Reviews

a must watch!

What a movie! What an experience!

I loved every part of it but especially the acting. I can't believe that this is the same person that played such an innocent character in 2521. I love that actors don't just stick with one genre but explore and my oh my she's one talented actress indeed.

Furthermore, the story is just top notch. I was shocked when there was this plot twist...and also how weird that a child had to read such vulgar words, but then again it goes with the story, albeit weird. I especially loved how the men were punished at the end. I did not expect a happy ending with that poster but I was pleasantly surprised.

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who loves and appreciates all kinds of genres, not just romcom.

Read More

"Freedom is something you have to fight for"

In No Regrets for Our Youth, Kurosawa Akira presented many questions, but gave few answers. More than a political referendum on Japan's militaristic actions, the film focused on Yagihara Yukie's responses to the events going on around her, the choices she made and how she grew into her own sense of responsibility and freedom.

The film begins using the actual Takigawa incident at the Kyoto University in 1932 as a springboard, only with fictional characters. In the film, Yukie's father, Professor Yagihara, comes under fire for his liberal opinions. Students protest and professors are fired or quit. During this time, Yukie is torn between two students. Itokawa doesn't rock the boat and conforms to what is going on in the country. Noge Ryukichi is a firebrand firmly against the country's militaristic actions and leans decidedly left. Noge chooses a path away from the school leading to a stint in jail while Itokawa stays, becomes a prosecutor, and woos Yukie. After a recently released Noge accompanies Itokawa to a family dinner, Yukie realizes she needs a fresh start for she still loves Noge and does not want the dull life Itokawa offers. She moves to Tokyo to work, later meeting and marrying Noge. The two are incarcerated around the time Pearl Harbor is bombed. When Yukie's parents are finally able to have her released, she travels to her in-laws instead of staying in the relative wealth of her parents' home. Her in-laws live as night owls due to their connection with Noge and are ostracized by the villagers. Yukie finds what she's been missing as she digs into the earth at her mother-in-law's side planting rice.

Yukie, played by Ozu regular Hara Setsuko, goes from flighty, rash, entitled daughter to a woman so sure of herself that Itokawa proclaims, "Your sheer life force makes me feel ashamed!" The two male leads are as gray and uninteresting as the screen in the movie. Without Hara, the film would be too bland to care about. No Regrets for Our Youth was the last of Kurosawa's movies featuring a woman. Yukie was certainly one of his most interesting and likeable female characters. The film took a long time for her to go from her father's beliefs, to her husband's to finally finding her own beliefs. Her father knew the path she was taking would be difficult. "Remember that there will be sacrifices in the struggle for freedom." For the individual or the country, it would be true for both. Noge and Yukie held to the motto, "No regrets in my life" and that sustained her through her many trials. Her turning point, epiphany if you will, seemed to come while standing calf deep in the mud of a rice paddy. The film didn't really become interesting to me until the last third to quarter when Yukie finally started coming into her own.

The film itself felt poorly edited for a Kurosawa film. At the beginning of the film, the students on a hilltop hear gunfire believing it to be practice but find a badly wounded soldier just below them, something that was never explained. Perhaps it simply required a greater familiarity with the history of this time. While Yukie commanded the screen, her actions and emotions could be erratic, almost manic. One moment she's laughing, the next she's crying, or staring blankly into space, constantly swinging between extreme emotions. Her actions could be rash with Kurosawa unwilling to give us a reason for them. Though the politics of the time impacted the characters' lives, aside from the evils of militarism and the gestapo-like Tokko/Thought Police who cracked down on freedom of thought, the politics seemed rather vague most of the time. We don't know specifically what the professor said that caused him to be fired or what Noge did that landed him in jail. For the most part we only see how the events caused Yukie to react and their impact on her.

Near the end of the movie a title declares, "War Ends. Freedom Restored." Just as Noge had predicted, his work would be seen in light of fighting for Japan's peace and prosperity. At this point Yukie's family expects her to return to her comfortable life now that her husband's actions are framed in a positive manner. For Yukie, she has found her freedom and where her responsibility lies and it is in a simple life working with the dirt of the earth. The vacuous girl has grown into a woman who has sacrificed much to earn her place in the world and she's not willing to go backward. No Regrets for Our Youth started out slow but finished strong largely on the performance of Hara Setsuko.

6/10/23

Read More

AMAZING ROMANCE MOVIE - RECOMMEND IF YOU LIKE FLUFFY, HEALING, ARRANGED MARRIAGE TROPES

THIS MOVIE WAS AMAZING!! I came for Imada Mio, Meme, and some fluffy romance tropes, and I walked away happy.

now look, the plot was extremely fast paced and rushed, which makes sense since they had to compress so much manga and light novels into one film. the lore and worldbuilding was all given over voiceover and I absorbed *none* of it. I had no idea what was going on in terms of the magic system wise throughout the movie but it didn't matter because....

I came for the romance and the romance delivered. Imada Mio and Meme were just so cute together, their chemistry was decent too. my fav trope is a couple healing each other and I was 100% left satisfied on that score. yeah, the FL cries and whimpers a lot and can be a damsel in distress but it makes sense bc of her awful childhood. it was heartwarming watching the ML build up her confidence and strength thru sheer kindness. and it was so touching to see her melt his heart. another fav trope - seemingly badass general is actually a shy, awkward softboi? check ✅. and Miyo turns out to be badass and not defenceless and worthless like everyone told her before her marriage... but I won't spoil it.

I loved seeing other actors I stan in this:
- Tao (she served so hard I didn't even mind all the flashbacks scenes with the admittedly gorgeous kimono)
- the Kanokari ML. no, idk his name. yes I appreciate him. yes we exist.
- the ML from Neko.
- my new crush, Takaishi Akari from JK to Haijin. even tho the latter was so evil in this. nice acting tho.

my only complaint would be that this movie needed more time with the couple instead of the fantasy/action elements. bc, let me be honest, I didn't come for that and neither I did the rest of audience I think.

otherwise I really loved this movie. as a romance movie, it was a solid 10/10, but I wish that was all it was. shoutout to the sound effects, visuals and gorgeous cinematography as well.

so, overall, i'd say this is a solid 8.7/10. def lived up to the hype.

Read More

Detailed presentation of a complex situation.

I’ll be honest with everyone - the only reason one should watch this over a director's cut (which for me is a 10/10), is to later watch the director's cut and appreciate it even more.

Memoir of a Murderer is a story about simple characters in a complex and convoluted situation - both internally and externally. The addition of dementia is such a fresh and fascinating take on the typical serial killer story. What happens when a “reformed” serial killer starts to lose himself in the past, regressing to immoral behavior and not being able to control his urges that were tamed for years? Add another layer of him trying to catch another serial killer while struggling to remember all the encounters and identities of people around him - what a horrifying, but also captivating scenario.

What the movie does perfectly well is confusing the audience - what is reality? What is just a fragment of imagination? What was a lie and what was a forgotten memory? No matter how much you might pay attention, you cannot differentiate between the real and the fake, unless the movie itself wants to tell you the truth. How did they achieve that? Smart directing, amazing editing, trusting the audience and one aspect that made the director's cut better - the conclusion that actually makes sense.

Sol Kyung Gu as Kim Byung Soo? Perfection. The range of emotions and expressions, the chilling narrations and that eye twitch… The performance that somehow made me sympathize with a serial killer, even feel bad for him. Disagreeing with his murderous nature was obvious, but the fear of losing your identity and years of life and memories is such a horrible vision, it was hard not to feel anything while watching the movie.

Overall, probably one of the best serial killer movies I have seen in years, easily top5 of all times. Personally preferred the director’s cut, so if one is not up to watching mostly the same movie twice, skip the theatrical release.

Read More

maybe everyone agrees with me that to my star 2 is an extraordinary work from south korea. from all aspects of this drama is superior when compared to other dramas in terms of story? extraordinary with the duration per episode reaching 20-25 minutes, in terms of acting from the actors? The chemistry of the main actors in this drama is no longer recognised, from a cinematographic point of view? you can judge if you have watched this drama. highly recommended to watch. but in terms of the ost I'm not interested in listening to the song but that's just a personal opinion. I am very grateful to the hard work of the entire staff from the actors, director, and all those who played an important role in the success of this drama

Read More

I personally liked it

Eek, if you look at my rating breakdown, the overall rating should technically be a 5.5 but I personally feel like my overall rating for it would be an 8.

I liked this movie. It's quite a simple movie, slow paced but not too overly slow paced, quite relatable as well.

I empathised with the main character despite her acting which could be seen as a bit much, I think that was the goal, perhaps? I definitely could relate to the things the main character was going through in the movie. There were times I got frustrated with her, concerned for her and times I felt like I wanted to comfort and protect her.

I really liked the lessons I got from this movie which is why I gave it an 8. The acting was good too. The visuals were good. I loved the main character's outfits. I don't know if I would watch the movie again by myself, maybe I would if I have company. But I would recommend the movie.

This movie may not be for everyone, but if you're into slow paced movies that still gets to a place/somewhere at the end (cos some movies really don't get anywhere at all at the end), with some good lesson/s to pick up along the way, then perhaps you'll like this movie. :)

Read More

It put the "over" into "overkill" and the "E" into "evolution"

WOW this was an awesome ... bl00dy and gory ... but mind blowing movie.

The beginning of the movie.
They definitely put the "over" in over kill ... it was saturated in blood and guts and bones and brain matter (｡ꏿ﹏ꏿ｡) Initially I wondered where the hell this story was going to ... I decided to stick around for two reasons:
1. Seo In Guk. OMG what a transformation!! He has such an incredible acting range ... it is always a pleasure to watch his work.
2. to see what the go was between Jang Dong Yoon who plays Lee Do Il and the "Korean-stein" ... as there seemed to be some connection there. I am glad I did.

The middle of the movie.
I found this to be quite historical and evolutionary. Historical because of the links to the Japanese Empire's Surgeon General Shiro Ishii and his Unit 731. They were infamous for diabolical and horrendous medical atrocities perpetrated upon civilians and whole villages throughout Japanese occupied territory in WWII. In an International Military Tribunal for the Far East, the United States Government gave Ishii immunity from prosecution of war crimes, in exchange for information and research for the U.S. bio-weapons program. A diabolical act in itself ... one that not only spits in the face of every single victim who was tortured and died at their hands but humanity in general. BUT here is the thing ... it is not just a Japanese thing, or a USA thing ... it is a 'any country' thing (as we find out later in the movie). The middle was also evolutionary as, at the end of the day, evolution is no respecter of persons, it really is survival of the fittest ... be it cerebrally or physically or both ... it will cut through egoic human pretentions like butter. Humans messing with human DNA ... evolution is going to kick in somewhere along the line and it may very well come back and bite humanity as it is.

The end of the movie.
The end was a bombshell. The ship - such a powerful allegory to the world - initially it was humans fighting humans on the ship ... then it was the monster fighting humans ... then the humans were all wiped out leaving monster fighting monster ... it was almost Tolkien, one monster to rule them all. The last scene ... so powerful ... the father of new life emerges from the ocean, as if in homage to that first primordial life form that first set its "foot" on land ... he walks into a new world passing by the refuse of the humanity ... the humanity that he and his kind will replace ... because it is survival of the fittest.

WOW ... this was an epic movie ... a multi-level plot that you could do a deep dive into if you wanted to ... brilliantly acted ... definitely rewatchable ... loved it.

Read More

Good Remake of a popular story.

Although this film is a remake of films like groundhog day, I felt the directors did a decent job of the remake.
Chen Feiyu is a very good actor and now that he's graduated from the Beijing Film Academy I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of him. I thought he also did a great job in Ever Night and Lighter and Princess. Many of the films he's in have a good opening that makes you want to keep watching. I'm glad he has the courage to take on different roles and characters. He's very fortunate to have parents in the film and entertainment business. His private life is his own business and non of anyone else's. Actors are human beings; viewers should appreciate the work and the efforts to bring people enjoyment and entertainment.

Read More

One of the best Korean Remake I have watched

Everything in my stars says it there, I don't have to spoil anything but if you like watching action movies with intense acting and some funny scenes you should watch this. One that I have to point out that is really good in this film is the acting and the action scenes. Plus the actors in this film are one of those great actors in the Philippines and I really like the excellent casting and the way they all portrayed the characters. This isn't the original film and the Korean one is the original but I felt that this is like an original film or a very good version of a Philippine movie. The story overall is okay, and since I like watching movies with action I really like this.

Read More

Heartwarming

The movie adaptation was very good, It was so beautiful. Having read the book before discovering that it was adapted into a movie, I did not expect much as I guessed each chapter alone will be challenging to adapt. They would have to depict many stories at a time, hence I believe it would be difficult. But, the movie was excellent. I loved how they depict the stories well, the journey to finding out all of the necessary details were beautifully done. Though I would prefer the book more, I loved the cinematography and the beauty of the movie. Great casting and I would say it was an extremely heartwarming story that teaches you the lessons in life.

Read More

you WILL get pissed

Honestly though, this movie took the ‘cliche dumb main character in a horror movie’ to the next level. You have no idea how much she frustrated me. Literally the dumbest person ever, I mean I get that in certain situations you just don’t know how to handle things like that but isn’t she completely dense?

But then again this just proves how well the actress is, so kudos to her. Both actresses did extremely well honestly..

The ending kinda fucked me up because i’m honestly kinda happy for the villain winning because wow i did not feel one ounce of sympathy towards the main character, she literally deserved it all because of how dumb and naive she was. Literally how could she possibly make every bad move and the way she handled that stuff is just even more frustrating, it’s just an easy story where it pisses you off.

On a more bright note I guess it’s more realistic to end it like that because how could a dumbass like her outsmart a smart serial killer? Lol, I thought this might’ve been some kinda horror esque movie where the villain gets killed in the end by some magical thing but atleast they showed that it’s practically unrealistic to make her lose against an idiot. So honestly…i’m not even THAT mad. I’m just mad that they made the main character that unlikeable..

Read More

Better Than I Expected

First of all I have to praise Zhou Ye, I recently watched her drama Back from the Brink and loved her performance so watched this film. From this two her film and drama, I see her solving the last problem and she tried hard to save the ml and she succeeds. Both are similar in this regard but her acting was better. I saw her playing a very serious role in this film & this is my first Chen Feiyu film. He acted appropriately! There is nothing wrong with the performance of both of them. I just like the script a little less.How time traveled with candle is not explained easily, you have to think well to understand.Chen Feiyu can kiss very well even in this film I saw but the kissing scene was only 1/2.
New variations in time-travel drama! Fate can change

Read More

Bulling is very common in our age and has been for a very long period of time. This movie was one of the many examples of what can happen to someone because of it. The movie is about a girl named Chen Nian that has just lost one of her "friends" due to suicide because of bulling. As Chen Nian was too afraid to do anything, she wasn't able to help/save her friend. After Hu Xiao Die's death (Chen Nian's classmate/friend) the bullies wanted to find a new person annoy and the one they chose was her, Chen Nian. After that, Chen Nian finds Liu Bei Shan, a boy who is only good at fighting and getting himself in trouble. After another event (of her getting bullied, again) , Chen Nian asks Liu Bei Shan to protect her. As the story continues, their relationship gets better and better and they start having feelings for one another (I mean, have you seen them both? They're gorgeous how could they not fall for each other?).

This movie also shows us how different teenagers and adults act in situations like these. It's very rare to see movies of this kind nowdays and that's a very negative thing. A love story of a 'bad boy' (who is actually a HUGE softie and a HUGE green flag) and a girl desperate to succeed in order to live a better life with her mother. I truly loved this movie and I definetly recomment.

Read More

"...and life will get better and better..."

To Live aka Lifetimes put Zhang Yi Mou and Gong Li in the penalty box for two years due to what was considered a critical view of some of the Chinese government's policies. The film followed a family from the Civil War in the 1940's into the Cultural Revolution. The little family chose to adapt and to do what was necessary to live as the volatile political climate changed around them.

Xu Fu Gui (Ge You) was an inveterate gambler married to Jia Zhen (Gong Li) with a young daughter and a baby on the way. His gambling caused him to lose the family mansion and his wife. Fu Gui lived in dire poverty with his mother as he attempted to sell thread and needles on the street. Jia Zhen came back to him with his daughter, now a mute due to a fever, and a baby boy when she heard he'd stopped gambling. Gifted a box with an elaborate shadow puppet set by the same man who maneuvered him into his losses, Fu Gui created a traveling troupe and took his show on the road.

While on the road, Fu Gui and his friend Chun Sheng become conscripted into the Nationalist army where they pull canons and entertain the troops with their shadow puppet show. The Red army overruns the Nationalist army and they end up doing the same thing for the other side. Fu Gui is finally able to go home and he finds a very different environment. His wife and kids are selling and delivering drinking water. Nui, a local communist leader oversees their neighborhood. Long Er, the man who ended up with their mansion was executed for being a counterrevolutionary after burning the house when the government tried to confiscate it. Fu Gui declares it's good they are poor and that he'd lost their house or he would have been the one executed.

The 1950's arrive and during the Great Leap Forward everyone is required to "donate" all of the iron items they own leaving them without cooking utensils. As Nui states, "We're racing toward communism and you're worried about food?" You Qing, their son, fights back against his sister's bullies and the family is almost labeled saboteurs. The next morning, after very little sleep he and all of the other young school boys are required to smelt iron. His mother tries to keep him home but Fu Gui is afraid of the repercussions if the child doesn't go. Tragedy strikes and an old family friend is reminded that he owes them a life.

The 1960's bring the Cultural Revolution. Fu Gui is ordered to burn his shadow puppets or risk being declared a capitalist. The neighborhood and homes are covered in Mao propaganda and images. Their daughter Feng Xia is wed to a lame Red Guard leader at a factory. When the time comes for her to birth their child, her parents discover that all of the doctors and medical professors have been imprisoned for being reactionaries with only young student zealots left. Feng Xia's husband brings an imprisoned doctor to help, but he's starving and of no use.

Some of the family's own choices led to their suffering as in Fu Gui's disastrous gambling habit. But the political situations had more than their share of tragic effects on the family. The lack of sleep so many suffered from caused a death. Locking away doctors and intellectuals left people vulnerable to unskilled students. With only one party, corruption or paranoia could lead to innocent people being arrested as capitalists, especially when no dissenting opinions were allowed.

Fu Gui's shadow puppets became symbols for part of the story's theme. Initially, they were used only for entertainment with the artistic freedom to make the show lewd or comical. Later the puppets told more propagandistic stories. Eventually, Fu Gui was forced to burn them lest their feudal and subversive nature land him in prison. His family became part of the neighborhood theater instead. When Feng Xia married, the song sung, toasts given, pictures taken, and even the presents all revolved around Mao. They didn't even have the freedom to say, "thanks, that's just what we needed, another Mao statue/picture/mural/book" as they glance over at the table and walls filled with them. The family never complained as the political landscapes changed, they merely dressed the part and endeavored to recite the party lines whatever they were. Only at You Qing's grave did the family crack, removing their masks and let loose their true feelings toward the governmental perpetrator.

The performances were phenomenal. Ge You gave an outstanding performance as the complex Fu Gui. He won a Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. The film also won the Grand Prix award. Gong Li's part was smaller as the wife and mother, but her performance was powerful and compelling. Her tears, dignity, and rage pulled me in and never seemed contrived.

To Live showed how people adapt and survive even in tumultuous and dangerous times. The family conformed and persevered clinging to each other in order to live. Once he kicked his gambling habit Fu Gui realized why he wanted to live---his family. "There's nothing like family." Despite tragedies, Jia Zhen only desired "…a quiet life together" and repeatedly and doggedly chose to live. Together they weathered the political changes that created financial and social upheavals in their lives, never letting hope completely die. As Fu Gui declared to his grandson, "life will get better and better" without any evidence that it would yet he still chose to live in expectancy. To Live used the political changes as a structure to show how people are able to endure and to live with dignity even when the world tumbles around them. Zhang Yi Mou made a beautiful film about the tenacity of the human spirit and one well worth trying.

6/9/23

Read More