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That said, the chemistry was amazing. I think my favorite aspect of the show was how the characters were completely different from the initial impression they gave. Miura Manatsu is not this cold and detached dude who is completely not interested in his partner and Haruta Ami is not this innocent pushover. There is a great amount of mutual push and pull and flirting/bickering. The dynamics were great, all thanks to great performances.
I also appreciate how the show put a twist on some characters and their reaction to the relationship - this was refreshing.
Overall, perfect as a palate cleanser between more complex/serious dramas - there to appreciate the romance and give your brain a break.
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Could have just called it Momo and be done with marketing.
Anyone slightly familiar with creepy pastas will right away see the similarities between the supernatural being in Stare and the urban legend of Momo - long dark hair, slim long face, big and creepy eyes. You hear about her, she shoes up, you have a stare showdown, you die - that’s the movie.I don’t think there was more to it to be honest. It had great potential to be great with better and slower directing. Stretch these starting into her eyes scenes longer, build that tension, but in the actual film it all passed way too quickly. The whole origin got messy, the importance of some characters forgotten, who was in on it, who just told the scary story thinking there is nothing more to it? All too blurry.
Acting was fine, so were the effects. I would appreciate less blowing up eyes, since that aspect was rather lackluster in presentation.
Overall, a decent watch when you feel like watching horror, but also want some simple and short entertainment.
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Unfriended - Japanese edition.
Here’s the problem - the rules they introduce make no sense. Their explanation of the curse goes against the whole opening scene in the movie. It was painfully messy, the information was dropped here and there and it was honestly not that easy to put it all together. The basis of it all is easy to understand, but all the details make no sense.We know close to nothing about the main characters, there is no real diversity in personalities either. They are more or less copies of themselves, so when the bad things started happening, I couldn’t care less, because they did not really seem like real people to me.
At the end of the day, it was just boring. It’s a really simple story that could have been saved by the atmosphere, but they showed too much, everything was happening too quick, and there was no real time to truly dive into what was happening on screen.
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Perfect type of a mess.
The movie fits just right into the “so bad it’s good” category - with elements and plot that could last for at least 3 separate movies, it makes for a perfect late night brainless entertainment.While the first 25 minutes are rather dull, following typical ghost and cursed storylines we have seen in hundreds of movies, the moment the ghost hunters duo shows up, that's when magic and crack happens.
There is no logic in this film - none. It’s impossible to make sense of the 80% of scenes and dialogues. They drop random supernatural lingo and we as the viewers need to just accept it all makes sense.
The acting was surprisingly not bad - improved with every minute. Honestly, delivering some of the lines in a serious matter seems like a miracle to me.
Production was… C class at best and that’s one of the fun and charming aspects of the movie. It’s made for people who can enjoy cringe and poor effects.
Overall, what an acid trip it was.
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A bit basic, but still fairly entertaining.
There was nothing truly wrong about the movie, but nothing stood out in a positive way either.What starts as a comedy, ventures into more sad territory closer to the end. We know how Koreans are - nothing is just a comedy. I must say, I actually really like where the plot went and the given conclusion, I just hoped it would be set up better and more hints have been given.
On the comedy side - I did not really laugh once. Maybe smiled a few times, but that’s it. The jokes were just really mediocre and they did not take full advantage of the scenario they created.
The acting was good, especially from Han Seung Yeon who is able to deliver both the comedy (even if limited by the script) and drama.
Overall, it's light, short and fun enough to watch and not feel like you wasted time.
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It’s nothing groundbreaking or amazing, but it’s for sure an entertaining watch with some unexpected plot developments. The characters seemed like your typical university students which added some realism to a rather unrealistic, but enjoyable story.
I for sure liked the performances and was surprised to see some well known faces in the roles of Professor Choi and Professor Yeo.
It seems like a good watch for people who are not too good with horrors. It has some creepy moments, but there is also enough mystery and plot to get invested and focus on that. It’s also relatively short, so you won’t get exhausted watching it.
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What’s the most surprising is how aesthetically pleasing the movie was. Loved all the aerial shots. I also liked the leading shots that showed the surroundings and not actually what was happening. Build that tension!
That said, one scene was painfully gross. Gross, but I also could not stop laughing about it.
Overall, a solid short horror. Quality of directing and editing. Would recommend.
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Whispering Corridors 3: Wishing Stairs
2 people found this review helpful
Wishing Stairs tells a story of two best friends, Jin Sung and So Hee, and the rivalry born between them because of the upcoming competition. The movie effectively made me question if the events presented to me have any supernatural origin or are the result of the feelings of guilt in Jin Sung and obsession Hye ju displayed towards So Hee. Sadly, the director and writer straightforwardly answered said question by the end of the movie, instead of leaving me, as a viewer, with the possibility of self interpretation.
The structure of the story is simple and extremely easy to follow. The linear storytelling without countless flashbacks to the past events makes it a good, digestible horror flick that does not require much brain power to understand.
The performance from the main cast and the production value were truly good. The director knew the limits of what she could achieve in that time, and did not overuse cheap and not well made CGI or special effects for jump scares.
Overall, I would recommend it if someone wants to watch a fun, simple story that answers all the questions and truly guides you through the plot and events happening.
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Don’t get me wrong though, I was still rather entertained. In a little bit over two hours One Line was able to present a rather well built underdog story, adding a redemption arc closer to the end. Min Jae? Not exactly a likable character at first. Or in the middle. Somehow they were able to pull off 180, and make me care for him by the end.
Sadly, movies centering around con artists are as good as the chemistry and bond between the members and the last heist they do, and here the movie failed. Honestly speaking, from the whole team, the only two characters that had a fun and interesting dynamic going on screen were Min Jae and Gi Tae. All the rest just showed up with little built up for the team work, even though most of the was just that - creating a setup for the last case.
I would say, the last 40 minutes of the movie were the best - that’s when the characters started to truly work together and I could sense they were on board with the plan. That said, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. They did not show enough of the preparation for the big scam, so it kind of happened before I was able to comprehend what was going on. Especially since before that, the pacing was rather slow.
Acting was good. I’d say Im Si Wan did what he could with this role, but his baby face slightly did not fit how the character was presenting himself in the 2nd half. Lee Dong Hwi did a great job, I wanted to punch him in the face whenever they showed him on screen.
Overall, if the movie was about 30 minutes shorter it would flow better, and the imbalance between the setup and the last case would be less evident. It’s not like it’s a deep psychological drama - it’s a con artist movie with rather one dimensional characters and predictable plot. It’s supposed to be fun and that’s that.
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The pacing was all over the place. Finishing last episode, I was truly confused when they even fell in love with each other. I don’t know why, but it worked for me. Even the “over the top” 2nd lead baking his cakes for 80% of his screen time - it was just ridiculous, and it worked. Rather than poor directing skills, it felt more like a style that the director and writer purposely went for. Which might be just my delulu thinking, but the facts stay the same - I enjoyed it, whenever it was intentional or an accident.
What I truly appreciated were the interaction of the main characters with supporting ones - it added slight realism to this unrealistic scenario. The teacher-student dynamics were especially fun to watch.
I truly enjoyed the acting. Shin Yong Seok as a naive, innocent and nice Seol Won made me laugh with his antics and persistent behavior. Im Sung Kyun’s more serious scenes impressed me the most. Acting silly on screen is one thing, but the few lines that had more of a sincere feel to them were delivered just the right way.
Editing and overall production quality was on par with other K-BLs - be slightly higher.
Overall, it was strange? But the type of strange that I enjoy. I was not sure what I was watching, but I was on board. Im Sung Kyun being quite an eye candy with some nice acting skills helped a lot.
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Here’s the thing - some episodes were amazingly funny, with entertaining games. Some - not so much. A lot depended on the cast of trainees for specific episodes, the good chemistry was the key for viewers enjoyment. You need a few social butterflies and extroverts with more media experience to keep it interesting.
The themes for the episodes also played a big role in how much I enjoyed my watch. Haunted house with a mystery plot line is far more interesting than looking for snacks and eating them. Adding a spy or a team that was supposed to ruin the games also adds to the value.
One thing that I appreciated was the editing team. The perfectly used and placed memes were gold, and made already funny jokes, even more hilarious.
Overall: fun watch for big fans of YWY S3, probably mediocre for anyone else.
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Not gonna lie, I am quite disappointed, especially after reading the synopsis. I was ready for some complex story that pushes the viewer into a state of constant questioning of what is real and what's just a part of the broken imagination of the female lead... Well, I did not get that. If they just kept it a bit more vague and made sure Mi Ju is actually present during all the "supernatural" occurrences, it would be so much better. But since a lot of crazy things happened even without her being near, the answer is given to the viewer. When trying to create a story that can be left to the interpretation of the viewers, you need to be careful as you craft it. They were not.
One of the biggest flaws of "Cello" was the acting. I don't know how much of it I can blame on the actual acting skills (or lack of them) and how much blame can be put on the "acting style" that might have been more popular in 2000'. Either way, it was not good. The line delivery felt awkward in a lot of scenes and it took me out of any suspense they tried to create.
The plot was just a clusterf***. For such a short movie, they introduced too many characters we were supposed to care about. Why add the husband's sister? Or the "blackmailing" student? None of the plot lines were necessary and only took the precious minutes from the main character and the development of whatever supernaturally or mentally was happening to her.
Overall, I would probably not recommend it. There was nothing exciting, innovative or interesting in this movie. If anything, it left me frustrated, because the concept was good, but the execution of it just failed.
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The plot is fairly simple, though the non linear way of telling it may confuse some. We jump through plot lines for different characters, but they are not set in chronological order. Why was that stylistic choice made? Will never know.
What were the highlights of the movie? Voldemort in the belly of a young girl, the worst "possession" acting on the planet, weirdly timed jump scares that made me chuckle more than once.
Funny, how I just finished this movie, but I can barely remember any scene... I guess that sums it up.
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The story is nothing special, but it's like peeping through the keyhole into the life of a questionable couple. The casual, or even comedic tone kept through most of the movie made the ending that much more intense. It was a nice twist to a rather obvious story.
I'd say the use of the spider in the end was quite telling and a nice symbolism of the current situation of the female character.
Overall, it's nothing special, but it was nice. I never have any high expectations for short horror movies, and this was just entertaining and nicely done. I could not ask for more.
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The idea was quite interesting. Married couple, driven by their greed and the need to be accepted by the family of the husband, kills an innocent child in a ritual that will make the woman bear her own kid, followed by all the consequences of such a horrible act. There were so many amazing ways this story could have been presented and shot, and yet the writer and director decided to go with the worst of them all. I gave the story 4 only because of the huge potential I had seen and all the countless ways this movie could have gone in my head after I finished it.
The movie is filled with bad editing, random, seizure inducing sequences of "scary pictures", side characters and plot lines that are not explored enough or at all. The acting itself is also questionable. Except for a few supporting characters, it was not a natural and convincing one.
The characters were extremely frustrating too. Seo Ni is shown as this mother figure for Bin and good parenting role, but she also neglects her own younger sister numerous times. Cheol Woong's role is pointless. The whole detective role means nothing to the plot, he is not part of Bin's story and almost never shares the screen with the main cast.
Yoo Rin at the beginning was introduced as this rebellious teen that lies to her sister to go clubbing, but that part was never explored too. If they made Seo Ni find out about it at some point, it could be the perfect reason for the lack of trust she had when Yoo Rin mentioned Bin is weird.
Seo Ni's husband is even more of a mess. Why they introduced the sub-plot line of him having hots for Yoo Rin was beyond me, since it NEVER led to anything. The more I think about it, the more of a mess this movie is.
There was also one thing that bothered me extremely. They cast T-ara’s member and then have a whole scene of Hyomin and other members dancing in the club to roly poly. It right away took me out of the movie. Normally it's hard enough to forget the idol image of the actor/actress that is also a singer, but when you promote it in a movie too, it kills the character they are playing. For me, from that moment, she was not Yoo Rin but simply Hyomin.
Overall, don't waste your time.
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