Reviews

It's the Journey

You know going in the ending, more or less, but it's the journey that matters. The writer, director, and actors execute perfectly delivering a moving experience following the lives of two teens who got dealt the short end of fate's stick. Lot's of tears, but inspirational, too.

The ratings here of Japanese movies/shows tend to be lower by about .3 or .4. Drawing Closer caught my attention for, as of this date, a rating of 8.9 which is remarkable. And it deserves that high rating.

A multi-episode TV show has much longer to create a connection with the viewer. It's also remarkable that this relatively short movie managed to develop a strong connection to these several characters.

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Think twice before breaking your promise

1993’s The Bride with White Hair is a classic Hong Kong kung fu movie I’ve wanted to see for some time now. It finally became available on a site I use. I wasted no time making the popcorn and sitting down to watch this star-crossed love story encased in a bonkers package. Director Ronny Yu spared no weirdness in the making of this film.

Cho Yi Hang is an orphan brought up in the 8th Clan, groomed to be his master’s heir. As he grows it becomes clear to everyone but his master that Cho’s heart is too gentle to take on a job where “Conscience is a hindrance.” When Cho was a child, a “wolf girl” saved his life, a deed he never forgot. Lien was also an orphan but raised by a psychotic conjoined sister and brother who lead the dark magic Supreme Clan. They trained her to be obedient and a ruthless killer. Both clans hate each other and have terrible plans to eliminate their enemy. As fate would have it during a battle, Lien spares Cho’s life and Cho in return saves her. Love blossoms and trust is promised, but those promises can be hard to keep with so much hatred surrounding them.

This film started out gradually with the development of Cho and Lien. It was hard to tell who the good guys were as betrayals and cruelty were practiced on nearly all sides. The twins were clearly overly the line, but the government and clans had blood on their hands, too. Once it got cranking, the action, romance, and violence never slowed. The lovers were the focus of the film as they danced around each other, fell in love, and ultimately succumbed to betrayal. Leslie Cheung and Brigitte Lin were gorgeous and completely believable as two lonely people having found their soul mate. Despite their suffering they could almost taste the happiness and freedom within their grasp. Unlike the more believable lovers, the twins often went OTT in every scene they were in.

I would put the violence and gore in this film more in the campy than gruesome category. Bodies were cleaved in half and heads were removed but in that early 1990s unrealistic style. There was other violence that was more realistic and two brief sexual assaults. One scene with the White Witch was so pinball crazy as to be funny. I did not care for the martial arts choreography and filming. Everything was either undercranked or sloooowed down with jerky, blurred filming techniques. Kudos to the stuntmen who sold the overly stylized action.

The Bride with White Hair is dated in both storytelling and appearance, but for fans of these old films it’s worth seeking out for Leslie Cheung and Brigitte Lin. I’ve seen Brigitte in several films but never has she looked more beautiful or fierce than she did here. In comparing films from this time frame, Bride was above average. Filmed too late to be rated on my kung fu curve, I still gave it a little extra love for Brig.

6 November 2025

Trigger warnings: Cleaving, beheadings, dismemberment, blood spewing. Sexual assault. Nudity. Sexual content. Snake.

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A Delight To The Senses, Must See Film

This film is one you will remember for the rest of your life. Guaranteed. A timeline tale of how arrogance can change fortunes, set with stunning detail across a film that will hold you captivated. The entire cast and crew have done an outstanding job of transporting audiences back to Old Japan, and across the decades of cultural change.

Stunning, intricate costumes with time period settings and scenery, even the colour grading is matched to resemble the relevant decades. The story is a powerful one that will leave you thinking for hours about fame, fortune and ego.

If ever there is a stage or TV adaptation, recommend Kazuya Kamenashi for the ML. While watching this film, it seemed to present potential to create a vehicle with smaller stories across multiple timelines. Enjoy.

Viewed at the Japanese Film Festival in Brisbane, Australia, Nov 2025.

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I hadn’t even heard of this film until I needed something pre-2005 to check off a box in the BL Watch Challenge 2025. Bishonen is a Japanese word that means “handsome boy.” And honestly, my heart was shattered by the story of these beautiful boys: admired, desired, but never truly understood.

To me, Bishonen is, at its core, a film about loneliness, even though it’s wrapped in romance and longing. That loneliness is the emotional thread that ties all the characters together.

Jet is a young gay sex worker whose beauty makes him highly sought after. He’s portrayed as someone who owns every room he walks into — charming, seductive, magnetic. But behind that polished exterior, he carries a deep, aching solitude. The film doesn’t judge him for his work, quite the opposite. It shows him as someone using his body not just to survive financially, but emotionally. What he’s really searching for in Sam is something real , a connection that money and sex can’t buy.

Sam, on the other hand, embodies the loneliness of repression. He leads a double life, hiding his sexuality from his conservative parents and from society. He’s weighed down by family expectations and the pressure he puts on himself. Past heartbreaks have made him hesitant to open up again, and even when he’s with Jet, there’s always a wall between them. His loneliness feels suffocating.

Then there’s KS, who hides his own isolation behind the spotlight of fame and the impossibility of loving openly.
Even as they walk through the crowded streets of Hong Kong, the city is portrayed as cold and indiferente, a place that marginalizes queer desire. The loneliness of those who can’t live their truth, who exist on the fringes even while being desired, mirrors the experience of so many LGBTQIA+ people who are tolerated in certain spaces but never fully accepted.

But Bishonen is also a film about love, even when it’s fleeting or impossible. Real love, the kind that lives deep in your heart, doesn’t just fade with time. Time might quiet it, but it doesn’t erase it. Even a short-lived relationship can leave a lasting emotional imprint.

Love isn’t rational or controllable. It doesn’t care what others think or what society demands. The heart follows its own path, no matter the pressure. And to love — even if it’s not returned, or doesn’t last, or ends in pain — is still a transformative experience.

Jet loves Sam deeply. That love is brief and painful. But it defines Jet. It gives meaning to his journey. And it stays with him, like a permanent memory. To love, in the end, is an act of courage and beauty.

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don't watch it if you are expecting similarities between this adoption and anime

I have been watching anime since 2020(i have watched before just didn't know that it was anime) and it's good. i have also watched several dramas but never really any adoptions. after i heard that there are so many anime live actions i thought that maybe i should start giving those a try too besides watching anime. this is the first adoption movie i watched knowing it's an adoption. i knew that they cannot adopt accurate to the story and several changes need to be done.but the script writer took it literally. the movie could have been way better.
In my opinion the casts are good, the cgi of titans were also very impressive. also the cinematography, acting the way the whole movie gave a realistic vibes which we only saw animated was very refreshing to see. but here comes the problem, why is every character mischaracterized? it doesn't feel like attack on titan, more likely an original show, specially mikasa, her serious vibes and how she actually is or how armin is smart nothing really was shown and mejor important charactes of the anime are not even here! levi is also not here when he is top 10 most favourited character on my anime list[MAL].
just treat it as an original story more than a live action. i had medium expectations but it's nothing like what i expected. so i just enjoyed it thinking it as more of an original story instead of live action. and that way it's watchable. overall it's not bad, i liked the dark theme representations and everything so it was a ok watch. i wouldn't suggest watching it, defenitely not rewatchable.

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Flawed, but fun action throw-back

This one starts off cliché and over-the-top, so we know what we're getting into from the opening scenes alone. Toss in the film's set-up of men in demon masks butchering the lead's family, and, okay, this is going to be a pretty cool '80s style flick, only set in Japan, right?
And, yes, for the most part, that's exactly what it is.

Queue a time skip, and when the MC starts to fight back, I was wondering if this was turning into some kind of horrifically dark comedy, as the semi-paralysed former assassin manoeuvres his limp body in a scene that reminded me of, Upgrade (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6499752/), but 100x more ridiculous. Thankfully, our star soon regains full control and the film moves back onto the tracks of an action-steam train, voiding my instinct to turn it off.

There are several more clichés that take place (the daughter and all of her actions - including the final scene - I could've sworn I've seen in numerous other titles) but, overall, this is a decent action film that knows what it is and never once strays into pretentious territory (John Wick 4, take note!).
So, while this may not be the best film I've ever seen from Japan, it's definitely worth its running time and, with a few mates around, could likely be even more fun.

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It’s time for Don Lee to retire this franchise.

The Roundup: Punishment is mediocre—action scenes feel recycled, following the same predictable pattern: villain almost escapes, Don Lee lands a punch combo, repeat. The comedy doesn’t land; I didn’t crack a smile once.

The villains try to match the chaotic energy of the second film’s antagonist, but fail. Kim Mu Yeol is forgettable, and ironically, his sidekick’s fights are more exciting than the supposed main threat. The side characters add nothing to the plot, and there are unnecessary scenes that feel entirely filler. Worse, outcomes often fall into place too conveniently for them.

The Philippines setting looks artificial, drenched in an overused Hollywood-style orange filter. Overall, the plot, and action feel exhausted—the franchise has clearly run out of juice.

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The World Needs More Heroes!

I’ve watched so many action-hero movies over the years, and most of them are about as far from being realistic as you can imagine. A single guy dominating fights or single-handedly taking on twenty guys without getting so much as a scratch.

Officer Black Belt does something that most previous action films fail to do. They take on the human element, and in so doing, give us a true hero. Lee Jeong Do is a 3rd Dan in at least three forms of martial arts. He’s a young man who enjoys spending time with his friends playing video games. However, one evening, he comes across a probation officer who is struggling to apprehend a convict. Lee Jeong Do intervenes and takes the convict out.

He learns that the probation office is severely undermanned, with too many criminals to keep track of, all via ankle bracelets. Supervisor Kim Sun Min approaches Lee Jeong Do to ask him to fill in as a martial arts officer, who is paired with a probationary officer. Lee Jeong Do is taught how to track the convicts, how to call and monitor them when the power of the ankle bracelet drops below 30%.

Already impressed with Lee Jeong Do’s fighting abilities, Kim Sun Min is able to help track and capture some of the worst criminal elements, from murderers to sex criminals.

However, Lee Jeong Do isn’t just a mindless thug who runs the streets and deals out physical justice. He cares. He can’t stand to see that people’s lives are put in danger, and there are times when he’s forced to hold back his anger.

Korea has one of the worst track records when it comes to the sentencing of sexual assault criminals. One of the most heinous rapes of a young girl in recent memory saw the assailant get only six years because he was under the influence of alcohol. They even made a movie about it, called “Hope.” It’s not an easy watch at all! Frankly, I can’t think of crimes more despicable than those perpetrated on children. The movie attempts to bring more awareness to this huge problem!

After accepting the job full-time, Lee Jeong Do and Kim Sun Min are given the horrible task of monitoring Kang Gi Jeong, a notorious child rapist, with an untold number of victims, who’s suddenly been released. And Kang Gi Jeong is a huge man, which already invites trepidation and caution.

Lee Jeong Do insists that they track him, both via the monitor, and physically. Kang Gi Jeong meets up with a sadistic gang that creates and posts child exploitation videos on the dark web, and they’re willing to pay Kang Gi Jeong to do what he craves.

After ten-year-old Min Ju Lee is abducted, Lee Jeong Do tracks down Kang Gi Jeong just as he’s about to attack the little girl. Nearly dying in the attempt from a severe stab wound, Lee Jeong Do manages to save Min Ju Lee, although Kang Gi Jeong escapes.

Knowing that this sadistic monster is out there, likely finding other child victims, Lee Jeong Do is more determined than ever to find Kang Gi Jeong, especially upon learning that the little girl is too scared to even leave her home.

What makes the movie work so well, especially from an action standpoint, is that it has some realism. While Lee Jeong Do may be an expert fighter, he’s still only one man, and when confronted by multiple assailants, even he is unable to avoid getting hurt, especially when he’s fighting Kang Gi Jeong in a confined space, where his martial arts skills are limited. Kang Gi Jeong is also a convict, which means he doesn’t fight based on any rules, which makes him even more intimidating and unpredictable. In a real fight, there are no rules. You do whatever you have to do.

As with so many Korean productions, this one is not absent of touching and heartwarming scenes. Min Ju Lee’s mother thanking Lee Jeong Do at the hospital where he’s recovering is sweet, as she gives him a letter of thanks from Min Ju Lee. However, they saved the best for last, when Min Ju Lee shows up at Lee Jeong Do’s award ceremony, finally venturing outside and telling him, “You’re my hero.”

Perhaps more than ever before, the world is in desperate need of heroes. You don’t have to wear a badge or have superpowers to be one. Sometimes, it’s just the ordinary person who simply cares enough to get involved, regardless of the risks, to help someone in need. The biggest cowards are those who choose not to get involved, even when they know something is happening. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “A hero is no braver than the ordinary man, but he’s brave five minutes longer.”

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This hopper fell flat on its face

Shaolin vs Evil Dead: Ultimate Power was bound to receive a low score from me for the egregious error of not actually being a sequel to the first film Shaolin vs Evil Dead. Did I mention the first film ended on a cliffhanger? The makers of these films decided to give us a prequel-sequel that went in a completely different direction to the previous film. To quote a vampire, “Bite me.”

Dragon and his wife Phoenix White are called upon to save a small village from a gang of roving bandits. While completing their task they end up poisoned. Phoenix’s unborn child also suffers from poisoning. She begs their elder to save her child against his better judgement as the child would be born with an evil poison in his heart. Years later the leadership of the clan is given to Chiu Yu instead of Innocent, sending him into a murderous rage like a good nepo baby. Chiu Yu must study to gain the skills to purge the evil from Innocent’s heart. (note of clarification Chiu Yu was Gordon Liu’s character from the first film who was named Pak, Innocent was Louis Fan’s character from the first film whose name was Hak/Black. Moon and Sun were also renamed with their roles reduced, Fire was completely missing)

First off, this film committed a cardinal sin in a jiangshi/hopping vampire movie---it was boring. The first hour dragged horribly. Being a prequel with melodrama doesn’t mean I will care about any of the characters. They could have summed up this material in 10 minutes. Gordon Liu didn’t arrive until after the hour mark which was too little too late. Fan’s Black and Shannon Yiu’s Moon were scammers in the first film but not completely malevolent. The character changes here were jarring. Unlike the humor in the first film, Ultimate Power went dark. Much of it made little sense.

The martial arts choreography was abysmal. The wire-work was awful, seriously, kung fu flicks from the 80s had better leaping and flying. Characters flipped and twirled near their opponents without connecting. When they did connect, the kicks and fists were more like gentle pushes. The moves were criminally slow for 2006. The first film had some CGI, the sequel was dominated by it. If filmmakers are going to use this much CGI, it better be good. And it was laughably bad.

Shaolin vs Evil Dead ended on an unresolved cliffhanger, this film’s ending wasn’t as awful, but it wasn’t great either. I actually laughed it was so dreadful and out of left field, or in this case--outer space. The acting, editing, writing, and continuity drove my score down, a painful thing because I like Gordon Liu and hopping vampires. Basically, this hopper sucked.

5 November 2025

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This hopper tripped

I am both a fan of Gordon Liu and Jiangshi/hopping vampires so this seemed like a film created just for me. Sadly, Shaolin vs the Evil Dead which appeared to be an homage to the golden era of kung fu movies was not even as good as movies made 20 years prior.

Master Pak and his two sidekicks Sun and Fire are herding corpses (jiangshi/hopping vampires) to their hometowns to be properly buried. Along the way they run into a haunted inn and his old clan brother, Hak the Black Wizard. The two are at odds because Black tortures the dearly departed and destroys them while Pak works to help them find their way to a better place. Black and his minion, the comely Moon scam villagers using his abilities. Little Fire creates problems for Pak when he eats an enchanted egg and has a spirit growing inside him. One of Black's scams goes horribly wrong. It’s all fun and games until someone lets a malevolent vampire loose.

Gordon has this Shaolin, competent, reserved character down. He might have been pushing 50 but he still had some moves. Unfortunately, the fight choreography wasn’t great and there was an over use of wires and poor CGI. Louis Fan was okay as the scamming brother. Jacky Woo, not to be confused with the excellent martial artist Jing Wu who also went by Jacky Wu, played the largely incompetent disciple. Shannon Yiu King had some spark as Black’s sidekick Moon.

This film obviously had a higher budget than old Mr. Vampire flicks but came across looking cheaper with worse editing. To say the story was uneven would be like calling the Tilt O’ Whirl at the amusement park a calm and steady ride. What drove my score down dramatically was the ending because before that I would have graded it higher for nostalgia's sake.

SPOILER ALERT BUT IMPORTANT TO KNOW BEFORE DECIDING TO VIEW There wasn't a proper ending. It ended mid-fight with a creature and another character in jeopardy. Oh, but Butterfly, don't worry there is a sequel. Don’t hold your breath on that one, as the sequel goes in a completely different direction, never addressing the events of this film. A hopping vampire unable to stick the landing? Unacceptable. Check the triggers below if you have any. Not filmed before 1990 so no curve for this kung fu horror comedy.

5 November 2025
Trigger warnings: A very long, gross scene with maggots. *shudder*. There were zombie-like creatures with rotting skin. Lots of rats. A child’s bare buttocks.

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mixed feelings ...

I get why everyone hates this movie , they have one thing in common which is having read the webtoon .
I get it , it's not as good as the webtoon .
the webtoon is way better .

before watching and after they announced the cast I have never thought ahn hyo seop was going to be a good kim dokja but I was wrong he fits the role very well along with Nana , seung ho and soo bin .

what I didn't like was jisoo as jihye and the drastic change they made to her charater, I mean a sniper instead of a sword?!!!! the ones who have read the webtoon will know it's a huge change the charater as in the webtoon she had physical strength and agility and very well close combat skills , that didn't work for me .

lee jung hyuk what can I say , really disappointed , the character we were all wating to see , lee minho is not a bad jung hyuk but he was expressionless the whole movie , in the webtoon jung hyuk didn't show much emotion either but in some occasion she did show emotion , i dont know but it didn't work for me.

the bridge scene which i was really waiting for , CGI was good at one moment and bad at the other .

overall I really appreciate the hardwork and effort they put in the movie and considering the limitation they had as webtoon has a lot of scenes that are hard to bring them to life the exact way but that doesn't help my disappointment 😕

maybe if you haven't read the webtoon you will this movie interesting .

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Drop the film, read the manga

As a reader and fan of the manga, this live-action is yet another failure as an adaptation to the silver screen, as most manga live-action adaptations are.

There are two things worth praising in this film, the first are the looks of Hara Nanoka because she has the looks that might remind the original protagonist and that's it, she kinda looks like Miko, but she can not act like her, it is frustrating. The same can be said about every other character that is both in the manga and in this film, sure they have glimpses suggesting they were inspired by the original, but they are far from it. The second thing is this film's original character, it was not an ideal presentation, but they went for something new, not the romantic pair that usually happens most of the time and doesn't suit the original work at all.

What else is there to talk about? The story? What story? It has terrible pacing, a patchwork team of small stories stitched together trying to create an idea, but instead of aiming to create a peak for the story we have several small mounds that makes the storytelling bumpy, draggy, lazy and boring. The film is 97 minutes long, but it feels like watching a 27 hours documentary of paint drying.

Besides the new character, the film also had some creative freedom to expand some things the original doesn't bother much with, like Miko and Hana's classmates, 30 students and there are some faces that appear more than others, so you could say that some 10 girls there are side characters, when in the original their schoolmates are barely shown. I also disliked their take on Zen and his arc in the manga is way more interesting and dark; Hana feels like a generic bubbly girl - which is a bit ironic considering how she also is a "generic bubbly girl" in the manga, but she has her own characteristics that weren't shown properly or just hinted as easter eggs, like her lambda rabbit keychain on her bag -; Yuria feels like she is 75% adapted and 25% original character (I went with 50/50 at first, but by the end of the film she clarifies a few things that makes her seem more like the original from the manga); another good adaptation was Miko's dad, but her mum and her brother didn't feel like the real deal, she is way less compassionate as for her brother they have a great sibling relationship, which didn't translate well to the cameras and; Miko, why did they have to ruin the whole shrine moments and create their own thing? It is appalling.

GHOSTS! Did you think I would forget it, my dear manga reader? Did you see the pretension on those movie makers when they have shown their "ghosts?" Pathetic, isn't it? If you only watched the movie and you liked it, the ghosts in the manga are SO MUCH BETTER, here they are mostly generic, pathetic little ghosts that you would see in low budget films. The original? We have all kinds of terror, the best part? Unlike Miko in the films, the original one keeps a straight face 99% of the time, as if the spirits aren't even there, only to break down crying afterwards to show that she is also scared to death of them.

Anyway, skip this, read the manga, even if you dislike the fan service the manga was known in the start, don't worry because the author drops it fairly quickly and we are back to just scary, terrorizing ghosts and a girl just trying to live her "ordinary" life.

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