Reviews

Strange Movie

This has a bit of a tragic bittersweet ending, so if you are not a fan of those type of endings (like me) you might want to think before you watch, but to be honest everyone mentioning that they didn't like the ending made me want to watch it more.

At least with this being a short movie and not a series, you won't feel so cheated at the end. The ML and FL did a good job with what they had to work with and the effects were good.

A bit sad that they don't really end up together as he gets turned into a "tree man" so it kind of makes their story a bit pointless in the end. She's left pruning his branches, wishing he would wake up and tell her what he wanted to say before he became a tree.

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Fever Dream

Honestly I got this movie recommended to me by a friend and I decided to go blind into it, not reading the summary or anything, just diving into it. I didn’t know what to expect, but once the scenes about them getting intimate started I thought it was going to be a cute romance between the dudes but pretty soon enough it’s established that won’t be happening.

To some extent it did lowkey remind me of call me by your name, both movies have the intimate moments happen early on to the movie and make things escalate,, it was honestly a roller coaster ride.

I’m confused withn this movie though, are they both just going to ignore everything that happened and move on? Was it really just method acting? I’m so curious about it…Wish it didn’t end so abruptly honestly.

It was good and it’ll keep you distracted. Pretty solid movie, just very frustrating ending (in my opinion).

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A Powerful Portrayal of Alienated Teens During Japan's "Lost Decade"

"Blue Spring" is regarded as a minor classic in Japan, and for 3 good reasons. First, the director maintains a swift pace and holds your interest despite the absence of one overarching plot (instead, the plot's fueled by a number of different acts of alienation portrayed by an ensemble cast). Second, it features then unknown teenage actors who went on to have extremely successful careers -- eg, Matsuda Ryuhei, Arai Hirofumi and Nagayama Eita.

Third, it is set in the late-90's, right when Japan's economic bubble had burst and the nation was reeling with unemployment, bankruptcy, crime and the inevitability of angry, futureless teens forming gangs. It's this third element more than anything else that accounts for the movie's fame, because this era looms so large in the Japanese psyche that they even refer to it as "The Lost Decade." And it was the teenagers of "The Lost Decade" who felt the brunt of economic despair the most because they were at what should've been the start of careers but were, instead, at the start of a road to nowhere. The movie conveys this hopelessness with excellent dialogue, such as the following exchange between a teen, and a teacher wherein the teen compares himself to a flower:

-- "Teacher, aren’t there some flowers that never bloom?"
-- "Flowers are meant to bloom, not to dry up. That’s what I choose to believe. It’s a very important thing.”

The blooming of flowers is a recurring metaphor, which is also expressed with an inner monologue of a boy who's just dropped out of school. He has realized that his life will never bloom and that he is, as he calls himself, a "loser."

-- "I staked my whole life on baseball. My only goal was the nationals. In this shithole of a school baseball was my only flower. I staked my life on my bat, my dreams on my pitches all to make the spirit of baseball bloom. In the midst of the roaring crowd, a glimpse of my mother's face. She's always there to love even a fool like me. Always ready to smile. I love you so much for that. Even if my body was broken and all my tears and sweat dried up, my dream remained the nationals. No regret for my youth. Loser."

What's especially marvelous about "Blue Spring" is how the theme of teenage alienation is conveyed just as powerfully with a punk rock soundtrack as it is with such dialogue. That is to say, it's the nature of punk rock to speak of the same raw, angry nihilism of futureless youths. And the song "Drop" from the uber cool J-punk band "Thee Michelle Gun Elephant" is pitch perfect for the final plot point.

Music, acting, setting, characters, and theme all converge seamlessly to create a movie that's just as compelling for contemporary audiences as it was to those actually experiencing "The Lost Decade" back then. You see, the movie succeeds as more than a cultural commentary about a specific era, and it does so by evoking a timeless, universal theme -- which is, of course, the timeless, universal theme of teenage alienation.

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Riveting thriller movie, quite disturbing: a "must-see" but an unlikely "rewatch"

I enjoyed the film, it was a riveting thriller to follow and I was surprised by some of its twists. The movie is set up in Japanese-occupied Korea, which provides an interesting background to the story but is unfortunately not that exploited. I must say that I preferred the first part of the movie to the rest which required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief given the overall context of the plot.

The cast did a good job playing multiple-layered roles from various perspectives. Some of the characters were truly repulsive and I felt physically ill watching some of the scenes featuring the craziest sides of the antagonists. I would have appreciated a bit more nuances from some of the characters, but I'm convinced that the actors did exactly what was expected from them (especially in some of the over-the-top, oversexualized and violent scenes).

The soundtrack was enjoyable but it is foremost the overall production value which is praise-worthy. The majority of the story is set in an enclosed space: a very remote manor mixing strangely UK and Japanese building styles. The decors, costumes, accessories and directing choices worked great all-together in conferring to the movie an oppressing, dark and creepy atmosphere.

I would recommend this to people that love movies directed by acclaimed director Park Chan Wook or even enjoy thrillers in Victorian-era Britain (as the film is an adaptation of a novel set up in that time). If you have watch any works from Park Chan Wook, you know that there might be some triggering aspects...It is for sure the case here, so be mindful of that if you have any trigger.

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A perfect weekend movie filled with comedy and action packed.

The Roundup has done it again.

I'm glad I watched it in the cinema.

It was a fun and thrilling ride. The movie, as always, started by showing the bad guys and then later on introducing Ma Seokdo in a funny way. Very typical, but still entertaining.

The plot is great, it's predictable but absolutely not boring. The casts are perfect for each roles. They really went out of their way casting actual Japanese actors instead of making Korean acted like Japanese (just like the usual) which I highly appreciated. The action scene is chef's kiss, although it's quite a pitty that they had to censor it so the graphic part weren't shown at all but it's still satisfying to see all the actions.

Definitely will recommend it to everyone. Can't wait for the fourth movie already!

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A good time travel story with HE

A good time travel story with HE

I watched the trailer of this movie on YT before it release and read some comments that said the movie have similar plot as Hollywood movie called If Only (2004) starring Jennifer Love-Hewitt and Paul Nichols, and the company who held the license to remake If Only movie into Chinese version sued this movie (Yesterday Once More). After Watching the 2 movies yes it was a little bit similarity, in both movies the FL died from an accident and the ML tried to save her in every time loop causes the butterfly effect that took the his life but the whole movie is so different from the Hollywood one.

Story about childhood friends who reunited and fall in love but once they got together it's not so smooth as you imagine. In that day while both of them celebrating his birthday they got into a fight which end up in to an accident that took the girl life. He went home brokenhearted and took the birthday cake made for him by his girlfriend too a candle and make a wish. The next day he wake up seeing her alive and well but the things happens the day before seems to repeat itself. He tried to save the girl in every time loop and end up losing his own life. Apparently the candle handmade by his mother from when his a childhood has the ability for them to time travel or get into time loop. Lastly the girl found the last candle and made her wish and all a happy ending :D

A beautiful movie, main leads has good acting and chemistry and the OST is really good too, recommended for you who like this genre.

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It's a nice film

This is a nice film...
Yes very impressed with CFY & ZY....
Impressed by the lead actors & the film....
considering it's budget....

I felt and only my opinion maybe the supports not as strong, the themes a bit extreme at times, the story friendliness at times might of lacked.... Struggled early however finished very strong and mid way through film was good....
I recommend a viewing, only a few hours....

Overall what I felt lacked still doesn't matter, the leads both fantastic....
CYF definately once air clears will be back 100%.... ZY amazing actresses with Back to Brink also good reviews....

I cannot wait see both again together in a drama in the future....

Only problem I have with ratings is the antis possibly early on gave negative reviews without proper reason & the fans of CFY in response may of overrated the scores however look, I have no problems if people give 10/10 because I understand as well why they might of felt it worthy of full marks so not disputing it. I can understand if they were touched by it. With the antis, would like to understand why score it 1 or 2? I have dropped dramas and films giving them low marks but I had a reason for low score. This drama I felt was ok at the start and good at the end so easily worthy of higher score .... MDL needs better moderating of scores, not just this film but all dramas here. People only tend to vote either high or low.

Anyways please no hate, just my opinion. I was polite. Hope everyone enjoyed the film. I did too just wasn't wanting an encore for this film but yes encore for the actors for later dramas....

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An investigation team decided to pursue a murder case that happened in 1992. A video recording of the murder was said to be kept underground for the brutality of it. Snippets of the video were shown to us viewers. A reflection in the video led the team to another murder case.

In the Marui Case, a boyfriend murdered his girlfriend and claimed not to remember anything. The video recording of the tragic event was said to be haunted ala The Ring and whoever watches it will suffer tragedy. In the Ami Case, a boy was said to murder his mother and younger sister.

Reviews and comments promised that the movie was scary, chilly and there I was, bored to death. Nowadays, most scary movies depended on jump scares and there's none of that. The movie sometimes lingers on something and I was thinking something's going to jump on the screen only for it to move to another shot. I do have to applaud the director for sticking to the documentary style. It had the feel of Cannibal Holocaust in which viewers may believe that it's from a real event. For me, Marui Video took inspiration from lots of other movies. There's The Ring, The Grudge, The Cannibal Holocaust, and so on.

I was waiting for the "a video evidence of a very brutal and graphic murder" which was said to be shown in the last 20 minutes of the movie and the story was built up towards it and yet, I wasn't impressed. Why? Because we had seen snippets of the videos. So, there's nothing much to show after it.

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Well-produced, Romance-Fantasy Film Delight led by Meguro Ren and Imada Mio!

I had the opportunity to watch this recently at a Japanese film festival, and there's one thing I need to say about this film - do not miss it! Meguro Ren and Imada Mio have a delightful chemistry in this beautifully-shot retelling of the story.

CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION:
Having read the manga and anticipating the anime, I had low expectations for the live action film adaptation, despite my high anticipation for Meguro. Usually, manga-based films attempt to cram as many plot points and scenes in, or cut out a lot from the original subject material - it's less about the way the story is told, and more about hitting the plot points in the end with one-dimensional storytelling. However, I was delightfully surprised at how this was adapted for film!

The cringiness or "over the top" acting that usually accompanies some of these manga-to-movie productions was nowhere to be seen, and the cinematography was quite unconventional. It was quite beautifully shot and edited - from the scenery and interior design to the outfitting details (i.e. Kiyoka's uniform and the kimono, etc.). Narrations were brought to life by Tsuda Kenjiro himself.

ACTING:
Meme and Imada Mio's acting were both delights to see. I haven't watched Imada Mio in a role since Hana Nochi Hare, and she completely shed her "spoiled girl" character to meld herself into the character of Miyo. I didn't even recognize her! The way she was styled for the film suited the original character completely. Both leads' acting was very detailed, helping to further immerse the viewer in. From shyly glancing back and forth at each other for a beat too long to sharing secret smiles, the chemistry left you wanting more.

As a fan, I was surprised by Meme's seriousness in this role. Despite the coolheaded demeanor of Kiyoka, I enjoyed how he interpreted the role, adding in some sheepish sides to the character. His charisma really made the character stand out. Imada Mio's acting made me completely relate to and feel for her character, and it was heartwarming to see her slowly try to stand her ground and want Kiyoka by her side. Sometimes it did feel like she was very "damsel-in-distress," but I think it was more due to her lack of self-confidence.

Some fighting scenes did look a lot like the same moves were being used and it was a little awkward at times, but I understand that the fighting choreo was not the main point of the movie. The acting for minor characters were pretty standard - Ryusei was quite good in his role as well! The other characters weren't focused on as much as the leads, so they were pretty one-dimensional (i.e. bad guy is bad for the sake of being bad).

*spoiler warning*
The fire scene had me fangirling. (iykyk!)

STORY/PACING:
Overall pacing was really well done considering how much they had to cram into a film. Compared to how other manga-to-film movies have been adapted in the past, this was a standout. I do agree with another review made here that it would've been great to see even more romantic scenes between the two actors, but I understand that the director and screenwriter probably wanted to have a balance of the worldbuilding and storytelling (which was a little complicated to understand at first). So, while my fangirl heart wants a little more, I'm still pretty satisfied!

There were a few jarring cuts from scene to scene that kinda confused the viewer's flow at times but overall, it was fine to deal with.

OVERALL:
When this officially releases for DVD, you'll definitely catch me rewatching again!

PLEASE note that there is a post-credits scene as well - many people left without noticing! Hopefully this teases a sequel movie with the same actors... *crosses fingers*

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I’m not sure but here’s my take

I don’t think the boy was in love and I don’t think either man was gay. The boy didn’t want to be in the play to begin with. Then the man embarrassed him in front of everyone and wanted him replaced. The boy learned about the man’s method acting and decided to show the man how he could do the same thing and how well he could act. All the things he did seemed to tie in with his character. The hanging went a little far but he knew he wouldn’t die and really scared the man. The man got played. Unfortunately, the man, although he loved his wife, did fall for the boy somewhere along the way. Mid-life crisis I guess. Very clever story.

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Original idea for story, but superficially made

Idea of love story includes father-in-law and his daughter-in-law sounds intriguing. Action takes place in Tang dynasty and it's based on true events in history. However story is loosely made on facts and it is mostly fiction.

Creation of Yang Gui Fei is little riduculous for me. She is young and stupid girl, who doesn't know how to behave. Her actions look randomly and often don't make any sense. It looks like she has only one purpose - looks beutiful on screen.
Other characters don't have any depth. We can't understand their decisions, because we don't know what their thinking. Their psychological portrait shouls be elaborate, which would make their motives more clear.
Concept of Byzantine envoy narration is fascinating, but I'm not sure if it suits this story.
Ending is messy and little strange. I understand that authors wanted show us characters great love, but I don't think it was good way to do it.

The best aspects of this film are for sure visuals. They look brilliant and far-fetched. Every footage is piece of art. They are breathtaking and make this film worth watching. Costumes and hairstyle are also mesmerizing.

Music is also very good. I think it suits scene well. It makes them more intense.

Overall "Lady of the Dynasty" is so so movie. Idea is fascinating, but unconvincingly made. Script doesn't give justice to story. On a good note visuals are compellig and look expensive. Moreover Fan Bing Bing is definitively beautiful and pleasing to the eyes.

Authors could offer audience much more. Historically Yang Gui Fei is shown as vicious and powerful woman not as lost girl. I would love to see interpretation like this in future.
However I have to give props to scriptwriter for knowledge that lychee was Yang Gui Fei favourite fruit.

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Sweet and adorable no-brainer movie

This is a sweet and adorable movie. Even if there isn’t really anything new or different storyline and it is kind of similar to so many other same-themed movies/shows, it is entertaining and easy to watch-
Character wise:
FL is the usual sweet and airheaded woman who is indebted to ML because of certain circumstances.
ML is the usual cold and shrewd CEO who inserts himself in FLs life because she is different from other women he knows.
Acting wise this isn’t exactly top shelf but I guess the actors were directed to act their characters so they appear a little silly, especially FL and her bestie. That is often the case when they want to make a lighthearted movie/show.
Well, if you are looking for something short, sweet and angst-free, this is actually worth watching.

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Is this a duck??? No it’s a Rabbit!!!

I watched this mainly for Chen Fei Yu and Zhou Ye, as I knew the original story in Japanese was sad and not a happy ending. I like this re-scripted version, where it gives viewers at least a feel good closure after all the agony the couple gone through.

The story:
Is simple and straightforward. Boy meets girl at young age, she is his 白月光in his difficult childhood (abusive alcoholic father). Then they parted as girl’s family moved away. They met again in adulthood and quickly were attracted and got together. Misunderstanding because of ML’s past (father’s debt affected his self esteem and he was negative towards FL). Then misfortune happened, FL got into accident and die on ML’s birthday. And the magical element of this show here, is that his birthday candles and wish allows ML to relive the day before her accident. Every time he tried to change her fate or rescue her, FL will still end up dying. Till a point when FL realised and she made the ultimate wish of never to meet him as adult, never cross paths and never love, so they won’t suffer. And with that last wish, they both survived but they never met again. Until in the winter’s day (another significant theme for this couple as they met on winter), ML again walked into FL’s bakery and met her. Final scene, they grew old together.

My verdict:
The pacing was good, however the sweetness for the couple here is very short, and we have to go on a journey of agony till the last 5 mins of happy ending. But to be fair, I can’t expect much as it’s a 90mins movie. The chemistry were fantastic. The acting were clear and spot on. Really love Arther Chen’s deep set voice and he is very handsome here. Adored Zhou Ye’s pure and innocent portrayal of the character is so believable. She is a very pretty actress and her cuteness is just right.
So warm and fuzzy even on cold winter to have to beautiful CP getting together in the dreamland of drama world. Re-watch value ?!

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Expectation Let Down

So, I am one of those people that watched episode 0 when it came out...and I was one of the many that was wow'd and expected the series which took forever to be released to live up to expectations I had from watching episode 0...well it was a dismal disappointment, and I am sure the Director and Script Writer, as well as the most of the actors for this project knew they did not do their best work when they put this mess together.

The series, which was 12 episodes that I watched and fast-forwarded through a great chunk of due to horrible acting, and plot holes in the story line so huge you could park a Ford 150 King Cab or a 1970's station wagon in it. The supporting characters: Candy, Boat, etc...weren't even needed, they did nothing to move the story alone. If you wanted a comedy or to see incompetence, the the supporting character will give you what you are looking for.

The movie which was supposed to tie all 12 episodes plus episode 0 together, in a clean, clear and concise manner....FAILED!
There were still plot holes...there was still a pacing issue...there was still the unnecessary need of side characters, which added nothing to the story. I don't really know who to blame for this, the Writers, the Director, the Actors...but there is plenty of blame to go around. They did an excellent job with the soundtrack...the music for all of the releases was fire...that was the only great thing going for the drama and the movie. The expensive set locations was also great...they gave great advertisement to their sponsors, and that the only thing good I can say about this drama and movie.

The actors who portrayed Nine - Chahub and Daonuea - Best (especially Best), has put out other dramas that were really good, therefore I know he is capable of delivering better. I was not charmed by the way he portrayed Daonuea, the character was too whiney for my taste and so unsure of himself. Anyways, I think I've said enough to express my disappointment. I really wished the drama could have a new screenwriter and director who understand what needs to be done to clean up any holes and direct actor on effective execution....it could have been so good.

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