This review may contain spoilers
This is an excellent movie overall. This film has pretty good composition and setting. The script-writing here is also excellent, the way how it unfolds the mystery is very good. It's really in another genre of thriller. Good cast of Sung Dong II, and Baek Yoon Shik.It shows a good persona for an ill-mannered old man, that he is scared that one day no one will like him. It captured the emotions between each one of them having their own hardship trying to pay their rent, but it doesn't get any better even if they tried hard. It also shows the side of being a bad person, will not get anyone to mourn for you when you die, or even worst you die alone in loneliness in your apartment without anyone knowing only to wait for someone to notice you. But among all these edginess, he is actually very concern about his life down the road. The kind of feeling, that doesn't speak much but inside is actually very concerned and scared.
While Sung Dong II here plays an important role of being an Alzheimer person. Sometimes it makes us think whether is he mentally alright, or still retains its consciousness about the situation in reality. His role really turns the whole situation. His character has shown a person of a living dead, a person with so much agony but can't find justice to it. Like how the victims that the culprit has done, paralysing them on their speech but still able to see, touch and hear.
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What Is A Safe Place?
This is a worth to watch. In terms of storyline, shots, editing, and selection of cast. It shows a different dimension between each roles's perspective in deducing the culprit. The shot cue between shots also trying to tell between each person within the same event timing, so it's very fast paced. Sung-min here is really a good actor, the look of him knowing the fact he knows the culprit but are forced to maintain silent for the protection of his family.The ending is perfect, as it packages the whole concept of what is considered a safe neighbourhood. Will you want a neighbourhood, where all the homes are busy with their activities or someone whom will still keep a lookout of their surrounding in case of something happens. Which creates the irony, what is a safe neighbourhood, is a quiet and serene place; a safe place?
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This review may contain spoilers
The Missing Void in Life
Hsiao Chi does everything so quickly that she's always one step ahead of others. She works in the post office and a bus driver comes to post a letter every day. Hsiao Chi is turning thirty soon and longs for love. Finally, on the eve of Valentine's Day, a hot guy asks her out. But to her astonishment, she wakes up the next morning and finds that the Valentine's Day has mysteriously passed.This is an interesting concept, of the common yin-yang relationship story. However they put two characters who are not of different characters, but one who is living faster in time while the other is slower in time. So how did both of them managed to get align in time, to make this relationship work?
I like how they convey their visual creativity. They uses the window as a portal to show what she fantasises like a bubble thought. It also shows how in the 1980-1990s, we use to listen the favourite radio channel night host with call-in game shows. Putting in an imaginary character, Gecko, just like most houses we have house lizards who knew everything that is happening in your life as you grow up. Showcasing each memory like a photo image, on an old school Mattel's Viewmaster toy. The frozen in time sequence is also notable, and surreal. Most probably had to secure a large perimeter for that to be done. While the dog should be digitally added in later. It has become a beautiful art.
This is a worth to watch show, unpopular but there is real meaning and a twist to it. You might be bored on the first part, but do stay on till the end. It has drawn similar reference to Amélie. This is told in a two story manner, focusing on each person background individually. It showed the missing void that we all have, we all has always been looking for that special someone in life. Similar to how she always been missing stuffs, without that maybe she won't also visit her mother. Only to find out that there are also guardian angels around us, just like her secretive mother who has been liking up her every post that she posted. Liu Guanting's acting so far hasn't disappointed me. He has portrayed multiple roles and has proven versatile in his acting skills. It has also showed lots of great Taiwan locations, especially the Chiayi Oyster Farm.
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你要好好愛自己, 因為沒有人愛你。
有人說,人生是由許多回憶組成的, 談戀愛就是在創造回憶,他的回憶有你,你的回憶有他,那是最好的。
但是很可能,你珍貴的回憶對對方來說根本沒有意義,這就是人生啦,不管是苦還是甜,有伴沒伴,明天情人節,好好地過吧。
所有的愛情都是自我催眠。
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Social Issues and Bipolar
This is a gem. A low-budget first featured film shot within two weeks, talking about bipolar and dementia. It is somewhat like the The Father. It talks about not just living together in a tight spaced apartment in Hong Kong, it also showed how cruel and unjust the outside world is, beyond the apartment walls. It tackles important social issues, in Hong Kong. It not only discusses medical care, mental illness and housing issues, but also highlights the irony and conspicuousness of indifference and alienation in this sweltering and crowded city.Even at the wedding event, how many of you really put your heart to congratulate and listen to the groom and bride speech? Or you are just there to mingle and get free meals? It shows lots of realistic feelings that majorities won't feel about. Sometimes people just needs to be slap and woken up. Just because one discharged from a mental hospital doesn't mean the person is labelled crazy, to be look down upon.
Some people may feel scared because the drama is too real. But also because of this, whether it is emotions, family, or love, there are always places that touch the audience and resonate with them. Many people will ask us if we have problems with our family or mental state, so we write such stories. People would expect that you must be such a person to care about such things, but it is not the case. Just like many people support the equal rights of comrades, they are not necessarily comrades, but we believe that this world is better. This is a value. If we all speak for ourselves, we can’t unite, and sports it will not be a big deal. More important Yes, have we thought about what kind of city, what kind of world, and what kind of life we want.
This has won two 53th Golden Horse Awards; Best Director and Best Supporting Actress.
其實做個仆街仔真的好容易,麻煩的事情就放一邊不管咯,眼不見心不煩,可是逃到逃着就發現一切都無可挽回,不是什麼都可以外判給別人來做的。
小孩:為什麼我們種的那些花草會枯死呢?
阿東:可能是因為這裡沒有適合他們生長環境吧。
小孩:那我們就要想辦法讓環境變成他們可以生長的樣子啊!
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Unspoken Words
This is a nice and deep film. It shows a strong-willed egoistic grandmother, that no one dares to defy her. After her husband died, everyone starts to gathered. Before that everyone is very separated, including his step-wife. This shows the reality in life, no matter how we don't want to lose but at the same time we don't want to feel bad and trouble others. I think this shows the Asian culture, of families are. When we are distant, we felt that we are separated, but only because we all often haven't communicated for years.This is really an artpiece. I have always been in love with black and white film, silent movies. To me that is the highest level it can go. And this film has showed the weight and sensitiveness, of both the grandmother (first wife), and the step-wife. It is always this kind of silent shot; with just eye contact, facial expression, passing by the person and took a slight glance, or even talking to each other while between your grandchildren in the middle, coveys the best deep emotional message in it. You notice the kind of transparent barrier that is always there, but yet both tries to talk to slowly understand each other in their faults and mistake they took in life, and accept them in to our lives. The granny acting here is excellent.
人生的味酸甘甜
春夏秋冬隨風去
清風目屎珠涙滴
花開花謝攏有味
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This review may contain spoilers
The only main cast Korean guy here, Ha Jung-woo, from Along with the Gods. It seems to mimic as though it's an Hollywood movie, but really the executing of this movie is bad. Most of the conversations here are in English, except for when he is communicating with the North Koreans. For the first 30 minutes, the cinematography here is really very bad. While trying to make the intense tension look between both parties, but the zoom-and-focus shots between each shots, combined with the handheld feel of the camera, is really very dizzy. Tracking is good in times like this, but the tracking shots here is as though it is shooting Cloverfield.It has good cast of people, and script written. Footages of MIM-104F Patriot (PAC-3) clearing a SCUD. Although I find it impossible to be in the situation where the Captain is single-handedly doing sit-rep for the whole command centre. He has been saving the key victim, while at the same time looking at the situation inside the bunker, from each turning point and planning their escape route.
Will add another 0.5 score, for having an V-22 Osprey for medivac, and it recounts back when he was doing his parachuting to save another person life. Just so because he couldn't let go of what is the responsibility laid on him. This was the part I didn't expected, I thought was already SAR moment for ending. That entire sequence from plane, to airborne to landing all in the single shot. It's never the end, until you have safely reached home.
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