Reviews

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This was a movie that caught my attention. I liked the atmosphere and the way the story slowly developed. It kept me curious about what would happen next, and I enjoyed the different twists along the way. 🤍✨

Not perfect, but definitely worth watching if you enjoy something a little different. 📺🌸

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My new favorite film

I'm prone to hyperbole, but this is a fact: I sat down to watch this film hoping for a pleasant diversion but I came away a changed person. I watched it again the next day and was just as charmed.

Linda, Linda, Linda is the antithesis of a Hollywood movie. It's calm, naturalistic, nostalgic, and warm. There's no meaningful conflict, no big set pieces, and many scenes play out almost as if rather than a script, there was just a one line description of what happens.

But that's the magic. The key is the cast, and especially Bae Doona as the awkward but charming protagonist, Son, a Korean transfer student in a Japanese high school It's impossible to imagine anyone else in this role. She captures the curiosity, loneliness, courage, and humor of Son so flawlessly.

I could go on and on, but it's better if you just watch it. Though it probably won't be to your taste if my description makes you skeptical rather than intrigued...

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Priest and a Woman

If you see a priest with a woman, what will you think? Probably that something fishy is going on. But that is your problem, not the priest’s. This biographical movie about an important Buddhist monk, Kyung Heo/Gyeongheo, starts with exactly that issue — him accepting a woman into his room. Rumors quickly spread that a monk is with a woman, and so the drama begins.

Kyung Heo, as depicted here, was indeed unconventional, but he had a pure heart and pure intentions — and that is what truly matters, both in Buddhism and in Christianity. As a Catholic priest, I found many connections between our beliefs in this Buddhist movie, especially the message that the Buddha is in each of us, just as Christ is.

On the surface, this is a drama feature, but in reality it is a deeply religious movie with meditative and philosophical moments. Especially in the scenes that are occasionally interrupted by symbolic imagery and, I believe, actual quotes from the monk. We also witness a real temple ritual as the film gently draws us into meditation and reflection on our own hearts and minds.

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High-flying athleticism and extraordinary beauty

A wonderfully energetic showcase of high-flying athleticism and extraordinary beauty, Martial Arts of Shaolin is a spectacular, fast-paced and frequently sensational celebration of Lau Kar-leung's love for less fantastical martial arts, constantly pushing for the tenets of discipline, pacifism and tolerance. It's far less traditional than most of the typical Shaw Brothers output. There's no set or soundstage to be found here, with beautiful mountains, ancient cities and temples, and rolling green pastures hosting hundreds of extras in a lavish, large-scale epic. It does boast some fairly interesting meditations on Buddhism and the limits of pacifism in the face of injustice. However, this is about as straight-laced a revenge story as you could ask for, although the motivation for said revenge isn't even revealed until the very end; thus, it looks like the characters are just being arseholes to everyone they meet, it's a story that only exists to provide a framework for increasingly elaborate displays of physical skill and in that department, it's no slouch. Lau's direction is sublime; every bout feels like a natural one-upmanship of each other. Fights are fast without becoming incomprehensible, with a wonderful amount of variety, from traditional weapons combat to hand-to-hand duels and large-scale confrontations; the sheer physicality is exceptional. As one of Jet Li's earliest performances, there's a ripe youthful vigour about it, effortlessly switching between comedy and commanding when required; he has a tremendous screen presence, even when he is doing very little beyond demonstrating how impossibly fast he can move. He is astonishing. His speed, balance and precision are almost unreal, whether he is fighting with his bare hands, staff, sword or other weapons. The climax is where everything comes together, and after the slower character and training material, the film unleashes a succession of increasingly elaborate fights, culminating in a spectacular final confrontation. By this point, Martial Arts of Shaolin's relatively thin and increasingly uneven story hardly matters: the sheer skill of the performers and Lau's choreography provide all the momentum necessary, although far from one of his deepest or most sophisticated films, judging it purely as a showcase for classical kung fu, it is enormously entertaining.

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Schizophrenic Double Dragon

Schizophrenic Double Dragon. Taking Jackie Chan's doctrine of building action-comedy around a simple idea pushed to ridiculous extremes, it's a shame that Twin Dragons amounts to a somewhat chaotic collection of comedy, romance, car chases and martial arts only barely held together by the sheer charisma of its leading man. The annoying thing is that there's a lot of genuinely funny shtick throughout, but it's hampered by erratic pacing and a disjointed structure. The separated siblings' story is hardly new, but the film is more interested in how much comic mileage can be extracted from having two Jackie Chans running around; once it cuts loose, however, it's a strong reminder of why Chan's early-1990s work remains so enjoyable. The fights are fast, inventive and packed with the kind of physical ingenuity that distinguishes him from his contemporaries. The climax, in particular, delivers some spectacular choreography, combining hand-to-hand combat, vehicles and elaborate physical gags with Chan's stunt work up to its usual impressive quality; it gives the film's action sequences considerably more energy than its rather thin story deserves. Despite being co-directed by Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam, two directors at the top of their game at the time, it's a film that doesn't feel like either of their respective styles; Hark's anarchic sensibilities and Lam's harder-edged action do not gel cohesively together, especially given all the glaringly cheesy camera trickery employed in some shots that greatly undercut the illusion of twin brothers in the same frame. Thankfully, Chan throws himself into both characters with enthusiasm; the contrast between the two brothers allows him to showcase different sides of his screen persona. Equally, Maggie Cheung and Nina Li Chi make for some wonderful supporting ladies, Kirk Wong makes for a great villain, and there's the sheer abundance of cameos from Hong Kong directors, maybe the most in the history of Hong Kong cinema, that prove to be the funniest additions, with Lau Kar-leung and Wong Jing as major highlights. Unfortunately, once the novelty of watching Chan interact with himself wears off, there isn't always enough underneath Twin Dragons to sustain the momentum. When it's funny, it's really funny, yet it could have all been so much better.

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Watch City Hunter instead

A far less goofy but equally far inferior Die Hard on a Ship than that of Wong Jing's City Hunter, The Red Wolf, by Yuen Woo-Ping standards, is a very below-par effort. It essentially amounts to watching a rather boring, stripped-down version of Daddy Seagal's Under Siege; despite occasionally delivering flashes of exciting action, it's weighed down by a weak script, forgettable characters and inconsistent pacing, suffering from its own inability to create any form of engrossing narrative. Sadly, this concoction never really seems to gel, and the total lack of tension makes the scenario feel a lot less enticing. Yuen keeps things buttoned down for the first half hour but eventually unleashes the full force of the Hong Kong stunt community and the Die Hard trope generator, although it does all feel too little too late at that point. Once up to speed, the only reason the film ever slows down again is so people can torment Cecilia Ng Sin-Si. I don't know why Yuen picks her out for special treatment; she loses her dad straight away, her mother is then gunned down trying to protect her, and she spends the rest of the film being kidnapped, threatened, chased, strapped to a bomb and hung from a rope. Despite the contrary, this film is about action, not child abuse and in that regard, it's alright; there are some good bouts of combat that are decently inventive and make good use of the setting, but it's not all that memorable. Fresh-faced Kenny Ho brings little to the leading role; he doesn’t do anything specifically wrong, he just seems so incredibly bland, and it’s easy to see why he never really made it as a star. Christy Chung, on the other hand, is totally wasted as she has nothing to do other than scream a lot and get in the way during the action scenes. Outside of maybe the snazzy musical score, it's difficult to really recommend The Red Wolf; the lack of any real stand-out moments just leaves me constantly wanting something more. Watch City Hunter instead.

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Female leads confusion takes away the build up to the conclusion

The transition to movie felt lacking. Although acting was solid and the new soundtrack made it feel more like an original interpretation of the original anime.
Mostly felt certain strong feelings were missing , which made the anime memorable imo
Such as the numb feeling the MC got after working many years without any passion and seeking for “something” that makes him feel alive.
The other strong feeling and essence of the story was the unrequited love. The build up was there, but not impactful enough when the most important seen where both adults passing each other…

All in all I would only recommend this movie to Makoto Shinkai fans that are interested to see how the live action turned out.
But for others…. It is a lacklustre movie that is not very interesting for the general audience. My mother was confused at times… even me when we both were unsure who was the surf girl or the girl from primary school….
And the unrequited love part was kinda overshadowed by the confusion who is who….
I think this issue could be solved by focusing only on 1 couple. The surfing girl felt a bit
unnecessary. It didn’t add much to the story, except that MC is missed the mark/timing from small till now and has sort of grown/learned from his first love… it might be important to his character growth, but in the red line of the story it was more of a nuisance to me and source of confusion.

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What exactly is the point supposed to be about?

I don't know what just watched, this is one Kmovie with the most sex scenes, like what are you trying to show us? I don't get it, like how can these people not get a consequences of what I'm looking for, but the was none, I felt bad for his wife. What can I feel for a disgusting affair, or what am I supposed to feel? I don't get it, lives were ruined, mistress didn't get a consequence, the wife prolly raise the baby alone, they don't even bother to add how betrayed she felt. Omg. I don't understand this movie at all neither the good reviews, just leaving bad taste in the mouth.

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Development is a stronghold

Honestly this wasn’t anywhere in my watchlist as I like to read synopsis and plan out what I should watch. Came across it in a random platform, clicked and stayed to the end. Even now as it’s ended, I still have lingering thoughts.

What I liked is the way this story paced. You’re introduced the plot clearly of two young people, clearly different backgrounds and struggles, to lovers. It’s so realistic. Reminds me of how life can seem different but there are also so much similarities culturally around the world. Families have different perspectives of roles, and children take the brunt at times because of them. Sun Qian, after watching her in Early Spring, and this one now shapes a strong opinion of her working life. Probably from humble backgrounds, but very hard worker.

It’s a simple uncomplicated story but packs very good lessons about choices and responsibilities.
Love the acting. Main leads are very natural, no overboard. Here is a great love story of growth .

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I can't find the right words...

(only minor spoilers) This film was phenomenal, really. It was engaging and emotional. It was sad. It started sad, it ended sad. Jeff Satur is such an amazing actor and he really sold his character to me. Keng was a ray of sunshine and I loved him. The visuals were very good and the OST was beautiful. Jeff Sutur's Rain Wedding is beautiful. That said, I probably won't watch this movie again. It was very sad and aggravating at some points. In the end, there was no winner in the feud. The end of the film shocked me into silence for a good while. I still haven't quite processed what happened. 10/10 but I don't recommend to people who are extremely sensitive.

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Empty house 2004

Meditative movie about loneliness.

A guy traveling to empty houses and a married woman who was abused by her husband. These two people are definitely lonely.

Clean arthouse. There were no words from the main characters in this movie, but their feelings, emotions and attachment to each other were clearly visible. They understood each other so subtly that words were not needed - it was fascinating.

I think that was the message. True understanding can live in silence, in a gesture, in a look. And when it happens, it's fascinating.

A masterpiece.

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A Birth (탄생, 2022) — A Powerful Story of Faith, Courage, and Sacrifice

A Birth tells the remarkable story of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, Korea’s first Catholic priest, and the difficult journey of the early Korean Catholic community during the 19th century.

What makes this film particularly moving is that it doesn't portray faith as something easy. Andrew Kim and the other Korean Catholics had to face persecution, separation from their families, dangerous journeys, and ultimately the possibility of death simply because of their faith. The film gives viewers a sense of how much courage it took for the early Korean Catholics to preserve and spread Christianity in Joseon Korea.

I especially appreciated the historical setting and the way the movie introduces important figures and events surrounding the early Korean Church. It also shows Andrew Kim not simply as a religious figure, but as a young man who had to make difficult decisions and take enormous risks.

The movie may feel slow at times, especially for viewers unfamiliar with Korean Catholic history, and there are many names, places, and historical events to keep track of. But for anyone interested in the history of Christianity in Korea, the Korean martyrs, or Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, this film is well worth watching.

One of the most powerful aspects of the story is knowing that these events ultimately led to the canonization of Andrew Kim Taegon and the other Korean martyrs by Pope John Paul II in 1984.

A Birth is not merely a movie about the birth of a priest. It is a story about the birth of a Christian community in Korea, built through faith, sacrifice, and the courage of ordinary people willing to risk everything for what they believed.

Highly recommended for Catholics and anyone interested in Korean history and the history of Christianity in Asia.

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The Young Strangers (2024)

I love this movie. Such a beautiful narration of the story.
Each character has a different perspective on life.
The way the story changes its flow and pace, how the movie portrays "death" as inevitable, and how each character's narration shows them desiring happiness, with each having their own life—even just for that time—it did impress me.



Ayato and his family, who struggle with their past while paying off the debt of his deceased father and caring for his mother, and how he acts whenever things go wrong, are so realistic, so raw yet powerful.



After what happened that night, each character was shown how they dealt with it and moved forward as life passed by.
This movie touched my heart.
I did cry many times.

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