Kate

Vast improvement in storytelling compared to previous movies.

I always had exactly the same issue with Whispering Corridors - they always try to make the audience question if the events happening are the result of supernatural or not, but they also always dump over the top spooky stuff in the last 15 minutes. Here, the pacing and storytelling was more gradual and the ending actually gave a solid answer to the events happening.

For sure my favorite installment. You still need to pay more attention than while watching other horror movies to get the story and not get confused by anything, but it is possible to truly understand everything, and that’s something I cannot say about all Whispering Corridors films. The Humming was simply a solid plot with good storytelling.

It does tackle some triggering issues (TW in the comment under spoiler), but it’s not explicit - they set it so everyone knows what happened, but they don’t slap you in the face with scenes you would rather not see. Can’t say the same about gore - while nothing bothered me (I’m not exactly easily grossed out), there is some blood, there are some mutilated bodies. Nothing too intense, but better know about it before picking up the movie. Especially since the previous Whispering Corridors movies were not exactly known for bloody content.

I liked the acting a lot. A lot of characters were rather basic, but Kim Seo Hyung as Noh Eun Hee delivered a perfect performance. Well presented gradual transition of where the characters started and where it ended.

Production wise it was a well made horror, honestly nothing spectacular. Two semi-jumpscares bothered me, because they were painfully unnecessary and cheap. Glad we did not get more of it.

Overall, that’s the Whispering Corridor movie I would recommend with no regrets. You can skip all the rest.

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Love the sismance, hate the dad.

One thing for sure - the dad in this movie will not win the award for the best father. While the sismance between the three sisters was amazing, I kept getting slightly frustrated every time they mentioned the dad, and how little reaction everyone had with the fact he had basically 3 different families in 3 different countries.

Hsia Ru Shu? A saint. The way she just took everything in, did not really complain much, never freaked out or yelled at anyone - is this emotionally detached reaction even possible in real life? It’s not that she did not care, just just accepted everything, as if it’s normal. Maybe it just shows her attitude towards her father at the beginning of the movie - she had such little expectations, even a big news like that did nothing to faze her.

That said, I did love her interaction and bond with the other two sisters. I loved how fast they clicked, and more realistic and emotional reactions from any of them would make it far less enjoyable. As long as I did not try to dive deep into their current situation, and just enjoyed what was happening on screen - it’s quite a well paced and moving journey.

The one thing I disliked about the show were the countless excuses made for the dad. I had no issue with him being a questionable parent, my issue was the fact they tried to make him look like a good, but misunderstood one - which was not true. The framing matters, and I hated it here.

One of the best parts of the movie? How visually beautiful it was. I am one that appreciates nice shots a lot. I’m willing to watch a bad movie, as long as it’s beautifully done. This had both good writing and amazing filming.

Performance wise, I especially enjoyed Sammi Cheng and Megan Lai. Their emotional delivery, even though quite different, just worked so well with who the characters they were playing are.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it. There is not much plot, and the whole movie focuses on forming relationships, grieving, reconnecting with people in your life and letting go of past misunderstandings and regrets.

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Why did it feel like a comedy?

Something about pathetic people thinking they are "all that" makes me laugh. I don’t think I ever laughed so much watching a film focused on so much murder, blood, gore and all the other awful things you can think of.

While I was rather entertained watching, this was not enough content for an over 2 hours movie, especially since this had less depth than a puddle. And there was some good potential, don’t get me wrong. Better writing could make it into some solid psychological thriller.

The thing I enjoyed the most about the movie was how amazingly sloppy Bayu was in ALL aspects of his life. Nomura Shuhei was not much better, but some practice made him deal with issues just slightly better.

The performances were good. Kitamura Kazuki’s english delivery was so exaggerated, it added to how hilarious the whole movie was. Loved Oka Antara and his portrayal of Bayu.

I did like some directing choices, especially the opening kill and the plastic bag shots. The last scene gave me a low budget bollywood, and it was the cherry on top I needed.

Overall, I had fun, I would have liked it more if it was shorter by at least 20 minutes.

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Comedy on point, messages and plot - not so much.

The comedy in this show is so good that even someone who is not that into the genre will appreciate it (I’m talking about myself here). The jokes always made sense in the presented situations, were driven from the characters’ personality and the cast never failed to deliver them in the most amusing way.

These are the highlights of the show - comedy, performance and the chemistry between Satoh Takeru and Watabe Atsuro as the bickering son and father. Honestly speaking, the show did not need more to be amazing. That’s why the “evil threat that lurks in the shadows waiting for the last fight off” Kaizuka Takehisa truly lowered the quality of the show.

This guy had nothing to offer as a character - the motivation was weakly explained, how resourceful he was made no sense, his plans were ridiculous and the big finale with him in the ast episodes was not set up in a proper way, feeling painfully disconnected from the rest of the show.

The main villain was not the only aspect that felt disconnected, so were the episodes. At times they started in weird places and I had to check if I skipped an episode or something. The show honestly did not flow too well.

There was also the issue of questionable messages in some episodes. I am sorry, but we should truly move on from using "I can only offer you money" as an excuse for bad parenting and dads who are never home.

Do I care though? Not really. I went in for the comedy and that aspect was truly aced. I could not ask for more. Shimao Akimura was such an eccentric character, whatever he did seemed like a comedy goal.

Overall, great comedy with (at best) mediocre cases and an awful villain.

Ps. That intro song is amazing.

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So much entertainment and fun in one movie.

When a movie starts with a demon making some good points, you know it’s gonna be a hell(a) ride. I almost cried from laughing while watching.

So much of this was just ridiculous and funny. The characters had no brains and it made the movie even better. The dialogues between some characters were truly gold. I honestly want a spinoff with the two priests arguing about exorcism and Satan.

The only good things about the movie were the visuals and acting. And by visuals, just the practical makeup, because the design was more or less any other possession/zombie stuff. Honestly, what’s with Korea and zombies and possessed folks looking the same?

The plot? Extremely predictable - same old possession story. They took it a bit further, casting no mediocre demon though.

There were so many overwhelming moments (for various reasons) I truly had the time of my life watching. It’s been a long time since I laughed so bad watching horror. It was exactly what I needed. Metamorphosis would be an amazing buddy watch.

Overall - great watch for fellow atheists to have some fun. No idea how scary it would be for people who believe.

Ps. Described some highlights in a comment below under a spoiler.

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Kingdom’s older brother with cheeky Hyun Bin.

Quite an enjoyable tale. One that you know the ending of from the beginning, but you still enjoy the journey itself. Nothing too deep, too complex - nothing that requires much brain power. Perfect for a fun evening.

Since I saw Kingdom first, this zombie in a historical setting did not feel as groundbreaking as it actually was. Giving credit where credit is due, even though I was personally spoiled with this fun mix of genres with Kingdom.

Except for that refreshing mix though, the movie does not really serve any innovative ideas. Stereotypical characters following the arcs we all are familiar with from other stories. It’s not exactly a bad thing - the movie is obviously made as an entertaining historical action flick and it delivers in that aspect perfectly.

The thing I had complicated feelings about was the villain and especially the moment that led to their downfall - it was both anticlimactic, leaving me with “that’s it?” feeling, but also surprisingly fitting based on how he was built from the start. Quite some time before the movie finishes we know, he won’t win - no matter what. Keeping him in the story was, from that moment, quite pointless.

I enjoyed most performances, but the one that caught my attention the most was Han Ji Eun - great emotional delivery, both when she was in the spotlight, but also during the action scenes, where she was more of a background.

While I don’t really remember the majority of the soundtrack, the instrumental that played during the big finale was amazing and perfectly fitting the scene and the great fighting choreographies.

Overall, I had fun. Could have been slightly shorter, could do with a better villain.

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Is society the problem, or was this man just a failure?

There was a specific vision and style to this movie, and even if it did not match my taste, I do appreciate it more than a movie that is made with no specific viewer in mind - for everyone and for no one.

Sadly even if I respect the distinctive style of directing, the movie with all the attempts at social commentary, felt rather empty. Capitalism - bad, pressure put by social norms - bad, greed for success with no actual values behind it - bad. No real nuance, no depth. I do like how No Other Choices focuses on the struggles of men and how, even if we slowly give up on outdated ideas, the thought of the man being the head of the family that has to provide no matter what, as if that was their only value, can still affect many people. I just wish they presented that in a less obvious and in your face manner. Making Yoo Man Su even a tiny bit likable would be great too.

I honestly think Yoo Man Su was the biggest issue I had with the movie. Because no one had it supposed to have a larger social commentary, but at the end of the day it’s a story about a man with low self esteem that acts like a permanent victim trying to justify every action he takes. I want to feel bad for him, but he was so dislikable I actually wished him failure. Making your main character both unlikable and morally corrupt is a risky business. For how long the movie is, I wish they spent more time establishing that Man Su is in fact just a normal man, and not a complete failure. And yet, I kept thinking - society sucks, true, but in this story this man is the problem, not the society.

That said, performances for sure carried the whole movie. Especially Son Ye Jin as Mi Ri.

I don’t really have many grand thoughts about this title. Went to the cinema, considered walking out maybe 2 times, finished watching and that’s it. I would not call it food for thoughts, it was decently entertaining.

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Long story short - failed casting and awful directing/editing.

While I love each and every cast member as individual, the casting crew did not do enough screening and interviews with them, otherwise we would not get this mess. It's important to cast people with different ideal types and romantic expectations to give the show more variety of interactions. We did not get it here. It was one man and one woman story with 6 "supporting characters".

All that could still be saved if there was some kind of directing involved - forcing the cast members to go on dates with different people. Asking them to pick someone they have not been on date with yet, or random dates, or making contestant pick dates for each other.

Still, the first half of the show was great and I'm actually far more interested in watching After Signal than I was finishing Heart Signal 4.

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A simple story executed in an almost perfect way.

There are countless romantic comedies showing how opposites attract. The opposite gives as the comedy bits, while the attraction leads us into the land of love and romance. Even though the opposites here were truly extreme, unexpectedly they worked well together. As a viewer, I could slowly observe how strict and perfectionist Lu Jin and free-spirited and messy Gu Sheng Nan start to adapt to each others' ways, and go from hate to love in such a fun and exciting manner.

The thing I loved the most about this movie was Zhou Dong Yu acting - it's so amazingly raw. All the emotions seemed so real, rich and clear. Not one scream seemed fake, not one tear forced, not one laugh insincere. Not to mention, she presented probably THE BEST acting drunk scene in the history of cinema. If someone told me she was actually taking some shots here and there in the middle of filming the scene, I would believe them.

The movie is quite honestly beautifully shot. Some scenes were stunning - adding emotional value to what was happening on the screen. Some had fun and exciting filters and effects added, which exaggerated the comedy just the right way. It was just smart and well planned: where and what to use to enhance the vision of the director and writer.

Any complaints? There was exactly one scene where I was completely not connected and not convinced by Ming Xi acting. Zhou Dong Yu was slaying on her end and Ming Xi's performance just felt flat in comparison. What's more, even though I appreciated how they took the time for the leads to make this bond over food before they had a chance to actually confront each other face to face, I wish the movie was about 15 to 20 minutes longer. This way we could get a bit more story behind how, why and when they started to have feelings for each other, especially on Lu Jin's side.

Overall, it was a truly funny movie, with great acting, amazing scenography and cinematography. The characters, even though extremely exaggerated in their character traits, were still believable. I laughed a lot, I cried a few times and I enjoyed myself throughout the whole watch.

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They were milking the denial so hard it became exhausting.

It started great, but then they could not handle their own conflict well enough. I am honestly not sure if the issue was the writing, directing or the delivery from actors themselves, but something did not work.

I loved it at first. I was ready for the soft angst and pinning, instead in the second half I got a lot of annoyance and running in a circles. This could work, but I don’t think Amemiya Kakeru as the skillset to deliver that internal conflict of wanting to be with Yokoi Minato and being scared it would ruin what they already had, while also somehow trying to gaslight himself into believing he does see Minato as just best friend. A lot to handle for a rookie actor. While I saw a lot of love in Minato’s eyes, I mostly saw hesitation in Wataru’s and I am not sure it’s because of the character’s feelings, and not just the actor being confused how to deliver a cohesive performance. Amemiya Kakeru was not bad, but rather than amazing performance I’ve got a good potential.

Supporting characters were all rather shallow, I remember not one of them. Maybe the photo studio boss and the little son.

Plotwise, they were milking the denial so hard it became exhausting. I usually have no problem with characters not allowing themselves to admit to their feelings, and even when they do, not acting on them. But I feel it should be built on some underlying angst and hesitation of what could be and what they can lose. But here the feelings felt quite shallow. I don’t think I was fully convinced by this romance. It felt more platonic on one side. While I understand they both have feelings for each other, after finishing the drama I keep having this feeling: Was Wataru afraid of getting into a relationship because it might ruin the friendship, or did he get into a relationship because he was afraid of losing his best friend? I know it’s not the case, but with the presentation I cannot stop thinking it’s too much of a fitting possibility.

Then we have the issue with the structure of the story, for example: there was one episode filled with flashbacks, usually used to sum up the whole show before the conclusion or provide additional perspective, but it gave me neither and did not do much to push the story forward or change the dynamics. Or when the majority of the episodes focus on the flashbacks of the past and conclude on confession in the present, but they did not establish at all what change in present timeline for the confession to happen - what pushed the character to do it.

Production wise, the drama was pretty, but there were some editing and lighting issues. Ending scene in episode 3? What exactly happened? It feels like they filmed during the day and then edited it to look like night post-production… but it didn’t quite work out.

It was a nice show, but being too long ruined the experience. Some dramas truly should stick to 6 episodes, if it’s all the plot can fill.

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Tips on how not to construct your story - killing the vibe.

All I needed was more linear storytelling and I would be sold. If they paced the tension well and built up the story, by the finale I would be jumping from excitement. Sadly, the weird jumping between the plot lines and cutting off the hype with weirdly placed cliff hangers borderline ruined the show for me.

I definitely did like all the separate plotlines, but the way they were presented was honestly harming the amount of focus and attachment I had to the story and the characters. The moment I was invested they switched to a different character’s story and it made me frustrated and want to just skip whatever new plot they were presenting to get closure from the one I was watching so far. Does it all present a cohesive picture by the end? Sure. Was it the best way to present the plot? Not for me.

What this drama has: fun action scenes, characters you want to root for, good chemistry between actors, solid variety of backgrounds and motivations, easy to follow plot, great performances.

What it does not have: real meaningful message, interesting villains, good CGI, balance between the characters and plots.

Surprisingly with a rather detailed plot and world building, fun characters, stellar cast I do not really have that much to say about this drama? Weirdly it felt rather empty. The characters I was the most interested in and felt like they had the most potential (Frank and Lee Gang Hun) did not get enough screen time which was also a bummer.

Also, me the whole show: so like… where the fuck is Kim Du Sik?
The writer truly shot themselves in the foot with this one. Creating a character that is presented as unstoppable, best of the best to then keep them behind the scenes and never truly use their full potential. Probably the biggest disappointment.

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Let me fix it for you: The Bad Mother.

This is such a mid show I am amazed how many people recommended for me to watch it. The only actually truly good aspect of it were the performances.

Long story short we have a bad abusive mother having a second chance to abuse her son again after he gets into an accident. From limiting food, socially isolating, emotional and physical abuse, to literally wanting to get your mentally 7 years old son to get married and have kids (this was such a “low-key” moment in the drama, but for me it was so gross) - her trash actions had no boundaries. All explained by her “good intentions”. And sure, if the story was about her using her second chance to fix the mistakes she made the first time, I would be fine with the title. But she did not, she willingly made exactly the same mistakes and abused her son in similar fashions the second time around too - blessed with her good intentions.

Just make the show psychological drama, rename it as “The Bad Mother” and it would actually be a good show about the consequences of abuse and how much of an impact it can have on a person even in their adulthood. Because there is nothing wholesome about that parent-son relationship and the fact ML felt guilty about everything that happened is wild for me. He needs therapy. Like most MLs in kdramas.

I enjoyed the village and interactions between everyone living there, but even that aspect brought nothing new nor innovative - pick any slice of life set in the countryside and you will get exactly the same content, but without all the anger and frustration that comes from the main plot.

The aspect of the show I liked the most? Friendship between Mi Joo and Sam Sik. Their scenes were easily my favorite and they actually had fun, wholesome and upbeat chemistry going on.

About the crime plot - it was good when it lasted. It started and ended the show. Now that I think about it, it’s like watching 2 completely different dramas. The whole middle part does not really connect that well with the beginning and the ending - be it by themes or tone. Still, the investigation storyline was better than the “mother-son relationship” plot. If I had to pick, I’d say episode 13 was my favorite and yes, it had the least interactions between Young Soon and Kang Ho.

As I said at the beginning of the review - the only truly great things were the performances. Ra Mi Ran aced the awful self-victimizing egocentric mother and Choi Kang Ho delivered solid acting be it as a confident and scheming prosecutor, or confused and cheerful child. I don’t think I have even one complaint about the cast.

The production value was exactly what you expect from mainstream kdrama. They have a really well polished specific flavor to them. They all blend together and have little to no lasting effect on the viewers. They look generic pretty.

Standout soundtrack - Andy Love’s Home and Dry.

Overall, if it was not for the recommendation challenge I would probably not finish it. It does not really have unique takes or plots. And the themes we know are not especially well presented.

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Teacher turned uncle turned love interest?

That’s the crack show. The low key straight version of Midnight Museum and I liked it a lot. Even if I was extremely entertained watching, I cannot pretend like it’s some fine piece of cinema. It could have been - with a better paced story, more episodes and someone to review the writing a bit.

The premise is exactly what a supernatural horror loving fan would eat up - black magic and unfortunate events. What’s great is - they actually did try to make it spooky and managed quite a few times. It was far less silly scooby doo than I thought it would be. I appreciated how they tried to hold the tension instead of just relying on jump scares.

What made the spooky vibes work so well was the editing. Some transitions were so nice and smooth I was genuinely impressed. Editing and directing did the heavy lifting in this project for sure.

On the other hand, the writing was… juvenile? I think that's a fitting description. I actually have far more hope for season 2. This was just a quick introduction to what can potentially be a great story. As much as I love Win and Prim as an on screen duo, this character pairing was just… a misunderstanding. Dude be pretending to be her teacher, then her uncle, while also flirting with her when nobody's watching and I’m just sitting here confused about my existence, because my brain does not compute what I’m seeing.

I did enjoy both as individual characters. Ajin and his fake ass clumsy persona, when in fact he is this hot tattooed black magic wielder. Fa who is so smart, yet desperately wanting excitement and purpose in her life. Great. Yet something about their dynamics was off putting. Rather than being excited to see them on screen for the potential low-key romance, I was excited to see how much of a clownery their next interaction will be.

I want to be perfectly clear though - I did have A LOT of fun while watching the show. It’s a perfect short binge watch material. I could not stop myself from starting the next episode. And with that hype I will be patiently waiting for season 2.

It's only 7.5/10, but it's not:
I'm disappointed and expected more 7.5
It's the: holy shit that was a lot of fun even if many things did not make sense 7.5.

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There is no justice when seeking revenge.

Revenge will never give you a peace of mind, because it will always create victims that will hunt you till their last day. Never ending spiral of survival in the world that does not care.

It’s a drama that requires a lot of patience - 10 episodes in I still felt rather clueless about the past events and their impact on the current timeline. Maybe not completely blind, for sure not seeing the big picture thought. The writer takes their sweet time to explain the murders, their motive, connection between victims and the wanted outcome depending on the side. While the actual explanation is more or less spoon-fed to the audience, it does not feel like they tried to insult my lack of perception, but rather elaborate on the vague idea I already had in my head. It was delivered in a way that seemed appropriate taking into consideration the long and detailed set up.

I am not sure how much of a main character Qu San Geng was. For me I saw him more like a vessel for narration. While the story directly impacted him, somehow he seemed a little bit detached from it. Technically he was the force driving the investigation forward, so why does his presence feel so passive? I’m not mad about it, I think he served his purpose perfectly, but maybe I just expected to connect to his character a little bit more?

Ripe Town is a story about injustice - be it legal or social. About the power of status and money. About idealistic ideas that are crushed by reality. This is not a fun investigation, one could even say the ending feels unsatisfying. But that unsatisfying ending actually perfectly fits the story. I felt deeply frustrated more than once and even the more lighthearted moments left a bitter taste in my mouth.

That said, it was not all pain and suffering. Thanks to many interesting main and supporting characters, I can with full confidence say it was an enjoyable watch. Song Chen easily being the best of them all - not exactly good, but definitely not bad. Sticking to his convictions and morals. I also really like the “sidekick trio” Leng Gui Er, Gao Shi Cong and Feng Ke Zhui. Their dynamics were the ray of sunshine and fun that gave me a little bit of peace of mind.

One thing the drama did a phenomenal job with was making me switch my opinions about characters back and forth depending on the amount of information I had. It clearly shows the depth of the story and the characters’ actions. Nothing is quite as black and white as it may seem.

Performance wise, Yu Yao as Lu Zhi was probably my favorite along with Ning Li and Bai Yu Fan. Personally these 3 were the true main characters for me, and everyone kind of faded into background compared.

As for the production, I loved the color schemes used - the grays, blues and greens with hints of warm tones from lanterns created a somber and grim picture that accompanied the at times bleak reality of the characters.

Overall, I would for sure recommend it, but it is better as a binge watch. Be patient with how the story unfolds, you will get your conclusions at the right time.

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Could've been a thrilling ride or an emotional journey. Wanted to be both so it became neither.

It might be a “me problem” since I caught myself having similar complaints about other dramas too - they are not simple enough. And this is also how I felt watching this show.

On one hand it was a crime “who did it” mystery with twists and new revelations at every turn. We followed a few characters, all with their individual stories that at the end connect into a whole picture. On the other hand it’s a one man psychological drama about how obsession over your own regrets can affect your life and lead you to a point of no return. And these two just did not mash well for me.

The tension was rising when the plot was following the mystery bits, but then we got a full on episode that seemed like a borderline slice of life drama of romance between Xiang Dong and Fen Fang. Then we go back to mystery, but we focus on a completely different set of characters, and then come back to Xiang Dong and turn it into a character driven show. But then again we are back to following Yong Hong, Yao Xin and Wen Guo and I was getting whiplash from all these switches. Whenever I got interested in the “who done it” aspect, I was put back on the path of Xiang Dong’s obsession. When I was getting invested in his character, they switched the focus completely to someone else.

I really enjoyed all the elements, characters, plots and themes. The stakes were high, the progression of the plot made sense. The acting was fantastic, but I just could not get that invested with all that switching of the focus points.

Directing and production wise it was visually beautiful, but unreal about intentions from time to time. Some scenes had your typical grand revelation editing, but the content of what was shown was obvious by all the previous hints given. I honestly did not know if it was stylistically overdramatized for no reason, or if it was the big revelation because the writer thinks I am an idiot and did not figure it out a few episodes ago with all the obvious hints…

Overall, I still believe it’s a solid show. It has its ups and downs, but it can for sure maintain your attention and interest.

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