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It's a wonderful feeling when you go into a movie without even looking at the blurb and encounter what is quite literally a diamond in the rough.
I've seen a few Thai horror movies now and I'm starting to see they can be just as nuanced and complex as Korean horror and this Swimmers being a prime example.
Take Me Home is a ghost story.
But in truth, this is a heartbreaking look at the reality of human shallowness and that accepting 'ugliness' is not that hard if you open yourself up to it. That you could potentially save someone's life if you just accepted them. But in a world where we worship physical beauty, there's no place for anyone who falls below those arbitrary standards of beauty and ugly that we alone came up, and these unrealistic standards might as well be the most devastating human invention.
Because when physical beauty means everything you force people to become ugly on the inside.
And the ending, that philosophy maybe it felt right to me so I thought it was perfect.
Anyway, that's all I'm going to say about it .
This film reminded me of Oculus which is another favorite of mine, but I don't mean it's the same concept or story, absolutely not, I just mean tonally and family ghost story.
If you can just deal with a little bit of deformed faces on ghosts, I really suggest you watch it.
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Is it perfect? Hell no. There were many serious things happening with not so serious ramifications which usually bothers me but with BFR somehow it felt right for the light romance feel. Because the focus of the drama was not those things but the romantic and sexual tensions between the main characters and they did such a great job of making me feel their chemistry and their bond.
I honestly loved watching both the couples but I do have a slight preference for Badz (Mond) because that guy is just a tall baby XD how can you not adore him! But seriously it's a slow burn with not that much skin ship but when it happens it's hot. Because their bond doesn't feel fake you end up rooting for them.
And again, like I said this show is more guilty pleasure romance but still has a good script and the story doesn't get boring.
All in all one of my faves!
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As you've probably figured out by now, I'm absolutely in love with the new cast, and I'm still Pavel obsessed XD
This show is so cheesy but in the right way.
I love all the three couples and their chemistry is so amazing which means the actors and the director made us truly believe in their love so even if the story overall was a bit flimsy it was the perfect guilty pleasure escape.
Ming Kit omg Joong is so BEAUTIFUL I can't get enough of him and even though he's the youngest he's confident and loud like Pavel, and Nine I think he's really good at portraying emotional range.
And Earth and Ben again, their chemistry will give you goosebumps.
But I have to say Pavel and Dome were so good together!
Sigh.
I hope next installment they work on the script and the story.
Can't wait for the next season
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Literally went in not expecting much but from the very first scene you'll get involved.
Its simple, and pure, just like the characters.
It will give you the best laughs, and it will also destroy you.
Acting all around was excellent and the characters were not shallow so you feel for all of them. Sometimes the things that break us might seem trivial to others.
You want love to last forever but it's not always possible. Even if you're ready to sacrifice everything the ending might not be happy.
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Basically they start out being all edgy and dark and I was thinking hell yes, till a couple of episodes and then the so called narcissistic male lead starts acting all cute and funny, like what? Instead of being a crime mystery drama with a romance sub plot it turned into a romance drama with a crime sub plot. I kept watching because the male lead is just gorgeous and I was really intrigued by the crime plot and already invested.
And then things got worse when the show became super misogynistic, and the hero kept spouting lines like 'women are like this, men are that' wtf? All the stereotypes of males and females that the civilized society has tried to make obsolete, started showing up and the fact that he treats her like a servant and an all around maid while being shitty and borderline abusive. Look, there are some dramas like lakorns that show slap and kiss but treat it like a fetish and it's for guilty pleasure. No one is supposed to take those seriously and despite being slap and kiss most of those lakorns like Hua Jai Sila don't treat female characters like this, and still break stereotypes and show a hero who is not misogynistic.
The problem with a show like Love Me If You Dare is that it is supposed to be taken seriously. Like even if you're trying to portray the male lead with faults that's fine, but it's not just him! His best friend and even the main female lead constantly spout this kind of nonsense. And I even ignored it hoping there would be a growth in that respect, but the very last couple episodes still had bs dialog like 'women are whiny'
And the love story was really juvenile. I mean there were times when a serious crime is going on and these are murders okay, and the two leads were joking around and being cute! There is a way to do humor in dark situations and dark humor but this is not that kind of mature content. Everything is just kind of shallow including the characters so when the female lead starts crying it feels forced, not to mention, you're also reminded by some male character that she's crying because she's a woman lol I'm not joking!
But credit goes to the camera work and the story arc with the actual villain was done pretty well, and definitely what kept me watching.
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I literally just was searching through Viki's Japanese collection and this one popped up randomly and I started watching it. I didn't even know what it was about.
But this turned out to be such a beautiful, cinematic, atmospheric movie I kept getting sucked in.
Byung Hun seriously had me bawling. The whole cast was just right.
The script was unique, and the visuals mesmerizing.
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If he's being a jerk its because he was trying to protect her or making her think he's dangerous so she wouldn't get involved with him but loves her almost obsessively. That's what you need in a slap kiss guilty pleasure, obsessive love and I really hated cheating in some drama because the characters feel selfish but in this one the cheating is done in a way that he doesn't do it to hurt her but to hurt someone else in his rage. There's no rape everything is with consent and the slap kiss is treated more as a fetish and the main lead never physically harms her if anything he's the one getting slapped XD
Anyway, their chemistry was excellent! Believable. Neither of them was selfish. The whole bit with the sister got a little annoying and I would have preferred if they gave Tor's step brother a bit more back story, characterization instead of making him a one dimensional villain, but still all thingsconsidered it was engaging, exciting, full of drama and angst and suspense and the skin ship is just one of the best I've seen!
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This was my first foray into Asian cinema back when I was sick of Hollywood and only watching European movies. Back when I didn't even know who Kim Jaejoong was and can you imagine he was legit my first Asian celebrity crush! Naturally I fell for tvxq and JYJ both ultimately.
So I don't know, maybe I'm biased but the way this film captures raw human experience and makes you think, it's meaningful and sad but also extremely hopeful.
And like I said, it's timeless and still very much still relevant! After watching many, many times.
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This film starts out a little weird but doesn't take long to get into high gear and the minute Hyun Woo appears things are already starting to heat up. We see these three North Korean spies living their boring lives in South Korea.
Kim Soo Hyun has been playing the role of a "pabo" (fool) and tries hard every day so his cover isn't blown but he's already been there for two years without receiving a mission. It makes him feel dejected but when his fellow spy Park Ki Woong enters the same neighborhood they start being friends again.
Ki Woong is under the guise of a musician who has to enter an idol rock contest and even though he tries hard to be in his guard and act tough and rude to everyone, it's apparent there's more to his character and also that he does love music and really wants to win the competition.
While these two are still just figuring things out another spy enters the picture. Lee Hyun Woo, the kid Soo Hyun saved a long time ago, has also been trained as a spy now and is way more intense and brings so much dark humor to the scene! I love how they kept having to mention "don't kill him ok" because clearly that's how he's been raised. It's like they say once their unit was trained like that, for them to become animals.
So, yes , there is a lot of dark humor, and EPIC dialog, and EPIC cinematography, and EPIC soundtrack so whatever happens feels so REAL that's the only way to explain it. Expect a lot of blood, gritty scenes, and darkness. That last fight seriously I have no words to describe it. It's so so BEAUTIFUL just, it will mess with your head.
The dynamic between the three main leads where Hyun Woo idolizes Soo Hyun and how Ki Woong and Soo Hyun pretty much act like parents to the trigger happy much younger Hyun Woo, sigh I just fell in love with them so bad.
The way they fight their own selves, having conflicting feelings about honor, loyalty to the country, and their innocent love for each other, it will make you insanely happy and also make you cry.
Seriously all the actors did their job phenomenally. The writing it's heartbreaking and sincere. Kudos to the creators for making such an amazing film.
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