andjel

Rule the fallen world

After a devastating earthquake the likes of which the world had never seen, we first got Concrete Utopia (2023), a film about a world in the midst of catastrophe with interesting moral questions. Then we set out to explore the collapsed world in Badland Hunters (2024) with a bit more action, and now we have Concrete Market (2025), which takes a step back and returns us to the building that provides an oasis in the middle of the apocalypse, where a plan to take over the top position is taking place.

The only problem is that the film doesn’t really consider the fact that supplies are dwindling and that a market in this form has no long-term sustainability. While watching it, I kept being bothered by the question: what is the point of seizing power over the building when the entire society has no hope or future? We saw too little of the outside world for the setting to feel convincing.

I also missed a bit more action in the film, though at least we got some tension in the mind games between the protagonists, who form fake deals with hidden motives. Still, that wasn’t enough for me because the characters’ motivations aren’t sufficiently developed (perhaps the series version offers better character portrayals), so the film felt occasionally boring.

Nevertheless, I hope for more sequels in this cinematic universe so we can see whether humanity will disappear because of the earthquake or find some kind of new beginning.

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When Worlds Collide

The director is Italian (Giovanni Fumu), the setting is a sort of American small town, and the main characters are Korean. This creates an interesting mix of worlds in a story about a Korean couple who travel to a foreign land, only for something strange to happen. I really liked the story and, as a result, the movie itself.

As a low-budget Korean-American co-production, the film clearly operates with limited resources. This is, of course, a B-level movie with lower production values, and the American actors weren’t particularly strong. Still, the film delivers an uncomfortable sense of suspense and mystery that makes the viewing experience satisfying. From start to finish it keeps adding new layers and never becomes boring or repetitive. Even when the plot occasionally feels illogical, it redeems itself by the end, so I’m very glad to have discovered this movie.

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Privacy Attack

The Distributors (Drama Special episode turned into a feature film) is a solid, complete feature-length mystery-drama-thriller with strong production values and very good acting.

The story centers on the dangerous world of people who distribute private photos and videos online, and on one individual who will fight to unmask the distributor and put a stop to it. Getting your dirty secrets exposed to the public can lead to serious consequences, and the film leans into that premise effectively. If the concept appeals to you, this movie will serve you well.

The plot is straightforward but never boring. Tension builds steadily toward the finale, keeping the pace engaging throughout. While it is not a particularly memorable film that will linger long in the mind, it remains exciting, interesting, and genuinely instructive. It serves as a clear warning about the risks of private content being stolen, shared, and misused. Privacy is one of the defining issues of our time, and the film reinforces the sense that everyone’s privacy is under some form of attack.
Overall, The Distributors is a very solid example of a mystery drama-thriller that delivers on its premise.

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Cinema is something else

So this is certainly one of the movies of all time. I say that because the movie is unique but strange. This is a visual film that depicts several episodes in the life of a cinema, and which should be watched in a cinema, preferably while falling asleep in a comfortable armchair. And I literally fell asleep during the viewing twice, even though I was watching it over the internet on a monitor. The film has no specific plot with a setup and resolution, but only video associations on the theme of watching films.
It consists of 3 segments, or short films.

Chimpanzee (침판지) is about 3 chimpanzees and three friends who watch movies together in the cinema.
Naturally (자연스럽게) is about children whose play becomes a film.
Time of the Movie (영화의 시간) is about… I don’t really know, maybe exactly about how to fall asleep in the cinema.

This is an art film and it’s not really for the general audience, but for those who watch a lot of movies, often go to the cinema, and value film as art, it will certainly be interesting.

PS. In my 40 years of life, I’ve been to the cinema about 700 times. I most often go alone, and about 20 times I was the only viewer in the cinema hall. That’s the feeling I want to share here. Some people like watching movies in a packed cinema full of people, but for me it’s a special feeling when I have the cinema and the film all to myself.

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Conflicted Detectives

Great actors and characters, very intriguing and interesting mystery, but the realisation has its flaws. It feels as if the plot is being built on the spot without having been properly thought through from the beginning, so things don’t fall into place – instead, new details keep getting added on.

Still, the film works excellently as an action comedy with elements of mystery and crime, following detectives who have to solve a tricky case. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a very good choice for anyone looking for a relaxing and entertaining evening film. The laid-back atmosphere is only occasionally interrupted by short but intense scenes of violence.

At the beginning of the film it says it’s based on real events, but I assume most of it is made up, because it’s hard for me to imagine such a crime resolution and the way the criminals act in real life.

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Human Connection

A very lovely film about human relationships that begins with a chance encounter between a Korean man and a Japanese man in a bar, after which their life stories gradually become intertwined.

What I found particularly interesting was watching the Korean speak Japanese and the Japanese man speak Korean — but even more striking was how each of them fills certain needs in the other’s life, becoming a kind of temporary substitute for what is missing.

The actors are charming, and the characters they portray are somewhat unconventional. In fact, much of what happens in the film feels unusual, and in doing so it gently shows that life still has room for new people and unexpected meetings, and that sometimes we can stand in for one another in place of those who are absent. This is not a comedy, yet it will almost certainly put a smile on viewers’ faces and restore a little faith in the humanity and kindness of the people around us.

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Dangerous Hobby

This film has a distinctive atmosphere. It moves slowly, but that very pace heightens the tension in seemingly everyday encounters and situations in a village where everyone knows everything about everyone else, yet peace and justice remain hard to achieve. At the center of the story are two women, and both actresses deliver strong performances. Despite having completely different personalities, they form a connection and begin sharing hobbies that will have far-reaching consequences.

I’m not sure if this was the director’s intention or just my personal impression, but from the very beginning of the film I felt a certain aversion toward the new neighbor and her hobbies. She arrives like a foreign body, and it’s up to each viewer to decide whether her presence improved things or made them worse. In my view, while I liked the performance, I cannot morally agree with the film’s message—though I don’t want to go into spoilers here.

The subtlety in the way the story develops is what makes this film special, but also a bit less accessible to a general audience, while genre fans may find it enjoyable. Watching it, I noticed elements reminiscent of Korean classics such as Bedevilled, No Other Choice, Oldboy, and Parasite. Although the film cannot be directly compared to any of those specifically, it still shares certain connections with them, and fans of that kind of thriller will appreciate this one as well.

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Hail to Life

If life becomes hell, what should one do? This is essentially a minimalist film that portrays two, let’s say, friends who want to give up on life, but before doing so, they still want to accomplish one more thing. The film looks beautiful, yet it carries a depressive tone throughout, and we as viewers keep hoping and praying for some kind of turnaround. At the beginning it may seem as if the film promotes negativity, but in reality it seriously and honestly confronts difficult life themes and trials that affect people already from youth, and even from childhood. It speaks about faith among people, but also about faith in God, then about religion, revenge, forgiveness, punishment, justice, violence, abuse, and many other things, so it seems to me that this film is ideal for a film club that would later have a discussion about what is shown in the film and how it reflects on our own life experience.

The main protagonists did a great job with their roles, that is, they portrayed the psychological wounds they carry in a subtle and effective way. There are also other characters from a kind of church who are likewise quite convincing and authentic. So this is a psychological drama with youthful and religious elements that is very interesting, but also provocative.

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Sharing an Apple

The film opens with a kissing scene between two teenagers. The beginning suggests that the film will deal with youthful romance and the exploration of intimacy, which is indeed one of its themes. However, another much stronger and more serious theme is abuse, particularly of minors, which is why the kissing scenes don’t feel entirely appropriate to me.

The film centers on one girl, but all the other characters around her are also portrayed with care and sensitivity, allowing us to empathize with each of them. What I liked most about the film is how it depicts every character as a real human being, with experiences and feelings hidden beneath the surface. The film shows one thing on the surface, yet you sense something deeper underneath—that everyone carries a hidden pain they refuse to acknowledge. Literally everyone. That pain can destroy a person from the inside, but it can also be eased. That’s why it’s important to have people beside you with whom you can still be honest and share your burdens—and sometimes, simply sharing an apple is enough (in Korean, “apple” also means “apology”). This is a beautiful and moving drama about one girl longing for true love, but also about all of us.

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Scary Religion

This film stands on the shoulders of instant classics like The Wailing and Exhuma as a religion-based horror mystery, but it fails to retain even half of the atmosphere or authenticity those films possess. Their strength lies in how convincing they are—the viewer genuinely believes in the spiritual forces and religious elements—whereas here everything feels superficial. We have a Christian pastor, some kind of private shaman, a Japanese shrine and a Hindu deity/demon named Rakshasa. It’s an intriguing setup, but the film fails in its execution to capitalize on the spiritual heritage it draws from.

The plot progression also feels somewhat fragmented, with scenes jumping from one to another without clear development of events, so for part of the film I was confused: where are we now, how did the characters get here, what does this have to do with the story? Horror fans will at least get a few “gross-out” gore scenes that look creepy and scary, but all in all, in my opinion, this is a below-average horror film.

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Layers of Truth

A very good crime mystery thriller with all the right ingredients. It features a heavy, burdensome atmosphere, mounting tension, and compelling characters, each carrying a hidden past that gradually shapes the central story. With several twists and multiple layers, the film takes the audience on an engaging journey to uncover the truth behind what happened with the white car —and why.

This is not a blockbuster or a film that aspires to be a masterpiece. Instead, it is a simple yet effective psychological thriller in which the characters and their emotional depth drive the narrative. The cast delivers excellent performances, convincingly portraying their emotions and fully inhabiting their roles. If, like me, you like character-driven thrillers of this kind, you will almost certainly appreciate and enjoy this film.

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Korean Gangsters cause trouble

It's hard to be a gangster in Korea these days because CCTV cameras are everywhere. That's why Korean gangsters are expanding their operations to the Philippines, where people tend to admire Korean culture, making them easier to manipulate. In this film, for example, Korean gangsters promise young Filipino women K-pop careers, only to enslave them. Of course, they're involved in plenty of other criminal activities as well.

The story follows Mi-jin, a Korean woman who falls into the hands of the mafia and has no one to rescue her except her son, who fortunately happens to be highly skilled in martial arts. From the very beginning, it's obvious that this isn't a film aiming for outstanding acting performances. The acting is rather mediocre, although much of the blame lies with the director, since the narrative often feels disjointed and lacks logical progression.

What ultimately saves the film are its fight scenes, so I don't regret the time I spent watching it. The hand-to-hand combat is well choreographed, and I only wish there had been more of it. I especially enjoyed the underground street-fighting scenes, where crowds gather around the ring, cheering for their favorite fighter. They reminded me of something straight out of a video game. I think this film had the potential to be much better if the story had been structured more carefully. As it stands, it's a fairly forgettable action movie with a handful of entertaining fight sequences.

Although this is a Filipino film, the lead actors are Korean, and most of the dialogue is in Korean, with somewhat less English and only a few lines in Tagalog. Even so, I think the combination of Korean and Filipino talent works very well, and I hope to see more productions like this in the future.

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Finding Jane

This movie got me! The story, the actors, the music, the production — everything was great. There are a few details that keep me from giving it a clear 10, but the magic of Korean drama worked really well. I fell in love with the characters, and it was very emotional to follow their story with such a rich and layered connection. Thinking about it, the director really connected the dots perfectly. At the one-hour mark I thought to myself, “What a nice story — it would be super if this was the end.” But the movie had so much more to show us, taking us on a rollercoaster of emotions. Compliments to everyone who worked on this feature.

The actors were very believable as their younger selves. Usually it bothers me when older actors play student roles, but here they really seemed the proper age. Their story is both magical and realistic, and I found a bittersweet beauty in that portrayal.

The guy, Eun-ho, develops a story-driven video game about Eric and Jane. When they are separated, the screen turns black and white, so the purpose of the game is to find the lost girl Jane and bring the colours back into the world. This correlates not only with the real characters in the movie, but also with the real world. The world indeed shines with new colours once you find your Jane.

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Confessing Love

A romantic film told from a male perspective that probably wouldn't be received well if it were released in 2026. There are female characters, of course, but the film reduces them to supporting roles, while the emotions and actions of the men—especially the two brothers—take centre stage.

The film also starts by focusing on one character but ends with another, making it feel as though it shifts its focus halfway through and jumps from one story to another.

Many of the jokes could be described as sexist, and they are not particularly funny. Instead, they seem to exist only to lighten the gloomy atmosphere that hangs over the film, despite it being marketed as a romantic comedy.

Both of the two main male characters have a flawed approach to women: one is overly shy and withdrawn, while the other is far too aggressive. Yet neither of them knows how to express or admit his love. So, while the central theme is solid, I found the film's tone somewhat controversial, and the ending doesn't provide a truly satisfying payoff.

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Rock is dangerous

What a strange movie. It has a unique style and atmosphere that hits the viewer almost like a horror film. The dark and distorted visuals serve as both a background and a contrast to the glamorous life of a rock star. On one side, there is darkness and pain; on the other, light and fame.

It feels like an experimental film, with many fragmented scenes and close-up shots that add to the already confusing mystery surrounding the instrument that needs repairing and alters one’s perception of reality. I would say this movie symbolically portrays how rock music can take over a person’s soul. Still, I think someone needs to explain to me what I just watched.

For now, I’ll check out some of WOODZ’s music, since he’s the lead actor and the inspiration behind this film.

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