Reviews

A strong premise that forgets what made it interesting.

I went into The Ugly (dir. Yeon Sangho) genuinely curious the premise sounded simple, sharp, and full of potential. And to be fair, the cast holds it down. Park Jeongmin and Kwon Haehyo are reliably solid, Han Jihyun fits perfectly as the TV PD, but the real MVP here is Shin Hyunbeen. Most of her performance lives in her body and voice, and somehow you feel everything Jang Younghee feels without even seeing her face. That’s skill.

But somewhere along the way, Yeon Sangho seems to have misplaced the “why.” Why is Younghee hated so much? What’s actually fueling the disgust toward her? Without that context, the whole thing starts to wobble. I kept wondering, were Korea’s beauty standards back then really that brutal? Because honestly, Younghee isn’t ugly give her some powder and she could headline a weekend drama.

If Yeon wanted this film to resonate internationally, he probably should’ve fleshed out that emotional backbone. The movie starts like it has something bold to say, but by the end it just… forgets to say it. Great performances, great setup — but the follow-through? Kinda vanishes into thin air.

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Truly a masterpiece

I don't ever do written reviews nor do I give a ten unleas I absolutely mean it. I'm a very harsh critic but I have to give this movie the honor it's due. Without further ado my critique below.

I don't understand why this movie is rated so low. It'd truly a masterpiece. I love how the director decided to portay this movie/story. It's both a beautiful painting and poetry in motion. The screen shots are amazing as well as the atmosphere. It feels so realistic. This is not your average cliche movie/tv drama series at all. The fight scenes are very realistic and I love that there's not any background music. It adds to the ambiance and realism of the movie making it feels more real and alive. Almost as if you're in the rooms of the movie itself.

The story basically centers around the female main character and slowly depicts her character. Both a lethal sharp blade and also a deeply hurt individual. Her acting is very deep and profound portrayed in both her expressions and movements.

Out of all the historical Chinese films I've ever watched this movie has to be the most accurate of them all. Not that the story itself was based on historical facts but the atmosphere, costumes, actors mannerisms, and sets all portray how ancient China really was back then. Absolutely fantastic.

Overall, this movie is telling a story that dosen't need to be covered over with background music or a lot of dialog to be able to coney it meaning, giving the story more depth. Beautifully portrayed.

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The gang was back together again with Honda Ishiro at the helm, Ifukube Akira providing the music, and Tsuburaya Eiji creating the world of miniatures and special effects in Battle in Outer Space. Not as socially relevant as Godzilla (1954) but an alien invasion did manage to bring the warring nations of the world together to form a united front against the extraterrestrial interlopers.

Alien spaceships destroy a space station orbiting the Earth and then move on to creating havoc on terrestrial targets. RIP Venice. A covert alien base is discovered on the moon. Fortunately, the clever Earthlings have created a heat ray that can combat the invading force. Katsumiya, his girl Etsuko, and Professor Adachi lead one SPIP spaceship headed to stop the invaders. An international force commanded by Dr. Richardson mans the second spaceship. Unbeknownst to either crew, navigator Iwomura’s brain has been commandeered by the Natals. With their mind control, lasers, and anti-gravity machines, is there any way the people of Earth will survive?

The first hump in watching this movie is the “science”. The Natals froze objects in order to release them from gravity. Mmm…kay. The astronauts were constantly checking the barometric pressure in their moon vehicles. Uh, what? Three different times, a crew member was warned about there being no gravity on the ship and little on the moon when they floated about while everyone else’s feet were on the ground. Were they able to will themselves to not float?

I’m a Godzilla and Mothra girl so I just roll with the miniatures. Tsuburaya did an excellent job with the Earth cities, alien ships (the smaller ones looked like Manta Rays), and especially the moon’s surface. I did giggle at the moon vehicles because they strongly resembled the Oscar Mayer Weinermobiles from my country. In all, the special effects and miniatures and sets were better than average for the time. The acting was pretty good though Etsuko was not the brightest bulb.

This was supposed to be a follow-up to The Mysterians (1957). Apparently, the only thing from the original script that survived were the characters having some of the same names as the predecessor. Mount Fuji survived this flick, but other cities were not so lucky. An alien kaiju or giant robot would have been nice to have, but that’s nitpicking. Overall, the film was quite watchable largely due to Tsuburaya’s efforts. If you like Honda’s early films in this genre, Battle from Outer Space is one to try.

27 October 2025

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Bee Minus movie

Killer Bee Invasion was a low budget creature feature lacking any creativity and weighed down by dreadful dialogue. It’s only redeeming quality was the near constant action mostly dominated by Dobermans on steroids.

A “rescue” squad is dispatched to the Island of Death after a distress call from the scientists working there. The mercenaries are heavily armed with automatic weapons and grenades. One woman wields a bow. Aside from the snarling creatures lurking in the jungle, swarms of killer bees with deadly poison threaten the squad. The rescuers find four scientists alive but are far more concerned with laying their hands on a chunk of amber with an ancient bee inside called N17. The bee’s DNA holds the possibility for extending life expectancy. The island is not keen on them taking the treasure, and sends its security team of hellhounds and bees after them.

The characters were poorly and thinly drawn. Their motivations were even sketchier. The voiceover work just muddled up the story. The dialogue was painfully bad as were the stock character reactions. Bad editing created more confusion by bouncing back and forth. I’ve watched my share of cheap creature films, but this one really began to annoy me. Last but not least, whenever a character died, overly dramatic music cued up like we were supposed to care they died. I didn’t even know most of the names until people started screaming their names repeatedly as they died. “Jaaaaaaaaason!” Jason was a self-serving jerk, let him go.

I don’t usually write such negative reviews because I know everyone has different tastes and this movie might be bee-utiful for someone else. This film just aggravated me with its cardboard characters saying cardboard words with cardboard acting with overly dramatic music wailing with each death. The bad CGI bees also played second fiddle to the CGI enhanced hellhounds. I will say something positive, the action was prolific and the running time was thankfully short.

26 October 2025

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My October 2025 recommendation

Watch this because of the Recommendation Challenge. 1 thing I can say about this is unfortunately not my cup of tea.

What is the perfect day for you? This is the story of Hirayama & his daily life.

Hirayama works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. He seems content with his simple life. He follows a structured everyday life and dedicates his free time to his passion for music and books. Hirayama also has a fondness for trees and photographs them. More of his past is gradually revealed through a series of unexpected encounters.

That's pretty much the story. I quite understand what drew people to watch or even like this movie. Like many people who wrote the review, yeah the simplicity in this drama indeed brings peace & appreciation of life.

But unfortunately for me that's also scream boring. I'm sorry I didn't mean to insult this movie whatsoever. But this movie indeed gives us nothing more than that.

So, if that's your cup of tea, you'll find yourself enjoying this movie. But if you're like me, then you’ll find this boring.

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Fantastic super power movie - horror edition

This was such a fantastic movie all around .. woahhh now that i don't have time for dramas and am catching up on some movies .. what a gem tbh .. i highly recommend ... it has a boss fight too .. lol .
the scenery is good , the acting is lovely . i loved the older priest ( such a sweetie ) and lol park seo jun was good and pretty funny with his " almost no reactions " i liked his character a lot , i loved their relationship tbh , i wanted more too , i wouldn't have mind if it were to be made into a drama but i'd like to see the same cast .....

i can't tell you how scary i consider it because it didn't scare me but it does have some stuff but then again it's the kind i'm really used to ... the only horror i can't watch is the really really bloody gorey savage ones where intense disfiguration and killings happen directly on the screen or where there's a really creepy thing that happens that haunts me and this didn't have that , at least not to the level that scares me but the movie is gripping from start to finish .. and you do find yourself rooting for the characters and it even has some scenes that try to haunt you . which is why it succeeds in selling itself as a horror more than other kmovies who say are horror but are genuinely just thrillers with a monster or a silly looking ghost ..

it has a villain whose well written and hero whose journey and story was very interesting and intriguing to follow , it just like all kdramas and movies didn't shy from having meaning and emotions which something i really like .. i like how the priest explains to our hero how his " disbelief" was rather faith and is actually what fuelled the super power ( how i interpreted it ) sounds vague but when you watch this movie you will understand what i mean

for me felt almost like a hero story but powered by jesus. idk i have mixed thought about the concept but it was used in a good way , that glorifies god so maybe that's my thoughts on it for now

final verdict ... good for movie night , i watched it alone but would be nice to watch with friends or fam . ( would imagine this is not too suitable for people who are easily disturbed or kids or for those who haven't watched enough horror .. sometimes the idea of something can disturb more the scenes too so yeah )

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A Different Dog Movie

Dog movies are a bit stale these days. Man meets dog, they become attached and transform each other's lives for the better, and sometimes it ends sadly with the now-classic pre-watch question, "Does the dog die at the end?"

That's where the film's great insight comes in. It has all, or almost all, the themes and clichés of dog movies we've seen over the past few decades, regardless of the country, but the film's main story isn't about these themes.

Yes, they're there, but as a means, not an end.

These clichés catapult events that address various topics, such as life after incarceration, the consequences of past actions, social and economic changes, and ultimately the great quest that human beings pursue: purpose.

All this with a beautiful story of friendship between man and dog, a relationship so ancient and strong that it survives the modernization of times and the replacement of the old with the new.

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a tender story beautifully told

I was feeling all the feels with this one. At multiple points I was surprised by the turns the story took and towards the end I wasn't sure if the ending would hit, but oh it did.
While bittersweet most of the time every scene carried so much hope that I was smiling and crying at the same time.
The film treats its characters with so much love and devotion that you couldn't help but feel for everyone. Due to the beautiful and fitting cinematography I also constantly felt incredibly immersed in the scenes as if I was part of the friend group.
I left half a star off my rating because toward the end there was so much to tell that the movie picked up quite some speed and I would have liked to linger a bit longer and explore the ending more as well. I would have gladly watched this as a drama.
Overall an asolutely stunning movie I highly recommend!

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When Ambiguity Mistakes Itself for Depth

Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing wants you to believe it’s profound. It struts into the room dripping with rainwater, clutching its Bible and incense, whispering about faith, sin, and corruption. But the longer you watch, the clearer it becomes: this isn’t layered storytelling — it’s confusion wearing a monk’s robe.

The film opens with promise: an isolated village, a mysterious illness, a bumbling cop whose life begins to unravel. The setup hints at slow-burn existential dread — the kind that seeps under your skin and makes you question what’s real. Unfortunately, what follows isn’t dread; it’s narrative whiplash. Every time the plot begins to establish a rule, the film gleefully breaks it four frames later. Logic isn’t the problem — supernatural horror rarely plays by reality’s book — but narrative integrity is non-negotiable. The Wailing can’t decide what story it’s telling, so it keeps changing the rules instead of deepening the mystery.

The result is a three-hour séance of red herrings sprinting in circles. One moment the Japanese stranger is the villain; then he’s not. Then he is again. Then maybe the shaman’s evil, or the mysterious woman in white, or possibly everyone. Instead of tension, we get fatigue. Instead of insight, we get “gotcha!” twists that feel less like revelations and more like the director repainting the chessboard mid-game.

Worse, the tone stumbles all over itself. The early sections flirt with slapstick — villagers arguing, the cop tripping over corpses — as if we’ve wandered into a dark comedy. Later, the film demands we take its metaphysical angst seriously. The clash isn’t clever; it’s incoherent. Parasite and Memories of Murder managed tonal balance because their humor served the horror. Here, the comedy undercuts it.

By the final act, when the exorcism drums reach fever pitch and the symbolism tries to masquerade as profundity, I was less terrified than tired. The Wailing doesn’t earn its ambiguity; it hides behind it. The film wants you to mistake opacity for depth, confusion for complexity, and exhaustion for awe.

It’s beautifully shot — I’ll give it that. The mountains drip atmosphere, the rain feels alive, and the performances are strong. But visuals alone can’t patch a story that keeps rewriting its own theology. Horror thrives on internal logic: once the rules are set, the fear of watching them play out is what gets under your skin. The Wailing refuses to play fair, and so nothing means anything.

I came for existential horror and found narrative gaslighting. For all its chanting and thunder, The Wailing has the spiritual weight of a wet script.

A two-and-a-half-hour ghost story where the scariest thing is the runtime. The Wailing is for people who like their horror mysterious because even the director doesn’t know what’s happening.

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#真相をお話しします - Review (with spoilers)

I watched this movie, and what caught my attention right away was seeing Oomori-san acting, so I really wanted to watch it. I saw the trailers, and I thought I had a general idea of what the movie would be about, but when I actually saw it, it turned out to be quite different. I feel like it’s more of a test for the anonymous viewer—what would you do if all your personal information were exposed, or if you had to choose to kill someone? That’s what the movie is about: would you rather have your life exposed, or let someone else die?

The film explores cases where people share their experiences and expose others from behind anonymity. There’s also the main case in the movie, where parents make videos about their children’s lives (which really happens in real life), showing how, when taken to the extreme, it can lead to death.

But in the end, I was left thinking, “Is that really all there is to the story?” It makes sense to leave it open and ask the viewer what they would do, but I feel like neither the writer nor I could come up with an ending where things turn out well—it would be more of a social experiment. It actually reminds me of the drama where Suda Masaki plays a teacher.

Overall, Oomori-san’s performance surprised me, but I wish he had more screen time. The movie has a clear idea and conveys it well, but I feel it ends a bit unfinished—still, it’s entertaining.

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So mid it’s actually painful.

This could have worked as a short movie - not longer than 40 minutes. There is just not enough to the story to justify 1 hour and 30 minutes.

I actually enjoyed the ritual scenes and the mechanics of getting the answers was quite creepy. This alone would be enough. But no, they always have to give a plot twist that is obvious from the start. They always need to make things unnecessarily complicated, when just a ghost ritual story that leads to scares is enough.

Everyone was to some extent annoying, I wanted everyone dead, but especially Park Ja Yeong - what a menace she was with her no facial expressions and obvious issues.

They did not even do the freaking ritual correct, not even once. Which made the ending senseless.

Overall, sad it was a full length movie, when it could have been a solid short one.

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the begining and the middle is like sugar the end is like salt on a wound you never knew existed.

its such a lovely movue. the story is amaizingly great, it might be one of my favorite movies, but i did sob at the end, its devestating, but so good. i would honestly advise this movie to everyone, to people who dont really know the best of kdrama or people who adore kdrama's, it is such a good storyline and i think im not gonna shut up about this movie for a while. the actors did their job really good and the girl who plays Na Bo-Ra is so pretty, woon-ho also is handsome and Beak Hyun-jin is so funny, i fear i might love this movie and everything about it, exept the ending, i cried for 20 good minutes. definity a good movie though

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Idol trauma in a nutshell

This should be named "how to help your idol overcome his trauma from the past" because that what this is about.

Now I had some expectations about the story, that it would be a funny fan-idol relationship, where she is trying in vain not to fall for him and both magically ends together BOOM! happily ever after....

But nope, that was a mistake, it's just all about the idol and his past relationships/trauma ... The girl that is trying NOT to fall the idol immediately fell like swoosh!!! Where is the resilience lol

Not saying it was a bad movie but I tend to get slightly annoyed/disappointed when the movie doesn't deliver what it promises, just write what the story is really about ~
It's relatively my mistake too for expecting too much but still it wasn't that great to make up for the disappointment...

Anyway the two leads are okayish. They didn't have any close scenes together to judge the "chemistry" because romance here was so little, but they were fine together.

I don't know what is the drama about, probably will explore what's going to happen next... I guess I'll never know ~~

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