Reviews

Yi Yi is a film you can watch once, or twice—or five times

At the heart of the film is NJ, the father of a typical Taiwanese family, who finds himself overwhelmed by a cascade of problems familiar to many men in their forties. His wife is struggling emotionally, his mother-in-law has fallen into a coma, his teenage daughter is experiencing first love, and his young son, Yang-Yang, continually invites those around him to see life from unexpected perspectives. It is no coincidence that Yang-Yang appears on most of the film’s posters. Through the boy’s words and actions, Edward Yang conveys the film’s deepest wisdom and central ideas. In Yang-Yang’s relationship with the world—and the world’s relationship with him—we find a profound vision of an existence that is sincere, open, and free from prejudice.

Edward Yang constructs his narrative from every thread that contributes to the protagonist’s crisis, creating a film in which virtually every character could be considered the main character. At times, this makes the film feel demanding, even overwhelming, as its ensemble cast can seem almost too expansive. But this complexity is precisely what gives the film its extraordinary realism.

Yi Yi is a film you can watch once, or twice—or five times. With each viewing, you are likely to discover something new: a memory of first love, an encounter with a long-buried past, a difficult teacher from your school days, or one of those moments when moving forward seemed impossible. Or perhaps you will simply be touched by the film’s quiet melancholy, as gentle as a cool October breeze brushing against your face, stirring memories of something deeply cherished.

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The film quietly suggests that death is not an ending, but the beginning of something new

With the gentle, lyrical sound of the cello as its backdrop, Yōjirō Takita's Departures tells the story of Daigo, a Japanese cellist left without work or a means of supporting himself after the dissolution of his orchestra, which had failed to attract audiences largely indifferent to classical music.
Then, in one of life's unexpected twists, fate leads the unsuspecting Daigo to a funeral home. Its wise and compassionate owner has transformed the ritual of preparing the deceased for burial into a refined art form, and he hires the timid former musician—who has never even seen a dead body—as his assistant almost on the spot.
The film quietly suggests that death is not an ending, but the beginning of something new. This idea is conveyed through scenes in which Daigo gently washes the bodies of the deceased, carefully wraps them, delicately applies makeup to their closed eyes, and dresses them in beautiful garments. He prepares them not simply for burial, but for a graceful passage into another existence—as though they were brides entering a new chapter of life in magnificent wedding gowns.
Apart from its subject matter, the film's style of storytelling deserves special praise. First, its pacing is remarkably calm and unhurried. Long, meticulously composed shots allow the audience to absorb every detail of the encoffining ritual: every movement of the hands, every careful stroke of the brush carries meaning. Watching these scenes, one feels less like a distant observer behind a television or computer screen and more like a silent participant standing among the grieving relatives, witnessing the final preparation of their loved ones for the infinite journey beyond.

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This story don't make sense tbh, like the plot was so random even on a normal HK comedy standard. But if you're willing to turn off you're logical thinking and just enjoy the comedy for a good laugh, you're in for some wacky fun.

This movie was the only few movies where you can see Xie Miao as a child actor role, and it amazed me to know that this movie, alongside 2 movies with Jet Li and one with Chow Yun Fatt had been made within the span of the same year despite being released separately. For that reason, I didn't really mind how this movie's plot don't really make sense because the scenes with young Xie Miao had been fun and very cute. And you can already notice how Miao had been getting better at acting since New Legend of Shaolin (and his performance for that was already good despite still being a novice actor), like he already able to perform a comedic scenes aside from stoic role he played as Hong Manting.

Ng Man Tat as always was so funny, that even with the weird and random plotline as this movie, he can still make people laugh with his comedic act.

Watching this old movie now, almost 30 years later was an interesting experience. Like you can look at Xie Miao 's performance and recognize some traits of him that still remains until now. Like yeah, you can just stare at that little boy and see how much that boy had grown so much now.

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"Go forward with a clear heart like the blue sky"

This Happy Life was a propaganda film that felt like it drew from the much later films Mary Poppins (1964) and Chocolat (2000). Naruse Mikio wove a magical tale of a family who moved into a small community and spread their creative brand of happiness.

During WWII a small town’s citizens grumble about everyday annoyances. The barrel maker’s hammering gets on people’s nerves. The clock repairman’s clocks won't synchronize. Spouses argue and snipe at each other and nearly everyone is generally cranky. The Soma family moves in and the consensus is that the newcomers are weird. As Soma and his daughters spread their optimism, kindness, and lessons in frugality, a warm change begins to creep over the prickly residents.

This film was a lesson in I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. And reframing events to put a positive spin on them. Don’t throw those potato peels away—when fried they are a German delicacy. An egg was the embodiment of chicken breasts and filling. Water puddles became a scene of anthropomorphized dancing raindrops. Anything was possible if you put your mind to it. Even the annoying drumming of the barrel maker became the rhythm for an uplifting song.

Given that the film was released in 1944 the writing was on the wall for the Japanese military. This film encouraged people to keep their spirits up, let nothing go to waste, and do what they could to help their country and community. It wasn't overtly patriotic and militaristic, much of the film’s message would have been apropos to the Great Depression or any time of hardship. Except the part about having children to support the population dwindling due to the war.

I enjoy films where an outsider comes to town and gives the people a new perspective on life and helps to heal old wounds and attitudes. (See Chocolat above). While Naruse could be heavy handed at times the film succeeded in encouraging the townsfolk to find the joy around them using a large dose of imagination and gentle humor.

15 July 2026

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You got exactly what you wanted, at the cost of everything you've ever known

No one in the house 89 deserved the ending they had, be it sad or be it happy .

For a film that has such good visuals, the plot sucks; it could have been better. Also I am someone who can't turn off my brain while watching the movie, so better scripts always fascinate me. It itches my brain to think about how the whole plot felt so dumb and every terrible thing that happened could've been avoided.. its like the characters were just there for the sake of it but not really connecting with ANYTHING. literally no backstory of them .The ending was Not a good idea
It took TOO late for her to protect herself


Cinematography and top-notch acting by all cast!! The scene where the main leads lay together on a stretcher??? Peak peak acting without any dialogues , the male lead made me his fan with this specific scene .
The 2ml ( is he really the 2ml) they tried to give some touch of love triangle but it was more like a platonic trio and a couple.
I liked how Pran wanted to give her a choice to run or stay in the first half, and then in the second half he wanted her to choose him , like ehhhh? that's NOT how choice works

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Undeserved Backlash

Many viewers are criticizing this movie because they believe it portrays a teacher-student dynamic that involves grooming, but I completely disagree.

I researched what the director, writers, and actresses have said about the characters' pasts, and none of them have ever mentioned this. Based on what is actually shown in the film, there is never any explicit age gap established between the two main leads. Even in the flashbacks, they look roughly the same age.

I suspect people are assuming there is a teacher-student relationship simply because of one flashback scene set inside a classroom. This rumor is unfounded, and it is frustrating to see it ruin the movie's overall rating.

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A very good final entry to the OUaTiC film series.

I was kinda surprised that no one bothered to write any reviews for this movie, cos I can never get tired of rewatching this movie over and over again.

Just as one thought there would be no more continuation to the OUaTiC series since the disaster of the fifth, we got another one, which is set in western America. And to make it better, Jet Li has returned to reprise his role as Wong Feihong alongside Rosamund Kwan and Hung Yanyan as Siu Kwan and Ah Chat. Ah So is also in this movie, which made sense... since he would be a reason why a new PCL branch could be placed in America anyway. Also, for once, Leung Foon was not included in the returning cast and I'm very glad about it. Because I felt that Leung Foon was only in the past movies just to act silly and be a perv, which may stem from the setting when Yuen Biao was playing him.

I could barely recall how happy I used to be as a child when I heard that Jet LI would be reprising his Wong Feihong role. It's always a pleasure to watch him on screen with Rosamund Kwan and I had fun watching this movie. So this time, Feihong, Siu Kwan and Ah Chat head to America to visit Ah So... and in the middle of it, they met with a cowboy named Billy. Somehow, afterwards, the convoy was attacked by a group of Red Indians and the trio ended up falling into the river before they got separated. Siu Kwan and Ah Chat were soon rescued by Chinese miners at the fort town nearby, but Feihong ended up losing his memory and was taken in by a different Indian tribe.

Got to say it was really fun watching this movie. It was really amusing to see Feihong trying to practice his English in what Jet Li would often refer to as his Limited English Company mode, and to see his interaction with the Indians and later the other Americans at the fort town. And it was a nice homage to the past movies as Ah Chat tried to trigger Feihong's memories by posing as two of Feihong's past enemies, though it was never explained how he knew about them.

Something that I like to point out here is how different Jet Li's portrayal of Wong Feihong was compared to Vincent Zhou's. And you can clearly see it from how Feihong was shown in this movie, where, while he was still amnesiac and living with the Indian tribe, a daughter of the tribal chief had taken a liking to him. And Feihong treated her as nicely and politely as he possibly could while remaining clueless about the latter's affection. He also behaved the same way to Siu Kwan and got angry when she suddenly took back Feihong's ring, not knowing its significance. Cos back then Siu Kwan was a stranger to him and the chief's daughter was his benefactor. But Feihong never act too flirty to the daughter even while amnesiac, which was a stark difference with how Vincent's Feihong acts towards Lady Miao and 14th aunt.

Also, when he regained his memories, Feihong still had his awkward moments in trying to show his feelings towards Siu Kwan, but he still does try his best to care for his fiancée. This was something that was missing in Vincent's portrayal, and what was endearing about Feihong's and Siu Kwan's relationship. I also love the budding friendship Ah Chat had with Billy despite the language barrier. And I love the running jokes about Feihong's long speeches.

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Murayama's Departure was beautiful

Instead of the main story and new main characters in this movie, I found myself more invested in Murayama's departure story from Oya High School, along with the story of Housen Academy's leader Ueda Sachio, and Todoroki.

This movie still had great fights and good music. I think the main story is done pretty well. I still liked it, and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if it were an independent movie, not a sequel from the High & Low franchise. It didn't touch me so much as the original High&Low story, with the original characters. I think one of the reasons would be that the plot was very similar to the previous series and movies, which I'm already so familiar with. Besides, it didn't give the same vibe as I had expected. What I loved the most from the High&Low saga, besides great action scenes and distinct theme songs created for each gang, was strong brotherhood, and found family vibe and unique street vibe. It felt like the gangs in S.W.O.R.D district were fighting for something important to them. As it was mentioned throughout the series, the gangs used their fists to protect their friends, brothers, family, women, and also the whole district from big yakuza corporations and corrupt government officials.

In this movie, besides the story of trying to bring back a friend who was choosing the wrong path due to misfortune, which was basically the main theme of the High&Low franchise, the new main characters' purpose is just to constantly pick fights with different rivals to prove their strength and power. It's pretty understandable to me too, as most of them are teenagers and I guess perhaps that's a normal attitude of boys at that age. What confused me a bit was that I felt like they were trying to normalize that attitude and made those young boys look like they were heroes. I actually disliked some new students in Oya High School, but luckily they were not the main characters and didn't have much screen time.

As I have mentioned above, the spotlight of this movie for me was Murayama's departure from Oya High School and his journey into adulthood. Despite Murayama's little screen time, I loved every moment he appeared, including his second fight scene with Todoroki, his wise words given towards the junior students in Oya High School, him at his part-time job, his appearance with his iconic truck, the final big fight against the bad guys in the area, and his iconic line before every fight. It was really nice to see how humble and polite Murayama became at work, in the world outside Oya High School. He was gradually changing and learning to be accept new challenges in life other than being the leader of Oya High School. His departure from Oya High School was inevitable and necessary for his own growth. He was ready for a new chapter in life. I'm happy for him, and glad that I was able to witness his last moments in Oya High School.

I also loved the way Murayama was trying to call Cobra for an advice and for a casual talk, like between close friends. It was another beautiful scene to me. Until now, my top favorite individual fight scene in the whole High&Low saga was still the solo fight between Cobra and Murayama from the first series. I'm so happy to see how far they had become.

My other favorite parts in this movie belong to Housen Academy's leader Ueda Sachio. Shison Jun is one of my favorite actors and he was so cool in this movie, from his look, facial expressions, actions, to his badass fight scenes. Everything was perfect. I wish he had more screen time. He seemed to be an interesting character that I would love to learn more about, and his relationship with our main character Fujio was pretty interesting too. I guess they would become good friends in the future.

Oh, Tettsu and Chiharu appeared again in this movie. This time they appeared together in one scene. They were still a comedic duo as always. It would be nice if Dan could be there too. By the way, Tettsu had a new hairstyle again, which was also nice, but I still loved his dreadlocks style the most.

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Interesting concept but messy execution - "Imperfect Communication indeed"

Colony offers a new concept that is quite intriguing at the start, especially with its biomedical setup. However, it overall lacks proper execution. Many character arcs are left unfinished or have highly unsatisfying endings. For example, Ji Chang-wook and Go Soo's characters becoming infected isn't the issue itself; the problem is that once they are infected, they are never mentioned or talked about again. This makes their roles feel like filler.Despite this, the film has notable highlights and subtle details. Koo Kyo-hwan smiling at Jun Ji-hyun each time his point—"the problem with humans is imperfect communication"—is proven is an excellent touch. The way he smirks when someone betrays her and human greed takes over their humanity is a great, understated detail. Overall, it is a good film to watch once, but except for Jun Ji-hyun and Koo Kyo-hwan, no other characters are explored, leaving the story feeling unfinished.

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To say that this movie was a mess was an understatement. Which was truly unfortunate, since the movie's plot of surrounding the aftermath of Beijing's fall and the clash with the pirates could've been a good one, but no, we had to be sidelined with the plot of the supposed love triangle between Feihung, Siu Kwan and Siu Kwan's younger sister.

After fleeing from Beijing and returning to Foshan, Feihung and his family returned towards an almost ghost town. Apparently, in the span of time of them being away (being involved with the first Lion King competition and the second one, as well as the fall of the Qing Dynasty), pirate activity started to become rampant. So despite the initial plan for them to head to Hong Kong after reuniting with the rest of the Poh Chi Lam people, Feihung and the others also had to deal with the pirates so as to return peace and safety to the people of Foshan.

I still disliked the whole plot involving the 14th Aunt (not calling her May because that wasn't her name, as it was derived from Siu Kwan calling her Mui which basically means 'younger sister'). Like, I get the appeal of trying to insert another girl in the plot to add some kind of tension that necessitates bringing back Rosamund Kwan as Siu Kwan, but honestly, the way they did it in this movie was not even amusing. But really, the comedic effect doesn't hit quite as well as when we had Jet Li and Kwan do the same shadow play in the previous movies. All because this time the movie relied too much on having Leung Foon create the source of conflict by creating a misunderstanding that Feihung kept chasing after every woman in sight - to which could've worked better had Zhou's Feihung never been shown to have any interest in 14th Aunt from movie 4 and this one. And I also can't really buy the sister's excuse of saying 'she tried not to fall for him' because in the last movie, she did do everything to look and behave exactly like Siu Kwan as if she did intend to get Feihung to like her. And really, the whole fight between the sisters was so unnecessary and very annoying.

That said, this movie brought back Ah Wing and Ah So, and I love the fact that as much as Ah So was shown to still not be good in Kung Fu... he turned out to be quite skilled with guns. Zhang Tielin returned to the franchise again... but this time playing a different character, and honestly, I wished the movie had focused more on the plight of the remaining constables instead of the stupid romance plot. Also, I had to question the fact that this movie seemed to forget that Feihung had been in charge of the local militia, which was the men that had been entrusted to him back in the first movie, which made the scene about them trying to restart the local militia from scratch a tad unbelievable, as if forgetting that the men that had joined PCL in the past were former soldiers, so why were those men missing? And where's the rest of PCL's students in Foshan?

The plot was so choppy, messy and badly compiled, which made this movie hard to bear. The sequence of them going to the pirate's hideout was cool, but due to the bad editing... felt very out of place. Despite how we're being told that the pirates were supposed to consist of multiple groups with different coloured flags, we end up just seeing one. That felt a bit underwhelming, especially when at the beginning they made it seem like the pirates were part of a very huge group... but personally, the Taiping gang had been a lot more convincing at being baddies than this. And seriously, who was it that thought having Vincent Zhou act like Feihung could flirt with girls without effort was a good idea? Like this might work with Jet Li, but Vincent really didn't have that much charisma to really pull that effect.

But hey, after so many years... I finally did actually watch this shitshow for real.

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Weakest film by Thai horror standard

King Kaew is a Thai horror film that draws inspiration from a historical execution of Kingkaew Lorsoungnern that has evolved into local folklore, showing something promising with its premise. The first act of the movie is considered its strongest part, effectively setting up a creepy atmosphere based on a real-life tragic execution. Supported by a strong performance by Thailand's Scream Queen, Inthira Charoenpura, it creates a solid narrative that hooks the audience right away.

However, despite its good start, the film stumbles in its storyline and multiple technical and artistic areas. The momentum drops as the plot moves along, primarily due to the film's weak story and character development, and constrained budget, which is evident in the poor CGI and subpar cinematography. These aspects greatly diminish the engaging experience that horror lovers often look for. Plus, the supporting characters lack depth and credibility, further weakening the film’s impact. Their lackluster portrayals fail to enhance the storyline or evoke genuine fear, which is crucial for a horror movie’s success. As a result, King Kaew not only fails to scare its viewers but also the weakest film by Thai horror standard, lacking in nearly every important aspect. Even the most scaredy-cat won't be impress by this film.

Overall, King Kaew is an example of how a great idea and decent start can be let down by technical issues and underdeveloped characters. While it offers an intriguing glimpse into a dark chapter of Thai urban legend, it ultimately falls short of delivering the thrills and chills a horror film supposed to have. For those in search of a genuinely scary movie, this one might be a letdown. It's such a waste of potential.

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The Best Installment Of The Series So Far!

If you like the prequels in this series, you'll love this one. In fact, it has an even better story, picking right up where the last one ended off in 2024.
Once again, Kento Yamazaki plays the perfect protagonist and is truly great leading this cast. If you're a fan, like I am, you'll really enjoy his performance as Sugimoto. Along with Anna Yamada, Yuma Yumoto & Gordon Maeda ... it's two plus hours of great entertainment.
At times there are some strange and bizarre scenes, but that always seems to happen with this series. I think we're all used to it by now. A few of the antagonists fit right in with the weird sub stories and their off the wall behavior. It's a lot of drama, but it also is blended with just the right amount of comedy at just the right times.
As you get into the final fifteen or so minutes, you sort of figure out where the end is going ... so you think. BUT, without warning, a major event happens that gives us a really good and surprising cliff hanger, making room for another installment. I just hope we don't wait two years for the continuation.
Great series continues ... with more Citatap. Delicious!!!!

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I saw this title on iQiyi, it sounded interesting so I checked it out. The movie started with Wong Feihung on a mission to investigate yet another kidnapping and human trafficking case, and this time a princess was involved. Somehow the 13th Aunt also decided to join his investigation and alongside Wong's student Liang Kuan, the trio went to track the group suspected to be behind the incident. They managed to track the group at a pier and during an altercation, Feihung was hurt and went missing. Frustrated over the situation, 13th Aunt decided to go undercover to finish the mission to rescue the kidnapped girls.

I have to say that the plot was very refreshing, because usually the main focus of the story was on Wong Feihung and/or his students, yet this time... the aunt took the centre stage. Unlike usual, this time Shaojun won't be the damsel or someone to be protected but she's the one who will be fighting the bad guys. The movie was also unexpectedly funny at times as Shaojun end up getting an extra helping hand and we also got to see her not just as the fiancee of Master Wong, but also part of the member of Poh Chi Lam. It really felt good seeing Shaojun actually made use of all the kungfu lessons she learned.

Nan Sheng was really great at playing the 13th Aunt, she was almost on par with Rosamund Kwan in her portrayal. Tho I kinda wished they could've picked a better looking and a more skilled actor to play as Wong Feihung, like some of his action scenes wasn't really impressive. But I guess I'm kinda biased.

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