Reviews

Soulmate Review - ZyKuu

"The story of two soulmates" - This movie takes you through the timeline of when the two main leads first met till the very end. The story did get confusing at some points, and you will be questioning things afterwards, but I believe that the premise of the film was delivered clearly. The acting was amazing, you could feel the emotion and pain the characters were experiencing through the screen. I loved the relationship between Ha-eun and Mi-so as they displayed what true friendship means. The character development in this film is beautiful and I loved the concept of death and life shown through both characters.

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Are we living in Concrete Utopia?

I finally saw this movie. I already watched Badland Hunters and The Bargain pt. 1 and pt.2 in Korean cinemas, which are part of this world affected by a devastating earthquake, the consequences of which turned the entire country into a wasteland. Concrete Utopia is a type of films that I really like because they talk about survival in dangerous situations and about human psychology. On the one hand, I would like the people in the film to be more humane towards their neighbors, because that way they would start rebuilding what the earthquake destroyed, but probably this kind of presentation is more realistic. Man's first survival instinct is to be selfish and take care of himself. Nevertheless, in one impressive scene, the film provides a glimmer of light and hope in an artistic way, through the stained glass window of a ruined church.

So, this film is brutal, less because of the tragedy of the great earthquake itself, and more because of the relationships between people who manage to survive as best they know how. Here we have a number of top actors and all of them managed to convey the emotion of despair and anguish in a very difficult situation. And at the end, I have a question: Isn't the behavior of people in this movie a reflection of the real behavior of people in today's civilized world, because our reality is even more than in the movie, a real Concrete Utopia!?

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More CCTV?

From beginning to end, the film maintains a high level of tension and suspension. It often happens that a movie has a great start, but it gets diluted in the second or third part and then I can't wait for the movie to end. But the director managed to introduce new interesting elements throughout the film so that the whole film has something special to offer. The beginning is interesting because we get to know the main character and his unusual hobby of following other people's lives. The plot is interesting because through a sudden event, it gradually reveals hidden details from the life of the protagonists, and the conclusion of the film leaves us something to think about the personality of the main character and thus completes the whole story. The actors all did a great job here.

The film also has a social message about CCTV surveillance, which is useful when you need to find a criminal, but too many cameras also provide opportunities for greater manipulation. In today's world, virtual life on SNS (social networks) can be very brutal and has a huge impact on people's real lives.

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A beautiful love story full of meaning and loaded with sensitivity.

'Hello Stranger: The Movie' is one of those feature films capable of crossing borders and penetrating the depths of the heart.
Both a romantic comedy and a coming-of-age film, the film follows in the footsteps of the characters from the series of the same name, released in 2020.
On this occasion, Dwein Ruedas Baltazar, the Filipino actress, editor, screenwriter and director, known for telling stories focused on identity and sexual diversity, such as 'Sila-Sila' and 'KALEL, 15', takes a position behind the cameras, while Daniel S. Saniana and Patrick R. Valencia, writer of the script for the film 'The Third Party' and the series 'Hello Stranger', come together to write the film text that will cause a roller coaster of emotions in viewers.
Xavier and Mico's relationship deepens, while the well-known gang of Young Padawans, Kookai (Vivoree Esclito), Seph (Patricio Quiroz) and Junjun (Miguel Almendras), and a large group of University students, including Crystal (Gillian Vicencio), Xavier's girlfriend, go to a writing camp, taking the virtual kilig to the real world, just in the days around Valentine's Day.
The feature film, 101 minutes long, continues where the series left off and the story develops as the film progresses, adding new characters and a new, although familiar, conflict between the two male protagonists, in a post-pandemic environment.
The flashbacks of the intervening months clearly explain why the protagonists acted in this way and how they felt motivated to carry out the actions that led Xavier and Mico to distance themselves.
Following the premise of the series, the film defends the idea of ​​honesty, and is revealing for those who hide their true identity. With just the right drama, it exposes only honest feelings waiting to be expressed from one towards the other, seen from Xavier's public confession, almost in one of the final scenes, of being in love with another man. He had already confessed it to his parents before.
It is never easy to confess deep emotions, but the protagonists, faced with the risk of losing the person they love, find the courage to express their feelings, and thus find the freedom that a patriarchal and heteronormative society denies them, which tells you that loving someone of your same sex is not correct.
The acting of the protagonists is great. The character of Mico, played by JC Alcantara, quite emotional as an actor, will bring tears to your eyes through his pain, and laughter due to his contagious joy and overwhelming joy, with his expressive eyes, sometimes tearful, sometimes smiling, and marked dimples that furrow his face.
There is something very special about this young actor. He has the ability to access the soul of his character and really moves the audience. I hope to see more of him in film and television.
For his part, Tony Labrusca, in the role of Xavier, surpasses himself this time, giving new nuances to his character.
Both actors, with amazing chemistry that exudes genuineness, convey love outside the heteronormative bubble with such reverence and authenticity.
If in the series they had already demonstrated their histrionic skills and the comfort of working together, they take the film to another level of brilliance, far exceeding our expectations. From his comic scenes to the big, dramatic speeches, his lines are full of intensity and realism.
This is a wonderful movie. The performances are simply incredible, highlighting the role of Tony Labrusca. This young actor gives a performance so tender and realistic that it makes my heart tighten every time I watch the film.
There is a dramatic scene after the tug of war that really shows off the great performance of the two actors. And the final scene is tender and charming and the filming with the beginning of the song makes it a classic.
Mico's inseparable friends are still here and once again give him their support in the search for happiness and love. Kookai, Jujun and Shep will make you wish you had them in your life and the movie never fails to emphasize that. The audience will be treated to one of my favorite scenes: the one in which the Young Padawans play "Shageddy Shapopo" near the end, such a strong symbolism of how close the friendship of the four young people is.
The new supporting cast are seasoned characters and add color to the film.
Another important point, like a good film by Dwein Ruedas Baltazar, is the soundtrack, with the musical direction of Glenn Barit, in which its main theme stands out, "Kahit Na Anong Sabihin Ng Iba", performed by the same actors, who since It already occupies an important place among my favorite music.
Some of the songs that help us understand the moods of the characters are "She", (performed by Sab), "Pangako" (Kyle Echarry), "Dahil Sa'yo" (Inigo Pascual and Gabriel Tagadtad, "Kung Akin Ang Mundo (Christian Martinez), and "Mahal Ko O Mahal Ako" (KZ Kandingan). This last song is about who has to choose between two people.
The movie may stand alone, but I would recommend you watch the series first.

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Um filme para ficar marcado no coração!

Depois de eu me apaixonar por Jung Woo Sung por conta de Tell me That You Love Me, comecei a procurar seus trabalhos e quando vi que ele contracenou um filme com minha Diva Son Ye Jin, nem acreditei, e é lógico que não poderia deixar de assistir.

E QUE FILME SENHORES! EU LITERALMETE DESITRATEI DE TANTO CHORAR! QUE ATUAÇÃO! QUE ENTREGA DOS DOIS!

Você pode dar nada, quando inicia o enredo, mas é tão bonito de ver o desenvolver do amor dos dois. Cada um com uma personalidade única, mas que juntos se completavam. Ele um homem durão, que ficou todo amolecido por uma mulher alegre e energética, que conseguiu quebrar suas barreiras. E apesar dele sofrer, vendo ela perder gratativamente as memórias, ele não aceitava deixá-la.

Nossa, partiu meu coração quando ela esqueceu completamente dele e encontrou o idiota do ex pensando que ainda estava com ele. E quando ela percebe o que fez, como o magoou, fez eu completamente soluçar de tanto chorar.

Se você está esperando um final feliz, nem assista o filme. Mas digo logo que estará perdendo um clássico que deveria ser mais valorizado.

E mais uma vez eu me encanto por Jung Woo Sung, esse homem nasceu para fazer trabalhos com toque humano tão único, é inexplicável.

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"Can we talk?"

Apart from You was one of Naruse Mikio’s early silent films. The subject matter was a familiar one for the times, a woman was lodged between a rock and a hard place trying to provide for her ungrateful son. There were moments of slapstick comedy sprinkled through the melodrama that also included an unrequited romance.

Kikue is an aging geisha trying to hang on and make enough money for her son to finish school. Terugiko is a teenager who works with Kikue. Embarrassed by his mother’s profession, Yoshio has been skipping school and joined a gang of troublemakers. When Kikue finds out she is distressed and asks Terugiko for help as Yoshio cares for her. When talking to him doesn’t work Terugiko takes him home to her parents’ house by the sea. There Yoshio discovers what a truly dysfunctional family is.

Naruse began the film with two geishas walking down the street and a gang of ruffians running about searching for someone. There were overtly comedic moments as the camera bounced around. It took a bit of time to figure out who was the focus of the story. Initially, the story began as a mother-son film and then made a turn into doomed romance. It was also unclear initially whether this was going to be a comedy or a full-blown melodrama. There was a running gag about Yoshio’s hole filled socks with a cute moment involving Terugiko’s little brother right before he found out how lucky he was. When words failed to break through Yoshio’s feelings about his mother, Terugiko tried to show Yoshio how pigheaded and thoughtless he was being through her own example. Her drunken father relied on her money to provide for the family instead of working himself and he was prepared to sell her younger sister as well. Terugiko was faced with a terrible future in order to save her sister. After being dressed down by Yoshio, Kikue made a drastic sake soaked decision. Suddenly, the funny moments didn't seem so funny.

Yoshikawa Mitsuko was 32 at the time of this film and was treated as an “old hag.” Isono Akio who played her son Yoshio was a mere 9 years younger! The beautiful Mizukubo Sumiko was only 17 years old which only emphasized Terugiko's dire circumstances. Yoshikawa and Mizukubuo were the heart of this film while Isono as the petulant man-child played it with a straight face. Aoki Tomio, a frequent child actor at the time, played Terugiko’s mischievous little brother. The acting was all pretty solid, especially for this time period. The story had a tendency to change focus as much as Naruse’s camera did. He overused the dramatic closeups and choppy editing to convey emotions in several scenes. He did make use of Japan’s natural scenery when Terugiko and Yoshio traveled by train to her parents’ house and also when they talked by the sea.

Apart from You had its flaws but Naruse managed to fill 60 minutes with emotional impact without jumping headlong into sentimentality. Women had few financial opportunities and yet were ostracized when they walked the only path they could find to survive and help their families survive. As much as I was hoping mother and son would reconcile, it was diminutive Terugiko’s fate that haunted me. This statement by Terugiko could have been an anthem of resiliency for both of the women, “I won’t be defeated by hardships.”

22 July 2024

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This Movie Is A Masterpiece

I wasn't originally going to write a review, but after I finished the movie I found that I couldn't stop thinking about it.
It has actually consumed my thoughts and feelings so I thought I might share my opinions in order to convince you to watch it.

The movie starts out simple and slow, it does such a perfect job of world building, and most importantly, relationship building. I found myself confused halfway through, constantly wondering why Makoto had such an obession with Lisa and when I found the answer, my heart shattered.

This movie is so beautifully heartbreaking. Everything about it is so poetic, like when Makoto lights fireworks in winter because she loved them. I replay moments from this film in my head over and over and always find new sorrowful details I hadn't considered before.

I more than just recommended this movie. I hope everyone gets a chance to watch this, or something like this once in their life. Sure, there may have been predictable parts and maybe even boring parts, but nonetheless I consider this film a work of art.

Mackenyu especially did such a fantastic job, I have never seen him convey such joy and such sorrow before, it was incredible.

Please give this movie a chance, you won't regret it.

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It’s not FreenBecky’s fault…

…it’s the writers’ and post production teams’.

[TL;DR, Spoiler free]
I commend FreenBecky’s improvement since GAP. I can see that their execution is good. They’ve internalized all of their characters so well and I love them for that!!! The action scenes AND THEIR CHEMISTRY are just *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏽🤌🏽

HOWEVER… the almost 3-hour movie just didn’t deliver for me. The time jumps were confusing and I felt that the conclusion was really rushed. I swear, the story flow were incomprehensible at times. It also didn’t balance the sci-fi and rom-drama genres.

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[MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!]

There are a lot of things that needs improvement:
- The sequencing shots of the parallel world travel confused me A LOT, especially when THERE’S LITERALLY THE SAME COLOR GRADING EXCEPT FOR KATH’S LAST TRAVEL (since it took place on the world war era)! If it wasn’t for my friend who also watched the movie with me (and for Kath and Lin’s wigs lol), I’d be lost at times. The contrast between the “worlds”/“eras” only has subtle differences and happens out of the blue, so you need to be more observant to connect the storyline.

Also, just when I was about to engage and symphatize with the leads in that parallel world, the scene just cuts! Just like that conclusion!

- The subtitles doesn’t match what they’re saying in English most of the time. It’s kinda frustrating. The lines that they’re saying (especially in English) sometimes doesn’t feel natural too.

- This isn’t a “sci-fi” movie (which the movie was advertised as). Y’all I was fooled by the movie poster. The movie had more shots around Kath’s diving career than Lin’s astronaut career.

- The CGI in that Tsunami part 😭

But I still liked the space scenes. It feels quite realistic and well produced! Some of the shots and visuals are stunning, too, especially Lin and Kath’s motorcycle scene. I swear, Freen and Beckbeck so far has the most oozing chemistry in all of the GL pairs I’ve watched. They’re also did fan service in this film. Like a lot.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:
I still give the studio and the people behind this movie a big thumbs up for their efforts for breaking the stereotypic “romantic plot” movies. They still have a lot to improve, but the movie is a great start. I just hope that they hire better post prod team lol. But still watch it for Freen and Becky.

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A masterpiece in love philosophy.

As an avid fan of Chinese movies and a long-time fan of the Ex-File series (Hey, 体面 is one of me go-to songs when I'm at a karaoke). I really, thoroughly loved this movie.

The plot is a direct sequel to ex-files 3 in which our titular meng yun is now single, with baggage from his previous break-up with lin jia. Our ever humorous Yu Fei and Ding Dian are still up to their ever so entertaining couple shenanigans, including the thoroughly enjoyable couple fights - favourite of which are where a tray of shot glasses are lined up and whoever does something wrong in the relationship has to take a shot. Those scenes are amplified and even better in the sequel.

As a romance comedy, I can tell you the comedy and writing is extremely entertaining, enjoyable and funny. But more so the romance aspect, it tackles many aspects of love, marriage and relationships on an extremely deep level that you wouldn't expect from a typical romcom movie. Things like talking about how someone single is likely to find their soul mate because they won't settle for something less just not to be alone. Things like how when you realize eating, drinking, movies and shopping can be done alone and be used to it, you don't really need a companion to do so. Things like how the "freedom" someone single enjoys can actually be the same shackles that bind him into a prison of not being able to step out of his comfort zone.

This is a movie that can be outrageously hilarious, wildly fun, deeply entertaining at the same time pulling your heart strings and making you think deeply about life, relationships and what really does love mean.

A movie that has literally something for everyone, every demographic. A masterpiece for sure.

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Beauty Photoshoot

It is clear from the beginning that this is a B-movie. Actually, it is hard for me to believe that this was first a drama series turned into a theatrical release. Artistically there is nothing of worth here but there is some entertainment in watching beautiful girls doing photoshoots. For me that was the best part of the movie – just enjoying looking at some beautiful Korean women. I guess the appeal of this movie is to show these actors to the public and it doesn’t try to hard to be a good movie.

Storywise, it was all too silly and unbelievable. The theme of vampires is used just as background for the romance and drama but is not realized very well. This movie doesn’t work as Sci-Fi or fantasy, but it has some worth as a comedy. I must admit, I had a laugh or two watching this.

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Why do you think it will be very enjoyable?

I highly recommend 'Our Secret Diary,' it's an amazing Japanese drama that expertly combines romance, mystery, and personal growth to create a truly engaging story. The characters are well-developed, each dealing with their own struggles and challenges. The main character, in particular, goes through a profound journey, dealing with love, friendship, and self-discovery. The romantic storyline is handled with great sensitivity and the chemistry between the characters adds depth to the story. The mystery in the plot keeps you hooked, and the production values are top-notch, with stunning cinematography and a soundtrack that perfectly complements the series. Overall, it's an outstanding Jdrama that seamlessly blends romance, mystery, and personal growth, making it a must-watch for fans of the genre.

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hard-headed kid and a former useless man who just got out of prison turn into a great dad

I randomly picked this movie because I couldn't sleep and didn't know what to watch, but it turned out to be one of the few good decisions I've made in my life. At first, I thought, "Hmm, that kid is so annoying," and "That man is too harsh and doesn't care about anyone else," but I came to love them both deeply.

What I love about this movie is the bond between the characters. The child is overly protective of the people she deeply cares about. Whenever she tried to protect San Mei, I got teary-eyed. Oh, to be loved and protected just like she protected him, despite not being related by blood. You can really see San Mei's development from not liking the kid because she's so annoying, which is valid, to giving the kid everything she wanted. Also, I was so amazed by the kid's acting skills. She's so good at her job, lmao. She's cute when she smiles, you would also feel emotional if she cries, and you would feel mad if she's mad.

I'm not the type of viewer who gets deeply attached to shows, but I was disappointed when it ended. I need more. I want to see them hang out, play, and tease each other.

I might be biased in rating this since I can relate to it, but it's really good if you like seeing a hard-headed kid and a former useless man who just got out of prison turn into a great dad. It's heartwarming to watch someone who didn't care about their life before suddenly find something they want to protect and care about.

Additionally, the movie touches on themes of death, as the main character's job involves working with dead bodies. While we often see this as dirty or disgusting, I think it's an honorable job that deserves appreciation.

So, if you're looking for a good movie that will make you cry and has a great story, you should check this out. You won't regret it. This is a good movie about life and death.

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THRILLING, SAD and DEEP

First of All I really appreciate that one of the characters here is gay, I liked it that they have portrayed that gays can be everywhere and that they can be cool even if they are gay Just like Chief Hyeon Sang.
The Movie was so thrilling and unpredictable, as a person like me who have watched tons of movies and dramas, I sometimes kinda predict what the story is all about and how will the story goes, the story here is common but what I mean lately as unpredictable was the scenes, I thought what will happen next will be like this but I was wrong , is it called the plot twist ? and that made the movie so exciting.
In some ways for all of the fan of Korean things we are quite informed about their country , the North and South Korean Division, shows at south like this shows that North Korea is like more of the cruel one and the South is more of a the free country something like that, but who knows . I did not care about that , their issue is their own , regardless of it, I was really entertained by the movie.
I liked the cinematography, if we would see this movie as a whole it was quite simply, someone who wants to escape , that's it ! and someone who wants to do something but was not able to do because of his country and his father the plot has a deep meaning and sense if we would really understand it
The acting was 10/10 , as we have all known Koreans always use their full emotions in each situation so acting was always convincing and nicely done
In some ways I think the movie was too short , I thought it would reach up to 2 hour movie just like the movies nowadays , I hope it would be longer. All in all super love it the story was on point and a very nice ending, I was really afraid in the middle because I thought Kyu Nam was not gonna make it or in some scenes I thought he would be caught, I liked his bravery it was like two people , one was brave enough to do what he wants and one was not able to do what he wants because of commitment and loyalty.
Above all as you all know I am a die hard fan of Lee Je Hoon so for me everything he does is lovely so I am really sorry of being biased here, but I believe even not a fan like me or just looking for some movie to watch would like this . Lee Je Hoon was so handsome and has a very nice body figure and he was literally my dream man ! I will definitely watch this movie million times !

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