actors. The soundtrack matched perfectly the events onscreen. When I left the cinema, walking home quietly at night, life felt beautiful. That is the feeling this film left me with.

I also loved the creative decisions made in storytelling, which added major depth and impact to scenes that may have stood out less otherwise. I love the film in a quiet and reflective sense; it doesn’t rush to throw so many things at the viewer at once (with the possible exception of subtitles, being a bilingual film). In that sense the film is much like a journey you go on together with the leads.

The attention to detail with language was not lost on me, as the characters knew each other longer, their language abilities noticeably grew and improved, which may seem small but is of major importance.

I have, at most, one critique for the film; which would relate to it being a bit cliché with one element, but this didn’t take away from my viewing experience, nor that of the friend next to me who didn’t notice it.

If you can watch this in cinemas I absolutely recommend doing so; albeit if you aren’t relatively fluent and literate in Mandarin or Japanese, it may be linguistically tricky. If you’re looking at this sometime in the future and debating if it’s worth your time, please give it a go!

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Avoid this second season and just enjoy rewatching the first

This is the lowest rating I have given a drama on MDL before. This second season felt like a student film completely written, casted, and shot by students without much experience or a clear grasp on the story they wanted to portray. It is a bit disappointing that this is connected to the first season.

In the first season we are introduced to the idea of Mono's who live in a world of grey until they manage to meet someone who's face will allow them to see color, their probe. Geon Yoo never wanted to meet his probe out of fear that he may hurt that person due to obsession so when he meets Yoo Han he tries to run away. Yoo Han however does not want him to run away. Their adorable romance that stems from their connection is simple but sweet to watch. Yoo Han helps Geon Woo overcome his fear by being a stable and unmovable presence in his life. Between this unique plot, the pleasant soundtrack, and the chemistry between the pair I enjoyed the first season far more than I expected to.

The first season introduced the side plot that Geon Yoo's mother had been missing and his Aunt was searching for her while taking care of him. It also emphasizes the connection of a mono and probe, essentially soul mates, but how the colorizing of a mono's world can also feel so addictive that they become obsessed with their probe. This obsession can make the probe uncomfortable or lead to the mono doing unspeakable acts to the people around their probe or even to them. The idea that mono's are dangerous and are outcasts is mentioned often. This second season tries to expand on that notion while running with the mystery of his missing mother. It becomes a story filled with practically nothing but Monos. The previous season made it seem like Monos were there rare while this season is littered with them and they are obsessed with wanting to see color so much that they have a secret 'club' and drugs and surgery to allow them to do that.

Honestly the plot is a bit of a mess. It opens with Yoo Han having been kidnapped but for some reason it is not publicized which makes no sense given the kind of family he has that was so worried about him being kidnapped in season one. It was a convenient excuse to have the character missing as the actor may not have wanted to return. So the shows premise becomes Geon Yoo searching fervently for Yoo Han and his mother and in his search he comes across a new friend whose sister was a mono that was killed trying to get the surgery. The pair try to enter the dangerous world of this secret Mono cult to find the truth behind the missing monos and the death of his friend's sister.

Acting was amateurish in this entire cast. From no real emotion shown for the death of a sister to the creepiness of the Mono cult. Editing is also very patchy with scenes and songs cutting off abruptly. Again this is primarily a student film continuation and I would not suggest you waste your time on it. The first season was a simple watch and I enjoyed it for the chemistry and interesting and unique plot but this continuation was just a mess.

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"Do you think monsters are afraid of themselves?"

Seventeen-year-old Satoko struggles with an eating disorder and sense of alienation from her family and friends as she deals with her hidden eating habits alone in Taste of Emptiness. Director Tsukada Marina drew from her own experiences in the making of this independent film. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, Taste of Emptiness didn’t shy away from Satoko’s daily confrontations with her obsessive behaviors and the desire to overcome them.

Satoko and her friends, Yuko and Kanae, belong to the dance club and are preparing for a competition. The talk in the dressing room often revolves around weight and boys. At home, Satoko goes to the frig, hungry, but concerned about the calories in the food. When she does succumb to pudding she exercises afterwards. Her anxiety and OCD behaviors gradually grow worse as she begins to binge and purge. Her father notices she’s not eating but her mother chalks it up to a small appetite and the changing seasons despite Satoko’s weight loss. When her older brother realizes she's purging, the men organize an intervention at dinner against the mother’s wishes. After words held tightly for too long coming spewing out, Satoko leaves to stay with Kanae. Her problems only escalate in the new environment and soon she’s not going to school and drops out of dance. When she runs out of money, she returns home and begins therapy. While waiting on the doctor, she meets Maki, an “evening office worker.” The two become friends and spend time together. Satoko begins to understand Maki’s problems run deeper than they appeared at first glance, yet the unorthodox woman’s acceptance of her as she is bolsters her confidence.

Taste of Emptiness used an array of symbolism for Satoko’s emotions such as being underwater and wearing a Noh mask to hide her inner feelings. When she confronted her family at the intervention you could see her withdrawing into herself, the pain palpable and intensifying. Confused and scared of people discovering how confused she was, she vacillated between being angry at her family and angry at herself. “When I’m invisible, I can relax.” Satoko’s mom had to fight through her own denial about her daughter’s condition. Eventually, both mother and child worked to find a better place between them.

Reasons for eating disorders are as complicated and varied as the means for healing them and this film didn’t take any shortcuts or give any easy answers. Satoko worked with a doctor, medications, her family, and her friends. Maki’s influence on her also came as a double-edged sword though it did seem to jumpstart her healing. Taste of Emptiness was a slow paced jarringly realistic film about one teen’s search for healing and meaning as she dealt with the “thin ideal” and coming to accept she was okay even when she didn’t feel okay.

“I hope you can be who you want to be.”
“Even if I’m crazy?”
“You have to start somewhere.”

7 May 2024

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Perfection!

This story is a classic one as it reflects an age-old tale of a ‘mid-life’ crisis. While season one is 5 years and the sequel movie is 4 years ago, both ‘hold up’ today as being relevant, funny, and still charming. Beyond that, both are wondrously entertaining. It is funny. Very funny – throughout. And it completely held my attention. That is hard to do. To sustain a level of humor and constantly recreating realities that are funny is not easy to do, but this series and movie does so with great skill. The comedic timing is sheer perfection, and the physical comedy is outstanding especially for Tanaka Kei as Haruta Sochi. Many others also displayed great comedic timing as well. That is a reflection not only of good acting talent but also of exemplary directing. Both the series and movie have their slow moments, but they are few and far between.

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A solid watch

I really love the premise of this movie and it’s filled with so many concepts that I find interesting, like the plant x, the z-pen and the half-zombie situation with Park. Acting-wise, the actors delivered well and Mew especially nailed it with his emotional scenes. Although we only got small glimpses of the romance between Mew and Belle’s character, I find them really cute together.

The cinematography looks excellent and perfectly captured that eerie post-apocalyptic setting. The fight scenes were so good and that tunnel scene got me holding my breath.

All in all, this zombie movie is fantastic and it honestly exceeded my expectations. I think they hinted at a possible sequel (that post-credits scene, iykyk) and trust that I will be seated for that.

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Uncanny feeling after watching it

Unfortunately, this movie was not for me...I did not manage to get into the story. It might be a case of me not behind in the right mindset to appreciate it but still I'm left with an uncanny feeling after watching it.

There was a certain poetry to the dramatic turn that took the story and some moments that resonated with me. However, I had trouble to get invested in the romance...Even if the production did a good job showing the passing of time, the whole relationship and its evolution felt too quick and unnatural. Some of the ups and downs (in particulary the last one) felt really forced for the purpose of dramaturgy sake rather than done with genuinity.

Strangely enough, while I found the developments and turns of the romance too quick, I found the pacing in overall too slow, lacking rythm. Until halfway point of the film, I was quite bored and not invested at all in what was happening on screen. The production was good with quite convincing make-up for the heroine. The music was alright, not really memorable and quite subdue. The acting was okay as well...I don't think I will remember forever any of the performances of the cast but I think it is more linked to the fact I totally did not connect with the scenario.

I would not recommend this to people as it was not an enjoyable watching experience to me. As explained, it might be a case of me not being in the right mindset when watching it but I really was unable to connect with the story and to feel invested into the romance.

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This is one of those rare incidents where the sequel captures me better than the original did. This second season took their love story and not only gave it complexity and realism but also enhanced the characters giving the viewers a much richer viewing experience.

In the first season we meet charismatic and shining Seo Joon who is an actor that needed to hide as a scandal shakes his world a bit. He finds himself cohabitating with the stone faced Ji Woo whom in every way is his opposite. Despite his cold exterior and very high emotional walls Seo Joon finds himself drawn to Ji Woo and wanting to become closer. Each interaction leaves its mark and Seo Joon begins to fall for him. As Seo Joon realizes his feelings he confronts them head on without shying away even in the face of Ji Woo's seeming indifference. Ji Woo who is afraid of being hurt can't resist the magnetic pull of Seo Joon and the pair find couple bliss.

But as in life, this second season explores the complexity of their relationship and differences. A seemingly perfect romance and happy couple that loses their way and courage. In the first episode we see that Ji Woo has left Seo Joon with just a note before he disappears and Seo Joon spends a year trying to find him not understanding what he did wrong. The season then takes you on a journey of their relationship that can feel totally different from each perspective. Ji Woo's fear and avoidance is expressed in his cold and often mean demeanor as he tries to run away while Seo Joon's honest and sincere heart won't allow him to let go just yet. The pair must face what went wrong and will have to be vulnerable in a way they had not been before. This journey of heartbreak and reconciliation will pull at your heart strings and keep you attached to these characters rooting for their happy ending.

The way the team expressed each characters emotive states, the beautiful cinematography, and shear realness in its depiction of relationships truly leaves a lasting impression. There is not some unrealistic villain that tears them apart of some overly dramatized reason for their separation and instead you are left feeling their raw emotions along with them, reflecting on your own past relationships and mistakes.

Well worth the watch. If I had to nitpick reasons for the not perfect rating then I will say that Ji Woo's character/background could have been better fleshed out. His cold and aloof demeanor remains for almost the entirety of the drama but his breakdown and understanding of himself and what he wants fits into the picture they paint of him; it just may irritate you as a viewer while watching.

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"Star-Studded Letdown: The Plot Twist"

It was the 1st time watching korean movie in india that to you know the actors like kim go eun and lee do hyun oppa will select good story, so i had a hope.

When i was watching the movie in threate, i felt nothing like if you are fan horror genre may be you can guess what is going on but as kdrama fan i can't understand movie properly that to from pre climax i was struggling a lot what is going on!

The good in this movie was BGM and cinematography should get an award and actors did a fantastic job too. The story and plot disappointed me badly .

Special mentions about kim go eun deserves a award for doing a shaman role infront of original shaman ?. As usual our lee do hyun oppa did nyc job. But our girl stoles the shows with her unique personality in the movie.

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What did I just watch? I was in the mood for something cliché, with a mix of romance and comedy, and seeing Vivian Sung on the cast list always brings a smile to my face. So, I figured, why not? I already knew the male lead from "Go Ahead," and he's a solid actor.

The movie started off okay, with the typical setup: the male lead as a nerdy guy with braces, and the female lead as a bubbly, carefree soul. But then, they threw in this forced misunderstanding?, and I was like, really? Still, the humor kept me going.

However, things took a weird turn with the line, "As long as we're at China Eastern, you are my girlfriend." I was here for the romance, but it felt forced and awkward after that. The storyline lacked depth, and the character development was lacking.

There were no sparks between the leads, but I managed to finish it without feeling tortured.

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