Reviews

My Sept 2025 recommendation

Watch this for my Recommendation Challenge by 𝑵𝒐𝒊𝒓𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕.

This is the story of Masaki and Tsukasa. They first meet when they argue over using a basketball court—the facility manager had accidentally double-booked it for the same day and time. To resolve the issue, they agree to split the court in half: one side for Masaki, the other for Tsukasa.

For some reason, Masaki finds himself drawn to Tsukasa, and he quietly checks in on her from across the court. When it’s time to go home, he offers to drive her—and from that small gesture, their friendship begins to grow.

Over time, Tsukasa slowly opens up. She shares with Masaki the story of her past: a severe car accident during high school that left her with lasting injuries. She now lives with memory impairments and uses a wheelchair. But despite everything, she refuses to let her limitations define her—she’s determined to live life fully and on her own terms.

Masaki, a taxi driver and passionate basketball player, admires her strength more with each passing day. And as they spend more time together, Tsukasa begins to see him not just as a kind friend, but as someone truly special. Soon, their bond deepens into love, and they begin a relationship.

Despite facing challenges—and resistance from their families—they fall deeply in love, supporting each other through every obstacle.

So what will be the next challenge life has in store for them?

That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ Both Masaki & Tsukasa are really facing real life problems, but despite all it’s one of the greatest love stories that doesn't only show us the sweet side of love but also the bitter side.
+ How both parents' concerns are truthful. Both parents love their kids, and the way they show it is raw…

What I don't like:
- Unfortunately I find the story quite boring… And the type of story I'll forget what this about if I'm not write the review
- I can't quite make a different between past stories & the future... It's confusing sometimes

Overall, despite having a meaningful love story, if not for the challenge, it’s one of the movies that I’ll stop watching after 30 min.

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Beware of the Truth

If you liked Oldboy, you will also love this movie. It’s not an action film, but it has the same level of disturbing psychological drama that makes it suspenseful and engaging. My warning is that this movie is not for the faint-hearted.

Also, this movie is weird. It has some unusual directorial choices, but as the story progressed I started to appreciate them because they make the film unique: the subtle scene transitions, the timeline shifting back and forth, actors holding straight faces without responding naturally to situations, slight image freezes on important details, and the light outfits of the main character — the mother, Yeon-hong, who behaves like a frantic woman in search of answers. All in all, this is a unique movie that thriller fans will find worth watching. A lot of effort went into making the mystery as deep and complicated as possible, and it was done in an original and satisfying way. It certainly isn’t easy to know or handle the truth.

The whole movie was captivating, but the final scene gave me goosebumps — something I haven’t experienced in a long time.

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Epic yandere romance disguised as heartbreaking tale of dysfunctional love.

This story brings yandere love down to a street-level, where it doesn't feel like the mythical obsessive character of anime, but rather like someone you might brush with in real life. It tones it down and explains it, without attempting to justify it. This is - at least to my mind - a heartbreaking tale of 3 people who are all to one degree or another yandere. It all seems so innocuous at first, but by the time the movie is over, you can see the outline of an epic, twisted tale lying beneath it that was never really shown, and yet there it is.

I say 'a heartbreaking tale' because I have a fairly healthy psyche, and it just pains me to see victims of child abuse grow up into such confused people with so much pain, trying to cope with no one to rely on. It's not that the story itself is heartbreaking, just that the characters are.

There is a lot more going on psychologically than what the movie shows you, and you have to infer or extrapolate it. For instance someone is talking to cops, and they are describing a violent act that occurred. But the movie never shows it. In this sense, there are deeper inferences in this story than just what you get on the surface, and some pieces you have to put together yourself. Other things are shown in greater detail, such as piercings, fights, or certain intimate scenes. But though there are several intimate moments between the characters throughout the story, you aren't shown all of them like a smut film. You are only shown certain moments, so it's not as gratuitous as it seems at first. The explicit nature of some intimate scenes are done in a way to portray sensuality and pain being two sides of the same coin.

As an S&M romance this isn't my cup of tea. But as an occasional student of abnormal psych, I can at least understand it. However, aside from being a romance, this is also a sort of mystery plot (I suppose you could say?), and that part was fun to me. The story needed a great deal of depth coming from the characters for it to work, and these actors did a really great job. With lesser actors this probably would have been unwatchable.

And then there's the ending. For some people who are really really in love with truly yandere ML, this might be seen as an HE. Other people are only going to see the OE that it shows you on the surface. Or think that the HE is just way too sinister and mentally back away from actually calling it an HE or seeing it as one. I personally didn't like the ending because I view the idea of penning some poetic/mysterious/vague lines and slapping an OE on a story a copout. I really do. I know it's a distinctly 'Japanese' thing to do and is not that uncommon an ending in a Japanese tale, but I'm sorry I don't like it. I find it very low-effort and too simplistic. But that is what they did here, and I was mildly displeased with it.

This IS worth a one-time watch at minimum, so I gave it a 7.5 because it's decent. The direction and production were spot on, the styling was great, the actors were excellent.

The basic story is awesome af, but I don't like the way that story was fleshed out by the original novel author. The novel did win awards and receive critical acclaim, but it was written by a very very young adult and to me that shows. I think the story would have been a stronger one if it had had a stronger author with more experience and weight. But the fact remains that the plot itself - which is truly artistically awesome af - was penned by that very same author so it's a take it or leave it situation. I think this story would absolutely SLAY with a good solid rewrite.

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Unlocked (스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데)
This Korean thriller perfectly captures the contemporary fear of hyperconnectivity. Its premise, both simple and unsettling, feels dangerously plausible: what happens if you lose your phone, your "digital DNA", and it falls into the wrong hands?

The film excels in portraying the ease and precision with which Jun-yeong (Yim Si-wan) infiltrates and dismantles Na-mi’s (Chun Woo-hee) life. The tension builds through scenes that reveal how the villain exploits the most mundane information to isolate the protagonist, undermine her reputation, and place her in danger.

The real strength of the movie lies in Yim Si-wan’s performance as the antagonist. Known for more sensitive or heroic roles, here he delivers a chilling and brilliant portrayal of a sociopath with no clear motive beyond the "fun" or satisfaction of destroying lives. His Jun-yeong is charismatic and deceptively ordinary, which makes him all the more terrifying. He conveys a cold, calculated malice that dominates the screen.

Although the pacing sometimes falters and certain plot twists may feel forced or predictable, overall Unlocked sustains a gripping atmosphere of suspense. It serves as an effective reminder of our vulnerability in the digital age and the vast amount of personal information we carry in our pockets.

Unlocked is a solid and entertaining Netflix thriller, elevated by a memorable villain performance from Yim Si-wan. Recommended for fans of Korean psychological thrillers and anyone who enjoys stories featuring exceptionally twisted villains.

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Good but not a Perfect ?

So I finally got around to watching K-Pop Demon Hunter, and I’d say it was a solid 7/10 for me. It’s one of those projects where I really liked parts of it, but there were a few things that kept me from fully loving it. On the surface, it’s flashy, stylish, and definitely entertaining. But when you dig in, there are areas where I wish they had gone further, especially with the group dynamic.

Let’s start with what worked: the music and visuals. Honestly, this movie looked amazing. Every performance sequence was a feast for the eyes, and I could tell the production team went all out to make it feel like a real K-pop stage, just cranked up with supernatural energy. The colors, the sets, the choreography—it all looked expensive and creative. They even managed to blend in those demon-hunting effects without making it cheesy, which is not easy to do. You could freeze-frame almost any moment and it would look like a poster.

The music was also well produced. The beats hit hard, the choruses were catchy, and you could tell the songs were designed to stick in your head. For me personally, though, the soundtrack just wasn’t my style. That’s not to say the music was bad—far from it—it just wasn’t the kind of thing I’d add to my playlist. Still, I respect the effort because it really fit the vibe of the movie, and for a lot of people it’s probably the highlight.

Now here’s where my main issue comes in: the Saja Boys. I was excited to see how the whole group would be used in the story, but most of them were barely involved. The focus was mainly on the leads, and the rest of the members felt more like backup characters than actual teammates. That was disappointing, because one of the best parts of K-pop is the group chemistry—each member brings something different to the table. If the movie had taken more time to develop the other guys or given them moments to shine, it would have felt richer and more balanced. Instead, it leaned too heavily on just a couple of characters.

That being said, I still enjoyed the ride. The action scenes were fun, the fantasy elements gave it a unique twist, and the over-the-top style matched the whole concept. It’s not the kind of film you watch for deep storytelling—it’s more about the spectacle, and in that sense, it delivered. But I can’t help thinking how much better it could’ve been if they had taken advantage of the full cast.

So yeah, K-Pop Demon Hunter was good, not great. I’d call it a flashy, entertaining experiment that shows how far K-drama and K-pop aesthetics can go when blended with fantasy action. With stronger music (at least for my taste) and more equal involvement from the Saja Boys, it could’ve easily been an 8 or 9. For now, though, 7/10 feels just right.
Do you want me to polish this further into something you could post on a review site/blog, or keep it as a casual fan reaction for something like social media?

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Feel good movie. ???

It was quite pleasant, and I was particularly surprised to see Gong Yoo.




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everything serves a purpose

Perhaps this is less a youth film and more for those who are older and have been broken by life. Will leave it to young people to decide how well it works for them.

Its symbolism is well-integrated - the sound of the foghorn, signalling departure but also moving forward, and its corresponding note on the piano. Where each of the main characters tends to go - Nazuna seeking out high places like the school roof, Satoru walking home with his brother, Kashiwagi lost in grief along the low shore. Voices silenced by self or others, or death, and what comes from being heard. Or someone saying those lost words. Everything in this film serves a purpose.

Yes, the concentration of situations they're in tend towards melodramatic, but each of them alone is realistic and there is plenty of balance in small details of daily life for the students. And yes, the timing is convenient. That does tend to happen in films. It's all serving the larger purpose. The key to good melodrama is always in the emotions, are they realistic and accurate for the situation. In that, in the tender vulnerability of the children, in Aragaki's understated portrayal of grief, the importance of being heard as one's authentic self, in the power of connection to make life just a bit easier, this beautiful, gentle, hopeful film rings true.

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“A Heart Torn and Lifted: The Paradise of Thrones”

I don’t think I’ll ever forget The Paradise of Thrones. Watching it felt like being pulled into a storm where every moment carried a new shade of emotion—joy, longing, heartbreak, grief, regret, love. I went in because I was already watching Keng’s new drama Kemjira and his performance as Master Phran left me in awe. I thought… why not see his debut, his very first movie with Jeff Satur? But I never expected this. I never expected a single film to tear me apart and yet make me feel so alive inside.

— Jingna (Keng)… my heart aches just writing his name. The purity of his soul, the way he never wanted anything for himself, and how he said “I didn’t know what to ask, so I asked for your wish to be true”—it destroyed me. That was his entire essence. Selfless, giving, quietly surviving, living only for others’ happiness. His longing eyes, the uncertainty, the quiet strength hidden under fragility—it was all there in Keng’s performance. And in the end, that look in his eyes when the knife slashed across his throat… that panic, that desperation, that unfinished wish—I can’t get it out of my mind. He never asked for anything, and yet he was taken so brutally. Keng carried that role with such raw humanity it hurts to think about it. All I can do is pray—pray that Keng will always be happy, healthy, and surrounded by love forever. He deserves nothing less.

— Thong (Jeff)… his journey was one of aching doubt. All throughout, he believed Sek’s love belonged to Engfa. That quiet pain of loving someone he thought didn’t love him back—it seeped through every expression, every hesitation. And then at the end, when Engfa confessed “he never loved me, he loved you”—I broke down. Imagine carrying that uncertainty for so long, only to discover too late that love had always been yours. That moment was both cruel and healing—it was like being given water after dying of thirst, but only when you no longer have the strength to drink.

— Sek and his mother… goodness, the tragedy of their bond. The scene with the wedding ring—how it was taken from his finger after death, given back to his mother, when in truth it belonged to him and Thong—was one of the most painful moments of the film. And Sek’s mother’s arc with Mo (Engfa) was just as heartbreaking—her cruelty, Mo’s desperate longing for belonging, and then the tragic irony when she finally signed the deed and called for her daughter, but her voice couldn’t reach anymore. Her whispers of "Mo, help me” while Engfa sat on the bed still linger like an echo.

Every character embodied a different shade of love, loss, survival, and tragedy. Sek—the love that couldn’t stay. Thong—the doubt that was never meant to be. Engfa—the longing that turned into desperation. Sek’s mother—the cruelty that turned to regret too late. And Jingna—the selfless soul who asked for nothing and lost everything.

This movie is not just a film. It’s a scar, a prayer, a truth about humanity. It crushed me, it shook me, it made me cry until my chest hurt—and yet I am grateful I watched it. Because it showed me the rawest sides of love and loss.

Keng, Jeff, every cast member—you gave us something unforgettable. But Keng as Jingna… he gave a performance that will stay etched in me forever. I pray with all my heart that he will always be happy and healthy, always loved, always shining. Because he gave us a piece of his soul—and it changed me.

“May Keng and every cast member always be blessed with happiness, health, and love—for they gave us a story that will never leave our hearts.”

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Some films are remembered for their stories, others for their artistry, but a rare few manage to leave an imprint on the heart by blending both. This movie is one of those rare works. It tells a story that is delicate, painful, and deeply human, yet does so with such tenderness that it feels less like watching a film and more like witnessing a moving piece of poetry.
What stands out most is the attention to detail. Every frame feels purposeful, every expression is given the time it deserves, and every pause between words carries meaning. The director allows the audience to sit with the characters, to breathe in their silences, and to feel the weight of their emotions. Instead of dramatising suffering, the film finds beauty in subtlety, in a fleeting glance, in the quiet resilience of its characters, and in the unspoken emotions that ripple beneath the surface.
The performances are extraordinary. The young actors embody innocence and vulnerability with such authenticity that their presence alone moves the story forward. Their eyes seem to speak more than dialogue ever could, creating moments of raw truth that linger long after the screen fades to black.
The score is gentle yet powerful, weaving seamlessly into the storytelling. It lifts even the heaviest moments with an air of quiet grace, reminding us that beauty can exist even within hardship.
This film doesn’t simply expose a harsh reality, it transforms it into art. It respects the subject without ever exploiting it, choosing instead to highlight resilience, humanity, and the capacity for hope. Watching it is an experience that resonates deeply, leaving the viewer not just informed but profoundly moved.
This is cinema at its most powerful: tender, truthful, and undeniably beautiful.

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Stunning historical drama

I waited so long to be able to see this film. Apo as a traditional dancer in the late 18th century was perfect, I only wish we had more scenes of him dancing to showcase the hard work he put in, training himself to not just be a believable dancer but an excellent one.

In an ideal world this would have been a series so they would have had more time to unravel the mystery and the politics woven into the story.

I would have loved an on screen romance between Chatra and Khem as well, I could see their feelings simmering under the surface but watching them fall in love and share their first kiss would have been divine.

Still, i am so proud of what they did achieve, the beauty, the historical details, the intriguing characters.

ManSuang, you’ll always be precious to me.

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The Story of Woo Viet was a harsh look at the struggles Vietnamese refugees faced when seeking a better life. The story may have veered into melodramatic territory at times but director Ann Hui didn’t shy away from the gritty underside of Chinatown. A young Chow Yun Fat starred in the titular role. While the mannerisms he would develop over the years were not there yet, the charisma was.

Wu Yuet travels aboard a crowded boat sailing from Vietnam, where death had been a constant companion. He arrives in Hong Kong as a refugee hoping to find his pen pal, Lee Lap Quan. Vietnamese agents kill several refugees, including one of Wu’s friends. When they come for him, the ex-soldier is prepared. Now he will need Lee’s help to escape Hong Kong quickly. The human smugglers aka snakeheads designate him as Japanese. While attempting to learn a few key phrases he meets another woman on a fake passport leaving when he does. They bond over their similar situations and begin a relationship. Both are hopeful about going to America to live out their dreams. On a layover in Manila, the smugglers have different plans for Shum Ching. She is trafficked to a brothel with other women. Wu injures a cop chasing after her and ends up having to work for the crime lord in Chinatown to earn enough money to buy her back.

Wu Yuet ran into violence all along his travels. Wherever he turned, death and hardships awaited. He began to fear every Chinatown would be the same for him. An older assassin working for crime lord Chung Yee portends a possible future for Wu. A future with nothing but booze, despair and blood. Chung Yee, with his connections and knife wielding son manipulated the various players with no concern for them.

Chow Yun Fat was stunning in this film. It was hard to glance away from him for even a second. Lo Lieh was perfect as the aging assassin with his last shred of humanity dangling by a thread. Cora Miao as the devoted pen pal had little to do after the first few scenes. Cherie Chung’s main job was to look beautiful and vulnerable which she did admirably.

The Story of Woo Viet was a fairly accomplished film for 1981. Many of the films from this time were not especially polished, this film included. While not as deep or well done as her Boat People (1982), Ann Hui still shed a light on the vulnerability of refugees who were only seeking whatever everyone wanted-a home, safety, enough food to eat, and a purpose. Wu and Shum had dreams of a simple life, free of violence and fear. Sadly, too often even meager dreams were shattered in the back alleys of Chinatown.

22 September 2025
I did give this a little pre-1990 ratings bump based on a curve.

Triggers: Child murder, violence, bare breasts. Little people were also shown as cheap entertainment.

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Hidden Depths - if you are easily triggered, this is not the show for you

If you can get past the shock value of the F&$##d up situation these two find themselves in, you will actually find a surprisingly good story. I had to watch this more than once because the first time I watched it, I was like, “What the hell did I just see?”. But this is one of those stories where it sticks with you and you really think about it after the fact. You have two people who have been damaged, one who doesn’t want to go on living anymore and he is basically shocked back into living again by the other one. The imagery just gave it and added punch to the gut. They are each using the other to deal with their own trauma. I found it to be a very moving storyline.

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